I’ll begin with our governor, who continues to show shamefully poor judgment in the wake of our country’s recent presidential election, as do many of his conservative counterparts across the nation. Mike Dunleavy’s decision to support an effort that would overturn the will of voters in four other states is both hypocritical and disgraceful, particularly coming from such a staunch “state’s rights” advocate. I and many other Americans across the political spectrum cheered the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisive dismissal of the lawsuit brought by Texas’ attorney general because, in essence, it had no lawful merit. Equally dishonorable is Dunleavy’s unwillingness to recognize Joe Biden’s victory. Add these to the many — and ongoing — reasons our governor should be recalled, including his unwillingness to issue a statewide mask mandate during a startling surge in COVID-19, another decision that makes no sense.
Equally disturbing, in its own way, was Steve Meyer’s recent column on trapping. While I applaud his effort to educate dog owners on the dangers of traps and snares — and precautions people can take to prevent a dog’s death in traps — I find his salute to trapping to be both offensive and wrong-headed. I can agree that trapping has had a central place in Alaska’s, and humanity’s, history. But to say it holds an “honorable” place is going way too far.
There was a time when trapping was a central part of Alaska’s subsistence lifestyle, one crucial to human survival, and it may remain so for a small number of residents. But nowadays, trapping is for many people a recreational pursuit, one that is unnecessarily cruel. Many and likely most animals caught in traps die a horrible death and often experience prolonged suffering. I couldn’t disagree more with Meyer’s statement that “there is no better way for a youngster to learn about responsibility, life, death, the outdoors, its inhabitants, what feeds and shelters nature’s creatures, and respect for all of it.” How anyone who has dogs — the domesticated cousins of wolves and other wild canines — at the center of his life cannot see this truth boggles my mind.
— Bill Sherwonit
Anchorage
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