Letters to the Editor published in the Nov. 3, 2021 issue of the Tomahawk Leader.
Right to personal opinion, not to own set of facts
Sandy Myre’s rebuttal of my Oct. 20 letter-to-the-Editor requires a response. Mrs. Myre is entitled to her opinion, but is not entitled to misrepresent what I actually wrote.
I did not challenge the lawful rights of hunters or gun owners. I actually labeled the thousands of hunters as legitimate, but singled out the tiny minority of wolf hunters as untrustworthy, as the last wolf hunt clearly demonstrated.
We have friends who hunt and fish to fill their freezers. I complement the Myre family for providing for their family off the land, but think that they should be more concerned over the potential of Chronic Wasting Disease in the food supply than the rare possibility of wolf depredation on pets or livestock.
Wolves are apex predators and naturally remove the weak and ill of their prey, including fawns. Legitimate hunters understand that. Other predators such as owls and coyotes, etc., kill many more small pets than wolves do. We need to balance our wants with the wants and needs of many others, including the right (and necessity) of a natural predator to exist.
As far as pet ownership goes, I won’t take up limited space listing our pets over the past 50 plus years. I can say that we worked at keeping them responsibly; for their sakes as well as our own. At least we can say that we never intentionally placed any of them in harm’s way.
We also have friends and relatives who have farmed for generations, so I understand the problems many farmers face. Rare wolf depredation pales in contrast to the real problems – financial and competition with Big Ag – that today’s farmers actually encounter. No sandhill crane or wolf ever drove a farmer to commit suicide.
Most of us live up in the Northwoods because we like the open spaces, nature itself and the wildlife it sustains. If we all act responsibly, there is room for everyone.
Politicians get no free pass. The First Amendment guarantees everyone’s right to challenge the actions of politicians whenever their actions demand it.
The license requirement on concealed carry weapons filters out those prohibited from possessing firearms by state or federal law, or by court order, for good reason. To eliminate that basic protection is dangerous. Senator Felzkowski’s attempt to eliminate the license requirement for concealed carry weapons is irresponsible.
On Oct. 27, the TV news reported that there have been more deaths due to gun violence than in many preceding decades.
Mrs. Myre has a right to her personal opinion, but not her own set of facts. Was her letter was an attempt to stir up animosity toward anyone challenging the documented, illegal behavior or wolf hunters?
Diana C. Smith
Tomahawk