Endangered species act

[John Shuey]

This argument doesn't cut it - I can easily get documentation that
individuals in every enforcement agency in the US has overstepped their
bounds.  That's not the point.  I don't go around calling my local police
department a "bunch of thugs" because of the rogue actions of one or two
cops - do I?  That would indeed be stupid.  But then - that's what you are
doing.

So I guess......

I'd better stop.

John

(Who was spanked once in grade school unjustly - so every ^&^&$% *#$@#
teacher I've ever met is a thug - obviously)

> To me, it is a matter of "perspective".  Our forefathers set up
> our judicial
> system, and indeed our entire government under the premise that
> it was more
> important to protect the rights of an individual - and allow SOME
> guilty people
> to slip thru the cracks and go free- rather than accidentally
> destroying some
> innocent people while catching ALL of the guilty.   To me, if
> even one person is
> unjustly raided, tried, and forced to spend his life savings to
> defend himself
> - without being reimbursed for his time and trouble - and
> apologized to -  the
> system is broken.  I can easily get documentation of USF&W
> overzealousness in
> enforcing laws.  Can you tell me no innocent individual has been
> harmed by thier
> actions?  I doubt it.
>
>     You obviously feel that "some innocents" must be sacrificed
> for the good of
> all.
>
> I disagree strongly.
>
> John Shuey wrote:
>
> > >
> > > On Fri, 8 Feb 2002, Mike Soukup wrote:
> > > > With due respect to Jere, and, as a person who has spent
> much time "on
> > > > the shady side of the law", I would recommend almost
> nothing he says.
> > > > If you accidentally kill an endangered specie in the USA, keep your
> > > > mouth shut, don't tell anybody, and mis-label your specimen!!!  Our
> > > > USF&W are NOT nice, understanding people.  They are thugs
> with guns and
> > > > power and they like to use it.
> > >
> > > I'm sorry to hear that, and even more saddened by the fact that your
> > > advise is probably more reliable than mine!
> > >
> > > BTW in Finland endangered != protected by law. Here 'endangered'
> > > is just a
> > > label for species that need special attention for some reason
> and while
> > > all protected species are endangered, most endangered species are not
> > > protected. I think most lepidopterologists (in all senses of the word)
> > > here agree with me if a claim that the protected special have been
> > > selected in a more-or-less random way.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > You know - this is BULL SH&&%T.
> >
> > I work with F&WS folks on a daily basis - they are, by and
> large, a highly
> > dedicated group of people who care about conservation and the
> environment -
> > doing the best they can to leave a legacy within the confines of an
> > overbearing bureaucracy.
> >
> > As to the innocents who have been visited by F&WS law enforcement - I
> > personally know three such people.  All of them had extensive
> dealings with
> > folks who have pleaded guilty to violations of the Endangered
> Species Act or
> > the Lacy Act.  All three had many hundreds of specimens that
> were "illegal",
> > and that were at least temporarily confiscated while legal
> cases were made
> > against others (I saw one such stash of "evidence" temporarily
> stored at a
> > museum).  At least one of these friends had their specimens returned to
> > them - grand fathered into legality (and I don't know about the
> others but I
> > assume that they have their specimens back as well).
> >
> > Granted, I may seem unpatriotic to some folks of this list for
> defending our
> > government (as you know, others have fought and died so that we
> can enjoy
> > the right to bitch about our government).  But to negatively categorize
> > every person who works for F&WS as "thugs with guns and power"
> demonstrates
> > a lethal combination of both ignorance and stupidity that is difficult
> > tolerate.
> >
> > Even for a liberal like me.
> >
> > John
> >
> > John A. Shuey
> > Director of Conservation Science
> > Indiana Office of The Nature Conservancy
> > 1505 N Delaware Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
> > 317.951.8818
> >
> >
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> >
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> >
>


 
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