Raids on pig farms? Michigan’s DNR appears to be doing so.
The law was announced in October of 2011, no wild swine in Michigan. So, farmers had plenty of time to prepare, but is the DNR handling it properly? Frankly, I don’t know. That bothers me more than anything.
DrudgeReport.com ® recently posted an article that seemed written by a nutcase, calling for arrest of DNR agents and suggesting the possibility of lethal force against them. Sorry, but I don’t go for that.
http://www.naturalnews.com/035585_Michigan_farms_raids.html
If the DNR is invading private pig farms without due process, as the article claims, yeah, they are in big trouble. But violation of due process can’t be met with taking the law into our own hands. If it actually happened as reported, then the entire DNR must be investigated by the State, not individual citizens going after individual DNR agents.
But, the article fails to report why the State has declared the species dangerous. The target is not typical pigs, but wild swine.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10371_10402-263850–,00.html
Sus scrofa is the $64,000 word for this big, fat, harry pig, but it also has a domestic subspecies, which looks a lot like Wilber. Apparently, it is an excellent carrier of terrible parasites and diseases, not native to the United States, and aggressive toward humans.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12145_55230-230062–,00.html
Should we be going after invasive species? Of course, but the DNR should include the other invasive species that threaten natural habitat, not native to the USA… What about European robins, blue jays, and starlings which are destroying the native, and beautiful, blue bird? And what about the many predatorial cats—cougars and bobcats—along with wolves being released and protected by the DNR? If the goal is to reduce deer, which eat corn and kill people on highways, just declare open season on them and stop hating on people that protect ethanol sources. (But, tree-huggers usually don’t think about how much their policies contradict themselves.)
When we consider wolves and cougars “not invasive”, but then raid a pig farm rather than levying fines… I think we need to find out who is at the helm of the DNR.
Maybe the DNR did the right thing, but invited terrible press. Maybe they have their reasons. But, more than likely, all of us need to learn due process, get our pig-headed priorities straight, and, at least, stop making such terrible PR blunders—all across the board.