Field Notes

President Bush actually won (grudging) praise from environmentalists this week, announcing that he will create three new marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean. Problem is, at least for now, it will keep some recreational anglers out.

From the Washington Post:

In making the decision, Bush overruled the objections of recreational fishing interests and Vice President Cheney, who argued that the restrictions would create a dangerous precedent. Recreational fishermen will be required to apply for permits to fish in the protected areas. . . .

Michael Nussman, president of the American Sportfishing Association, decried the new policy, saying that it presumes recreational fishing is "an evil activity."

"If you're going to keep the public out of a public area, you need a darned good reason to do that," said Nussman. . . . "We don't think they've met that 'darned good reason' test."

Check out the full article and tell us what you think.

From a Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence press release:

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence today filed suit in federal court asking that the court strike down a last-minute Bush Administration rule change allowing concealed, loaded firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. 

“The Bush Administration’s last-minute gift to the gun lobby, allowing concealed semiautomatic weapons in national parks, jeopardizes the safety of park visitors in violation of federal law,” said Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke.  “We should not be making it easier for dangerous people to carry concealed firearms in our parks.”

Your reaction?

From the Washington Post:

President-elect Barack Obama has tapped Oregon State University professor Jane Lubchenco, one of the nation's most prominent marine biologists, to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Lubchenco, a conservationist who… is a vocal proponent of curbing greenhouse gases linked to global warming,… has criticized the agency in the past for not doing enough to curb overfishing.

What do you think? Good choice?

That’s right, Lisa Jackson—as in the same Lisa Jackson who helped Gov. Jon Corzine put an end to bear hunting in the Garden State.

From The Louisiana Weekly:

President-elect Barack Obama announced Monday that New Jersey's Lisa Jackson, a New Orleanian, will become the first African American to lead the Environmental Protection Agency under his administration.

Your reaction?

Of course not, right. Yet they do in Illinois, according to this article from The Volokh Conspiracy, posted on the NRA’s website: 

Federal law makes it harder for 18-to-20-year-olds to get handguns, and some states prohibit it outright; yet nearly all states at least allow 18-to-20-year-olds to have long guns.

Except, it turns out, for Illinois, where state law bars 18-to-20-year-olds from possessing any gun -- including a stun gun -- unless they (1) have a parent or legal guardian's written consent, (2) haven't been convicted of any misdemeanor other than a traffic offense, and (3) the consenting parent or guardian isn't himself barred from owning a gun.

Check out the full article and tell us your reaction.

The Wyoming Game Wardens Association thinks so, according to this from an AP story in the Casper Star-Tribune:

People who repeatedly poach trophy game animals in Wyoming could face felony charges under a bill the state Legislature will consider in the session starting next month.

The Wyoming Game Wardens Association is pushing the bill. It would establish that anyone convicted of poaching certain trophy game animals for the second time within a 10-year period could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.




What do you think?

From The Golf Channel:

Only seven Americans from the winning Ryder Cup team were in the Oval Office to meet with Presidents [sic] George W. Bush last month, and Steve Stricker was among those absent.
 
. . .

[I]t came down to priorities.
 
For the last dozen years, Stricker and his father-in-law, Dennis Tiziani, have taken family and friends to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a week of deer hunting when the season begins Nov. 15. The trip to the White House was Nov. 17. . . .

“[I]t wasn’t that hard of a decision because it was a family thing.”

What would you have done?

From the Chicago Tribune:

Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), a Western Latino with deep grounding in water and land issues, is President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to lead the Interior Department. . . .

Salazar led Colorado's Department of Natural Resources and served as the state's attorney general before winning a vacant Senate seat in 2004 . . . .



The Colorado senator campaigned vigorously for Obama in the Rocky Mountain state this fall, barnstorming rural areas in an RV preaching alternative energy development and its potential to revitalize economies.
After the election, he urged Obama to build his economic stimulus package around investments in energy infrastructure.

Your reaction?

From Minnesota’s West Central Tribune:

Scott Edward Wagar faces charges of fifth-degree assault . . . .

He allegedly said he was fed up with his house being toilet-papered and had taken matters into his own hands [by spraying teenagers] with a "supersoaker" squirt gun filled with fox urine. . . .

What’s your reaction? Do you blame him?

From the Avalanche-Journal:

Sen. Jeff Wentworth, author of last year's castle doctrine law - which gives Texans the right to attack an intruder if they feel threatened at their home, business or car - says Texas needs at least one more gun law, and he is planning to author it.

The San Antonio Republican is drafting a bill that, if the Legislature approves and Gov. Rick Perry signs into law, would allow Texans with concealed gun permits to carry their weapons on college campuses, where concealed weapons are now prohibited.

Tell us your reaction.