“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”- Quote attributed to Sinclair Lewis.

Definition of PROPAGANDA

ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect

Yesterday’s meeting of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board in Wausau made it very clear that the Wisconsin DNR and Natural Resources Board have no interest in even considering the views of anyone other than the killing cartels. Today the DNR has been using their shills in the news media to push the idea that the 275 kill number approved yesterday is “conservative” and scientific.” One of their talking heads even went so far as to say that there are no pro-wolf groups on the “Wolf Advisory Committee” because they want groups that are for “management” and not pro-wolf. From this article:

Bill Vander Zouwen, the DNR’s wildlife ecology section chief, said the number was a compromise of “quite a diversity of opinions” and would help the DNR achieve its established goal of reducing the wolf population without destabilizing it.

Compromise? Diversity of opinions? Really? Considering that the “Wolf Advisory Committee” that came up with this 275 kill number was stacked with anti-wolf groups and government agencies how can this be considered a “diversity of opinions?” Then we have Ralph Fritsch of the deceptively named hunting group, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, whining that the slaughter of almost 40 percent of the known wolf population is far too little.

Ralph Fritsch, who sits on the advisory committee, and represents the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, which is comprised of hunting, fishing, trapping and forestry-related groups, supported the new quota for making progress toward the target population of 350. He said the wolf hunt in 2012 was ineffective in reducing the wolf population, which the DNR estimates at just over 800, at minimum.

“The Wisconsin DNR has the ultimate responsibility to properly manage the wolf population in the state, which is currently at least 2.5 times the management goal of 350,” Fritsch said. “The goal was based on the social carrying capacity of wolves in the state and was made as a commitment to farmers, hunters and citizens of Wisconsin.”

The article doesn’t mention that Fritsch, in addition to being a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation is also a “delegate” for the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. This ensures that his anti-wolf lobbying group has control over all aspects of wolf “management” in the state of Wisconsin. No conflicts of interest here, right?

Then comes this piece of information that I did not know:

Several speakers Wednesday accused the committee, made up of DNR staff and other stakeholders, of failing to represent the interests of most Wisconsinites. The DNR recently decided to remove University of Wisconsin researchers from all wildlife advisory committees (including the wolf committee).

Tom Hauge, director of the DNR’s wildlife bureau, described the change to the Wisconsin State Journal as a move “to be efficient with department resources.”

So let’s remove the only legitimate science based members of the committee to be “efficient?” Really? What does being “efficient” mean to the Wisconsin DNR?

In defense of the composition of the committee, Zouwen said, “We’re past the recovery stage; now we’re in the management stage. It makes the most sense to have the people at the table who are OK with managing and not always fighting that battle.”

So in other words they only want “yes men” that are for wolf killing and dissenting opinions will not be tolerated. More of that Wisconsin “democracy” in action I see.

Then we have the DNR using kill everything shills from the news media to try to convince the public that they are being “conservative” and “scientific” when it comes to wolves. They try to pretend that killing hundreds of wolves each year is good for them and those perpetrating the killing are “conservationists.” Really? Take a look at some of these “conservationists” in action on this page.

This is what the kill everything “outdoors’ writer Paul Smith of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had to say in his latest propaganda piece article:

When it comes to public attitudes on wolves in Wisconsin, at one end of the spectrum some say the species hasn’t recovered and should never be hunted or trapped. It’s hard, I acknowledge, to start killing a species you’ve worked so hard for so long to protect. But the fact is many people at this end would never advocate killing a wolf regardless of its population.

At the opposite end, some believe wolves are a threat to humans and kill too many deer. These folks are more inclined to “shoot, shovel and shut up.”

In the middle are an unknown number who respect the wolf, want to ensure it always has a place in the Wisconsin ecosystem, consider its comeback one of the greatest conservation stories in our lifetime and support science-based management of the wolf as a game species.

Count me in the middle.

And for that, I’m thankful the DNR is taking a conservative approach to its wolf management.

Wildlife managers like Vander Zouwen and carnivore specialist Dave MacFarland have taken pains to explain the agency is working gradually to exert “downward pressure on the wolf population.”

That’s smart and prudent policy. For one thing, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is monitoring the state’s performance in managing its wolf population for five years after delisting.

In between the ass kissing the propaganda screams right into our faces. In Wisconsin killing almost 40 percent of the estimated population is “conservative” according to Smith and the DNR. Then Smith ends with this flaming piece of propaganda:

The current wolf management actions by DNR wildlife managers deserve broader support. Despite claims from opponents, the agency is using the best available science to ensure a viable population of wolves in Wisconsin.

A species managed as a game animal in the modern era has proven to be very secure. It should be no different for the wolf, a species seen as sacred by some and special by most.

With conservative management and an updated plan in the next couple of years, the wolf is likely to be more widely tolerated and have a brighter future in Wisconsin than ever.

So wolves are “no different” than any other species and are seen as “sacred” and “special” by most? Really? So wolves have a “bright future” and will be “more widely tolerated” by subscribing to the DNR’s reckless slaughter plan? So, Mr. Smith, how many species have web pages devoted to their torture and slaughter like the wolf does? Is that tolerance? Why don’t you tell that to the people on the Wisconsin Wolf Hunting Facebook page? That bastion of “tolerance” has over 18,000 likes and is full of anti-wolf propaganda along with photos depicting wolves in various forms of bloody death. And “science” Mr. Smith? “Science like this from Natural Resources Board member William Bruins?

“God created homo-sapiens to be in charge of controlling livestock (misspeaks, corrects) wildlife populations. And if we were to allow the wolf to propagate and go about being the predators that they are, that is not managing the wolf population. So I therefore move to approve the 275 wolf harvest quota and the license issue at 10x the number.”

And here is some more “science” regarding how wolves are “managed” in Wisconsin. Following the meeting and Natural Resources Board member admitted to multiple wolf advocates that they did not agree with the quota but “had to vote it through or Walker could shut them down.” Really? So Governor Dropout wants to make it clear to everyone that no dissent will be tolerated and supposedly “independent” boards like the NRB are apparently too afraid to anger Herr Walker. I seem to remember a term for this in my sociology and political science courses. From the Merriam- Webster Dictionary:

Definition of FASCISM

a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

Hmm. Who does this sound like? One of my favorite quotes is attributed to Sinclair Lewis:

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

Unfortunately fascism is already here and it is wrapped in ALEC/KOCH propaganda and sporting a bald-spot. Are Wisconsin citizens too blind to see this? The wolf issue is a microcosm for what is happening all over this state. First it was the public employees, then the poor, then women, then the environment, then the wolves….. How can anyone miss the pattern here? Everything that “liberal” or “progressive” citizens in this state hold dear is under attack and those charged with being an independent voice are under the total control of a self-anointed “rock star” that believes he can take his blitzkrieg nationwide as president. This is why each and every propaganda piece and action that the Wisconsin DNR and Natural Resources Board takes must be dissected, scrutinized, and called out for the lies and disinformation contained within. We need to demand that our voices be heard and not stand in fear of a self-anointed dictator that spits on all we hold dear. Is Wisconsin that weak of a state that everything we have accomplished in the past 150 years can now be thrown by the wayside to appease big money special interests? The wolf is just another victim in this reign of terror, but they will not be the last if we allow these unprecedented power grabs and institutional intimidation to go unchecked.

Wake up Wisconsin or it won’t be just wolves left decimated and bloody in the woods. Someone also need to remind Governor Walker that it is not a crown on his head, it is only a bald spot.