Palaver from Persimmon Crossing
with Warren FaulkGame, Fish and War
It is about time the U.S. Game and Fish Commission took on our war making responsibilities. They, at least, have the decency and good sense to establish bag limits, maximum and minimum game size restrictions, specify which weapons are legal, provide for posted areas and mandate closed seasons to give both prey and hunter a rest.
The Commission does these things on the basis of studies of game and fish populations and in consultation with civic organizations and the public. They are in the conservation business and will err on the side of protection of a species if err they must. Game management people proceed with relative certainty toward clearly defined and achievable goals. Sounds reasonable, no?
We may have just entered into another war. This one in Liberia. This one a very heated civil war. This one, like Afghanistan and Iraq, a war where you have no chance of distinguishing friend from foe by looking at the individual, his physical appearance, clothing, weapons, speech or mannerisms. Again we are short on intelligence and personnel who are familiar with the language and customs. There is just no way to avoid the quagmire word. No way to avoid the Vietnam comparison.
It would not surprise me if the Democrats took a dive in the next election. Who would want to become President of the mess we are in? And isn't it clear that Congress is, to a large extent, just marking time? I tune in now and then and am so sick of hearing how much "respect each of them has for all of his honorable collegues" that I could spit. I don't think there is a single voter who sent his Senator and Congressman off to Washington to talk funny and give over their constitutional responsibilities to the administration. But that is what they are doing in large part.
We have a history of getting bored with our wars. Afganistan has pretty much slipped from view. Iraq has turned into a humdrum affair of an ambush a day with one or two US soldiers killed. It might be cheaper to just pay everyone in Liberia to stay home rather than to take sides between factions.
Far from supporting any of these wars in any meaningful way, our public is simply not interested. Our government can do whatever it wants to do. When a government chooses war it chooses to force its youngest and least well educated, God love them for their courage, to make foreign policy decisions day by day at the point of a gun.
This is what it means to be THE superpower? Is there a pill for this?
-- Warren Faulk
Smarr, Georgia
June, 2003------------------
Warren Faulk has written a book called "Still Looking For My Hinny," an online book about animal husbandry, fishing, hunting and war. Available from 1stBooks.com
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