quote:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) ban on the commercial trade of elephant ivory and sportsmen’s conservation issues. I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on these important matters.

As you may know, President Obama recently created a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking that establishes principles for U.S. efforts to curtail illegal wildlife trade by strengthening domestic and global enforcement, reducing demand for illegally traded wildlife, and solidifying international partnerships. As part of this strategy, FWS banned the commercial trade of elephant ivory.

Wildlife conservation in the United States is driven by sportsmen through their participation in volunteer wildlife advocacy associations, purchases of federal and state hunting and fishing permits, and indirectly through excise taxes on recreational equipment. This model of voluntary conservation has served this nation and our global fish and game populations well and deserves to be continued.

I support policies that encourage thoughtful resource conservation and management practices to ensure that future generations have the same opportunities to enjoy the outdoors as we do today. You may be certain that I will keep your views in mind and I will continue to work with my colleagues to provide responsible oversight of FWS.

I appreciate having the opportunity to represent Texas in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

Well I received a response though it is somewhat noncommittal. Guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Very noncommittal, no idea where he stands. But that's a politician for you.

Political doublespeak. They all know how to do it.

At least he read your letter. the response I got from WY was generic and dismal.

Typical politicians, they can speak or write a 1000 words and you still have no idea of what they try to say - well at least you got a response, that is worth 2000 words.

Russell,

At least you received a response. Still no word here from Cornyn, Cruz or my congressman, Lamar Smith. I'm not expecting much, in any case.

Good hunting,
David

I got the same email response from Cornyn this morning.

Five paragraphs and he didn't say a thing. What a great politician.

This is very depressing, but not at all surprising. They were raised Disney like everyone else and have been subject to the Chinese water torture of day in day out tidbits of how animals are being abused by us evil hairless monkeys. The soil was well tended for this closure to take root.

Against that we have infinitesimally small number of elephant hunters and those that make money off them.

Obviously (with the benefit of hindsight) we made a critical mistake in missing the opportunity to more aggressively work with and apply pressure on these 2 African governments, when we were well aware of for example the commercial slaughter in the Selous and the Park hunting in ZimBOBwe.

Of course nothing may have prevented the current state of affairs. But you have to wonder what might have happen if all we are doing now post ban, had been done when the first whiff of Park hunting drifted out of Zim.


I think careful evaluation of this strategic and tactical failure on our part, would benefit the next fight. So I suggest we keep up this fight on the ground of their choosing, while learning to do a whole lot better pre-fighting the next animal.

With human population in subsaharan Africa due to double before 2036 (less than 27 years), we will be loosing a lot of species and hunting in our lifetimes. Think about California hunting in 1950 v. 1980 and even today. I'm in the fight for our kids today to have a chance. Their grandkids are SOL.

Russell, c'mon now. You have seen the commercials. "Our John Cornyn, Conservative like you, like Texas." John is one of us . . . he said so himself.

I got the same letter today. Hopefully I can ask him about it next Thursday.

At least it looks like your Senator (or one of his staff) actually read your communication.

Here is the lousy response from Senator Murkowski in Alaska....



Dear James:

Thank you for contacting me about wildlife trafficking. I appreciate hearing from you and having the opportunity to respond.

I respect and enjoy the outdoors and nature and believe we must be responsible for protecting our wildlife as well as our pets. There is no doubt that protecting the rights of animals is extremely important, and Congress must continue to work toward that goal.

Should the Senate consider legislation regarding this issue, I will keep your comments in mind. Again, thank you for contacting me.



United States Senator
Lisa Murkowski


Representative Don Young on the other hand, addressed the issue and took a stand in his response....

Dear Mr. Wojciehowski,

Thank you for contacting me regarding U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) restrictions on all sport-hunted elephant importations from Tanzania and Zimbabwe. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me.

On March 4, 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that all sport-hunted elephant importations from Tanzania and Zimbabwe would be suspended in 2014. This decision took many by surprise, and is troubling for many reasons. First, the FWS does not have a scientific basis for this decision, and they cite "anecdotal evidence" in their release announcing the decision. Also, this decision will affect the livelihoods of many Africans and could also severely damage anti-poaching efforts in these countries.

Similarly to the U.S., hunters in Africa are the primary financial backers of wildlife management through the myriad of fees paid to hunt these animals. For example, in Zimbabwe alone, the user fees of hunters contribute up to 90% of the revenue that funds the Zimbabwean Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management. If U.S hunters are unable to import their trophies, there is no incentive for these hunters to travel to these nations and the support they provide the economy and wildlife management will go unrealized.

In the coming months, I will continue to pressure the FWS to rescind this decision and I will work with my colleagues on the House Natural Resources Committee to find out where this decision originated and why it was made.

Once again, thank you for expressing your views on this issue. If you haven't already, I would encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter at http://donyoung.house.gov/Forms/EmailSignup/and my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/RepDonYoung. Doing so will allow me to provide you with updates on this and other important issues. If I can be of any assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,

DON YOUNG
Congressman for All Alaska


Our Democrat Senator Begich did not respond short of an auto reply.

Wow, Don Young is actually doing his job and a good job at that.

"As you may know, President Obama recently created a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking...As part of this strategy, FWS banned the commercial trade of elephant ivory."


Hmm, I had no idea that Obama and FWS banned the commercial trade of ivory. All this time I thought that had been done a long time ago.

quote:

Hmm, I had no idea that Obama and FWS banned the commercial trade of ivory. All this time I thought that had been done a long time ago.

He's taking credit for that now too....


.

I got the identical worded response in Montana. Apparently it is a form letter passed on among the various staffs!

Here's my obvious form letter response. Just received this morning. I am composing a response for all the good it will do.



Dear Mr. Farren
Thank you for contacting me to express your concern about the illegal trade in elephant ivory and rhino horn. I appreciate your taking the time to do so.

As you are likely aware, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement that aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES, which has been in place since 1975, provides a policy framework for signatory countries, including the U.S., to adopt domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level. Approximately 5,000 species of animals and 29,000 species of plants are protected under the agreement.

In July 2012, the CITES Standing Committee took steps to curb the smuggling of elephant ivory and rhino horn, including suspending trade with several countries that have been consistently non-compliant with regulations to eliminate the illegal ivory trade. According to CITES Secretary-General John E. Scanlon, the Standing Committee has made full use of its compliance and enforcement procedures in order to assure "legal, sustainable, and traceable trade." He stated that the Committee will continue to work closely with all countries affected by the illegal supply chain of elephant ivory and rhino horn as it works to end this illegal trade.

The federal government plays a critical role in protecting threatened and endangered species. During my service in the Senate, I have been a strong supporter of conservation programs and have taken many actions to preserve wildlife and natural habitats. Mainers have always been faithful stewards of the environment because we understand its tremendous value to our way of life.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Should legislation regarding the illegal trade in elephant ivory and rhino horn come before the Senate, I will benefit from knowing your views.


Sincerely,


Susan M. Collins
United States Senator

I may write Senator Cornyn a letter. If I did, I would tell him that if he mentioned our illustrious commander in chief in the letter I would never vote for him again. You're either for 'em, or agin' 'em. So say it, one way or the other.

In 1979 I spent the summer in D.C. as an intern for my congressman.

We would get a duffle bag full of mail each day. There were about eight to ten hot topics at the time with the SALT II treaty being at the top.

Part of my job was sorting the mail into one of the hot topics piles. If it fit there we would send the appropriate form letter and using a signing machine with a felt tip marker sign the congressman's name. We would also keep a tally of which side of an issue the constituents were on.

If it was an out of place letter, ie: My son was in Mazatlan and was arrested for possession of marijuana, or My son was in Argentina and has disappeared during the coup of 1976 and hasn't been seen since. We would give the letter to the Administrative Assistant. She would then assign it to a staff member to write a letter. Sometimes I would write the letter and get it approved before it was "signed" and mailed out.

The letters you are receiving that say nothing are probably form letters regarding wildlife and conservation.

The letters that have been directly responded to have been done by a staff member or possibly a "19 year old intern".

It is doubtful that any of your letters have been seen or signed by your congressman/senator.

If you want personal attention it is probably best to follow up your letter/email with a phone call. In all likelihood you will at least get a phone call after they have researched it.

This information is 35 years old but from what I understand the system hasn't changed much.

Senator Udall from New Mexico replied to my letter regarding the FWS elephant ban was a form letter extolling the virtures of the 1966 Pet Protection Act and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

If you want your letters signed in ink, give money. If you want your Congressman to give you his cell phone number, give even more money.

Dear Dr. Easter:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) ban on the commercial trade of elephant ivory and sportsmen’s conservation issues. I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on these important matters.

As you may know, President Obama recently created a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking that establishes principles for U.S. efforts to curtail illegal wildlife trade by strengthening domestic and global enforcement, reducing demand for illegally traded wildlife, and solidifying international partnerships. As part of this strategy, FWS banned the commercial trade of elephant ivory.

Wildlife conservation in the United States is driven by sportsmen through their participation in volunteer wildlife advocacy associations, purchases of federal and state hunting and fishing permits, and indirectly through excise taxes on recreational equipment. This model of voluntary conservation has served this nation and our global fish and game populations well and deserves to be continued.

I support policies that encourage thoughtful resource conservation and management practices to ensure that future generations have the same opportunities to enjoy the outdoors as we do today. You may be certain that I will keep your views in mind and I will continue to work with my colleagues to provide responsible oversight of FWS.

I appreciate having the opportunity to represent Texas in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

From my Vermont Congressman....
I really should not capitalize Congressman in this instance..

Thank you for contacting me about the recent suspension of elephant trophy imports. I appreciate your feedback on this important issue.

On April 4, 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that it would suspend all imports of sport-hunted African elephant trophies taken in Tanzania and Zimbabwe in 2014. FWS will reevaluate the rules for these imports for 2015. I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind when Congress addresses this issue.

Please keep in touch. I look forward to seeing you in Vermont soon.


Sincerely,

PETER WELCH

Member of Congress

quote:

Originally posted by RyanB:
If you want your letters signed in ink, give money. If you want your Congressman to give you his cell phone number, give even more money.

Very wise post.

As stated above, all these guys, either side of the aisle are handled and fed information by 20-something interns - that's what's really scary. The congressmen themselves only focus is holding on to power.

You know, in the past couple of years I am so fed up with solicitations for money to "have my voice heard" I have been giving to the charity of my choice when I get one and sending a note "a donation has been made in your name to..."

I feel it does a lot more good and sure makes me feel better!

Mine basically said IF it comes across their desk, he will evaluate the suggestion and go from there but is more concerned for their state of Montana. In other words, it doesn't concern the majority of the state, they do not care.!!!!!! just what my take was on their form letter response.

I got the exact smae form letter.

It's as if they didn't even understand the letter that was sent to them and sent back the form letter that covers "all things Elephant".

I hate to say it, but "Sport Hunted Elephant Trophies from Zimbabwe" ain't too high up on their list of things to worry about at the moment.

I still sent them all the letter to do what I could. I suspect it fell on deaf ears though.

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
I got the exact smae form letter.

It's as if they didn't even understand the letter that was sent to them and sent back the form letter that covers "all things Elephant".

I hate to say it, but "Sport Hunted Elephant Trophies from Zimbabwe" ain't too high up on their list of things to worry about at the moment.

I still sent them all the letter to do what I could. I suspect it fell on deaf ears though.

Simply does not affect enough of the population to move the needle. Here in Maine perhaps no more than half a dozen people.

Vote them out of office. Status quo sucks bad

I frequently wonder how different things might be if we had meaningful term limits. Something that forced these nitwits to move on before they just became part of the system. I think if I could snap my fingers and invoke by fiat one reform, it would be meaningful term limits.

He is speaking out of both ends....

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
I frequently wonder how different things might be if we had meaningful term limits.

Kind of hard to get congress to pass a law that gets them fired in a few years.

But, I agree. Limits.