Dave Petersen for President

As the current political season unfolds there are many serious (and some not so serious) issues before us. I am having a difficult time warming to the candidates of either party, so I was thinking--what's really important to me personally (aside from peace and prosperity) and who would be the best choice to carry my banner forward. I want access to hunt and fish, and wander. I want the wild places (those that are left) protected from the demon "progress" which, more often than not, means a peculiarly nasty kind of rapeaceous enterprise rather than thoughtful and democratic growth. Then it came to me--the guy who wrote the recent articles in TBM about canned hunts and ATVs on public land--now I can get behind that guy. Dave Petersen. Now all we need is a good VP.......;

[TRAP]

Apparently you arent a trapper.  Dave Petersen admitedly voted against trapping in Coloradao.

It would be tough for me to get behind a "sportsmen" that plays on both sides of the fence.

Sorry, but for me the world is black and white.  You're either fer it or agin it.

Trap

Nope. Not a trapper. Respect your opinion, though.

[TRAP]

I guess there's no such thing as a perfect candidate.  Dave would probably be better than most even as an anti trapper.  

Please forgive me for being so abrupt.

Trap

[Reg Darling]

He'd have my vote. How about Terry Tempest Williams for his V.P.?

Put Terry on the short list--I was thinking Brenda Valentine but she's a bit on the tech side...got the immense hair and makeup, tho.....

[elk ninja]

As a good friend of mine, I'd like to see many of Dave's ideas in the oval office.... but not all of them.  

I'd encourage you guys to look at all the issues.  Politics are an extremely sticky issue and now I am going to go tread on some awful thin ice... Just because a candidate would vote to keep every one of your outdoors wishes, doesn't make them the best choice.  

In the early 1900's, when some saw the need for game laws, many outdoorsmen saw it as a front to their way of life and their traditions, but we wouldn't have our lifestyles now if they didn't have the ability and judgement to take the longview and see what was coming without change.

Anyway, the point I am struggling to get to is not an easy one to convey, but I just want to encourage you to take a small step back and examine more than one issue, and also to examine it from multiple viewpoints.  

Mike

[adeeden]

How about Paul brunner for VP? he could be in charge of the ATV's!

Couldn't agree more, elk ninja. Thus the tongue-in-cheek thread.

[JStark]

Dave is growing in votes... count me in!

[beachbowhunter]

He's be my appointment for Secretary of the Interior.

Don't be fooled by the "hunter" that's currently running for VP though  

[Gehrke145]

I hope thats not true on the trapping part!  I've thought of moving from CO because of the trapping ban!

[TRAP]

Adam, In his book "Ghost Grizzlies" Dave admits to supporting a ban on trapping.

Trap

[702plmo]

The way I see it we do not have an electable person running.    

 

[2-BIG]

I love to read Dave's articles and agree with most of his opinions that I have read, BUT I began trapping at the age of 7 and I refuse to vote for ANY politician that would be against trapping.

[elk ninja]

I think you guys are missing something about Dave and his opinions on trapping.  

Maybe I am, not being a trapper though...

But before you form your opinion, why don't you get it from the mouth of the horse, Dave Peterson himself?

He is, to the best of my knowledge, and I consider him a friend, not against trapping, but against a measure that was on the ballot in Colorado.  

Mike

[brmize]

And let's also remember that Dave is not the man who made the law. He voted, just like any other resident of Colorado. His vote doesn't carry anymore weight than anyone else's he just happens to have metioned how he voted in one of his books. Read his work more closely. Dave is a far better friend to ethical hunting than "Uncle Ted" or just about any other "Outdoor personality" you could name. That is all I will say. I have no desire to get into an argument here and Dave doesn't need me to defend him, all I am saying is think a little harder about the "If you aint for us your against us" stance.

Brian

[TRAP]

Brian, I don't plan on getting in an argument either, but please dont ask me to rethink my "if you arent for us your against us" stance.  I've already thought about it and I'm not going to change.

The act of trapping is about the easiest outdoor activity to ban by animal rights activists.  It's often been said that an organized boy scout troop could ban trapping at the local level if they so desired. There arent many trappers in the grand scheme of things and their needs, rights and priviledges are often overlooked by other members of the "sporting"  fraternity.  

I dont live in Colorado and have only visited it a few times but it's not hard to see, even from this far away, that sportsmen's rights are being challenged in Colorado.  Every victory, such as a ban on trapping, further fuels the liberal's onslaught of those rights.  A ban on trapping in any state is just the beginning and just a little piece of the puzzle.  If you're happy with the loss of trapping in Colorado and the other outdoor pursuits that have been lost there, then so be it.

I find it interesting that outdoor writers in general can have such a loyal folowing.  I have enjoyed reading some of Dave's books and his column in TBM, but I don't believe he is necessarily suited for the White House.  I am a trapper and proud of it.  The right to trap means as much to me as the right to bowhunt.  My family depends on the added income from trapping, just as it does from the addition of venison in the freezer.  I wouldnt take a chance at losing either of those rights by voting for someone that would toss trappers under the bus.  If that was not his intention then I owe him an apology.

I'll be the first to admit that maybe I've missed something.  So I'll do what elk ninja suggests  

Mr Petersen, this topic has come up several times on internet forums and around a few camfires I'm sure. My question for you is,  Did you support a ban on trapping in the state of Colorado and if so why?

Respectfully submitted by,

Daryl Damron "Trap"

[Gehrke145]

Well said trap!

Easy, folks-- this was meant to be a 'fun' thread. I don't know Dave Petersen personally but I speculate that one of the best things about him as a candidate is that if his nomination was ever a real possibility he'd head for that little elk hidey hole of his in the mountains. I don't think of him as an 'outdoor personality'--that would be Ted Nugent-- Dave is just a good writer with good ideas about preservation of this beautiful planet and its critters.