Commentary by R.T. Fitch ~ Author and volunteer President of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
Appointed Anti-Horse/Pro-Slaughter Fanatic Sticks Foot in Mouth During Opening
Jim Stephenson in the best shot for America's horses; an image in a rear view mirror
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has created for themselves yet another PR nightmare with the new appointments of Anti-Horse/Pro-Slaughter activists to their beleaguered and special interest Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Council. Self proclaimed wild horse hater Callie Hendrickson did her homework and is well aware of the massive public outcry over her appointment to the board as she has spent the last several years of her life trying to wipe out the last of the federally protected free roaming wild horses in Colorado. With all of the bad press, she didn’t step across the line in her self-indulgent introduction, today, at day one of the biased BLM meeting being held in Reno, NV.
But her partner in crime Jim Stephenson wasted no time in announcing his disdain for wild horses and disengagement from mathematical facts as he stepped right into a giant pile of stallion feces during his personal, and rather lame, introduction. The following is taken directly from the BLM’s site at http://www.blm.gov/live/
BLM appointee Jim Stephenson doing what he enjoys most, playing with dead animals
” I AM JAMES STEPHENSON . THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR ON THE BOARD. I HAVE BEEN TO ONE MEETING SO FAR. I SPENT THE LAST 16 YEARS WORKING FOR THE YAKAMA INDIAN NATION IN WASHINGTON, SOUTH- CENTRAL WASHINGTON. THEY ARE BIG GAME BIOLOGIST. I ALSO HAVE AN ASSIGNMENT FOR WILD HORSES. WE HAVE SUMMER AROUND 15,000 HEAD ON ABOUT 400,000 ACRES — SOMEWHERE AROUND 15,000 HAD APPEARED I HAVE TO ADMIT, I HAD ANOTHER MOTIVE FOR GETTING ON THE BOARD. THAT WAS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW HOW MANY INDIAN FORCES ARE — THE TOTAL NUMBER EXCEEDS THE NUMBER ON BOM LAND. WE HAVE A NATIONAL TRIBAL HORSE COALITION, UP TO SIX TRIBES. AREN’T SPRINGS, — ORANGE SPRINGS, YAKAMAS, NAVAJOS. NAVAJOS HAVE 70,000 HEAD OF HORSES. THERE ARE LIKELY AT LEAST 100,000 HEAD OF HORSES RUNNING LOOSE AT THIS TIME. I GREW UP IN SOUTHEASTERN OREGON. I DROVE DOWN HERE, AND I REALLY HAVE A REAL LOVE FOR THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY, NORTHERN NEVADA AND SOUTHEASTERN OREGON. AND I REALLY WANT TO SEE THE HORSES, THE POPULATION’S MANAGED AT A PROPER LEVEL. MY EXPERIENCE, I KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN. JUST TO LET YOU KNOW. THANK YOU.”
No, thank you, Jimbo for verifying that the BLM has once again stacked the decks against the horses and brought in a biased, non-mathematician who is going to tell us that there are 100,000 wild horses running around on a few reservations when there are probably less than 20,000 still running free on their rightful land in 10 western states. Give me a break, Jim.
The more I listen and see the more I am infuriated with the lack of transparency, knowledge and severe absence of depth on the board that is supposed to be advising the BLM on the proper management of the last few of our national icons still breathing air as free entities It is maddening. Salazar and Abbey should be fired, at the very least, if not prosecuted for the atrocities that they have committed upon the very charges that they have pledged to protect.
For all of you advocates who are speaking tomorrow, please, speak to the issue that the board is a sham, a farce and we will do all in our power to awaken the spirit of the American people to the disaster that this handful of special interest puppets are besetting upon our symbol of freedom and truth in this, formerly, great land of ours. Give it all that you have got knowing that the rest of us are standing beside you in spirit.
May the “Force of the Horse®” be with you.
Related articles
- BLM Nat. Wild Horse and Burro “Slaughter” Advisory Board Meets Today (rtfitchauthor.com)
- BLM Appoints Another Slaughter Supporter to Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Public Outraged Over BLM’s Anti-Horse Appointee on Wild Horse and Burro Board (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Callie Hendrickson: “Pro-slaughter” Appointee to BLM Wild Horse Board Draws Protests (rtfitchauthor.com)
- BLM Puts Public in Holding (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Petition: Tell Interior Secretary to Dump Pro-Wild Horse Slaughter Appointee (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Salazar, Obama’s BLM Stick It to the Wild Horses, Burros and the American Public (rtfitchauthor.com)
