ANIMAL LOVERS
Let's talk about animal lovers,
Not those who protest and accuse,
But everyday people who carry the load
And don't make the 6 o'clock news.
It's proper to make the distinction
When explanations are given,
Between those who care as a hobby
And others who care for a livin'.
When we speak of animal lovers,
The part-time groups come to mind-
Nice-enough folks, who articulate well
And shine when the cameras grind.
It's too bad more credit's not given
To the ones who seldom get heard.
'Cause, in spite of their modest behavior,
Their actions speak louder than words.
These are the folks, that on Christmas Day,
Take care of God's animals first.
With never a thought they should have the day off,
Or that they might be reimbursed.
They believe that Genesis meant it,
That man has dominion o'er all.
And they don't take their mandate too lightly,
To care for the great and the small.
God's entrusted His creatures to us
By rating us all in a log,
According to what our abilities are,
Most get a house cat or dog.
But the bulk of the animal kingdom
He placed in the hands of a few
Who feel more at home in a pasture than
An office on Fifth Avenue.
God did it that way for a reason,
'Cause talk's cheap where carin's concerned.
The title of animal lover is
An honor that has to be earned.
To those who'd debate my conclusion,
To your own you're welcome to cling,
But I'll bet if we'd ask His opinion,
God knows that He did the right thing. | NOT ONE MORE ACRE
How do you put your mind around oppression for the common good and eminent domain? The explanation most times is “follow the money.”
I lived in Colorado for many years. I have watched it grow from 2.9 million to 5.1 million, most of it on the suburban front range. Colorado has unparalleled beauty, an eco-sensitive majority and an under-the-radar abundant productive agricultural industry.
The clash between country vs city grows with each new tourist who comes to visit and stays. What used to be a principled debate between ‘conservationists’ and ranchers and farmers has become a crass, closed-door battle between The Government-Conservation-Realtor-Construction Complex and isolated bands of native defenders of private property rights. To wit, southeastern Colorado ranching communities vow to allow “Not One More Acre!” to be condemned, co-opted, coerced, seized or bamboozled by the government to expand Ft. Carson Military base’s Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site at the expense of their homes and livelihood.
We’ve all watched family residences condemned to allow shopping malls to be built. We’ve seen towns nationwide moved wholesale by dam construction or highways. Not to mention feedlots or dairies sued by cities that grew out around them. Colorado, our grand Colorado, has become the poster child for blatant efforts to beg, buy or steal water rights and land to supply the Front Range’s voracious growth.
What are these Not-One-More-Acre ranchers’ chances of succeeding? If they were Eskimos or baby seals being routed from their habitat, I’d say a good chance. If they were Snail Darters, Spotted Owls, or Dolphins there would be a hue and cry in their defense. It is ironic that there are probably fewer ranchers than there are Blue Whales. Why not “SAVE the RANCHERS!” They are the truly endangered species. But to understand what is at stake you must put yourself in their position. Imagine you are a painter and the government decrees you must offer up all your life’s work to be destroyed.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Russell,” they say, “Here’s some money, you can paint more.”
How can they do that, you ask? “I’m sorry,” says the general, the politician, the real estate developer, the dozer driver, the lawyer, the wheeler dealer and the executioner, “It’s the way it is. It’s not personal.” IT’S NOT PERSONAL. Somehow they must think that absolves their conscience for taking their Judas 10%.
But that may be the reason the ranchers will win. Because for them IT’S ALL PERSONAL. Their lives and livelihood and those of their children, their neighbors and their communities are in unexaggerated grave danger. Their determination should not be taken lightly. Someone once learned the hard way that if you back a mama bear in the corner, you better have your ducks in a row. And I don’t hear a lot of quacking.
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Extinction by NAIS
Thanks, northeast Ohio, for supporting our efforts at the 2009 Cleveland Cattle Baron's Ball! 
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