Americans becoming endangered species

To the editor:

According to newspaper reports, a man from Red Lodge who was hunting with his friends admitted killing a male wolf and thinking it was a dog.

Now this may sound a bit absurd, but for killing a wolf he could get one year in prison and a $50,000 fine or even five years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Now just everybody stop and think: doesn't this seem blown out of proportion? If that wolf was across the border in Canada, it would have been shot and that would be the end of the whole deal, but on our side of the line it's a great big legal battle. Just think, people of the U.S.A., where are all of our legalities going in this country of ours?

This situation will probably end up almost as bad as if it had been the murder of a human being. Our laws are a long way out of shape and out of balance.

Our endangered species people are spending millions to create jobs for themselves and we taxpayers are footing the bills. There are a lot of endangered species who are out of work and their families need financial help, yet our higher-ups seem to worry more about wolves and spotted owls and grizzly bears.

I think the people need to wake up to the fact of just who the endangered species are.

by Linc France
Columbia Falls, MT
May 25, 1989