ashleighd’s Recent Comments

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  i'd write more, but i have work to do.

  Before I get on with this, I want everybody to know that I'm a 24 year old environmental organizer/activist, working for a national environmental group.

  I find it absolutely ridiculous to equate an apparently demographically incorrect house party (or several) with the inaction of an entire generation. Did it ever occur to you that while you were sipping martinis and critiquing Al Gore's outfit, there were thousands, if not tens of thousands of young people pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, and mobilizing people? Because I can assure you- that was the case. We were working for the organizations that your generation, and the generation before yours created.

  It's not that we don't think your parties are cool, or that we're not inspired or motivated. Believe me, we love us some dance parties, we are motivated, and we are inspired. But those of us who are committed to the environment were either busy doing more productive things, or sleeping, because...well...we work pretty long hours. On Where were younger people at Live Earth house parties? posted 2 years, 4 months ago 19 Responses

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  deers and do[e]n'ts

  Having grown up on the east coast in a family of hunters, I've been debating this issue for as long as I can remember. Poaching is not a huge issue in Western Pennsylvania, as all of our mega-fauna were killed or driven out long ago. Deer hunting is the big sport around these parts. Never fail, every year, the local news stations cover the first day of hunting season like it's the answer to our prayers. Like, hey, let's give these hunters a huge pat on the back for "responsibly" reducing the local deer herds. You know, because their breeding habits are totally out of control (sarcasm). Granted, I absolutely get the fact that the deer population is too large to be supported by local ecosystems. Some of the deer will undoubtedly starve to death, get hit by cars, and nibble away the expensive shrubbery of countless suburban neighborhoods. But what frustrates me is that nobody acknowledges the fact that this is a symptom of bad planning. Western Pennsylvania (particularly the Pittsburgh metro area) has one of the worst sprawl problems in the country. If it weren't for space-wasting housing developments and ridiculous highway projects, our forested land wouldn't be nearly so fragmented.

  So my ultimate point here is that this environmentalist will never be on the same page as a hunter. It's my view that hunters, no matter what their moral claims, are not killing animals for the sake of a balanced ecosystem. They enjoy the camraderie of it and that they can drive their pickup trucks home with two deer heads neatly propped on top of the back gate for all on the highway to see. The noble idea that they are helping conserve local forests just adds to their post-kill pride.
  I would love to see some coverage from the local news stations about WHY the deer population is so disproportionate to their habitat. On Between hunters and environmentalists, that is posted 2 years, 11 months ago 17 Responses