News
Greens Still
Say NO
to Hunting Michigan's Bird of Peace
Party Call on Granholm to Keep
Campaign Promise, Veto HB 5029
Cite 1998 Resolution Passed by House;
Senate Has One This Year
Published June 10, 2004. Green
Party of Michigan.
Greens
Still Say No
The Green Party of Michigan (GPMI) is calling on Governor
Jennifer Granholm to honor a 2001 campaign promise and veto House
Bill 5029, which would open a hunting season on the mourning
dove -- recognized by the state House as the Michigan Bird of
Peace.
The party issued a public statement back in November which cites that legislative declaration -- in House Resolution 244 of 1998, adopted March 25 of that year -- and the traditional public regard for the dove as the symbol of peace.
Granholm made the promise in
a February 2001 response to a candidate survey by HumaneUSA.
The survey asked, "If the legislature finally did pass a
dove hunting bill, would you veto such a bill?" Granholm
answered "yes".
She also said she would veto a bill that would take authority
for moving animals on and off the state game list from the legislature
and give it to the appointed Natural Resources Commission.
In discussing the dove-hunting
issue last fall, Greens acknowledged that hunting is "an
important activity to many Michigan residents", and has
contributed to the preservation of habitat for some wild animals.
But the party does not believe hunting doves, "the traditionally-
and legally-recognized bird of peace[,] is a vital part of anyone's
way of life or subsistence."
GPMI has maintained its stand on principle. By contrast,
Granholm is reportedly "intrigued" about the possibility
of a limited hunt in counties on Michigan's southern border.
John La Pietra of Marshall, GPMI's
Calhoun County co-ordinator, opposes dove-hunting. So,
consistently, do 2/3 of Michigan citizens polled. "HB5029
is not only unpopular, unnecessary, and dangerous -- it's WRONG,"
La Pietra wrote in a letter urging Granholm to keep her promise
and veto the bill.
"Whatever one's feelings about hunting in general, if any
bird should NOT be a target of hunting, it is the dove . . .
which was officially recognized in 1998 as the Michigan Bird
of Peace. And that recognition, building on one of our
civilization's oldest traditions, came from the same state House
which yielded the latest hunting bill."
The text of House
Resolution 244 and the HumaneUSA
questions. THESE LINK WITHIN SITE.
To learn more about the Green Party of Michigan, please visit
www.migreens.org.
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