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The Spin Out of Govs Office

HB 5029, the bill that Governor Granholm signed into law to create Public Act 160, changed the legal status of the mourning dove from songbird to game bird in order to open and allow an annual 60 day shooting season. There were no limitations written into the bill of creating a "limited trial" and it does not have a "sunset" (meaning it is forever). The bill - as introduced and signed - opens up the entire state of Michigan to dove hunting indefinitely.

The so-called "compromise" that Granholm has touted as a "reasonable solution," is nothing more than a temporary unbinding smokescreen with the Natural Resource Commission's (NRC) chair, Keith Charters, to initially allow for the shooting of doves in specific areas before opening up the rest of the state - a scheme "presented" to her by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC), who collaborated behind the scenes with the NRC to promote and administer the hunt - see the court ordered injunction here. Groups who represented the majority of voters and opposed the legislation were not allowed to participate in talks and were denied access to the governor and her office.

Granholm Spins Solid Promises

The Governor has been sharply criticized by the press, dove protection groups, and Michigan citizens for breaking solid promises and signing the bill to end the 99-year protection status of the mourning dove as a songbird.

One promise Jennifer Granholm made in the 2002 Campaign Questionnaire to Humane USA and the Michigan Humane Society was that she would solidly veto any dove hunting bill that reached her desk. And after the Governor decided to renege on her first promise to voters, she made a second, equally unambiguous one: that she would only sign a dove bill that included an automatic voter referendum. And although the bill she signed didn't included language that would "prohibit" a public vote on the law, the day she signed the bill was the last possible day to turn in petition signatures to get the issue on this November's ballot - a fact that was pointed out to Granholm before she put pen to paper.

According to recent statements issued by the Governor and her office, the promises made by Granholm could not be taken at face value or believed in scope.

In typical politician spin to cover up and twist, Governor Granholm recently explained to several reporters that the 2002 questionnaire that she responded to in promise asked what she trivialized as a "broad question" about allowing dove hunting, and she pointed to the moniker "compromise" to which she has agreed as a way to "settle it once and for all" by allowing dove hunting in Michigan...it would be limited for three years before opening the rest of the state and other Governors might not take that "conservative" approach. The Governor tried to cautiously convince everyone that her change in position was the result of not being asked the question of a two step plan, "I was not asked that question in 2002, had I been asked that question in 2002, I certainly would have looked at it favorably."

The "broad question" Granholm referred to in 2002: "If the legislature finally did pass a dove hunting bill, would you veto such a bill?" Answer: YES. To be fair to candidates who ask for endorsement and contributions, additional space is always provided to solicit any explanations if there are any conditions or variations to each question asked. In other questions on the same questionnaire, Jennifer Granholm took the opportunity to note longer explanations to make her promise position clear. This promise to veto any dove hunting bill was solid and to the point.

In a reporter's edition of Tim Skubick's Off the Record, the Governor's statement didn't fly either. Excerpts from the show exposed that "technically it wasn't a compromise since the language was not in the bill...it was clearly an attempt to get around it...we would have to look at what the definition of the word 'is' is to understand it...she basically said her promise was a lie." They concluded the NRC would expand to a statewide dove shoot after three years - it was just another meaningless promise.

In questions to her office that Jennifer Granholm lied to voters, constituents also received deluded misleading responses.Michigan citizens reported back to the Songbird Protection Coalition (SPC) that they were very disappointed and offended by what was coming out of the Governor's office. Reports concluded that the conversation was demeaning to an intelligent electorate educated on the issue. Spin!

The Final Act - Orchestration Behind the Scenes

The Governor actually played a major role in getting the bill to her desk so she could sign it. While Granholm publicly claimed to have not made a decision up to the day she signed the bill, the SPC has revealed and confirmed through several credible sources - that among other things, prior to the concurrence to Senate changes, an assertive aide to Granholm was dispatched to quickly spread the word to House members that she had made a "deal" or "trade" and the legislation would be signed when it reached her desk.

Sources also indicate that several of the Governor's staff members - who previously worked for or had close ties to the MUCC - had quiet conversations behind the scenes about how to get it passed, including how to market it to the public as a trial compromise, even though it was clearly not. It was no "mistake" the letter sent to Granholm by the MUCC was perfectly tailored for acceptance. An orchestrated paper trail then ensued to promote the bill's passage to cover tracks through an elaborate screen of camouflage.    

Request Denied - The Majority Ignored and Not Represented!

The Songbird Protection Coalition requested and in-no-uncertain-terms was "promised" a meeting with the Governor's office prior to her decision to sign or veto the dove bill - that never happened!

Before the Governor signed the dove bill, 14,522 citizens had contacted the governor's office and asked her to veto, 7,150 asked her to sign it. The Songbird Protection Coalition had also sent 10,000+ petition signatures, more than twice as many as dove shooting proponents could provide. Hundreds - and hundreds - of letters to the editor were published in newspapers across the state favoring the continued protection of the mourning dove as a songbird. Every poll conducted in Michigan, recently and historically, confirmed the majority opposed the change in public policy.

There is no question the majority of Michigan citizens - as voters and participants in the legislative process - have suffered a great travesty in Granholm's sad choice to ignore and not represent them. There can be no faith or trust in any elected official who openly breaks promises and allows a fringe faction to pirate and control legislation at the expense of democracy.

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Page Updated: 07/26/04