Lieu the Panderer

Letter sent to California Senator Ted Lieu today.

How hypocritical that Senator Lieu would oppose hunting with hounds due to his misguided and mistaken opinion that it's cruel to the dogs and/or the bears, yet defend shark finning because of supposed racial connections. I don't care what kind of soup people wish to consume. What is horrific is the way shark fins are obtained. I assumed Senator Lieu isn't concerned about living sharks having their fins amputated, after which their finless bodies are thrown back into the water to drown.


As for SB 1221, it seems to me to be an abuse of power for our legislators to step in regarding policies which come under the purview of California Fish and Game Commission, policies which are determined by science and logic, and by experts on the subject. It is not appropriate for senators and other public officials to make decisions based on input from avowed anti-hunting extremist groups such as the HSUS, decisions that will likely result in harm t o the animals involved. The use of dogs to tree animals that pose a danger to humans is an efficient and humane method of wildlife management, and the California Fish and Game Commission is the appropriate agency to make determinations regarding such methods.

As for the abhorrent cruelty to sharks involved in the finning process, using racial preferences as an excuse for such behavior is spurious and deceptive. I have no objection to shark FISHING, only to the mutilation of live animals in shark FINNING.

By the way, I doubt if the Chinese emperors who so valued shark fin soup were aware that it has a high concentration of a BMAA neurotoxin, which can cause neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and ALS, in humans. If Senator Lieu really cares about the races he purports to be defending, perhaps he should pass that message along to them.

Carole Raschella