Pen-pricks
• President Trump’s motorcade in Paris was escorted by the colorful Garde Republicain cavalry unit. France is one country with no battle re-enactment clubs. Who wants to spend all weekend dressing in old uniforms and surrendering to Germans, Normans, Romans and whoever else drops by?
• Sarah Palin sued the New York Times for defamation for connecting her to the shooting of Gabby Giffords. She’s finally enjoying the last laugh. Sarah Palin became every Democrat’s punch line after she said she can see Russia from her house, now Democrats are seeing Russia from everywhere.
Argus Hamilton is the host comedian at The Comedy Store in Hollywood and a speaker. His email address is argus@argushamilton.com.
As the new Chairman of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, I want to express the Commission’s support for the Grand Canyon Bison Management Act (H.R. 3005) now being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives. This common sense bill would allow properly licensed hunters to remove excess bison from the Grand Canyon National Park.
We prefer this alternative offered by Rep. Paul Gosar rather than the National Park Service’s original plan to pay government sharpshooters to cull the herd. Under the Gosar bill, “citizen hunters” would apply for the hunt through the Arizona Game and Fish Department. If selected for the hunt, they would buy a tag for a chance to harvest one animal, and they would be able to keep the full bison.
Everyone agrees that the herd should be reduced to protect archaeological artifacts, sensitive habitats, wildlife and water holes on the Park. But making taxpayers and the Park foot the bill when there are hunters willing to pay for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity just doesn’t make sense, especially when the Grand Canyon National Park is hundreds of millions of dollars behind on necessary infrastructure projects.
Several years ago, I had the good fortune of drawing a bison tag, and the hunt was one of the most difficult — and important — things I’ve done in my life. Despite the difficulty in tracking, taking and cleaning this magnificent giant, I successfully filled our freezer with high quality organic protein that kept my family fed for months. There’s nothing that makes you appreciate nature more than being able to partake in its bounty.
To ask hunters to apply for the chance to shoot a bison, but not harvest the meat, goes against the basic premise of ethical hunting, because hunters believe wasting meat is a sin (and it’s against the law). Allowing sportsmen with valid state-issued hunting licenses to harvest a bison will save the park money, send wildlife conservation dollars to Game and Fish and feed Arizona families. That’s the common sense solution we’re supporting. To The City Of Yuma: I don’t know if you’ve taken a look at real estate recently. But we are lacking in low income housing, specifically for those who’ve just graduated college, recent arrivals from the north (not talking snowbirds here) and those seeking housing through Section 8. Me being one of them. How are we going to grow as a community if we can’t house our own graduates who could decide to start their own winter businesses if they get their foot in the door?
These batches of new graduates, and newcomers need a place to call their own. How is this going to be possible if most of the homes that are up for grabs are those ritzy homes on the outer rim of the city? Far away from any transport hubs, and walkable work places? Most young adults do not own cars in Yuma and if they do they don’t have air, or too much mileage to be reliable. I really think the city of Yuma should have started building up instead of out years ago to welcome its youth into the city.
Either we act quickly to build housing in our urban core or lose the potential of the new generation of Yumans. You know the kids who grew up dreaming of a better future for the world. They’re still living here in their hearts and they want to call Yuma home.
Mara Knaub’s comments in her article on Sunday, July 9, reminded me of an incident with an exchange student. I don’t recall the specific country, but it was somewhere in Europe, (a cool country).
While in Yuma, one morning after he got out of the shower, he asked, “Doesn’t Yuma have any cold water?” Sounds typical of hot and warm Yuma!