Anti-wolf anger boils over into bad joke about "Obama Tags"

Rex Rammell jokes he’d buy an “Obama Tag”

Wolves in the state have become an avatar, a pariah.  It often seems that the hatred has little to do with facts, science, or the wolves themselves and more to do with a deep-seated hatred for the federal government that will take any opportunity to emerge.  Rammell’s canned-elk, anti-government soap-box has blown over, now it’s become an anti-wolf, anti-government soap-box :

Rammell howls at Otter for not buying wolf tagTimes-News

After an audience member shouted a question about “Obama tags” during a discussion on wolves, Rammell responded, “The Obama tags? We’d buy some of those.”

Rammell’s Obama ‘joke’ troubles Idaho leaders – Idaho Statesman

Rammell’s got a lot of wacky history in Idaho.  When his domestic elk escaped their pen threatening wild elk with disease and foreign genes, Rammell sought a stand-off, ballooning the incident into some sort of referendum on government and private property rights even as his membership in the Idaho establishment secured him special favors.


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  1. JW Avatar

    What a moron

  2. Ken Cole Avatar

    I think the outrage on behalf of Republicans is less about what Rammell said and more about protecting Otter from a challenger. Call me a cynic.

  3. Mike Avatar

    It’s becoming more and more clear that wolf haters are really just people who are very unhappy with their lives and looking for a symbol to vent on.

  4. kt Avatar
    kt

    Brian – You know, this reminded me of that Cameron Wheeler moment … They hate women, too …

    http://wolves.wordpress.com/2007/01/25/wolves-womens-sports-not-worth-much-says-id-fish-game-commission-chief-as-wolf-tag-fee-is-set/

    You get any of these insecure gun-totin’ Id-y-ho rednecks in what the think is a a 100% pure lilywite Good Old Boys setting – and out spurts the truth.

  5. Brian Ertz Avatar

    Gawd, I remember that day. We both looked over at eachother from across the room and someone slipped a nervous laugh. I couldn’t believe we got that on tape.

    I’ve almost got enough footage now – from the ‘wolves & women’s sports’ analogy, to the the culpability of bighorns with disease for their lack of fidelity that their domestic counterparts exercise, to commissioner Wright’s outburst at Jon that God gave him the right to “MANage” wolves to death & so much more – I forget what happened at the state legislature hearing, it was flagrantly sexist, that much I know – a given really – but I’ll have to go over the tape – all this stuff is almost enough to put together an Eco-Fem video montage or a nice essay/narrative on Idaho wildlife politics. These guys always produce.

  6. kt Avatar
    kt

    Rammell just made the mistake of being caught saying this. Otter is now chastizing him. Give me a break. Otter is cut of the same cloth.

  7. ProWolf in WY Avatar
    ProWolf in WY

    I hope the people of Idaho remember this if he runs. That’s pretty extreme to say about any politician, even as a joke, regardless of your opinion. Also, I thought Otter did buy a tag.

  8. william huard Avatar

    Fenced in hunting preserves- Now there’s a challenge- killing captive, tame animals behind fences- for the intellectually challenged hunter- Disgusting.

  9. ProWolf in WY Avatar
    ProWolf in WY

    Canned hunts give hunters a bad name and any true hunter would never participate in one.

  10. william huard Avatar

    I hear hunters say that ProWolf, but the fact of the matter is that there are still 20 or so states that don’t regulate this “cancer” at all. Safari Club says that they support fair chase ethic, yet they allow the canned kills to grace their award competion pages!Talk about hypocritical

  11. kt Avatar
    kt

    Pro Wolf: Back in the day (the Helen Chenoweth heyday era to be exact) Otter was flirting with the militia/white supremacist folks just like Our Lady of the Canned Salmon.

  12. kt Avatar
    kt

    This was all going on before the Internet, or it would be more widely known. Here is one link putting it in context:

    http://www.albionmonitor.com/9-18-95/militia.html

    It would also be interesting to know if there are any possible Miliita with the devout wolf killer northern Idaho Commissioners Butch appointed.

    There are multiple aspects of hatred of black folks in ID. Besides the northern Idaho militia/retired white LA cop types up north, there is some weirdness that I never really understood with some backwoods Mormon Church types (over Rexburg way and that part of the world) and black people. That’s where the school kids were caught chanting Obama-hate they had heard from their parents right after the election.

  13. ProWolf in WY Avatar
    ProWolf in WY

    Kt, that kind of mentality gives Idaho such a bad name. It has a black eye at least among Montana and Wyoming, I’m not sure if it is the same in other states.

  14. Virginia Avatar
    Virginia

    I thought that threatening the POTUS was treason. This seems like a veiled threat to me. Wyoming is bad, but I’m glad I don’t live in Idaho.

  15. ProWolf in WY Avatar
    ProWolf in WY

    I thought the same Virginia.

  16. catbestland Avatar

    Wouldn’t it be great if some of these anti-wolfers turn out to be members of some of the same right wingnut, supremacist, wack job groups and some of them makes one too many “veiled” threats and the FBI determines that they are domestic terrorists and arrests them all. Some of them seem like the same type of people. After all, wasn’t it the Bush administration that gave the government more right to go after these groups if they are determined to be domestic terrorists under the “Patriot Act”? Or wouldn’t it be great if the they can’t get them for domestic terrorism so they get ’em for taking wolves illegally? Kind of like they got Capone on tax evasion because they couldn’t get him for some of his mafia crimes.

  17. ProWolf in WY Avatar
    ProWolf in WY

    You have to wonder catbestland.

  18. Eric T. Avatar
    Eric T.

    I don’t know why you think the women’s sports analogy is out of place. Taken in context, it’s true. Women’s sports aren’t revenue generators at Idaho University campuses, you can’t name one, they’re all subsidized just like the blog pariahs, RANCHERS!.

    At the time of the statement, it was true, wolves were non-revenue generating and in fact revenue draining on IDFG resources. Resources funded exclusively by license and tag fees.

    Boise State’s payout from the Fiesta Bowl enabled BSU to further expand Title IX opportunities, funding the accelerated startup of a womens’ softball team, funding 12 women’s scholarships.

    While Title IX issues are no doubt of little concern to you, the guy was dead on when you boil it down, regardless of your politics.

  19. DB Avatar
    DB

    Actually Wheeler’s remark was sexists if not totally ridiculous. There were and still are plenty of sports, largely participated in by men, that don’t pay for themselves, basketbvall, track and field, tennis, wrestling being the most obvious. Why didn’t Wheeler just mention one of those? Probably because people who feel insecure or wronged are looking for a scapegoat. And that’s what is probably fueling much of this anti-wolf rhetoric. Wheeler, Otter, Rammel, Chenoweth, Sidoway, they are all cut from the same cloth. That’s another reason why we need a little more diversity on the FG commission (Mr. Gamblin, still listening?) and a lot more outrage over these attitudes.

  20. Virginia Avatar
    Virginia

    This does bring up another issue with which I have a problem. I wonder what the response would have been during the Bush years if people had displayed guns when they went to a town hall meeting, etc. when Bush was there. Why are the authorities allowing these wingnuts to come to meeting with guns?

  21. Ryan Avatar
    Ryan

    I don’t think the Antis have the corner on Extrmemism, look at ALF, PETA, and certain members of the HSUS.

  22. Chance Avatar
    Chance

    “there is some weirdness that I never really understood with some backwoods Mormon Church types (over Rexburg way and that part of the world)”

    before you start pointing arrows at the mormons lets not forget the pursecution that they faced years ago and aparantly still face by you Kt. Go anywere in the country and there is still racism towards colour, religion, gender the list can go on and on. listing the mormans as black haters you yourself have made done the same thing you are bashing…

  23. Save bears Avatar
    Save bears

    As long as they are law abiding and legal owner of a gun, there is nothing to stop them from carrying a gun..I would imagine your talking about the town hall meeting in AZ, in which the President held? If so, the people that were carrying followed all laws, informed the Secret Service as well as local law enforcement they would be carrying, were checked out and no law was broke…

  24. Save bears Avatar
    Save bears

    also, I think that bringing religion into the arguments about wolves and wildlife is very tacky and uncalled for…

  25. Save bears Avatar
    Save bears

    The “Obama Tag” comment was as well uncalled for and tacky as well..

  26. Chance Avatar
    Chance

    I was simply stating that saying that mormans hated blacks like was stated was no diffrent than buying an “Obama Tag”. It goes both ways weather religion or race.

    but yes both are tack and uncalled for.

  27. Dusty Avatar
    Dusty

    Here’s the latest on the idiot republican today:

    http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/880461.html

    I don’t think he “gets it”.

  28. Save bears Avatar
    Save bears

    He deserves to be visited by law enforcement, if a normal everyday citizen made comments like this and continued to stand behind them as a joke, the would be doing time at Leavenworth, KS! he does not have the common sense he was born with…Maybe he and Ron Gillette should get together and start kicking each other in the ass!

  29. jimbob Avatar
    jimbob

    Is it in poor-taste to note that Rammell is awfully close to “Rommell” (former nazi officer)? ’nuff said.

  30. JB Avatar
    JB

    Virginia: “I wonder what the response would have been during the Bush years if people had displayed guns when they went to a town hall meeting, etc.”

    Save bears: “…the people that were carrying followed all laws, informed the Secret Service as well as local law enforcement they would be carrying, were checked out and no law was broke…”

    Actually, during the Bush years you could get arrested for wearing an anti-Bush tee shirt to an event (see link below). Meanwhile Obama endures guns and pictures of him doctored to look like Hitler.

    To answer your question Virginia. They probably would’ve been arrested and charged as domestic terrorists.

    http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/protest/11462prs20040914.html

  31. catbestland Avatar

    JimBob,

    It’s in poor taste only as far as Rommell doesn’t deserve to be compared to Rammell. Rommell was a brilliant strategist and was, believe it or not against Hitler.

  32. ProWolf in WY Avatar
    ProWolf in WY

    Gotta love his wolf positions.

    Remove all Canadian wolves from Idaho. The wolves continue to slaughter Idaho’s big game herds, kill and maim livestock and pets, and are dangerous to Idahoans. If Idaho’s mountains are to be safe for people and if our big game herds are to be the envy of the world, the wolves can not stay.

    I believe wolves need to be eliminated. Their predation of our big game herds and depredation to our livestock is unsustainable. The damage to Yellowstone’s great herds by the wolves is indisputable. It is either the wolves or the native wildlife, it can not be both. I choose the native wildlife and pledge to fight against the continuation of wolves in the lower 48.

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