I sometimes feel like I am completely out of touch with our lawmakers, and that I may now be a fringe member of society.

Major issues are at work effecting the outdoor recreational industry. And I feel helpless.

Two points:
1. Today, an American citizen can carry a firearm into our national parks and wildlife refuges. Now, this bill was passed by a Congress who sits atop the most violent society in the world.

2. The Utah legislature just passed a resolution stating that the state of Utah does not believe in global warming. It believes initiatives to combat global warming will hurt the Utah economy.

So, now, when an American wants to tote a gun into our national parks, a place of sanctuary for the populace, he or she can.

There are over 600 animals listed as endangered in the United States alone.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Report

The FBI reports there are over 200 million guns in the United States and that number is rising.

The U.S. Department of Justice also reports:

Among those ages 15 to 24, the U.S. firearm homicide rate is 5 times higher than in neighboring Canada and 30 times higher than in Japan, and the firearm homicide rate for the 15- to 24-year-old age group increased 158 percent during the 10-year period from 1984 to 1993.  A teenager in the United States today is more likely to die of a gunshot wound than from all the “natural” causes of death combined.

And as for the adults, the same report says that in 1996, the last year all of this was measured, over 34,000 people died from gunshot wounds.

Firearm injuries are the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. In addition, for every fatal shooting, there are roughly three nonfatal shootings.

And now we turn us lose in the National Parks and the Wildlife Sanctuaries? Our meager supply of wildlife officers will now be forced to be law enforcement officers. And our parks will become a sanctuary all right, for felons and others running from the law. And how will they eat?

As far as global warming is concerned…Congress asked influential scientists to write a report. They did, and all concurred. Here is the report.

Global warming in the last 2,000 years.

And that reports says that global warming is a fact. A fact.

Now, anti-global warming bloggers have taken to the offense. Have they produced anything close to this document?  No.  Apparently, they just look out their window and see that it is snowing in Virginia and that is sufficient evidence for their belief.

When did we stop believing science? Here is the Utah legislature in action.

Utah Legislative Action

So, it looks like we ignore the facts. Ignore gun violence. Ignore the protection of the wild things. Ignore global warming.

And it does seem that the conservative portion of America is employing the best lobbyists. And they seem to control both the federal and state legislatures.

And on this Sunday morning, I feel alone. I grew up being taught that every American has a voice. And it seems the causes I believe in have a lot of voices behind them. But our voices seem to be drowned out by the sound of money being poured into the pockets of politicians.

Money talks. And in our country, with a booming voice.