By Don C. Reed
President Trump said recently that he was going to change the way we protected endangered species. From now on, he said, we were going to “protect the animal, but not its environment”. (1)
This does not make sense. If we don’t protect the environment, how can we possibly protect the animals?
From 1972-87, I worked as a scuba diver for Marine World Africa USA, in Redwood City, California. I spent roughly 4 hours a day among the sharks, dolphins, eels, seals and killer whales. For we who worked there, Marine World was a little patch of Eden.
At that aquarium, we had a filtration department. Its job was to filter the water and keep the fish healthy. It just makes sense. Protect the environment, and the animals have a better chance at survival.
Pollute the water, the fish will die.
Log off the forest, the deer have no home.
If we want to protect animals, don’t put anti-nature folks in power. People like Donald Trump, for instance, whose administration cut the Clean Water Act, (2) which affects streams and water supplies for roughly 1/3 of America.
What does this have to do with voting districts in Texas and California?
Under orders from President Trump, five new Republican voting districts were set up by Texas Governor Gregg Abbott. Those new districts would give Republicans a huge advantage.
But there is a way to fight back. California will (if voters approve) balance the five new Texas districts with 5 new California districts. This is Proposition 50: (3) called that because it may benefit all 50 states. Prop 50 will bring in some Democrats, people who care about Nature and the wild. Their presence and involvement will give animals a voice in power.
And of course, this is not just about the creatures of forest and sea.
This is for all life, including our children and grandchildren, who will inherit whatever world we leave them.
Vote YES! on Proposition 50.
Don C. Reed is the author of four books on the California stem cell program, including most recently: Science, Politics, Stem Cells and Genes: CALIFORNIA’S WAR ON CHRONIC DISEASE, from World Scientific Publishers Inc., available at a discount from: https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12997#t=aboutBook
Visit his website at: https://www.stemcellbattles.net.
Reed has also written numerous books and award-winning articles on sharks, dolphins, eels, seals and killer whales, based on 15 years as a professional diver for Marine World Africa USA. His books are available at Amazon.com.