Coronavirus or No Coronavirus, Culture Wars Continue

Above, Cabela's in Albuquerque, who sells firearms, has been forced to close by the governor. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Things may be vastly different these days, but there's one thing that isn't different from before the outbreak of coronavirus, is the partisan culture wars.

According to Voice of America:

WASHINGTON - A partisan fight over voting in Wisconsin was the first issue linked to the coronavirus  to make it to the Supreme Court. Efforts to limit abortion during the pandemic could eventually land in the justices' hands. Disputes over guns and religious freedom also are popping up around the country. 

The virus outbreak has put much of American life on hold, but the nation's culture wars seem immune from the pandemic. 

And in a country deeply divided over politics, some liberals are accusing conservatives of using this crisis to advance long-held goals, especially in the areas of access to abortion and the ballot box. Conservatives have complained about restrictions on church services and gun shops.  

"We see the right as being very opportunistic to advance their agenda," said Marge Baker, executive vice president of the liberal People for the American Way. 

‘Knee-jerk response’ 

Tim Schmidt, founder and president of the gun-rights U.S. Concealed Carry Association, called restrictions on gun sales "a knee-jerk response to something we don't quite understand. I hope and pray it doesn't happen but that's what I fear," he said in a recent online forum. 

Gun stores targeted

Abortion clinics aren't the only places that states have sought to close during the pandemic. Gun stores, too, have been targeted. Most states have deemed gun sellers essential businesses allowed to remain open during the emergency. But three states — Massachusetts, New Mexico and Washington — forced those businesses to close. 

Gun rights groups have gone to court to pressure New Jersey's Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, and local officials in North Carolina to reverse course on gun restrictions. Other lawsuits are pending in California. 

Joe Bartozzi, president and CEO of the National Sports Shooting Foundation, said closing the stores is the wrong answer. "You don't want to, in a time of crisis, be suspending civil liberties," Bartozzi said.  

 To read the full article, go here.

Tribes Seek To Restore Buffalo To The Wild

Above, lounging bison in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At one time, the American bison roamed free throughout North America. But a slaughter of millions of bison, sanctioned by the federal government, left only about 100 animals.

Today, Native American tribes and others are looking at ways to restoring the American bison to the wild.

Voice of America (VOA) News reported:

WASHINGTON — Native American tribal leaders, conservationists, wildlife managers and buffalo producers are exploring the cultural and economic benefits of restoring buffalo — known scientifically as bison — to tribal lands and beyond. They are addressing the issue at the first annual Tribal Buffalo Conservation Summit, a three-day event in Denver, Colorado culminating on November 3, National Bison Day. 

Prior to the arrival of European settlers, tens of millions of bison grazed and stampeded across America's Great Plains in herds that could stretch 160 kilometers (100 miles) end-to-end. The huge animals were crucial to the lives and economies of Plains tribes, providing shelter, food, clothing, weapons, tools and even children's playthings. Tribes revered the animal as a gift from the Creator, and it was--and remains--central to their spiritual beliefs. 

During the latter half of the 19th Century, as part of its strategy to subjugate tribes, the U.S. Army slaughtered buffalo by the millions, and by 1900, fewer than 100 animals remained. About two dozen buffalo found a haven in Yellowstone National Park, where they have been protected and roamed freely ever since.

As the article stated, today is National Bison Day.

To read more, go here. 

Yellowstone, More Than Just Old Faithful

Above, Old Faithful Geyser. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If anyone should have a "bucket list" of places to visit, Yellowstone National Park ought to be put at the top of the list.

If one ever decides to just visit one national park in their lives, Yellowstone should be that park.

The Voice of America has an article on Yellowstone with photos and videos.

It begins with:

When you think about America’s national parks, what probably comes to mind first is America’s first national park – Yellowstone. It's also the first national park in the world, established by Congress in 1872, even before the National Park Service was set up. 

Yellowstone sits on an active volcano, the source of the more than 10,000 geothermal features in the park, including more than half the world's geysers. National Parks traveler Mikah Meyer made sure he caught the eruption of the best-known of its 500 geysers - Old Faithful, which shoots a column of superheated water up to 42 meters into the air, every 60 to 110 minutes.

Take a look at the article, photos and videos and maybe you'll add Yellowstone National Park to the top of your bucket list.

To read more, go here.