...on the hatchery v. wild debate, perhaps.

From a personal ethics standpoint I usually fall on the 'protect the fish, especially the wild fish' side of the conversation, as most of you know.

Pretty sick of people who disagree with that stance characterizing that view as equivalent to the views of PETA... that's ok though, the same people say I wear Birkenstocks because I was against the war. Just have to keep repeating the mantra...consider the source, consider the source, consider the source....

So how about a completely different take on the whole issue, framed in terms of geologic time....?

Say us humans, despite our best and most well reasoned efforts fail to save most wild steelhead from extinction.
Who cares?

Say we fail to prevent the complete destruction of old growth forests in North America?
Who cares?

Say we fail to curtail the effects of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the mean temperature of the Earth rises to the point that the Gulf Stream switches directions....
Who cares?

Certainly not me. I'll be dead by then...as will most of us. In fact I'm pretty comfortable in the knowledge that history proves mankind is in for massive global population correction of one kind or another, almost certainly from natural causes (asteroid, volcanic eruption (super volcano), tsunami (look out east coast, there's a bigun brewing in the Canaries....), Ice Age, mini-Ice Age...whatever)...doesn't matter how or even why. If you think I'm a whacko...so be it. Geologic history proves this idea out.

Only 14, 000 years ago North America was nearly covered by a sheet of ice two miles thick. Since their retreat, I think that mother nature has done quite nicely rebuilding herself. Too bad they couldn't cover the onset of an ice age on TV, millions of dead people would certainly be a Neilsen success. I can hear that conversation now...

Since we are all dead anyway, maybe these resources are here for us to exploit until they are gone? They'll just come back as the ice retreats or the atmosphere clears anyway so why not??

Pass me the bonking stick...screw that, pass me some dynamite, I'm goin' fishin'.

Along the same lines...

"No remorse, no repent
We don't care
What it meant
Another day, another Death
Another sorrow...another breath.

No re -morse......."

I'll end this ramble with a few line from my favorite comedian, that godless heathen Bill Hicks (RIP)...

Are there any non-smokers in the house tonight? (big uproarious cheer)
Good, because I've got a little tidbit of news for you.
Non-smokers die every day.