Field & Stream: Palin a hero, Schwarzenegger a villain

Field & Stream magazine has declared Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin among its many heroes and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger its biggest villain in 2008.

"For the first time in a century we had a candidate for executive office who understood real hunting and fishing," F&S, in its December issue, said of Palin, who advanced through part of a March Madness-style bracket system past other "heroes," including Kevin Costner (angler) and golfer Boo Weekley (hunter-angler).

The finalist on the hero side was country singer Miranda Lambert, an avid deer hunter whose lyrics have reflected her fondness for the outdoors.

Among villains, because of their staunch animal rights beliefs, were Pamela Anderson, Paul McCartney and Vladimir Putin.

Schwarzenegger, who vaulted past them all, was harshly criticized for supporting gun-control measures and being on watch during the collapse of the Chinook salmon fishery.

He advanced to a face-off against Lambert because, F&S explains, "Thanks to him, nobody in California might hunt or fish again."

In a hero-versus-villain final, Schwarzenegger prevailed because, "The Terminator has slashed funds for salmon and steelhead restoration, and he'd close down state recreation areas where hunting and fishing are now permitted. Worst of all, he'll 'be back' in 2009."

The magazine feature is silly but with some merit if you're a hunter or angler.

After all, Palin is both and Schwarzenegger is neither, and California's governor did threaten to close state parks and he does support a proposed toll road project that would destroy habitat within San Onofre State Beach.

A villain? That's being harsh. A leader with different priorities? Yes.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo (top): "Hero" Sarah Palin. Credit: Paul J. Richards / Getty Images

Photo (bottom): "Villain" Arnold Schwarzenegger. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[SeattleGuy]

You must be kidding!

"For the first time in a century we had a candidate for executive office who understood real hunting and fishing," F&S, in its December issue, said of Palin,"

Shooting wolves and moose from a helicopter is real hunting? Just what kind of sport are they talking about? The same kind that almost caused the extinction of the Buffalo?

[Rudolph Mays]

Real hunting -- yeah, but what happens if you don't have a heliocopter?

[Ronin]

Palin is my hero. She is an avid huntress and doesn't believe anything should stop the hunters from hunting game that is endangered from being extinct. She understands that there is no such thing as sportsmanship and laughs with glee as she shoots wolves from a plane. Yep, she's my hero all right. By the say, F&S lost my respect long ago. They are a mag for worthless cowards with no idea of what makes a real hunter. I still remember an article they had a while back where the writer was talking about the glory of killing cougar cubs because they would grow up to be a danger. That's what I want, a wilderness without wild dangerous animals to scare me.

[Janet Crain]

Sarah Palin has never shot anything from a helicopter.

She OKed the killing of wolves by professional hunters to preserve caribou and moose for Native Americans to harvest and eat. One wolf gone saves 150 or more prey animals. The meat is badly needed by indigenous people. She chose humans over animals.

We buy our food at a supermarket. It is hypocritical of us to say; "Save the wolves!"

[Palin Scares the Hell Out of Me!]

Yes, Sarah Palin is certainly an exemplary leader - see this:

http://www.adn.com/opinion/comment/story/295464.html

[Retodd]

A person brave enough to allow hunters to shoot wolves from helicopters is worthy to be called a hero. Everybody knows that wolves are truly the most dangerous game. Especially if you are hundreds of feet up in the sky and they are running along the ground. The only thing that could possibly be more heroic would be if she allowed the helicopter pilots to throw grenades at the wolves too.

All hail the mighty hero, Sarah Palin.

[Non-subscriber]

Hey LAT, I hear there is a new support group for those, like you, who are addicted to Palin bashing. Umm, the election is over. You can stop now. Yes, we can all tell who you support by the pictures you choose to accompany the story. And, yes, your bias is showing.

[Ann]

I guess this is a good time to be a villain.

[dick bohanon]

when one reads about accolades such as these,
just consider the source when you react

[rm]

i guess they go it wrong. palin a hero? for what? shooting mooses? lol, thats why america goes down

[anonymous]

Kudos to Schwarzenegger! The Orca J, K and L pods are starving to death because of the salmon problem. And what's wrong with gun control? Prove who you are and get your gun to go hunting after a waiting period. Big deal. Control helps keeps the guns out of the hands of punks who shoot PEOPLE for fun.

Palin is a joke. So is F&S.

[anonymous]

Good, I'll cancel my subscription

[John]

Arnold is indeed a villian. He is the biggest loser as a governor since Gumby aka Grey Davis. What the MSM doesn't tell you is the cost of fishing licenses has gone thru the roof as has everything else in this stupid state. Arnold couldn't balance a budget if his life depended on it. Arnold and his cronies in the CA statehouse need a basic Econ 101 course.
Booo arnold Yeah Palin!

[al]

Why would Field & Stream, which, after all, focuses on issues of importance to hunters and others who love the outdoors, consider Arnold a villian when he is working to save the environment? Don't they realize that someone like Sarah Palin would diminish hunting and fishing grounds by supporing policies, such as "drill baby, drill," that would reduce areas where they could practice their sport. And don't they realize that when Arnold sought gun control measures, he wasn't going after any type of weapon a hunter would use. There's a big difference between the firearms most commonly used in urban homicides, and the type of weaponry used to hunt. Sheesh, F&S, get a clue and get past the knee-jerk reactions to labels.

[Richard]

You don't have to kill wildlife to respect the outdoors. Hunters are not the best protectors of wildlife--they only want wilderness to exist as habitat for them to go into and blow away the animals that live there. I, a city dweller who cares very much about wilderness being protected for the sake of wild places and animal life that is unthreatened by humans, have way more respect for wilderness than the bloodthirsty hypocrites at Field & Stream magazine ever could.

[Whatever]

An avid democrat, I think I will vote for Schwarzenegger next time! In addition to his pro-environment, pro-civil rights views, he neither hunts nor fishes! Yay!

[john]

There is no greater feeling of empowerment than going out into the vast wilderness and killing something that doesn't stand a chance in hell against the high tech firepower man has devised over the centuries. Of course Palin , who embraces Creationism, knows that humankind exists on a higher plane than every other living thing on this planet and therefore it's only sporting of her to kill as much of it as possible. God Bless Field and Stream and pass the ammunition.

[Robin C. Hunter]

I will be canceling my subscription to Field & Stream.

Hunting and Fishing are not traditions meant to be televised or mangled by government officials looking to collect votes. It's not to proclaim the kill as a trophy to ego, but as a necessity for survival. It is a burden to have to kill something (anything, be it plant or animal). Although, it is shameful to kill or fish in disregard to the biotic survival of an ecosystem. Or, for that matter, to be entirely ignorant of the biotic makeup of such a system so as to kill without reflection, without the responsibility of ensuring the survival of that which one must kill to survive.

I hope Field & Stream can reflect upon this decision and apologize for the injustice it inflicts on those who responsibly live reverence to the fragility of our biosphere.

[Powder]

Congratulations Field & Stream for still being completely irrelevant !

[JJ]

Gun control, what's wrong with it? First it is against the constitution. second the "punks" are going to get the guns weather we have gun control or not. and third the people that need guns aren't going to have any to protect them because of the stupid gun control!

[Jon K.]

Theodore Roosevelt hunted and he was (is) a hero. Sarah Palin hunts and she is a self-absorbed, narcissistic idiot. I'd rather have Barbie be President (and by Barbie I mean the actual plastic doll, not someone who looks like Barbie.)

[Jon K.]

I hate the fact that the NRA has driven many gun owners to be paranoid, insular lunatics. We've always had guns in this country and we always will. It's American. Now, can gun owners stop being obsessively paranoid about that fact? Urgh.