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Yosemite under Orion's gaze

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Kudos and brickbats

Yupik mother and child - Edward Curtis
Governor Gavin Newsom has just signed a bill outlawing the sale of new fur in California.
The new fur law makes it illegal to manufacture, sell or distribute a fur product in the state. It applies to clothing, handbags, shoes, slippers, hats or key chains that contain fur — providing a civil penalty for violation. The law has a few exceptions, including the use of fur products for religious purposes and taxidermy.
Notwithstanding the fact that my mother's father was a furrier, I think this bill is patently ridiculous, an obvious over reach from the nanny state. What is next, leather products? Meat?

I feel the same way about fur that I feel about reproductive choice, if you are against abortion, don't have one. If you are against fur, don't wear it. But be careful when you tell other people what they can or can not do.

The fur trade in California arrived long before statehood, the first trade began as early as 1784 when the Spaniard Vincente Vasadre y Vega traded abalone shells, beads, and various metal articles to the Bay Area Indians for sea otter pelts. Call me strange, I like fur, certainly more environmentally conscious than plastic and synthetic fabric.

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On the plus side, Newsom has signed a bill countering the Trump administration's push for more oil and gas drilling in our state on public, protected land.
The measure bars any California leasing authority from allowing pipelines or other oil and gas infrastructure to be built on state property. It makes it difficult for drilling to occur because federally protected areas are adjacent to state-owned land.
This comes on the heels of Newsom firing the head of the newly christened Geologic Energy Management Division in July, when it was still called the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources. Ken Harris was dismissed over an increase in state permits for hydraulic fracturing and allegations of conflicts of interest among senior government officials. It is alleged that state officials had financial interests in the companies that they were supposedly regulating.

Good for Gavin on this one.

4 comments:

Ken Seals said...

Just another step in the slow suicide of ca.

Anonymous said...

Right on guess there is no end of real problems. What’s next , clowns scare me. Watch out mc Donald’s !!

Anonymous said...

I guess you can still own and wear your fur coat, which I used to see come out only on very cold days when I lived in San Francisco and nowhere but the red carpet in L.A. Not a confiscation at all, more against farming animals for their fur which cuts down on needless pain in the world hopefully. Fake fur looks so realistic why not do that? I don't' mind this nanny myself. I might feel differently if I lived in Alaska. ~ D.O.

Blue Heron said...

We are so selective in our indignation and these sorts of things make us feel better about ourselves I suppose. But shouldn't we consider what happens in stockyards?