By Jason Miller

Despite pleas to save the animals, Johnson County officials will employ sharpshooters and bow hunters to solve the problem of too many deer in Shawnee Mission Park.

–The Kansas City Star, June 17, 2009

Daniel Whitesel says he is forced to traverse a “literal minefield of deer poop” when he plays golf nearby.

He can watch from his home office as whitetail deer devastate his flowers and shrubs. “They walk down the street like taxpayers,” he said.

–The Kansas City Star, February 5, 2009

They’ve opted for the “whack ’em and stack ’em” approach, to quote that great conservationist Ted Nugent.

–Mike Hendricks, columnist for the Kansas City Star, June 11, 2009

Johnson Co. To Cull Park’s Deer Herd: Sharpshooters, Bow Hunters To Reduce Deer Population In Shawnee Mission Park

LENEXA, Kan. — Johnson County officials have approved an answer to the deer dilemma in Shawnee Mission Park.

The county will hire sharpshooters and bow hunters to take care of the population problem.

After a hearing Wednesday that drew more than 100 people, the board voted to use hunters to reduce the park herd from about 200 deer per square mile to 50.

–Kansas City News, KCTV 5, June 18, 2009

My letter to the Johnson County Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners dated 5/25/09:

All,

As a home/vehicle-owning (hence tax-paying) resident of Johnson County and as a relentless activist for nonhuman animals, I am writing to express my strong objection to the use of any lethal methods to manage the deer population in Shawnee Mission Park. I am a vegan animal liberationist, so I am ardently opposed to humans exploiting, torturing or intentionally killing other animals.

Unfortunately, I missed the May 13 Johnson County Park and Recreation District meeting in which other county residents voiced their opinions about ways to cope with the deer overpopulation. I did find what appears to be a decent summary of the potential solutions discussed– at this link:

www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2009/may/14/residents-air-thoughts-deer-overpopulation-meeting/

Here is a summary of my position:

1. The deer didn’t ask to have their habitat encroached upon and nearly eradicated by human development, thus it is morally reprehensible for us to kill them to “cull their population” because they represent a “problem” to us.

2. Bunselmeyer, a resident quoted in the Shawnee Dispatch article linked above, exemplifies the ugly speciesist side of this debate– with his arrogant portrayal of deer as “teddy bears” when they were cute and distant and as “mosquitoes” now that they are “tearing up his yard, and as he notices the deer are weak and starving.” My devout belief that other sentient beings have the basic rights to live free from torture, exploitation, subjugation, and murder aside, how about just a little bit of compassion? I have a nice-sized back yard and a privacy fence. Bring a couple of the deer to my place and I’ll feed them and let them tear up my yard.

3. We humans have no right to murder those deer for any reason, let alone to solve an over-population problem that we caused by radically altering their ecosystem (i.e. shrinking it and removing natural predators).

4. I vehemently object to sharp-shooting or bow hunting in Shawnee Mission Park–for the sake of the deer, for human safety, and because, as the residents who spoke against killing the deer at your meeting stated, it would ruin the atmosphere of the park. As Alta Lantz, one of the deer defenders who spoke on the 13th, opined, “The real nuisance animals I think are the people. There just seems to be a growing disregard for animals.”

5. Why was professional bow-hunter R.J. Jubber (the key word being “professional” here–meaning he has a vested financial interest in murdering animals) allowed to voice his view when he is from Eudora, which is outside of Johnson County? I’ll bet “R.J.” is itching to get a crack at the deer in Shawnee Mission Park. A heavily over-populated herd in a relatively small area that has never been hunted-fish in a barrel, eh Jubber? I also note in the KC Star article about the meeting (http://www.kansascity.com/637/story/1196224.html) that Jubber said, “We want to see most of the deer killed in the park, but not all the deer.”

Again, as a non-resident, who the hell is he to influence what happens in Shawnee Mission Park in any way? Let him try to convince Douglas County officials to allow him to slaughter the deer in their county. Jubber actually manages to make Bunselmeyer appear humane.

6. I want to know the name of the representative of the city of Lenexa who stated that the city in which I reside wants to bring sharp-shooters into Shawnee Mission Park. Aside from my previously stated serious objection to killing the deer, what about the safety of people visiting the park or those who live nearby? Sounds pretty reckless to me. I have serious concerns about the competence of this city employee and want to know if this is truly the desire of the “authorities” in my city.

7. To preserve the best interests of both humans and other animals, it is morally imperative that we address the deer overpopulation problem in Shawnee Mission Park through trapping and relocating and/or employing fertility control agents. According to the account I read of your meeting on May 13, these two options would be economically and pragmatically viable. The potential for a 30% mortality rate in conjunction with trapping and relocating concerns me, but saving 70% of the deer we remove would be far better than mowing down 100% with a barrage of arrows or a hail of bullets.

8. Aside from providing my share of the cost via my taxes, I’d be more than happy to volunteer my time and efforts to assist in any way I could with the trapping and relocating and/or deploying the fertility control agents.

Please read, consider and reply to my questions and comments. I am sending them to you as a concerned citizen and tax-payer; an animal rights activist; a writer and publisher of sociopolitical commentary, critiques, polemics, and philosophy; and as a press officer.

Sincerely,

Jason Miller

Senior Editor and Founder of Thomas Paine’s Corner
http://thomaspainescorner.wordpress.com/
http://www.myspace.com/anarchovegan

NAALPO Press Officer
http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org/

I received this response from Randy Knight Community Relations Manager Johnson County Park & Recreation District :

Mr. Miller – I wanted to assure you that your comments related to the deer population in Shawnee Mission Park have been shared with each of our board members and also with Michael Meadors, Director of Parks and Recreation, and Bill Maasen, Superintendent of Parks and Golf Courses. Please know we take the concerns you expressed very seriously and we appreciate the opinions you have shared.

Please also know that we are working diligently to resolve this very complex and challenging issue. For the past several months we have been reviewing a wealth of information provided by an assortment of wildlife, biology and health experts, comparing a wide range of experiences shared by other agencies that have dealt with similar situations, working cooperatively with all the jurisdictions that have authority in this matter, and giving careful consideration to the widely diverse opinions that have been voiced – sometimes very passionately – by you and so many other concerned citizens.

Now we are in the process of finalizing a management plan to safely and effectively resolve the deer situation. District staff will present its recommendations for the plan at our board’s Regular Monthly Meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17. The meeting will be held at the Lenexa National Guard Armory at 18200 W. 87th Street Parkway, which is just east of the 3 & 2 baseball complex. Members of the public are invited and encouraged to participate in the meeting, and we certainly hope your schedule will allow you to attend. As part of our board’s review of the proposed plan, you would have an opportunity during the meeting to address the board and share your thoughts on staff’s recommendations. For your convenience, at least one week prior to the meeting a copy of staff’s recommendations will be posted on the Resource Management page of our website at www.jcprd.com.

You also are welcome to attend the Parks and Golf Courses Committee meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, June 8. Along with other agenda items, staff will be discussing elements of the proposed deer management plan with members of the committee in preparation for the formal presentation on June 17. Unlike the regular board meeting, however, there will not be an opportunity for public comment during the committee meeting. The meeting will be held in the Boardroom of the JCPRD Administration Building in Shawnee Mission Park at 7904 Renner Road.

As to the specific questions you asked in your email:

- In item #2 you asked for “a little bit of compassion” and generously offered your yard as a relocation site for a couple of deer. Unfortunately, relocation (which you also suggested in Items seven and eight) is not allowed in the state in Kansas. According to our research, the mortality rate through relocation can be as high as 85% and it results in a highly stressful death.

In addition, it is an option we were unable to get the Humane Society of the United States to support.

- R.J. Jubber, who’s right to address the board you questioned in Item #5, listed his address as Shawnee rather than Eudora on the sign-in sheet. Even if he were not a resident of Johnson County, however, it is our policy to allow non-residents to address the board at our public meetings and hearings. Point of residence does, though, factor into the consideration given to public comments.

- The city representative you inquired about in Item #6 was Sergeant Brad Hill of the Lenexa Police Department. According to his statement to our board he was asked by the city to present a small brief on the city’s stance on the deer problem.

Thank you again for your active interest in this matter. If you would like to discuss it further, please don’t hesitate to give me a call at (913) 894-3323.

Randy Knight
Community Relations Manager
Johnson County Park & Recreation District JCPRD Administration Building, Shawnee Mission Park
7904 Renner Road, Shawnee Mission, KS 66219-9723
Phone: 913.894.3323
Fax: 913.492.7275
Cell: 913.909.3334
Email: randy.knight@jocogov.org

Visit the District website at www.jcprd.com Consider the environment. Print this email only when necessary.
Note: Kansas has a broad public records law. Your e-mail may be subject to public disclosure.

And here’s the brief, impassioned polemic I delivered to the 100 or so (mostly speciesist and anthropocentric) Johnson County residents, local media, professional hunters, law enforcement officers, and park board members during the public commentary period of the 6/17/09 meeting at which the board decided to “whach ‘em and stack ‘em:”

As the “staff recommendations for deer management” on your website made it readily apparent, the “powers that be” of Johnson County intend to reduce the deer herd in Shawnee Mission Park by lethal means, a euphemistic way of saying you’re going to slaughter defenseless, voiceless, sentient beings. So I simply want to deliver a brief prepared statement on behalf of the deer.

I am Jason Miller, home-owner and resident of Johnson County. I am also the founder and senior editor of Thomas Paine’s Corner and am one of four press officers for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office. Today I am ashamed to be a resident of this county. I offered my time, labor, and money to help employ non-lethal means to manage the deer over-population problem, and I’m certain that many other residents would join me, given the opportunity.

Yet instead, you’re planning on allowing sharpshooters and archers to descend upon Shawnee Mission Park. Shall we erect bleachers so our children can enjoy this brutal spectacle–a bloody annihilation of sentient beings? And since you’re addressing the deer over-population with bullets and arrows, on days when the dog trail becomes “over-populated”, will you employ lethal means to cull the canine pack? Or on days when our park becomes over-crowded with people will you send in a SWAT team to “thin the herd?”

Remember, deer feel pain, anguish, and terror, just as our companion animals do and just as we do.

Food for thought as you prepare for this cruel and unnecessary slaughter.

Shortly after which the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners approved the Staff Recommendations for Deer Management within the Greater Shawnee Mission Park Area, which you can read here:

http://www.jcprd.com/parks_facilities/pdf/6-18-09%20Staff%20Recommendations%20for%20Deer%20Management%20in%20Greater%20SMP%20Area.pdf

Finally, while we’re preparing to gun down a large number of “problematic” sentient beings, why not modify the “deer management” scheme a bit and eradicate some additional “blights on the prosperity and racial homogeneity” of the largely moneyed and white Johnson County?

Staff Recommendations for Human Management within the Greater Johnson County Area

Approved by the Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners on June 17, 2009

Note: As the Johnson County Parks and Recreation District is responsible for managing biodiversity and resources, and the current human over-population crisis involves both an over-diversification of the population and a strain on socioeconomic resources so great that the racial continuity and affluence of Johnson County are under siege, the JCPRD has been charged with culling the human population to an acceptable level in terms of number and demographics.

Following the Committee of the Whole meeting on the District’s Biodiversity Policy and Resource Management Plan on May 13, 2009, and a subsequent Board Meeting discussion regarding the planning process on May 20, 2009, District staff has developed the recommendations summarized in this report related to human herd reduction within the 480 square mile Greater Shawnee Mission Area. Of all the options that have been reviewed, staff considers its proposed strategies to be the most viable for the District’s current and specific management needs.

The recommendations are based on input from a variety of experts, as well as experiences shared by several other groups and entities that have dealt with similar situations, including Nazi Germany and Zionist Israel. The recommendations are supported, in part, by a number of studies, including the 2000 US Census and subsequent updates. Those studies indicate that the population density is 946 people per square mile, nearly seven times the normal white, Republican, upper-middle class to upper class, gated subdivision-dwelling elite we might expect to find in this “wealthy” part of the state.

Also factoring into the staff’s recommendations are statistics related to non-white populations and the number of families living below the poverty line, calls from home owners and commercial businesses complaining of diminished property values due to the influx of “undesirables,” and concerns expressed about diseases associated with poverty and minorities.

Based on all the research and the input provided by experts, staff has concluded a significant herd reduction is required and the only viable alternatives for the initial reduction are by lethal means. One of the non-lethal population reduction options that was considered (deportation) was not acceptable to surrounding counties, and the others (forced sterilization, incarceration) would not be effective and/or feasible given the urgency and scope of the existing situation (i.e. rising crime, falling property values, angry rich white people demanding action).

It’s the staff’s recommendation, therefore, that in the mid to late-fall of 2009 an initial harvesting of the human herd by sharpshooters should take place. Based on research and expert advice, the most efficient manner to eradicate the undesirable human population in a rapid manner is through this method.

The details of the harvest, including specific dates and locations, arrangements for processing of their carcasses, and other logistical issues, would be finalized over the next few months. Staff’s recommendations for the initial harvesting, however, include the following:

1. The sharpshooters would be police officers from local police departments and National Guardsmen that undergo training and management by experts in the field of killing unarmed civilians without hesitation and without experiencing feelings of remorse.

2. The harvest would be limited to controlled sites, such as schools and neighborhoods which are heavily populated by the poor and minorities.

3. The flesh of the harvested humans would be processed in a manner that would benefit unwitting homeless and/or needy in surrounding counties whom would be told they were eating ground beef.

By early November, and after the initial harvest has been completed, a follow-up survey should be completed in association with law enforcement throughout the county. The completed survey will provide the necessary data to determine the success of the initial harvest when compared to the population levels determined in samples taken in 2007 and 2008. If the levels of poor and minorities remain above the specified social carrying capacity which will enable the wealthy white denizens of Johnson County to enjoy the level of affluence they demand, secondary harvests would take place in the months of November, December, and January. It is staff’s recommendation that in this initial stage of human management the targeted social carrying capacity of Johnson County be 150 white people per square mile, with the median annual income rising to a minimum of $200,000.00 per family. That capacity should then be reevaluated on an annual basis, and adjusted as needed, based on ongoing socio-economic considerations and on Social Darwinist philosophies.

The secondary harvest should be a controlled harvest by specially certified archers. The harvest would be managed jointly by local law enforcement and professional hunters. The certified archers would be required to undergo a proficiency examination and pay an access fee to JCPRD. There would be several “kill zones” established in the greater Shawnee Mission area that could allow for a specific number of archers to utilize elevated stands purchased and installed by District staff. The zones would be established to maximize the safety of affluent white people.

Following the completion of the secondary harvest, staff would recommend a winter flyover survey be completed to provide a second method of population estimation. Assuming the population levels continue to exceed the stated social carrying capacity, a similar process could be undertaken in the fall of 2010.

It is further recommended that the District’s ongoing management efforts include continued consideration of non-lethal management methods. This could include working cooperatively with vivisectors eager to experiment on human subjects, corporations specializing in constructing and operating prisons, and corporate health care entities with the capacity to implement mandatory abortions and sterilizations.

All the human management strategies recommended in this report—as well as the overall management of the District’s Ethnic and Socioeconomic Cleansing Policy—would be significantly enhanced by the addition of a District Genocidal Architect. Staff further recommends, therefore, consideration be given to adding this expertise just as soon as financial resources allow. Meanwhile, bullets are cheaper than gas chambers and staff recommends that the District proceed with this plan.

Jason Miller is a relentless anti-capitalist, vegan straight edge, animal liberationist, and press officer for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office. He is also the senior editor and founder of Thomas Paine’s Corner.

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By Jason Miller
http://thomaspainescorner.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/fuck-compassion-we-whack-%e2%80%99em-and-stack-%e2%80%99em/