"Turn Back The Clock"
The U.S. Congress really did it this time. I am neither unpatriotic nor seditious – in fact quite the opposite – but after a year of silent observation, I must express my dismay and disapproval of the actions of my government. Consider this my peaceable assembly. I cannot help but feel that I, along with an entire group of Americans to which I belong, have been discriminated against. The group of which I speak, of course, is turkey hunters. The discrimination I reference is the overt attempt by Congress to limit and discourage the sport of turkey hunting. The means by which the government has perpetrated its apparent anti-turkey hunting agenda with such devastating effectiveness?
Newly expanded daylight saving time.
Congress passed a law nearly three years ago that expands daylight saving time annually by as many as four weeks. I chose to reserve my judgment for a year after the new changeover went into effect in 2007 to see how it would truly impact me and other turkey hunters. Now, as we are just wrapping up the second turkey season since the newly expanded daylight saving time went into effect, I can say only that, in my view, it has had the terrible effect of stifling the sport of turkey hunting in ways which can only have been intended by our elected representatives.
Here’s the problem. For decades, turkey hunters have enjoyed getting in the woods for a few hours before work during the first two or three weeks of the season because the clocks had not yet “sprung forward.” The sun rose early then and the turkey hunter was afforded as much as two-and-a-half hours of daylight to chase birds before packing it in and heading to work. I dare say that a great number of the turkeys harvested every spring were taken on a weekday morning before the hunter clocked in at work. It was a tradition unique to turkey hunting.
That was, until August 8, 2005 when Congress passed Public Law 109-58, the “Energy Policy Act of 2005.” Section 110(a) of this act hastens the transition to daylight saving time by two or three weeks (depending how many Sundays are in March each year) and slows its expiration by one week. The 2007 turkey season was the first to fall victim to the newly expanded daylight saving time. My personal experience was that I was immediately rendered ineligible to hunt before work without incurring scarce vacation time. The 2008 turkey season has proven thus far to be equally disenfranchised.
Dating back to 1966, the official justification for expanding daylight saving time has always been a perceived energy savings in electrical power consumption. Other reasons have been ascribed to the necessity of this devastating legislation, too. For instance, Congress amazingly spent taxpayer money buying ink to print the following in the legislative history that accompanies the 2005 law: “the use of daylight saving time over an expanded period could have other beneficial effects on the public interest, including the reduction of crime, improved traffic safety, more daylight outdoor playtime for the children and youth of our Nation, greater utilization of parks and recreation areas, expanded economic opportunity through extension of daylight hours to peak shopping hours and through extension of domestic office hours to periods of greater overlap with the European Economic Community.”
Words fail me. Suffice it to say that this festering heap of feelgood political rhetoric is not only laughable but stomach-churning. To think that the European Economic Community was shown favor by the U.S. Congress over hardworking, patriotic American turkey hunters! Perhaps if Benjamin Franklin had gotten his way and had the wild turkey been named the national bird instead of the bald eagle, there might have been a heightened sense of affinity in the hallowed halls of Congress for the wild turkey and those of us who hunt the regal bird, and this may not have come to pass.
I don’t quite get Congress’ claims that by expanding daylight saving time energy consumption will decrease. It gets hotter than bloody blue blazes down here between the second Sunday in March and the last Sunday in November and I am going to run my air conditioner at a comfortable setting that whole time regardless whether I am indoors or outdoors. In fact, if Congress gives me more daylight to spend outdoors, I am simply going to be that much hotter when I finally come inside, and will therefore consume even more energy by cranking down the A/C.
Someone from Washington will have to explain to me how expanding daylight saving time reduces crime, too. If anything it encourages crime as far as I can tell, for now the streets are chock full of frustrated turkey hunters – all of whom are armed to the teeth – who have been curtailed from pursuing their obsession as much as they’re used to, and they’re surly. We have been relegated to the role of weekend warriors, planning trips and saving up hall passes with the Missus. What’s worse, we feel as though our country has turned her back on us.
The nation will elect a new president this November. For more than a year now, we have been spoon-fed reheated morsels of political compost about the candidates, with more sure to come. It is not a candidate, however, but an issue that will solidify my choice for president in 2008. I will cast my vote for any candidate who promises to tackle the issue of turkey hunter discrimination in time for the 2009 season. Indeed, the candidate whose platform features a repeal of the expanded daylight saving time stands the greatest chance of becoming the bellwether of the turkey hunting constituency in this country. Can there be a more worthy cause?
(c) Roger Guilian 2008
Newly expanded daylight saving time.
Congress passed a law nearly three years ago that expands daylight saving time annually by as many as four weeks. I chose to reserve my judgment for a year after the new changeover went into effect in 2007 to see how it would truly impact me and other turkey hunters. Now, as we are just wrapping up the second turkey season since the newly expanded daylight saving time went into effect, I can say only that, in my view, it has had the terrible effect of stifling the sport of turkey hunting in ways which can only have been intended by our elected representatives.
Here’s the problem. For decades, turkey hunters have enjoyed getting in the woods for a few hours before work during the first two or three weeks of the season because the clocks had not yet “sprung forward.” The sun rose early then and the turkey hunter was afforded as much as two-and-a-half hours of daylight to chase birds before packing it in and heading to work. I dare say that a great number of the turkeys harvested every spring were taken on a weekday morning before the hunter clocked in at work. It was a tradition unique to turkey hunting.
That was, until August 8, 2005 when Congress passed Public Law 109-58, the “Energy Policy Act of 2005.” Section 110(a) of this act hastens the transition to daylight saving time by two or three weeks (depending how many Sundays are in March each year) and slows its expiration by one week. The 2007 turkey season was the first to fall victim to the newly expanded daylight saving time. My personal experience was that I was immediately rendered ineligible to hunt before work without incurring scarce vacation time. The 2008 turkey season has proven thus far to be equally disenfranchised.
Dating back to 1966, the official justification for expanding daylight saving time has always been a perceived energy savings in electrical power consumption. Other reasons have been ascribed to the necessity of this devastating legislation, too. For instance, Congress amazingly spent taxpayer money buying ink to print the following in the legislative history that accompanies the 2005 law: “the use of daylight saving time over an expanded period could have other beneficial effects on the public interest, including the reduction of crime, improved traffic safety, more daylight outdoor playtime for the children and youth of our Nation, greater utilization of parks and recreation areas, expanded economic opportunity through extension of daylight hours to peak shopping hours and through extension of domestic office hours to periods of greater overlap with the European Economic Community.”
Words fail me. Suffice it to say that this festering heap of feelgood political rhetoric is not only laughable but stomach-churning. To think that the European Economic Community was shown favor by the U.S. Congress over hardworking, patriotic American turkey hunters! Perhaps if Benjamin Franklin had gotten his way and had the wild turkey been named the national bird instead of the bald eagle, there might have been a heightened sense of affinity in the hallowed halls of Congress for the wild turkey and those of us who hunt the regal bird, and this may not have come to pass.
I don’t quite get Congress’ claims that by expanding daylight saving time energy consumption will decrease. It gets hotter than bloody blue blazes down here between the second Sunday in March and the last Sunday in November and I am going to run my air conditioner at a comfortable setting that whole time regardless whether I am indoors or outdoors. In fact, if Congress gives me more daylight to spend outdoors, I am simply going to be that much hotter when I finally come inside, and will therefore consume even more energy by cranking down the A/C.
Someone from Washington will have to explain to me how expanding daylight saving time reduces crime, too. If anything it encourages crime as far as I can tell, for now the streets are chock full of frustrated turkey hunters – all of whom are armed to the teeth – who have been curtailed from pursuing their obsession as much as they’re used to, and they’re surly. We have been relegated to the role of weekend warriors, planning trips and saving up hall passes with the Missus. What’s worse, we feel as though our country has turned her back on us.
The nation will elect a new president this November. For more than a year now, we have been spoon-fed reheated morsels of political compost about the candidates, with more sure to come. It is not a candidate, however, but an issue that will solidify my choice for president in 2008. I will cast my vote for any candidate who promises to tackle the issue of turkey hunter discrimination in time for the 2009 season. Indeed, the candidate whose platform features a repeal of the expanded daylight saving time stands the greatest chance of becoming the bellwether of the turkey hunting constituency in this country. Can there be a more worthy cause?
(c) Roger Guilian 2008
posted by Days Afield Host | 5:01 PM
