Editorial Roundup: South Carolina
Post and Courier. August 8, 2023.
Editorial: SC should drop challenge to ban on Cape Romain horseshoe crab harvesting
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the right decision to prohibit horseshoe crab harvesting in its Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, and we urge the state of South Carolina to back off its legal challenge, which not only threatens the health of the horseshoe crab population and the endangered shorebirds that rely on their eggs for food but also seems so nonsensical.
As The Post and Courier’s Shamira McCray reported, the federal agency recently finalized its decision that horseshoe crab harvesting is incompatible with Cape Romain’s mission, which is to protect and offer sanctuary to endangered birds and animals that are under great pressure from development elsewhere along the coast. A private company, Charles River Labs, has hired contractors to collect an undisclosed number of the crabs, extract some of their blood to make a medical extract and then return them to the ocean.
While that still may take place elsewhere along the coast, the agency concluded this month that it should not occur in Cape Romain, not only because birds and sea turtles rely on horseshoe crab eggs for food but also because the agency has too little money or personnel to supervise the harvesting.
Unfortunately, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson and the S.C. Department of Administration have filed a lawsuit challenging the agency’s decision, citing a 1991 lease between South Carolina and the federal Fish and Wildlife Service. We urge both to withdraw their legal challenge.
While the courts ultimately will settle the matter if it’s not withdrawn, we see its claim — that the service lacks authority to limit harvesting of horseshoe crabs because the state alone has that authority — as a stretch. It would be like renters claiming they have a right to burn down their landlord’s house because they have a signed lease. It’s important to recall that the Cape Romain refuge was created by the federal government almost a century ago specifically to protect shorebirds.
We agree with what Catherine Wannamaker, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, told Ms. McCray: “I think it’s a huge waste of South Carolina taxpayer resources for Alan Wilson and the attorney general’s office to be spending their time on a national wildlife refuge that the Fish and Wildlife Service has already made a determination about.”
Of course, we recognize that private interests that have profited from harvesting horseshoe crab eggs must be facing extra pressure this year. Aside from the Cape Romain determination, a federal court ruling in April also blocked horseshoe crab harvesting on nearly 30 beaches in the state during this summer’s spawning season. While it does not address harvesting crabs in marshes, it will take a further court order to resolve when and how harvesting may resume. We are not unilaterally opposed to that resumption but would like future permitting decisions to be based on good data about the number of existing horseshoe crabs, the trajectory of their population and their mortality rate after being bled and returned to the wild. We hope this year’s pause will provide more clarity there.
It also would help if state lawmakers amended our law that allows saltwater fishing interests that harvest the crabs to shield their names and “specialized methodologies” from public view, along with certain data about harvests.
We are glad that environmental advocates not only have made progress in raising public awareness about the needed protection of red knots and horseshoe crabs but also have had success in court to improve those protections. But we all must realize that despite that progress, there are still many more important steps to take. And we certainly don’t need to take a step backward by challenging Fish and Wildlife’s decision to allow Cape Romain to fulfill the role it was established for in the first place.
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Index-Journal. August 5, 2023.
Editorial: This is your song?
Here’s an idea.
If you don’t like the genre of music, turn it off. If you don’t like the artist, turn it off. And by all means, if you don’t like the lyrics, turn it off.
There is little doubt that contemporary country artist Jason Aldean’s song, “Try That In A Small Town,” was geared to please a stereotypical group of men and women. And if you think that includes anyone still drinking Bud Lite, wearing a rainbow T-shirt, supporting a candidate with a “D” after his or her name or who checked anything but “Caucasian” on the census form, you probably need to listen more closely to the lyrics.
Just what we need. More to focus our attention on that makes us even more divided. But with all the attention the song is getting, you’d think Tipper Gore had reemerged on the scene to tout another label on albums other than “explicit lyrics.” Plenty of stickers could be slapped on vinyl and CDs. “Hateful.” “Racist.” “Celebrates Drug Use.” “Promotes Teen Sex.” “Promotes Rape.” “Promotes Killing Police.” Oh, the list could go on.
Songs — more specifically, lyrics — have long been used to for political and social commentary. Some of the biggest hawks will tell you their favorite band was and is Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, despite the band’s stance on the Vietnam War and what happened at Kent State.
Yes, it is a shame that there are songs that aim to promote violence and disdain for people of other races, political leanings and such, but those songs are the prerogative of the writers and those who produce and promote them. Your prerogative is to change the channel and not buy the songs or attend the concerts.
That said, we would all do well to pay attention to the waves of popularity the songs and their artists create. Are Jason Aldean fans just a bunch of white good ole boys and girls who love their small towns and watch out for each other, or is the song becoming an anthem, one that will result in the harming of others without cause or provocation?
Paul and Linda McCartney penned a song for his band, Wings, that many probably agreed was silly and didn’t warrant much air play. It became a pop chart hit.
“You’d think that people would’ve had enough of silly love songs
I look around me, and I see it isn’t so
Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs
And what’s wrong with that?
I’d like to know, ’cause here I go again
I love you
I love you ...”
Sure would be nice to hear that and more songs like it as a means of healing our country’s division. The news of late, however, dims our hopes of that taking place.
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