On April 2 Ron Gillette spoke during a fundraiser in Cascade Idaho. The Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition hopes to build funds to pass a voter-initiative in the state of Idaho seeking to eradicate wolves from the state. Many have asked about the video of this meeting in Cascade, Idaho. An edited version is posted below.
As much as we would like to believe these things don’t exist, they do exist. The Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition has touted “Butch” Otter, Helen Chenoweth, and other local Idaho state politicians as a supporters in the past, though I suspect many have distanced themselves since.
Warning: The video contains derogatory language aimed at wolf-advocates and wolves verging on hate-speech.
Added 7-22-08. I think this organization has largely fallen apart. Ralph Maughan
Comments
Man! That guy is brilliant! “I am so sick of hearing about biology and science!”
I wonder if he would care about biology and science if he needed cancer treatment or something. I guess one positive is that he has a small audience…
That small audience contained the former Valley County Commissioner and his ranch hand who were convicted of illegally killing the alpha male of the Orphan Pack a few years back. They were fined $750 each and one wonders if there were more. That pack went on to cause more trouble after that probably due to the fact that the pups were the “delinquent teenagers” that Ralph mentions in another post. There were about 30 people there and not all of them were wolf haters.
Ron’s attitude that the “biology & science” is wrong because I don’t agree with it what it is telling me is absolutely laughable.
I guess you just can’t argue with people that ignore reason and years of scientific research in favor of belief in their own prejudice, fairy tales and myth.
When Lynn Stoned got tagged a couple of weeks ago, by this man, I said, be very careful, and I will again say, be very careful of this man!
When people of this nature, make statements of “Line Being Drawn in the Sand” I get VERY concerned, this is NOT a joke any longer, and if you don’t think that people will kill others over this issue, you really need to look at the history of the US, these type of people have no capability to understand that there is two sides and two different wishes…I have watched Ron for over 15 years now, and I am VERY concerned for ANYONE that gets in his way, I hope I am wrong, but ….
Fear is the weapon of terrorists, and this man is depending on that.
Do not fear, for in the answers you seek, you will surley find peace, the waters of discovery have many tretcherous currents,
yet each current leads us closer to our destination, which is enlightenment.
I am also thankful that his audience is small. I wonder if he paid them to attend?
what were there, 15 people there?? quite the audience. i think i saw larry craig on the back row.
if anything this guys says is accurate there should be no elk and deer left in yellowstone. could he be wrong???
Okay, lets all sneak up to his house and glue posters of wolves on all his windows……..then in about ten minuets call the nice young men in the white suits…..ha ha, hee hee, ho ho, to the funny farm.
;8]
Once again we see the results of poor education/ socialization evolve into bitterness, frustration, anger, destruction of property, victimization of innocents and obviously violence.
Obama was right when he spoke last week in San Francisco about the plight of those left out of our society.
They will eventually retreat to their guns and religion to the exclusion of all else. Often times violence accompanies or is a prelude to retreat.
He is simply not intelligent enough to recognize the blatant contradictions in damming science and biology while urging his listeners to elect Rammell (Rummel? I don’t know and don’t care) because the candidate is a DVM AND has a Masters in Biology!!! Whoopie.
He damns IDFG for shooting this jerks elk but professes he is the answer to saving ID elk. The elk shot were hybrids, crossed with a red stag so as to grow BIG antlers. The possibility of interbreeding with the Yellowstone elk and beyond was justification for even Idaho & Wyoming governors to authorize special shooting authorization if one of the escaped elk was seen.
Save Bears is correct. If any of you plan to visit Lynne this summer avoid this guy if at all possible.
Does any one know the status of the assault Lynne’s assault case?
You Know, I spent 26 years, in the Military, including several deployments in areas, that most Americans didn’t even Know we were in, I got my degree in Wildlife biology and have watched people like Ron Gillette, and I have worked with abused women for over 10 years now.., I had a home base of operation in the SE part of the US, where there are still people who ride horses and wear white hoods, and I have now lived in Montana for over 10 years(think of Freeman) Zealots like Ron Gillette are not something to take lightly, just as the Middle eastern fundamentalists are not to be taken lightly..I am not trying to scare anyone, what I am trying to do, is make people aware of what can happen, an I suspect may happen before this issue is back to an even keel..you will not take Ron to the funny farm, with the guys in white suits…what many people don’t understand, is you may be passionate about wolves and wildlife, but you need to ask yourself a very important question…are you willing to die for wildlife? Ron IS willing to die, or kill for what he believes in! He is an old fart, but he don’t seem to have a problem with becoming a martyr…and unfortunately, there are more than you think in the tri-state area have a misguided belief of the same venue…with Ron’s escalation over the years, and his mis-guided followers, it concerns me greatly. And I can tell you for a FACT, how much damage, 15 dedicated individuals can do…my unit had 12… and we did a HELL of a lot of damage…
Like I have said before, one of these days Ron is going to try and bully the wrong person, they will not haul Ron off in a police car but more likely an ambulance. I for one never back down from a bully, if I am on public property and am not breaking any laws and he confronts me, heaven help him. I get so sick and tired of hearing all the lies and hate he spreads. But then according to Ron we are all a bunch of enviro terrorists.
saves bears,
My comment is what should happen to Ron. I spend a fair amount of time In Stanley an have passed by this lunatic a time or two, but just passed. I stare at him. Your not the only one that was in the military.
Good Jeff,
I am glad you stare at him…I am NOT on his side, he is a kook and bounds on being a paranoid fanatic..and I fully believe, he would pull his pistol, which he always carries, out and shoot you..people just really don’t understand, what it really going on here, People like Ron, wiped out 80 million Bison to get rid of Native Americans, and when that didn’t work, the slaughtered them with bullets, infected blankets, and pursued them until their women children died of starvation or illness, understanding the threat in your own backyard, is far more important than understanding the threat beyond our borders, because your best friend, may in fact become your worst enemy..
By the Way, Jeff E. what AO’s did you participate in? I am just curious, and what units were you in? and don’t take that wrong, I am just curious, which branch?
saves bears,
1974-1981,USA.Berlin Brigade and other places around europe. God the cold war seems ancient now doesnt it
many are prone to discount the influence of this particular man. there is no doubt that he is on the extreme and may not personally be influential. i for one feel that it is important to understand this. ron is like a distilled caricature of a venom/volition that runs through more anti-wolf folk than i think we’d like to believe. i’m not prone to speculate about my personal reaction to the man ~ though I certainly understand it. i hope that we can use that resolve to move toward protections for wolves with the full force of the rule of law. that’s what wolves need.
we don’t have that for wolves now… we don’t have that for wolves now.
Jeff indeed it does…I spent from 1980 to 2006, and spent more time in hell holes that I ever want to remember! But yes, the cold war and drills do indeed seem like they were a long time ago, now when I jump out of an airplane at least it is for fun, and I can tell you….if I EVER see a tropical “Paradise” again, it will be to soon!
LOL
Crap, it scared the you know what out of me, I got a Dept of Defense letter last Monday…and before I ever opened it, had tears in my eyes! actually my wife opened it, and it was a form letter, letting me know they had transfered my benefits to our new local VA…scared the crap out of me!
LOL
Ron Gillete has already been charged with, I think, assault and battery on Lynne Stone. He was arrested and went to jail briefly before being released with an order not to come within 300 feet of Stone.
I think his trial begins April 28.
Ron Gillette: “I don’t think any animal that kills absolutely everything should be allowed to exist.”
For a second there, it sounded as if he was describing humans.
Ron is a very angry man, full of hatred….I fear no man but I would recommend being cautious around this guy.
It is quite easy to get the sense his fuse is burning, isn’t it?
I take it as a positive sign that he lacks the ability to attract a crowd, though. Considering wolves have been in Idaho for thousands of years, I wonder how all these elk and deer survived until now without Ron there to protect them?
saves bears,
we sure don’t sound like left wing tree hugging liberals now do we(what ever that label means).
If it all went to hell back then we were given an optimistic 30 min to live. We trained with that always in mind.
sorry all for getting off track
Ron Gillette really needs to get a clue, though I doubt he ever will. His attitude is shared not just in ID either.
Sad that some people still live in the dark ages.
Ron Gillette, will never get a clue, anybody that thinks he will is just as crazy as he is, his journey and hate started before many of us were born…his hate is not an ideal, but a lifestyle..fortunately, I don’t think his extreme attitude is as prevalent as many might think.
Hey, its nice to see some other state hated:):). Sorry trying to ease everyone. It almost sounds as if we are bordering the same hate he is uttering. Remember Education is the key to freedom. Isn’t that we tell the women in 3rd world countries. This guy is like the person you don’t want to give any press to but here we are…. Remember it is you tube. Now how about back to action. Don’t give this person another word in ink (or type). Lets stand strong and show the people the way…
Man…that was the funniest 6 mins of my life. I wish I was sitting there to tear him up! “Wolves are the most cruel and vicious animal in all of North America! Theses are facts, people!” haha…facts…last time i checked PEOPLE were the most vicious responsible for…at least 10000x more damage to the continent. (and thats a gross understatement) Thanks for cheering up my life, Ron.
I am appalled listening to this trash… I’ve always wanted to move “out West” to either Montana, Wyoming, or Idaho and I really liked Stanley when we visited there a few years ago. BUT… if there are lunatics like this who live there, I’ll plan my retirement elsewhere!
I don’t even know what to say. Heck, I can’t say ANYTHING about this guy without cursing like a sailor!
Ky Girl,
Stanley has changed a great deal in recent years, and I think (we’ll see) Gilett’s views don’t have much support there anymore.
On the other hand, consider my earlier post that Idaho is a great place if you have money, an education, can pay for medical care, and are not too young or too old.
If you need any kind of help from the government (unless you are livestock operator or a political contributor to the tiny elite the rules the state at the present) stay away.
I feel that Ron is the type of person that should be given press in a forum like this. So many of his claims are easily disprovable and for those who don’t know anything about wolves and go just by what they hear discussions like this are informative. At least that’s what I believe. I feel that the pro-wolf side should have the cajones to do the same thing. Even if nobody shows up at an event other than the anti-wolf crowd it would still show how radical they are to those who are sitting on the fence.
I do agree that the anti-wolf crowd uses fear to sway opinion just like the Bush Administration but the reason that the Shrub was able to do what he has done is that nobody who opposed him had a forum and couldn’t get their information out. The anti-wolf crowd may be more dangerous to people than wolves are but that doesn’t mean that they should have the only say on how wolves are managed.
Most people read Ron’s quotes in the paper and think that he might be trying to just get the attention of the writer with them to hopefully make another more legitimate point. Ron isn’t like that. Everything he says has no basis in fact and should be discounted entirely. This video may be considered a “best of” but from someone who was there, it really was like this or similar in tone with a total lack of facts. Ron Gillette is a lying buffoon and he delegitimizes his cause. That is why I think he should be shown on YouTube. It was also nice that he insulted Lynne in front of a crowd and a video camera so that he will have a more difficult time with the judge at trial. What a fool.
His explaination of “ECO-Terrorists”… lets see, ya have the foreign, domestic, and the wildlife. That’s all I could stand to hear. Oh and Lynne is a Alpha male wolf that’s a woman. Music to my ears…..this little ditty should help her case. Do ya think…DEE-TEE-DEE.
SO ABSURD! What century is he in? Even a Caveman can fix this.
Wonder who flimed this and who the guy was taking notes?
Thanks for the laugh….
Give the boys the guns and let the gov subsidize their cattle ranches. They are still living in the past and refuse to give credit to science. Private company, public money what good does it serve in this situation?
I’m always perplexed by folks like Gillette who refer to wolves (or any animal) as “cruel”. Wolf kills can be very gory, no doubt about that, and wolves (like all group hunting carnivores) do sometimes (though not always, as some claim) begin eating prey that is still alive… but this is simply a function of the animal’s biology and ecology. I can understand a person not wanting to watch a wolf pack eviscerate an elk, but to accuse an animal of premeditated cruelty or sadism is extremely bizarre. If animals possess such complex moral awareness, how does RG justify killing “innocent” creatures such as deer and elk?
I love how Gillette praises Rammell’s academic and professinal background. Even Rammell with his “smarts” should be intelligent enough to stay away from this kook. It just goes to show that the old adage is true….. “Birds (morons) of a feather will flock together!”
How can one person have so much hatred? I’m guessing that this guy’s issues go much deeper than wolves…
“If the devil had an animal it would be a wolf….” Sounds like Ron knows old Satan personally…
I don’t know what I find more apalling, his speaking or the fact that there are people actually listening to him.
There are idiots on both sides of this mess. Look at some of the stupid things that are said by ALF members, NRDC, members and others.
Just out of curiosity Howard, how do you justify eating meat?
Well, Ryan, we’ve got a video here so we can see what Ron Gillett has to say. Maybe you could provide some sample quotes (with sources) to illustrate your point?
Has anyone compared Ron Gillett to Osama bin Laden? He seems to think it’s ok to compare conservationists to known murdering terrorists.
Has anyone said that Ron Gillett wants to have sex with a cow elk? Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like at 00:47 + on the video, Gillett alleges that a wolf advocate wants “an alpha male wolf as a boyfriend.”
And what’s your point about what Howard chooses to eat? Howard was pointing out that wolves are not moral or immoral, because they can’t make moral decisions. It’s therefore meaningless to label their activities “cruel.” That’s not to say that wolves don’t cause pain, and it’s not to say that a bullet to the head is less painful than being bitten to pieces while still alive.
Catholics have a concept called “age of reason,” or seven years. See this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_reason_%28canon_law%29
Mormons have a similar doctrine, age of accountability, which is eight years old. They don’t baptize their children until then.
Under either doctrine, children below a certain age are not capable of sin or moral responsibility.
I don’t know about your personal outlook on such matters, but a lot of people are willing to accept that their fellow humans are, for several years, not capable of moral decisions. If you can accept that, then you should be able to accept that wolves are not capable of moral reasoning at any age.
If they’re not capable of moral reasoning, then they aren’t really capable of worrying about their prey’s suffering, and making a choice to kill in a less painful way.
Humans are different. We can — or I can, I can’t speak for everyone — vividly imagine the pain and fear my prey might feel. If I choose to roam around and take long, off-hand shots at elk without any regard for the wounding and pain I may be causing, then I’m committing an immoral act. Because we’re capable of that kind of thought, we can be labeled “cruel” or “not cruel” by the choices we make.
From what I see every fall here in southwest Montana, there are a lot of cruel people out there being very inconsiderate of deer and elk.
Personally, the suffering of animals has not caused me to give up meat yet. I have sworn off meat that I don’t know had a good life and was killed cleanly and humanely — which leaves me with locally produced livestock, or elk and deer I have killed personally.
One shot, dead in 30 seconds or less, not a bad way to go if I had to choose for myself.
Is this video edited in some way? How many times did he REALLY say “I am so sick of hearing biology and science, all of that . . .” (05:14)? Seems like he repeats that thought about four or five different times.
SAP,
i edited the video ~ occassionally taking the liberty to contrast particular statements against one another to demonstrate the absurdity. he only made the comment about biology once.
Just a side note:
Animals that eat prey while still alive, Wolves coyotes, hyenas, fox, tigers, lions, virtually all fish, countless species of birds, whales, dolphins, bears, porpoises, seals, snakes, insects,(damn mosquitoes) let see i have probably left something out, oh ya, and humans. (probably still left some out)
Brian – thanks for clarification. Makes it slightly less nutty, but still way over the line.
Correction to my above long post, where I wrote:
“it’s not to say that a bullet to the head is less painful than being bitten to pieces while still alive”
I meant “it’s not to DENY that a bullet to the head is less painful than being bitten to pieces while still alive.”
Jeff E – great list. Domestic cats, while they don’t kill elk, tend to keep prey alive for a long time sometimes before killing it. And they do eat things alive, too — I saw one of the barn cats polish off a shrew in one big gulp last fall.
That old &@##W$ hasn’t changed a bit since I stared him down in the woods a long, long time ago…
That old $@#$%%…
Hey Jeff E,
Don’t forget about ticks! That’s one critter I don’t care much for.
RG has shown two things.
1. Anti-wolf activists are more dangerous than wolves.
2. People can make money from wolves.
I like how the guy filming him tried to stifle the laughe at the “3,000 to 3,500” number.
SAP,
He’s just some unedcuated redneck.. Its no worse IMHO than calling a hunter a twisted indvidual with homicidal tendancies. (seen it on several websites on the other side of the coin). There are some unethical hunters out there, but the majority care about the enviroment and conservation very frervantly. There is bad apples in every group.
Before this gets too sidetracked many people here who are quick to condemn hunting probably have free running house cats that are in part responsible for the millions of song birds that die each year. Not all hunters are anti wolf as not all pro wolf guys are anti hunting.
Part of the issue that is so polarizing is the groups that are behind these issues, which is probably where old ron takes it a bit too far. Listen to the Ingrid Birdman give a speach sometime or see the rants posted on the HSUS site.
Ryan,
I would encourage you to keep an eye on this forum, and perhaps browse through previous threads, to get a better idea about how this community feels about hunting. I think you may be pleasantly surprised.
With regard to to the passion expressed on each side – there is no doubt about its existence. But the fact that many are passionate does not inherently make both sides dangerous to the other “side’s” interest. In the case of wolves, intolerance is identified as one of the chief threats to wolves’ successful recovery in the recovery plan. That intolerance still exists, as demonstrated by the video, and as demonstrated by too many heated conversations. Who has had a conversation perhaps not on par with Gillette, but experiencing at least a thread of similar misunderstanding, fear, hate, resentment, etc. with a neighbor, friend, brother, father, etc. ? I have. I would go so far as to suggest that a less intensely vociferous strain of it exists on a broader level than most would want to admit – and go further in suggesting that the political and legal mechanisms of protection from this particular threat are not adequate to convince me that wolves will be adequately protected. This implicates the debate at a deeper level than just another uneducated redneck. This intolerance was a chief subject of recovery – and it still exists to much too large an extent.
Ryan,
I can tell you that the people here are a very unique blend, yet very similar to one another in many aspects.
I’ve been on the receiving end of hate and violence.
I am not the average eprson who posts here, I am less educated and a whole lot more rebelious. I am not the softest woman ever… I hunt, fish, camp and swear like a sailor. I spent 14 years being a single mom, and two of my kids are of multi-ethnical descent. So, as you can guess, I have been called and heard my kids called many ugly things.
I thought for a long time that I shouldn’t go to places in Idaho and Montana because certain hateful groups in various communities there. Now I know those people are exactly why people like us, and my kids, are so darn important…and so needed.
I can assure you, I have never been hated here for hunting or for saying that wolves will eventually need to be hunted. I don’t feel the majority of people who favor wolves are extreme anti-hunting advocates.
RG is a backward redneck, but he is also not alone in his ignorance. Ignorant people do ignorant things. Never let your guard down.
Most importantly though, realize that here, you are among people who are capable of great things, including seeing past a stereo-type of a maniac hunter gone mad, living like Rambo, killing everything in the bushes.
I am glad to have your input!
Leaches too. Once again used for medical purposes. They are great blood suckers. 🙂
Ron Gillette abandons biology and science at his own peril. It only works to delegitimize his views. Society at large will never take a person seriously who fails to back-up a single claim with independently verifiable facts. Anecdotes and bare assertions mean nothing.
He comes off as being just what he is: a zealot and a nut.
Susan,
I am planning on passing through Piedale at the end of May. Could I stop and say “hi” to you?
Vicki sure I am always up for new friends. If you have a day I could show you some of our beauty. Maybe even a Rancher or two 🙂 If you havent seen the Upper Green yet. It could be good and sad . to see the desrtuction the cattle and sheep can do. Yet there is great beauty too. It would be great. wyirisheyesblue@aol.com
Viki,
I wasn’t calling the People out on this site in particular all though some of the headlines are definately a bit senationalistic. Abandoning biology definately happens on boths sides of the argument.
Projecting fear and hatred toward anything is a crime of humankind. Sadly, the darkside tries incredibly hard to override the light… collectively continuing to bring in all our light will hopefully create a shift in these kinds of sad, and misguided attitudes towards life.. The ultimate shame is self hatred which he has…
Lack of education, real world experience and probably living in Idaho too long (I know, sorry Jeff) have cured within Mr. Gillette’s psyche. This is a classic example of borderline personality. Where he does go wrong is in his delivery of his viewpoints, with the required PC approach he would be the perfect politician.
Dummies. Quit complaining of Canadian Gray Wolves. If you wouldn’t have eradicated the original wolves years ago, there would be no need to introduce the grays. It’s called an eco system. Get your heads out of your rifles and start to think intelligently for a change, please!