CAMO AT THE CAPITOL: BEWARE THE SINO
Camo at the Capitol is a weekly blog written by MUCC Legislative Manager, Matt Evans
For all of you who have been subject to the incessant political advertisements, you have my sympathies. Even a seasoned
political junky like myself grows weary of them. And as we enter the heart of campaign season, I need to provide you with a word of caution.
Our fellow outdoors enthusiast and journalist Bob Marshall wrote an interesting article last week that was published by Field & Stream magazine entitled “SINO: The Latest, Gravest Threat to American Sportsmen.”
Now I know you are all wondering, what is a SINO? Well a SINO is a “Sportsmen In Name Only,” meaning a member of the legislature who acts and talks like a sportsman but doesn’t actually vote the way the Sportsmen & Woman want them too. I thought he made an interesting point by basically saying that some of them talk the talk, but do they walk the walk. You can find his entire article here. Now Bob was referring to the US House of Representatives and a recent vote they had taken on wetlands but I believe this can be applied to the State Legislature as well.
There are quite a few elected officials here in Lansing who will attend Hunting & Fishing events and clubs, they talk about being a lifelong hunter and how they are supportive of the Michigan conservation community but yet their votes don’t always reflect that. One needn’t look much further than the last two years where numerous hunting & fishing bills have been before our elected officials. If you’re not sure how your elected leader voted on something you can always look it up on the Michigan Legislature webpage. There have been quite a few legislators on both sides of the isle that consider themselves friends of conservation, however their votes say otherwise.
MUCC can’t tell you who to vote for but as you research candidates and speak with local elected officials be sure to follow up with them and fact check what they are saying. Make sure the votes they have taken line up with what they’re telling you at your club meetings. We don’t need any more SINO’s here in Lansing, only true conservationists need apply!
For all of you who have been subject to the incessant political advertisements, you have my sympathies. Even a seasoned
political junky like myself grows weary of them. And as we enter the heart of campaign season, I need to provide you with a word of caution.Our fellow outdoors enthusiast and journalist Bob Marshall wrote an interesting article last week that was published by Field & Stream magazine entitled “SINO: The Latest, Gravest Threat to American Sportsmen.”
Now I know you are all wondering, what is a SINO? Well a SINO is a “Sportsmen In Name Only,” meaning a member of the legislature who acts and talks like a sportsman but doesn’t actually vote the way the Sportsmen & Woman want them too. I thought he made an interesting point by basically saying that some of them talk the talk, but do they walk the walk. You can find his entire article here. Now Bob was referring to the US House of Representatives and a recent vote they had taken on wetlands but I believe this can be applied to the State Legislature as well.
There are quite a few elected officials here in Lansing who will attend Hunting & Fishing events and clubs, they talk about being a lifelong hunter and how they are supportive of the Michigan conservation community but yet their votes don’t always reflect that. One needn’t look much further than the last two years where numerous hunting & fishing bills have been before our elected officials. If you’re not sure how your elected leader voted on something you can always look it up on the Michigan Legislature webpage. There have been quite a few legislators on both sides of the isle that consider themselves friends of conservation, however their votes say otherwise.
MUCC can’t tell you who to vote for but as you research candidates and speak with local elected officials be sure to follow up with them and fact check what they are saying. Make sure the votes they have taken line up with what they’re telling you at your club meetings. We don’t need any more SINO’s here in Lansing, only true conservationists need apply!
