Just when you think you’ve heard it all when it comes to cherry-picked biblical and constitutional rationales, you realize you’ve haven’t, alas, heard it all. Thanks to the leader of the Citrus County Tea Party Patriots, Edna Matos, we now have the ultimate justification for objecting to manatee protection–yes, manatee protection–in Kings Bay. Indeed, THAT Kings Bay, of swimming-with-the-manatees fame.
“We cannot elevate nature above people,” proclaimed Matos. “That’s against the Bible and the Bill of Rights.” You betcha.
Because boats with propellers, boaters who like wakes, and manatees who enjoy living but can’t vote make for a fragile co-existence, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing new human restrictions–mainly affecting boaters. It wants to make the acclaimed Kings Bay a permanent refuge for manatees and limit boat speeds year round.
Jonah call home.
Who needs more protection? Gentle sea cows or intemperate boaters? Maybe there’s something in the water up there–besides those freedom-marginalizing manatees.
Frankly, it makes the predictable, pro-business stands of the Crystal River City Council and the Citrus County Commission–who say being so protective of manatees is not good for the local economy–look refreshingly honest.