Today we bring you yet another story reminding me that we need to ask T-Steel for a “WTF” category for stories. Congressman Duncan Hunter of California apparently decided that some personal action was required to help out with the dire refugee situation in Chad, where hundreds of thousands of Darfur citizens are seeking safety. His team quickly leapt into action.
Hunter’s staff contacted the embassy in N’Djamena, Chad, last week to see whether Hunter could distribute food at a camp. Hunter also wanted to put together an outing to hunt wildebeest and distribute the meat to refugees.
The embassy was decidedly lukewarm. It worried about logistics and the need to divert scarce staff to coordinate Hunter’s schedule. There also were concerns about coordinating with the World Food Program’s distribution schedule.
Hunter is, to the best of my memory, not running for election again this fall, and his presidential bid is over. He doesn’t really need to do this for political reasons, so perhaps he really is trying to help out. Bravo! But as is so often the case, politicians are usually better off helping from afar, as showing up in person can cause all sorts of logistical issues. These comments would apply to the fundamental question of food distribution.
But… a wildebeest hunt to distribute the meat? Ummm… How many Wildebeests do you plan on shooting? How and where will you process the meat to safely distribute it? The embassy pointed out that there were some other barriers to the success of this plan.
“Regarding the Congressman’s desire to hunt wildebeest and distribute the cured meat to refugees, wildebeest are not present in Chad.” (We’re told some have been there, mostly in a no-hunting wildlife refuge.)
And, in case Hunter was looking for other game:
· “The Government of Chad does not permit the hunting of large mammals.”
Even all of this, as unusual as it may sound, might have not popped up on my radar until this next bit.
Hunter’s office called State on Thursday and said he had decided not to go and that he was looking instead at commercial hunting expeditions in Kenya, Tanzania and Southern Africa.
So, was Hunter really looking to feed the refugees in the first place? Or was he looking for a good excuse to go on a hunting expedition and shoot a whole bunch of exotic, large animals? Mind you, I’m not anti-hunting at all, but if you want to go on a safari, just book one. We have questions. Perhaps Congressman Hunter will provide more answers!
UPDATE: From Ricorun in the comments. Apparently Duncan Hunter is really into hunting. Witness the flap over hunting on Santa Rosa Island.