Ke$ha not a fan of Maine bear hunt

The group that hopes to ban the use of bait, traps and hounds by Maine bear hunters has announced a major endorsement by a celebrity who will appear in concert on Bangor’s waterfront Friday night.

Who knew Ke$ha even knew about Maine bear hunting practices?

Singer Ke$ha performs on NBC’s ‘Today’ show in New York, November 20, 2012. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

“I am proud to endorse Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting, which will bring Maine in line with much of the rest of the country by prohibiting the cruel and unsporting practice of chasing down bears with packs of GPS-collared hounds, the use of painful snares to trap bears, and the use of piles of rotting junk food to bait bears for an easy kill,” Ke$ha said in a press release. “I encourage all my fans to get involved with the campaign by visiting fairbearhunt.com.”

Or, you could wear camouflage outfits to Friday’s show, and to pile boxes of doughnuts in front of the stage in protest … the choice is yours. (Darn. Forgot that you can’t take food into the venue).

Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

A quick explanation for readers who might not be part of Ke$ha’s demographic, and who might be wondering why I keep typing “$” when I clearly mean to type “s”: Ke$ha is a pop star. And a reality TV star. She really spells her name with a dollar sign in the middle of it, but you can pronounce it “kesh-a.” Her songs are earworms, and once you hear one, you may keep humming it all day, even though she often sings about chasing dudes and getting drunk in clubs. She’s got 3.4 million followers on Twitter. (And, no, I won’t explain what Twitter is).

Seriously, Ke$ha’s endorsement is a potentially big deal for Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting. Why?

It’s those Twitter followers, among other things. Think of each follower as a potential soldier for a cause — in this case, the fight to change the way we hunt bears in this state.

Twitter is a powerful instrument. Just ask the folks in Egypt. And when someone with global reach decides to sign on to support a Maine bear hunting referendum, it’s a big deal.

Even if the group that wants that referendum hasn’t begun gathering signatures yet. Even if the proposed referendum isn’t expected to take place for another 14 months.

I’m not one to vote for or against a referendum because of what a musician thinks.

I figure if you’re going to take political advice from Ke$ha, you may as well listen to Ted Nugent or Hank Williams Jr. before you fill out your ballot. Neither of which, for the record, would I necessarily advise.

Why even mention Uncle Ted and Bocephus at all?

Nugent, as you likely know, appeared in Bangor a year ago. Williams is coming to town in October.

And both have visited the Pine Tree State on other occasions, for pure recreation.

What did Nugent and Williams do when they were here?

They went bear hunting in Sebec with guide Wayne Bosowicz of Foggy Mountain Guide Service.

Food for thought.

 

John Holyoke

About John Holyoke

John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their natural habitat. The stories he gathers provide fodder for his columns, and this blog.