Winchester, Idaho, is a nice little city on the Camas Plains in the north-central part of the state. Named for the Winchester rifle, the city’s population of 340 or so people takes great pride in their heritage and the yearly Winchester Days celebration and parade, as well as the annual rodeo.
So when the Wolf Education and Research Center parade float came into view, parade viewers were shocked when two young women, one dressed as a hunter and the other as a wolf, began shooting at a Donald Trump character strung up in a tree.
But that’s not all the would-be hunter and wolf did. While people looked on in disbelief, the “Donald Trump” figure was hauled off the float and into the street, where the “wolf” proceeded to attack and beat him. All this action took place in front of the “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan used by Mr. Trump emblazoned across the float.
So why am I upset about this totally tacky lack of respect for a public figure and the use of violence for the sake of levity by an animal conservation group? Let me count the ways.
In the first place, I never would have known about the incident if my sister, who happens to live in Idaho hasn’t emailed me.
Joyce Nobles came across a letter to the editor of the Lewiston Tribune Online. The letter was from a Winchester resident, Shirley M. Hasselstrom.
Crossed the line
The Winchester Days … celebration proved to be a sad day for America.
The Wolf Education Resource Center crossed the line. Their depiction of what would “Make America Great Again,” using the words of presidential candidate Donald Trump, in a tacky parade float was too much.
While two naive summer interns dressed as wolves proceeded throughout the parade to shoot and beat the presidential candidate Donald Trump, the community of Winchester watched in shock. …
Jeremy Heft, you are supposed to be the moral compass that guides the young “uneducated” college interns. They spend their summer here in Winchester under your care. You put two children on a public stage waving a gun and shooting at the image of a human being who is also a presidential candidate. Tacky and shameful.
You, Jeremy, like to call yourself a member of our community. But you have just shown a total lack of respect for those who live around you. We are a logging, farming and largely a retired veteran community (Republican base). … We have been very patient and gracious to you, the wolf center, your patrons, and your cause.
This weekend you mocked and killed an image of our Republican presidential candidate. To my knowledge, he has not spoken out against endangered species in any of his campaign speeches to date.
You, Jeremy, can leave. …
Take your people, take your wolves, take your liberal/environmental values and opinions and leave. …. You have shown your true colors. … Goodbye.
Sheila M. Hasselstrom
Because I was curious and wanted to check my sources, I called Mrs. Hasselstrom. Sheila explained that the Wolf Center’s float was judged before the start of the parade, as is usually the case in most parades, by two very upstanding ladies from the city.
Hasselstrom said she understood that the two women thought the float was a pro-Trump float, and because it was the only float entered in the “humorous” category, they gave it first prize. She was told that the judges were quite upset after seeing the float in action, and even tried to get the float removed from the parade.
Steve Alder, the president of Idaho for Wildlife, received permission from the parade organizers to print their statement on the float: “That float was extraordinarily offensive and caused a big rift in the community, it was awarded first prize in humorous by our judges before it was seen ‘in action” – who believed it was pro-Trump. I also know that due to the offensive nature several did not take pictures of that float. Our announcers almost left during the parade and tried demanding they be removed. If I had seen the float I would have tried to stop it from happening beforehand.”
Mrs. Hasselstrom said she was most disgusted by the Wolf Center using “a public stage to promote a political agenda that was not only tacky but painful to watch.” And I wholeheartedly agree with her. We have seen enough violence in this country without having to promote it in any way, and especially in a joking manner. To me, this was just plain sick.
