I don't care about percentages. They are easily manipulated numbers that can be bent either way to suit the purpose.
I do care about the close minded attitude of Mr. Rutledge. He's a pretty smart guy who's been around a long time, and has a lot of common sense. My issue is the close minded attitude about all things NFU. He has fallen hook line and sinker for that stunt RCalf pulled when they happened to be in the same room for a while with members of the NFU, and took that to mean the NFU has taken out a membership. I would have hoped he would have been able to see through that smokescreen, but instead he jumped to the conclusion they wanted him to. That's disappointing. He's smarter than that.
I am not a member of the NFU. But that does not mean I'm not open minded enough to consider what they have to say, the same way I consider what Mr. Rutledge and friends have to say. This whole supply management issue was brought up by the NFU, from what I understand, to spark debate. It has indeed done that, but too many people have missed their point. The thing is that if you get together, and come up with as many different ideas as possible, after a serious discussion and some debate, you just may be able to find something in there that will lead to a solution. You don't just say, "I don't like that one suggestion out of the four you brought up, so I'm not going to talk to you at all."
As long as the mainstream cattle groups are happy to close their minds to new ideas, and refuse to talk to anyone who is not in total agreement with them, then they run the risk of walking right by that small gem of an idea that could lead to a better future for us all.
Every time people who did not like each other's views put their personal biases aside for the common good, good things have happened.
Every time.
Without fail.
If only one lesson comes out of this whole fiasco, this is it.
