EXTREME WELFARE RANCHING

"Across southeastern Colorado, ranchers, neighbors, the Colorado National Guard and others worked furiously Tuesday to feed" cattle trapped without food by the blizzards out there. "The Colorado National Guard used seven helicopters to drop hay bales to stranded animals Tuesday; 140 Guard members remain activated to help out with storm recovery."

Now, I'm all for feeding starving animals. But I'm curious - who paid for those seven helicopters to feed these animals? Did it all come out of ranchers' pockets? Or is this part of the "storm recovery" for which we all pay the National Guard? It was my understanding that the National Guard was a taxpayer-funded force to protect people - I never heard that they were also in the business of protecting animals.

Oh, sorry, this is a "humanitarian" mission, we can't allow these poor animals to starve to death? Uh-huh. If the Guard is so worried about the animals' welfare, will they be storming the slaughterhouse when these animals are being skinned alive? Just wondering.