Why is the Pentagon to destroy ammunition for our men and women in uniform while the Department of Homeland Security is buying up millions of rounds of ammunition? As we asked last week, why are we decimating our military while many government agencies are arming up?

You really have to wonder why, according to USA Today, “The Pentagon plans to destroy more than $1 billion worth of ammunition although some of those bullets and missiles could still be used by troops, according to the Pentagon and congressional sources. It’s impossible to know what portion of the arsenal slated for destruction — valued at $1.2 billion by the Pentagon — remains viable because the Defense Department’s inventory systems can’t share data effectively, according to a Government Accountability Office report obtained by USA TODAY. The result: potential waste of unknown value.”

The Oregonian newspaper recently published a series of articles about California condors and the use of lead ammunition for hunting.  It also conducted a poll about whether to ban lead ammunition altogether.  The California Condor Recovery Program, of which the Oregon Zoo is a program partner, wants to establish a condor population covering portions of northern California and Southern Oregon.  But it has made it clear that the use of lead ammunition for hunting must first be banned.  Hence the media campaign, the straw poll by the Oregonian and now big trouble on the horizon for Oregon hunters if condors are let in to the state.