By Bryn M. Webber
On Feb. 14th I was fired from my permanent Kauai National Wildlife Refuge Complex biologist position with no warning, and locked out of my email by 3 p.m. on the same day. I barely had time to get the documents I need to file for unemployment.
This is coming directly from the Trump administration and is likely illegal, but somehow it has not been stopped. Three of my amazing colleagues were also fired: critical, skilled biologists and habitat restoration experts who are in the field day in and day out, pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into conserving native Hawaiian birds and habitats.
This was not just a job for us, this was our everything, caring for the aina. For me it was the dream job of all dream jobs. I have no idea what I’ll do now, I thought I would be in this position for a very long time. I even bought a horse in December with the notion of a permanent, salaried position.
- U.S. Forest Service fired 3,400 on Feb. 13th
- National Park Service fired 1,000 on Feb. 14th
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fired 420 on Feb. 14th
- Homeland Security fired 405, etc.
I have no words right now. We are literally watching our democracy slip away from us.
Now is not the time to sit back and “wait and see.” I took an oath of office on my first day that I would defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. How is this not a domestic enemy?
These billionaires have so much money. They have everything they could ever want and more. This is literally just Hunger Games or Squid Games. It’s just little chess pieces, some funny little game to them. There is going to be nothing left of this country by the end of the week.
It’s time we stand up, before it’s too late.
This was originally posted by Bryn M. Webber on Feb. 14, 2025.