I am an old-timer in a "new west."
The "new west" is a place of greed and destruction.
Beware of those who would rob you of your heritage, degrade Earth, and make a future for coming generations far poorer than they deserve. -- Sam Rushforth
That's just one entry in a literary bid to sway Congress towards supporting a Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. Within Red Rock Testimony: Three Generations of Writers Speak on behalf of Utah's Public Lands, nearly three dozen writers have collaborated on an evocative and compelling plea for the monument.
The paperback book running to 88 pages was presented to members of Congress earlier this summer with hopes they would read it and understand the message that the lands within the proposed national monument represent a special place for young and old as well as relatively newcomers to the region and descendants of the Diné. The authors took widely varied approaches to presenting their argument.
And the Voice said, "Moses did not go to an oil well derrick to receive the Law and the Tablets, and Jesus did not go to a fracking site to give The Sermon, and Buddha most certainly did not sit under a pumpjack to experience the vision that changed the world forever. Sacred Place is required to receive Sacred Epiphany, and without that epiphany, wisdom cannot be achieved. -- David Lee.
Charles Wilkinson, a Distinquished Professor and Moses Lasky Professor of Law at the University of Colorado, opens the collection by pointing out that this region holds "the largest collection of parks and monuments in the world, mostly a result of the Antiquities Act of 1906, when Congress granted the presidents the unilateral right to create national monuments by a stroke of a pen."
While noting the presence of Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Natural Bridges National Monument, and Hovenweep National Monument, Professor Wilkinson adds that "more needs to be done" to preserve lands in this unique part of the country.
From that introduction, writers such as Luci Tapahonso, the Navajo Poet Laureate; MacArthur Fellow Gary Paul Nabhan; former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit, and; Millennial essayists Anne Terashima and Brooke Larsen take over, crafting essays and poetry that bring texture, imagery, and meaning to the landscape.
The Holy People lived here in the beginning.
They built the first hooghan, made the first weapon
sang the first songs and made the first prayers.
Diné language, ceremonies,
history, and beliefs began here.
This is where we began. -- Luci Tapahonso
To read more from this collection, visit this website.
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Comments
There may be bears ears in southeastern Utah, but there are few ears listening where it really counts in the Utah legislature or Congressional delegation. They are listening only for the sound of dollar bills being unfolded.
Rob is at it again. He just added a significant and sneaky line to his Public Lands Initiative Bill. Read all about it here:
http://www.sltrib.com/news/4207827-155/rolly-bishops-lands-bill-has-a
A few excerpts:
Buried on Page 183 is TITLE VIII. SEC. 816. RECAPTURE CANYON:
"(a) APPROVAL OF RIGHT-OF-WAY -- San Juan County, Utah's application for a Title V Right-of-Way, originally submitted to the Bureau of Land Management Monticello Field Office in the State of Utah on March 30, 2006, and later amended on November 13, 2012, is approved."
This is a road closed by BLM to prevent looting and damage. San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman was arrested and then convicted of misdemeanors, sentenced to a few day in jail. This little addition the bill, buried on page 435, opens that road to ATV use.
We also read: "
Why is that significant? And sneaky?
You might recall the recent misdemeanor conviction in federal court of San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman for arranging an illegal ATV ride in Recapture Canyon, which has been off-limits since 2007 to motorized vehicles to protect the fragile flora and Native American artifacts in the area.
Many rural officials were outraged at the conviction, accelerating an ongoing feud between the feds and locals over public lands.
Legislators first attempted to steer taxpayer money toward a legal defense fund for Lyman. When that fizzled, the Legislature approved $250,000 for the Rural Utah Alliance, a nonprofit committed to rural issues, including a potential defense fund for the commissioner's appeals. The registered agent for the group is Lyman's attorney, Peter Stirba.
Now comes Bishop's entry, tucked deep in his federal lands bill, that grants a right of way to San Juan County and allows the motorized vehicle use in Recapture Canyon that Lyman and other locals have long desired."
But we must remember that all our Congresspersons are completely honest, trustworthy, loyal, helpful, courteous and greedy.