Written in response to MoabSunNews article
Brooke Williams will be discussing his new book, Open Midnight: Where Ancestors and Wildernes Meet
March 1 in Moab at Back of Beyond Book Store Moab
Published Response March 2, 2017
by Janet Wilcox
Brooke Williams will be discussing his new book, Open Midnight: Where Ancestors and Wildernes Meet
March 1 in Moab at Back of Beyond Book Store Moab
Published Response March 2, 2017
by Janet Wilcox
It’s
disconcerting to me that esoteric ideology and manipulation is so easily dispensed
and promoted
by the wealthy who picture themselves as saviors of the world. There exists a great disparity between those who are being manipulated
and maligned and those who funnel millions of dollars into pro monument
campaigns. Thus, when Brooke Williams describes his experience campaigning against
hard-knock ranchers, farmers, school teachers, and local government in Escalante,
Utah who are still fighting for survival, I don’t have much sympathy for his
ego-centric ponderings. But, maybe splitting time between two homes, one in Castle Valley and one in
Jackson Hole, Wyo, is tougher than I think!
Let's take a look at real toughness: there are still Navajos living on McCracken Mesa in San Juan County without running water nor electricity in their homes. They must burn wood for heat in cold months. When it rains or snows, roads are nearly impassible. Somehow the Navajo Tribe has forgotten this land is also part of their reservation. These Navajos are concerned about biological survival for sure, and have been for decades. They are very worried about more government promises that will likely be broken.They are opposed to more regulations brought by yet another "National" Monument in San Juan County.
Let's take a look at real toughness: there are still Navajos living on McCracken Mesa in San Juan County without running water nor electricity in their homes. They must burn wood for heat in cold months. When it rains or snows, roads are nearly impassible. Somehow the Navajo Tribe has forgotten this land is also part of their reservation. These Navajos are concerned about biological survival for sure, and have been for decades. They are very worried about more government promises that will likely be broken.They are opposed to more regulations brought by yet another "National" Monument in San Juan County.
Williams says of his efforts, “What I realized during those years I worked in Escalante was
it's not about economics. It's about control.” That’s just how I feel about the pro-monument multi-level marketing plan: it’s about power-house environmental groups wanting to control
others’ lives, including land, animals, grass, and air. It is NOT just local people who want to have
power over their own destinies and land; The Conservation Lands Foundation wants control over their lives and land too! When there are shared values, then compromise is possible. For instance, clean water and air are definite must
haves for all people. But how land is
used, controlled and governed is a different issue. Such was the impasse
Williams ran into in Grand Staircase Escalante territory.
The reason they couldn’t work out their
differences is that rural America, by and large, values constitutional freedoms, and the Green Nazi forces promote globalist ideology. The workers,
the survivors, and rural Americans have been too busy making a living to wander
around in the desert finding themselves and validating their mission. However, I’m sure the locals in Escalante probably know the
deserts and plateaus of their area better than Mr. Williams.
-----------------
Other writings by Brooke and Terry Tempest Williams:Open Midnight: Where Ancestors and Wilderness Meet
No comments:
Post a Comment