Life in the West Amid Covid and Controversy -- Oct. 5, 2020

News In The West

Fall on Blue Mountain:  Photo Courtesy Blanding City

~~November Election: Think Before You Vote  

by Janet Wilcox       

With just a few months until the elections, it behooves all of us to dig a little deeper for facts, as we determine for whom to vote in all levels of government. It’s a time to evaluate our core values, philosophies and freedoms, then then seek candidates we can trust to promote and protect those eternal truths. The future of the United States could turn sour for all if “extreme” socialists are elected who do not believe in these values.  Please research and query every candidate before you vote.  Rather than criticizing how candidates deliver their messages or believing other superficial data, we should evaluate their political philosophy and past actions.  

      Those who live in less populated states should be also be concerned about protecting the Electoral College which ensures that each state is equally represented in Congress; otherwise we are controlled by the East and West Coast extremes.  All of us should also vote for those who will curtail excess Federal spending, instead of looking at more ways to spiral the debt ever more into the abyss. (This includes not voting for those who support using our hard earned Social Security Insurance to pay for foolish whims.) The National debt is now over $26.7 TRILLION!  Consider who the foreign countries are who may bail the USA out of that fiscal quagmire!  Citizens who value peace, security, and individual rights must elect those who will support our military, law enforcement, The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.  Don’t take your right to vote lightly; the future of all Americans depends on far-sighted and judicious voters.  

~~Stiles: Fast Forward to 2045 -- What Election 2020 Triggered

--From 2045…REMEMBERING THE 2020 ELECTION …by Jim Stiles • September 30, 2020 

“I am very cautious of people who are absolutely right, especially when they are vehemently so.”  –Michael Palin NOTE: This story is not intended to be prophecy, projection, or prediction; nor is it offered as a warning or a celebration of “things to come.” It’s merely idle speculation on my part, based on trends I see happening in America, for better or worse. And 34 days from now, give or take a month or two to count the mail in ballots, we’ll all know if at least part of this tall tale was accurate, or total bullfeathers. And now, on to the Future, as I look back at the distant past…J.Stiles

~~The Long Walk to Socialism: 

This video shares the unfiltered stories of the harsh struggles of the Navajo Nation. These raw experiences reveal the individuals, families, and communities torn thin by socialistic government programs and waste.

~~Indigenous People and Land Grant Universities.  High Country News Investigates

~~Governor Herbert:  An Anti -Masker at Heart?  

~~Excerpt from Billionaire Wilderness :  By Justin Farrell 

"Billionaire Wilderness offers an unprecedented look inside the world of the ultra-wealthy, focused on their increasingly significant relationship to the natural world. More specifically, it shows how the ultra-wealthy use nature to resolve key predicaments in their lives. Along the way, it reveals the surprising ways in which nature and wealth intersect in America, and the swelling impact of these relationships on the nation’s social and environmental landscapes."  Canyon Zephyr

~~The Slovenly Wilderness: The Least Consequential Election …by Stacy Young

"As regular readers of this column know, it is a deep and abiding frustration of mine that serious consideration of the material conditions of modern America is consistently avoided in favor of lazy identitarian demagoguery. This criticism applies not just to our political industry, but also to the news media, the arts, corporate marketing, and the way we “choose” to spend our own individual attention on social media, and it is an imbalance that not only distracts us from the root causes of things but divides us along relatively superficial categorical lines. . ."

~~Census Count Still Not Complete on the Navajo Reservation 

by Kate Groetzinger

~~ Phil Lyman, State Legislature, Call's Out Court Corruption   Recorded Interview

         (The Bad News is that this case has drug on forever!)

~~ Meet Supreme Court Nominee  Amy C. Barrett

~~ High Speed Internet Coming to San Juan County Reservation Schools  by Kate Groetzinger

~~ Western Senators Push Bill to Control Wild Fire Risk 

~~ Reflections of the past: Trials and Travails of Park Ranger John Wetherill at Navajo National Monument by Harvey Leake/ The Canyon Zephyr

~~ Operation Firewood Blesses Navajo Reservation

~~  Wildfires: Creating a Defensible Space Around Your Home

Utah has had a record 1,300+ wildfires this year, over 1,000 of which have been human-caused. When recreating outdoors this fall, pay attention to federal, state, and local guidelines and warnings, always completely put out your campfires, and leave our lands better than you found them. If you live close to at-risk landscapes, take a few minutes and learn what you can do to protect your home.

~~ Political Polarization Taking Over Lives  Pollution of our dysfunctional political dialogue

~~ BLM Director Nominee Under Attack by Green Machine

~~What Does Kamala Harris Stand For? And What Should We Fear?

~~ Chad Booth's County Seat Funding in Jeopardy  Zac Podmore article 

                             Sunset Over Bears Ears -- Photo by David Homedew

Gobblers on the Loose, Wanting More From Tax Payers

The County Seat with Chad Booth Looks at Tax Reform in Utah 

~~ San Juan Record Live Broadcast  regarding Taxation in SJC

~~ The Case for Abolishing Federal Reservation System 

FEDERAL INDIAN POLICY IS DESTROYING AMERICA: OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT 

"ASSERTION: Since its origins in the 1830’s (judicial, legislative, administrative), all of federal Indian policy is: 1) entirely unconstitutional; 2) denies full American citizens enrolled in tribal governments their 14th Amendment protections and civil rights; 3) compels forced reparations in perpetuity upon American taxpayers to annually subsidize all basic needs and services of 573 tribal governments; and 4) permits tax-exempt casinos and other tribal enterprises to determine the marketplace of the tax-paying economy in thousands of communities across the nation."
   Read More

~~ Features and News in Dec/Jan issue of the The Canyon Zephyr

 ~~ The Slovenly Wilderness: Pavement + Parking = No Paradise, by Stacy Young

~~ The Politics of Payback by Bill Keshlear

KUED had a Great video about Moab in the '50's recently, with Ted Capener interviewing
locals who were there when the Uranium Boom started;  Sam Taylor and Adrian,  Bette Stanton --and many others who were eye witnesses to growth in SE Utah.   If it comes on again, be sure to watch it.      Here's the trailer:

~~ Jeff Burningham Running For Governor, Visits San Juan County

~~ Blanding City Council Remains Proactive in Developing Businesses

~~ Truth in Taxation Meeting Highlights County Concerns

Plan to Attend, Dec. 12  

Big Winter Storms Bring Blessings to the Land

~~ Will Economic "Perfect Storm" Lead to Depression in SJC ?

~~ Why Does San Juan County Have the Highest Tax Rate in the State?

~~Former Utah Diné Bikéyah staffer gets management spot at Bears Ears Monument

~~ Politics of Gerrymandering and Retribution

~~ Dark Skies more Important that Jobs in N. San Juan?

~~ Extraordinarily Wealthy Environmentalists Stoke the Racism Fire 

"“Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” — Thomas Jefferson to Richard Price, 1789"    But....if they are stirred by the extreme winds of falsehoods and half truths, Citizens must be wary. 

Utah Public Notice

Documents Updated from last week's meetings 12/11/19

• GSGDraftRecvyPlan.pdf - 11/27/19 2:51 PM

• GSGRcvyPlanCommts.pdf - 11/27/19 2:51 PM

• Polling Accessibility Report (00000005).pdf - 11/27/19 2:52 PM

• Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access One-Pager FINAL 10.9.pdf - 11/27/19 2:52 PM

• San Juan County Telecom Franchise (10-10-19)v2.pdf - 11/27/19 2:52 PM

• 20191203 Commission Work Mtg.MP3 - 12/5/19 4:50 PM

• 20191203 Commission Mtg.MP3 - 12/5/19 4:53 PM

• December 3, 2019.pdf - 12/11/19 2:58 PM

Agenda

Notice Date & Time: 12/3/19 9:00 AM

Description/Agenda:

        SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING - COMMISSION ROOM
AGENDA
December 3, 2019

  9:00 A.M. Work Meeting

1. Letter of Support for the American Indian Consortium for Election Access and the Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access (PAVA) Program - Mack McDonald, San Juan County Administrator
2. ORDINANCE GRANTING TO EMERY TELECOMMUNICATIONS & VIDEO, INC., ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS, A FRANCHISE FOR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM - Mack McDonald, San Juan County Administrator
3. Dolores County Inter-Governmental Agreement - Benny Musselman, San Juan County Public Works
4. Dishwasher Purchase for Public Safety Building - Monte Perkins, San Juan County Maintenance
5. Spanish Valley Updates - Jerry McNeely, San Juan County Liaison
6. Public lands updates - Nick Sandberg, San Juan County Planning

11:00 A.M. Commission Meeting

1. Approval of minutes - November 19, 2019
2. Citizens' comments to the Commission* (Please complete the request form - available at the door)
3. Dishwasher Purchase for Public Safety Building - Monte Perkins, San Juan County Maintenance
4. Approve Letter on the Draft Recovery Plan for Gunnison Sage-Grouse - Nick Sandberg, San Juan County Planning
5. ORDINANCE GRANTING TO EMERY TELECOMMUNICATIONS & VIDEO, INC., ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS, A FRANCHISE FOR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM - Mack McDonald, San Juan County Administrator
7. Approval of the Dolores County Inter-Governmental Agreement - Benny Musselman, San Juan County Public Works
6. Executive Session to Discuss Pending or Imminent Litigation
7. Determination of Referability of Citizen Petition for Referendum of Spanish Valley Zoning Ordinance - Kendall Laws, San Juan County Attorney
8. Commission Reports

Cows Not Condos! ~~Bear Essentials~~ Dec. 6-14, 2018

Christmas Gift Ideas

The San Juan Record has many books

 and even the newest National Geographic

 with articles/ history of Bears Ears.  

Past issues of Blue Mountain Shadows 

also sold there as well as in many 

Blanding Locations.

~~Jim Carlson: Reforming Administrative Government

~~Landowner Wants out of Bluff City Incorporation

~~Read and Support the Canyon Zephyr

~~Boulder Rancher uses Cows to Protest Tourism: 

~~ Read and Support: Free Range Report

~~More National Parks Needed; Bring on the Tourists Opinion SLT

~~Interior Dept. Inspector General Confirms Abuses by BLM employees

~~Lawsuits, Legislation, and Land Use since Bears Ears/ Grand Staircase were Downsized --KSL

~~Malheur Ranchers Given a Week to Respond to 'Fishy' Forest Service Report
"For example, federal agencies have developed their environmental data about steelhead populations by studying areas where fish are unlikely to travel, such as upstream of multiple “check dams” installed by the Forest Service to slow water flow, Stout said.

Though ranchers aren’t responsible for the problem, grazing cattle nonetheless get the blame, he said. If you go against their agenda, you’re demonized,” he said."

~~Mark Franklin and Rose Chilcoat Claim They Were Kidnapped   --"In another bizarre turn of events last week, Franklin’s team filed a complaint with the San Juan County Prosecutors Office claiming Mark Franklin and Rose Chilcoat were kidnapped by Zeb Dalton and Zane Odell when they detained them at the scene of the crime in 2017.

~~Friends of Cedar Mesa Involved in Self Appointed Road Closure

"Last week Josh Nielson of Blanding, Utah was out with a client in the Butler Wash / Comb Ridge area when he came across a group of folks building barricades across a couple of county roads. One of the roads was county road D2138 which was not closed. . . The fact that FCM, who purport to be “environmentalists,” are dragging logs, rocks, digging up sand and dirt to create these barricades without an environmental impact study, should cause great concern for the BLM. The transference and damage to artifacts as well as damage to the macrobiotic soil (Cryptobiotic soil crust), plants, and the area in general should warrant a criminal investigation to say the least by the Bureau of Land Management."  The Petroglyph Dec. 5

~~~~~~~~~~~

Political Ponderings:

Quotes from Thomas Jefferson

~~"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those  who are willing to work and give to those who would not.-- TJ ~~"It is incumbent on every generation  to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on, would save one-half the wars of the world."  --TJ ~~"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them."--TJ ~~"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."TJ  ~~"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --TJ ~~"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes, the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.--TJ

Battle over Bears Ears~~KUED

KUED Documentary on Bears Ears
Bill Keshlear and Jim Stiles Examine "Battle Over Bears Ears"

Jim Stiles Looks at CNN, PBS and KUED Documentaries on Bears Ears. 
Sloppy Journalism or Glimmer of Hope?  (Includes links to video and other references)

Mail in Voting on the Reservation: Pros and Cons --Sept. 2016

Occult group in Monument Vally -- Escorted out -- Navajo Times Nov. 30

Why the Right to Bear Arms is Important

Kay Shumway: Roots, Recreation, and Reflections of Life in San Juan   A great article by Jim  So over three summers I rode my bike from Canada to Mexico. First year, I went a thousand miles. Then I went back to where we’d quit, and went 800 miles the second year. The third year,  I completed the last 700 miles."

Stiles capturing milestones and events in the life of Patsy and Kay Shumway including: family, education, development of a college campus in Blanding, orchards and biking. "
Green House:  "I believed in solar power. Photovoltaics and water heating. And so, the kids and I built a greenhouse. About 70 feet long and 18 feet wide and the slope of the glazing to get maximum sun in the wintertime. And we grew tomatoes and cucumbers. We had these barrels full of water. The sun would shine in there, heat up the water in those barrels, keep it from freezing at night. So we’d walk in through 2 feet of snow, walk in and be warm, all these lush plants, our tomatoes up 6 feet high. "

Cross Still Stands Following Horrific California Fires

Free Range Report Needs Your Support

As you reflect upon those who have helped the cause of freedom and Public Land Use please  consider making a donation to Free Range Report :  Majorie Haun has stuck her neck out and dedicated her time to exposing falsehoods, and promoting freedom for years, and she was instrumental in keeping SOS informed and San Juan County in the broader loop of westerners who supported us as well.   Donate Through this Portal

How the Monumental Bad News Started in 2016:  
Bears Ears Brinkmanship: With Friends Like These, Does Cedar Mesa Need Enemies?
…by Stacy Young

"One such nugget comes about an hour into the (fall 2016 John Hopkins) presentation, when Tommy Beaudreau, Chief-of-Staff of former Interior Secretary Jewell, explains that the decision to launch the monument directly into the current political thresher was done with full knowledge that what has happened would happen. He acknowledges that the administration knew in late 2016 that the monument proclamation would be received as an act of provocation if not a declaration of total war. They knew there was no chance that the monument as designated would be properly funded or any other constructive steps taken toward its implementation. They knew the ensuing controversy would be protracted and the outcome of the fight uncertain. They knew this chain reaction would negatively impact the landscape and its cultural resources. And still they set it in motion."

Beware of "Wolves at the Door" in Utah's Dixie by Senator Orrin Hatch

Mexican Wolves Do Not Belong in Utah!
"As part of their proposal to “reintroduce” 750 Mexican wolves, these scientists want to have a self-sustaining population of 250 wolves in southern Utah and northern Arizona – places that fall well outside the predators’ historic range. How can you “recover” Mexican wolves in areas where they have not been?"

_____________

Though some of our ABC friends (i.e. Judy Mueller) 

feel that the Canyon Zephyr articles are too long with too many details, 

those interested in news with facts and research, find the Zephyr very refreshing. 

In a world of fake news, superficial research, and 30 second news briefs, it's a miracle that any of us know anything close to truth.    This is why "non-beholden" news outlets like the Zephyr need to be supported.  I hope you take this opportunity during this season to

Donate to the Canyon Zephyr

Help The Zephyr and, for as long as our supplies last, receive a free signed copy of Jim Stiles' book: Brave New West: Morphing Moab at the Speed of Greed

One year membership: $100 Three years: $275 Lifetime: $1000 You can use your credit card through PayPal at our web site: http://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/advertise/indexnewz.htm Or they still take checks: PO Box 271 Monticello, UT 84535 Thanks!

~~ Bear Essentials ~January 10, 2018 ~~

vJohn Ruple Univ. of Utah Professor of Law, discusses Public Lands

v Is it time for Tax Payers to Stop Subsidizing Public Land’s Recreation?

v Christmas message from President Trump

 

Good News Bears

n  Congressional Hearings on H.R. 4532: SJC Nat’l Monuments  Jan 9, 2018

n  From Agriculture to Zinke: Biggest Stories of 2017

n  Is Fighting Climate Change Worth Sacrificing Modern Civilization?

As the Washington Post wrote last week, “The world is turning more and more to renewable sources of energy… to fight climate change. But what if climate change itself alters the distribution of wind, or sunlight… or river flows, and so changes or even shrinks the potential of these energy sources?” No source of energy is without problems, so what are we to do?

n  Protecting wilderness through tourism, an oxymoron  Moab Sun Times

n  Judge Dismisses Case Against the Bundy Family members !!!

n  Oregon Live Details Bundy Case Dismissal

“U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro declared a mistrial in the case last month, saying federal prosecutors willfully withheld evidence that lawyers for the Bundys and alleged co-conspirator Ryan Payne should have had access to while mounting their defense.

She said the attorneys were in violation of the Brady rule, which requires prosecutors to disclose evidence that could be favorable to a defendant, and told them it wasn’t possible to proceed with the case.

On Monday, she dismissed the case “with prejudice,” meaning the government cannot retry the defendants. “The court finds that the universal sense of justice has been violated,” Navarro said.

n  Bill Boyle Confronts False Claim of Durango Writer  Durango Herald

“A frustrating reality of life in San Juan County is we are subject to gross mischaracterizations and, all too often, outright fabrications. I am afraid that Wells’ letter may play well in areas where the lack of knowledge of basic facts makes it easy to manipulate public opinion.”

n  The Best Memes of 2017

n  Feds Urge Court to Dismiss Climate Lawsuit Using Children as Pawns

n  Anti-Fracking Groups in Trouble with the Courts

n  Using Bacteria to Clean up Oil Spills and Cheat Grass

n  Compliance Extension for Livestock Haulers until March

   Bad News Bears

n  Laws Suits Challenge Pres. Trump resizing of National Monument

n  Lobbists and Politicians using Tribal Monies to “Fertilize the Swamp”

n  Chapoose says Fight for Redesignation is still on  NPR

n  Garon Coriz plays the Sympathy card

n  Supreme Court Rejects Rinehart Mining Case

n  Collusion between anti-mining activists and USFS

n  Native Americans used as Window Dressing   Garon Coriz  (Read Paul Jones, the lone defender of the Constitution, in the comments)

n  Native Radicals fail to obey USFS regulations at Nizhoni Campground

n  Riparian Areas in Calif. Damaged by Unmanaged Wild Horses

Drought Conditions in San Juan; please pray for snow!

                   

           Other Articles/ Events of Local Interest

v U of U Workshop on Environmental Racism Jan. 17

v Canyon Zephyr: Concerns related to State Control of Public Lands

v The Night Before Taxmas by Paul Ryan (Dec. 12 -Pretty Clever!)

v Animal Rights Jihadists Attack WesternTraditions

v Winter Solstice and Dancing Bears in Bluff

v Nat’l Geographic Explains Myths related to UNESCO Heritage Sites

v Help Free the Hammonds

                                                                 ~~~~~~                                                                   

 http://beyondthebears.blogspot.com/          

                     Documenting Bears Ears “No Monument” efforts since July 2016