Bear Essentials February 12-18
(All
blue underlined items are hyperlinks which will take you directly to articles.)
This past week included a
marathon trip to Salt Lake with Stewards of San Juan. In the process, we had lunch with Senator Jim
Dabakis. Well, actually he was directly
across the capitol cafeteria but I did talk to his camera crew, while he was
flaying his arms animatedly talking to Bill Allred. I’d never posted on his Facebook page before,
but it is quite an experience. He is
probably the most outspoken critic of our State Republican Leaders. We
encourage all of you to be brave enough to write to those you disagree with, as
well as give support to your state leaders who are being attacked. We also
staged a respectful protest at the Dine Bekaya “Celebration” at the U of U that
evening.
There were several from our No Monument group who commented
on the Dabakis FB page: Feb. 7. Here are their comments:
--By Joy Howell: “It's so sad that the majority who live in
cities don't comprehend the fact that everything that sustains the city life is
produced outside of their little bubble...it all comes from the ground. From
food, to wood, paper, glass, wiring, medicine, concrete, steel, plastic, oil,
fuel...all of it. Those of us who actually live in the area have worked hard to
protect our beautiful and soul sustaining places...we find it offensive (since
that's a word everyone seems to understand) to know that we have become the so-called
enemy of the world! Why? Tourism is great! I'm in the hospitality industry and
appreciate the guests...but, I also like to offer amenities and electricity. We
know that there's more to this push than the media, the big money and certain
other proponents of socialism say. We
live it, we know the truth. And we will continue to fight for our
Constitutional Republic...which protects ALL of us. There's no longer a way
around it...no more loopholes, no more lies. No more 'mob rule' that denies
inalienable rights. No more.
--By Kelly
Mike Green: Tourism brings in money but does not sustain families.
Seasonal work. Low pay. Not enough money to afford a mortgage. No discretionary
money to raise your standard of living, The opposite of extraction jobs and
that is a fact,
Legislation in the Works
--H.R. 622, Local Enforcement for Local
Lands Act, removes the law enforcement function from the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service. Instead, the bill
calls for deputizing local law enforcement, combined with block grant funding,
to empower existing duly elected law enforcement offices to carry out these
responsibilities. The bill, jointly sponsored by Utah’s Rep. Mia Love and
Rep. Chris Stewart, also establishes a formula to reimburse local law
enforcement based on the percentage of public land in each state.
--Lest
We Forget:
Hopefully
HR 622 listed above will prevent future tragedies from happening.
Reactions
to legislative efforts from Western States have been extreme and angry; thus
citizens who care about public land and the disparity that exists between East
and West need to stay involved. Comment
on news articles, encourage friends to contact Congressmen in other states,
write articles. Attend Stewards of San Juan Meetings Wed. 7 PM Arts and Events Center.
Good News Bears
“The Headwaters Institute study (which is often
quoted by Pro Monument Web sites). . .did not examine federal lands’ actual
effect today. The study looked only at gross income, assuming that one dollar
is the same, whether it is wages, profit from a farm or small business, or a
dollar of welfare payments. . .
The only significant effect
federal lands have on rural income is an increase of per capita investment
income, concentrated in elite counties located near areas of federally
protected parklands, such as Sun Valley, Jackson (Wyoming), Park City (Utah),
and Aspen. Investment income includes dividends and interest, private pension
payments, and rents.
Individuals who have earned
their wealth elsewhere bring it to the elite locations when they move or retire
near parks paid for by the public. The individuals who move often enjoy lower
tax rates on their passive income. The locals who benefit are those who sell or
rent real estate — there is no matching, positive effect on local wages.”
--Videos Worth Watching
--Bad
News Bears
Quote from article above: “Clinton
who among his many Antiquities Act edicts, closed one of the world’s best
low-sulfur coal deposits—its mining will create 1,000 local jobs and generate
$20 million annually—with the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument. So
passionate was Utah’s opposition to the monument that Clinton deceived
political leaders—but not Robert Redford—about his plan until he announced it
at Arizona’s Grand Canyon. Today, Garfield County is a self-declared “economic
disaster” area.”
--The Bundy Paradigm:
Will You Be a Rebel, Revolutionary or a Slave? Though written over
two years ago, this is still relevant today, as we consider the plight of this
ranching family and the role of the BLM.
Dan Love, the Bureau of Land Management agent now under investigation by the agency’s own Inspector General’s office
for egregious ethics violations related to the 2016 Burning Man festival in
Nevada, has a history of cruel and ruthless behavior which predates the
current uproar over his thuggish tactics. Prior to Love’s involvement in the
failed raid on the Bundy Ranch in April of 2014, he lead the
2009 federal antiquities sting, ‘Operation Cerberus Action’ in
southeastern Utah. This sting, which took several years and climaxed with
federal raids by hundreds of armed BLM and FBI officers on dozens of
homes, also lead to the deaths of 4 men involved in the
case.
“Protestors against the Dakota
Access Pipeline set fire to construction vehicles and piles of tires in a series of violent riots
last fall. The protests repeatedly became violent, and cost North Dakota tens
of millions in law enforcement costs. Protestors also left a mountain of garbage in their wake that now threatens to contaminate
the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers when spring flooding begins.”
…And most of All, Pray Daily, Remembering God Is On the Side of Truth and Agency
