Sunday, January 6, 2019

2019 -- Times are a Changin' -- Bear Essentials and More

News in the West

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Utahans Will Pay more for Gas and Out of State Purchases in 2019

Normally, most citizens believe we are already taxed enough as we pay for government services which are often antiquated, ineffective, and most often wasteful; however, when it comes to lost tax revenues which affect our San Juan County Schools, I believe out-of-county shopping has been a great detriment to our schools, our teachers, and the services provided to our children.

I know many people who prefer to drive 160 miles to Walmart, rather than support local stores. Thus they give those taxes to Colorado schools and agencies. Nor does Amazon and other on-line services share any of their wealth with anyone in San Juan County. If we want a thriving economy in San Juan, without more businesses closing, we need to shop locally first. Then, and only then, should we shop out of county, or at Amazon, or any other on-line business. Jeff Bezos has no interest nor concern about lack of services, personnel or materials in our schools. I think requiring the collection and payment of out of state sales tax revenues to San Juan County is a good thing. JW

Senator Graham Gives Warning to Mitt Romney

Utah Congressmen Push to Keep Nat'l Parks Open

Tribute to Mancos Times: Renewal Project

Old News: Opening of Bluff Bears Ears Visitor's Center Free Press

Suit Challenges Willie Greyeyes' Candidacy

The 15-page complaint filed with the court, claims, “Mr. Grayeyes is a resident of the state of Arizona, not of the state of Utah, thus he is ineligible to run for, or serve, as a San Juan County Commissioner.”

The 15-page complaint filed with the court claims, “Mr. Grayeyes is a resident of the state of Arizona, not of the state of Utah, thus he is ineligible to run for, or serve, as a San Juan County Commissioner.”

~~Petition Filed Dec. 28, Showing Greyeyes as Arizona Resident: 64 items

~~What are Public Lands to be used for? Dexter Gill

~~Constitutional Amendment Proposed Limiting Congressional Term Limits

~~Navajo Technical University Awarded 3.5 M Grant

~~Republican's Impressive Congressional Score Card

~~KSJD Radio: Colorado Native Acting Sec. of Interior

~~ Utah's Pension Plan #8 in the Nation, While Other States Falter

Bankrupt Fed Government Runs out of Money; Parks Suffer

Drought Affecting Colorado Dry Farmers

Dove Creek "bills itself as the “Pinto Bean Capital of the World,” but the proclamation doesn’t attract many tourists – farming is still the primary economic driver here. In a typical year, Pribble will take in 3 million pounds of pinto beans grown without irrigation water – dryland beans. This summer, despite their admirable thrift, the bean plants withered in bone dry conditions. Southwest Colorado’s entire 2018 dryland bean crop failed, along with almost all of its wheat, sunflower, and safflower.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

2019: A New Year of Hope in the West

In the News

~~ Commissioners Benally and Lyman Honored at Commission Meeting: Job Well Done!

~~Seven Other Presidents Tougher on the Media than Trump

~~ John Marshall, Shaped Supreme Court Policies

~~ Phil Lyman Battles with State Tax Commission

~~Tax Reform for Small Businesses

~~Winter Solstice Burn in Bluff video

~~Snow Looks Good From the Monticello Side Too!

~~Colorado Native Likely Choice to Replace Zinke

“He has more experience in that building working on these issues than any predecessor,” Jon Hrobsky, an attorney who worked with Bernhardt in President George W. Bush’s Interior Department, told the Washington Examiner. “The uniqueness of David for this job is there has never been anyone more qualified to do it.”

~~ Trump Takes Steps to Stop More Catastrophic Forest Fires

"Trump issued an executive order Friday to allow for active management of forest and rangelands, including thinning and removing debris from millions of acres of federal lands.

The order also calls on federal officials to streamline regulations and permitting processes to allow the harvest of at least 3.8 billion board feet from U.S. Forest Service lands and 600 million board feet from Bureau of Land Management lands."

~~ How Freelancing Can Help Save Rural Life
"Utah is taking advantage of a technological wave that connects skilled workers with work, and increasingly enables people to work from anywhere as freelancers, entrepreneurs, or employees.

~~ Utah in the Top Ten for Mining Industry

~~ Utah Rings in New Year With Toughest DUI Laws in the Country

~~ Winter Storms Build Utah's Snow Pack

~~ The Left Looks at Zinke's Legacy

~~Wind Power Viability as Energy Source Decreasing

~~ Only 1 Utah National Park to be Staffed as 2019 Begins

Socialists still haven't figured out a bankrupt country can't afford more National Parks and Monuments.

~~ARE RUSSIANS BACKING US ENVIROMENTAL GROUPS?

"An open records lawsuit filed against the State Department is attempting to uncover whether Russian entities attempted to financially support U.S. environmentalist causes.

The Institute for Energy Research (IER) — a free-market energy group based in Washington, D.C. — filed the lawsuit on Monday. IER has requested that the State Department hand over correspondence concerning hydraulic fracturing, environmental advocacy and Russia that was exchanged to and from high-ranking employees."

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

DOI Faces Future Without Zinke -- Bear Essentials

Opinions 12-19-18

Vote for Utah Citizen of the Year
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Rob Bishop and Sean Reyes are on Sec. Interior Short List
~~

America is at a Rubicon Moment in History by By Michael Shannon

(Allusion: "crossing the rubicon": Julius Caesar's crossing the Rubicon river was an event in 49 BC that precipitated the Roman Civil War, which ultimately led to Caesar becoming dictator for life and the rise of the imperial era of Rome. ... Today, the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" is an idiom that means to pass a point of no return.)
~~

ZviDance will present the world premiere of Bears Ears in NYC

~~ Rollbacks proposed on Excessive EPA Water Regulation

~~ EcoWatch Screams, while Miners with Leases Go to Work 150,000 Acres of Public Lands Available Near Utah National Parks

~~ Benefits of EPA Reduction of Water Restrictions
"This means that hardworking Americans will spend less time and money determining whether they need a federal permit and more time growing crops, building homes, modernizing infrastructure, creating jobs and improving the lives of their fellow citizens."

~~ Sean Reyes and Rob Bishop on "short List' for Zinke Replacement

~~ Coal Production Up

Varying News Reports on Zinke's Resignation

~~Washington Post: "Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke submitted his resignation to the White House on Saturday, facing intense pressure to step down because of multiple probes tied to his real estate dealings in his home state of Montana and his conduct in office."

~~ Zinke to leave at End of Year: CNN "Some possible contenders for his position include Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller, who lost his re-election race, sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Zinke said in a statement on Saturday that he was proud of his work as interior secretary and called the allegations against him "false."

~~ New York Times Editorial Attacks Zinke "The New York Times ripped outgoing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Saturday as a cheerleader for President Donald Trump’s “boneheaded” policy of “energy dominance.” The editorial noted that Zinke is leaving his job under the shadow of an” impressive number” — 15 — “ethics investigations.”

~~Pelosi Promises Tougher Gun Laws

~~ Why Wyss plans to buy $1 Billion in land to Save the Planet

Response from Ben Burr: "You’ll notice that all of the land he plans to buy is in developing countries. This is just the latest instance of imperious Europeans colonizing the planet at the expense of indigenous peoples. History will be just as kind to Mr. Wyss as it has been to Columbus, Cortez, and Custer."
Hansjörg Wyss was born in Switzerland, founded the medical device company Synthes and now lives in Wyoming.

~~Wyss and Companies: Bad to the Bone 2012 investigation
"The company repeatedly ignored evidence of potential lethal consequences. Interviews with more than 20 former employees and surgeons involved in the Norian project, hundreds of pages of court transcripts, and company documents submitted in the case reveal that Synthes not only disregarded multiple warnings that it was flouting the rules, but also brushed off scientists’ cautions that the cement could cause fatal blood clots."

~~ Back Pack Grand Gulch with Conservation Lands Foundation $2600 in April 2019

"A portion of the trip costs goes to support the Conservation Lands Foundation's efforts to defend America's National Conservation Lands, including Bears Ears National Monument, while building and empowering the Friends Grassroots Network to protect them for the future. "

Friday, December 14, 2018

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

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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

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

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?"

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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:
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Thanks!

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Election Fallout and New Attacks on the West

Worth a Reread or Full 1st time Read:

A “MONUMENTAL” CHANGE: San Juan County Embraces Industrial Tourism

…by Jim Stiles

Moab's Main Street: Is this our goal?

Good News Bears

--Farmers Almanac Forcast for this winter:

~~Wildlife-related recreation on BLM land boosts Utah’s economy by $79.1M

Bad News Bears

~~Imagine a country that often has a corrupt authoritarian government. In that country no one knows about checks and balances or an independent court system. Private property is not recognized in that country. Neither can one buy or sell land. Businesses are reluctant to bring investments into this country. Those who have jobs usually work for the government public sector. Those who don’t have jobs subsist on entitlements that provide basic food. Where do you think that closest Sovereign Nation is? And how many Native Americans face this tragedy?

Be sure to read this whole article. There is much that needs to change.

~~NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATIONS: “SOCIALIST ARCHIPELAGO”

"Native Americans receive more federal subsides than anybody else in the United States. This includes subsidized housing, health, education, and direct food aid. Yet, despite the uninterrupted flow of federal funds, they are the poorest group in the country. The poverty level on many reservations ranges between 38 and 63 percent (up to 82 percent on some reservations), and half of all the jobs are usually in the public sector. This is before the crisis of 2008! You don’t have to have a Ph.D. in economics to figure out that one of the major sources of this situation is a systemic failure of the federal Indian policies." Author: Andrei Znamenski

~~Pategonia and Dine' Bekayha Celebrate Greyeyes' Historic Win

~~SUWA Working to Defeat Emery County Public Lands Bill

~~With all the problems Salt Lake City has, somehow their Mayor, Jackie Biskupski, seems to be overly concerned about San Juan County. Follow her Blog for more craziness

~~Public lands in Worse Shape than Privately owned Lands True Conservation impossible without property rights.