Our dysfunctional Congress, with the support of our President, you know, that fella we had so much hope for, have decided non-human and human life are fair game when it comes to politics and reelections. Nothing new, I suppose, except it all seems so much more brazen than it used to. And it’s all the more shocking considering what we thought we had in Obama.
The enabling Democrats once again caved in to the Aggression Party by agreeing to a budget deal that includes delisting Gray Wolves and removing Federal protections on public lands. This, of course, is in addition to the already well documented attacks on the elderly and the infirm. It’s a conservative wet dream. Let the killing begin.
The wolf measure was a gift to a Democrat, Jon Tester, of Montana, who is up for reelection in what he believes will be a contested race. He needs the kill the wolves provision to make him look more appealing to the conservative nutjobs in his home state.
It should be clear to everyone that both parties barter with life as if it were little more than just another poker chip in a disgusting game being played in a smoke filled back room. As for myself, well, I’m thinking of ways to monkeywrench hunts. I believe it’s a worthy endeavor to protect these noble creatures. What I’d like to do is shoot these the miserable sons-a-bitches, the hunters, but since I respect life, even the lives of despicable human beings, I can’t take that action. But can I at least slap them across the face? No. Make ‘em sit in the corner with a dunce hat on their heads?
We need an Aikido move.
Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir on Glacier Point, Yosemite Valley, California
From the Library of Congress:
“Conservationists, civic leaders, and government officials submitted testimony before Congress in favor of the establishment of the National Park Service on April 5 and April 6, 1916.
The congressional debate over the proper management of the growing system of national parks began in 1912 and culminated with the passage, in 1916, of the National Park Service Act. This legislation created the National Park Service within the Department of the Interior. Stephen T. Mather was named its first director.
When it was established on August 25, 1916, the National Park Service (NPS) supervised 40 national parks and monuments in some 390 areas. It now includes 390 areas covering more than 84 million acres in every state except Delaware, as well as in the District of Columbia, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam,Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NPS sites—not only national parks and monuments—but also battlefields, military parks, historic sites, recreation areas, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores and seashores, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House, attract hundreds of millions of visitors each year.”
Our much maligned National Parks. The crown jewels of our nation, they are an example of one thing we’ve done well in this country. There’s nothing like it in Europe. Then again, Europe doesn’t have anything like Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, a hell on earth if there ever was one. Strategically positioned next to my beloved Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge is a cesspool of outlet malls, hotels, theme parks and bumper to bumper traffic. If you ever visit the Smokies, go through Townsend, TN to get there, because if you go through Pigeon Forge, you’ll need a psychiatrist or a tranquilizer before you hit the trailhead.
Of course, what’s happened to the parks, as Abbey stated, is they’ve become a centerpiece of industrial tourism. Sleepy little places like Moab exploded with hotels, shops and eateries, forever losing their once quaint personalities to the overpowering lure of money and growth. And it’s not just outside the park, either. Private concessionaires have set up shop inside the park, opening gift shops, restaurants and lodges. They’re little towns in and of themselves. Not that I haven’t enjoyed them. I have.
My wife and I stayed at the lodge in Mesa Verde and ate at the restaurant. Quite nice, I should say. We loved every minute of it. I bought maps and books in stores at Arches and at Big Bend.
The problem is all the people. Hordes of them. Traffic stacked up for miles, trailers of all shapes and sizes. And most of the people in them never set a foot on a trail. Why even go to the park if you’re not going to get out and hike? Oh well. No point in beating this one to death. Ed already did in his now famous “Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks.”
“Progress has come to Arches, after a million years of neglect. Industrial Tourism has arrived.”-Edward Abbey
And maybe Ed didn’t realize how good he had it back in 1968. Should we end up with a complete nutjob like Michelle Bachmann in the White House, along with a Tea Party Congress, the National Parks could soon be parceled off and run by private corporations, possibly even developed or mined for natural resources. Never say never. Sixty years ago, if you’d told my grandfather that the United States would find itself in a perpetual state of preemptive war where we’re consistently the aggressor and that the United States would be known for torture, he’d say “it will never happen.” Yet, here we are.
My advice? Get out an enjoy the National Parks while you can.