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America’s best idea: Interesting piece about public lands and the domestic terrorists in OR...
This is the first piece in a new column in the local paper in Pocatello, ID written by an acquaintance of mine.
America’s best idea
By Ralph Maughan
---SNIP---
“America’s best idea. . .” this much-quoted phrase refers to the national parks and monuments, our 80-million acres of national beauty. But this fact is 180 degrees from the outlook of the recent armed occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Oddly their beef seemed to be more with President Theodore Roosevelt a hundred years ago than today’s government. More threatening than these defeated militants is the effort traced to front groups of the mega billionaire Koch Brothers like the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, and Americans for Prosperity. They’re using unlimited money trying to stir up confusion and resentment toward one of the best things in the West — our public lands — trying to convince Westerners that they have too much freedom.
When politicians shut down the federal government during intense policy disputes, the first thing the media often shows are shuttered gates of a national park or monument. Americans love them. They want the parks open. When those who would sell off our public lands speak, they make assurances that “no important land” will be touched, only “surplus lands.” That the national parks will not be touched is false assurance. They lie by omission. They don’t mention the 500-million acres of public lands not in the national park system — the BLM lands, national forests, and national wildlife refuges. Yellowstone was the start of the idea that came to fruition 104 years later. Americans should possess not just private property, but public land too, and not just pending its disposal. Disposal of the public domain was ended in 1976 with passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA — flip’ ma). FLPMA repealed almost all the earlier land disposal laws like the Homestead Act. The remaining public domain would remain as the BLM lands.
Theodore Roosevelt
Congress made Yosemite the second national park, but most of the early parks came indirectly by way of President Theodore Roosevelt (TR). He used the power of the Antiquities Act (1906) to create many national monuments out of the public domain by his proclamation. TR really went to work. He also used his presidential power to begin what became the national wildlife refuge system and most of the national forests too. Many of his national monuments later became national parks by acts of Congress.
National forests
Forest Reserve Act of 1891 gave the President power to set aside forested parts of the public domain as “forest reserves.” At the time the American countryside was reeling from unrestrained logging on both the public domain and private lands. Erosion following uncontrolled timbering had destroyed watersheds, streams, harbors. Many forest fires burned among the chaotic piles of logging debris (slash) left behind on logged then abandoned cut-over lands.
----SNIP---
Much more at link:
http://www.pocatelloshops.com/new_blogs/politics/?p=15630#more-15630
By Ralph Maughan
---SNIP---
“America’s best idea. . .” this much-quoted phrase refers to the national parks and monuments, our 80-million acres of national beauty. But this fact is 180 degrees from the outlook of the recent armed occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Oddly their beef seemed to be more with President Theodore Roosevelt a hundred years ago than today’s government. More threatening than these defeated militants is the effort traced to front groups of the mega billionaire Koch Brothers like the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, and Americans for Prosperity. They’re using unlimited money trying to stir up confusion and resentment toward one of the best things in the West — our public lands — trying to convince Westerners that they have too much freedom.
When politicians shut down the federal government during intense policy disputes, the first thing the media often shows are shuttered gates of a national park or monument. Americans love them. They want the parks open. When those who would sell off our public lands speak, they make assurances that “no important land” will be touched, only “surplus lands.” That the national parks will not be touched is false assurance. They lie by omission. They don’t mention the 500-million acres of public lands not in the national park system — the BLM lands, national forests, and national wildlife refuges. Yellowstone was the start of the idea that came to fruition 104 years later. Americans should possess not just private property, but public land too, and not just pending its disposal. Disposal of the public domain was ended in 1976 with passage of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA — flip’ ma). FLPMA repealed almost all the earlier land disposal laws like the Homestead Act. The remaining public domain would remain as the BLM lands.
Theodore Roosevelt
Congress made Yosemite the second national park, but most of the early parks came indirectly by way of President Theodore Roosevelt (TR). He used the power of the Antiquities Act (1906) to create many national monuments out of the public domain by his proclamation. TR really went to work. He also used his presidential power to begin what became the national wildlife refuge system and most of the national forests too. Many of his national monuments later became national parks by acts of Congress.
National forests
Forest Reserve Act of 1891 gave the President power to set aside forested parts of the public domain as “forest reserves.” At the time the American countryside was reeling from unrestrained logging on both the public domain and private lands. Erosion following uncontrolled timbering had destroyed watersheds, streams, harbors. Many forest fires burned among the chaotic piles of logging debris (slash) left behind on logged then abandoned cut-over lands.
----SNIP---
Much more at link:
http://www.pocatelloshops.com/new_blogs/politics/?p=15630#more-15630
