Dear HCN,


It does no good when environmentalists such as Jon Marvel use billboards. I quote from him: “I loved it … the open spaces, the beautiful mountain vistas …” (HCN, 8/2/99). He hates to see pristine creeks sullied by cattle. How about pristine views?


Many make the argument the billboards are already there. My answer to that is simple: using them legitimizes them. It makes no sense to fight one form of pollution by using another. A little less hypocrisy, please, would be in order.

Paul Whiting


Billings, Montana

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No billboards, please

by Paul Whiting, High Country News
August 30, 1999

<h1>No billboards, please</h1> <p class="byline">by Paul Whiting, High Country News <br />August 30, 1999</p> <p>Dear HCN,</p> <p>It does no good when<br /> environmentalists such as Jon Marvel use billboards. I quote from<br /> him: “I loved it … the open spaces, the beautiful mountain vistas<br /> …” (HCN, 8/2/99). He hates to see pristine creeks sullied by<br /> cattle. How about pristine views?</p> <p>Many make the<br /> argument the billboards are already there. My answer to that is<br /> simple: using them legitimizes them. It makes no sense to fight one<br /> form of pollution by using another. A little less hypocrisy,<br /> please, would be in<br /> order.</p> <p>Paul<br /> Whiting</p> <p>Billings,<br /> Montana</p> <div class="wp-block-group hcn-print-edition-box"> <p>This article appeared in the <a href="/?p=187810">print edition of the magazine</a> with the headline <span class="hcn-magtitle">No billboards, please</span>.</p> </p></div> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hcn.org/issues/issue-161/no-billboards-please/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hcn.org">High Country News</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.hcn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-HCN_Logo-Monogram_White_Sq-2.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://www.hcn.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=104965&amp;ga4=G-0NS3WVPPTN" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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