I became a part of American history March 25, when I took to the streets of San Jose, Calif., along with 15,000 other people, most of them young. We marched to protest the anti-immigrant proposals welling out of the Congress, but more importantly, we walked to honor our parents who came to this country as […]
A new civil rights movement is born in America
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Land of Disenchantment
A native New Mexican digs for the roots of a tragic epidemic
Posted inWotr
Changing times, changing hats
I don’t wear my cowboy hats much anymore. I have two, both bought cheap at Wal-Mart: a gray wool felt for winter and a light yellow straw for summer. Maybe I don’t wear them around town because fewer people seem to favor them. Lately, Cody, Wyo., sports a new fashion statement: those canvas, earth-tone wide-billed […]
Posted inWotr
President Bush nailed it: Our real addiction is to oil
The U.S. oil and gas industry wants marijuana to be legal. That’s how it looks to me. The CEOs of Exxon Mobil, Chevron and other oil companies haven’t swapped their business suits for tie-dyed outfits and jewelry shaped like reefer leaves. But the industry’s support for legalizing pot seems clear from the pattern of its […]
Posted inWotr
Don’t blame the Indians for the Abramoff scandal
It is a bitter irony that Indian nations have become scapegoats for corruption in Washington, D.C. In response to the Abramoff lobbying scandal, one newspaper in Montana, the Missoulian, even called for a ban on any tribal contributions in federal elections. Some perspective is needed. In the 2004 election, contributions from so-called casino tribes to […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Give Bush some credit
If I understand Michelle Nijhuis correctly, the Bush administration’s refusal to sign the Kyoto Accord has unleashed dozens, if not hundreds, of local experiments in greenhouse gas reduction (HCN, 3/6/06: Save our snow). These efforts seem to define an ideal of democratic participation by matching appropriate technological responses with community-defined values. The result is that many […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Fight global warming: Ditch the car
Here in Phoenix, where we recently had over 120 days without rain, a record, I believe we are already seeing the results of global warming (HCN, 3/6/06: Save our snow). I’m not waiting for government officials to come to their senses. I got rid of the car; I telecommute. For local trips to the store or […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Reforming Stalling
Regarding David Stalling’s piece about being a gay, wolf-loving, tree-hugging, former Marine elk hunter — David, I’m inviting you to make the short drive from Missoula to have dinner at my house (HCN, 3/6/06: In hunting camp, the closet is closed). We are a happily married, heterosexual couple, and I’m certain we can help you see […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Keep the closet closed, please
I was hoping you would resist the temptation to promote Brokeback Mountain, but you guys just can’t stop slopping to the left, faster and faster (HCN, 3/6/06: In hunting camp, the closet is closed). The more you New York intellectuals move to our sacred mountains, the more baggage you bring with you. The movie is a […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Save our public lands
While Dick Cheney and cronies hunt on 50,000-acre private ranches (ignore the shooting accident for the moment), the administration is proposing to get rid of public lands that the rest of us can enjoy (HCN, 3/6/06: Public acres for sale). I resent that. Tom Budlong Los Angeles, California This article appeared in the print edition of […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Aspen is far from green
Regarding your recent story on global warming, lest your readers think Diesel Fumes, Colo., (also known as Aspen) is environmental, let me assure them it is not (HCN, 3/6/06: Save Our Snow). Mayor Klanderud has been in office for six years, and under her leadership, the city council has approved the most development projects ever, […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
The real bison slaughter
I am surprised HCN pulled out one of those old stories about hunters slaughtering buffalo and retreaded it (HCN, 2/6/06: The Killing Fields). Why on earth does HCN want to vilify hunters who are their major allies in the conservation wars? HCN is the only journal I know back on that old “slaughter” kick. Montana […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
The Latest Bounce
A week after U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton announced her resignation, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John Keys announced that he will resign on April 15. The 34-year veteran of the Bureau says he’s ready to spend more time with his family in Moab, Utah. Both resignations come at a critical time, as the […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Pipeline and dam dreams
A new dam for Utah’s urban Wasatch Front and a pipeline for the fast-growing city of St. George got a boost in February, when the state Legislature approved a bill directing about $8 million a year to “preconstruction” work on the projects. The money, from state sales and use tax, will fund environmental studies and […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
If you’ve got some nuke waste, you can WIPP it
Things could get a lot hotter at southeastern New Mexico’s nuclear waste storage facility if the state carries out plans to relax its rules. Opened in 1999, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) stores radioactive waste, such as contaminated equipment and soil, from as far away as the Idaho National Laboratory and Washington’s Hanford Nuclear […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Casinos coming to Navajo Nation
After resisting the Indian-gaming trend for decades, the Navajo Nation now plans to build up to six casinos within its borders beginning this year. Twice, in 1994 and 1997, tribal members voted against gambling initiatives. Critics expressed concerns that state gaming compacts might undermine tribal sovereignty and that casinos would encourage social ills such as […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
No clear victory for property-rights activists
A recent Oregon court ruling has bolstered a Westwide effort to force local governments to compensate landowners who lose property value to land-use regulations. But celebrations may be premature. On Feb. 21, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld Measure 37, which was originally passed by the state’s voters in November 2004, but declared unconstitutional by a […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
High Country Zoo Special Edition – Apr. 1
HOOTLINES MONTOMING Rep. Rambo proposes more corporate sponsorship Last fall, Rep. Richard Rambo, R-Calif., proposed that to help balance the federal budget, the National Park Circus should sell corporate naming rights for its visitor centers and trails (HCN, 9/31/05). Now, Rambo has expanded his plan to allow corporations to purchase naming rights for natural features, […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Waypoints of the heart
As a kid, I used to play treasure hunt, all by myself. I’d take a piece of wide-ruled notebook paper and draw an X for my starting point — the front stoop of my house, on a dead-end street. Then I’d make a series of marks, each one representing a step, guided more by a […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
Washing our hands
I met Interior Secretary Gale Norton in the public restroom at Denver International Airport. She was coming out of the handicapped stall with a black roller bag. She is a tall, handsome woman. We ended up washing our hands at neighboring basins. Should I, or shouldn’t I? I did. “Secretary Norton — ” “Yes?” she […]