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In the West, ‘Monument’ Is a Fighting Word
New York Times ^ | February 19, 2010 | Kirk Johnson

Posted on 02/20/2010 4:56:05 AM PST by reaganaut1

...

But the word “secret,” especially when applied to the possible doings of far-away federal bureaucrats, is right up there with “monument” in its ability to unleash vitriol among Western conservatives. In 1996, President Bill Clinton created the 1.7 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah with a surprise announcement that still resonates across the region as a symbol of government powers, or what critics call the abuse of those powers.

The new Interior Department memorandum, people in both parties said, has reopened a wound from those days that never quite healed.

“Given the lingering frustration felt by many Utahns, following the 1996 ‘stroke of the pen’ monument designation, it is totally inappropriate for this federal agency to even have preliminary discussions without involving the stakeholders on the ground,” said Representative Jim Matheson, Democrat of Utah, a state that had two of the possible new monuments on the list, the San Rafael Swell and Cedar Mesa.

In Montana, an area of unplowed grassland called the Northern Prairie was listed on the Interior Department memorandum, discussed as a possible home for a new national bison range. But the state’s representative at large, Denny Rehberg, a Republican, said in a statement, “The Antiquities Act was never intended as an end-run around the will of the people nor as a land-grab device for East Coast politicians.”

Ms. Barkoff at the Interior Department said in an interview that Mr. Salazar, as Colorado’s attorney general, United States senator and secretary of the interior, had a history of seeking consensus, and that any discussion of monument designation would be open to public and Congressional involvement.

A spokesman for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, a conservation group, said the appearance of secrecy in monument talks had melded with ideological opposition to the Obama administration

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; US: Montana; US: Utah
KEYWORDS: agenda; bho44; kensalazar; landgrab; monuments; nationalmonuments; salazar
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1 posted on 02/20/2010 4:56:05 AM PST by reaganaut1
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To: reaganaut1

Slick was so proud of what he had done to Utah that he made his big announcement in Arizona.


2 posted on 02/20/2010 5:02:29 AM PST by Past Your Eyes (You don't have to be ignorant to be a Democrat...but if you are...so what?)
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To: reaganaut1
Simple. Make them all religious monuments and the left will do everything in their power to get rid of them. Except for Muslim monuments.
3 posted on 02/20/2010 5:03:39 AM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult (The man who said "there's no such thing as a stupid question" has never talked to Helen Thomas.)
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To: reaganaut1

Look at the grab in the State of Alaska - a couple hundred thousand acres protected from development by the nasty oil companies - you know, those guys who help keep my house warm when we have an occasion foot of ‘global warming’ on the roof.

There’s more than one reason (healthcare) to have states declare their rights over government intervention. O is deliberately taking the land that would give us energy independence - like you can’t drill for oil in a park - give me a break.


4 posted on 02/20/2010 5:09:13 AM PST by oldmomster
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To: Past Your Eyes

......Slick was so proud of what he had done to Utah that he made his big announcement in Arizona.......

Largely unknown is the fact that the Grand Staircase Escalante is administered by the Bureau of Land Management not the National Park Service. To get the job done, an entirely new bureaucracy for recreational projects within BLM was necessary. Unlike the NPS, BLM has no experience at all dealing with the public and recreation.

All that aside, a trip dedicated to the sites of the Grand Staircase, Canyon Lands, Capitol Reef and the Arches is a real teat. Go if you can


5 posted on 02/20/2010 5:11:33 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Tax the poor. Taxes will give them a stake in society)
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To: reaganaut1; All

All of us have seen this movie before...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/724170/posts
That Trillion-Dollar Ripoff— Clinton’s Utah Coal Deal
various websites | 7-29-02 | The Heavy Equipment Guy


6 posted on 02/20/2010 5:12:14 AM PST by backhoe (All Across America, the Lights are being relit again...)
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To: bert

A real teat? I don’t need to go all the way out there to see one of them. “;^) ROFL!!


7 posted on 02/20/2010 5:14:49 AM PST by Past Your Eyes (You don't have to be ignorant to be a Democrat...but if you are...so what?)
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To: reaganaut1

The federal government already owns the majority of the land west of the Mississippi. Given our grave financial situation, we need to sell as much federal holdings as possible rather than grabbing more.


8 posted on 02/20/2010 5:52:37 AM PST by theBuckwheat
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To: Past Your Eyes

The rule of 65 applies....

Over 65 and typos and spelling errors are automatically forgiven


9 posted on 02/20/2010 6:01:24 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Tax the poor. Taxes will give them a stake in society)
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To: theBuckwheat

Is it possible that OUR land is collateral for our debt to China? Just asking.


10 posted on 02/20/2010 6:07:51 AM PST by Dianer0839
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To: backhoe; All

You sir, are a treasure. Thank you


11 posted on 02/20/2010 6:07:56 AM PST by Roccus (POLITICIAN.....................a four letter word spelled with ten letters.)
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To: bert
The rule of 65 applies....

Over 65 and typos and spelling errors are automatically forgiven

Ooooh, I didn't know aboutb that rule. Gotta write it down as I dern sure won't remember ut.

12 posted on 02/20/2010 6:10:51 AM PST by Roccus (POLITICIAN.....................a four letter word spelled with ten letters.)
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To: bert

I just appreciate the entertainment of it all!


13 posted on 02/20/2010 6:37:21 AM PST by Past Your Eyes (You don't have to be ignorant to be a Democrat...but if you are...so what?)
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To: Roccus

Seems to me that the best spellers are generally us older folks.


14 posted on 02/20/2010 6:38:57 AM PST by Past Your Eyes (You don't have to be ignorant to be a Democrat...but if you are...so what?)
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To: Past Your Eyes
Heh-heh. Those misspellings were on purpose.....forgetting to close italics was not. LOL!
15 posted on 02/20/2010 6:55:59 AM PST by Roccus (POLITICIAN.....................a four letter word spelled with ten letters.)
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To: Roccus

I left an opening for somebody to correct my “us older folks” but it looks like nobody dared or cared to take it. hah


16 posted on 02/20/2010 6:58:55 AM PST by Past Your Eyes (You don't have to be ignorant to be a Democrat...but if you are...so what?)
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To: bert

Are you talking about Molly’ Nipple?


17 posted on 02/20/2010 7:13:54 AM PST by 11x62
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To: bert
...a real teat.

Got milk?

18 posted on 02/20/2010 7:16:13 AM PST by houeto (Remember in November!)
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To: bert

Several years ago my wife and I attempted to enter the Grand Staircase Monument. Unfortunately, due to flooding, they only allowed four-wheeled drive vehicles in which left us out. We were in a van. Last October we passed through Capitol Reef but didn’t have time to explore as much as we’d like. We are marking that down for a future complete visit. Practically the whole state of Utah is a national park. Our favorite is Canyonlands. Arches is a close second.


19 posted on 02/20/2010 8:28:51 AM PST by driftless2 (for long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion)
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To: driftless2

For an added dimension to travel in the Four Corners country, read the Tony Hillerman books and follow the adventures of Lt Joe Leaphorn and Sargent Jim Chee as they solve crimes all over the area.

I especially recommend the “Thief of Time’ and a visit to Chaco canyon then follow Lt Leaphorn up Bluff Utah and stay in his motel the Rendavu MOtel. Then follow him further and take the trip down the san Jaun river and see all the petroglyphs. The trip follows his adventure on the river and the wash coming up out of Chaco.

Also, be sure to buy a copy of the Indian Country Map he uses to solve crimes. It can be ordered fron the SW National Parks store on line. It just makes travel out there more fun

We hope to go back maybe later this year. We can’t get enough of it


20 posted on 02/20/2010 9:07:15 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Tax the poor. Taxes will give them a stake in society)
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