The Monumental Places Obama Should Protect Right Now The Cliven Bundys of the world are wrong

[xchrom]

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/05/obama_s_new_national_monuments_bruce_babbitt_on_how_to_protect_public_lands.html


Sen. Dianne Feinstein has introduced a bill to protect a million acres in the Mojave Desert of California. Above, Death Valley, located within the Mojave Desert.

When a racist rancher in Nevada and his armed supporters can command headlines by claiming to own and control publicly owned lands, perhaps it’s time to remind Westerners about the history of the nation’s public-land heritage.

Recall that it is we, the American people, who own the public lands that make up so much of our Western states. These great open spaces are the birthright of all of us, not just the residents of Nevada or Arizona or other Western states. The question of ownership of the public lands was settled by the Founding Fathers, in favor of you and me, by the Maryland compromise reached in 1781, and carried forward in the property clause of Article IV in the United States Constitution.

On occasion, diehard malcontents such as Cliven Bundy emerge to promote so-called Sagebrush Rebellions to turn the public lands over to the states as a conduit for handing them out to resource raiders and private interests. Governors and state legislatures, most recently in Utah, are sometimes drawn into endorsing these movements, only to see them fade away in the face of public opinion.

Now, while this latest fracas is fresh in our minds, let me speak up for the employees of the Bureau of Land Management who have been demonized by Fox newsman Sean Hannity and threatened by rancher Cliven Bundy and his followers. BLM staffers are dedicated public servants who struggle with the unenviable task of juggling the conflicting demands of ranchers, miners, oil and gas companies, sportsmen, and conservationists. They deserve our respect and our gratitude.

[2naSalit]

1. K&R for exposure!!

[2naSalit]

2. All Citizens

need to know this info. Seems like there is so much about our responsibilities as citizens is unknown to most that it's no wonder we have ignorance based groups like those we rail about on a daily basis on this site.

Thanks for posting!!