Recent comments

I love this site. You are pulling off an unusual mix of welcoming controversial discussions over NPS mgmt and appreciating the beauty of parks at the same time.

Andy
www.hauntedhiker.com

Again I don't think so-called "racism" has anything to do with a discussion of market preferences, in this case the desire by certain groups to visit national parks.

Has anyone been to a blues festival lately? Has anyone voiced concern about the fact that the majority of musicians onstage are black and the majority of people in the audience are white? Is Buddy Guy worried about the lack of African-Americans buying tickets to his shows? The answer is NO. He's been asked and he could care less. Shouldn't the people who produce blues music be alarmed that there are not very many black faces at their shows? Not hardly. They have many satisfied customers whose ranks are growing, regardless of what color those customers may happen to be.

The same is true of the current rap and hip-hop stars who are draped in platinum and gold because they are selling millions of records to white-middle class suburban kids who now emulate the gangster/prison styles of low-rise pants and high-rise underwear. Should we be asking why? Isn't this a form of cultural imperialism on the part of rappers? It never fails to amuse me to see spoiled rich white kids in high-end parts of town walking around acting like inner-city hoodlums.

"This isn't simply about adding more of a certain kind of visitor or having more of a certain kind of employee; it's understanding how the realities of today are connected with the realities of yesterday." Well put Mr. Macdonald.

When all is said and done it's far more important for the NPS to be stewards of the lands that they have been assigned to administer and to not fret about what color or percentage of its visitors is of a certain racial or ethnic type. Their job is to please their customers (whoever they may be) and protect the site. Nothing more----nothing less.

I am disappointed that several people commenting here talk about this issue in terms of what the federal government response should be to the issue of racial diversity, as though that's the only relevant consideration. Don't we matter in this discussion? Isn't it more helpful to talk about what our role is in this reality both in terms of what it is and what should be done?

Racism had a part in creating the national parks; they have a part in the reality today. This isn't simply about adding more of a certain kind of visitor or having more of a certain kind of employee; it's understanding how the realities of today are connected with the realities of yesterday. It's understanding where each of us fit into that story and seeing whether we can be part of changing the dynamic. That calls far less for a federal response than it does for honest conversation and for recognizing ways racism is still evident. As I mentioned much earlier, you can look at just this site's VC and see that we miss out on diversity. That's hardly a judgment on the quality of the site; it's part of a reality, though, that we cannot deny that we play a role in. The parks, too, are part of that reality, and I think we are foolish to ignore it or scapegoat either so called "free markets" or governments. It's that and much more and is ultimately quite personal in nature. I am really thankful for all of you who have shared your own personal accounts on these things. Now, where does this go from here?

And, class, and other injustices...what is it all saying, and do we have the courage to accept the consequences of a lot of unsettling conclusions? I guess we'll see.

Jim Macdonald
The Magic of Yellowstone
Yellowstone Newspaper
Jim's Eclectic World

Great site packed with good info. Keep moving the site to greatness. I will become a advid reader.

Time to privatize...the parks need to be run more like businesses. The public will be amazed at how much better they will be managed!

I'll stick to H.L. Mencken's observation that "Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods."

He also said "Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." I couldn't agree more.

You are quite correct that I have very little respect for politicians of any kind, especially ones from a century that produced 200 million deaths by central governments. The bloodiest century in human history had no political heroes, whether elected or not, that I could possibly admire.

But hey I'd like to end on a lighter note. Mencken also said "Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage." Again I couldn't put it any better if I tried.

Good debate. See you at the circus.

It somewhat surprises me that Grand Teton is almost 500,000 visits behind Yellowstone. They're so close that you'd think someone making a long trek to Yellowstone would factor in time to visit its next-door neighbor.

And I'm not sure it's fair to include the George Washington Memorial Parkway, as I believe it receives a lot of commuting traffic.

The Zion number seems a tad high, too, as there's only one small, six-mile-long canyon that lures the lion's share of the traffic, and you need to ride a shuttle bus to do that, unless you're staying at Zion Lodge. Of course, visit in July or August and I'm sure you'll think the overall number is a bit low.

I guess 100 above ground nuclear tests blanketing the country in deadly radiation was a noble effort by a benign and caring government. One which has yet to admit publicly that it did so knowingly and with the knowledge that it would be not be held accountable for the preventable death, disease, birth defects and retardation of countless thousands. I won't even go into the other areas of death and destruction caused by unlawful war and the use of such wonderful substances like Agent Orange and the spent uranium being used today in the shells raining down on Iraq. A work in progress. Your love of Big Brother is truly astounding.

I'm glad you believe in an earthly saviour. I mayself have serious doubts.

"I am curious though about the reference to "illegally snatched". Is there any form of government that would meet your criteria?"

How about what is specifically articulated in the U.S. Constitution? Nothing more, nothing less.

Really? Are we going to get into a pissing contest over Star Wars philosophy? Since when did making reference to pop-culture on a blog become a point of ridicule? Frankly, I thought it was an appropriate and somewhat amusing response to earlier comments. Let's not get too wrapped up in this that we can't laugh a little. Thanks Jon.

re: NPS vs Private - Our government is supposed to be fair, that's the point of a Democracy. Each of us is a first-class citizen. My one vote has the same weight as any other eligible voter. We choose our representatives in government. Whether or not the whole government is actually fair has been a point of debate argued for ages. It's a huge subject, too big for this website. I choose to focus my concern on this site with a single point in our government, the agency which manages our national parks. Private operations have no obligation to act 'fair'. I hear you Bemis, that the free-market manages 'fair' just fine, but I've had experiences at Monticello that run counter to this argument.

I happen to disagree with Bemis and craptacular, but I enjoy reading the dissenting opinion because it enriches my understanding of the issue. There are times I think the Park Service has done a poor job managing our park resources, but there are plenty of other times I think they've done a great job. At this point, I'm of the opinion that the NPS is still the best one for the job.

re: Government and Grocery Stores - The FDA provides oversight of food, a role that should not be understated. If you believe you've got free-will when it comes to choices that have been presented to you in the grocery store, think again. Government's role in food production/distribution/oversight has probably been debated more on the Hill than any issue involving parks ever will.

Kurt is putting the finishing touches on an article that should appear in the next few days that continues this thread; are private parties at our public parks worth all the virtual print we've spent on them? Stay tuned for the discussion.

Here's another national "treasure":

Bill would make site of WWII explosion into a national park.

A blast site? Are you kidding me? There are thousands of acres of unprotected redwoods and the feds want to spend money on a VC and educational rangers for a blast site???

"... Americans ought to be able to ... visit the historic site, and to know that it will be properly maintained for generations to come."

Come on, this is the NPS. "Properly maintained"? What a joke!

The NPS can't even take care of what it has. Why is it adding new and trivial sites? Beamis is right: It's all about the pork. I can't believe anyone still supports the pigs.

I find it even more disturbing still that Merryland is quoting Star Wars as philosophy.

Beamis is totally correct: a government that ignores 2/3 of its citizenry is not at all accountable to anything but money and greed.

No, our government doesn't listen nor do the bureaucrat swine in the ranks of the NPS, and for the same reason: they're drunk from gorging off our hard work, the tax dollars they illegally snatch before we even hold them.

And here's some real philosophy for you, not that of the canned new-age-BS variety a la Lucas:

"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one."
Thomas Paine