All should read this - Malheur

[James Riley]

I finally got in to the article by going through their site instead of the link. A well written article in accord with my own beliefs. It also hints at broader issues which have, in the past, lead me to feelings of disillusionment and futility when it comes to working for the land. Hopefully it serves to motivate others to go beyond the retrograde. The article reminds me of how exhausted I am. Must be time to go hunting.

 

[MtnWest]

Good read.

 

[Mengle]

Excellent read.

Can anyone recommend a book/set of books to help shore up my deficient knowledge in the history of public lands in America?

 

[airlocksniffer]

Excellent read.

Can anyone recommend a book/set of books to help shore up my deficient knowledge in the history of public lands in America?

I don't have a list by any means but am about halfway done with The Big Burn by Timothy Egan. It focuses on Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and the creation of the National Forests amongst other things. Very good book so far.

 

[BuzzH]

Forest and Range Policy by Dana and Fairfax.

Pretty dry reading...but it explains the history of public lands and the policies that have shaped it (for better or worse).

 

[Nunyacreek]

His depiction of how unorganized and pathetic (ideologically) the entire thing was removed any last shred of empathy one might have. As if to say - I might have understood some cause, but it wasn't that one...

 

[Corax]

The Malheur occupiers appear to be the modern, American equivalent of the hopeful revolutionaries in Russia who were slaughtered by the communists after the 1917 revolution.

 

[James Riley]

The Malheur occupiers appear to be the modern, American equivalent of the hopeful revolutionaries in Russia who were slaughtered by the communists after the 1917 revolution.

I know, right? As soon as Bernie is elected, those folks are toast!

 

[elkduds]

Mengle, check out Stegner's Beyond the Hundredth Meridian for much about the politics of western expansion and the origins of public lands policy in the west.

There are so many facets to this essay, just like the Standoff. It will not be understood in context until long after the attentions of the public-@-large have moved farther along the eternal string of crises du jour. Those who are satisfied w the party line or the first simple explanation will be swiftly duped, and just as swiftly manipulated.

Ironically, the Malheur standees got one thing right, as demonstrated by the examples of their own statements and behaviors: the ease with which true believers and simpletons get manipulated by forces they do not comprehend. Imagine committing suicide-by-LEO, to unwittingly further the cause of the elite few who would privatize the greatest physical asset this country possesses. Our public lands.

 

[Mengle]

Thanks all for the book recommendations.

 

[authentichunter]

Excellent article. Insightful analysis of the Malheur occupation and a stark discussion of the consequences if the land transfer movement succeeds. Worth sharing.

 

[RobG]

I don't have a list by any means but am about halfway done with The Big Burn by Timothy Egan. It focuses on Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and the creation of the National Forests amongst other things. Very good book so far.

You can view the movie online. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/burn/player/

 

[Josh Kuntz]

Hal is to be commended for uncovering the personalities and histories of those involved, and sharing his personal beliefs into an article that is factual, educational and captivating.

 

[sagebrush]

I know nothing about the author and most of his subjects but I suspect he is probably pretty accurate in his description of the lost souls who gathered there, with one exception.

I disagree with his assessment of Lavoy Finicum as a broke rancher struggling to feed his 11 children and taking desperate measures to do so.

Lavoy and Jeanette do indeed have 11 children but only 3 remain living on the ranch. The other 8 are married with households and children of their own. All 11 of his children spoke at his funeral and quite eloquently, as well as Jeanette, his two younger brothers and others. He was remembered as a loving father and every one of his children admired and respected him. He started every morning with personal prayer and scripture study. Each morning and evening, he led the entire family in prayer. He enjoyed playing card games, board games and made up games with his children when they were young. One of his daughters recounted how he taught all of his children to ride and rope, to tend cattle, to handle and shoot firearms safely, and how to hunt, even his daughters. She also said he taught them how to defend themselves if necessary. Another daughter said he told them many times when they were growing up that of all the characters in the bible, he most identified with Job. Not because Lavoy thought he was a great prophet or that he had great patience or he was a man of great faith or that he had endured great trials. He most identified with Job because his daughters were the fairest in the land. One of his sons said he taught him how to be a good husband and father, and how to respect women and his fellow man, and he did this by example. Another of his children talked about how he would help his neighbors at the drop of a hat and recounted how after a long day on the ranch, a neighbor lady called seeking help with a load of hay. Lavoy left the dinner table and worked until after midnight unloading the hay for her. One of his brothers talked of what an inspiration he was and how he encouraged his siblings to attend church and live by Gospel principals. He said a turning point in his life came when Lavoy insisted he attend the Priesthood session of General Conference and took him there. His other brother described how Lavoy would stand up for his brothers and other kids when they were being bullied in school by stepping between the bully and the victim saying "If you want to pick on someone, pick on me". I was most impressed by how his children in their hour of grief could stand before 1,000 or so people, many of them strangers, and speak so eloquently from their hearts about their father without notes, then declare the Gospel for all present to hear and testify of their unshaken faith in their Redeemer, Jesus Christ. If the measure of a man can be taken by the quality of the offspring he leaves behind, then Lavoy Finicum was truly a giant amongst men.

You may not agree with his views or actions but there is no way you can think he was anything less than a great human being unless you know nothing of the man or are a very poor judge of character.

 

[mtmiller]

Thanks for sharing this Randy. Hal is a tremendous writer and defender of public lands. I was lucky enough to have several conversations with him during our drawn out RMP process. Glad there are people like him fighting for public lands and protections.

 

[airlocksniffer]

You can view the movie online. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/burn/player/

Thanks Rob!! Great way to end a great book.

 

[homestead]

Thanks for sharing a great article. I caught the podcast with Herring and McKean when it came out and really enjoyed it. I'll be checking out High Country News as well for more insightful reading. Thanks again.

 

[Matt R]

For those wanting, perhaps, a more extensive and far-reaching account on the history of land ownership, I would strongly recommend reading Owning the Land by Andro Linklater as it is a fascinating history on how public and private land ownership has affected economic structure, government in general and how the English were the vanguard with respect to really pushing away from the feudal system and setting up the capitalist system that has taken hold here in America. Linklater discusses Henry VIII and the influence his push to buy up monastic lands and resell them in an effort to generate funding for his wars had on the way many at the time thought of land ownership. He also spends a lot of time on related Russian and Chinese history while not excluding America and Jefferson's conflicting thoughts on public vs. private ownership.

With regard to Hal's essay, I sensed that he tried to report fairly on what he observed there but couldn't relate to or make sense of many of the things and ideas he was exposed to there. Some of the memorable portions for me fell in the last paragraph when he mentioned C.S. Lewis' writings on the nature of evil and the last seminal sentence with regard to the U.S. constitution. I also found humor from one of the comments at the bottom of the article as a detractor likened Mr. Herring to a "New Yorker in cowboy boots"; my mind almost instantly came to Theodore Roosevelt as he was another "New Yorker in cowboy boots" whom made so many immensely positive important contributions to wildlife, wild places and the ethos that has been summarized many times as follows: "We all do well when we all do well."