ALEC Agenda: Bye – bye National Parks

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa

"I know you’re being attacked by a lot of these leftist groups in your states. I know you are," Ron Scheberle, ALEC’s executive director told lawmakers during lunch Wednesday before turning to the group’s corporate sponsors. "Thank you. Thank you for standing with us. I know you’ve been attacked a lot — extortion threats and letters. But those who are here today are standing strong."

From an observer – there on business from New Mexico:

I witnessed one of their members in the parking lot hurriedly walking towards the lobby as he was talking to himself.  He looked crazed.  Inside the leader of this group was telling everyone that Alec would not be bullied by anyone.  This coming from the best of bullies.  He thanked the few remaining corporate sponsors he had, including UPS and the oil boys, for not deserting the organization like better thinking companies did after the Florida shooting of Trayvon Martin. 

But he wasn’t there for the ALEC shing-dig – he was there as an environmentalist.

The day before he posted this – about his trip to Utah:

But I have to say that the crazies in Utah, like other western states, just never get tired of trying to pillage every watershed, species, and acre for their own purposes.  Here I mean mostly coal, hard rock, and petroleum production.  They never have to give up because they have a bottomless pit of money to use in fighting environmental protection.  These people who put short term profit over long range watershed health are anything but timid.  Now they actually have convinced a Utah governor that he can take title to the federal public lands by saying it belongs to the people of Utah and not the people of the United States.

Now they actually have convinced a Utah governor that he can take title to the federal public lands by saying it belongs to the people of Utah and not the people of the United States.

Coming to your state soon:

In waging the Western land wars, Utah lawmakers have won recruits to the battle among like-minded lawmakers at the American Legislative Exchange Council conference in Salt Lake City.

"It’s tremendous," said Utah Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, who sponsored legislation in Utah demanding Congress turn over 30 million acres of federal land to the state and got the bill adopted as ALEC model legislation last year.

Ivory, who now chairs the ALEC Task Force on Federalism, said the conference is a way for legislators with common goals to share ideas and build support around the region to help restore some balance with the federal government.

SNIP

Three years ago, Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo, brought legislation to ALEC that he had successfully passed in Utah, proclaiming the state’s power to exercise eminent domain, seizing federal land in the state. Herrod’s bill got a favorable reception and was adopted as ALEC model legislation.

"I knew it was the right place because it’s a federalism issue. It’s about state rights and the proper balance," Herrod said. "I think Utah in a sense has led [the lands issue]," but ALEC has provided a favorable reception for the bills.

"It’s great for us to try it out, but Utah’s not going to get traction alone. We have to get Colorado and Arizona and Nevada and Idaho to join us."

The National Park Service's Cultural Resources Programs are dedicated to preserving history, education, and grants. History is everywhere. In nearly 400 national parks and every hometown. It covers everything from the remnants of ancient civilizations to the boyhood homes of U.S. Presidents to the stirring sagas of hard-fought wars to the reverberations of one woman refusing to give up her seat on a bus. History is a part of who we were, who we are, and who we will be.

Bye – bye national parks

– thanks to ALEC legislators and their corporate profit sector members 

– who frack

– who cut off mountain tops

– who drill, baby drill. 

And then you have the casinos that belong to ALEC – who need a new location.  

And you have the hotel chains that belong to ALEC who need a new resort location for ALEC meetings.