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Show THE ZEPHYR/ AUGUST-SEPTEMBER FEEDBACK : In the June/July 07 Zephyr, Cyndy Hodo remarked, “In 1992 a well-known psychic predicted that Bill Clinton would be ‘the last elected president of the United States.’” If we define “elected” as “elected in an election in which all qualified electors were able to access the polls, and all votes cast were fairly and equally counted,” then I submit that the psychic was entirely correct to date. Stay tuned for 2008. — (Continued) Lance Christie Moab, UT thoughts of moving west (we never moved) when he lost his factory job, and Sky King and Fury. noe is not the big town or small city it was thirty years ago. And still the city changes, the perpetual motion machine of progress and wealth grabbing schemes has an endless appetite. I am not an innocent in this plight of constant upheaval. I have worked in the building industry for thirty years. A conflicting occupation of love for the work and the dubious contributions of that work to the machine that devours Denver and the North to South I-25 corridor with more speed and a constantly growing hunger for more. Ahh... what to do? I read your book from interest in the conflicts of growth in the west and it was a fine read. I doubt there will be a resolution for the growth conflict in the west. But you do offer a space in the argument for those of us residing in part, on both sides of the debate. That, Mr. Stiles, was worth every minute spent reading your book. ADMONITIONS FROM A FLORIDA REALTOR NOTE: This letter was addressed to Red Rock Forests and to The Zephyr. Shame on the would be shepards (sic) of Moab’s ecology. You can’t even protect your own backyard. You allow the city to approve building permits for commercial development right in the Riparian area and clear cut every tree to the ground. Yes, Terry at Red Rock Forests, I’m talking about one block from your headquarters on Williams Way, namely the Moab Medical complex. There were about five heavily wooded acres of beautiful willows and other trees, many probably thirty years old. In the course of three days every living tree and plant is gone, ground up in a few nauseating bulldozer crunches. Maybe Jim Stiles, you at the Zephyr, instead of worrying about what's going wrong with global warming, you should open your eyes to what's wrong with your own community. Kevin Yuran THE REVIEW OF THE HCN REVIEW OF ‘BNW’ Dear Stiles, 2007 THE LAST ‘ELECTED’ PRESIDENT Dear Jim, Z High Country News never printed my letter so I thought I'd send it to you. If YOU won't print it, who will? In his review of Moabite Jim Stiles’s book, Brave New West, Brian Kevin said that Stiles, Most communities have ordinances and building permiting regulations that require a percentage of exisiting tree to be left, if for no other reason, esthetics. With the need to retain moisture and reduce heat, that should be even more critical here. Maybe Jim Stiles, you at the Zephyr, instead of worrying about what's going wrong with global warming, you should open your eyes to what's wrong with your own com- “too often spirals into simple us-versus-them pigeonholing” (HCN 4/16/07). Shades of the criticism Edward Abbey got for taking bold stands? Yes. Kevin adds that Stiles, “doesn’t acknowledge that some among those Lycra-clad masses [mountain bikers] might be better comrades than he’’s given them credit for.” But Stiles recognizes that some are solid environmentalists and besides, their “comradeship” isn’t munity. the point. Reverence for the land is the point. As Stiles said, “All land is sacred...People come here [to Moab] to play but this is not a playground.” Put another way, our wild lands are magnificent cathedrals, like Chartres. Would you ride a mountain bike down the nave of such a cathedral? The amenities industry is about entertainment, not reverence, and that’s the problem. Kevin also said, “The cumulative impression is of a man angry not that Moab is no lenger, but that Moab is no longer his.” Any Jungian (yes, I am one) can see that Jim Stiles didn’t go through the ordeal of writing this book merely because of his personal grief. What's driving Stiles is spiritual energy - whether conscious or unconscious - just as it drove Edward Abbey before him. Over the years both have taken repeated political risks Dale Lock, (A Floridian who's seen real growth regulation) EDITOR’S REPLY: Mr Lock, owner of Dale Lock Realty in Cape Coral, Florida, has apparently not been reading The Zephyr for very long. As many of you know, this publication has been badgering Moab’s residents and public officials to protect its pastoral lands and purchase green space for a very long time...even back in 1990 when land could be had for $4000 an acre instead of $100,000. And I am utterly mystified by Mr. Lock’s: “Florida...who’s seen real growth regulation?” He's joking, right? Only a real estate agent could utter something so silly. Finally, Red Rock Forests deals with land abuse issues in U.S. National Forests. I hope the next time ol’ Dale shoots from his tragically misinformed lip, he tries getting his facts to defend the sacredness of wild land; unselfish behavior like this is often misunderstood, unfortunately. : Scott Thompson Beckley, WV right...JS , BANNED AT BYU! WELCOME TO ‘ADVENTURE WRENCHING’ Hey Stiles, I just read your piece on adventure tourism and had to touch base. Ya I used to be an adventure prostitute charging “Bennies’ to bring people climbing and skiing, but I became adventure-monogamous years ago. An old friend used to call it “hiking for dollars” which always stuck with me. Anyhow I want to advise you of another great adventure sport that I practice regularly in the four corners area, and suspect will be yet another boom in adventure recreation. I call it adventure wrenching and if golf is a sport this certainly is too! Now I’m not talking about monkey wrenching, this is quite different. You see I drive a twenty year old VW camper (my third VW van), and I’m one of those guys who can’t understand why anyone in their right mind would ever drive anything else. I guess I too am apparently out of touch with the American mainstream. Today’s cars are built like televisions instead of mobile homes; why spend so much money on something that is worthless in 10 years Editor, I would like to formally request the removal of our address from Zephyr circulation. Tam emailing on behalf of the Deans Office of the College of Fine Arts and Communications here at BYU. I would appreciate a reply by email once our address has been removed. Thank you! Regards, David Mortensen _ Deans Office/BYU_ . Provo, Utah Ouch...that hurts... REALLY...JS SOME THOUGHTS ON CHRISTIANITY AND NON-VIOLENCE Dear Jim, Until April 21 I lived in Grand Junction. I just learned of Tom Arnold’s passing. I was looking for VW parts a few years back and met Tom at his infamous VW museum in Moab. . .. | only met Tom that one day, but his kindness and generosity will always stay with me; a great man and who will be missed forever by all of us adventure wrenchers. We have since moved to Florissant, near Woodland Park. The last week we lived in GJ I picked up a copy of the Zephyr. I had seen it before but had read a few pieces in it only one other time. I picked this one up because of the front page with the focus being on war and when will we ever learn. It is a truly great issue, and I’ve greatly appreciated everything I’ve read in it so far--moving has occupied most of my time lately, so I still haven’t read it all as yet. I especially liked Wendell Berry’s speech, and your piece on Jesus meeting Bush. On that, let me just share with you a different understanding of the turn-the-othercheek aspect. A great biblical scholar and peace advocate, Walter Wink, discovered something very special about the context of that passage. At the time of Jesus people in positions of authority had the right to hit someone of lesser position on the cheek if they thought the person was not respecting their higher authority. They could do this only with the back of the right hand, so it had to be to the right side of the other person’s face, and it had to be with an open hand--so it meant it was basically to be a light hit, not a forceful attempt to do violence or harm. It was meant only to reestablish the proper authority role of the superior positioned person. When Jesus says if someone hits you on the right cheek, turn to them the left as well, it was a very specific advocating of a non-violent, yet assertive response to anyone who was misusing or abusing their authority, to show them that even their hitting you to reassert ‘their authority was not being accepted or acknowledged. It was a way for people without authority to stand up to and resist authority that had no good reason to be accepted, if and when they were not using their authority in a respectful or caring or helpful manner to you or someone else. It was never meant as a non-violent, passive, just let yourself be beat up response, but as a specific way to resist evil in a non-violent, yet assertive way, to the specific situation of that day and culture. While I think your approach of having Jesus telling Bush that the world could have been changed if the soldiers had just laid down their weapons in WWII is fascinating, I’m not sure Jesus would have really wanted to say it is OK for anyone to be killed on his instead of 65? I just don’t get it; and yes I DO drive 55mph, and budget my time to enjoy every long minute of it! We spend absurd amounts of greenbacks on these machines that bring us places in one day that would take 10 by bike, 20 by foot. We work 40 hour weeks with two days off; why spend precious time off to wrench at home when we can enjoy Ma Nature all at the same time? Adventure wrenching is all about man, machine, and nature where you take your vehicle and tools into wild unexplored places and attempt to overcome mechanical feats in a purely natural state. I'll tell you it’s a much bigger high than a day on the green. I'm hoping to finish my (first edition) guide to Desert Adventure Wrenching very soon! Ijust learned of Tom Arnold’s passing. I was looking for VW parts a few years back and met Tom at his infamous VW museum in Moab. He was kind enough to give me a tour of the place, meet the cats, and share some great stories. Turns out he was a Navy Pilot and when I told him my Dad was a Marine Pilot he shared an absolutely classic pilot story which I enjoyably shared with my distant father. I only met Tom that one day, but his kindness and generosity will always stay with me; a great man and who will be missed forever by all of us adventure wrenchers. Sincerely, Tom Vasconcellos 30 |
