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Show PAGE 18 THE ZEPHYRJANUARY-FEBRUAR- 1993 Y Anyway, it was after this meeting in which BLM agreed to require new helicopter flight told procedures that would have less impact on nearby citizens, that Brad Palmer rather proudly that Grand film County industry) you (as a way of showing how BLM was supporting the BLM of weaker because states in areas over a had surrounding competitive advantage filming environmental protection here. Wen, even a guy who's a little slow like myself can remember a BLM area manager tossing out a statement like that. beyond reality by Jack Campbell STALKING THE WILD TABOO IN "PARADISE CITY" DEAR BETTE: Once again, I was intrigued and fascinated by your rebuttal of one of my Zephyr articles this time my November Zephyr article 'Slaughter erf the Innocents and the Arrogance of Power. In that artide I had the temerity to suggest that the film industry, like the tourist industry, could have substantial negative effects on both the residents and the land in Grand County, and that the film industry goes far beyond "just taking a few pictures," and is at times another heavy industry that needs to be responsibly regulated by die BLM just like grazing, oil and gas, tourism, etc. In just the first two paragraphs of your rebuttal you use the following choice phrases: "authors of the mustard colored journalism, "out and out lies," "piles of misinformation to feed the fires," and "exaggerated and misleading rhetoric," without even a hint as to which parts of my article may have so justly earned the righteous wrath of the Grand County Economic and Community Development Director. (But I do get the dear impression that I may have again touched a sensitive area that some people would rather not have discussed in public.) Even here in your "PARADISE CITY" we can still stalk the WILD TABOO. After this objective and factual introduction, you then state: "Rather than pick at the articles, I respectively present the following facts with the hope that it will CampbellGroene-Rai- t followers regain some balance in their opinions." Frankly, Bette, I'm glad you didn't help Zephyr follow your own advice in the preceding sentence, and after the necessary rental of the millions of dollars that the film industry reputedly brings to Grand County, you get back to the serious work of stomping my artide with both feet Don't worry, the exercise is great for both of us. Just a quid; look at a few of your choicer points. 1) "The quote Campbell contributed to Brad Palmer as '...bragging to Bette Stanton...' that film company interest was because Grand County has weaker resource protection than surrounding states, is not true it never happened." Well, BETTE, I know you're a busy woman, trying to bring us all the benefits of economic development (even if we don't want it), so here's a little reminder as to the meeting and context where Brad Palmer told you why the film companies were particularly interested in filming in Crand County. You may recall a meeting on Monday, Dec. 17, 1990 at 4 pm, in the Economic Development office at Western Plaza, which was called to try and resolve the large number of complaints from the residents of Castle Valley regarding the helicopter impacts during the preceding months. The meeting had finally been called between the Town of Castle Valley and the Film Commission, not just because of the dtizen complaints that BLM had received, but because some residents had finally become desperate enough to place ads in the Advertiser, protesting the helicopter intrusions. (If I remember correctly, the meeting was called by real estate agents who were afraid that the ads in the Advertiser would discourage sales and compromise their commissions in Castle Valley.) You might also recall that this meeting was called after the Bon Jovi production on the Priest and the Nuns (where an entire drive-i- n movie screen was constructed and then burned on top of the butte) and the even larger stuntman air bag production where another huge structure was built on top of Paniot Mesa (only to blow off the top in a storm and crash onto the talus slopes below). ??? 2) BETTE, you stated that "MFC members took exception to Campbell's term 'hired guns' when referring to off duty law enforcement officers working traffic control for film productions. Such talk does not bring harmony to PARADISE CITY, Mr. Campbell." Well, I did not write "Hired Gunmen on the River Road" to bring harmony to PARADISE CITY. I used this precise and accurate phrase to start die process of changing an abusive situation where film and advertising companies are allowed to purchase the exclusive use of our highways, and block ordinary citizens from using them (without even the courtesy of giving ANY public notice that the public road will be shut down). My phrase was absolutely accurate the men carrying guns and stopping traffic on the river road were hired by the film companies to do just exactly this blockade traffic. Hired men carrying gunshired gunmen. You might also have quoted my last lines in that section: "It's also a sad social commentary m how badly underpaid our police and other law enforcement officers are. So badly underpaid that many of them have to hire themselves out to the film companies as part time mercenaries. It's an indication of the arrogance of the filming industry to think that they are so much more important than the rest of us mere citizens that their car commercials and shaving cream ads are more important than the hum drum problems of our little lives, like getting to appointments in Moab on time, or taking friends to the Moab airport before the plane departs. Just after turning in my "Slaughter of the Innocents" article, I was interested to overhear a Moab resident rather heatedly complaining about how he had just been stopped on Highway 191 by film company bandits and had 20 minutes stolen from him. In this case the individual was a professional person who bills his time at $75 per hour. The highway robbers had therefore stolen $25 from him just as effectively as if they had taken it out of his wallet at gun point But then, in the interests of bringing harmony to PARADISE QTY, I guess we're not supposed talk about such unsavory affairs in public. 3) BETTE, you are correct when you claim that Ken Rait wrote one exaggerated sentence in his article about "Slaughter of the Innocents" in the November "Watch Dog" column. In this sentence he claimed that "five tons of Hollywood garbage would fly off the scenic Castle Rock" and would land in the Mary Jane Canyon unit of the Utah Wilderness Coalition's proposal In fact the official BLM EA stated that the weight of the 2(T x 60 ark that would be "propelled off the edge of the cliff into the roadless area below," was lbs, which would be only 3 tons. And a small pick up truck would go off the cliff as well, which might add another ton, so Mr. Rait was off by almost a ton in his allusion to 5 tons of Hollywood garbage. Only 4 tons of Hollywood garbage would crash through the prop doors, run down 153 feet of track and be propelled off the cliff into the roadless area below (this is the BLM's own language). I don't know that one is really that much more inflammatory than the other. And the smoking ark didn't go off the top of Castle Rock, but off the cliff at the base of the rock. However... You say that "the BLM would never allow this to occur on top of Castle Rock and the Moab Film Commission would never support a production company wishing to do such a thing." Such a short memory once again. In the stuntman airbag production atop Parriot Mesa (near Castle Rock), this much larger structure blew off the top of Parriot on a windy weekend, to crash into the same roadless area that concerned Mr. Rait above. Not to be deterred by more large amounts of I lollywood garbage crashing off the tops of buttes, BLM permitted the film company to build another whole structure all over again. And then there was the burning of the drive-i- n movie screen for the Bon Jovi shots on the top of the next butte. And crashing a car off the rim of Canyonlands National Park for the Thelma and Louise movie. I know BETTE, these are just the kind of things an environmentalist might be expected to remember. Oh, well nit-pic- ky BETTE, 4) We're all really environmentalists...film companies, Film Commission, BLM. seems like I remember you making the same claim in your other rebuttal to one of my articles. district manager That time you tried to claim that thePresident of WALU, Gene Nodine and current major advocate of the Book Cliffs road boondoggle), yourself, and Robbie Swasey, were all true environmentalists. Somehow it's getting a little easier to pick up that peculiar, ripe smell whenever the loyal opposition all start claiming to be "real environmentalists." As I said a year ago, that's about as honest as me trying to call myself a rancher because 20 years ago, an old girlfriend talked me into getting on a horse for about an hour or so. While one might think that it was in the film industry's self interest not to trash the resource (ex-BL- M New York New Year's Party ??? Sumptuous buffet dinner 8:00 P.M. New Year's Eve We welcome the New Year at 10:00 P.M. (That's midnight in New York) Then you can go to town and party some more, or just go home and sleep off the evening's overindulgences. 4 PACK CREEK RANCH La Sal Mtn. Loop Rd. 259-550- 5 Everyone from the Pack Creek Ranch family wants to wish our Moab friends a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. Except for special occasions, the restaurant is closed until February. It was good to have you up for dinner at the ranch this year and we look forward to seeing you in '93. Jane and Ken Sleight |
