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Show Crying In The Wilderness I say "amen to the article, titled "The Coal Will Still Be There", written by Tony Van Hemert, of St. George, in the Garfield County News Jan. 16, 1997. Mr. Van Hemert is responding to the article "Did Clinton Tie Up Kaiparowits Coal To Benefit ' Indonesian Interests," featured in the . Jan. 9 issue of the same newspaper. Since the creation of the Grand Staircase Escalante Notional Monument, I have wanted to respond re-spond by letter to the editor about all the hype generated by some of the people and their commissioners of Kane and Garfield Counties, and for the newspaper publishing such negative articles and comments about the monument establishment, but I was afraid I would offend the people and the newspaper. When the article about President Clinton tying up Kaiparowits Cool for Indonesian interests appeared, it made me sort of nauseated. Then to think that the newspaper would subject its subscribers to such an article made my stomach more upset. up-set. Then when Mr. Van Hemerts article appeared I couldn't sit still any longer, so I grabbed my pen and started writing. While the newspaper is probably anxious to accept articles of interest to everyone, it should weigh the authenticity, au-thenticity, and the source from which it came and the effect it will have on the public. I don't think for one minute that the good people of Garfield and Kane counties are going to accept this article as truth. If they do then they are more gullible than I ever thought they would be. It seems like there has been a lot of hype brought on by the Garfield County Commissioners and some of the people they serve, about the establishment of the monument and I am amazed at some of the statements state-ments made by commissioner Liston and residents of Garfield county as to how the monument will effect their personal lives as if they owned the monument, when indeed it belongs to all of us. Their attitude is as if the Federal Government cannot protect federal land without their approval, and without including them in the process. pro-cess. How foolish. I sympathize somewhat with the people who are opposed to the monument and their commissioners but in their selfishness they are unable un-able to envision what good the lock-up will do for all of us. Commissioner Liston a woman of influence and nobility in Southern Utah who is without a doubt a good woman with good pioneer pi-oneer heritage who is just trying to do her job, but motivated by the people she serves, perhaps she and they got lost in their selfish possessive pos-sessive attitudes. Developing the coal resource within the monument would create a few jobs, but the coal would likely be going to a foreign country with little or none of the profit going go-ing to the local people or even the state of Utah. Yet someone would allow such unreliable information to circulate among the people of Southern Utah, that President Clinton was earmarking Kaiparowits coal for Indonesia. To mention anything constructive construc-tive by Democratic president in the Republican dominated state of Utah is perhaps next to committing a sin, and there are those residents of Utah who consider the creation of the monument a sin, but very few will ever say that President Clinton done a good thing for the state of Utah, when he approved of the controversial con-troversial land swap between Snow Basin Developer and the US Forest Service so the Developer and Utah could get on with the business of preparing for the year 2002 winter Olympics. Utah's Senator Hatch was heard shouting from the roof tops that by the creation of the monument President Clinton had it in for the state of Utah. There was a lot of bad mouthing of the President by the elected officials offi-cials of Utah, mainly one mean Enid Green, who has shot herself down in flames. We all know that there is resentment re-sentment towards President Clinton, because he rode into town and beat the pants off George Bush, then rode into town again and did the same thing to Bob Dole. Yet after all the terrible things Bob Dole said about the President he bestowed be-stowed upon Bob Dole the Medal of Freedom. I am not very political minded, but if I were to walk atop the political polit-ical fence, I would probably jump off on the Democrat side, but that's not the reason that I can see what's good for Southern Utah. I rode horseback over much of the new monument areas as a young man, herding sheep, punching, cattle, hunting and marveled at the beauty and enchantment that lay before me. I often wondered if someday it would be set aside for all of us to enjoy forever. Now that it has happened it's unfortunate that Hermon Pollock of Tropic couldn't have lived to see it. I think it was his vision. The Grand Staircase Escalante Monument has been established and none of us can do anything about it. I say to you good people of Kane and Garfield Counties, let down your Barriers of resentment. Turn yourselves around and use your energy making a good thing of the monument. Are you going to live there with the monument and punish yourselves the rest of your lives with hate and resentment in your hearts and minds? Van D. Smith Oeden |