Democrats Protect America's Purple Mountain Majesty

Good Morning Papamoka Readers! I have a rare RAVE to offer this morning as I compliment the Democrats and President Obama on passing the largest expansion of the wilderness system in 15 years. It's the Ominbus Public Land Management Act of 2009, and it's FANTASTIC!

The new law, approved in both the House and Senate and soon to be signed by President Obama, bestows the HIGHEST levels of federal protection to over 2 million acres of federal - relatively unspoiled - land throughout nine western states. It's FANTASTIC news!

The Bush Administration and the Republicans loved to claim environmental credentials while secretly giving mineral/mining, logging and energy development rights to their friends on millions of acres of federal land. They did set land (and sea) aside during their tenure, but they also provided access that led to the destruction of more virgin federal land than any administration in history.

Most environmentalists viewed Bush and the Republicans as the 'slumlords" of federal land policy. They were a disgrace. The environment, like so many issues, is another reason not to trust Republicans with government. The Obama Administration has been quietly reversing some of that damage, or at least trying their best.

Unfortunately, the Bush Administration did a good job of committing the federal government to some pretty abusive long-term contracts. WE THE PEOPLE will be screwed by their Republican cronies for DECADES to come.

Anyway, the new bill is incredible! The bill, soon to be a law, will set aside - and SERIOUSLY PROTECT - more wilderness then George W. Bush set aside during his entire eight year nightmare.

The bill is excellent in the way it protects wilderness areas adjacent to urban areas like Los Angeles where I live and enjoy our mountain vistas. Cities should have green belts filled with wildlife within a short ride. It's good for natural balance, beauty, and to offer something to future generations. It also restores rivers devastated by logging throughout the West.

Of course, in predictable fashion, a few bought-and-paid-for Republicans fought the bill, siding with the miners, loggers and oil companies (not to mention they ignored the issue over the past eight years). I especially loved the way Senators like McCain, McConnell, and Chambliss all voted no. Can we guess who their allies are? McCain loves his country houses, but I guess he only cares about the beauty near his own properties.

As always, my favorite California Senators were instrumental in setting aside the largest chunk of land, totalling approximately 700,000 acres. Idaho set aside 517,000, while Colorado took third with 316,000.

Utah, which has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the nation, fought the legislation. Their Republican delegation limited their exposure to 260,000, which is tiny compared to what should be protected there. Of course, it helped that oil and mineral companies lobbied heavily to keep pristine federal land there available for strip mines and drilling.

I guess I'm most excited because the bill protects lands that I hike and camp on regularly - yes, you've probably guessed I have a passion for wilderness. I've been exploring the wilderness areas outside of LA for almost 10 years now, and knew that most would be lost to developers if federal protections didn't arrive soon. So for me, this is a very happy day.

Thousands of acres filled with cougar, bear, coyote, and all varieties of natural things will be available for future generations. The new protections don't even allow them to build roads into most areas, which I think is the best part. Roads offer access to people who often abuse and destroy, and it's important to preserve as much as possible.

I realize that many of you will consider me a tree hugger or a hippie. No, I just believe that mankind is taking too much from this world. Why is it so wrong to want to preserve the best parts of our world? Why should I be ashamed because I want to preserve our purple mountains majesty? Trust me, in this day and age, they don't preserve themselves.

I'm very proud to want a better world. I would rather opt for less driving, less electricity, and less civilization, to preserve what is beautiful about this planet. The opposition needs to stop its quest to conquer the planet. Mankind cannot consume everything and survive. That is a recipe for disaster.

I'm proud of our elected Democratic leaders. They did a good thing, and deserve our thanks. They also set a good example, because we need to balance consumption with preservation before it's too late. Americans, especially wasteful Republicans, need to focus more on conservation and sustainability. We need more balance. I only hope our Republican friends realize it before it's too late.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

The Dreaded Immigration Issue

Cross Posted at Bring It On

In years gone by the nation that we call home had no immigration policy and it worked. Right there in the harbor of New York City was the grand lady asking for and welcoming the many that needed a new start in a land that could boast of endless possibilities if you just came to our shores. All of the boats from many nations in Europe and Asia came and our nation survived it because we needed the people to progress the American Experiment.

There is an argument against amnesty and in parts I can somehow understand it but it has faults as well. The media portrays this issue as strictly a Mexican immigrant problem and yes that is a serious problem for the West Coast of the country. And yet the West Coast is a thriving economy given the media built hype of an immigration problem. In the North East of our nation they blame it on European and Asian and South America immigrants and yet we still have a thriving economy. In the South East of our nation they blame it on Central America immigrants and yet there is one hell of a growing economy there as well.

One of the questions that come to the front of my mind is if the illegal immigrants have a legitimate gripe? They do in fact contribute to the success of the American economy no matter how many ways you try to express that their presence is not welcomed. I’m not advocating illegal immigration but when your refrigerator is filled with food and your local economy is good then what is the problem.

Over at the Los Angeles Times they had this to say on today’s May Day demonstration across our nation…

Local marchers join tens of thousands nationwide
By Times Staff Writers
5:21 PM PDT, May 1, 2007

Tens of thousands of advocates for immigrant rights took to the streets in Los Angeles and the rest of the nation today, hoping that passion would offset the smaller turnout from last year's demonstrations.

As they did last year, demonstrators waved U.S. flags and declared their desire to flex economic muscles despite their sharply lower numbers at a time when immigration issues continue on the Washington agenda.

Along with marches in California, demonstrations were reported in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Phoenix as protesters demanded a path for citizenship for an estimated 12 million to 13 million undocumented workers as well as other changes being negotiated within a Democrat-controlled Congress.

In Los Angeles, a morning demonstration started on Olympic Boulevard at Broadway with a handful of protesters, but by midday at City Hall the crowd had grown to more than 25,000 people shouting "Si, se puede!" or "Yes, it can be done!" the Latino rallying cry for political power.

"We have to show Congress that we're good people," said Blanca Duenas, who joined the crowd with her husband Jose. "We're here and we're not leaving." – LA Times

America is the land of opportunity and most people that live here never get it. The great pizza place down the street owned by a Greek or Italian immigrant is taken for granted. Dropping in to the local gas station or convenience store that is owned by a family from India, Pakistan, Turkey, Korea or England rubs people wrong because we as a people have forgotten what the American dream is really all about. Why do we judge immigrants to our shores badly because they see what our way of life can be financially for their families? We are the ones that don’t get it!

We pay tuition, foreign citizens pay tuition for higher education that creates great minds that amaze the world and in turn they take our higher education system to the next level that is America. Our nation has a huge population of foreign born citizens that come to the birthplace of higher education and creative thought and some go home and some choose to stay either legally or illegally. Our nation benefits with the opening of minds for humanity.

Immigration is an American gift. Some people like to point to the weak border and so called “Wet Backs” and yet do not consider or choose to ignore the gift of our education system and the many from many lands far and wide that contribute to our society at levels that many of us take for granted. Visit an emergency room in any city and there is an attending physician that is from somewhere else.

Immigrants get what America has to offer. We have just forgotten as a people what the dream is truly about.

Papamoka

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