Canyon Country Zephyr page 3

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honest attempt to find a neutral ground for non-confrontational language and reasoned discourse in the current land-use debate."

Even that wasn't quite right, but it was all downhill after that.

He described the difference between the "sweet, decent, hard-working people of San Juan County and the grant-dependent neurosthenic Old Bags, who have come here to facilitate Big Government suppression of our civil liberties."

He wrote: "Here's a good idea Ms. Egan (executive director) of the Old Broads could use to suck even more grant bucks out of Government bureaucracies and bored rich white people: Declare Durango an Area for the Study of noxious invasive species. That way the Old Broads could study each other."

You can almost feel the love.

She was its first executive director, worked practically for free, and simply liked being an "old broad" with the courage of her convictions. She could also probably pin Jim Garmhausen before breakfast.

Nowadays, GOB has a quarter million dollar payroll and gets some of its funding from the same wealthy capitalists who are compromising the integrity of other grassroots green groups.

Their argument is (and I think they really believe this) that they need all the money they can get their hands on, dirty or not, to fight the corporate giants-—oil companies et al—that they oppose. The irony here is that billionaires who DO have vested interests in energy companies and the profits they generate ALSO sit on the boards of environmental groups and donate huge amounts of money. The staffs of these groups should be wondering by now just what these guys are up to...but they don't.

We ALL have to get over this.

The only reason this publication survives is the internet. Two years ago, with dwindling revenues and increasing production and distribution costs, the only alternative to shutting down completely was to move here. Ultimately, this maybe the ONLY place that the truly free and independent media can survive and, with your help and participation, flourish.

Look what's happening to the media—many publications are dying. Others are being bought up by giant media corporations. Consider HufhngtonPost's sell-out to AOL. Other regional and local publications are getting a big dose of dollars from wealthy donors and are being co-opted in the process. If a newspaper cannot print the news it sees fit to print, without looking over its shoulders at the finance department, then it's not 'free' at all. What happens when a story has to be screened to make sure it doesn't upset the balance sheet?

Did you read these stories—

When it comes to my

own rhetoric,

no matter what I say,

do or scribble,

the Right still thinks I'm

a bleeding heart lib and

the Left thinks I've...become

a gun-waving redneck.

Jim Garmhausen also has a few words about author Edward Abbey. If he is just now discovering Abbey's extraordinary bundle of contradictions, he is late to the game. Jim is absolutely right when he says that some mainstream environmentalists pick and choose their favorite Abbey quotes and leave the rest under the couch. So do conservatives. Ed Abbey may have been the greatest contrarian of all time and he did it for decades with a wink and a smile. To this day, I'm not sure what Abbey was really thinking. I gave up even trying a while back. I do think he'd be happy to know we're still debating his real essence, more than 20 years after he died.

Okay, Here's The Deal With The AOL-Huffington Post Deal...

http://www.businessinsider.com/aol-huffington-post-deal-2011-2

Does Gates funding of media taint objectivity?

"Better-known for its battles against global disease, the Gates Foundation has also become a force in journalism. The foundation's contributions to nonprofit and for-profit media have helped spur coverage of global health, development and education issues. But some people worry that its growing support of media organizations blurs the line between journalism and advocacy."

Garmhausen actually scores a couple valid points, but they're so buried in his vitriol that the facts get lost in the rant.

The truth is, most of the Great Old Broads' staff and board are longtime residents of the rural West and its director, Ronni Egan, is an accomplished wrangler who could probably rope and brand Mr. Jim before he could scream "Liberal Bolshevist Bag!"

It's reasonable to surmise that many of its members are from urban areas or are recently transplanted to New West communities and here is where the differences with rural residents become so sharp. Urban environmentalists, after a lifetime in the city, see the sparsely populated places in the West differently than many who have spent their lives working here.

If you can imagine what it's like to live in a sardine can for most of your life, perhaps you can also understand how precious the wide-open spaces are when they get the rare chance to enjoy them. Consequently, right or wrong, many urbanites see the West in its entirety, as one big national park. Even when they move here, they generally loathe the idea of anyone making a living from the land. Many come here after retirement, when earning a living is no longer a problem.

For decades I've heard rural Westerners accuse their pro-wilderness opponents of wanting to "lock up" the West. Well...that's probably true. They do. But their motives aren't nefarious. Their goal is not, as Mr. Garmhausen insists, "to facilitate Big Government suppression of our civil liberties."

Urban environmentalists' vision of western land use maybe naive, but it's not sinister.

I still find myself pulling a quote from the most honest conservationist I've ever known, Wendell Berry, who notes that while most environmentalists object to the impacts from the extraction of natural resources, they rarely connect the dots to the gasoline they keep pumping into their SUVs. They loathe the damage caused by the production of resources but have no trouble consuming them.

Still, I don't see how anyone can mock their conviction or their dedication to a cause, even if you vehemently disagree with them.

Clearly, environmentalists believe the best way to "save" Utah's wilderness and make a buck as well is to abandon the extractive industries, like mining, in favor of tourism, which in the end is the most extractive business of them all. But isn't that what San Juan County is doing too? Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that Blanding, Utah, the bastion of anti-wilderness conservatism, promote itself as the "Base Camp to Adventure." And the county advertises our scenic beauty on...of all places...NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO! Surely Mr. Garmhausen can see the irony in that.

If there is a fair criticism to be made here, for me at least, it's the way Great Old Broads, like every other environmental group I know, has got caught up in the money game. My friend Susan Tixier founded GOB, about 20 years ago with some other women over 50.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/
localnews/20i428o379_gatesmedia.html

As we enter our 23rd year, The Zephyr-like all surviving independent rags— needs more readers and it needs more financial supporters. We're not looking for corporate grants. We are not looking for a sugar daddy/mommy. Over the years. I've accepted lifetime Backbone memberships to the tune of $1000 each, from about five good Zephyr souls. Mostly, though, the Z survives on the $50 and $100 ads and Backbone contributions that keep us in beans. Beans is all we ask.

Finally (thank Heaven), and still referring to Ed Abbey, Mr. Garmhausen complains, "I seriously doubt that Mr. Abbey would approve of the people who act in his name bursting into tears and threatening to tell Mom because somebody said harsh words."

I don't think any of the Great Old Broads is on the verge of tears, nor am I. When I talk about civil discourse, I'm not talking about "neutral ground" or "non-confrontational" behavior, or even compromise.

What I'm talking about is sticking to the facts... arguing with passion and conviction, but with some class and integrity. And here's something rarely tried—try standing in your opponent's shoes. I am— foolishly or not— convinced that none of us are quite as bad as we think and I wish there weren't so many people trying to prove me wrong.

At the end of the day, the question that needs to be asked is: Does it matter? In the whole scheme of things, if The Zephyr withers and goes away like so many other independent newspapers, will it make a difference? Will anybody even notice?

In the whole scheme of things, if The Zephyr withers and goes away like so many other independent newspapers, will it make a difference?

Probably not.

Probably not. But if you're not completely sure you're ready for the End— if you'd like to see this cranky, home-owned, fiercely independent publication stick around a while, then embrace your laptop and READ our Z.

Do you miss reading the Zephyr on the toilet? With laptops and WiFi, you can carry on exactly as you once did. Tell your friends about your new laptop/ toilet reading tradition and I guarantee you-as an added bonus— nobody will ever try to borrow your laptop again.

And FINALLY, if you care enough about The Zephyr to put your money where your mouth is, please consider an ad or a membership in the Backbone. Details are at the top of the home page.

THE ZEPHYR HEADS INTO YEAR 23.

March 14, 1989—Ed Abbey died and The Zephyr was born on this day. 22 YEARS AGO. Most of you know the story...

For the past two decades, we have been trying to put together a newspaper that is as honest and candid and cantankerous as he was. I would not begin to try and measure our degree of success. But at best it's mixed.

With this issue, we move into our third precarious year as a 'cyber-rag.' The last print Zephyr rolled off the presses in Tooele more than two years ago. Barring a miracle, none of us will ever see The Z on paper again and many of you have rebelled at the change, to the point that some of my once most loyal readers have quit reading it altogether, simply because they don't like the format.

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	honest attempt to find a neutral ground for non-confrontational language and reasoned discourse in the current land-use debate." Even that wasn't quite right, but it was all downhill after that. He described the difference between the "sweet, decent, hard-working people of San Juan County and the grant-dependent neurosthenic Old Bags, who have come here to facilitate Big Government suppression of our civil liberties." He wrote: "Here's a good idea Ms. Egan (executive director) of the Old Broads could use to suck even more grant bucks out of Government bureaucracies and bored rich white people: Declare Durango an Area for the Study of noxious invasive species. That way the Old Broads could study each other." You can almost feel the love. She was its first executive director, worked practically for free, and simply liked being an "old broad" with the courage of her convictions. She could also probably pin Jim Garmhausen before breakfast. Nowadays, GOB has a quarter million dollar payroll and gets some of its funding from the same wealthy capitalists who are compromising the integrity of other grassroots green groups. Their argument is (and I think they really believe this) that they need all the money they can get their hands on, dirty or not, to fight the corporate giants-—oil companies et al—that they oppose. The irony here is that billionaires who DO have vested interests in energy companies and the profits they generate ALSO sit on the boards of environmental groups and donate huge amounts of money. The staffs of these groups should be wondering by now just what these guys are up to...but they don't. We ALL have to get over this. The only reason this publication survives is the internet. Two years ago, with dwindling revenues and increasing production and distribution costs, the only alternative to shutting down completely was to move here. Ultimately, this maybe the ONLY place that the truly free and independent media can survive and, with your help and participation, flourish. Look what's happening to the media—many publications are dying. Others are being bought up by giant media corporations. Consider HufhngtonPost's sell-out to AOL. Other regional and local publications are getting a big dose of dollars from wealthy donors and are being co-opted in the process. If a newspaper cannot print the news it sees fit to print, without looking over its shoulders at the finance department, then it's not 'free' at all. What happens when a story has to be screened to make sure it doesn't upset the balance sheet? Did you read these stories— When it comes to my own rhetoric, no matter what I say, do or scribble, the Right still thinks I'm a bleeding heart lib and the Left thinks I've...become a gun-waving redneck. Jim Garmhausen also has a few words about author Edward Abbey. If he is just now discovering Abbey's extraordinary bundle of contradictions, he is late to the game. Jim is absolutely right when he says that some mainstream environmentalists pick and choose their favorite Abbey quotes and leave the rest under the couch. So do conservatives. Ed Abbey may have been the greatest contrarian of all time and he did it for decades with a wink and a smile. To this day, I'm not sure what Abbey was really thinking. I gave up even trying a while back. I do think he'd be happy to know we're still debating his real essence, more than 20 years after he died. Okay, Here's The Deal With The AOL-Huffington Post Deal... http://www.businessinsider.com/aol-huffington-post-deal-2011-2 Does Gates funding of media taint objectivity? "Better-known for its battles against global disease, the Gates Foundation has also become a force in journalism. The foundation's contributions to nonprofit and for-profit media have helped spur coverage of global health, development and education issues. But some people worry that its growing support of media organizations blurs the line between journalism and advocacy." Garmhausen actually scores a couple valid points, but they're so buried in his vitriol that the facts get lost in the rant. The truth is, most of the Great Old Broads' staff and board are longtime residents of the rural West and its director, Ronni Egan, is an accomplished wrangler who could probably rope and brand Mr. Jim before he could scream "Liberal Bolshevist Bag!" It's reasonable to surmise that many of its members are from urban areas or are recently transplanted to New West communities and here is where the differences with rural residents become so sharp. Urban environmentalists, after a lifetime in the city, see the sparsely populated places in the West differently than many who have spent their lives working here. If you can imagine what it's like to live in a sardine can for most of your life, perhaps you can also understand how precious the wide-open spaces are when they get the rare chance to enjoy them. Consequently, right or wrong, many urbanites see the West in its entirety, as one big national park. Even when they move here, they generally loathe the idea of anyone making a living from the land. Many come here after retirement, when earning a living is no longer a problem. For decades I've heard rural Westerners accuse their pro-wilderness opponents of wanting to "lock up" the West. Well...that's probably true. They do. But their motives aren't nefarious. Their goal is not, as Mr. Garmhausen insists, "to facilitate Big Government suppression of our civil liberties." Urban environmentalists' vision of western land use maybe naive, but it's not sinister. I still find myself pulling a quote from the most honest conservationist I've ever known, Wendell Berry, who notes that while most environmentalists object to the impacts from the extraction of natural resources, they rarely connect the dots to the gasoline they keep pumping into their SUVs. They loathe the damage caused by the production of resources but have no trouble consuming them. Still, I don't see how anyone can mock their conviction or their dedication to a cause, even if you vehemently disagree with them. Clearly, environmentalists believe the best way to "save" Utah's wilderness and make a buck as well is to abandon the extractive industries, like mining, in favor of tourism, which in the end is the most extractive business of them all. But isn't that what San Juan County is doing too? Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that Blanding, Utah, the bastion of anti-wilderness conservatism, promote itself as the "Base Camp to Adventure." And the county advertises our scenic beauty on...of all places...NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO! Surely Mr. Garmhausen can see the irony in that. If there is a fair criticism to be made here, for me at least, it's the way Great Old Broads, like every other environmental group I know, has got caught up in the money game. My friend Susan Tixier founded GOB, about 20 years ago with some other women over 50. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/ localnews/20i428o379_gatesmedia.html As we enter our 23rd year, The Zephyr-like all surviving independent rags— needs more readers and it needs more financial supporters. We're not looking for corporate grants. We are not looking for a sugar daddy/mommy. Over the years. I've accepted lifetime Backbone memberships to the tune of $1000 each, from about five good Zephyr souls. Mostly, though, the Z survives on the $50 and $100 ads and Backbone contributions that keep us in beans. Beans is all we ask. Finally (thank Heaven), and still referring to Ed Abbey, Mr. Garmhausen complains, "I seriously doubt that Mr. Abbey would approve of the people who act in his name bursting into tears and threatening to tell Mom because somebody said harsh words." I don't think any of the Great Old Broads is on the verge of tears, nor am I. When I talk about civil discourse, I'm not talking about "neutral ground" or "non-confrontational" behavior, or even compromise. What I'm talking about is sticking to the facts... arguing with passion and conviction, but with some class and integrity. And here's something rarely tried—try standing in your opponent's shoes. I am— foolishly or not— convinced that none of us are quite as bad as we think and I wish there weren't so many people trying to prove me wrong. At the end of the day, the question that needs to be asked is: Does it matter? In the whole scheme of things, if The Zephyr withers and goes away like so many other independent newspapers, will it make a difference? Will anybody even notice? In the whole scheme of things, if The Zephyr withers and goes away like so many other independent newspapers, will it make a difference? Probably not. Probably not. But if you're not completely sure you're ready for the End— if you'd like to see this cranky, home-owned, fiercely independent publication stick around a while, then embrace your laptop and READ our Z. Do you miss reading the Zephyr on the toilet? With laptops and WiFi, you can carry on exactly as you once did. Tell your friends about your new laptop/ toilet reading tradition and I guarantee you-as an added bonus— nobody will ever try to borrow your laptop again. And FINALLY, if you care enough about The Zephyr to put your money where your mouth is, please consider an ad or a membership in the Backbone. Details are at the top of the home page. THE ZEPHYR HEADS INTO YEAR 23. March 14, 1989—Ed Abbey died and The Zephyr was born on this day. 22 YEARS AGO. Most of you know the story... For the past two decades, we have been trying to put together a newspaper that is as honest and candid and cantankerous as he was. I would not begin to try and measure our degree of success. But at best it's mixed. With this issue, we move into our third precarious year as a 'cyber-rag.' The last print Zephyr rolled off the presses in Tooele more than two years ago. Barring a miracle, none of us will ever see The Z on paper again and many of you have rebelled at the change, to the point that some of my once most loyal readers have quit reading it altogether, simply because they don't like the format.

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