LIKES LAWNS AND CHEMICALS

Dear Mr. Stiles:

I read with disgust the article in your paper entitled "Open Letter to Wired Magazine." It has become chic for environmentalists to poo-poo genetic improvement of plants and animals. Yet these same people eat corn, with its manipulated genetic code, created over the years by so-called "native Americans." Hypocrisy must be the fashion statement of the day.

I, for one, seriously enjoy looking out a window and seeing a plush lawn. It reminds me of perfection in an otherwise deranged world. Golf courses in particular tickle my innards. And I don’t give two cents whether they’re treated with technological chemicals or not. This is the modern world and chemical lawns are part of the game.

You don’t need to be a genius to see that MiracleGrow has improved the lot of mankind, God’s chosen creature. If we desire order instead of chaos, that’s our right as the most intelligent species in Creation. If it takes MiracleGrow to get there, then we have an obligation to use that tool. That’s the natural process at work, like it or lump it.

Your paper, which I found during a stop in Moab, is typical of the Left, always complaining, no solutions. That kind of propaganda shouldn’t call itself journalism, which is a low rent profession in its own right, not in need of further polluting.

I suggest you go back to whatever you did before becoming a publisher. The world doesn’t need more pouting. Not to mention the waste of paper, something you whackos ought to understand.

I like my green grass and plan to keep it that way, regardless of you and your paper’’s slanted opinions. Later today I’m going to Home Depo and buy one of your favorite products, Roundup!

Sincerely,

Arthur J. Treadwell

Kutztown, Pennsylvania

KUDOS FOR DEPUY

Jim,

Thanks for the John Depuy interview.

I will be visiting Moab after many years of being away. My connections are weak at best, you interviewed my wife a few years ago (to sell ads in SLC), a co-worker's parents used to own Pack Creek Ranch, my favorite bartender opened Mi Vidi in that old uranium miner's house.

The Depuy interview reminds me of the recording of my father's story of his return home after WWII. Different and yet the same... A story of life and friendship.

Thank you John for sharing.

Bryan Wooten

Salt Lake City

MORE PRAISE FOR DEPUY

Dear Jim,

I’ve kept up with the Zephyr for some time and find it rewarding and humorous, especially your cartoons. I’ve often wondered why the locals don’’t string you up for your portrayals of them, but perhaps caricature is obtuse flattery.

In regards to your last issue, August-September 2006, I’d like to thank you for reminding us about John Depuy and his unique artistic contributions to the lands of the West. Your interview with him was a fine tribute to Depuy, his buddy Edward Abbey, and the fading days of the West that most of us will never get to experience outside the confines of memory or literature.

Then there are Depuy's paintings. His work shines brightly, an eerie window into the soul of America’’s greatest landscapes.

Keep up the good work,

Allie Holmes

SLC

SOMEONE LIKES THE ZEPHYR

Jim:

In August, I was in Salt Lake City and happened by Ken Sander’s bookstore downtown. Just inside the door, proudly displayed, was a stack of Canyon Country Zephyrs. Seeing them reminded me that people are reading your one-of-a-kind newspaper, which is a hopeful sign that little pockets of sanity remain in the USA.

Thanks,

Joyce Hudson

Austin, Texas

BONDERMAN...A NECESSARY EVIL?

Dear Jim Stiles,

I would like to comment on your Take it or Leave It story about private equity mogul David Bonderman. I must admit I was surprised to read that such a "rich weasel" as you seem fond of calling them, is funding an organization like the Grand Canyon Trust and I wonder if such organizations are really interested in gaining broad-based public support or if they are simply trying to guarantee fat salaries.

On the other hand, it does seem to me that the David Bondermans of the world may indeed be a necessary evil for environmental organizations that must fight corporate money every day. How can "our side" possibly go toe to toe with the "bad guys" without such funding? I do admit that in these confusing times, it is becoming difficult to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

I enjoy your paper, even if I don’t always agree with you.

Sincerely,

Jerry Fogarty

Denver, CO

Editor’s Note: I agree that environmentalists must play the money game to a certain degree and that seeking contributions from the wealthy is unavoidable. HOWEVER, the donors must be willing to contribute without demanding concessions or influence on policy and environmentalists must be willing to "bite the hand that feeds them," if the need arises. It’s what I have to do here at The Zephyr. When enviro groups back away from strongly-held beliefs for fear of losing a fat contribution, they’re finished. In the case of Bonderman, he has become a member of the board of directors of several environmental groups. As a result he helps SET POLICY and can override the decisions of the staff. Consider the SUWA policy of a decade ago that publicly opposed backcountry guidebooks, only to be overturned by its board. It leaves the often dedicated staffers constantly looking over their shoulders. Environmentalists MUST be able to follow their conscience without fear of losing their wallets....JS