Dear Editor,
There were angry voices at the council meeting as some of you vented your hatred of the so-called outsiders and special interests you accuse of taking over the council and public lands debate – lands that you loudly proclaim rightfully belong to you.
Your claims of fourth or fifth generation rights of birth are disingenuous at best, and it is ironic that by your own measure, you ignore the rights of people who have lived here far longer. Making your demands, ridiculing people … you sound like spoiled brats.
Educate yourselves. Listen to what your neighbors and other civilized people are discussing. Open your eyes and look around you. Moab and the entire world are changing. It is happening so fast, that nothing is what it was, and nobody can keep up.
With more and more people seeking escape and refreshment from their increasingly despoiled and crowded lives, and with exponentially increasing energy demands provided at the expense of ever-diminishing resources that are increasingly more expensive and difficult to extract, this overpopulated planet is descending on our fractured little community like a biblical flood. This tiny speck of ground we are all so very attached to, is swirling amidst a global maelstrom. The issues of the day and the debate in which we are engaged are infinitely more complex than they have ever been.
The one thing we have going for us, indeed the only thing we have, is ourselves. I grew up the son of a diplomat who traveled the world. I am a 15th generation American, with roots going back to pre-revolutionary times. I fell in love with this place over 40 years ago, moved onto my land 30 years ago and brought my bride here to live and build our home and embrace the community of Moab that welcomed us in ways I had never dreamed of growing up. I truly belong to this place.
Historically, there is a diversity of people in this town, unlike any other in Utah. They are as rugged and powerful and diverse individuals as this land is rugged and powerful and diverse in and of itself. We came and stayed. We are all members of this community, with an equal right to be here and advocate for our community. This is a remarkable place to live and grow and raise a family and live for generations, and the sooner we realize that we have and own this place IN COMMON, the sooner we can find a way to preserve and protect it for the common good.
