A Classless Act by Donald Trump
A Classless Act by Donald Trump
Okay…sit back and relax. Think of the Great Outdoors. The wide open spaces. The milieu of wildlife grazing in the lush, open fields. The grizzlies catching fish on the shores of the Rio Grande. The wolves frolicking in the world of Yellowstone. Taking in the beauty and culture of those stunning national monuments that stand for something: peace, liberty, the celebration of a genius life. Beautiful, right? Peaceful…charming…these places that were made for U.S. citizens to enjoy and educate themselves.
Now think of that familiar area in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Talk about culture and beauty. That monument, completed in 1941. Those 60-foot-high granite faces that depict the ‘best of the best’ men when it came to leadership; faces that stood (and still stand) for the true meaning of America. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln…all crushed to bits and replaced by the wide sneer and hideous hair of the one and only jerk, Donald Trump.
Bet that vision shook you to your granite core. I apologize for putting forth that image; after all, it’s ridiculous to even state that those illustrious men would ever be blotted out of the South Dakota landscape and replaced by Trump. However…it may not be that far off, considering what this man has now done.
It’s always interesting (AKA: nauseating) to watch someone who is as far away from being an executive as possible sign an “executive order” that calls for a review of the tens of millions of acres of land that have been designated as “national monuments” over the decades. However, that is exactly what Trump did on Wednesday, calling into question the actual future of more than two dozen national monuments.
Trump will actually ‘test’ the one-hundred-and-eleven year old Antiquities Act with this move, showing the world whether or not one man who sits in the highest of offices can actually come onto the scene and nullify a previous president’s proclamation. This man had the nerve to say this move was because of President Obama’s “egregious abuse of power” to create national monuments instead of using land for development. Perhaps he wishes a chain of Trump Towers to be available across the country. He can do that, of course, seeing as that he is the one and only president ever allowed to have businesses ‘on the side’ while supposedly running the entire country.
Apparently this so-called ‘review’ – which we already know will not be a review at all, it will simply be another peon coming back with the information old Donald says they have to come back with – will most likely lead to a recommendation that Trump rescind, resize or modify existing national monuments. Those monuments that are permanently protected because of their beauty, the protection they give to endangered species, the education they give to humankind, the culture that they bring to this country – you know, those silly little things. Eventually, with the ‘review’ all of those simple things could be tossed aside in order to make these sites into an “egregious misuse of land” that will put more money into Trump’s pockets. (Of course, that wouldn’t scare anyone who doesn’t have to follow other laws, like showing the American people his income tax returns. Remember those?)
Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council states: “These public lands belong to all of us.”
That is a statement that goes over Trump’s hair-sprayed-to-the-max head because all he cares about is economic growth. HIS economic growth, by the way, not YOURS.
What may be even more grotesque is the fact that this ‘review’ could also result in the redrawing of existing monuments so they virtually shrink. The Antiquities Act requires that the protected area be “confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected,” yet Trump seems to believe that the areas are far too large. I wonder if he’d feel that way if his face were embedded in the rock, cliffs, or carved into trees throughout said monument space?
Trump stated: “The Antiquities Act does not give the federal government unlimited power to lock up millions of acres of land and water, and it’s time we ended this abusive practice.”
From his point of view that apparently means it would not be abusive to drain the water, build industrial plants atop the land and basically ruin crops and bring about even more environmental damage by heading straight back into the Industrial Age.
Unlike a National Park, which can only be established by Congress, presidents have the luxury of being able to establish a national monument by simply drawing up a proclamation. (See how there could end up being a ‘Mount Trump’ after all?) The fact remains that once a president established a national monument, no other president has ever had the complete gall and audacity to revoke the proclamation. Until now.
I suppose this should not be a surprise to anyone: a man with the least amount of culture and class trying to wrest culture from the entire world. You want to build a wall? Build one to keep Trump away from everything that makes this country great. Because if you don’t, over the next four years America will simply become the laughing stock of the entire world.
Please Take Action and write Your Senator, Congressman and Local Elected Officials: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
