Return of monuments
President Joe Biden will restore the boundaries of three American nature reserves, known as national monuments, that were reduced in size by former President Donald Trump to allow commercial activity, the White House said on Thursday.
The restoration will protect more than 3.2 million acres (1.3 million hectares) in Southern Utah known as the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, as well as the nearly 5,000 square mile (8,000 sq km) Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New England.
This is good.
There is the alternative view, perhaps paid lip-service to by Trump whenever he felt so inclined, that all national parks should be strip-mined, because Jesus is about to return (the signs are all there!) and after that Rapture none of it will matter any more. All of us worth anything to Jesus will spend the rest of eternity singing his praise in the Heavenly Chorus.
As I recall that gem came from Reagan’s Secretary of the Interior, Whatshisname.
That would be Mr. James Watt, who also vetoed a performance by the Beach Boys on the National Mall. They weren’t wholesome enough.
Mike, that’s what Omar already said – Watt is his name.
;)
Omar:
It depresses me that we’ve seen that argument so many times in the wild, often from people who somehow have the authority to make it so. But:
Since we’re going to be raptured (or damned) any minute now anyway, why even bother with all the strip-mining?
These people never follow their own arguments through to the logical conclusion, do they? They just stop when they get the answer they want.
latsot:
Well, that is true in part. I think that the more theologically flexible among them would probably say that though the signs are all there, we should get into the strip mining right away in case Jesus has to delay his return on account of a rebellious angel, or indeed a whole gang of them, for which there is ample precedent, or something else entirely. (Can’t find the keys for his chariot of fire; has to feed his donkey; has to laboriously explain (yet again) some fine theological point or other that some of the slower angelic disciples are having a bit of trouble with; stuff like that.)
So even if the strip-mining has to pause as the Heavenly Staircase is lowered and the Second Coming party and procession descends, work can probably still go on to the rear while the New Kingdom arrangements are being put in place. The Heavenly Party will all probably want to ride round in golden Rolls Royces and Cadillacs, over roads paved with gold bricks, with silver storm-water drains and gutters, and all sorts of stuff. Then the Divine Throne will have to be set up for Judgement Day, and coal from the strip-mining will come in handy to keep the fires of Hell well stoked ready to receive those judged and found wanting as they are tossed howling down into it by a squad of burly angels.