Experiment

I finished the newest block today and posted a photo. The experiment is to see if anyone comes to see it, including my new best friend, Anne Kirby. Chances are the non-political posts won't get much in the way of views. Chances are Anne Kirby won't look even though she questions whether I quilt at all.

Anyway, I hope you like the block. In the meantime, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, has recommended that Trump reduce the size of several national monuments, including Sequoia National Monument, Bears Ears, and The Grand Staircase. I name those three because they are emblematic of the politicization of the process and the product. Zinke was inundated by lumber companies that want to log the Sequoia monument, so he made a plan that literally protected individual trees rather than a space. That makes sense, right? Although I do not play the game it sounds rather like playing Pokemon, moving from place to place trying to find a sequoia. Good job, Zinke. Typical of this stupid administration.

The other two monuments I named are largely or entirely in Utah. They contain a variety of places, including ancient dwelling places and rock art, that are important to various native American tribes. These sites have been attacked by looters for decades, despite the complaints of the tribes. So the tribes requested that something be done to protect what remains. Five different tribes with ties to the Bears Ears asked for relief from the depredations of white men. On the other side was the entire Utah congressional delegation, Mormon Republicans, who want to open the land to extractive industries. These are federal lands, owned by all Americans. One would hope that the Native American tribes would at least have a voice in how they are treated.

Zinke was incredibly dismissive and incredibly rude when he was here in Utah. He shook his finger in a young Native American's face, chastising her for being rude. Really.