I saw a meme this week that said, “Hug a conservative, they’ve had a bad week.”
Given some of their venomous reactions to the Supreme Court ruling on The Affordable Care Act and the historic ruling on gay marriage, I might hold off on the hugging for a bit. Give them time to assimilate the fact that they have been systematically, once and for all, told to shut the front door. ACA is law. Equal rights to marry, law as well. Deal with it.
Running the risk of being run out of this particular town on a rail, I will go on to say what I have long contended. President Obama will be favored well by history. In fact, some are saying he is now the most consequential president since FDR.
Notice however, I did not say the best. Just the most consequential. While I agree with the rulings this week, I still maintain that the difference in the last four administrations can be measured in microns, and all of them have progressively and systematically taken part in the eradication of American civil liberties as they were once mandated by the founding documents. Aberrations like The Patriot Act, The National Defense Authorization Act, and the now pending Trans-Pacific Partnership, are proof of that.
But I digress.
The idea that strikes me most often when it comes to meaningful and progressive change in our country is that it necessitates an educated, informed, and engaged citizenry. One that understands that to change things nationally, one must also diligently act locally. From the state capitals all the way to the local municipalities, citizens must hold our elected and appointed officials accountable.
It is to this point that I commend Utah for dismissing the outrageous notion that San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman should have his legal fees subsidized by money from the taxpayers.
Lyman was charged and convicted for his actions last year when he headed up a protest that culminated in to an illegal ride on ATV’s through Recapture Canyon.
Lyman maintains he did not know he was breaking the law.
I was there. I documented the man heading up a well-executed protest and act of civil disobedience. He advised people they could opt not to break the law and only ride the portions that were legal, but that he, with a little encouragement from Ryan Bundy, was going to go through with the act.
To hear him now wince and whine, in my opinion, detracts from his message.
A few years back, a protestor named Tim DeChristopher upended a BLM auction of federal lands to oil industry interests. He was charged and convicted. He served time. He galvanized his message. He is a man firm in his convictions and walks his talk. He did not change his tune when he realized the gravity of his actions and the possible consequences. He instead, owned them.
Lyman, not so much.
But there is a bigger picture to take in here. Lyman’s protest came on the heels of the standoff last year in Bunkerville that galvanized a misled portion of the populous in the west to rekindle the failed Sagebrush Rebellion and try to take federal lands from the U.S. Government.
Utah Representative Ken Ivory is the executive director of the American Lands Council. His lobbying for his nonprofit has caught the attention of some watchdog groups in Washington D.C. as it is an absolute conflict of interest for him to do so.
Furthermore, he is convoluting facts—if not outright altering them—to convince people that there is an ice cube’s chance in hell that the unconstitutional notion that Utah will ever take control of federal land is a foregone conclusion.
It just ain’t going to happen folks. Saying otherwise is tantamount to selling magic-potion, cure-all snake oil that is.
Suffice it to say, I am rather proud of Utah for “acting locally,” government-wise, and putting the kibosh on Lyman and his legislative goons like Kane County’s Mike Noel and, inadvertently, Ivory with their message of state sovereignty taking precedence over constitutional law.
And there it is, right? The correlation between the recent Supreme Court rulings and some of the decisions by lawmakers here locally. A recognition and adherence to the laws of our land. An acknowledgement that the Supremacy Clause bears the weight and the burden of keeping states from going too far and making their own agendas more supreme than what is in the interest of all Americans. And furthermore, from violating their rights.
I am taking requests for hugs if you need them.
See you out there.
Dallas Hyland is a freelance writer, award-winning photographer, and documentary filmmaker. As a senior writer, opinion editor, and photo editor of The Southern Utah Independent, Hyland’s investigative journalism, opinion columns, and photo essays have ranged in topics from local political and environmental issues to drug trafficking in Utah as well as the international front, covering issues such as human trafficking in Colombia. On his rare off-days, he can be found with his family and friends exploring the pristine outdoors. You can listen to him live as a regular guest co-host on the Kate Dalley talk show on Fox News 1450 AM 93.1 FM in southern Utah.
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