This is so fantastic, I’m copying and pasting the whole damn Salt Lake Tribune article. Tim DeCristopher did more in one afternoon than any of us could do with petitions, protests, letter writing, or tree sits.
….

He didn’t pour sugar into a bulldozer’s gas tank. He didn’t spike a tree or set a billboard on fire. But wielding only a bidder’s paddle, a University of Utah student just as surely monkey-wrenched a federal oil- and gas-lease sale Friday, ensuring that thousands of acres near two southern Utah national parks won’t be opened to drilling anytime soon.

Tim DeChristopher, 27, faces possible federal charges after winning bids totaling about $1.8 million on more than 10 lease parcels that he admits he has neither the intention nor the money to buy — and he’s not sorry.

“I decided I could be much more effective by an act of civil disobedience,” he said during an impromptu streetside news conference during an afternoon blizzard. “There comes a time to take a stand.”

The Sugar House resident — questioned and released after disrupting a U.S. Bureau of Land Management lease auction of 149,000 acres of public land in scenic southern and eastern Utah — said he came to the BLM’s state office in Salt Lake City to join about 200 other activists in a peaceful protest outside the building Friday morning. But then he registered with the BLM as representing himself and went to the auction room.

There, he thought about the times he has marched, fired off letters to his congressmen, signed petitions and supported environmental organizations — all to no avail.
“What the environmental movement has been doing for the past 20 years hasn’t worked,” DeChristopher said. “It’s time for a conflict. There’s a lot at stake.”

Plainclothes Salt Lake City police officers were in the room during the auction, the last to be held under the Bush administration. BLM spokeswoman Mary Wilson said the agency requested law-enforcement help due to perceived threats over the hotly disputed sale.

Another man also was detained and questioned about the possibility that he and DeChristopher had committed federal offenses by trying to impede the bidding process, BLM officials said. That man registered as Kent Boardman, of Salt Lake City,
Since the Election Day announcement of the lease sale, preservationists, conservationists, archaeologists, business owners, river runners, anglers and hunters have registered objections to the BLM’s plans to allow drilling in some of Utah’s most scenic redrock desert.

They challenged proposed leases near Arches National Park, the White River, the greater Desolation Canyon region, Labyrinth Canyon, the benches east of Canyonlands National Park, Nine Mile Canyon, the Book Cliffs and the Deep Creek Mountains.

Objections also have come from the National Park Service, members of Congress and John Podesta, the head of President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, who said the lease sale should be halted or altered to accommodate environmental concerns.

In the face of the outrage, the BLM pulled back from its original proposal to lease 360,000 acres. Friday’s sale included 149,000 acres in Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand and San Juan counties. The BLM said it sold 116 of 131 parcels (including DeChristopher’s bids) for a total of $7.5 million.

Kathleen Sgamma, director of government affairs for the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, said it was unusual to see a lease list trimmed so drastically. “The BLM was under a lot of pressure, unfairly,” she said.

The auction had been under way for a couple of hours when energy company representatives became suspicious of a man wearing an old red down parka after he won bids on more than 10 parcels numbered consecutively, all around Arches and Canyonlands.

They told BLM officials that the man, brandishing bidding paddle No. 70 and unknown to the regular buyers, also seemed to be bidding up on parcels, raising prices on leases that others eventually won.

The auctioneer took a break and police asked the man, later identified as DeChristopher, to leave the room. After questioning him for more than an hour behind closed doors, BLM and law-enforcement officials requested assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The federal attorneys’ spokeswoman, Melodie Rydalch, confirmed the office was conducting an investigation, but declined to provide more details.

During the confusion that followed DeChristopher’s removal, Sgamma said she had seen Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance attorney David Garbett “communicating” with DeChristopher during the auction. She questioned whether SUWA had been acting in concert with the man the BLM dubbed a “nuisance bidder.”

Garbett, however, said he gave DeChristopher his business card and asked him to call SUWA after the holidays because he had won parcels included in a federal lawsuit SUWA had filed against the lease sale.

After the auction, Kent Hoffman, the BLM’s state deputy director for lands and minerals, announced there had been a bogus bidder. But the false bidder was “on the hook to pay,” Hoffman said.

“Good,” said a woman in the auction room. “Make them pay.”

Hoffman said successful bidders who believed their offers had been run up illegally due could withdraw their bids.

BLM official Terry Catlin said the agency didn’t want to reopen the bidding on the parcels DeChristopher snagged unless all interested parties were able to compete for the leases. That means the parcels won’t be available again until at least February — after Obama takes office — during the next scheduled auction.

DeChristopher, who acknowledged upping other bids by about $500,000, said he would be willing to go to jail to defend his generation’s prospects in light of global climate disruption and other environmental threats.

“If that’s what it takes,” he said.

See, I’m not just complaining about nothing (see last post). It looks like the city will close the exits off 17 on the west side and let east flag deal with the masses. The roads over there are better equipped anyway.

Responding to Saturday’s traffic jams in the city and on Highway 180, Flagstaff police will suggest a second city route for tourists visiting this weekend.

Here is a map

On another snow-related topic, I was delivering papers yesterday and many businesses were talking about collapsing roofs. All day I saw people shoveling the snow off the top of buildings. Hastings roof collapsed. Does this mean discounted DVDs?

This has got me worried about my own roof - but my neighbors don’t seem concerned. At least nobody is out there on a ladder. It seems like a silly way to get really hurt.

I love the snow. I never thought I would say this because anyone who knew me while I lived in the Midwest knew that I hated it. Flagstaff has changed my mind. I hope this year, I see more snow than I’ve ever seen in my life.

Today, though, I was reminded about the dark side of the snow. Flagstaff, for those newly initiated, is a 25% “second home” community*, which means that for most of the year—despite the housing problems in flagstaff and the homelessness—25% of the homes are empty. They are vacation homes, owned by people from all over, but mostly from Phoenix.

When there is big snow in Flagstaff (what do we have right now? Three feet? I stopped counting inches), all the rich Phoenicians, with their skis, snowboards, sleds and kids, pile in their Excursions and Escalades and head up 17. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be allowed to come up here; I am saying that they are disrespectful, pompous assholes who have no idea what it is like to really live here. Live here more than a couple years and you can spot them a mile away.

I’m also saying that it is sick that there are people freezing to death in the street while at least 25% of the existing homes are vacant.

The following two conversations took place today. I had one short back and forth with a visitor from phoenix and another with a stranger—maybe a new friend—who lives in town. See if you can tell the difference.

I live next to a really popular sledding hill and when it snows, everyone has a great time. When the weekend hits, my street is flooded with SUVs from Phoenix and the tone of the sled hill completely changes. They also leave trash on the street (what the crap?!)

#1
I open my front door, getting reading to shovel a path for the mail-person as a big white SUV parks right in front. A woman in fur walks out.

“Will you please not park there?”
“Why”
“Because you’re in front of my mailbox and it’s illegal.”
“But everyone on this street is parked in front of mailboxes.”
“If you park there, the mailperson will not deliver my mail. And I don’t blame her.”
“We just want to sled.”
“I’m not saying you can’t sled, just don’t park your damn SUV in front of my mailbox. That’s all I’m saying. It’s just as illegal in your neighborhood. This isn’t your playground; people actually live here.”
“Uh, fine. But make sure you tell all these other people if you’re so concerned.”
“I’m only concerned about my mail, and respecting the people that work hard to bring it to me.”

#2
I pull up to Macy’s in my “tank,” which is what I call my bitchin’ winter bicycle. I lock it up as an older gentleman in his tank roll up.

“It’s nice to see another crazy biker out here,” I smile.
“Yeah, you can tell the roads are full of people who have never seen a bicycle before.”
“Are those studded tires?”
“They sure are. They’re amazing. You know that icy alley behind the Orpheum?**”
I nod.
“I was doing figure eights out there last night, drunk.”
I laugh. I have these wide tires, which are great in the snow; not so great on ice though”
“Yeah. I feel like I’m cheating.”
“If studded mountain bike tires is cheating, what do you call that,” I say, motioning to the Escalade parked next to us.
“Pussst, that thing doesn’t even count.”

*The 25% stat is from 2005 – I can’t find recent data, but I’ve heard from city council members that it is more like 30% now.
**Speaking of the Orpheum, there is a petition at Macy’s and probably other locations calling on the landlords there to allow the company, Orpheum Presents, to continue having shows there and move through the process to purchase it. Don’t let the Orpheum close AGAIN because yet another greedy Flagstaff landlord wants more money.

A friend sent me this. I thought it was a joke.

The home of the Whopper has launched a new men’s body spray called “Flame.” The company describes the spray as “the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat.”

I wonder what Carol J. Adams has to say about this….

Press Action called attention to this sad Washington Post story regarding the death of an old cypress tree.

The Washington Post ran a sad story a couple weeks ago about the death of an old tree. An ancient bald cypress tree dating back 1,000 years or more had met its demise in a remote swamp 80 miles southeast of Richmond. Dubbed “Big Mama,” the largest tree in Virginia towered over Cypress Bridge, a swamp in the Nottoway River. The Post reported that Byron Carmean, a retired horticulture teacher who “discovered” Big Mama in fall 2005, estimated her age to be between 1,500 and 2,000 years.

I wanted to elaborate on point they made about how the story used passive voice when citing a statistic about the cutting of cypress-tupelo forests in the south east. At the end of the article, the author snuck in the following:

All but 1 percent of cypress-tupelo forests have been cut in the Southeast, experts say.

Of course everybody knows that humans are responsible for cutting the trees - the author would say that it’s implied. But it is still a rhetorical trick, functioning in a manner that shifts the blame. By reading this, the focus is on the action, not those responsible for doing it.

What’s really creepy is that we talk about statistics regarding sexual violence against women in the same way. We say, for example, 1 and 4 women between the ages of 17 and 36 will be raped in their lifetime. It’s as if it is just happening to them and there isn’t anything that can be done about it; it’s simply part of the risk of the age group.

So the focus is one women to change their behavior–park under lights, hold keys like a weapon, watch people poor drinks, sleep with the windows locked. While the focus is on women, we’re not questioning the entire culture built on violent masculinity and the systematic subjugation of women.

In the same way, when statistics regarding the systematic destruction of the natural world are discussed in this way, we’re not holding the abusers accountable. Even if it is implied, our psyches need to be told. There are specific logging companies, CEOs, government contracts, corporate lobbiests who are responsible. If the atrocities are to stop the blame needs to be verbalized.

If you don’t know Mickey Z, then you don’t know sarcasm at it’s best. I love this guy.

Before we get to 2076, first things first: Hail Obama, our brilliant, articulate, eloquent, half-black savior and prince.

Okay, so maybe St. Barack is a tad less progressive than we imagined but you have to admit he’s brilliant and eloquent and half-black. And c’mon, folks, he’s not even in office yet. Give the poor guy a chance. Once he’s in, we’ll hold his feet to the fire and make real progress. We’ll get permits to hold weekend protests (with none of those nasty anarchists invited) and we’ll give voice to the voiceless…in our designated free speech zones, of course. President Obama will hear us, I’m sure. He’ll prove there is a difference between the two parties. After all, you can’t tell me you didn’t shed a tear when you saw all those young people celebrating in the streets. The youth have spoken! The future has arrived! Bushism is dead!!! Let’s rejoice!!! Let’s sing along with Ani DiFranco’s amazing new song, “Yes We Can”!!!

In fact, I’m willing to go out on a limb right now and boldly predict that by the year 2011, the number of US combat troops in Iraq will have decreased by at least 10-15%. To those who want more, I ask: We can’t expect Obama to simply withdraw those brave, heroic, gallant, valiant, superhuman men and women in one shot, can we? No way, there’s no cut and run for America. (And remember: we wouldn’t be in this mess if that damn egotistical Ralph Nader hadn’t ruined everything in 2000. He shouldn’t be allowed to run. Make it illegal, I say.)

At least Obama is forming a strong centrist coalition. “A team of rivals,” they say. Some may nitpick and point out that every single appointee is a Washington retread who supported the war and could’ve just as easily been chosen by John McCain had he won, but Obama is clearly in charge and he’s brilliant. He makes the decisions and he’s so articulate. He promised hope and change and, being that he’s so eloquent, I’m positive he will deliver. It would be negative, bitter, and cynical to think otherwise. In fact, anyone not thrilled with the historic election of a half-black man should not be allowed to breathe our precious oxygen. (Ain’t that right, Tim Wise?)

Looking ahead, we’ll have bumps in the road (like many years of recession, escalation of the war on Afghanistan and subsequent blowback, reinstitution of the military draft, drastic cuts in social programs, an ongoing policy of torture and extra-judicial trials, the use of US troops to quell dissent by US citizens on US soil, to name but a few) but I’m confident we’ll have the brilliant, inspirational Obama in office until 2016…followed by America’s first female president—Hillary Clinton—until 2024. Hooray!!!!! What a proud moment for the world’s greatest nation. Gender equality is ours!!! No more patriarchy!!!

Read the rest here.

I’ve driven my car to work, instead of riding my bike, for the last THREE days! The problem isn’t so much the cold mornings with their freezing winds, but the fact that I’ve been waking up too late.