What will Future Generations be Nostalgic for?

No one can agree on the status of Earth in 50 years. Thousands of articles speculate, but “experts” are divided. Some say overpopulation and global warming will cause our destruction, others predict certain populations will decrease or die out. Some envision large scale nuclear war, others urge us to go forth and breed. Some say advances in medicine will wipe out disease, others say we’re all going to die from viruses, AIDS or starvation. Some say we will be communicating through chips imbedded in our bodies.

The commenters are just as virulent as ever, with about three quarters of them attacking people who try to express an opinion in a rational way. No article that I read had intelligent discussion, and almost every comment was nearly unreadable due to ignorance of basic language skills, excessive use of caps, and general internet abuse. It’s impossible to write an article on the future of the world without mentioning race in a scientific way, spawning openly racist comments such as “good, I hope they all die out, the world doesn’t need any more white people.” Many commenters blame the fat, gluttonous, greedy American public for the planet’s demise. Even the civil wars raging in other countries are somehow America’s fault. No one mentions that people have been killing and enslaving each other for 200,000 years, while America has only existed for a little over 200 years. Most Americans don’t leave vicious comments or any comments at all. So nobody hears us.

If you believe that Islam is a peaceful ‘religion’ with just a few fringe factions, why can’t America be granted the same indulgence? What about all the good people here—the animal rescue volunteers, the women’s shelter volunteers, the volunteer fire departments, EMTs, and ambulance drivers…the homeless shelters, food banks, countless charities, and billions in aid we send to countries who hate us? What about the Lions Club who picked up the $1500 tab for the hearing aid I helped an old lady get last year? The men and women who serve and die for our country, are they fat useless pigs too? The compassionate bloggers whose love of nature is evident in every post? The good kids who want to make a difference—the ones who don’t make the news? You don’t hear about them because they don’t commit crimes. Are each of us personally to blame for the ills of the world?

Picture of two deer taken this morning at a house I clean at the bottom of Carr Canyon in Coronado Nat’l Park, which was devastated by the Monument Fire last summer. This old woman puts alfalfa, seed, and water out for the many creatures displaced by the fire. What a GLUTTONOUS WHITE AMERICAN BITCH—WE NEED TO GET RID OF PEOPLE LIKE THIS!

I am nostalgic for the era I grew up in because it was a time of renaissance. Our home lives may have been difficult, but the world was open to us. Jobs were plentiful, travel was cheap, we explored the world through a windshield instead of an LCD screen. We were independent and never expected to be taken care of. We weren’t obese, brainwashed, or babied. We entered the world at a perfect time—we were neither burdened with our parents’ repression nor their economic depression. We left home early, anxious to embark upon adventures of our own. We figured out how to have sex and not get pregnant (thank you Planned Parenthood for keeping me both child-free and abortion-free for 30 years). We got on buses and trains and old clunkers and used maps and asked questions and took back roads. We got into trouble but learned from our mistakes.

Politics were more than a war between socialists and evangelicals. The millions of Americans who aren’t obsessed with abortion or gay marriage are not being represented—we just want our country back. The insanity of our political system and subsequent media slants are a big factor in our reputation as a nation of lunatics, and these overblown issues cause voters to make choices based not on what’s best for America, but on personal beliefs. Left or right, either way we’re all going to have more laws forced on us. Political correctness will worsen, it’s too late to go back now. I finally understand what “silent majority” means. It means us, working a couple jobs, paying our bills, trying to help our communities, and getting by the only way we know how. It’s the people who hardly have time to picket abortion clinics, write vicious comments, or spread their whiny filth through public parks across America.

I’m nostalgic for not having a computer and not being assaulted daily with every act of violence perpetrated in the world. But despite America being the planet’s designated scapegoat, and despite those who actually do fit the stereotype, most people I know would help you if you asked them. Though I witness disturbing activities where I live every day, I would not hesitate to go to any of my neighbors for help. Maybe I don’t want to hang out with them. Likely our politics and culture are a world apart. But who in America would slam the door in the face of a person in need?

We can’t know what will someday evoke nostalgia in the estimated 11,000 babies born each day in the US alone, much less the rest of the world. Will it be simple things like music, dancing, sports, their home town? Will it be grocery stores, libraries, parks? Or will it be something much more sober—sunshine, clean water, open space, fresh food, thinking for themselves, and freedom? Because the world will be different for them, too, and someday they will get old and look back just as we do. They’ll have their own regrets, but I imagine in essence they won’t be much different from ours. The blank vacuous lifestyle of a video game-addicted couch potato may surface later in life as an inability to adapt to the inevitable shifts we will continue to experience. A lack of curiosity about the world leads to stunted life skills no matter what age you live in. The resourceful, creative kids may find the means to survive no matter what is in store for them. In 50 years, each person may be completely on their own, a slave to a warlord, or forced to live under a government created while they weren’t paying attention.

Flexibility, resilience, and adaptability are all we have to keep us from collapsing into an abyss of despair or self-destruction as we reminisce about the past, but those aren’t easy traits to sustain. Most of us are just trying to cope, encumbered with a collective guilt we don’t deserve. But one thing I am certain of—if we choose to see ourselves as victims, we may well be granted that wish.

The New Normal

From the August 11 Sierra Vista Herald, our local paper:

…the shooting is the most recent in a spat [sic: should be “spate”] of violent crimes in and around Sierra Vista, beginning with the arrest of Usef Simmons, 23, after police said he broke into a home and attacked a man with a rock…the next couple days saw the arrest of Nathaniel Jaramillo, 22, after police said he opened fire on a vehicle with two occupants outside a party…on July 24, Theodore Ramos, 17, slashed the throat of a 76-year old man, killing him, after the man answered the door at his home, then proceeded to rape the victim’s 72-year-old wife….two men were killed after being stabbed to death at a party outside of town…citizens should be wary of bears and other wildlife displaced by the Monument fire…law seeks crackdown on bullying but some see the changes too intrusive…cops avoid meth busts because they can no longer afford to clean up toxic waste generated by labs after federal government cancelled programs that provide money to help local agencies dispose of seized labs….

And this is just my little town. The rest of the world? Too depressing to discuss here—but trust me, it’s coming to your town too.

So when people tell me to just be happy, think positive, see the good, meditate, pray—I nod my head and say, uh, OK. I envy those who can zone out for 12 hours in front of a video game or remain oblivious to the future as if it won’t affect them. They are happy and I am not. Someone explained the Facebook game “Farmville” to me the other day and I can’t believe “adults” are playing this, as it sounds like something preschoolers might enjoy. If you want to feed animals so much, why don’t you go volunteer at a shelter? Adopt a cat or dog? I don’t understand how people can not be affected by our world, though I am constantly being told I need to get over it. This is my world too. I can’t become politically correct or stick my head in the sand just because that’s the trend.

Was it only a few years ago I loved thrift shops? Perfume, earrings, makeup, nail polish, shoes? I can’t even remember that last time I went into a Dollar Store, much less a mall, movie theater, or restaurant. My life is focused on keeping the power on and the water running. I never pay anything until I get a shut-off notice. Animal adoptions are way down, practically nonexistent. Hanging onto our homes is our main concern—a million foreclosures in the US last year should be a clear sign how fragile our infrastructure is.

A new word just went into the dictionary I sometimes work on, “swirlie.” A prank that involves dunking someone’s head in a flushing toilet bowl.  A PRANK? Is bullying so commonplace now that we consider this a mere prank? This is the kind of stuff that makes kids jump off bridges. How accepting we have become to violence and abuse. Another day, another war—whether personal or political, it’s the new normal.

If you answer your door without a gun within your reach, then do so at your own risk.

The Week in My World 7-13-11

It’s been exactly one disturbing month since the Monument Fire began. Monsoon has started and instead of being the joyful respite we all wait for, new horrors have just begun for the people in Hereford Valley as their homes fill with ash and sludge. Everybody’s busy sandbagging their properties and buying flood insurance, which is really expensive.

I’ve received mail from uninformed people calling me all kinds of nasty names, but I write from the perspective of someone who lives here, not a couple thousand miles away. I hate political correctness but I find that many Americans accept it like sheep. It’s a really bad idea to troll blogs and leave aggressive negative comments. Much better to write your opinions on your own blog. If I see a post I don’t agree with, I leave, not start trouble.

But, life goes on. I’ve been highly motivated to clean up my property. I bought this house “as is.” The man who lived here worked in the mines but was completely self-sufficient when it came to taking care of his house and family. Maybe today he would be considered a hoarder. The barn and house were jammed full of every kind of scrap imaginable. We cleared much of it a few years ago, but a lot of it remained exactly where he left it when he died. He saved everything. Literally tons of metal, tires, wood, old refrigerators, half-empty bottles and cans of gooey unknown substances, thousands of parts from obsolete machinery, fencing and rotting hoses for his vegetable gardens. I’ve made countless dump trips and given stuff away. Since I’m scared to death of fires now, I’ve cleared most of the brush. The monsoon will bring new grasses and create new brush, but from now on I’m going to keep up with it. It’s a lot of work but I trust no one.

Something good happened—Gracie, the little tabby I rescued from a foreclosed home, was adopted. I still have the two chihuahua mixes and can’t wait to find a good home for them. I have nine dogs in my little house and it’s too much. People call and make appointments to see them and don’t show up. Other people call and want them for free. Others call with their phone set to “Private” and don’t leave their number. Little kids call. The stupidity, rudeness, and bloody waste of my time is discouraging.

Two confused chihuahuas after returning from the vet to get neutered. Coco and Chico, whose owner died and whose wife dumped the dogs the same day, need good home in southern Arizona. Will deliver.

“WTF? I thought you said we were going to get TUTORED!”

First brood of swallow babies on my front porch light. The parents come back every year and have two broods. I do what I can to keep them safe.

One died in the nest, I don’t know why. The parents couldn’t get it out, so we got a ladder and a pair of tongs and removed it.

If one more person tells me the prickly pears lost in the February freeze will come back, I’m gonna smack ’em.

The Border Patrol were all at the Monument fire for two weeks, now they’re back. Look at this agent on horseback….HOT. I would have liked to move around him and take better pictures, but they’re kind of busy.

Border Patrol bringing in a group less than 100 ft. from my back door. The concept of the BP being ruthless dicks isn’t true. They save lives every day. They are given fluids, taken to hospitals, then sent back.

Poor old guy at the gas station, empty tank and no money. He asked me for a dollar. I gave him my last five bucks.

Our friend Hogan (see Hoarder of History) finally retires his boots.

Monument Fire + Monsoon = Mudslides

Monsoon started about a week ago and so far it’s a strong one. There are various scientific methods used to predict the strength of an upcoming monsoon, but it turns out to be whatever nature decides.

But one thing is certain, and that is when mountain forests suffer major fire damage, natural waterways are not enough to absorb the heavy rains. The water has no place to go but down. On my way home today from Sierra Vista, mudflow had closed roads and I learned after stopping and asking that once again the people who live at the base of the Huachucas were told to evacuate.

Everybody here knows how the Monument fire started, but it has yet to be made official, and likely never will. I honestly can no longer see myself having a life here.

This is what Rt. 92 looks like all along Coronado National Park where the Monument fire burned for two weeks.

Monsoon rain is not like a normal rainy day. It comes in heavy bursts with high winds that can last for hours, stop, then start again. It's usually the best time of the year.

Miller Canyon Road off Rt. 92 was closed and the homes that firefighters saved will be in danger again for the next two to three months.

With the trees gone, mud comes down the mountains.

Natural waterways, called washes, are unable to contain the flow.

Streets flood with mud and debris.

We live near several prisons and often see "cons" doing various work around town. Today they had them making sandbags. The sandbags are loaded into trucks and placed around houses. I asked a con who helped me at the dump the other day what he was in for—two pounds of pot. What a waste of taxpayer money.

Update 7-12-11. Picture from KGUN 9 News. The mudslide was worse than I knew. It ruined homes and this is just the beginning.

It’s Lonely in the Middle

I can’t begin to understand the machinations of politics, I don’t think anybody can unless you’re one of Them. I can only report what I personally see. And what I see is a division in America unlike anything in my lifetime.

Most people aren’t asking for much. We’d like a decent job, to hang on to our homes, to not be bullied by the government. We would like America to stop intervening in every single Mideast skirmish. We’d like to see some of that war money pumped into our own economy. The person who could lead us to a strong economy would be a hero.

But because of political fanaticism on both sides, this imaginary person doesn’t have a chance. Republicans are mocked and hated where I live. In fact, it is acceptable in our culture to mock them anywhere, from WordPress forums regarding a person they found difficult (what do you expect, she’s a Republican) to Six Word Stories (Cute. Smart. Funny. Nice. Republican. Shit.). The people who mock them support Obama even though he continues to spend billions on foreign wars and aid while 14 million Americans can’t find jobs—and what’s more amazing, they consider themselves anti-war. I try to understand this, so I ask questions.

It always comes down to the same thing: religion. I ask, what do you think of Herman Cain? Religious zealot! What do you think of Michele Bachmann? Evangelist flake! I won’t even print what they think of Sarah Palin.

Conservatives need to consider this, because even if they do win it will simply result in more polarization, more fighting, more division. I lean toward conservatism in immigration, border security, gun laws, and other issues. But I’m going to be forced to make some sacrifices to vote against Obama because so far, our choices are distressingly inadequate.

I don’t want an evangelical Christian for a leader any more than I want an overly-indulgent liberal who is blind to the problems we face. To pull this country together, both sides must make concessions. I don’t want any god forced on me. Planned Parenthood has been taking care of me since I was a teenager—they taught me everything my parents and school didn’t about how to not get pregnant. I love the creativity and friendliness of the gay culture. Why are these issues so important to conservatives, and how do they expect to win allies with such hardline conservatism? Why do they care so much who sleeps with who, or who marries who? And gays, why do you care so much about getting married? Wouldn’t you rather have a job? Jeez, get a will and a power of attorney like I did.

Atheism isn’t a choice any more than belief is, and neither has anything to do with spirituality, compassion, or morality. A religious person isn’t better than me, they just believe in something I don’t. Get it out of politics or lose America for good.

Subduing the Beast—Monument Fire Update

Rt. 92 along the burned-out Monument fire area reopened last night. I drove to Sierra Vista today to place Gracie, the little gray cat rescued from a foreclosed home, at PetSmart. They have an adoption section with rescue animals only. Gracie is extremely loving and it was very hard to say goodbye, but she does not get along with my cats and I refuse to isolate her. I beg for any powers there may be in this world that somebody fall in love with her, and fast.

Law enforcement, firefighters, border patrol, and the Cochise County Sheriff’s Dept. believe that illegals or smugglers started this fire. They have pinpointed the ignition point on the border. But since anybody who dares to voice this ends up in a shitstorm, the cause of it will probably never be officially announced. Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, whose territory includes 80 miles of border, has publicly stated his beliefs and is fielding accusations of racism.

It is still only 64% contained as of today, with growth potential still extreme. Its current size is 29,746 acres burned, with 1,170 people still assigned to the fire, including 27 crews, 92 engines, and 7 helicopters. They are still performing controlled burns and constructing lines by hand with air support to prevent the fire from spreading into the next canyon, Ramsey Canyon.

Everywhere along Rt. 92 are handmade signs thanking the firefighters. I took the following pictures today along the area that was closed to the public for nearly two weeks.

Horrible events are happening all over, all the time. Life just sucks for so many of earth’s creatures, both human and animal, I can hardly stand it.

Three restaurants were destroyed along Rt. 92: Nick's, Ricardo's, and Angelika's German Imports

Monument fire wreckage on Rt. 92

Ricardo's Restaurant wreckage from Monument fire

Monument fire damage on Rt. 92

Ricardo's Restaurant wreckage, Rt. 92

Owners of Angelika's German Imports survey the ruins of their business

Burned land along Rt. 92 where it jumped the highway and caused mass evacuations

This little home is called a yurt. It was damaged but saved. Though about 60 homes were lost, the firefighters did an amazing job of saving homes. It could have been much, much worse.

Incident Command Center was set up at a school in Hereford. It looks like a small city. This section holds a group of tents for exhausted firefighters.

Monument Fire Wreckage and Progress

The Monument fire in Coronado National Park was 47% contained as of this morning. My friend Janice who lives right there took me on a tour of the destruction today. When the fire jumped Rt. 92 it destroyed homes and burned miles and miles of land along Hereford Road. Many of the people evacuated last week have not been allowed to return home.

The fire has moved north to Carr Canyon, another former amazing area of the Park and a favorite refuge for me and many others. Watching the team of tanker helicopters working today was distressing but amazing. The skill and bravery of these pilots leaves you speechless. They fly directly into the burning area and drop thousands of gallons of fire-retardant material called slurry. It was about 100 degrees today but the winds have died down.

The news about this fire may be subsiding as other fires and floods rage through the United States. But to the people who live in any of these areas, life will never be the same.

Home totally destroyed by Monument Fire on Ramsey Canyon Rd. It was a sad scene watching the owners pick through the rubble. This was a historic home built in the 1920s, it used to be the Hereford Post Office. The post office part had been preserved by the owners.

House destroyed by Monument fire on Hereford Road

More wreckage from Monument fire on Ramsey Canyon Road

Rt. 92 is still blocked along along the burned area, so you can't get too close.

Carr Canyon burning 6-22-11. You can see the slurry helicopter heading into Carr Canyon on the top of the ridge.

We watched the slurry helicopters work in a team of three. The first hovers near the ground and gets filled, the second heads into the canyon, the third returns.

The tanker that just got filled heads for the canyon.

Here the first heads into the canyon while the third returns to be filled.

A favorite picture of me worshiping at Carr Canyon in better days.

Help

My friend and animal rescue colleague Janice was evacuated tonight, the fire has spread into her neighborhood across from the Huachucas. I have three of her dogs and she’s coming with more. Two of the dogs are fosters.

I was going to do a separate post on these two small dogs, but now that they’re here at my house, here’s the story. A man had cancer. He was at home and very sick. He begged his wife to keep his two small dogs, which she did…until THE DAY he went into hospice. Then she dumped them just as fast as she could. Bitch. They are two small five-year-old chihuahua mixes, sweet and loving. We don’t want to separate them as they are best friends—they eat, sleep and play together. I introduced them to all my dogs and after the usual initial doggie who-the-hell-are-you meet and greet, everybody’s doing fine. They have no interest in my many cats. They need to be neutered, we just haven’t had time.

The cat pictures are of Gracie, the cat left behind at a foreclosed home we rescued in May (see Foster Cat of the Week). Gracie was a bag of bones when I got her, now she is healthy, has been spayed and is ready to go. She is extremely loving, wants to be in your lap, and purrs a lot. She picks fights with my other cats but she loves dogs. Border Animal Rescue paid for the spay and has had to lower the adoption fees for both cats and dogs—cats $30, dogs $50. There are just too many. All animals are fixed and given rabies shots before adoption.

9500 acres burned so far in the Monument fire, still raging. 40 homes damaged or destroyed. Power down. Evacuations continue. Today I worked in Old Bisbee and saw tiny pieces of ash floating everywhere in the air, 25 miles away. High winds today and tomorrow make the fire spread faster and hinder the slurry helicopters and the crews. There are tears and anger here. Where are the troops? Where’s the money? Fires, tornadoes, floods—where is the help for America in her time of need? In the Mideast. I am numb with rage.

Please see my last three posts for many more pictures of the Monument fire.

Monument Fire Update June 18th: 20,000 acres burned, 50 homes destroyed, 12,000 people evacuated. Wind gusts of 50-60 mph today. Extremely dangerous conditions for the firefighters and pilots. It’s also very, very hot. Chaos, anger, tears here. At least now the papers are admitting it’s “human caused.” It will never go any further than this.

There’s an article in local news source called “Impact on Wild Animals Affected by Fire” but there’s NO WAY I can read it.

Sun trying to shine through smoke from Monument fire over Bisbee 6-16-11.

Smoke from Monument fire, picture taken on Naco Highway near my house 6-16-11.

Two loving 5-year-old male chihuahua mixes need home. Chico on left, Coco on right. They both get along very well with dogs and cats. Coco is the darker one.

Two loving male chihuahua mixes up for adoption. They are very interactive with each other and with their humans.

Two chihuahua mixes need home. Funny, curious, playful. There have been a few grumbles, but everybody’s doing really well for the first night. I just made everybody go-lie-down so the two new ones can have some freedom to explore without being followed around. Jasmine would prefer to bite their little heads off, but she will do no such thing. In a few days she’ll accept them, for now, I watch her and she knows it. It’s time for me to step up to the fostering, altering, and adoption of these dogs, Janice has major stress right now.

Two male chihuahua mixes need home. Coco left, Chico right. Southern Arizona.

Two chihuahua mixes need home. Coco left, Chico right.

Gracie, two year old female tabby rescued from foreclosed house needs home. Spayed and very loving. Likes dogs, but not cats.

Gracie, two year old spayed female tabby up for adoption. Rescued from foreclosed home. VERY loving. Southern Arizona.

Gracie, two year old spayed female tabby needs home. Very loving. Likes dogs, not cats. Southern Arizona.

Arizona in Extremis

Bisbee, AZ is cornered between two major fires, the Horseshoe (134,000 acres)  to our northeast and the Monument (3,700–4,600 acres depending on reports) to our west. Today Bisbee was engulfed in a miasma of smoke. I don’t know if smoke from the biggest fire, the Wallow (444,000 acres, north of us), is hitting us, but there have been reports that the smoke from these fires can be seen as far north as Iowa so it depends on the wind. It is the reek of the ruination of our forests and the animals who live there.

I had a disturbing phone conversation with my friend Janice this afternoon, who lives directly across from the Huachuca Mountains (part of Coronado National Park and the Monument fire). She was crying, doesn’t know if she’ll be evacuated, and is worried about her many dogs. She could barely speak as she has respiratory problems and the smoke is so thick. Rt. 92 is closed as they fear the fire may spread across the highway. Power lines are down. The Monument fire continues to grow, it is zero percent contained. Right now the firefighters are digging trenches. I read that even with all the modern technology, it is still shovels and axes that eventually get a fire contained. These are rugged, steep mountains which makes this job as difficult as could possibly be.

There is anger and fear here. We would like to see the people responsible for this slowly burn to death. If the smugglers burn all the forests along the border, how will they hide? How can they be so stupid and cruel?  They’ll never, ever, catch them.

Note: Just read the Monument fire has jumped Rt. 92. Evacuations unofficially announced by Cochise County. A shelter has been established at Palominas School BUT NO ANIMALS WILL BE ALLOWED! When will they learn that people will not leave their best friends behind?

Update 6-15-11:  5,200 acres burned.

Update 6-16-11:  9,300 acres burned. My friend who lives on the north side of Hereford Road reports mandatory evacuation across street but not yet on his side. He wants to know where the hell is the National Guard? More than 40 homes have been damaged or destroyed. Officials are telling residents to expect a long drawn out affair and to plan for evacuation. High winds are forecast for Thursday and Friday.

Update 6-18-11: 20,000 acres burned, 50 homes destroyed, 12,000 people evacuated. High winds today, 50-60 mph gusts. Everybody is pissed off or crying, taking it hour by hour. Networks set up for pets of evacuees. Horses and cattle major problem.

Smoke from Horseshoe fire seen from Rt. 92 in Bisbee across from Safeway.

Smoke from Horseshoe fire seen from my backyard.

Looking in the other direction, west, from the street near my house, smoke from the Monument fire.

These red helicopters have been flying back and forth all day. We are used to seeing border patrol helicopters, but I've never seen these before two days ago. These are the slurry helicopters, they pick up thousands of gallons of fire-retardant material called slurry and squeeze into canyons where vehicles can't go. It's an extremely dangerous job.

Monument fire from Rt. 92 near Sierra Vista.

Monument fire at night. Photo by Kresent Gurtler.

Coronado National Park Fire Update (Huachucas)

It is fast becoming the worst fire season ever for Arizona. There are currently three major fires burning: The Wallow Fire in eastern Arizona, which has consumed 444,000 acres and is only 10% contained, the Horseshoe Fire in the southeastern part of the state which has burned 134,000 acres, and a new one that started at 1:00 pm yesterday in the Huachuca Mountains in Sierra Vista, very close to where I live and very dear to all of us. They’re now calling it the Monument Fire because it’s in the Coronado National Monument system, but the park is officially called Coronado National Memorial here.

I had to take a foster cat to Sierra Vista today to be spayed, and I waited to pick her up at my friend Janice’s house near Sierra Vista. We watched the mountains burning from her yard. We saw many people who had to evacuate driving by with trailers full of horses. The smoke is very bad and everybody’s faces are swollen and noses are running. This is nothing compared to what the animals who live in the forests must endure. The various ranges of Coronado National Park are comprised of “sky islands,” each an ecosystem unto itself. The animals that live in the various systems, called ecotones, cannot survive in another system.

I picked up the cat and on my way home I stopped a few times to take pictures. Many roads are are blocked by border patrol and police. I talked to some of them. Yesterday the news said the Monument fire had burned 100 acres, today it’s 3000 acres. I asked if this was true, they said easily—this fire started at the border. It is zero percent contained.

They said on the radio the fire started near “Smugglers Gulch,” right on the border. This forest is known for drug and human smuggling. Since the park has been closed to visitors since June 9th because of extremely dry conditions and high winds, it is assumed the fire was started by smugglers. There are many smaller fires that do not make national news. To see how beautiful this area is (was), see We Don’t Need No Stinking Guardrails, posted three weeks ago.

The destruction these fires cause has to be seen to be believed. We do need more border protection, but 2,000 miles of border, 370 miles of it in Arizona is a lot of land to cover.

Monument fire from friend’s yard near Hereford 6-13-11

Monument fire from Hereford Rd 6-13-11

Monument fire from Hereford Rd 6-13-11

Monument fire from Rt. 92 6-13-11

Monument fire from Rt. 92 6-13-11

I think this is a firefighting helicopter, I read there are four of them working on this fire.

Monument fire from Rt. 92 6-13-11