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President Carter in Alaska
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| President Carter in Alaska |
| 07.06.05 (5:02 pm) [edit] |
President Jimmy Carter is in Alaska today to celebrate the twenty five year anniverary of ANILCA.
That legislation is basically what created ANWR.
Some in the press, as well as Mr. Carter himself, called that bill the single greatest enviromental designation in world history. "World history"?
Of course the timing seems orchestrated by liberals to coincide with the hotly debated subject of oil drilling in ANWR.
Now in reflection of this historic legislation, I can''t help but point out a few details and questions. My reccolection is a bit foggy, in 1980 I had just become old enough to vote. I remember voting for Ronald Reagan, but I wasn''t too versed in the bills that came out of Congress that year.
But I''d like to point out that President Carter was a lame duck in his last month of Presidency. He had already lost a re-election bid to President Reagan (resoundingly). He also had to threaten the Senate to get his bill passed. He threatened that if he did not get his bill, he would designate the land in question as a National Monument. Thus severly limiting ANY use of that land ever again. The Senate caved and passed his bill, which he then signed.
Now I ponder, was this merely an act of defiance to the new Presidency won by Reagan? Simular perhaps to some of President Clinton''s pardons he paased out like candy the last week of his tenure.
Or perhaps Carter was trying to leave his mark on his Presidency, which until then was best know for not rescuing the hostages held in the middle east for a year. I remember them being released right about the time Reagan was giving his innaugral address. I think the captors knew that a new sheriff was in town.
I just have to wonder what Carter''s true motives were in signing this historic bill. A bill that he just started touting as "historic" within the last five years. And by the way, the true anniverary isn''t until December, but it''s a hot topic right now!
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posted by: MSweazey (reply)
post date: 07.16.05 (8:43 pm)
Actually, the issue that became ANILCA had been started by President Eisenhauer (incidentally, a Republican). However, the Alaskan delegation in Congress had blocked any resolution for twenty-five years. So, no, this wasn't a "Liberal" idea, nor was it Carter's attempt to thumb his nose at anyone. Basically, what was passed in 1980 was a watered down version of what Eisenhauer wanted when he admitted Alaska as a state.
Incidentally, considering that the conference was marking the 25th anniversary of ANILCA, I don't think the timing was orchestrated to coincide with ANWR...unless they were farsighted enough to plan for it in 1980.
Also, ANILCA has been considered historic in the environmental sense since it was passed...not just in the last five years. No other time in history, nor in any otherr place has 105 million acres of land been preserved. Also, though not perfect, at no other time have the rights of natives to an area been protected in a way that left them (and other individuals living in the bush) the right to support their subsistence way of life. These two points alone make it historic.
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