[scotch_drinker]

I'm currently reading The Wilderness Warrior, the biography of Theodore Roosevelt who was instrumental not only in setting aside the Grand Canyon as a national park but also in saving millions of acres of forest through the West from wanton development. In that time, it was possible for a politician to have that kind of far reaching impact. Leaving aside whether it was the right or wrong thing to do, it's interesting that now we're likely subject to financial interests in whether this gets done and possibly a court decision. I doubt that any of our elected leaders could have much effect over what will eventually happen here. I think that's probably a failing of our political system.