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Clinton's Legacy from George Bush 08/13/2002 Tease #1: "And threatened beauty: Fighting to save the country's national monuments and keep out the miners from where the big horn sheep butt heads." Tease #2: "And threatened beauty: Saving the wilderness from an industry fighting to dig up the country's natural treasures." Tease #3: "When we come back, endangered beauty, the struggle to protect or develop national monuments. Keeping the land safe for wildlife." And at last, the intro: "Finally tonight, to save a monument. Mining and logging are prohibited in America's national parks. But the national monuments, a separate category, are at greater risk. They are sites of natural beauty designated by presidents for protection. And it's not always easy to keep the miners out. ABC's Judy Muller reports from the Ironwood National Monument in Arizona with more of our series, 'Threatened Beauty.'" Judy Muller's report: "This desert monument is home to all sorts of flora and fauna, from big horn sheep to jack rabbits. But on the other side of these peaks, something else is afoot. The Asarco Company's open pit copper mine lies just outside the monument boundaries." How awful! Copper miners just lurking outside the monument boundaries! Brian Boylan, Asarco VP: "We were here long before the monument was created." Muller: "Asarco also has 178 undeveloped claims within the monument, and they don't intend to give them up." … "Asarco's hopes to eventually mine those areas has environmental groups worried for the big horn sheep." Julie Sherman, Arizona Sierra Club: "They like to mine these steep crags, the same crags that the sheep like to lamb in." Notice that she offers no information about where these 178 claims actually are, only the contention that the mining company hopes to disrupt the lambing of bighorn sheep. But here comes the real point of the story. Muller: "President Clinton tried to protect these public lands from encroaching development, destructive off-road vehicles, and harmful mining and drilling. Environmental groups say the Bush Administration has other ideas." Interior Secretary Gale Norton: "We need to look at those monuments that were, in some cases, put together very hastily." Exactly! They were put together hastily to pay off faithful Democrats - the liberal environmentalists - and to memorialize President William Jefferson Clinton's so-called legacy. In many, many cases, local and state interests were not given much, if any, consideration. "The Bureau of Land Management will only grant a mining permit if the company can prove if will not irreparably harm the environment. At Ironwood, the miners are already making that argument." Boylan: "The big horn sheep have been here for many years, and they continue to thrive here, and so I think that it is possible to have both." Mining and big horn sheep coexisting?! You wouldn't think it possible from ABC World News Tonight's point of view. In fact, we are left with the impression that the bighorn sheep is endangered. As best I ascertain from the U.S Fish & Wildlife Services' Endangered Species Program website, the only endangered bighorn sheep is the peninsular variety found in California, far away from the Ironwood National Monument in Arizona. Hmmmmmmmm… For the elitists at the Sierra Club and ABC News, it is far more important to protect unendangered bighorn sheep than it is for provide employment for some "little guys" in Arizona. Now that is outrageous! Below is the contact information. ABC News Read more here: MRC CyberAlert, 08/12/2002 When you feel your personal media bias tolerance gauge rising into the red zone, don't throw stuff at the TV screen! Send your suggestion to outrage@fairpress.org! Each week, one hideous example of media bias will be selected for closer examination. Hmmmmmm . . .
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