Splinter: “Here is Ryan Zinke Making a Complete Fool of Himself”

Here.

Interior Dept. Official who Spoke Out in Favor of Alaska Natives Resigns

Here from WaPo. HuffPo.

Here is his resignation letter: Letter

Here is his whistleblower complaint: Form 11

Prior WaPo coverage when Clement spoke out last summer.

High Country News profile here.

Is Zinke Going to Start a Ideological Purge at Interior?

Here is “Interior secretary: One-third of employees ‘not loyal to the flag’.”

What Did Zinke Just Do on National Monuments? Besides Passive Aggressively Demean Bears Ears Supporters, I Mean. (Now with “Rock Licker” Update)

Here is the press release that omits any actual recommendations. Here is the report summary that also says nothing.

But this excerpt asks us readers to assume that comments by supporters of national monuments should be ignored because they are merely statements “orchestrated” by “national . . . organizations”:

Comments received were overwhelmingly in favor of maintaining existing monuments and demonstrated a well orchestrated national campaign organized by multiple organizations.

Update: news coverage from earlier today quoting a Utah politician attacking national monument supporters as “rock lickers” — an excerpt:

Mike Noel, a Utah state representative, said that reducing or eliminating Bears Ears would be “a victory for our state.” Federal management of land in his state had constrained drilling, mining and grazing, he said, adding that Washington had no business setting aside so much land for the strict protection that monument status affords.

“When you turn the management over to the tree-huggers, the bird and bunny lovers and the rock lickers, you turn your heritage over,” Mr. Noel said.

Zinke’s “Be Nice” Moment is a Highly Gendered Response

Here is “Linguist Robin Lakoff on Women, Men and American Talk — Are women bound by a culture of niceness?”, from Moyers, focusing on Secretary Zinke’s aggressive effort to shut down questions from Cassandra Begay.

Video here:

Longer video here: Continue reading

Update on Bears Ears Listening Sessions: In Short, It’s Going As Expected

Here:

Interior Secretary Orders Protester To ‘Be Nice’ During Visit To Bears Ears: 

Ryan Zinke shook his finger in the face of a woman urging him to meet with tribal leaders.