Private Mars Rocket II

So, thanks to the magic of DVRs, I just finished watching Ken Burn's magnificent documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea. It's a six-part series on how the National Park system was created, protected, and made accessible to Americans. Having just got back from seeing two National Parks, both (or so I learned) saved by Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, it was an especially timely piece of programming.

I've had various discussions with people who argue that "government can't do anything right" and that "private enterprise is always better." I've always thought these folks were obviously and provably wrong. Both the documentary and my recent trip provided reinforcement to that opinion. The Grand Canyon was repeatedly threatened by dams and private enterprise hucksters looking for a quick buck. Even the Petrified Forest, some of the most God-forsaken real estate on the planet, was threatened by folks looking to remove the petrified wood and sell it.

The last episode was the most impressive, in my view. It started with one of the talking heads saying, "wolves are running a resistance movement. Some of their ancestors came close to the fire and evolved into dogs, Man's best friend." The other group rejected Man and stayed wild. Man and wolf have been fighting ever since. The episode then talked about the National Park Service's changing attitudes to wolves and wildlife, from eradicating predators to the 1995 reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone.

So, if you have an opportunity to watch The National Parks, I highly encourage it. I also suggest you consider tossing a few bucks at the National Park Foundation, the official charity of the Parks.