Some explanation is clearly in order.
The 1872 Mining Law -- signed into law by President Grant -- prioritizes hardrock mining as the *preferred* use of public lands, and allows miners to extract whatever minerals -- Gold, Silver, Uranium, Molybdenum, for instance -- without paying *any* royalties to the federal or state governments.
It made sense, possibly, in the days of Reconstruction when the nation had survived a brutal civil war and the call of the frontier served as a unifying national rallying cry, drawing independent prospectors.
It arguably makes little sense, today, and there are those who say its current effect is, in fact, profoundly destructive, particularly in watersheds. In New Mexico alone, there are 21,660 active mining claims, many in the headwaters of the Rio Grande.
A historian and his wife in Pennsylvania have taken to dressing up and asuming the roles of President and Mrs. Grant. When they are in persona, that is who they *are*. And today they visited Albuquerque to sign a proclamation calling for reform of the law.
A Bill which would reform the law has passed the House, and is now under consideration in the Senate. Both of New Mexico's Senator's sit on the Energy Committee -- one of them chairs it, and the other is the ranking member.
This was a *brilliant* event. The organizers took this very dry, wonkish, complex piece of proposed legislation, and made it not only understandable and compelling but actual *fun*. And gave a history lesson in the process. It was held at Alvarado Center -- the downtown bus station -- and a sizeable crowd gathered. I could *see* not just interest but delight and fascination in the eyes of everyone who walked by -- not one of them a professional policy wonk.
I think I was the only person covering it, not counting the TV cameraman. And the event was *perfect* for TV. For radio? A *bit* more challenging! But heck, I get to talk with all the people advocating for reform in considerable depth; and even if I didn't use the sound, but only wrote a headline, I *have* the sound I gathered for a story which I plan to put together for next week.
I wrote a headline and led both hours' newscasts with "President Ulysses S. Grant visited Albuquerque Today . . .", and then explained, as best I could.
Oh -- and I took the opportunity to bring along my original Thomas Nast cartoon from Harper's Weeky -- "The Crowning Insult to Him Who Occupies the Presidential Chair". Alas, the best picture I can find of it online is this low-resultion, tiny image, from the Smithsonian:
To explain.Thomas Nast *invented* the Democratic Donkey and the Republican Elephant. He was a brilliant artist, and a brilliant editorialist. I've got several of his original engravings, alas, rather more badly damaged over the more than a century it's taken them to come into my hands than the image above. But the image above conveys *very* few details, which the original's chock full of.
The head being lowered onto President Grant's is labelled "the scapegoat". The Republican fox has a book labelled "party catechism" in his pocket. The animals in the picture include a bear, a pig, some ducks, some mice, a rat, and of course, the democratic Donkey ready to pull away the chair out from underneath Grant. In the distance, which you can't see in the image, there's an ape, a giraffe, a monocled unicorn looking up at the newly-built Capitol dome, and of course, the barking bulldogs labelled "Press".
It's *very* far from being Nast's most complexly layered political cartoon. But I *can't* pass up the chance to bring it out while I'm covering a story involving someone depicted in the cartoon.
It's a hit.
President Grant, being presidential, declares he'll sign it on the back (it's mounted on foam board). I tell him, Mr. President, you read my mind -- Mr. Nast seems to have been a great admirer of yours. He says indeed, and tells me how he never hewed to the party platform. For the first time *ever* I get to *discuss* this particular image and its meaning with someone who clearly understands it *way* better than I do.
He signs it, on the back, "Best Wishes, U.S. Grant, President of the United States". Even the handwriting matches. Uncanny.
Then back to the station, after this welcome and all-too-badly needed step outside it.
Things keep happening.
The whole control room is disassembled fifteen minutes before my broadcast. I try to be a good sport about these things. It's not disastrous, it's simply annoying, and I'm *guessing* these things happen when they do because they know I try to be a sport about it.
I would be lying if I said it didn't fluster me a bit -- and I'd be lying further if I said it didn't affect my broadcast. But I just kept moving on. So what if I switched words that one time, or else got the state "Virginia" stuck in my head when I *meant* to say "Pennsylvania". I'm not gonna get all giggly about it, or apologise. I'll just correct myself, if I need to, and move on.
I am *over* apologising.
Or, as Charles would say, "I'm oves it".
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