Lex Anteinternet: Sagebrush Rebellion

Showing posts with label Sagebrush Rebellion. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Sportsman criticizes, challenges contribution

Sportsman criticizes, challenges contribution

Now, this is interesting.

The opposition to the concept that the Federal government ought to transfer the public lands to the states is really gaining opposition, as well it should. And, I should note, not only in the West, it's gaining attention in the east as well.

Anyhow, recently the Natrona County Commissioners gave $1,000 of tax money (they have no other kind) to the American Lands Council, a Utah based group backing this concept. That squarely places the Commission behind this ill begotten idea, and with public money too. A local sportsmen was reported taking them to task, and apparently effectively, on that.

One thing to note here is that the Wyoming Constitution expressly disavows any claims to Federal land, and its an open question if Wyoming could really accept any legally, should the offer be forthcoming. Forever disavowing, as we purported to do, is forever disavowing. In keeping with that, and in recognition of the growing opposition, the Legislature, which was looking at funding a bill to study taking the land instead changed it into one to study simply managing it. Even that has been sufficiently poorly thought of that at least one of the legislators backing that idea, from my district, didn't note it in his recent mail to his constituents. We will remember it, however, as I'm sure he's probably reluctantly aware.

Several months ago this same body was presented by a resolution, by one of the members who voted to spend the $1,000 in this fashion, seeking to instruct the County Clerk not to issue same gender marriage licenses to applicants after the Federal Court here found Wyoming's statute defining marriage the way its been defined forever unconstitutional. This post doesn't seek to discuss that topic in any fashion, I'm merely noting it (a post discussing the United States Supreme Court's action will appear here tomorrow, about this time). That measure failed as the other commissioners noted that they couldn't instruct the Clerk to act against the Federal law.

So why can the commission spend money to study something that may run contrary to the Wyoming Constitution?

Lex Anteinternet?

This blog has been around since 2009. In the very first post, we asked the question: "What the heck is this blog about?"

Our answer to the question was: "The intent of this blog is to try to explore and learn a few things about the practice of law prior to the current era. That is, prior to the internet, prior to easy roads, and the like. How did it work, how regional was it, how did lawyers perceive their roles, and how were they perceived?"

We also noted: "Part of the reason for this, quite frankly, has something to do with minor research for a very slow moving book."

All of this is still true, but the focus of the blog has changed somewhat. It now focuses on the era from 1890 to 1920 in general, rather than on the law and lawyers specifically, although that may be far from obvious. It's also become the location where we comment on anything we feel moved to comment on.

We hope you'll feel moved to comment as well. While we moderate every comment, so as to weed out Spam, we greatly appreciate the comments where they are offered, and hope to see more.

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