Doing what is right (vice wrong): otherwise, what will be left?



Eating mensaf at wedding reception in Wadi Mousa



Yesterday morning (27AUG11), as I was driving to meet some Santa Fe National Forest Site Stewards and archaeologists from the State of New Mexico’s Office of Archaeological Studies (http://www.nmarchaeology.org/cnma.html) for field work at the Pueblo of Ku-ouinge (LA 253, aka: Ku), I was thinking about a couple of new flashes: $100 million shortfall in State funds caused by accounting oversight/error several years ago (beyond the 2-year appeal-to-Feds for bailout timeframe); Gov. Rick Perry (Texas), a Republican candidate for President in next year’s election pledges to back a Constitutional Amendment banning gay-marriage.

Paternal grandfather with uncles

           As many of you know I’m from a family with deep-roots with the GOP (going back to abolitionist days on the Dutch, Irish & Scot maternal side) and I meet the generalizations of “Republicans are this” and “Democrats are that” with rolling eyes and thoughts of: “you wouldn’t say that about black Americans, Hispanics, Catholics or Jews… why is it OK to unleash your venom against someone with a different political point-of-view?” Being 1^st generation (paternal side) not reared on a farm/ranch (you might recall, I was literally raised in kennels: Burbank & Malibu) my family tradition is not overly known for its embrace of inclusiveness. My high School (Burbank) voted for Goldwater (Au.H2O.64) 4:1 in a mock election (not exactly a cross-section of Americana). But, we try to chart our course based on the basic principles of that we were taught as youngsters. One of course is accountability, the other fair-play (civil rights, with a level playing field).

I’ll get back to those in un momentito, but lets 1^st consider the field work at Ku yesterday. Nine of us met at 9AM out by Ku to identify and quantify ceramics found at the site. The area has been heavily disturbed by unauthorized excavations (“looters”) in the past, so the stratigraphy for scientific analysis in much of the area is lost. After pin-flagging some concentrations, we looked at a 1 meter x 1 meter sample area to see what was there. Bottom line for our sample was Biscuitware B (Bandelier) outnumbered Biscuitware A (Abiquiu) about 2:1. In an unscientific look at a nearby midden (trash mound) it was the opposite. Hmmm… imagine folks occupying a site and throwing older materials away. Sounds like a practice still employed, though we now have way more junk to toss. Trade wares? Yes, some were present- ceramics that probably came from Tsankawi, The Galisteo Basin (my home of 22+ years), and elsewhere (I noticed St. Johns polychrome in the literature). Just as the Site Stewards and other volunteers (none of us were being paid for this activity) came from various locales in the region, so too did the ceramics.

Having long realized that societies dictate the rights that they extend, or don’t (I’m unable to identify any that have just evolved without human effort, loss & sacrifice), I have reservations when I hear that such-and-such is a “civil right” (I heard that semi-recently regarding health). Society will decide what is and isn’t a right that they grant. Most have been battled for, with many efforts taking decades-to-centuries. One of the tenants of our culture that I recall was the right-to-fail, but that seems to be supplanted by “Big Government” and the idea that some things are “too big to fail.” Oh really? Was the Roman Empire too big? How about dynastic China? Without a doubt, the USA is too. The above examples show a state and federal government level of involvement: I’d rather not go there. I’m hoping that New Mexico is not rescued by Federal taxpayers, as it once again sends the wrong message (plus the State’s revenues are projected to be able to cover that amount). I do think someone should lose their job. Of course, this might already be the case as it happened under the previous Governor that had more political appointees. Quien sabe. I also think Gov. Perry should remember his core belief that “the government that governs least, governs best…” and stay away from selective “Big-government” intrusions on local (in this case states) societies in their granting of rights. Just some of my thoughts while driving to Ku yesterday…