John Walker

Nature will not miss the god made of gunpowder

by

Letter from John Walker

Hal Walter’s August 99 column – September 1999 – Colorado Central Magazine

Nature will not miss the god made of gunpowder

Editors:

In an age where technology makes many feel powerless, it is comforting to know that a gun can still transform a man into a god blessed with the power of life and death. I am referring to Hal Walter, whose “Killer Coyotes” (August, 1999) administers CPR to the moribund notion of “good animal” vs. “bad animal.” From his ranchette on Mount Olympus, Walter laments that deer are eaten by coyotes rather than Division of Wildlife license-holders like himself. He also bemoans his six missing house cats while expressing no regrets over loosing a half-dozen exotic predators into the wild. In a final challenge to credulity, the writer claims to be “a part of nature.”

Read more

The complainers may be the ones who make the rules necessary

by

Letter by John Walker

Zoning – December 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

Those who complain loudest about all the regulations are often those who make the regulations necessary

Editors:

That every American has a birthright to express an opinion regardless of the facts was again evidenced in Jan Evans’s October lament over Frémont County zoning.

This system of zoning was arrived at following lengthy public review and input — an inexact process loosely termed democracy that does not number simplicity among its virtues. “Nonconforming” uses, which Ms. Evans presents as proof of poor zoning typically represent pre-existing uses “grandfathered” in at the time zoning was adopted. I think most would agree that this is a reasonable outcome and better than forcing a business to relocate.

Read more

Mensa need not recruit in Salida

by

Letter by John Walker

November 1997 edition – December 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Mensa needn’t recruit anywhere near Salida

Editor:

“How deep is the Arkansas River?” is now a stupid question? (“Stupid-Question Season,” November 1997)

Read more

Dictionary of the New West

by

Essay by John Walker

The New West – November 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dictionary for a New West

by John Walker

califor-ni-an (kal’u forn’yun) n. 1. resident of the state of California. 2. imprudent spender single-handedly responsible for inflated values of real property. [earlier form Texan]

en-dan-gered spe-cies (en dan’grd spe’ sez) n. 1. every group that has had a representative address a public hearing in the West: “Ranchers, miners, etc.: We’re the endangered species.” 2. a species of plants or animals facing imminent extinction. [Obsolete]

Read more

Rural residents fight trapping, too

by

Letter from John Walker

Trapping – August 1996 – Colorado Central Magazine

Trappers don’t perturb only urbanites

Colorado Central:

Re: “Require geographic diversity…” by Ellen Miller in the July, 1996, edition.

Ellen Miller’s condemnation of anti-trapping initiatives sounds like the work of an urban-dweller (Grand Junction) trying to ingratiate herself to people who work the land. She assumes only city folks disapprove of trapping.

Read more

Slavery is traditional, too

by

Letter from John Walker

Hunting – November 1994 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editor:

Although slavery is one of humanity’s oldest activities, it’s condemned by many modern people. This shocking statement, simplistic in its evocation of ancient tradition to rationalize a practice that is rightfully fading into the evolutionary mists of human history, assumes a high level of credibility when the word “hunting” is substituted for “slavery,” according to Chas Clifton, author of the essay “The Nature of the Hunt.” (published in the October ’94 edition of Colorado Central).

Read more