Dear HCN,
Susan Ewing’s essay on
the sins of owning a ranchette in Bozeman, Mont., is typical of the
self-serving confessionals I’ve grown to expect from baby boomers
who lack the integrity to live up to the principles they espouse
(HCN, 5/10/99). For environmentalists like Ewing, the movement
isn’t about protecting ecological systems, it’s about protecting
environmental amenities for consumption and
enjoyment.
Ewing justifies her ranchette by
testifying that she doesn’t have any children, contributes to
Planned Parenthood and knows where all the mushrooms grow, while
expressing all the right opinions about “living lightly on the
land.” Cut through the muck and we’re left with the message that
Ewing is entitled to her ranchette because she says the things the
environmentalists want to hear. Blah, blah, blah.
She is right on one point: Sprawl is caused by
the existence of too many people. What she forgets is that she’s
one of them.
Dexter Van
Zile
Dedham, Massachusetts
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Blah, blah from the ranchette.
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