The artful cartoon by Jim Stiles (HCN, 5/24/99) was
deeply appreciated by many current and former National Park Service
(NPS) rangers who have first-hand knowledge of the extent to which
our parks have become increasingly militarized. I worked for the
NPS as a seasonal backcountry ranger for six years (1987-92), and
consistently received official commendations and superior
performance ratings. However, beginning in the 1990s, the NPS
refused to re-hire me and others because we declined to carry guns
at our remote wilderness stations. My former colleagues tell me
that NPS wilderness rangers now receive more training in how to
intimidate and kill people than they do in search-and-rescue and
emergency medical techniques.
There is wide
agreement that rangers performing frontcountry “road patrol” duties
need to be trained as full-fledged law enforcement officers. But
many current and former NPS employees are deeply disgusted that the
agency’s paranoia has extended into remote wilderness areas where
incidents requiring the use of lethal force are virtually
non-existent.
My hat is off to you for having the
guts to print a cartoon that, while offensive to some, tells it
like it is.
Tom
Suk
South Lake Tahoe,
California
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Hats off to Stiles.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
