I've been meaning to post about this since Sunday, but the new Ken Burns documentary series is just outstanding. Riveting stories, gorgeous cinematography, flawlessly edited. And there's lots of old-timey silliness to make me laugh (photos of idiot Victorian people in giant skirts and pantaloons dangling over the edges of ravines, for example).
The one thing that keeps rolling through my head, though, is that there's no way in hell modern politicians would allow such a process to occur. Of course there was massive political and economic opposition to the initial forming the national parks and monuments, but can you imagine today's Republicans reacting to the "government takeover" of open spaces? And I don't think the Democrats would have the spine to take them on.
It also adds a little perspective on this: