Nerditorial: One More Reconveyance Related Story

Because the coroner hasn't arrived to declare this particular horse dead just yet.

I make a point of monitoring two weekend programs on KGMI.

Saturday Morning Live hosted by Kris Halterman

and Whatcom Report hosted by Ken Oplinger

By monitoring these shows, I am attempting to get a sense of the conservative mindset in the County. It is far from perfect, but every so often I get an insight. Whether or not these insights are worth the effort taken to stumble upon them is a question that goes beyond the scope of this article.

This week, both programs discussed the Reconveyance. And neither host was inclined to support a vote in favor of the Reconveyance.

Ken Oplinger didn't take a hard line against the Reconveyance. Instead, he presented himself as having an open mind on the matter. And in his case, his open mind approach is to ask for more time to study the economic impacts of the Reconveyance.

Since the September 11th hearing, the County Council has held three additional hearings on the matter of the Reconveyance, and after these hearings, Mr Oplinger finds himself with more questions than answers.

He seems to feel that we need more time, and we need an unbiased study of the economic impacts. Because, apparently, six years wasn't enough time to bring any of this up.

Kris Halterman took a hard line against the Reconveyance. She comes from the school of thought that the Reconveyance is a disastrous mistake that must not be made and must be fought at all costs.

During the March 9th, 2013 broadcast, Ms Halterman, and her guest Glen Morgan, got their Mulder and Scully on and discussed the sinister machinations of the shadowy (and possibly extra-terrestrial) cabal of evil-doers that calls itself the Whatcom Land Trust.

No, seriously... take a look...

Halterman: ...they [the County] were going to give over all of the management and control of this land to Whatcom Land Trust... which meant they are going to make money on it... because they are going to lease this land out to people for... who get grants... do studies... whatever they chose... you know... they pick and chose what can actually happen on there... and all of the liability goes to the taxpayers... 

Morgan: Right... That's exactly the issue... at the end of the day... the other part of this to look at is... Who benefits? and its... follow the money... and in this case its the Whatcom Land Trust and associated groups... that... and we see this all over Washington state... whether it's the Whatcom Land Trust here... Capital Land Trust in Thurston County... various land trusts are groups who may have started out with good intentions... but for the most part now... a lot of them are acting like... basically... financial... collection points where they can collect grant money... all kinds of... ways... it's basically kind of an internal jobs and money program... for them to collect our taxpayer dollars... to... do things... with almost no oversight... 

(crosstalk) 

...they're basically using their political influence and that money then... to keep getting more power and money for themselves...

The program went to commercial break shortly after that. As such, there is no way to confirm whether or not the host and her guest spent their time during the during the break speaking in hushed tones about how the Whatcom Land Trust will follow up by infecting the Tea Party with the Alien Black Oil Virus or stealing Scully and Mulder's Love Child-slash-Plot-Device... so strict journalistic standards compel me to assume that they did. 

The cunning plan of Whatcom Land Trust, as told by Ms Halterman, appears to conform to the Underpants Gnomes business plan of South Park fame.

Step One: Get Control of the Reconveyed Land 

Step Two: 

Step Three: Profit

It's a very simple plan, Krycek. First we get control over the Reconveyance. Then, we... DO THINGS... with it. Evil Things.

Those magnificent BASTARDS. And they might even get away with it, too.

And I'll have to end here. I see that Mulder has left an X made of tape on his window, so I gotta go pick up some alien DNA and some sunflower seeds.

'Nerd Out.