Munising Ways
Lies, Honor, and Munising
March, 2004
Significant lies have been given to the people of the Munising area by the federal government. The state government is also implicated, simply by association.
Here is the story.
When the federal government’s park service created the Pictured Rocks National Shoreline, they promised a road through the park. They have never put that road through. Further, they said they would do some sort of commercial development on Grand Island. This has not happened either. Additionally, in creating the park, they removed private owners through condemnation, which the locals objected to.
When townships lose land to public ownership, potential development on that land terminates, property tax revenues go down, and subsequently townships have less monies for operational expenses. In Munising, the situation has become so contentious that there is even talk of returning some public lands to the private sector.
And since Munising is a small town, control of their environment, themselves, their economy, their everything, is less complicated and very possible. They take that control. These people carry on so, that they do not let others take control of their land.
Munising appears to react in an old- fashioned style of honor. And if you betray or cross that honor, you are not forgotten. You are never forgotten–in fact, you are dammed of sorts. They will now only tolerate you because we are all Americans, but your growth with them is finished.
I wonder that maybe a few Munising residents have forgiven. But it does not take much to cause Munising natives to remember, and revive their lingering distrust towards the government. Remember the Feds lied to these people.
The sour experience of Munising has spread across the peninsula: it’s important to recognize that much of the UP acts like a strong extended family. (This excludes Marquette to an extent.) One example of this relatedness: when one high school sports team wins in a sport and travels downstate to compete, all the UP roots for that one team. Then there is the small talk common between counties, and the personal interaction as Yoopers routinely cross county lines for jobs and school (like Texans, long driving distances do not faze them). Loggers in their travels serve to bind together the smaller communities. And when Yoopers meet fellow Yoopers in a far away state such as Missouri, they are very friendly and helpful to one another.
Yoopers envy no one—not Floridians, not Hawaiians, not Texans. They want to be here, body and soul. Many of them, both native and transplants, feel “special” living in the UP, and many choose a lower standard of living rather than move away.
Rest assured that the bonds of the Yoopers between one another are much stronger then anything between residents of Lower Michigan. So, Munising spreads the word about the Federal deception, and that message is: do not trust the government at all. And don’t give them anything, including and most importantly, Yooper Land.
To put it another way, the centrally-located town of Munising may be interpreted as a symbol of the heart of the UP. And when that heart has been betrayed by the feds through lies, then through the circulatory system (communication) just described all the UP knows of that betrayal.
In Munising minds, this perception of government people as crooks is all but permanent. I see this distrust, and recognize it to be true, but I am not as negative. I hear it, but do not feel it in my inner being, like they do, although I do not blame them. To me there is a greater gain, and therefore, I feel I must try to bridge the gap. One reason for my brighter view is that I believe in the spirit of contract law. I believe a contract is a basis of civil humanity, a basis of our government.
I want to create a contract between the state legislators and the Yoopers. That contract will be quite creative. Yet, it will still be a contract. It will be an unusual expression of words. But so be it. And it will be signed by both parties, with penalty clauses should one betray the other. And the right to terminate, clearly spelled out. To me it is a matter of recognizing the truth, and a willingness or inner strength to express it and subsequently place that truth on the table.
Why tell the Munising story? What does this have to do with the price of tea in China? The answer is honor, connected to what I call the law of opposites. Our government has little honor, while Munising has much honor. See, Munising will demand “honor.” As the rest of the Upper Peninsula will. It is for the legislators to match this honor, to be willing to accept the terms of the contract I create with the Yoopers. The legislators must be willing to listen to and abide by the will of the people, the local people, if this Four Parks vision is to find a reality..
Sadly, some people say that the feds speak “with a forked tongue.” History can back up this statement--many native American tribes and nations can attest to this. Also common is the perception that federal and state agencies have a wonderful ability to mess things up. One might ask why–maybe it’s their bureaucracy. Or maybe arrogance. I need to eliminate much of that.
A conclusion is: The legislators or down-staters or trolls, have to politely ask the Yoopers to trade their land. Ask, with imperative respect. Ask with honor, keeping in mind that the Yooppers feel it’s like dealing with the devil. The Yoopers do not want to do something with troll land. Yet the trolls control much of the Yooper land. What kind of justice is this? So, let it go. If I can make it so.
*1 (The foundation of the behavior is: When you are out in the forest, in maybe 3 -5 feet of deep snow, and your neighbor is a half mile away, you tend to help your neighbor because of the meaning of the word, help. A pleasant result is there will come a time when you yourself will need help. Maybe you are in a two-day rain storm as Lake Superior is dumping on you. It is the tradition of the forest--help your neighbor as you would have your neighbor help you. One does not leave a person stranded out in the middle of nowhere. Not only do you help someone, but you build friends. Actually the old frontier was this way, but the UP is still this way, as much as is possible; and it is a good thing)