PRIVATE EYE

from City Weekly June 30, 2022

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For the Birds

It’s always struck me as weirdly cosmic how quickly something that seems benignly innocent can beget a trail of events. About a week ago, I was sitting at the kitchen table (my new office since I can still barely walk after knee-replacement surgery), looking at the birds that visit the numerous feeders hanging from decks and trees outside. The many feathered friends that stop by have been a grand relief to me during hundreds of miserable COVIDlonely days with over a dozen bird species plus a squirrel feasting daily. Hummingbirds, chickadees, quail, ducks, woodpeckers, finches, jays and doves all consider my backyard their casa.

I was soon startled when a sparrow went full splat against a kitchen window. Before you start sending emails about how I can prevent such matters, please know that I attempt best bird-safety practices, but birds still fly into our windows and have for 25 years. I walk into glass windows myself. That, plus eating, are all I have in common with birds. The sparrow fell directly to the ground. As I was feeling sorry for the little guy and preparing to tend to him, my occasional-resident Cooper’s hawk swooped in and flew off with him. That explained why the sparrow smacked the window.

He wasn’t the first backyard meal taken by Mr. Cooper. I’ve also seen him snag doves and robins and just as often have found piles of feathers in the yard. I’ve also watched Mr. Magpie venture into bird nests and snag baby chicks or bust the eggs of sparrows and finches. What began as a happy distraction during COVID—becoming a backyard bird watcher—was becoming less happy. Before my eyes, my back yard was turning into Jurassic Park.

So, I went to all the feeders and took them all down. That was that, I thought. No more food for the little birds meant no more food for the bigger birds that ate them. That gave me a clean conscience that I wasn’t contributing to the death of those little birds, conveniently ignoring that the same hawk would find and eat the same birds somewhere else. I didn’t have to see it; therefore, it didn’t happen. I was clean, so to speak. As long as those dang birds didn’t eat each other in my presence, it didn’t happen.

After a few days, I caved. Some of the birds that found pattern in their eating habits kept coming by and giving me the stink eye, like, “Hey, Fatso—how about thinking about us? What kind of featherless provider are you, anyway?” The mourning doves were particularly effective at making me feel guilt—they are so helpless as it is, and they have those mourning eyes. The finches kept perching in the branches near the spot where their black sunflower-seed feeder used to hang. The sparrows, not the most sympathetic of birds, just flew in and flew out, never conceding that their easy food supply had disappeared. But it was the sparrows that set me right.

Above my porch is a forest of wisteria that houses any number of sparrow nests. In recent weeks, I’d watched Mr. Magpie raid those nests, spilling broken eggs onto the porch and poking little chicks to death. I thought they were all goners. But a few days ago, at a point exactly above the back-porch door, I heard the chirping of baby chicks. And I thought, yeah, what’s wrong with me? Like it or not, they depended on me. I could either pretend that by not feeding them, they’d not die somewhere else, or I could put the feeders back up and do at least a smattering of good. Plus, I like birds—as mean, messy and carnivorous as they can be. My not feeding birds was not saving birds.

In the middle of my personal avian drama, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the fulcrum point of nearly every divisive political discussion since it was first ruled on Jan. 22, 1973, when a Texas abortion ban was deemed unconstitutional. It’s also been the laser point of what must be billions of dollars raised by both major political parties as each bore their arms either for or against Roe. For years, I’ve believed that Roe v. Wade would never be overturned because it’s been such a cash cow for American politicians. That’s how stupid I am. The brilliant cynical case made now is that the abortion fights will raise more political dollars than ever with all 50 states engaging in the debate annually (has anyone considered what happens to Utah when it goes blue?), replete with all the hand wringing, teary testimonials and wads of cash tossed to mealy politicians who can’t even patch a highway.

Judging by all the erectile dysfunction commercials on TV, the self-righteous conveniently ignore that such ads promote that it’s OK for a man to get a boner and get his jollies off, but to then selectively shirk all responsibility of fatherhood should a pregnancy occur. If there were a similar ad for women, she would be slut-shamed. This abortion ruling occurs at a time when our society is moving backward to the binary of men vs. women Dark Ages.

Abortions will not end. Only legal abortions. It’s again Jan. 21, 1973. And I’m back to where I was before I took the feeders down. The birds went off to die somewhere else. I should not feel good about that. Nor should any pro-lifer feel good today—they save no lives by merely shutting their eyes. I will help the birds that I can and help the women that I can. My feeders—and support of women’s causes—remain up. CW

Send comments to john@cityweekly.net

Your favorite garden center since 1955 3500 South 900 East | 801.487.4131 www.millcreekgardens.com

HIT: Here Come the Lawsuits

Despite the tone-deaf response to the comically inept Supreme Court decision, there’s good news on the abortion front. There’s more of us than them, we can vote even in gerrymandered districts, lawsuits abound and the Utah Constitution may hold the key. First the tone-deaf response: Sen. Mike Lee called the ruling “an end to the national nightmare.” Of course, it is the beginning, but let’s not gnash teeth. Then, there was the Deseret News’ editorial: “We hope it will ultimately do what Roe v. Wade never did: calm the debate over one of America’s most divisive issues.” The debate has been calm for nearly 50 years during which time women did indeed fend for themselves. Oh, and abortion rates have been going down. So no, Deseret News, this wasn’t the right decision legally or morally. Not if you care about women or the children they bear. The hope now rests with Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, both suing the Legislature, citing, according to The New York Times, “the right to determine family composition and the right to equality between the sexes.”

MISS: Notorious Water Use

As if living in Utah weren’t embarrassing enough, John Oliver got on the bandwagon this week. And he enlisted “God” to emphasize the point. “Utah’s residents use the most water of any Western state and nowhere is it more true than St. George,” with per-person water consumption among the highest. Of course, it’s because of lawns and golf courses, and well, development. Fox13 News tried to help us understand part of the problem with a BYU study that showed we’re watering lawns too much. Of course, the best Utah will do is “encourage” people to do better. Meanwhile, NPR pointed to groups applying for water rights underground, which will sadly deplete the resource. Turnout water has an equity problem, too. Salt Lake’s attempt to plant 1,000 trees on the neglected west side of the city is proving less than successful, partly because of water. But as “God” said to Gov. Spencer Cox, “No, I will not be answering your prayer for rain.”

MISS: Regrettable Analogy

Speaking of our esteemed and naïve governor, let’s talk about the demise of the State Office Building. Bryan Schott of The Salt Lake Tribune tweeted about Cox’s comment on the architecture, which Axios reported this way: “The building served the public well, but over the years, the building’s effectiveness declined, and eventually we no longer provided state agencies what they needed to serve the public effectively,” said Gov. Spencer Cox, likening the current building to “something out of” North Korea. Well, oops. If anything, it was something out of an Ogden native’s immensely creative mind, one whose ancestry was Chinese—not North Korean. William Wing Louie, who died at 98 last year, designed many famous structures in Utah including St. Ann’s Catholic Church and the State Office Building. “Will’s commitment to service and leadership included the architectural, Catholic and underrepresented communities,” his obituary says. But Cox is just happy to tear him down with his building.

How Did We Do, Gerry?

No doubt about it, Utah has a gerrymandering problem. But we’re not alone. The main problem, of course, was the impotence of the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission. No teeth means just that, and the Utah Legislature swooped in with its own version of district lines. “When the commission is not fully independent and not fully made up of just citizens, then it’s less likely to function properly,” said Mark Gaber, the senior redistricting director for the Campaign Legal Center. You can find out more about ours and others’ attempt to create fair maps at Redistricting Progress Report: Grad-

ing America’s Voting Maps with PlanS-

core. A panel will review national trends in the redistricting process and discuss ways advocates can stay engaged. You’ll also find out what to expect now that the maps have been approved. Virtual, Thurs-

day, June 30, 12 noon. Free/register at https://bit.ly/3HR3C20

Prisons and Profits

How do we punish people for crimes, and do we try to rehabilitate them? The answers are “prison” and “no.” In the nation, some attorneys general are in the crosshairs for attempting to reform the prison pipeline. The United States has the highest per-capita incarceration rate, which has led to the largest prison population in the world. Despite attempts to rein in the system, officials have deep financial stakes in extending the reach of the criminal justice system.” At Revenue Over Public Safety—

How Perverse Financial Incentives Warp

the Criminal Justice System, panelists will discuss a new Brennan Center report about the comprehensive steps that need to be taken to unravel financial incentives at the root of the problem. Virtual, Wednes-

day, July 6, 11 a.m. Free/register at https://bit.ly/3y4siRd

Trans Need Community

The transgender community is diverse, yet it is dealing with similar issues across the board. Health and economic outcomes are often far worse for trans people than others. While only 1.6% of U.S. adults identify as trans or nonbinary, they experience disproporitionate vulnerabilities that others do not. Trans Community Nights! are meant to bring together “trans, non-binary, and gender expansive folks age 18+ to find community, make connection and have fun!” Because the issue is far from resolved, these events occur bi-weekly on the first and third Fridays of each month. Virtual, Friday, July

1, 4 p.m., free. https://bit.ly/3tMLGQa

Juneteenth Vigil

Our politicians think it’s hurtful to talk about America’s troubling racial past, but we can’t escape the truth. As the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the U.S., Juneteenth is now a national holiday. In 1865, Galveston, Texas, celebrated the first commemoration of the date of African American Emancipation Day. Join the community on this final day of celebration at the Juneteenth Beloved Community Vigil. International Peace Gar-

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