If you haven’t heard by now, a bunch of assholes had illegal all-terrain vehicle (ATV) ride this weekend through Recapture Canyon in Utah. Not only does this harm our common patrimony of historical sites, but it also interrupted a ceremony for traumatized veterans planned in the park (because Freedom. Or something).

What seems to have riled up this particular pack of batshitloonitarians is the belief that the U.S. government is making decisions affecting local communities without consultation:

Fed up with federal control over lands their families have used for generations, Blanding residents along with out-of-town supporters on Saturday drove all-terrain vehicles into Recapture Canyon, an area rich in prehistoric sites the Bureau of Land Management closed to motorized use seven years ago.

San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman, acting, he said, as a private citizen, organized the ride. It commenced with a rally in Blanding’s Centennial Park protesting what he and more than 200 supporters call federal “overreach” into local jurisdiction. Prompting the protest was BLM’s failure to process San Juan County’s applications for ATV rights-of-way in Recapture, although resentment toward the federal agency here runs much deeper and wider than the canyon that parallels Blanding a few miles to the east.

Where have I witnessed something like that before? Oh, I know!

When you morons get on board with giving DC residents the ability to elect Congressmen and Senators–since every piece of legislation the DC government passes can be reviewed and overturned by Congress–I’ll take your concerns seriously. Until then, make like a tree and shut the fuck up.