I’m trying to take in Ken Burns’ new National Park series. The 1 hour I’ve gotten through is new age, metaphysical poppycock provided by talking heads that seem to just want to make history up as they go along.

It is said during program that Lincoln signed bill of setting aside Sierra Nevada range by a talking head (I think it’s Carl Pope with Sierra Club) that Lincoln saved the land for his realizing the majestic beauty and for the destruction done by people moving west. Yet, Lincoln had never seen this land, the reports were sporadic at best (No cell phones at the time, remember) about any and all western movement and Lincoln was very preoccupied with the Civil War at the time. Yet this fellow portrayed the signing as nearly a religious experience.

This thing goes on and on by discarding parks made by a God and paints some other New Age phenomenon as the cause.

Burns should just worry about history and avoid at all costs commentary and politically correct nonsense. Where he has history, it is excellent. The excess blathering is not. Our parks are too important to treat them like this and getting Americans to experience the parks even more so.

* I’ll probably add to this later *