The move to designate the Swamp Cedars near Ely as Nevada’s newest National Monument appears to be picking up steam. Both of Nevada’s U.S. senators support the idea and have pushed hard to get it on the desk of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

The website advocating for the Swamp Cedars – Bahsahwahbee – to be designated a National Monument calls the place “a ceremonial and pilgrimage site where thousands of Indigenous Newe Peoples gathered every year. But during the 19th century, this valley became the killing fields as the Newe suffered eleven massacres. Bahsahwahbee is at the heart of the three largest massacres, one being the largest known Indian massacre in US history, which all occurred at times of religious gatherings.”

Some members of Nevada’s tribes believe that the Swamp Cedars “embodies the spirits of the men, women and children who were killed.” In a National Monument setting, I can see a lot of people wanting to visit, especially those interested in spooky paranormal experiences.

Assuming there is no ancillary issue with ceding even more land to the feds for a National Monument, I’m in favor of doing things that remember our history, even the gritty parts. Accurate history is always a good thing.

Secondarily, a National Monument gives visitors another reason to visit rural Nevada. White Pine County has a lot going for it – the Great Basin National Park, the history of the Pony Express, the Loneliest Road in America, Garnet Hill, cool mining history and, of course, some of the best hunting and outdoor recreation in the West. One more point of interest couldn’t hurt.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU, SENATOR

U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto recently visited the site. She joined folks from the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, the Ely Shoshone Tribe, and the Confederated Tribes of Goshute for a tour of the site of the proposed National Monument.

I’m glad she stopped by. But, as politicians often do to exploit a good thing, she ended her press release touting her visit into rural Nevada with this self-serving gem: “ Collaborating with Native leaders, the Senator has delivered millions to Tribal Nations in Nevada to develop housing to serve community elders, veterans, and families, as well as critical federal funding to expand Tribal broadband.”

Please, Sen. Mastos. This is not about you. Drop the Washington boilerplate.

WOKE BLUFF

A funny thing happened to the woke ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s on the 4th of July. While everyone else was celebrating the birth of the greatest nation man has ever known, B&J’s used the holiday to whine about America existing on stolen land from Native Americans.

I’m all for free and robust speech, but what’s the point of having that conversation on the 4th of July, other than being rude and woke-stupid?

(That’s a rhetorical question. No cards or letters, please.)

Anyway, the funny part is the Nulhegan Band of The Coosuk Abenaki Nation asked Ben and Jerry’s to give them back the land upon which Ben & Jerry’s corporate offices sit in Vermont.

Newsweek reports that Ben & Jerry’s headquarters “sits on a vast swathe of U.S. territory that was under the auspices of the Abenaki people before colonization.”

The tribe’s chief told Outkick that “If and when we are approached (by Ben & Jerry’s), many conversations and discussions will need to take place to determine the best path forward for all involved.”

So far, Ben & Jerry’s has gone dark on the topic. Don’t you love it when bluffs get called?

BACKFIRE

A recent poll from The Hill reinforced my biases on Donald Trump’s chances of winning the Nevada primary in 2024. It found about 20 percent of Republicans said certain charges against former President Trump make them more – not less – apt to vote for him.

The two issues seen as profoundly unfair are the felony probe into Trump’s handling of classified material and the BS-infused Manhattan charge of falsified business records.

I don’t know if Ron DeSantis (who I find to be an otherwise solid contender for Nevada sympathies) can find footing here now if he can’t peel off that 20 percent.

ONE MORE THING

– Please do not wear flip-flops if your feet look like you could swoop down out of the sky and snatch your dinner from the lake.

– The worst part about parallel parking is the witnesses.

– Netflix needs to stop asking if I’m still watching and start asking if I’ve switched the laundry yet.

– Lab grown meat? Yeah, put it right over there by the Bud Lite.

Thanks for reading. Until next week, avoid knuckleheads, laugh a little and always question authority.

“Properly Subversive” is commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick, a Nevada Hall of Fame journalist and co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@ gmail.com.