Illustration by Cody Angell

Apparently Gov. Jane Dee Hull will remain her divisive, finger-pointing self, right up until the end of her lame duck term. If the alternative fuel fiasco didnât convince at least a few voters that electing her was not their brightest move, this yearâs budget should have sealed it.

Our universities are laying off staff members instead of giving them pay raises, our state parks are closing to the public, K-12 education still remains near the worst in the nation, and our children and seniors are still doing without proper medical care. Such a legacy! As if this werenât enough, she did the unthinkable in a recent speech concerning the Rodeo-Chediski in the White Mountains.

ăClean forests are the way to go,ä she preached. ăWe have got to get it together and clean up our forests! The word just does not seem to get back to the environmentalists who keep us from cleaning up the forests.ä

Has Gov. Hull started taking forestry classes? It was news to me that environmentalists so strongly opposed ăcleanä forests. I also wasnât aware that Gov. Hull was such an expert at preventing fires.

She might be interested to know that many environmental groups support prescribed burns (in fact, nearly all environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, support them, unlike her beloved property rights groups). She might also be interested to see that where prescribed burns have taken place in Navajo County, the Forest Service has reported less aggressive behavior in the Rodeo-Chediski Fire.

Something tells me she didnât intend to promote prescribed burns as the preventative solution to such disastrous fires. In fact, she briefly mentioned increased logging in her speech. Believe it or not, some environmental groups also support thinning out our forests. Sandy Bahr of the Sierra Clubâs Grand Canyon Chapter said the only thing her organization has opposed is the cutting of large, mature trees, which are the most resistant to fires anyway.

Logging companies, hungry for Arizonaâs forests to be opened for clear cutting, are ready to capitalize on this tragedy. I suppose if there were no forests, there would be no forest fires.

Indeed, tragic fires like the Rodeo-Chediski blaze should cause us to reexamine our forestry policies. More prescribed burns may be necessary, and while they should be controlled, some lightning-caused fires might merit being allowed to burn.

But pointing the finger as the governor has done ÷ to frighten evacuated residents into believing that people who love the forest are to blame for this fire ÷ is irresponsible to say the least. If she can question whether people who disagree with her have sympathy for the victims of this fire, she doesnât have to present facts. And she hasnât.

Tucson news anchor Patty Weiss said, ăThe environmentalists and the governor are going to have to sit down and talk about this if any solution is to be reached.ä

That they must, but it is the governor ÷ not the environmentalists ÷ who is making accusations and appearing unwilling to talk.

Hullâs record shows she doesnât always take into account the best interests of preventing forest fires. She is a known supporter of increased cattle grazing on our public lands.

But Robin Silver of the Center for Biological Diversity pointed out that the overgrazing of our forest lands after many of the large trees have been removed has allowed brush and smaller trees to proliferate, thus increasing the risk of fires like this one. Miraculously, Hull has left cattle grazing out of the equation when it comes time for her to blame someone for this tragedy.

As a result of Hullâs mandated budget cuts, seven state parks will close indefinitely on July 8, while another three will close indefinitely on Nov. 1. Without funding for state park rangers, how exactly is the state parks system supposed to prevent people from illegally entering the parks and accidentally starting forest fires?

Heaven forbid this should happen. Iâm sure the governor will once again blame the environmentalists as well as the incompetence of the state parks system. Itâs typical of our governor (not to mention just about every office-holding Republican in our state) to vote against funding something and later complain that it doesnât work.

Republican governors in our state have a proven track record of cuddling up to special interests, finger pointing and demonstrating scandalous behavior. After Gov. Hullâs performance (or lack thereof) in her lame duck term, how any Arizonan of any party affiliation could possibly vote for another Republican governor, I cannot fathom.