Blog Posts

A Couple Days at The Mansion

10/15/2015

Mike Hiestand presenting 2015 Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards during Sept. 29 ceremony at the Playboy Mansion. [Photo by Elayne Lodge, Playboy.com]

I was honored to be a judge of the 2015 Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards. The awards were presented September 29, 2015, at a ceremony at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California.

I presented the award in the Education category to Prof. Steve Listopad for his work in enacting North Dakota's student free expression law and to Malkia Cyril in the Government category for her work in the net neutrality movement. Other 2015 winners included: Prof. Zephyr Teachout (Book Publishing), James Risen (Print Journalism) and Victor Navasky (Lifetime Achievement).

This was my second visit to the Mansion. I met with my fellow judges Pamela Samuelson and Ron Brownstein in March where we were treated to a personal tour of the home and grounds by Hugh Hefner's daughter and former Playboy CEO, Christie Hefner. For a home history buff, as I am, getting an up-close look at one of the most famous homes on Planet Earth and presenting "Hef" with his very own Home History Book was pretty awesome indeed!

Announcing the "Don't Stop" Campaign

7/23/2015

I hereby announce the "Don't Stop Campaign." I propose all Stop Signs be immediately replaced by Yield Signs.

A yield sign IS a stop sign for people that are committed to thinking for and taking responsibility for themselves. If your first reaction is, "Are you nuts?" -- please take a breath and think about why you have such a reaction. A yield sign requires that you stop when necessary, when the existing conditions warrant. Under this plan, for example, you are not required to stop at a 4-way stop at 3am in the morning with not another car or person in sight simply because the government has erected a red metal symbol and put it on a pole that tells you to. At noon, when the intersection is busy, you'll need to do what you do now.

A Yield Sign says: "Be Aware. Act Accordingly." Unless your view is perfectly clear, a yield sign at 3am stills probably means slowing down to check your surroundings. If another car happens to be there, the yield sign automatically converts to a stop sign. If you screw up, you're responsible.

The Big Question: Are you ready to think for yourself?

Saying What They Need to Say...

7/1/2015

The New Kids are here. And they have something to say. It's time we listened.

With a new twist to Tiananmen Square's Tank Man, Zea Bowling is the latest to take the stage.

From HuffPo: "Zea, a 7-year-old first grader, stood firm in the face of hate over the weekend at a celebration of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. When a preacher began ranting at her through a microphone, little Zea quietly waved her rainbow flag and never backed down."

Check out the video of their encounter, below.

Shaman's Cave - Sedona

6/19/2015

So it was about a year ago -- actually on the Summer Solstice 2014 -- that I spent the night in Shaman's Cave in Sedona. I was in the area to speak to my favorite annual gathering of high school journalism advisers at Arizona State University. I'd stumbled across a brief mention of the cave and, with a free day before the conference, it sounded like a cool thing to do.

And it was.

I can't say that I had the same vivid experience as some others, but there was a very special feeling to this place and there was a moment, sitting quietly, where I clearly received a very simple message I needed to hear.

I had promised one of the volunteer rangers at the Forest Service Visitors' Center -- who had never been to the cave (also known as Robbers' Roost), but always wanted to -- that I'd send her information on my experience. I've also been asked to share by a number of folks I've spoken with since, many of whom would suddenly start talking about Sedona, prompting me to share my story. And giving me a nudge as well...

So -- on the anniversary of my trip -- in case you also feel called to Shaman's Cave :) -- here's my report.

Shaman's Cave (aka Robber's Roost), Sedona, Arizona. Summer Solstice 2014. [Photo by Mike Hiestand]

June 30, 2014

Hi Kathy. Mike here. I was in the Visitor's Center a little more than a week ago asking about Robber's Roost and you said you'd never been but weren't sure if your car could make it. As promised, here's my report. :)

Thanks for your help. Happy Trails.

SHAMAN'S CAVE/ROBBERS ROOST

This is definitely not a hike I'd advertise for all, but if someone asks, here's my take.

First, you can do it without a high-clearance vehicle. I had a rental car (some sort of Kia thing). As I mention below, a low-clearance vehicle gets you within about a 30-minute walk from the trailhead. A high-clearance vehicle gets you within about 5-10 minutes of the trailhead. You just have to go slow. Once I left 89A, I kept it under 25 MPH pretty much the whole way. I would definitely not go if it's been raining. There were a number of dry stream beds I had to cross that would likely be unpassable. There was just one spot where I really had to crawl along one side of the road to avoid some rocks and ruts, but it was totally do-able. I didn't feel I was pushing things. Going at that slow pace, the drive from 89A to the parking spot I mention below took about 45 minutes.

I've tried to give directions below, but I would strongly suggest you pick up the Forest Service's "Motor Vehicle Use Map" for Coconino National at the Visitor's Center. It's free. If you don't get one, I've taken a pic of the relevant portion of the trail. It's good piece of mind.

DIRECTIONS:

Take 89A south of the “Y,” approximately 9.5 miles, just before Mile Marker 364, and turn right on Red Canyon Rd. (FR 525). Continue ahead apx. 2.25 miles, then turn left onto FR 525C; drive for quite some time (I would guess about 25 minutes). You'll pass a horse corral on the right (around FR 9551); continue apx. .5 mile until you see a road marked FR 9530.

Some cars continued on FR 9530 to the parking area at the top of the hill, but if you have a low clearance vehicle, I would park at the bottom. You could probably do it if you went really, really, really slow, but I parked in the turnout at the bottom and walked about 30 minutes up a fairly gentle uphill road to the trailmarker (some modest sized rock cairns -- no official signs).

A Red Rock Pass is required for parking, which you can pick up at the visitor's center when driving into Sedona from the Interstate.

Once you're on the trail, you'll head down a bit into a depression before heading back up to the big "rock" (it's more than a rock; I'm sure there is a name for it) in which the cave is located. If you know where you're going, it's probably only about a 20-minute hike. Unfortunately, you'll probably not know where you're going the first time if you're by yourself. And the trail is not esp. well marked after a point so get there with plenty of light and time to spare. The cave is on the opposite side from the trailhead and you won't see it until you're almost upon it. So once you make your way up to the midpoint of the rock (the trail is pretty clear to that point) you'll need to make your way around the side of it until you find the cave. Some people go right (I did -- after losing the trail going left.) That "trail" sucks and can get a bit dicey (definitely not a trail for kids). You should go to the left (the northeast side of rock). If you lose the trail going horizontal and you need to climb up towards the top, do so until you see an easier path. The left path -- once you figure it out -- is actually not too bad. Coming down -- when I knew where I was going -- was a breeze.

The cave is worth a trip. It is a sacred site for Native Americans and others. Lots of lore -- and lots of reported "stuff."
See, e.g.: http://spiritlibrary.com/earth-keeper/earth-keeper-chronicles/sacred-sedona-the-stargate-of-shamans-dome

I spent the Summer Solstice there by myself (well, not exactly by myself -- I had a number of bat and cockroach friends as company.) It's a night I'll always remember. A beautiful sunset, moonrise, stars and sunrise....

Oh What a Night! (And Year)

7/25/2014

A proverbial cherry on the top of an already dream-like experience, Mary Beth Tinker and I were recognized as the 2014 winners of the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award in Education. Christie Hefner presented the awards during a May 20 ceremony at the Newseum, in Washington, DC.

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Mike Hiestand

Mike Hiestand is the founder of Zenger Consulting. He is currently Senior Legal Counsel with the Student Press Law Center. He was the staff attorney for the nonprofit Center, located just outside Washington, D.C., between 1991-2003 and worked as the Center’s sole consulting attorney until 2012. He continues to assist student media via the Center's legal hotline and works with the SPLC on special projects affecting the student press community. Over the years, he has provided media law and First Amendment help to nearly 18,000 high school and college student journalists and their advisers.

He is also the founder and president of Houstory Publishing, creators of the Home History Book archival journal and The Heirloom Registry.