It’s a pretty good bet that the ACLU or other groups involved with individual rights and privileges already are gearing up to fight a proposal to ban cell phones from many of the major public areas of national parks. Such a ban would be sure to trigger a rush of complaints about alleged infringement of human rights. We can be sure some convoluted interpretations of the First Amendment will be projected forthwith.

But look at it from this angle. You’re vacationing in a pristine natural area, say Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. You’ve decided to get up early to traverse such regions as Bear Lake, Jenny Lake or any other locales where peace and quiet is paired with glorious scenery. You haven’t been on the hiking path long before you suddenly are bombarded with someone’s loud, penetrating voice broadcasting something like:

“Yeah, Charlie, I’m up here walking around Bear Lake and I’m really enjoying the peace and quiet. What are the chances of our getting that big contract with that heavy hitter? No, don’t let Sam handle it; he’s too soft. Let’s really go all out on this one. This may be Bear Lake but I haven’t seen hide nor hair of any bear. Did sight a chipmunk. But back to ‘the deal.’ That’s the important thing now and we need to get right on it. I’ll try to get back in a few days and :”

It would be bad enough if the boorish “hiker” lowered his voice or, wonder of wonders, ended the conversation quickly. But he continues blathering away about the wife and kids, the way the car’s been running at altitude and how the home team fared the past weekend. He, like so many of his overbearing colleagues of public utterance is so enthralled by his own tones he can’t bear to bring the narrative to a close.

We can be sure there will be more such happenings throughout the park during the day ahead, much to the consternation of surrounding victims. Perhaps you haven’t run into such insensitive creatures in a national park, but surely you have heard them showing off in airports, supermarkets or just walking along a downtown street or sauntering across a university campus.

More power to officials who figure out a workable ban on cell phones in national parks. There can be “call stations” where people can go to ply their cell outreach or accept contacts, which they have set up by appointment. And it’s fair enough for people to have “silenced” phones, with buzzers, for emergencies such as injuries, heart attacks and the like.

But people go to national parks in part to get away from the yapping and jabbering they hear too often in their everyday lives. There need to be steps taken to eliminate, or at least greatly minimize, such intrusions.