C.S. Lewis's 1944 Lecture "The Inner Ring."

William E. Simpson II’s letter is less a policy memo than a moral warning aimed squarely at the machinery of government and public land management. Drawing on C.S. Lewis’s concept of the “Inner Ring,” Simpson argues that too many officials resist innovative, evidence-based solutions—not because the science is weak, but because institutional culture rewards conformity, caution, and allegiance to entrenched interests over genuine stewardship.

There is an uncomfortable truth in that argument. Any man who has spent decades on the land knows bureaucracies often become more devoted to preserving process than solving problems, especially when livelihoods, contracts, and political alliances are involved. Whether one agrees with every aspect of Simpson’s proposal or not, the larger point stands: stewardship demands the courage to revisit assumptions when the land, the science, and the mounting consequences all suggest the old way is failing.

NOTE: this post was originally an email sent to us by Capt. William E Simpson II on January 11, 2026.

We post many communications from the sender, and they can all be found here.

TO: The Honorable Supervisors and Officials of Siskiyou County (and Relevant CA/OR Legislators),

From: Capt. William E. Simpson II - USMM ret.

I write this as a direct, unflinching warning, drawing from one of the most profound moral essays of the 20th century: C.S. Lewis's 1944 lecture "The Inner Ring."

Lewis describes an insidious human temptation—the craving to belong to exclusive, unwritten "inner circles" of power, influence, or acceptance. These rings are not formal organizations; they are subtle, shifting hierarchies of "we" — the people who really know, who decide behind closed doors, who whisper "this is how we always do it." The desire to be inside, and the terror of being left outside, becomes one of the great permanent mainsprings of human action. It drives competition, compromise, and corruption more powerfully than money or ambition alone.

Lewis warns that this passion is most skillful at turning otherwise decent people into scoundrels. The slide begins innocently: a hint over coffee or a drink, disguised as triviality, from someone you're eager to impress — "we always do this," "the public wouldn't understand," "don't make a fuss." You go along, not for gain, but because rejection feels unbearable. The genial face turning cold and contemptuous is too much to face. One small compromise leads to another, always in the "jolliest, friendliest spirit," until integrity erodes and you become something you once despised.

In public service, this manifests as stonewalling great, evidence-based ideas that threaten the comfortable status quo of the "inner ring." Ideas like the Wild Horse Fire Brigade — a humane, cost-effective, ecologically sound proposal to rewild American wild horses on public lands, beyond economic conflicts, reducing excessive fuel loads, mitigating catastrophic wildfires, and cutting toxic smoke that kills tens of thousands annually while costing hundreds of $-billions.

The science is clear:

• The 2025 Huang et al. study shows wildland fires emit 21% more toxic organic compounds than previously estimated.
• The 2024 UCLA study documented over 52,000 premature deaths in California alone from wildfire smoke (2008–2018).
• Extrapolated to the western U.S., this means 30,250–36,300 preventable deaths per year and $181–242 billionin annual economic damage — figures projected to double without intervention.

The Wild Horse Fire Brigade offers a natural solution: horses graze the grass and brush on vacant wild-lands, and manage fuels that cattle avoid and that fuel extreme fires, creating safer landscapes without costly mechanical treatments or prescribed burns that often release even more toxins. Siskiyou County itself recognized a local herd's cultural heritage status in 2022 and entrusted management to advocates — yet broader implementation faces resistance, delays, and dismissal.

This resistance is not always overt malice. Often, it's the quiet loyalty to the "inner ring" — the familiar networks, established interests (livestock grazing priorities, agency routines, political alliances), and fear of rocking the boat. To embrace a bold, outsider idea like rewilding horses risks exclusion from that comfortable circle. So the default becomes stonewalling: endless reviews, "concerns" without action, or outright rejection.

Lewis's prophecy is chilling: yield to this desire, and "you will be a scoundrel." Not overnight, not dramatically — but step by step, until small compromises become habits that shape character and destiny. The end may be scandal, or simply a legacy of inaction while lives and billions are lost to preventable wildfires and resulting deadly toxic smoke.

I urge you: examine your motives in the cold light of a wakeful night. Has the fear of being outside the ring — of appearing "naïf" or disruptive to colleagues, stakeholders, or superiors — ever prompted you to delay, dismiss, or ignore a solution that could save lives?

The quest for the Inner Ring breaks hearts and corrodes integrity. But if you break it — by prioritizing public good, evidence, and moral courage over belonging — you may find yourself unawares in the only circle that truly matters: the one of sound stewards who protect their communities.

The Wild Horse Fire Brigade is not a radical fringe idea; it is a proven, humane path forward. Stonewall it at your peril — not just politically, but morally.

Science has caught up. The body count rises. The choice is yours.

With urgency and hope for real change,

William E. Simpson II
Naturalist, Researcher, Advocate Founder, Wild Horse Fire Brigade Contact: Email: gemmaster7@aol.com / Phone: 858. 212-5762

Reference: C.S. Lewis, "The Inner Ring" (1944 Memorial Lecture, King's College, University of London). Full text widely available online, including in collections like The Weight of Glory. Key warning: "Of all the passions, the passion for the Inner Ring is most skillful in making a man who is not yet a very bad man do very bad things."

Report on the Escalating Human and Economic Toll of Wildfire Smoke in the Western United States:
https://www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org/_files/ugd/6a30c6_0ef236b835484259981b204b9f685b6e.pdf

Full lecture can be found at this link: https://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/

Capt. William E. Simpson II - USMM Ret.
Founder - Exec. Director - Wild Horse Fire Brigade
Ethologist - Author - Conservationist
Wild Horse Ranch
P.O. Bx. 202 - Yreka, CA 96097
Phone: 858. 212-5762
Wild Horse Fire Brigade (https://www.wildhorsefirebrigade.org/)

William E. Simpson II is an ethologist living among and studying free-roaming native species American wild horses. William is the award-winning producer of the micro-documentary film 'Wild Horses'.  He is the author of a new Studyabout the behavioral ecology of wild horses, two published books and more than 500 published articles on subjects related to wild horses, wildlife, wildfire, and public land (forest) management. He has appeared on NBC NEWS, ABC NEWS, CBS NEWS, theDoveTV and has been a guest on numerous talk radio shows including the Lars Larson Show, the Bill Meyer Show, NPR Jefferson Public Radio and NPR National Radio, Global News, The Guardian, and AM BEST TV.

Check out William's Film Freeway account for films, studies, TV & radio interviews, and more HERE:  https://filmfreeway.com/WilliamESimpsonII