 |
|  |
 |
|  |
 |
|  |
 |
|  |
 |
|  |
 |
|  |
 |
|
Lincoln
|
|
The forests need to be put into the care of conservationists like Teddy Roosevelt. He preserved millions of acres when he was in office and established several national parks that both people and animals enjoy. Radicals on both sides of the issue just create animosity where there doesn't need to be any. As least some of the fires that are now burning in the west could have been brought under control by now if reasonable people were allowed to clear the forests of dead wood and thin them some and maintain fire roads. Now we have hundreds of square miles destroyed and made a wasteland. In the process precious animals were burned alive along with the endangered species that were supposed to be protected.
So now what do the extremists say about this? They say that forest fires are part of the natural course of events so therefore we should let them burn! Meanwhile whole cities are in the paths of these fires But I suppose the possibility of wiping out millions of 'evil' people is appealing to some of these nuts.
Yes, forest fires are a part of nature and a renewal process will begin after the burn but there is now a small factor that must be considered as we let nature take its course: People.
|
|
|  |
 |
|
Ecthy
|
|
Zhonghuà Rénmín Gònghéguó
Mar 2000 time: 06:20
|
|
Ugh... I... uh.. am.
|
|
|  |
 |
|
Ecthy
|
|
Zhonghuà Rénmín Gònghéguó
Mar 2000 time: 06:20
|
|
Dear Stefu,
Please stop dearing around.
Dears dearly
Rudolf the Reindear
Fez says no? Fez get needs otherwise?
|
|
|  |
 |
|
ixnay
|
|
ACS Staff: 'RoN' Content Editor
|
 |
I <3 etna, omg disgaea fag
Jan 1970 time: 22:20
|
|
Here's today's article:
quote: Earth First! members vow to continue efforts
Their climbing ropes and harnesses exchanged for jail-orange jumpsuits, a pair of Earth First! protesters answered to charges of felony criminal endangerment in Missoula Justice Court on Thursday, insisting they are innocent and should not have to post $70,000 each in bail money.
But Justice of the Peace Karen Orzech granted a prosecutor's request and told Sean McCoy and Stephanie Valle that they'll stay in jail until they come up with the money.
And if they do make bail, she said, they cannot have any contact with one another or with five other Earth Firsters arrested during an anti-logging protest on the Madison Street Bridge on Wednesday.
Valle, 19, told the judge she is from McCall, Idaho, and moved to Missoula 10 months ago. She's not a criminal, she said. "I got a smoking ticket when I was 16 and a drinking ticket when I was 17. I don't have a criminal record, and this crime was nonviolent."
Early on Wednesday afternoon, Valle and McCoy attached ropes to a logging truck and rappeled off the top of the Madison Street Bridge, dangling above the Clark Fork River. Five of their friends were arrested and charged with misdemeanors for their part in the spectacle - they jumped in front of the truck so it would stop.
The idea was to protest the logging of burned trees in the Bitterroot National Forest. In doing so, though, the protesters commanded the attention of three fire stations "and left the city of Missoula without fire protection," said Deputy Missoula County Attorney Jennifer Johnson.
Throughout the rescue, firefighters were at great risk, Johnson said. The Clark Fork was just 3 feet below flood stage and was so muddy that firefighters could not see what was below them. McCoy and Valle not only endangered themselves, she said, they endangered everyone in town.
The protesters, though, asked Orzech to let them go free, without bail.
McCoy, 27, told the judge that he was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho, and worked most recently as a smokejumper based in Redmond, Ore. He's been in Missoula for the past six or eight months, he said, and should be trusted to stick around while he awaits trial.
"I am a nonviolent person," he said. "I served in the military for four years. I am going to appear. I have supported the community for a few years, and have been a part of the Missoula smokejumpers as well. I don't feel $70,000 is quite right."
Orzech wasn't fazed. "Is there a smokejumper in the court who actually knows Mr. McCoy?" she asked the audience. (McCoy and Valle were not in the room, but appeared via television from jail.)
No one raised a hand, thus Orzech's requirement for $70,000 in bail per person. McCoy and Valle will be provided with public defenders who can then ask for a bail reduction hearing, she said.
"I just don't have enough information about who you are, where you're from and exactly what you're doing in this community," Orzech said.
The judge also kept a short leash on 16 Earth Firsters who came to court for Thursday afternoon's hearing, warning one who spoke out during the proceedings to "stand when you address the court."
"And you'll ask permission in the future," she said. No one else spoke or made any sound. Six sheriff's deputies - three inside the courtroom and three just outside the door - stood ready to enforce the rules.
Afterward, on the sidewalk outside the Courthouse, Earth Firster Molly Karp said "the court isn't going to be able to stop people from acting against the Bitterroot salvage scam."
"If these kind of acts keep the issue out in front of the public, then we'll continue our protests," said Karp, who was one of the five charged with misdemeanors for stepping in front of the logging truck. They pleaded innocent in Municipal Court on Wednesday.
If the judge wants to make McCoy and Valle feel isolated by keeping them in jail, she will not succeed, Karp insisted. "I would be glad to go sit in jail to sit in solidarity with them. We are not going to stop."
Which is exactly why Johnson said she asked for the high bail.
"My information is that this is just the first of this kind of protest for the summer," she said. "This high bail is needed to deter further misconduct and to ensure public safety."
|
|
|
|  |
 |
|  |
All times are GMT. The time now is 05:20. Apolyton Time is 00:20. |
top of page
|
| archivepost |
|
Forum Rules:
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
|
HTML code is ON
vB code is ON
Smilies are ON
[IMG] code is ON
|
|
|
|
|
|