EF! Fined $1million in Idaho

[charliew]

In article 
<Pine.A41.3.95b.961111161429.19760C-100000 at homer09.u.washing
ton.edu>,
   "D. Braun" <dbraun at u.washington.edu> wrote:

>Well, we still don't have double-hulled tankers or tug 
escorts required
>by law; I guess money talks.  The salvage rider released 
dozens of sales
>which had been withdrawn earlier because of conflicts with 
the
>environmental laws, and allowed additional sales to be 
offered in the name
>of "salvage" which had all oversight through the law set 
aside. Funny
>thing, many sales full of live trees were then offered 
which were not
>before the rider, or had been dropped due to pblic outcry. 
Any old-growth
>forest has dead trees in it-- and they are all ripe for 
"salvage"-- they
>also have trees that cxan be worth $30,000 each, which 
supposedly belong
>to the public. The government ignores the popular law
>of the land in a blatant sell out to a corporate 
interest--- and
>some citizens get pissed enough to go out and do some 
economic sabotage.
>Sure, when caught, they should pay a fine--- but 50 times 
the value of the
>equipment? Sounds like more of the same-- fits right in 
with the
>world-view that brought us the Salvage Rider and the slap 
on the wrist for
>Exxon:  screw the environment, I want mine. This is not a 
good thing.

Dave,

you (and your environmentalist friends) seem to be 
forgetting one very important fact.  You live in a 
democracy.  This means that the majority should have 
something to say about the matter.  The last time that I 
checked, a small minority of special interest zealots was 
not making public policy for the whole country.  

You need to continue to try to convince the mainstream 
public that the sky is falling, in order to garner more 
support.  However, I reserve the right to point out the 
flaws in your arguments (when I can spot the flaws), so 
don't expect that me or others will just step aside while 
you sow fear and panic.  Gee, ain't free speech great?!

Have a nice day.