A step-brother who works for the US Forest Service in the Sierras tells me of constant harassment by these loons. Or wackenoids as Chuck Grimes called 'em.
Michael Pugliese
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3962a3e26de6.htm Great series of photos. Howard Phillips needs a better suit!
http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/cmnps05fm.cfm?SegID=76251 Sadie Babits of member station KBSX reports on the Shovel Brigade, a group of activists founded by a Nevada assemblyman. The group re-opened a road in a Nevada National Forest yesterday, despite a federal court order against it. Members see the action as a protest against too much federal control. (3:40)
http://www.zwire.com/news/newsstory.cfm?newsid=604894&title=Road%20rebels%20 remove%20%91Liberty%20Rock%92&BRD=1124&PAG=461&CATNAME=Top%20Stories&CATEGOR YID=410 Road rebels remove 'Liberty Rock' Jul 5 2000 12:00AM By By GARY BEGIN
Photos: Top: Shovel Brigade volunteers pull the huge rock dubbed "Liberty" by the crowd of supporters of opening the Jarbidge South Canyon Road. From Left : TJ Agenbroad of Elko, Jon Karr of Elko, Mike Pierce of St. George Utah and Morris Moody, Farm Bureau president of Sweetwater County, Wyo. (with shovel, far right). (Ross Andréson/Free Press) Bottom: Helen Wilson, 90, takes in the sights as she rides in the first vehicle driven over the reopened South Canyon Road yesterday, outside Jarbidge. Hundreds of protesters worked in shifts to level a rock berm that the U.S. Forest Service constructed to block access on the road. (Associated Press) Peaceful protest unblocks road JARBIDGE - Anti-road-closure supporters yesterday successfully removed a 10,000-pound boulder, dubbed the "Liberty Rock" by participants, and partially cleared a 900-foot section of the South Canyon Road here in defiance of several federal agencies that have combined to keep the road closed for the last five years. Standing on top of one of three boulders placed by the U.S. Forest Service to block vehicle access to the road, Elwood Mose, chairman of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone, told the crowd "You are the new Indians." Nevada Assemblyman John Carpenter, R-Elko, one of the three original "road rebels" from last year sued by the Justice Department and then forced into mediation, said today of the event, "It couldn't have been better." "It was a great event and a compliment to the people who would come that far and be so dedicated and courteous," he said. Carpenter said the event was "patriotic." "This is a precedent-setting, grass-roots movement. The Feds have to start paying attention to the people," Carpenter said. He also said he was particularly moved when one lady, known as "Grandma C" was able to drive her wheelchair through the opening and onto the "fixed" road. "That was a really emotional moment," he said. "Access for the handicapped is a big reason for this whole thing," Carpenter said. "This is a victory for multiple land use," he said. Carpenter said of the massive police presence, "They only needed one cop. Who would want to cause trouble with a group like ours?" Mose, vice president of the Jarbidge Shovel Brigade, a self-described group of citizens for multiple-use of public lands, said not to believe any contracts or deals made with federal agencies because the government broke promises made to Native Americans in the past. These new deals, especially the recently agreed-on mediation proposal for a solution to the road stand-off, were no different than previous agreements and road advocates can expect promises to be broken again, he said. At least 100 road supporters from throughout America manned ropes and chanted "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" as they gave a group tug, repeating the process about 10 more times, until the huge rock was moved far enough to satisfy the mission's organizers. The ceremonious, symbolic, non-violent "opening of the gate" as it was called, was preceded by speeches, group prayer, the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, the Pledge of Allegiance and several folk songs. A combination of ropes, chains and shear muscle power were used to move the "Liberty Rock." Although an estimated 50 or so protesters were "armed to the teeth" by their own admission in case of trouble from "greenies," no shots were fired except for a few varmint hunters high in the hills during the previous weekend. The "Jarbidge Tea Party" as some nicknamed the two-day event, attracted about 500 supporters, along with at least 50 members of the media, about 20 anti-road opening environmentalists, mostly from the Great Old Broads For Wilderness, a group that promised to literally "clean-up the mess left by others," and about 100 lawmen. After the pomp and circumstance, everyone on both sides adjourned to the town's only two bars for dust-clearing libations and food. There were no fights, no major accidents and no known arrests despite the presence of at least five law enforcement agencies, complete with dogs. In 1995, heavy snowmelt and several inches of rain caused a section of the rural dirt road to wash out. Subsequently, the Forest Service decided against reopening the road, the bull trout was declared endangered, Elko County and some of its citizens tried to reopen it, the Forest Service then blocked the road with tons of dirt and boulders and legal battles ensued. As late as last Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department was asking a federal judge for a restraining order to stop the Brigade from using shovels and other non-mechanical means to remove the blockade for fear of endangering the bull trout, found in the adjacent Jarbidge River, and violating the Clean Water Act because of dirt and debris expected to land in the river from the reopening. In an unexpected decision against the government, U.S. District Judge Philip Pro of Las Vegas denied injunctive relief while simultaneously telling government and anti-government forces that no injunction was needed to enforce violations of federal law that may occur. Pro went on to say that if any laws were broken, the U.S. Justice Department was free to prosecute those responsible. Road-opening organizers were expecting as many as 5,000 people to descend on the tiny northeastern Nevada former gold-mining town tucked into the mountains and surrounded by national forest, with a year-round population of about 30, but they said they weren't disappointed by the turnout and were extremely pleased with the end result. The only Elko County commissioner in attendance, or at least visible and vocal, was Nolan Lloyd, who joined Brigade leaders Demar Dahl, Mose, Grant Gerber, Carpenter and Jim "the rock man" Muth in praising the people in attendance and their shared cause of land-use rights. Organizers attracted citizens from as far away as Rhode Island, Arizona and Virginia including those expecting trouble and armed accordingly. Kevin Neal of Junction City, Ohio belongs to a psuedo-militia style Internet organization called subguns.com. He and several other members were in attendance and often mentioned how they were ready if trouble started. "We are here to protect the Brigade," he said. Derek Cooper, a ham radio hobbyist and government worker from Ridgecrest, Calif., said he was in Jarbidge to lend a hand if any emergencies flared requiring radio support. Cooper also is a strong advocate of road openings and against further closures because, in his own words, "I can't hike anymore." Cooper belongs to the Multiple Land Use Coalition, a California group, and said he has suffered numerous injuries and had several operations over the years and must have access to parks by motor vehicle or he would have no access at all. Roland Fuerst, 52, and his wife Susan from Sierra Vista, Ariz., were on hand to support the road cause. "We're having the same kind of problems in Arizona and I wanted to be able to support the Brigade. It's symbolic, but I feel it's important," he said. Fuerst said he and his wife have attended many "roadless initiative" meetings sponsored by the Forest Service and "every time they ignore what we say." J.J. Johnson of Pahrump, the Libertarian Nevada U.S. Senate candidate for the retiring Sen. Richard Bryan's seat, said "Nye County (Nevada) people are giving their unequivocal support to this issue." Johnson said the road closure in Jarbidge shows how "the U.S. government tramples on our 10th Amendment rights." "My candidacy means more road openings," Johnson said. Constitutional Party presidential candidate Howard Phillips also attended the event and said his party would drastically reduce the size of the Forest Service and the U.S Bureau of Land Management, two agencies that control about 87 percent of the land within Nevada's borders. Sherrie Grubb, secretary of the Pahrump, Nev., Public Lands Advisory Board, said: "They ought to open the road if that's what the people want." Jarbidge resident and grocery store owner Ray Nystrom has been coming to Jarbidge since 1955 and has been living here full-time since 1987. He said of the bull trout issue, one which the road closure was founded on, "They (Forest Service) are using our own money to waste our money. The snowmelt every year turns the river brown. There are three kinds of bull trout," he said. "The river bottom dwellers, the lake type and the ones who like the colder, river water in higher elevations," he said. The trout was the main focus of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's contention that reopening the road would harm the species. Nystrom said the only fallout his little store has noticed "was a few less tourists." Lana Noland, chairman of the Elko County Libertarian Party, was in Jarbidge to voice condemnation of President's Clinton administration, saying Clinton "has usurped Congress and usurped the people" by declaring vast stretches of land as "roadless." "We are here to do the right thing," she said. "We are sovereign, not the government."
©Elko Daily Free Press