Pilgrims vs. Park Service

Anchorage Daily News ^ | October 5, 2003 | TOM KIZZIA

[FireTrack]

McCARTHY -- Like most people who meet the Pilgrim family for the first time, Walt Wigger was mightily impressed when they showed up to buy his mine in the Wrangell Mountains.

Wigger, a crusty Fairbanks miner in his 80s, was struck by the size of the family and its energy and obvious unity of purpose. He was also impressed by the $30,000 in $100 bills that Papa Pilgrim pulled from his coat pocket -- money from cashing the family's Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks.

[logic101.net]

I think it is criminal of the park service to close access to private property.

Mark A Sity
http://www.logic101.net/

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[FireTrack]

I totally agree. Would make a great addition to their charter that they must provide an easement to private property located within any forest service land.

I think the state has a good case and believe that the Pilgrim family will get their access road. I imagine they could present a case against the state for endangerment if the state doesn’t push the issue with the feds.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Back in the 70's we bought part of a old homestead down on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. It was a battle without end with the Forest Service.

Every year they would send a hoard of higher education trained radical environmentalist interns out to resurvey, intimidate and threaten, as the Forest Service wanted that bit of private land to tie in with the arctic tern summer nesting preserve at Tern Lake.

We sold out in 76 to an individual and came back outside, never heard the final outcome.

[FireTrack]

The State of Alaska owns all the resources instead of private citizens (Mineral or timber resources). Kind of communist but there are no state sales taxes or income taxes and once a year, excess revenues are paid to each man, woman and child in the form of a rebate or dividend. These average around 2K per person.

[logic101.net]

I have been thinking about this situation. This is an odd family, very odd. Not that this is criminal or anything; but how are the kids going to find mates? Maybe they are so family oriented that they don't care about that. But doesn't that doom the family?

I still think it should be criminal for the Park Service to deny access to private property. Just as I think it was criminal for Jannet Reno to fire-bomb the Branch Dividians in TX, or do an assassanation at Ruby Ridge. Ok, this case isn't nearly as deadly or extreme. But the more I think about it; these people are odd.

This is NOT TO SAY, however that they don't have a right to be odd! But I do wonder about them. They are much less of a threat to our freedoms than the government is though!

Mark A Sity
http://www.logic101.net/

[FireTrack]

"I have been thinking about this situation. This is an odd family, very odd."

Mark, Take a good look at the picture of this family and tell me it ain't so that in America today, one is called odd for being strong in the face of adversity, for standing up for what you believe, for not following the crowd and for treasuring your family!

One thing that really stood out to me in the interview was the statement; "Somehow we thought Alaska would be some old wooden hotels and dirt roads. Our vision was trappers and people living an old-fashioned type of real life"

I guess I see people who want more out of life than keeping up with the Jones, soccer gaming, watching TV, and commuting 2 hours a day to a job working 9 to 5 surrounded by people they don't care about and that don't care about them.

Are you sure it's not us "normal" people who are the odd ones?

I hope they at least do a mini-series about this family!

[logic101.net]

My thought about them being odd still stands. I am not saying there is anything wrong about what they are doing, and never have. In many ways I admire them. I'd love to live out in the bush back home (yes, I am a displaced Alaskan). However, some of these kids are adults and at an age where they would under normal conditions be looking for husbands and wives, which will be difficult to find there.

I fully support their right to live in the bush, and do view the Park Service's action that cut off access to their property as criminal.

Yet, they are an odd family.

Mark A Sity
http://www.logic101.net/