Defiant Firefighters Snub Feds

Arizona Republic ^ | July 14, 2002 | Tom Zoellner

[Red Jones]

CLAY SPRINGS - This is a story about a town that felt it had to break the law to save itself.

At the height of the "Rodeo-Chediski" fire, when the destruction of the town seemed imminent, local members of the Pinedale-Clay Springs Volunteer Fire Department disobeyed federal fire commanders and made a stand in their back yard.

[Red Jones]

These fellows who violated the will of the federal bureaucrats would normally wind up in jail. But they saved a lot of homes and so the federal government won't enforce its' own policies and laws.

[snopercod]

"In an emergency situation, it can't be a democracy,...Somebody's got to be in charge.

I think Adolph Hitler said that, too.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Mohawk Hill???????? I'm offended...

;0)

[Let's Roll]

We can't have - gasp - the American people getting anything done without government direction ... I mean there are jobs and empires at stake here.

[FreedomPoster]

Already posted here.

[Bahbah]

So, Americans did what they do best. Taking charge. Making good decisions. Protecting homes, families and property. Surely there is something to be criticised here.

[FreedomFarmer]

...a backhoe operator who emerged as an unofficial leader during the crisis...

I don't know about out west, but an unelected gov.punk telling contractors around here what to do could end up wearing a shallow grave.

[Draco]

Are you offended because you wear a mohawk hair style or because you have Mohawk Indian blood? Yes, I know there's a smilie there and this is in sarcasm, but we here at Free Republic take pride in clearing up ambiguities. : )

[paul51]

Operating to save your own home in opposition of the federal authorities? That's outrageous. Turn in your guns while you're at it.

[X-USAF]

So, Americans did what they do best. Taking charge. Making good decisions. Protecting homes, families and property. Surely there is something to be criticised here.

Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution: ...To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Now if the Supreme Court can interpret burning the flag as "free speech" then surely they can label a threatening fire an "invasion".

They formed their own militia (in absence of leadership from the state and federal levels) organized a resistance and fought off the invader.

Their actions should be applauded.

[proudofthesouth]

Bravo to the Clay Spring Renegades!!

[Red Jones]

people would have a lot more confidence in the 'authorities' if they were arizona authorities rather than washington dc authorities. People in rural arizona have simply learned that the proper attitude towards the federal guv is contempt. I'm not talking about conservative radicals who read FreeRepublic, I mean the average joe and jill. They are living under tyranny and they know it.

[per loin]

Fighting to save one's hometown creates emotional pressure that can only cloud judgment and prudence, he said.

Has any federal official ever more concisely stated Washington's opinion of us peasants.

[Red Jones]

Once I read a statement by a college professor who was also an environmentalist. He was addressing the fact that the federal guv has released wolves into about 35 states. He said that every few years we'd lose a child to the wolves in that a child would be killed and he said that this was an acceptable price to pay. He was quoted saying that in a magazine.

[Dialup Llama]

Reminds me how a certain SWAT team in NYC recently acted, waiting outside the nightclub until things inside "died down."

[Procyon]

Jim Clawson, a law enforcement official with the U.S. Forest Service, said he sympathized with the renegades but believed they acted out of a misperception that the federal incident management team was too cavalier about letting houses burn down.

"I'm sorry they felt we didn't do everything possible, but we did," he said. "They have to understand we had a job to do and that was put the fire out."

In other words: "We have to destroy villages in order to save them."

[lucky7]

"If you're not a part of the system, then who are you helping?" said David Halstead, an official with the Florida Division of Emergency Management and an expert in fire command structures. "You become a burden."

Hot Damm another know it all yankee come out of New York or what,now he ives in FL going to tell you folks how to fight a fire, you did good and God Bless you all.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yes, I have Haudenosaunee blood... I was just being facetious :0)

[pepsionice]

Obviously, had this been California...these firefighters would have been arrested. Arizona is a totally different type sitatuion. No one in the state government would dare bring charges against them...else there would be a recall. If you remember about 10 years ago....when the Fed government was going bankrupt and no Fed funding existed as of 1 Oct....the Feds were going to close down the Grand Canyon Park....and the state of Arizona stepped up and said it would keep the park open and provide personnel to do so. The Feds responded with a NO. They were not going to allow the state of Arizona take charge of a Fed project. If you look at Arizona today, they have one of the better run state park systems in the nation....none of their parks are closing down or being down-sized. This state has matured to the level that state residents respect the state authority. The state authority completely understands that a state citizen can step forth and take actions to benifit the state. Obviously, these firefighters should be given medals for taking on responsibility, they are Arizonians...they just want to make things right in their own state....a lesson that folks from California might want to watch and learn.