Sawgrass Rebellion Comes to Life This Friday.

PRAC, Free Republic ^ | 10-14-02 | aaabest

[TonyWojo]

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[diotima]

Sawgrass BTTT!

[hedgetrimmer]

This is an inspiring post. Thankyou for the look into the convoy experience.

[Issaquahking]

You and other women of the west have made great contributions to the efforts that create events such as this convoy, freepers and non-freepers alike!

[elfman2]

I'm tempted to agree with most of the complaints here, but it's difficult to get a handle around the whole issue. The articles dig into details of plans like the 8.5 without explaining alternatives and their significance to the big picture. I have a few questions:

As far as you know, does the Sawgrass Rebellion and Property Rights Action Committee vary any in their goals?

The Sawgrass mission statement seems to me to be more a statement of what they don't want with regards to the Everglades Restoration? http://www.sawgrassrebellion.org/mission.shtml . Is there a consensus on what they do want? For instance, do they want it to fully proceed in principle, in part or not at all? Will they accept forced confiscation of any land critical to the project if paid a fair market price?

One last thing, the map here: http://www.sawgrassrebellion.org/ seems to reflect the goals of a private and radical organization, but is that necessarily the state or national policy that the rebellion is attempting to thwart. If not, that would seem to be misleading.

[countrydummy]

I am so proud of all of you! Things did not work out in WV as I had hoped, and unfortunately my heart has acted up again all last week. Thank God for NTG! It is scary having chest pains, and I have had to try my best to decrease stress. However, not being able to come now I think is causing me more stress!

Yet my prayers and bumps to other lists is the best I can do now and doing it as much as possible! Sheila

[TonyWojo]

Your prayers and bumps are just terrific Sheila, things will fall into place.

We appreciate everything you have tried to do and we will appreciate your prayers.

God Bless You

[blackie]

Sawgrass Rebellion...Bump !!

Let's Roll !!

The RATS are in disarray...eradicate the rodents !!

Fire Democrats, Hire Republicans !!

GWB Is The Man !!

Snuff Saddam, NOW !!

Death To all Tyrant's !!

The Second Amendment...
America's Original Homeland Security !!

Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!

Molon Labe !!

[AAABEST]

As far as you know, does the Sawgrass Rebellion and Property Rights Action Committee vary any in their goals?

Our goals in regard to Florida is to stop our people from having their communities and lives ruined by the 8.1 billion dollar CERP. We have this crazy notion that our children are more important than a bird or a tortoise. We don't relish the idea that the fruits of our labor will eventually wind up in the asset column of the 3 billion dollar Nature Conservancy, or in the hands of S. Florida Water Mangagement with a "No Trespassing" sign on it.

Incidentally, our Water Mangagement VIPs are allowed to sit on the board of directors of the Nature Conservancy.

We haven't worked with Paragon before this so I can't speak to whether or not our goals coincide on other issues. I would venture to guess they probably do when it comes to fighting the war on rural America.

Is there a consensus on what they do want? For instance, do they want it to fully proceed in principle, in part or not at all? Will they accept forced confiscation of any land critical to the project if paid a fair market price?

Personally, I love the Everglades and spend much time enjoying the beauty of the "River of Grass". CERP has very little to do with saving the environment, and very much to do with development, agri-baron and enviro-conglomerate money interests, input from crucial stakeholders such as small communities and farmers was neither asked for nor needed. They didn't have enough money to get a seat at the table.

They refuse to have thier junk science peer reviewed by non-interested parties. Even their own scientists admit that introducing nutrient and contaminant rich water is poison to the Glades.

There is no "fair market price" when you have 6 inches of water in your front yard and your septic system is renedered inoperable. They fully understand that they could never afford current fair market price, the money isn't there. They also fully understand that just by them showing up they have a chilling effect on real estate markets. Would you want to buy property that may be targeted for rehydration?

As far as forced confiscation, it's not an issue. Congress budgeted millions and ordered the ACOE not to harm any communities in any rehydration projects. They've chosen to completely ignore this mandate, and nobody is doing a damn thing about it.

If you're looking for a more direct answer to your question the answer is NO. We don't want any more takings at all, they already own over 85% of my county and over 95% of Monroe County. All of it tax-base useless and much of it overgrown bug infested wasteland. Land they took from the Indians and Crackers that was well maintained and teeming with wildlife (including the endangered panther) is now overgrown with mangroves and devoid of nearly all animals, predator and prey alike.

The 70,000 acres targeted right down the road from me is full of many of the endangered tortoises and other animals they pretend to care about. The water they will introduce will do nothing but destroy (not restore) that area.

Why is it that if some homeowner wants to build a home and the evironmental survey finds one of these "endangered" species the owner is forced to pay thousands in mitigation yet they plan on detroying an entire habitat wholesale?

This is simly about control of land, water and money. Tools of power in South Florida, nothing else. They're not restoring anything and they know it.

One last thing, the map here: http://www.sawgrassrebellion.org/ seems to reflect the goals of a private and radical organization, but is that necessarily the state or national policy that the rebellion is attempting to thwart. If not, that would seem to be misleading.

The radical org you speak of is "Earth First", founded by Dave Foreman. The Wildlands project you're referring to is the Holy Grail of the elitists, "deep ecologists" and useful idiots who inhabit the environmental movement.

Their anti-captialism and even anti-human agenda is no secret.

You won't find the more clever of the bunch bragging about it, they know the vision of tranferring vast amounts of property from homeowners and farmer hands to public and environmental interests is not one shared by the general (albeit clueless) public, but they slip now and again. They really do want the people gone.

"Phasing out the human race will solve every problem on earth, social and environmental."-Dave Forman, founder of Earth First, and presently a member of the Board of Directors for the Sierra Club

"I honor Earth First for having the guts to do the things they do. It's not for me, but I understand why they do what they do. And, ultimately, we all help each other." -Brock Adams, VP, Audubon Society, quoted in the Los Angeles Times.

Human happiness and certainly human fecundity is not as important as a wild and healthy planet. Some of us can only hope for the right virus to come along. - David Graber, Biologist for the National Park Service.

You had some good questions, I hope my info was appropriate.

[elfman2]

For what my opinion's worth, I'd like to make a couple of observations. Most of what I've read on the Rebellion web site and in your post is appropriate for Freepers, but not Florida voters in general. Rather than providing a brief overview of the project and congressional directives, and then succinctly chronicling abuses by administrators, their excesses/crimes are lost in a labyrinth of conspiratorial rhetoric. You and I are open to that, but most people are as suspicious of it as they are of the people you're fighting, and they don’t want to dig deep enough into it to find out how much of each side's claims are true.

I think the Rebellion would benefit from a more focus on the land devaluation. The Rebellion's web site's distracted with Earth First graphics and discussion of sea sparrows. You're talking about tortoises and bug infestations, and no one but us right wing nuts are going to put up with that many twists.

I'm new to Monroe county, coming from California, but I think that the motivation for Everglades restoration here is its effect on Florida Bay water quality and the reefs rather than a few obscure species. That seems to be a real problem that's worth a lot to correct.

You may be able to make the case that the influence from the sugar growers has crippled the project so that it won't help, but that's going to be a tough battle, and I haven't seen the evidence.

I'm not an activist so take this for what it's worth, but in my opinion the Rebellion has a much better chance of convincing voters that crimes are being committed in the implementation of the project if you focus on that and accept the project itself. At least accept the greater project goals.

I think people would be more open to the Rebellion's message if it were open to alternatives, even if that means a rewrite of legislation to foreclose on property. I don’t mean to be argumentative, but I'm pretty sure there is a fair market price for any piece of property. An objective assessment is possible by comparing property to similar property sold prior to the restoration project and what it's selling for now. I'm sure that it would be more complex and more assumptions would have to be made, but that is possible.

From what I can tell, that's the Rebellion's strength - crimes against land owners, but it's not well developed. I had a hard time following discussions of the 8.5 plan verses the 6 plan, why it was abandoned, reverences to unexplained congressional directives and rumors of hardships rather than and index of hardships. As long as the Rebellion's perceived as attacking the people who are ruining other people's lives and open to creative solutions, you'll appeal to almost everyone. Everything else looks like a distraction, as if you're getting caught playing defense to their game rather than setting the agenda.

Thanks for taking the time to explain this to me BTW. I've been receiving your bumps but wasn't sure where you were going with this. Good luck!

[isasis]

Been busy moving - got the computer going and jumped to FR. Sounds as tho all is going well and I enjoyed all the pings and all the articles. Sorry to hear about your brother Jeff. Hope all works out well. Rocky and I took care of our parents when they were ill. It takes it's toll on you. My heart is with you. As for the convoy - ROLL!!!I hope everybody along the way has listened and I pray that this all makes a difference. Wish I were there. Looking forward to getting you home little brother.

[Tailgunner Joe]

bttt