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California Fires: An Open Letter to the Environmentalists By J.J. Johnson In case the rest of you are living in a cave, there are fires raging out of control in the Los Angeles/San Diego Area. They are so serious that many of us here in Southern Nevada are checking bed space and hotel rooms in case of major evacuations from the Los Angeles basin. As of the time of this writing, over 50,000 homes are threatened, and the situation is changing by the minute. At least 17 people are dead and it has consumed more than 800,000 acres stretching from the Mexican border to the suburbs northeast of Los Angeles. And The southwestern part of the Unites States is gearing up for war against fire, smoke, ash, and wind. And so while everyone wonders what the rest of the week will bring, we'd like to take this opportunity to ask some Californians a question. Maybe some of you are victims, reading this message from a shelter somewhere: Are you one of the people that sent a contribution to the Sierra Club? Are you among the people that thought protecting the environment was among the most important issues in politics? You see, much of this carnage that is affecting all of us...could have been prevented. A little brush clearing, downing a few bark-beetle infested trees, and a few more cows being allowed to graze down much of what is burning could have been done, and was in fact advocated for years. But what do we know? We're just that bunch of rural country bumpkins that were written off by politicians since we were too busy working and paying taxes to fill our coffers with enough 'guilt money' to lobby for green policies - that helped cause all of this. This was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. After all, before this, we'd been dealing with a rash of arsonists torching anything they didn't like, to punctuate their warped message about how we're 'killing the environment'. So, you think maybe it's gone a bit too far? It will be interesting to see how long before politicians will start throwing these green lobbyists right out of their offices if/when they show up again. The policies of the so-called 'environmentalists/preservationists' have finally met the law of diminishing marginal returns. In other words, 'the chickens have come home to roost' - or maybe I should say...roast. California, is burning, America - the 'greenest' state in the Union.. In this more perfect, and more enlightened society called California, they began to listen to people who thought they were smarter than no less than 5000 years of human history. They took time tested practices and threw them out of the window for the sake of environmental loudmouths and sympathizers. Go ahead, Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, Earth First - try to deny it - that is if you have a home or office left to put out a press release. C'mon - tell us how all of this is Bush's fault. Tell us how those eeevil corporations are behind all this; and please tell us how your 'green religon' didn't spawn thugs who start fires like these. Sow the wind - reap the whirlwind, and those Santa Ana's are a killer, huh? And so here's our message for the green freaks that are reading this and spitting nails right now: a.. When our local communities decide it's time to clear the brush in old growth forests, we don't want to hear 'jack' from you folks anymore. b.. When it's time to cut down those insect infested trees, sue us all you want - we're gonna do it anyway. c.. Humans have more rights that animals and plants. d.. Anyone in California wanting to 'save the forest' will gain about as much respect as Islamic terrorists. e.. We still don't negotiate with terrorists. America, witness the wreckage of a the once again failed concept - Government trying to play god. Ironic that it had to be California, but Montana, Arizona, Oregon, and Colorado are just a few of the states that can say 'been there - done that'. They too, have had to deal with fire prevention efforts being squashed in courts due to the actions of green obstructionists. Hopefully, rain may come soon and help squelch this growing inferno (firefighters can only do so much). After that, perhaps some common sense about the environment may rise out of the ashes. But until then, you green groups need not send out any fund-raising letters for a while. ....they'd only be more fuel for the fire. http://www.sierratimes.com/03/10/29/article_jj.htm