Thomas LaBolle wrote:
>
> Not sure whether to post this here.. but it does relate to the
> environment..
> Is there anyone out there who cares about useless mail? I have seen an
> incredible amount of waste generated by nothing more than incompetence.
> Last year I received mailings from my two major credit cards, an AMEX and
> a Visa.. advertising for MCI and AT&T, The things is, neither I nor anyone
> in the entire state of Alaska can sign up for theses companies, period.
> The credit cards referred me to the phone companies, and vice versa,
> because the idea that the companies send all the mail out for no good
> reason, when somewhere within their twisted bureacracies, they HAD to know
> that they don't serve the state.. just dumbfounded and angered me. We
> don't have a huge population here, but IMO anything that utterly useless
> and unnecessary is a considerable waste.
> Am I wrong in thinking this affects anything but my blood pressure? How
> much of this stuff goes out yearly? I've got a few dozen companies
> convinced that I am, of all things, a professional editor, a graphic
> designer, and a business exec. I've even gotten stuff from those "who's
> who" books..and I'm just a lowly college student. I know they can't be
> that accurate, but the stuff about the phone company just burned me up..
> and surprise, surprise, nobody wanted to talk to me when I called and
> brought it to their attention. I got the usual "it's not my fault, call
> them" routine that's saved for all crazy weirdos like myself.
>
> Guess I just wanted an opinion on this. Am I nuts for being bothered by
> this. Think of stopping "little" stuff like this on a national or global
> scale.. might it not make a tad of a difference?
>
> CorinneCorinne:
I feel the same way about the huge amounts of junk mail that
companies send out. I imagine the massive number of trees that are cut
down for the paper for this junk mail.
I personally have written hundreds of letters to have mail name
taken off junk mail lists. I have reduced it by about 80%. I realize
that my personal approach is hardly effective in dealing with what is
the fundamental underlying problem.
The basic problem is that natural resources are treated as
"free" with no other cost than the cost of extraction. On top of this
there is little awareness that we are part of the natural world and that
what we do to other living things effects.
It is all an economic, political, spiritual and perceptual
problem and I am working to change it on all these levels.
Michael Winkler
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Nov 29 18:31:03 1996
Organization: HEADWATERS DEAL IS **NO DEAL**! DEBT FOR NATURE -- JAIL CHARLES HURWITZ!
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 1996 17:25:12 -0800
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Moonshadow <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Blocking a logging road ... (long)
Hi all ......... at long last you get to read my first hand account of
blocking a logging road, and my subsequent arrest and incarceration.
Please do not distribute it to anyone without asking my permission first.
Since this is being sent to several lists and some individuals as well,
there may be some duplication ... I apolgize for the overlap. :)
And NOW for the Story!!
Enjoy ......... Moonshadow
---Begin included text---
Samhain Eve: an act of conscience
It was raining in the forest as I returned to the Earth First! basecamp to
rejoin my affinity group, "Thorns of Justice." In one of the secluded
campsites a meeting was taking place to discuss the most recent
intelligence we had on Pacific Lumber's operations in the Headwaters
Forest Complex. It had been announced that PL would be starting
salvage logging in yet another of the 4 virgin old growth groves not
protected by the deal the owners had reached with the U.S. Government.
We planned to do what we could to slow that logging.
We decided more information was needed and several members of the
group volunteered to hike into the complex, and the grove, under cover
of darkness to find out first hand just what the situation there was. They
would be in there all that night, the next day, and would be picked up at
a designated point the next night. Throughout all this time the rain
continued unabated, a bad sign for any action we might wish to carry
out, though a good sign for the forest since logging can not be done
when conditions are too wet. One of the most difficult things to do
sometimes is to wait, especially when there is this powerful need to
act--to protect the Earth--yet wait we did.
When our reconnaisance team returned late the next night, we learned
that salvage logging had not yet begun in the grove and it was uncertain
where PL's heavy equipment was. Since it had been some time since
an action had been carried out, and morale was lagging in the basecamp,
we decided it was important for an action to be carried out soon.
Alternatives were tossed out, one possibility after another was examined,
safety concerns were raised and discussed, and logistical details were
probed. Eventually it was decided we would attempt a blockade of the
main logging haul road intersection and gate at the entrance to the forest
complex.
Quickly we began preparations in the dark by light from the headlights of
two pickup trucks. Despite our attempts to be discreet in our
preparations, word quickly spread through camp that an action was in
the works though noone except us knew where it would happen. To get
basecamp involved, we announced that the action would be taking place
very early the next morning at a location to be disclosed later, and since
there was nearby public access basecamp would be invited to rally
support for us.
Now all that was to be done was wait and sleep. We crawled under our
tarps under the trees, into our tents and the backs of pickup trucks to
sleep as a waning moon rose in the cloudy night sky. Awakening at 3
a.m. on the morn of Samhain Eve (Oct. 30th) I made the rounds to wake
everyone, all the while worrying that I might miss someone sleeping
under a tree here or there--I found everyone. Just a little after 4 a.m.
we piled into the backs of 3 trucks and began our short journey to our
action target at Fisher Gate.
The lone security guard was completely overmatched by our numbers,
and wisely decided to stay in his truck, radio for assistance, and watch
as we began to carry out our blockade. It was quickly determined that
we had underestimated the distance we would need to cover with our
bodies to block both the gate to the public road, and the haul road. Using
steel lockboxes we fastened ourselves to the gates on either side of the
road, linking each person to the next all the way across the road, and
laid down in the road--no logging trucks would pass this way until we
were removed. Others from our group acted as support for us,
massaging cramped shoulders, warming cold body parts, bringing us
bites of food and water, while we waited for the loggers to try to get to
work that morning. More importantly they were there to act as barriers to
any vehicle that might try to drive through our blockade, or to protect us
from violent acts by loggers or police officers.
People from our basecamp began arriving on the public road and an
amazing rally slowly grew. There were banners, chanting and drumming,
people shouting words of strength and support for what we were doing.
Two courageous souls from basecamp climbed on top of the nearby log
deck--a risky act--and unfurled a banner! We felt invincible!
Soon a sheriff's car arrived and the officer took stock of the situation and
put in the call for more assistance. By this time the numbers of our
supporters from basecamp had grown, loggers were showing up for work
via the public road shaking their heads and hurling epithets at us as they
drove in. Since they could not use the haul road, the loggers tried to
drive a logging truck out the gate to the public road, and in an amazing
act of solidarity with us, a group of brave individuals from basecamp sat
down in front of it blocking its exit! Another truck tried to enter the
forest complex via the public road and more brave Earth First!ers sat
down in front of it--the skid marks were 9 feet long!
Eventually reinforcements from the sheriff's office arrived and we were
given a choice of voluntarily removing ourselves from the road, or being
cut free and charged not only with trespass but also with resisting for
forcing them to cut through our lockboxes to remove us. Not one of us
responded to their offer. The brave womyn and men from basecamp
who were sitting in Fisher Road were threatened with being pepper
sprayed, and not one of them moved.
A PL heavy equipment maintenance truck was brought up, and saws
were prepared to cut us apart so the road could be re-opened.
Beginning with me, since I was anchoring one end of our human chain, a
deputy put safety goggles over my eyes while a PL worker prepared to
cut the pipe my arm was locked inside of. After telling me he was not
very good at what he was about to do, and receiving only a shrug from
me, he began to saw into my lockbox. Sparks flew everywhere and
even with the safety goggles covering my eyes, I still struggled to shield
my face behind the gate post. In a short time the blade was spent and
he was not even halfway through the lockbox. Grumbling, he put
another blade on and began anew and in no time at all that blade was
also spent and I was still quite securely fastened to the gate! A third
blade was attached, more sparks flew, the blade penetrated the pipe just
a scant inch from my knuckles, the pipe separated into two pieces and I
was unhooked the chain was broken.
As I refused to respond when the officer asked me to get up and walk
with him, two deputies had to drag my limp body down the road where
they handcuffed me to a chain stretched between a sheriff's truck and a
California Highway Patrol truck. To clear the road, the rest of our affinity
group were bodily dragged across the road to the other side where they
were cut apart from each other, and arrested one by one.
All of us were arrested as either Jane, or John Does with various middle
initials assigned by the arresting officers as a means of keeping us
sorted out ... Jane JSA Doe, Jane PDG Doe III, etc. On arrival at the
county jail we found out that one of our brothers who had been arrested
in an earlier action, on bogus charges, was being denied release on his
own recognizance even though he met all requirements for an OR
release. After some hurried consultations 5 of the men and the 3 of
us--the womyn--decided that in addition to not giving our names we
would begin a hunger strike as a protest against the unfair treatment of
our brother.
The hunger strike lasted 8 days during which one brave brother after
another had to give up and begin eating. Finally only we three womyn
were left and at each appearance in court we refused to give our names
and instead we read prepared statements to the judge. From the phone
in jail we phoned out several press statements that received some play
on local public radio. After 7 days we were once again brought before
the judge and asked to identify ourselves, instead we read the following:
It is our sincere desire to cooperate with the proceedings of
this court. However, until our brother, Mark Knipper
receives his OR hearing, currently scheduled for tomorrow
(Nov. 6th) and is released, we will not give our names and
we will continue our hunger strike now in its 7th day. We
do this in solidarity with our brother and in the struggle for
the ancient redwoods.
I held my breath after reading that since I, and the sisters, were risking
additional jail time for contempt of court if we were ordered to give our
names and did not. After a moment, the judge said he would hold us
over for another hearing. When asked by my attorney, "on what date?"
The judge responded by setting it for just two days later, one day after
our brother's next hearing! At that point we knew we had won and our
brother would be getting his release the next day! Though we knew we
had won, we had to continue the hunger strike and refusal to give our
names until we heard that Mark was actually out of jail. On the
afternoon of November 6th we called our legal support and were
informed that our brother was out of jail and safe and sound. We
shrieked in ecstasy, causing the guards to warn us to quiet down or lose
our phone access. We smiled and told them our brother was out, and
we would give our names.
At dinner that night we broke our fast by eating some of the barely
palatable green beans and wilted lettuce salad that made up part of what
passed for food in the concrete warehouse of jail. It would be the only
meal we ate there in 9 days of imprisonment. In court the next morning
we informed the judge we would give our names and cooperate. With
no objections from the district attorney we were all granted release on
our own recognizance, and later that night walked out the doors of
Humboldt County Correctional Facility, free womyn--for now.
The three of us, and the men, are all facing "trespass with intent to injure
property", and "resisting, obstructing, or interfering with a peace officer in
the conduct of his duties", charges. Originally we had also been charged
with "conspiracy" (a felony), and "false identification"--both charges later
dropped. Currently we are awaiting trial on our charges and the district
attorney has offered us a plea bargain of one year probation and 40
hours of community service if we plead to the trespass charge. We will
not accept probation and have turned down the offer. We are united in
our solidarity and are preparing a counter offer of "time served" and
"community service." There is, however, the chance that some of us
may go to trial and could face penalties of up to one year in county jail
and a $1000 fine.
In the days since our action to block the logging road, after 9 days in jail,
including an 8 day hunger strike, and now facing the possibility of more
jail time, I have been asked by many people if I would do it again. My
answer is an unequivocal YES! And I WILL do it again, and again, until
the trees are saved, and there is social justice in the world! Without
those of us who do non-violent direct action much would go unnoticed
and undone. Our actions are a catalyst that spur people to take note
and take action. The trees and environment need us ... social justice
demands that we take action. I am living what I believe in, and will do
what is necessary by any non-violent means at my disposal.
(c) 1996 All Rights Reserved, Cynthia Anne Kruger
---End included text-----
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When a woman seriously asks herself what it |
means to be a woman she is pulling at a | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
thread that can unravel an entire culture." | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
| http://www.persephone.org/
Kim Chernin - "Reinventing Eve" |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My PGP Public Key can be found at: http://www.persephone.org/PGPKEY.shtml/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sat Nov 30 22:23:53 1996
Received: from emout13.mail.aol.com (emout13.mx.aol.com [198.81.11.39]) by
csf.Colorado.EDU (8.7.6/8.7.3/CNS-4.0p) with SMTP id WAA02267 for
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Sat, 30 Nov 1996 22:23:52 -0700 (MST)
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Received: by emout13.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id AAA00627 for
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; Sun, 1 Dec 1996 00:23:51 -0500
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 1996 00:23:51 -0500
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: mail..possibly off topic..
In regards to Junk Mail -- It drives me crazy too! The one thing that I have
done in protest is when the "letter" provides a postage paid envelope, I tear
up all the paper they have send me, stuff it in the evelope and write "Take
Me Off Your Mailing List" across the envelope. Another thing is that when I
subscribe to a magazine or join an organization, I notify them that I do not
want to be on a mailing list.
