Dustyroad1's Weblog

Back When We Were Negroes

dustyroad1 — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:47:10 +0000

This appeared in the Macon, Ga. newspaper and should be put in all newspapers around the USA.

Back When We Were Negroes

By Charles E. Richardson

Posted on Sun, Jul. 31, 2011 in the Macon Telegraph, Macon, GA.

There was a time until the early 1960s when the terms to describe those of African decent, like me — African-American or Black or Afro-American —-were almost unheard of. I remember a distinct conversation with a friend discussing descriptive terms for ourselves in 1963 or ’64. The term “black” was just coming into vogue and he didn’t like it one bit. “Call me a Negro,” he said, “but don’t call me black.”

Now, the word “Negro” (publications used a lower case “n”) has almost become a pejorative, so I was a little surprised when my pastor, the Rev. Willie Reid, used it during Thursday’s revival. “Back when we were Negroes,” he said, and listed several things that were different about Negro life in America back then.

That got me to thinking. Back when we were Negroes in the 1950s, “only 9 percent of Negro families with children were headed by a single parent,” according to “The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies” by Kay Hymowitz. “Negro children had a 52 percent chance of living with both their biological parents until age 17. In 1959, “only 2 percent of Negro children were reared in households in which the mother never married.”

But now that we’re African-Americans, according to Hymowitz, those odds of living with both parents had “dwindled to a mere 6 percent” by the mid-1980s. And check this, in Bibb County, more than 70 percent of the births in the African-American community are to single mothers.

Back when we were Negroes and still fighting in many parts of the country for the right to vote, we couldn’t wait for the polls to open. We knew our friends, family and acquaintances had died getting us the ballot. But now that we’re African-Americans, in a city of 47,000 registered — predominately black voters — more than 30,000 didn’t show up at the polls July 19.

Back when we were Negroes, we had names like Joshua, Aaron, Paul, Esther, Melba, Cynthia and Ida. Now that we are African Americans, our names are bastardized versions of alcohol from Chivas to Tequila to C(S)hardonney. And chances are the names have an unusual spelling.

Back when we were Negroes, according to the Trust For America’s Health “F as in Fat,” report, “only four states had diabetes rates above 6 percent. … The hypertension rate in 37 states about 20 years ago was more than 20 percent.”

Now that we’re African-Americans, that report shows, “every state has a hypertension rate of more than 20 percent, with nine more than 30 percent. Forty-three states have diabetes rates of more than 7 percent, and 32 have rates above 8 percent. Adult obesity rates for blacks topps 40 percent in 15 states, 35 percent in 35 states and 30 percent in 42 states plus Washington, D.C.

Back when we were Negroes, the one-room church was the community center that everyone used. Now that we’re African-Americans, our churches have lavish — compared to back-in-the-day churches — community centers that usually sit empty because the last thing the new church wants to do is invite the community in.

Back when we were Negroes, we didn’t have to be convinced that education was the key that opened the lock of success, we knew this. But now that we’re African-Americans, more than 50 percent of our children fail to graduate high school. In Bibb County last year, the system had a dropout rate of 53.4 percent.

Back when we were Negroes, the last thing a young woman wanted to look like was a harlot and a young man a thug, but now that we’re African-Americans, many of our young girls dress like hootchie mamas and our young boys imitate penitentiary custom and wear their pants below the butt line.

If I could reverse all of the above by trading the term “African-American” for “Negro,” what do you think I’d do?

Charles E. Richardson is The Telegraph’s editorial page editor

BLACK FARMERS

dustyroad1 — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:55:45 +0000

—–

SUBJECT: BLACK FARMERS, UNBELIEVEABLE!

Black Farmers
Pigford vs. Glickman
“In 1997, 400 African-American farmers sued the United States Department of Agriculture, alleging that they had been unfairly denied USDA loans due to racial discrimination during the
period 1983 to 1997..”

The case was entitled “Pigford vs. Glickman” and in 1999, the
blackfarmers won their case..

The government agreed to pay each of them as much as $50,000 to settle their claims.

But then on February 23, 2010, something shocking happened in relation to that original judgment: In total silence, the USDA agreed to release more funds to “Pigford.”

The amount was a staggering…… $1.25 billion. This was because
the original number of plaintiffs-400 black farmers had now swollen, in a class action suit, to include a total of 86,000 black farmers throughout America.

There was only one teensy problem:

The UnitedStates of America doesn’t have 86,000 black farmers!!!!

According to accurate and totally verifiable Official USDA 2010 Census census data, the total number of black farmers throughout America is only 39,697..

Hmmm…by the Official USDA 1990 Census data the US had only 18,816 black farmers!!
Oops!!

Well, gosh-how on earth did 39,697 explode into the fraudulent 86,000 claims?

And how did $50,000 explode into $1.25 billion??

Well, folks, you’ll just have to ask the woman who not only spearheaded this case because of her position in 1997 at the “Rural Development Leadership Network”, but whose family received the
highest single payout (approximately $13 million) from that action-Shirley Sherrod.
Oops again!!

Yes, folks it appears that Ms. Sherrod had just unwittingly exposed herself as the perpetrator of one of the biggest fraud claims in the history of the United States- -a fraud enabled solely because she screamed racism at the government and cowed them into submission.

And it gets even more interesting…
Ms. Sherrod has also exposed the person who aided and abetted
her in this race fraud.

As it turns out, the original judgment of “Pigford vs. Glickman” in 1999 only applied to a total of about 16,000 black farmers.
But…..in 2008, a junior US Senator got a law passed to reopen the case and allow more black farmers to sue for funds.

The Senator was Barack Hussein Obama..
Because this law was passed in dead silence, and because the
woman responsible for spearheading it was an obscure USDA official, American taxpayers did not realize that they had just been forced in the midst of a worldwide recession to pay out more than $1.25 billion to settle a race claim.

But Andy Breitbart knew. And on Monday, July 22, 2010, he cleverly laid a trap which Sherrod- -and Obama + his cronies– stumbled headfirst into which has now resulted in the entire world discovering the existence of this corrupt financial judgment. As for Ms. Sherrod?? Well, she’s discovering too late that her cry of ‘racism’ to the media which was intended to throw the spotlight on Breitbart has instead thrown that spotlight on herself and the huge corruption. Sherrod has vanished from public view.

But the perpetrator of that law passed in dead silence leading to unlawful claims & corruption…..is still trying to fool all of US.

Go to Google and read for yourself “Pigford vs. Glickman,” or “Pigford vs. Obama.”

As some have said, “The Republic can survive a Barack Obama.
It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who continue to keep him as their President.”

http://mydd.com/users/nancy-scola/posts/pigford-black-farmers-and-obama

http://frontpagemag.com/2011/01/10/obama-carries-on-the-pigford-fraud/

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/pigford.asp

Why haven’t we heard more about this?

WORLDS LARGEST ARMY

dustyroad1 — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:49:18 +0000

WORLDS LARGEST ARMY

THE WORLD’S LARGEST ARMY…..

True story and most people will never know it.

Here’s an interesting side bar. After the Japanese decimated our fleet in Pearl Harbor Dec 7, 1941, they could have sent their troop ships and carriers directly to California to finish what they started. The prediction from our Chief of Staff was we would not be able to stop a massive invasion until they reached the Mississippi River. Remember, we had a 2 million man army and war ships in other localities, so why did they not invade?

After the war, the remaining Japanese generals and admirals were asked that question. Their answer….they know that almost every home had guns and the Americans knew how to use them.

The world’s largest army…America ‘s hunters! I had never thought about this….

A blogger added up the deer license sales in just a handful of states and arrived at a striking conclusion:
There were over 600,000 hunters this season in the state of Wisconsin..Allow me to restate that number. Over the last several months, Wisconsin’s hunters became the eighth largest army in the world. More men under arms than in Iran. More than in France and Germany combined. These men deployed to the woods of a single American state to hunt with firearms, and no one was killed. That number pales in comparison to the 750,000 who hunted the woods of Pennsylvania and Michigan’s 700,000 hunters, All of whom have now returned home Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia and it literally establishes the fact that The hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world. The point? America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with that kind of home-grown firepower.

Hunting–it’s not just a way to fill the freezer. It’s a matter of national security.

****************************************
That’s why all enemies want to see us disarmed.

In Remembrance

dustyroad1 — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:01:18 +0000

In Remembrance…
In alphabetical order. Just Europe .

1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France. A total of 2289 of our military dead.
2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium. A total of 5329 of our dead.
3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France. A total of 4410 of our military dead.
4. Brookwood, England. American Cemetery. A total of 468 of our dead.
5. Cambridge, England. 3812 of our military dead.
6. Epinal, France. American Cemetery. A total of 5525 of our Military dead.
7. Flanders Field, Belgium . A total of 368 of our military.
8. Florence, Italy, A total of 4402 of our military dead.
9. Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. A total of 7992 of our military dead.
10. Lorraine, France. A total of 10,489 of our military dead.
11. Luxembourg, Luxembourg. A total of 5076 of our military dead.
12. Meuse-Argonne. A total of 14246 of our military dead.
13. Netherlands, Netherlands. A total of 8301 of our military dead.
14. Normandy, France. A total of 9387 of our military dead.
15. Oise-Aisne, France. A total of 6012 of our military dead.
16. Rhone, France. A total of 861 of our military dead.
17. Sicily, Italy . A total of 7861 of our military dead.
18. Somme, France . A total of 1844 of our military dead.
19. St. Mihiel, France. A total of 4153 of our military dead.
20. Suresnes, France. A total of 1541 of our military dead.

Why is our Commander in Chief apologizing to the world and bowing to other nation leaders. Remember the sacrifice our Fathers, Mothers, Grandparents, brothers, and sisters have made for us, and let us honor our fallen family.

If the math is correct, the count is 104,366… and this does not include Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars!

How to Fix The Economy

dustyroad1 — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:08:39 +0000

How to Fix The Economy
This was an article from the St. Petersburg Times Newspaper on Sunday. The Business Section asked readers for ideas on “How Would You Fix the Economy?” I thought this was the BEST idea….I think this guy nailed it!
Dear Mr.??? President,
Patriotic retirement:
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force – Pay them $1 million apiece severance with the following stipulations:
1. They retire immediately. Forty million job openings – Unemployment fixed.
2. They buy NEW American cars. Forty million cars ordered – Auto Industry fixed.
3. They either buy a house or pay off their mortgage – Housing Crisis fixed. It can’t get any easier than that!
P.S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress pay their taxes…

How to Fix The Economy

dustyroad1 — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:04:01 +0000

How to Fix The Economy
This was an article from the St. Petersburg Times Newspaper on Sunday. The Business Section asked readers for ideas on “How Would You Fix the Economy?” I thought this was the BEST idea….I think this guy nailed it!
Dear Mr.
President,
Patriotic retirement:
There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force – Pay them $1 million apiece severance with the following stipulations:
1. They retire immediately. Forty million job openings – Unemployment fixed.
2. They buy NEW American cars. Forty million cars ordered – Auto Industry fixed.
3. They either buy a house or pay off their mortgage – Housing Crisis fixed. It can’t get any easier than that!
P.S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress pay their taxes…

It is of my opinion;

dustyroad1 — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:52:56 +0000

It is of my opinion; that;
# 1 By requirement of the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, no one can be sworn into office as president of the United States without being a natural born citizen;
This country we call THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA, is and will for ever be in great danger if this question is not answered and quickly.
I am neither for or against Mr. Obama being President of these United States, if he meets the requirements of OUR Constitution.
If Mr. Obama meets these requirements, and I say if.
Why is he and his brigade of attorneys denying the American Public of proof of his legal RIGHT to be President.
He so far has spent millions of dollars to keep us from knowing the truth.
I for one am for GOD and Country !
But I noticed that when Mr. Obama was sworn in as President, it was by a Judge who in conflict of interest.
As he was to hear the case against Mr. Obama !
The Judge made mistakes in swearing in Mr. Obama that made the swearing in null and void as it clearly states that this must be done in the right and correct language for swearing in a new President.
Due to this, his swearing in was redone again, BUT, it seems that no one in Washington could find a Bible.
Due to this fact, to me, he is still not my President and until he proves he is under the Constitution of the United States of America a natural born citizen;
And takes the office in the proper manner, as has all American Presidents before him.

That’s my story and I am sticking to it !
And may ” GOD BLESS AMERICA AGAIN “

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=81550

Letter to Mr. David A. Ridenour

dustyroad1 — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:05:53 +0000

Mr. David A. Ridenour
I am deeply concerned about the fate of this country, I can not help but remember the words of Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev when he made the statement “ We will take the United States and never fire a shot. “
These words were burned into my mind, but I did not know why. This was in the 1960’s, I then began watching the Environmental Groups in the 1970’s and have watched them pretty close ever since. I have watched how they have grown and what they have grown into.
If one follows their beginning to now it would make one think, “ Is this what was mint by those words spoken many years ago by “ Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev “

The thing that makes me wonder is this.
All the Environmental Groups are all well funded, well organized, and all are against everything this country stands for, or should I say stood for, and against everything that made this country great. They have pulled the wool over many Americans eyes.
They have put people in very key positions throughout this Country, Collages, Lawyers, Senators, Congressmen, Judges, and now perhaps even President.
We are or may have already lost our Country, to these people, and all I can say is how do we fight it, how can we beat these people and save the United States of America, when so many are misinformed and divided. Why can’t WE THE PEOPLE of this great America see what they are doing to us. And stand up and say to them “ NO MORE, WE ARE TAKING OUR COUNTRY BACK! “
Thank You
Jerry Fennell

WHAT NOW-A COW TAX- THIS IS B.S.

dustyroad1 — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:45:10 +0000

11/14/2008 Contact: Ken Hamilton, Executive Vice President, 307-721-7712, khamilton@wyfb.org

Cow tax proposal would threaten agriculture viability

“With the economy in bad shape and the possibility of a deep recession looming, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to levy new taxes—on cows and pigs,” American Farm Bureau Federation Director of Regulatory Relations Rick Krause told Wyoming Farm Bureau members at their annual meeting. Krause spoke in Sheridan on Nov. 7.

“This is no laughing matter,” Krause said. “The cow tax and the pig tax are parts of a larger scheme by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.”

“Under the proposal, if a state charged the “presumptive minimum rate” from the EPA, the cow tax would be $175 per dairy cow, $87.50 per head for beef cattle and a little more than $20 per pig,” Krause explained.

Krause explained that the U.S. Department of Agriculture says that a producer with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs would emit more than 100 tons of carbon and be subject to the permitting requirements. “These thresholds would impact 99 percent of dairy producers, over 90 percent of beef producers and 95 percent of hog producers in the United States,” Krause stated.

According to Krause, the EPA has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in preparation to regulate automobile greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). “The regulation of automobile emissions automatically initiates other provisions of the CAA,” Krause explained. “One of those provisions requires permits from anyone who emits more than 100 tons of a regulated pollutant per year and there are millions of sources that emit more than 100 tons of carbon.”

The Title V permits, that are essentially a cow and pig tax, are supposed to contain provisions designed to reduce or eliminate the emissions of the regulated pollutant. “Cows and pigs methane emissions come from natural and biological processes,” Krause stated.

“The economic costs to producers from the cow and pig tax would be great and could cause the cost of beef, pork and dairy prices to rise,” Krause continued. “The cow and pig tax would impose severe penalties on livestock producers in the United States without effectively reducing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.”

The comment deadline for the cow and pig tax is Nov. 28. Visit www.wyfb.org to find the link for information.

In other national issues, Krause addressed endangered species issues, including the wolf.

“I remember back in 1993 we were talking about how they will continue to change the numbers of wolves required,” Krause said. “Unfortunately, our assumption was accurate and even though there are five times more packs than needed for recovery, it has come down to a federal judge in Montana.”

“They are arguing there is no genetic exchange,” He said. “Well, the whole reason in the first place they were introduced is because they could not get here on their own. How are you going to have genetic interchange?”

“So what are we going to expect from the Endangered Species Act in the next four years?” Krause asked. “While only time will tell, we can expect no amendments to the ESA as those who are opposed to common sense management will work to keep it as is.”

The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general agriculture organization. Members work together from the grassroots to develop agricultural policy, programs and services to enhance the rural lifestyle of Wyoming.

-FB END-

Land Rights Network UPDATE

dustyroad1 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:27:19 +0000

Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 - Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 - Fax: 360-687-2973
E-mail: alra@pacifier.com
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE - Washington, DC 20003

Interior IG NLCS Investigation, Senate BLM NLCS Vote Looming

See House Natural Resources Committee Press Release At Bottom.

See Complete Environment & Energy Newsletter Story at bottom.

-----Immediate Action Required

-----Please forward this message to your entire e-mail list.  Urgent.

------Call both your Senators every day this week.  Call your friends and
neighbors to get them to call.  Any Senator may be called at (202) 224-3121.
You must bury them in calls, faxes and e-mails opposing the Senate Omnibus
Federal Lands Bill (NLCS and 190 other bills).  It has not been assigned a
number yet.

-----It is hard to imagine a larger threat to you.

-----Go to www.landrights.org for a map of the huge NLCS (National Landscape
Conservation System).

Congress Back In DC - Limited Days Left To Vote -

House Corps EPA Land Grab (HR 2421) Wetlands Vote Any Time.

Senate Omnibus Federal Lands (NLCS) Vote imminent. (No new number yet)

Bill now includes 190 different bills. It was "only" 90 bills before.

We are highlighting only the NLCS part of the giant Omnibus Bill.  There are
190 others.  The danger is alarming.

Alert - Alert - Alert

The Senate Omnibus Bill will have a new number that has not been designated
yet.

Action Items (Part 1)

-----1.  You must call it the Senate Omnibus Federal Lands Bill that
includes the NLCS.  It is urgent that you call both your Senators
immediately.  Tell them you will hold them responsible in the election if
the Senate Omnibus Federal Lands Bill and the NLCS passes.

-----2.  Tell him about the investigation by the Interior Department
Inspector General into what appears to be illegal activities by BLM NLCS
staff.  Ask that the NLCS be removed from the Senate Omnibus Federal Lands
Bill at least until the Interior Department Inspector General's report is
completed.

-----3.  Any Senator can put a "hold" on a bill and stop it or at least
delay it for a few days.

New Side By Side Report Comparing Obama and McCain Votes on your issues
coming from American Land Rights soon.  You can look at the 2006 and 2007
Private Property Congressional Vote Index at www.landrights.org.  See how
your Congressman voted.

Look to see how John McCain and Barack Obama scored on their votes.  The
Vote index covers private property, multiple-use, Federal lands use, access
and environmental issues.

More Action Items below.

Dear Ally:

You need to act fast.  Congress is rushing to pass bills without carefully
reading them or analyzing their threat to you.  Your calls, faxes and
E-mails to your Congressman and both Senators are critical to pressure your
legislator to look carefully at these dangerous bills.

They are the Senate Omnibus Federal Lands Bill (No new number designated
yet) and the Corps of Engineers and EPA Wetlands Land Grab Bill (HR 2421 - S
1870).

-----Congress returned September 8th and is in a huge rush because of the
looming election.  They will want to get business done and get out of town.
They only have a few days left.  They are supposed to go home Friday, Sept.
26th  but it will likely go longer, at least through the weekend.  We could
possibly have a lame duck session after the election.

-----Your next week must be devoted to calling, faxing and e-mailing both
Senators and your Congressman at least once a day or more about the Senate
Omnibus Federal Land Bill and HR 2421.

All Senators may be called at (202) 224-3121.  Any Congressman may be called
at (202) 225-3121.  Call your neighbors, friends and business associates
also. This is an all out call to action.

When you call, get their e-mail and fax number of the staff person who
handles the Omnibus Federal Lands Bill in the Senate and HR 2421 in the
House.

Congress is in a rush to pass legislation and they're very short of time.
You can be sure they will not have time to read carefully the many bills
they will have to vote on.

-----This is the time when bad legislation that hurts you passes Congress.

-----The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will likely vote
shortly on HR 2421, the Clean Water Restoration Act (We call it the Corps of
Engineers/EPA Land Grab bill).

-----That is the Democrat effort to reverse two Supreme Court Wetlands
decisions favorable to private property owners and seize control of all US
watersheds.

-----That means all Federal and private lands. In other words, National Land
Use Controls.  HR 2421 would give control over Wetlands and other lands back
to the Corps of Engineers and EPA.  The Corps of Engineers and EPA would
control your land.

Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) is hoping to slip HR 2421 in for a quick vote
in the full House before they leave so you must act fast.

-----The Senate vote on the Senate Omnibus Federal Lands Bill will also come
sometime before September 26th.  It could happen later if Congress does not
go home right away.  That's the new Omnibus Federal Lands Bill.  It is also
called the giant Public Land Management Act of 2008, which includes the BLM
National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS).

-----It also includes numerous new Wilderness areas and has been increased
in size to 190 other Federal lands and parks bills put together as one giant
omnibus bill.  Think of it as the Omnibus Federal Lands NLCS bill.

Imagine Congress passing 190 bills at one time in a huge Federal Lands
Omnibus bill. That is what is going to happen if you fail to act.

Call Now!  Congressional staff will be there and they must hear from you
quickly.

-----I cannot overstate how critical the NLCS is to you.  The NLCS was
created in 2000 by Bruce Babbitt.  The NLCS has sat quietly for eight years
as the Democrats waited under the radar for an opportunity to pass it
through Congress and make it permanent.

-----The NLCS will impose a preservationist National Park type regulatory
overlay over 26,000,000 acres of BLM land including all BLM National
Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Wilderness Study Areas and much more.

-----Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) plans to add 6,000,000 acres of the
California Desert to the bill taking it up to 32,000,0000 acres.

It threatens access and use by property owners, ranchers, miners, forestry
advocates, recreationists and many other Federal land users.

With fall here, the Democrat promoters of these land grab bills hope you
will be distracted by the election and other things and not paying
attention.

There will be so many bills rushed to a vote that many Senators and
Congressmen will not have time to read them.  That means your friends in
Congress could easily allow bills to pass that would threaten you.  They
would not be aware of it.

-----Your Senator may not notice a threat to you in the 190 different bills
included in the Omnibus Federal Lands Bill.

-----There is no way for us to stress too strongly how critical your calls,
faxes and e-mails are to your Congressman and both Senators during the
coming three weeks opposing the Senate Omnibus Lands Bill and HR 2421, the
Wetlands Corps of Engineers EPA land grab in the House.

-----If these bills pass, they'll be a regulatory noose around your neck for
generations.  They'll strangle local business, small towns, counties and
generally give the greens control over your land and all Federal lands.
Your calls, e-mails and faxes can make the difference.

-----You must make controversy.  When your legislators get lots of calls,
they'll be so busy they'll likely to put the threatening bills away until
they have more time to examine them.  That gives you more time to fight.

-----Tell your Senator to oppose any Omnibus Bill that puts a bunch of bills
together (190 separate bills).  You get locked out if they package the bills
in an Omnibus bill.  Oppose any omnibus bill.

You must raise the devil over this kind of back room, dark of night double
dealing.  It is undemocratic and you must make sure your Senator gets credit
for voting for the Omnibus Federal Lands Bill if he or she does.  They must
know and be told by you that you are watching this vote before the election.

Action Items (Part 2)

-----1.  You must call, fax or e-mail once a week your Congressional
Representative.  Call at (202) 225-3121 to insist that he or she oppose HR
2421, the giant Wetlands Corps of Engineers EPA land grab.

Make sure you tell your Representative that you oppose the giant Wetlands
Corps of Engineers EPA Watershed Land Grab Bill, HR 2421 (The official name
is the Clean Water Restoration Act).

Ask for a written confirmation of your phone call when you call.  You should
also ask for the e-mail and fax number of the staff person who handles
Wetlands and keep that information for future reference.

-----2.  Call, fax or e-mail both your Senators at least once a day or more
to ask them to oppose the Senate Omnibus Federal Lands Bill.  Get the e-mail
and fax number for the staff person who handles Federal lands.  All Senators
may be called at (202) 224-3121.

-----Get a commitment from your Senator that he or she will oppose the new
Omnibus Federal Lands Bill including the 26,000,000 acre BLM NLCS and all
the new Wilderness areas.  Senator Feinstein (D-CA) will add 6,000,000 acres
of the California Desert to the NLCS.

Ask for the e-mail and fax of the staff person.  Be sure to fax or e-mail a
letter weekly to both your Senators opposing the Senate Omnibus Federal
Lands Bill.

-----Everyone should oppose this new way the Senate is passing bills by
packaging them into huge omnibus bills where so many Senators have a bill
included that nobody looks closely at the other parts of the overall bill.
Tell them you want votes on each individual bill and they must read each
bill.

-----Stop HR 2421, The Clean Water Restoration Act.  HR 2421 is really a
massive Federal land and watershed power grab.  It must be stopped.  It will
use "wetlands," the Corps of Engineers and EPA to take control over every
farm, ranch, and piece of private property with any water on it or even if
you only engage in activities that might affect water.

-----It expands the authority of the Federal government under the Federal
Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 (Clean Water Act) to include all waters
of the U.S. and activities affecting these waters.  It drops the limitation
to just navigable waters.  It will give the Corps of Engineers and EPA
control over your land.   You'll get tied up in a nightmare of red tape and
bureaucracy.

Help stop the Senate Omnibus Land Bill, that is the giant new Omnibus Public
Land Management Act of 2008.  It includes the BLM National Landscape
Conservation System (NLCS), new Wilderness areas, all BLM National Monuments
and many other Federal lands and parks bills.   That is over 190 separate
bills combined together.

Why you and American Land Rights (ALRA) should be on the same team.

-----ALRA is your political insurance policy;

-----ALRA has a powerful record of accomplishment in Congress;

-----Through ALRA, your voice is loudly heard in Washington, DC;

-----ALRA is known for its aggressive protection of members' rights;

-----You have access to our full time office and staff in Washington, DC;

-----You have a full time Headquarters in Battle Ground, Washington to help
you;

-----Hundreds of thousands of allies in ALRA e-mail, fax and mail lists to
help you win;

-----ALRA offers crisis management services to members and allies;

-----Day-to-day consulting on land use and environmental issues is
available; and

-----Grassroots organizing and coalition building to help you save your
property or interest.

Chuck Cushman
American Land Rights Association
(360) 687-3087
ccushman@pacifier.com

For more information or to support American Land Rights, go to
www.landrights.org

Press Release

Natural Resources Committee --  Press Release
U.S. Rep. Don Young, Ranking Member
1329 Longworth H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515

(202) 225-7749

www.house.gov/resources/republicans

Contacts:
Steve Hansen (Republican Communications Director) (202) 225-7749

Meredith Kenny (Communications Director/Rep. Don Young) (202) 225-5765

 September 18, 2008

-----Must Read-----

-----Rep. Rob Bishop Calls On Interior Department To Act

On Possible Misconduct At National Landscape Conservation System;

-----Inspector General Starts Investigation Into Improper Coordination
Between NLCS Employees & Environmental Advocacy Organizations

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep Rob Bishop (R-Utah), called on the Interior
Department to act quickly to halt any improper activities involving the
National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) and environmental advocacy
organizations.

Bishop is the Ranking Member on the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
Subcommittee.

Department officials have told Bishop's office that the Department's
Inspector General has started an investigation into the NLCS, a division of
the Bureau of Land management, after reviewing documents related to the
agency.

Bishop further asked that employees involved in the investigation step aside
from their positions and relinquish their duties until the investigation is
completed by the Inspector General.

Federal law generally prohibits federal employees from using appropriated
funds or their official positions to lobby Congress.

Emails and other documents being reviewed by the Department show extensive
coordination between top NLCS officials and lobbyists for environmental
groups.

"The Department must insist that any employee involved in violations of the
Anti-Lobbying Law step aside until the Inspector General or the Justice
Department has reviewed his or her conduct," Bishop said.  "Just as the
employees of the royalty-in-kind program at MMS learned, we will not
tolerate misconduct by public officials."

For more information, access the Committee on Natural Resources' Minority
website at:

http://republicans.resourcescommittee.house.gov/default.aspx

#     #    #

Steve Hansen
Director of Communications
Republican Staff
U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources
1329 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7749

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>From Environment & Energy Newsletter

INTERIOR: IG investigating coordination by BLM and enviro groups,
congressman says (09/19/2008)

Noelle Straub, E&E Daily reporter

The Interior inspector general is investigating possible illegal
coordination between lobbyists for environmental groups and federal
officials of the National Landscape Conservation System, Rep. Rob Bishop
said yesterday.

Interior officials informed his office about the investigation into the
NLCS, which is a division of the Bureau of Land Management, the Utah
Republican said in a statement.

E-mails and other documents show extensive coordination between top NLCS
officials and environmental lobbyists, said Bishop, the top Republican on
the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee.

The main groups involved appear to be the Wilderness Society and the
National Wildlife Federation, a House GOP aide said. At some point NLCS
officials had weekly meetings with these and other groups, often at the
Wilderness Society's office, to coordinate lobbying strategy and messaging,
the aide said.

E-mails show that NLCS officials requested environmental groups to write
budget language, the aide added. E-mails also talk about coordinating
lobbying efforts, setting up NLCS events, sending out draft memorandums for
each other to review and preparing for congressional hearing.

The federal and advocacy officials exchanged resumes and job announcements
in their respective organizations and BLM, the aide said. Travel documents
are still being collected and reviewed and will be part of the
investigation, the aide added.

Federal law generally prohibits federal employees from using appropriated
funds or their official positions to lobby Congress.

Kevin Mack, NLCS campaign director with the Wilderness Society, said he was
unaware of the investigation. "I don't know what the investigation is about,
have not been called by the IG, so I can't say anything more than that,"
Mack said.

Both his groups work on public lands issues and are in contact with many
people related to their work, Mack added. "I don't know what 'there' is
there."

NWF spokeswoman Jennifer Jones said the group has not been contacted by the
IG's office.

Interior spokeswoman Tina Kreisher said the department had no comment at
this time. An inspector general spokesman could not be reached by press
time.

Bishop said the Interior Department should act quickly to halt any improper
activities involving advocacy groups and the NLCS. He also called on
employees involved in the investigation to step aside from their positions
until the inspector general finishes his work.

"The department must insist that any employee involved in violations of the
anti-lobbying law step aside until the inspector general or the Justice
Department has reviewed his or her conduct," Bishop said. "Just as the
employees of the royalty-in-kind program at MMS learned, we will not
tolerate misconduct by public officials."

Bishop was referring to a sex, drugs and financial favors investigation of
Minerals Management Service employees recently completed by the Interior
inspector general, on which the full committee held a hearing yesterday
(E&ENews PM, Sept. 18).

Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt established NLCS during the Clinton
administration to grant protections to ecologically and historically
valuable lands controlled by BLM.

But Babbitt's designation did not codify the system, meaning a later
Interior secretary could dissolve it. When the House approved a bill in
April codifying it, Bishop complained the House Rules Committee blocked GOP
amendments, including one by him that would have addressed the private
property rights he said were threatened by what he called a "vague
legislative entity."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - -

If you wish to unsubscribe, reply to this e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the
subject line.  If you know of others who would like to receive these alerts,
reply with their e-mail addresses.

Please forward this message as widely as possible.

It is incredibly important for you to forward this message.   By forwarding
the message, you can help get many thousands of copies of this e-mail
distributed.  Thank you in advance for your help.