July 17, 2018
Liz Writes Life
Hooray! It was a happy day last Tuesday, July 10, 2018, when U.S.
President Donald Trump pardoned Dwight Hammond, 76, and Steven Hammond, 49.
Many citizens made phone calls to the White House and sent petitions and online
support statements. This is incredible, folks. The Hammonds were railroaded and
lied against by federal bureaucrats. You see, ranchers in Eastern Oregon have “cooperative”
agreements with the BLM so they can burn grass and brush as fire protective
management and to improve the range grasses. Hammonds signed these cooperative
agreements for decades. Steven called the BLM Dist. Ranger the morning they
began the fire, which was on their property. Yep, the winds took it over into
BLM scrub lands; and Hammonds put the fire out themselves. It was not terrorism
as the Obama Administration and Attorney General Eric Holder alleged.
Oregon Congressman (R-Hood River) Greg Walden was a major
player in getting the “pardon” paperwork to Pres. Trump’s desk. Here is his
statement:
“Today is a win for justice, and an acknowledgement of our
unique way of life in the high desert, rural West. I applaud President Trump
for thoroughly reviewing the facts of this case, rightly determining the
Hammonds were treated unfairly, and taking action to correct this injustice.
“For far too long, Dwight and Steven Hammond have been
serving a mandatory minimum sentence that was established for terrorists. This is
something that would ‘shock the conscience,” according to Federal Judge Michael
Hogan, who presided over the case and used his discretion in sentencing which
later was reversed. As ranchers across eastern Oregon frequently tell me, the
Hammonds didn’t deserve a five year sentence for using fire as a management
tool, something the federal government does all the time.” Yep, hypocrisy!
Our own CA. Dist. 1 Congressman Doug LaMalfa also lent his
support to the pardon-effort and sent out a press release stating the Hammonds “were
let down by our justice system.” Wow, that is so true!
Joseph Rice, in Oregon, is leading the charge asking Hammond
supporters to call U.S. Attorney for Oregon, Billy Williams at 503-727-1000 to
demand Amanda Marshall be prosecuted for lying to federal investigators. It was
U.S. Attorney Marshall, who led the push for more severe punishment of the
Hammonds, who had already been railroaded, found guilty, then served the
previous sentences in prison. Interestingly enough, Marshall has since resigned
with her professionalism and qualifications being called into question on other
cases.
Happy rally
Supporters of Hammonds held a rally last Wednesday, when
Lucas Oil used its airplane to fly the Hammonds home to Burns. Forrest Lucas,
who is an oil company owner, founded the nonprofit group called “Protect the
Harvest” with the goal of supporting American farmers, ranchers, outdoor
enthusiasts and animal owners. Lucas was a huge help is getting the Hammonds
pardoned and brought the situation to the attention of U.S. Vice President Mike
Pence. A big “thank you” also goes to Forrest Lucas.
Nice to have the truth win for a change.
Needed rain!
So grateful for the good amount of rain we received on
Sunday. My goodness, don’t think I will need to irrigate on Monday. The
tomatoes really like the heat we’re getting (I don’t!) and are huge with small
tomatoes. Picking zucchini and cucumbers; and potatoes are ready for eating.
About a month ago, I pulled up the garlic to let it finish
drying. Got a handful that were quite large, but the 25 others are medium to
small. Last week, I harvested some mint and put it in paper bags to dry. Need
to harvest another batch this week.
Go to this meeting
The Siskiyou Co. Board of Supervisors is inviting the public
to attend a special meeting tonight at the Montague Community Hall from 6 to 8
p.m. The supervisors will receive an update from their SWCA Environmental
Consultants. Board Chairman Ray Haupt was pleased to hire the SWCA, he said, because
it provides expert science for the county’s legal team that is working hard
pouring through the mountains of information to focus the county’s efforts on
saving the dams. This is environmental science that will help our cause.
Meuser visit
At 8 p.m. at the Montague park across from the Community Center,
Mark Meuser will meet with citizens. He is running for Secretary of State and
is cycling through all 58 California counties. It will be a good time to get to
visit with him.
Amicus Curiae
Through combined supervisors’ and county administration
efforts, Siskiyou Co. was able to coordinate with Modoc and Klamath Counties to
file an Amicus Curiae “Friend of the Court” brief in the case of the Klamath
Tribes v. Bureau of Reclamation. A hearing is set for July 20, 2018 for the
judge to decide if legal irrigation water will be shut-off to more than 1,200 farmers
in the Bureau of Reclamation Project. Also, the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma has
joined the brief, bringing equal clout of a federally recognized Tribe against
the Klamath Tribe. Yay!
Luckily, the judge has allowed the filing of the amicus brief
by the three counties and the Modoc Tribe of OK. as it was a discretionary act.
Meaning, the judge didn’t have to allow the brief against the injunction that
the Klamath Tribe has filed. The Klamath Tribe claims that even more water -- than
the USFWS Biological Opinion on sucker fish states – must be stored in Upper
Klamath Lake, which will stop farmers from receiving desperately needed water
for 200,000 acres of crops.
This is important, because the three counties and Modoc Tribe
of OK. are putting the economic and social impacts before the judge to show
they will be immensely hurt by any water
shut-off. It is estimated there could a total agriculture loss of over $700
million to Klamath, Modoc and Siskiyou Counties.
The Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma is descendants of Capt. Jack that
were removed, in 1873, by railroad cars to Oklahoma after the Modoc War. This
Tribe also signed the Treaty with the federal government that included the
Klamath Tribes. The Modoc Tribe says it is pro-farmer, pro-local community and
pro-local business. It also recently purchased the Tulelake airport that was
being threatened for closure, because a Japanese environmental group wanted to
purchase the airport land to add to its Japanese World War II encampment
monument. The airport is not adjacent to the Japanese encampment and its
closure would have drastically impacted the economy and safety of Tulelake
area.
Smart meters
On Wed., July 18, 2018, Betty Kreeger will speak on the
dangers of smart meters at the Siskiyou Co. Library at 719 4th St. in Yreka.
Time is 6:30 p.m.
POW
Scott Valley Protect Our Water will not hold a meeting this
month.
Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in
newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near
Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515. Check out her blog at:
LizWritesLife.blogspot.com
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