<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div>HI folks,<br><br></div>I have just finished a letter to the editor for the Willits Weekly answering the one above.<br><br></div>Here it is<br></div>Ed<br><br>Randy Covin's letter to the editor (Community Rights and Wrongs) is fill of unfounded fears and misconceptions. The Community Rights Network of Mendocino County (CRNMC) ordinance doesn't seek to elevate the rights of nature over the rights of humans. It only seeks to give nature the right to exist.<br>
<br>I agree with Covins that humans have the right to exist as well. However, humans are overrunning the Earth by massive overpopulation. That is why we are living in the greatest mass extinction of species since the dinosaurs were wiped out. Humans are killing the life support system that we depend on for our very survival. We have poisoned most of our rivers, lakes and the oceans as well. Continued human existence will not happen if these destructive practices continue.<br>
<br>CRNMC's ordinance does not open the door to frivolous lawsuits. It only bans fracking, fracking waste and the theft of local water for fracking.<br><br>The main thrust behind community rights ordinances is to empower communities to decide what actives will be allowed in their own communities. The federal and state governments, awash in oil and gas corporation money, have failed to protect WE THE PEOPLE. <br>
<br>Community rights ordinances do not accept the authority of corporations, states and the federal to decide what harms a community will have forced upon them. Covin's statement that the ordinance "would also provide for recovery of expert and attorneys fees and litigation costs by any resident who sues on behalf of a tree or a frog harmed by someone" is absolutely false.<br>
<br>I urge Covins and everyone to read our proposed ordinance thoroughly. Our ordinance is an effort to stand as a community for our right to determine our quality of life and protect our water from becoming a sacrifice zone for corporate profit. Please join our effort and vote yes for our local right to ban fracking.<br>
<br>Ed Oberweiser<br>19244 Benson Lane<br>Fort Bragg, CA 95437<br>964-7965<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 2:17 PM, Shannon Biggs <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:shannon@globalexchange.org" target="_blank">shannon@globalexchange.org</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<font color="#FF0000"><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt">Hi all, <br>
<br>
I see there is a LTE in the Willits paper. Please please please media team I suggest you coordinate a response any takers or Peter, perhaps you want to respond since it was your letter she refers to? I’m happy to edit a letter if anyone is willing to write it I have suggested some talking points below. Don’t let this LTE stand un-answered! <br>
See you all this weekend! <br>
</span></font></font><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt"><br>
</span></font><font size="5"><font face="Times, Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:16pt">Community Rights and Wrongs<br>
</span></font></font><font face="Helvetica, Verdana, Arial"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">To the Editor:<br>
In last week’s paper, Peter Norris wrote about the <br>
Community Rights Network of Mendocino County <br>
(CRNMC) and its signature gathering campaign. CRNMC <br>
has proposed a local ordinance to ban fracking and create <br>
a “Community Bill of Rights,” bestowing legal rights on <br>
“[a]ll residents, natural communities and ecosystems in <br>
Mendocino County ... to water, air and soil that is untainted <br>
by toxins, carcinogens, particulates, nucleotides, and <br>
hydrocarbons introduced into the environment through <br>
unconventional extraction of hydrocarbons.”<br>
I think we can agree that it is good to have clean water, <br>
soil and air. I am a lifelong moderate environmentalist, <br>
and I support reasonable environmental regulations.<br>
<font color="#FF0000">Fracking can not be regulated safely.<br>
</font> But almost all human activity has some effect on the natural <br>
environment. I believe environmental concerns must be <br>
balanced against other human needs – for homes, heat, <br>
fuel, roads, jobs, computers and food, for instance. <br>
<font color="#FF0000">Which are all pretty much meaningless if the ecosystem means you can’t live there. IN PA, where fracking has been destroying communities’ ecosystems since 2009, some towns can no longer drink their water, and in fact the saying goes that fracking arrived to PA and brought with it herds of water buffalos to every community. (Water buffaloes are the water tanks covered in white that thousands of individuals must use now that their private wells have been contaminated). <br>
</font> <br>
I am wary of environmental campaigns that seek to elevate <br>
the “rights” of trees, plants and wildlife over the rights of <br>
humans. We humans are part of nature, and we have a <br>
right to live, too.<br>
<font color="#FF0000"> <br>
The ordinance does not suggest that elements of the environment are above people – but rather recognizes our dependence on a healthy ecosystem. It does not speak to the rights of individual “trees plans or wildlife” as the author suggests, but rather offers our community additional protection from fracking by saying that if we find fracking waste in the land or soil from fracking outside the county, we can sue on behalf of the health of the community and ecosystem. Individual trees rocks, or any species do not have representation in this ordinance, it is the ability for the ecosystems to continue their vital cycles (upon which all residents depend) that is protected. That’s pretty solid scientifically—in order for us to thrive, we must live in a healthy ecosystem. But even more than that, this ordinance doesn’t outlaw ANYTHING but fracking. <br>
</font> <br>
<br>
</span></font><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12pt">I am very wary of the proposed Community Rights o</span></font><font face="Helvetica, Verdana, Arial"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">rdinance for Mendocino County because it would allow <br>
any resident of the county to sue any government or private <br>
entity for perceived environmental impacts on any “natural <br>
community” – which includes any “wildlife, flora, fauna, soil <br>
and air-dwelling and aquatic organisms....” <br>
<br>
<font color="#FF0000">Again, this is not true. the ordinance only bans fracking, fracking waste disposal, or water theft for fracking. <br>
</font> <br>
The proposed <br>
ordinance would also provide for recovery of expert and <br>
attorneys fees and litigation costs by any resident who <br>
sues on behalf of a tree or a frog harmed by someone.<br>
<br>
<font color="#FF0000">Not true. <br>
<br>
<br>
</font>I am afraid of fracking. I have read enough about it to know <br>
it seems horribly dangerous to the environment, to wildlife <br>
and to humans. I would sign a petition to enact an anti-<br>
fracking ordinance in Mendocino County. But I am also <br>
afraid of overzealous environmental activists who might <br>
use the proposed ordinance to disrupt local life and cost us <br>
all a whole lot of money.<br>
<br>
<font color="#FF0000">Partners CELDF and GX have pledged to provide legal support to defend the ordinance. The only threat to disrupting local life related to this ordinance is FRACKING</font>. <font color="#FF0000">This ordinance puts the community in charge of the decision about fracking which as been left to fracking corporations and the state legislature, who have yet to protect communities form fracking. The time has come to stand up for ourselves and write new laws that ensure that decisions about fracking are made ONLY by the people who must bear the brunt of fracking’s harms.</font> <br>
<br>
Before signing CRNMC’s petition, I urge everyone to read <br>
the proposed ordinance on their website (<a href="http://www.crnmc.org" target="_blank">www.crnmc.org</a>) <br>
and try to imagine the worst possible effects if even one <br>
unreasonable resident of Mendocino County wishes to <br>
sue the county or private parties for some small perceived <br>
harm to nature<br>
<font color="#FF0000">We also urge people to learn about the ordinance for themselves, and understand that while the ordinance contains a bill of rights (Much like the US Bill of rights), the prohibition is specific to fracking, like the US Bill of Rights says we have a right to bear arms, but states and localities prohibit say, individuals from rolling down the street in an armoured tank. We stand as a community for our right to determine our quality of life and to protect our local water from becoming a sacrifice zone for corporate profit. We have an obligation in fac, to protect our community. We hope you will learn about the ordinance and vote yes! for our local right to ban fracking! <br>
</font></span></font><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><br>
<br>
------ Forwarded Message<br>
<b>From: </b>Peter Norris <<a href="http://petersnorris@gmail.com" target="_blank">petersnorris@gmail.com</a>><br>
<b>Date: </b>Thu, 5 Jun 2014 13:41:29 -0700<br>
<b>To: </b>Shannon Biggs <<a href="http://shannon@globalexchange.org" target="_blank">shannon@globalexchange.org</a>><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Fwd: Community Rights and Wrongs by Randi Covin<br>
<br>
</font></span><font color="#444444"><font><font face="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt"><br>
</span></font></font></font><font><font face="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">Dear Shannon,<br>
Here is the link to the op-ed page.<br>
Scroll down to page 2. <br>
<br>
</span></font></font><font face="Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><font color="#0B5394"><span style="font-size:11pt"><b><a href="http://www.willitsweekly.com/documents/WillitsWeekly_06052014_Pages.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.willitsweekly.com/documents/WillitsWeekly_06052014_Pages.pdf</a><br>
<br>
</b></span><b><font><span style="font-size:10pt"> I'm excited about this weekend.<br>
</span></font><span style="font-size:11pt"><br>
</span><font><span style="font-size:10pt"> In Gratitude, Peter<br>
</span></font><span style="font-size:11pt"><br>
<br>
</span><font><span style="font-size:10pt">Peter Scott Norris <a href="tel:707.456.9968" value="+17074569968" target="_blank">707.456.9968</a> <tel:<a href="tel:707.456.9968" value="+17074569968" target="_blank">707.456.9968</a>> <br>
</span></font></b></font></font><font color="#3D85C6"><font size="1"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><span style="font-size:8.5pt"><i>The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit, And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love born out of concern for all beings.<br>
</i></span></font></font></font><font face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size:11pt"><br>
<br>
<br>
------ End of Forwarded Message<br>
</span></font>
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<br></blockquote></div><br></div>