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KITSAP ALLIANCE OF PROPERTY OWNERS HOLDS RALLY
October 6, 2001 Notes by Mary Swoboda The Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners had a rally Saturday, October 6, where many excellent speakers shared their thoughts with the crowd of nearly 100. Russell C. Brooks, Pacific Legal Foundation [1] It is vital for folks like you who are affected the most by public actions and policies to contact your legislators and public officials. If you don't, the only people your elected officials hear are the multitude of special interests that lobby the Legislature day after day. Brian Bea, homeowner, Skamania County, Washington The Bea family obtained a permit from Skamania County to build a single-family home in the Columbia River Gorge area. The permit included all the special provisions dictated by the unelected Columbia Gorge Commission, an agency created to implement and enforce the Columbia River Gorge Act. Thirteen months after the Bea’s permit was approved, the Gorge Commission decided it did not like the looks or location of the house and sued the County to force the Bea’s to move it. The Beas enlisted the aid of the Pacific Legal Foundation. PLF attorneys represented the Beas before the Commission and in court to block the relocation order and challenge the Commission's jurisdiction to question the building permit 13 months after it was issued. Finally after three years the Washington Supreme Court, on June 28, 2001, held unanimously that the Columbia River Gorge Commission acted "without authority of law." The justices considered it “unjust” to require the Bea’s to move their home simply because government bureaucrats were unable to resolve area land use issues in a timely manner. [2] Although the Bea's were victorious in this lawsuit, their battle isn't over yet. Mr. Bea said it is vital that all age groups be involved in defending and protecting their property rights. Dr. Robert Crittenden author of "Politics of Change, A Brief History” [3] Dr. Crittenden is a quantitative biologist who originally worked for the State analyzing salmon populations. He discovered that the numerical data did not support the official government position that there is a “salmon crisis.” He also discovered that there are those in government and higher education who were aware the “crisis” is fabricated but who need a crisis (salmon or otherwise) to, in his view, introduce a new form of government based on “Total Quality Management” (TQM). TQM creates a totalitarian collectivist government where decisions are made by "consensus," which doesn't mean "majority rule," but "unanimous consent." He encouraged the audience to support legal actions that defend private property ownership, and work to replace politicians who promote TQM. [4] Ed Wurden, member of KAPO Using the Law of Opposites, Mr. Wurden dispelled three popular myths: . (1) Developers have caused the problem. Behind every developer are commissioners and planning groups that issue the permits developers must abide by. "We pay county officials to help us not have problems." . (2) Government would sure like to fix the problem but they don't have enough money. Governments don't have enough money because they have not allocated enough money to fix what is broken. . (3) Commercial fishermen are the problem. Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife created the fish rules and, through politics, not sound management, have managed to destroy the fish resource in the Puget Sound. Washington State biologists tend to rely on computer models to manage their fish resources. Alaska State biologists, on the other hand, live in the communities they serve and manage by physically observing the resources. [5] Senator Tim Sheldon (D-35th District) Each Legislative session has its own nameplate issue. In 1990 it was the spotted owl. Next year could very well be all about money. We have spent more than we have. Most politicians will want to solve the problem by gutting social programs and raising taxes. What we need to cut is the bureaucracy. (He received loud cheers from the audience for saying this.) There is no rhyme or reason in some of the bureaucratic nonsense. Elected officials must represent the people who elect them. Property rights are freedoms that aren't negotiable. James Buchal, author of "The Great Salmon Hoax" We have serious problems with government. It has gone berserk. Bureaucrats have a lust for power. They think they know what is best for us even when they don't. We need to wake up and start fighting. The government is like a drunken father -- we've got to put them both in rehab and dry them out. We must start showing up at public meetings and making a fuss. Shining the cold light of publicity on them makes them scurry like rats. "Go forth and conquer," he concluded. [6] - - - - - - - - - - - - - FOOTNOTES: [1] http://www.pacificlegal.org/ -- Pacific Legal Foundation was established over 25 years ago and provides a voice in the courts for less government and the preservation of free enterprise, private property rights and individual liberties. [2] Bea v. Columbia River Gorge Commission, http://www.pacificlegal.org/libertywatch/lw-july.htm#bea and Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “Ruling allows couple to keep Gorge dream home, fuels land-use debate”, Friday, June 29, 2001, http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/local/29428_house29.shtml [3] "Politics of Change, A Brief History,” published in 2000 http://www.hargravepublishing.com/ [4] TQM, or “consensus,” is antithetical to the representative republic form of government established in the U.S. Constitution. http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/HumanResources.html -- "MOLDING HUMAN RESOURCES FOR THE GLOBAL WORKFORCE: THE HIDDEN EDUCATION AGENDA BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN PROMISES" by Berit Kjos . http://themustardseed.home.mindspring.com/bb-5.htm -- THE DELPHI TECHNIQUE: HOW TO ACHIEVE A WORKABLE CONSENSUS WITHIN TIME LIMITS [5] We actually met and talked to a biologist on the Kenai River in Alaska who was physically counting fish. Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game posts the fish counts on their web site and is very open about what size run they need to produce sustainable harvests. Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, www.wa.gov/wdfw. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, www.state.ak.us/adfg/adfghome.htm. [6] Mr. Buchal’s speech is posted at www.buchal.com/salmon/news/nf57.htm |