EDITORIALIAL
FOREST SERVICE REVOKES "RIGHT" TO GATHER ON PUBLIC LANDS
Howdy,
For twenty-three years the Rainbow Family of Living
Light had gathered, in large numbers in a National
Forest for the expressed purpose of "praying for
peace on earth and the healing of the planet." Now
the Forest Service has promulgated "proactive"
regulations (effective September 29, 1995) to render
this harmless religious observence a "crime".
Since 1988, when the Forest Service first purposed
such a regulation, people who preceive a vital
spiritual link in assembling in the wilderness, have
been divided into two camps. One camp argued
that the Constitution protects "We the People" rights
to gather on "We the People Land." The other
camp held that the government has reduced the
Constitution to nothing more than a pretext of
civilization, and argued that it is time to start
seriously considering how to avoid the logical
extension of the Forest Service rules, i.e., the
criminalization of free assembly.
A society which does not honor freedom of thought
(belief), expression, and assembly is totalitarian.
The underlying principles of totalitarian states are
sweeping. Consider the Koresh massacre. For fifty
one days the FBI arrested any media person who
came within two miles. Each morning Special FBI
Agent Bob Ricks held a press conference to assure
the world that David Koresh was irrational. The FBI
blasted the Koresh people with amazing stereo
equipment and flooded them with blazing lights.
Then, fearing the bright lights and loud music might
cause psychological damage to "the children," the
FBI rammed main battle tanks into the Koresh
compound "poking holes" and spraying
"non-flammable" teargas inside. "The next logical
step." Agent Ricks said.
Coincidently -- Agent Ricks, Attorney General Reno,
and President Clinton tell us -- the Koresh people
chose that moment to commit suicide by setting their
house on fire. So, we must conclude, nothing was
wrong and the government only wanted to save the
children.
Imagine, now that the "Rainbow Gathering" has
become a "crime," but, the People gather anyway.
Given an outlaw Gathering, what's poor Uncle Sam
supposed to do? Most economical solution might
be to just surround the Gathering with a chainlink
fence. These CFR regulations, which carry a
maximum penalty of six months in prison and
$500 fine, are called "citation offenses," and
provide that when an agent accuses a person of
a violation, the accused may post a $50 bond.
Anybody who wanted to get past the Rainbow
fence could just put up 50 bucks and make it
back to Babylon.
To facilitate due process the Feds could just
bring a gigantic T.V. screen down to the Main
Circle, set up two-way video and audio
equipment, and offer to hold court -- like those
closed circuit courts they've already got going in
Florida and some other places.
Anybody who wanted could go to the video
court and plead the First Amendment, or try to
cut a deal with the magistrate for an
intermediate sentence, trade time served for
community service, or something. On the other
extreme, anybody who wanted to hang out for
six months could just hang tight, The federales
could send in supplies. After six months,
sooner if they want, they could take down the
fence and everybody could go their way. Of
course, at smaller gatherings, a hundred or so
folks, the feds might think it was more
economical just to round everybody up and farm
them out to surrounding county jails.
After Waco, one of the first things U.S. Attorney
Reno suggested was looking at new laws and
regulations to control cults. Waco was what
they call a "proactive" enforcement approach.
The ATF has been referred to as a "cult."
Literally, it can be said, proactive enforcement
shock troops have engaged in bloody rituals.
This rule is proactive. Now that the "We the
People" camp and the "Wake-up the
Government is Trying to Criminalize Thought"
camp can get past academic debate, we shall
see if there is some method of solving the
problems attendent to proactive enforcement..
In service to understanding,
D.C. Scribe
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