Monday, April 28, 2008

Frat Boys on Spring Break

by Chuck Connors

There’s a pattern happening here. A pattern insidious, hateful, destructive, and it’s aimed at you and me. In just the last few years Jackson County has taken on a tone, a dreadful resemblance similar to the destruction of the state of Florida. Build, build, build and the land and the public be damned.

For too long developers in Jackson County and the rest of Western North Carolina have been running hog wild like frat boys on spring break in Panama City. Our county has been their golden goose with dollar signs for eyes and guess who’s paying through the nose? It may turn out that the land development/steep slope ordinances need to be ‘tweaked’ and made more effective in stopping the developers in their race to destroy what little we have left—especially when there’s ‘cheaters’ such as the Balsam Mountain ‘Preserve’ neatly halving the just fine that was imposed upon them for the illegal dam which caused the Scott’s Creek disaster. The public relations flim flam of a bought and paid for eagle imported from Tennessee won’t fly either. Nobody’s fooled.

Don’t forget Legasus and their Riverrock water pollution fiasco in-the-making on Cullowhee Mountain. If you think that Legasus hasn’t been doing everything they can to subvert the decision of the Army Corps of Engineers relating to all the streams that Legasus is going to bury in a pipe, you were born yesterday.

Two of the candidates running for county commissioner are obvious ‘plants’ by the developers. One candidate is the Eastern Band’s attempt to subvert the rest of Jackson County and another candidate is a sex offender.

The incumbents may not be perfect, but they see what is going on and are doing something right to preserve the old Jackson County for the future. They don’t want their grandchildren and yours to be forced out of Jackson County by sky-high land prices and elitist gated communities with signs reading, “Locals Keep Out.” Will you stand on your two legs and fight for what is right or will you be a slave on your knees? I know who and what I’m going to vote for May 6. Do you?

1 comment:

James said...

And the worst aspect of what the developers are doing to the WNC mountains is that they claim those that oppose them are anti freedom or anti property rights.Personaly,when traveling through the mountains ,the sight of No Tresspassing sighns nailed to every third tree does not arouse the love of liberty buried within my soul.Actualy these sighns are saying to the reader,you have no liberty here.Some how or another,I have always felt and expeareanced much greater freedom when treading upon property where I and every one else was and are welcome,'public property'! Many conservitives,hate the concept of public property,or the exsistance of a commons,I guess they also are apposed to the sun-rise and sun-set!? The wind,the rain? These miricles of life and nature are commons,meaning they belong to all of us,no one is forced to pay for them,'at least not yet'but I suppose if you can be made to pay to see a waterfall,or take a walk through the woods, then maybe one day we will have to pay for our share of sunshine,air,and water!Right ,some of us already pay for water!
We began loosing our commons to the elite way back during the enclosure movements,in the middle ages.Since then we have lost land use rights,hunting ,fishing rights,water rights,the sum of losses is stagering,yet still so many conservatives detest the fact that the Great Smokies is a slice of heavenly real estate that even the poorest American can go and at least partialy enjoy the wonders of nature.It may be true,that such places need to be open to greater use,or I should say a wider range of uses.The conservitives are always bemoaning the restrictions on their activities,when upon public land.Their real issue though is not the fact that none of us can walk the dog on a certain trail,or catch a trophy trout from a certain stream,their real issue is that they can not do their bidding,their bidding being owning the entire property in question,and then telling me and you ,No fishing!,No Hunting!,No tresspassing!Find Another Planet to live On !!!
I realy wish that the developers and those who support the developers would just take some time and watch the sunrise and sunset.Seriously,they would see how life and nature really work.That not only are some things free,they should be free,and actualy anything really important in life and to life, nature provides it, if not freely,then at a minimum of cost or effort.Another words folks,life really is a gift! When we ignore or fail to appreciate this fact,we soon either die, or become enslaved,often our fate is both.The elite do not escape the inescapeble.They are enslaved to their greed,and a life of serving greed is not living.A life of manuvering to keep what is accumulated is pointless,it has never been done!Only that which has been shared survives the grave.
Reading the Frat Boys has given me an idea.I personaly do not know anyone who has been forced out of WNC because of an inability to pay property taxes,but I certainly would like to meet someone who has.Perhaps someone ,anyone reading this blog has had to leave the area thanks to the developers,please give me a call at 828-524-4983-collect.Perhaps you are reading this blog and would like to help,please call or e-mail me.Also,if you Know of anyone who has been forced away please tell them to contact me.I can not help but think that if we put our heads together we can come up with a way to right the wrongs that have been done here.perhaps we can prevent the same thing from happening elsewere ?
Thanks to anyone reading this,and hope you have a great day.YT-James Guilford.