Daniel Webster pioneer press no kidding Klamath dams 052809

Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis
Upholding rural Americans' rights to grow food,
own property, and caretake our wildlife and natural resources.

Words from Webster, Pioneer Press 5/20/09

No kidding

It was one of those Sherlock moments, I say with sarcasm in my voice.

Oregon's Senator Doug Whitsett, Representative Bill Garrard and Representative George Gilman commissioned and paid for a professional poll to scientifically determine the nature of the opinions of Klamath County citizens on matters relating to Klamath River dam removal.

The results are not surprising, so says Sherlock:

65 percent are opposed to dam removal;
68 percent are opposed to public purchase of reservation land for the Tribes;
73 percent are opposed to the closed and confidential negotiations involved in developing the KBRA and the AIP;
58 percent are unwilling to paying higher electric rates as the result of the shift to renewable energy or dam removal;
83 percent are very or somewhat concerned that these agreements will provide the Tribes with too much control over Klamath Basin water

That's right. You as the citizens of the area to be affected, did not have representation at the table of these closed door agreements.

Drug dealers were at the table. There were a whole bunch of them. Their voices were the loudest I would imagine.

But not you the citizens who will be hurt.

Illegal Tribal interests were at the table, but not the tribe whose territory is aboriginal to the area affected.

So, why won't our leaders go after the heart of the matter and represent the interests of the vast majority of their constituents?

The answer to this question may actually go to the heart of the matter.

Those you have elected don't seem to want to get to the heart of the issue.

You can't tell me a county supervisor or commissioner can't ask for an official criminal investigation.

You can't tell me that our law enforcement can't launch a criminal investigation into the allegations which have been raised in these pages.

You can't tell me our representatives are powerless to push federal and state agencies into a corner because they are making illegal agreements - unless, of course our representatives are guilty of such themselves.

-Daniel Webster