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You know the one thing we do not need in “The worst economic and financial crisis in decades,” is to have the fringe left compound the problem by potentially putting a stop to mining and industry in out Basin. The same Birkenstock assholes that visit every government meeting, telling you and everyone else that they love the Earth and therefore you must die are at it again. We all know our local detachment of this rock humping bunch of misfits. Here is their latest attack on the citizens of Twentynine Palms.
Lawsuit Filed to Protect Desert Tortoise From Mining | The Sticky Tongue
The Center for Biological Diversity and the Desert Tortoise Council filed a lawsuit today against the city of Twentynine Palms for approving the expansion of a mining project on lands that are home to the federally and state-protected desert tortoise. Ignoring wildlife protection laws, the city council failed to require that the desert tortoise be protected and that permits be obtained before moving forward with the project. Both the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the wildlife agencies charged with protecting desert tortoises, told the city that permits were needed before the mine expansion could go forward.
“Why the city of Twentynine Palms is ignoring state and federal law is mystifying,” said Ileene Anderson, a biologist with the Center. “All projects that affect desert tortoises must go through the permitting process so that this unique species stands a chance at survival.”
The Granite Mine expansion is proposed on 356 acres, with 178 acres of active mining. Desert tortoises have been documented in areas where active mining is proposed. In the original environmental review, the city recognized the need to comply with state and federal laws and seek a permit for the expansion. The city later did an about-face and simply abandoned plans to acquire a permit, in direct conflict with law.
“The city council should have and must respect the recommendations of the state and federal agencies that are mandated to protect the Mojave desert tortoise,” said Sid Silliman of the Desert Tortoise Council. “It is a matter of due diligence under the law.”
Today’s case was filed in superior court in San Bernardino County.
Having survived tens of thousands of years in California’s deserts, desert tortoises have declined precipitously in recent years. The population crash has been caused by a combination of pressures, including disease; crushing by vehicles; military, industrial and suburban development; habitat degradation; and predation by dogs and ravens. Because of its dwindling numbers, the desert tortoise — California’s official state reptile — is protected under both federal and California endangered species acts.
Source: Center For Biological Diversity
I say we grab these frog licking bastards up Try them as criminals and shove their disloyal unpatriotic asses in an appropriate wilderness area where they might shrivel up and f***ing die. Enough is enough. It is time that we sue each and everyone one of them as a group and as individuals as generational thieves.
Cactus Thorns has been online in one form or the other since 2001. What started as a personal blog documenting the corruption and lack of Due Process of the 29 Palms Community Development Department has turned into over these many years into a hugely popular Independent Alternative News Media Outlet. We have partnered with other media including The Desert Star Weekly, Joshua Tree Star, other blogs, indie media and an incredible staff of volunteer Reporters, Commentators and Opinion Makers to create one of the most read, honest and dependable alternative to the Local traditional Media services in the country. Thanks to you the reader we are in the 5% of most read sites in the World.
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Sure if you can.
Is it up to the city to enforce state and federal standards? I would assume that it was up to the individual agencies and that a city permit would not guarantee acceptance. Lawsuits should be directed at the state. Cities would not be able to absorb the financial burden.
This has little to do with our financial situation. That simply seems to be the new battle cry.
Dan, what is it about participatory government you don’t understand? When it suits you, you are the first one out of the box to assert his rights. When others assert rights, you shout people down and dismiss those rights.
We have a judicial legal system in America. Just thought you needed to be reminded of that. That legal system is the third branch of government. Tens of thousand of Americans dies for that check and balance. Let the court process go forward. If it is a a frivolous action, it will be dismissed.
H2—It is up to the people to stand firm and put a stop to eco-fanaticism. I say they would make lovely chum for the California Condor if they were only allowed to take those long hikes in the wildernesses they keep protecting.
Branson— Oh please lets not wax nostalgic about this new found belief in the fairness of the judicial system, after your almost year long attack on the judge who ruled to have a father have visitation only to have the father kill the child. As opposed to complaining about the judicial system I want to avail ourselves of it and turn the blind lady on to the silly bastards that have wasted decades of time and destroyed millions of jobs.
If they people wanted it stopped, perhaps they would.
Fairness is often decided in the courtroom. Though far from perfect, and sometimes far from fair,simply leaving it up to elected officials or even if we put every aspect of our lives up to a vote it would be just as far.
Making condor chum out of their disloyal unpatriotic asses as we shove them out into the wilderness isn’t covered in our Constitution. I’m not sure how loyal or patriotic that would be.
Neither is the protection of the tortoise covered under the Constitution.
Hey Dan,
How about we do the world a favor and put all of you endangered Donkey-humping American White-tailed Rednecks out of your misery and feed your remains to the Desert Tortoises.
Love you too
Dan?
Donkeys?
Do the goats know?
They do now.
“Donkey-humping American White-tailed Rednecks”????
The only donkey humping rednecks I know are the ones who voted for are registered democrats…. I say sure chum them up and lets see if the Tortoises will eat them.
I do believe I hit a vain with these frog licking dip shits.
It’s “vein” oh pointy head illiterate one. Perhaps too much time in the desert has fried your brain cell.
Perhaps, indeed. I can on the other hand cure my problems with a spell checker and a bigger hat. You my poor child are genetically predisposed.
DanO: I hasten to inform you I posted two stories about the judge. First one was the first news story in Morongo that put the story out there.
Namely, that was a straight news story from (I believe) the SB P-E. Second story, I actually defended the judge and talked up how easily it is to make a mistake when you are on the bench every day hearing family law matters. There are three sides to most every family law matter that appears before any judge. The truth, and the two respective stories of the parties.
You may be making reference to another post about the White Feather Court I made. I think that was posted in a comment to one of the above stories. I was critical of the COURT and a commissioner hearing a case I was tracking.I did felt women were generally getting the shaft. Since that time, things are a lookin’ up. Can’t go into detail, but justice is prevailing. In the end, I knew the Respondent would be afforded all her rights under the Family Law Act. That is happening. I believe in the jurisprudence system. Better than using a club to resolve disputes.
When you stick your spoon in my soup don’t dive into the bowl headfirst.
So I guess all that recall the judge stuff was a zephyr.
Donno Wizard DanO. Ck w/ the recall people. I went to the ballot box.
Now Dan, you should be more careful what pictures you put up here with them two turtles. Makes me feel frisky! LOL
Those that have been involved in this process and educated themselves on the issues realize that NO ONE is opposed to the Granite expansion. It is an important industry in the Basin.
If Granite and the City of Twenty Nine Palms had followed the law the mine most likely would already be up and running. However the City of Twenty Nine Palms decided that they were above the law. If you are angry get angry at the City for delaying the project.
Name calling serves no purpose instead educate yourself on the issues and then you can make appropriate comments.
Psychopathy and Sociopathy
Psychopathy and sociopathy are nowadays subsumed under the notion of antisocial behaviour disorders but experts are still quite discordant whether both are really separated disturbances or rather forms of other personal disorders e.g. autism. Psychopaths and sociopaths often get into conflict with their social environment because they repeatedly violate social and moral rules. Acquired sociopathy manifests in the inability to form lasting relationships, irresponsible behaviour as well as getting angry quite fast and exceptional strong egocentric thinking. While acquired sociopathy might is characterised by impulsive antisocial behaviour often having no personal advantage, developmental psychopathy manifests in goal directed and self-initiated aggression. Acquired sociopathy is caused by brain injury especially found in the orbitofrontal lobe (frontal lobe) and is thought to be a failure to use emotional cues and the loss of social knowledge. Therefore sociopaths are unable to control and plan their behaviour in a socially adequate manner. In contrast to sociopaths psychopaths are not getting angry because of minor reasons but they act aggressively without understandable reasons at all which might be due to their inability to understand and distinguish between moral rules (concerning the welfare of others) and conventions (consensus rules of society). Furthermore it even happens that they feel no guilt or empathy for their victims. Psychopathy is probably caused be a failure to process distress cues of others, meaning that they are unable to understand sad and fearful expressions and consequently suppress their aggression (Blair 1995). It is important to mention that they are nevertheless able to detect stimuli being threatening for themselves.
-- http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cognitive_Psychology_and_Cognitive_Neuroscience/Motivation_and_Emotion#Psychopathy_and_Sociopathy
Of course, its the birkenstock wearing hippies! Tree hugging hippies are renowned for how much power they have over the EPA and environmental initiatives. Everyone in the government loves to hear from them- and just caters to them- for free weed I imagine huh? The Hippie tree hugger movement is well funded too- by “The Left”- which is also well funded by “progressives”. Don’t be fooled by their shoestring budgets- offices in industrial parks -- and their 24 grand a year salaries. They be the power that keeps you down!
I say let the Tortoises VOTE: DON’T or die?
Hmmmm -- the courts. Yeah, they really did their job after the Wall Street Banksters ripped all of us off for fifteen or so trillion and consequently put American business into a tailspin that is quickly approaching hard ground. They really went after ole tough guy “Hank” Henreeeee! Paulson after he led the selling of phony derivatives to an unsuspecting American public which destroyed retirement accounts and they really jumped at prosecuting BP after Obo and Bunnypants Bush encouraged them to ignore the law. The only time the courts function in America is when they want your money. In fact, all they have to do is drag you into court for whatever they want. Even if your verdict is innocent they wind up taking all your money from your efforts at establishing your innocence. It’s a rigged game and guess who it’s rigged against. They want it all and will do ANYTHING to get it.
Denny: My family just just lost a 1.1 million dollar estate left by my deceased mother. The case has been in bouncing around between Superior Court, the appellate court and a state Supreme court. Her clear and unambiguous intentions were never considered. The appellate decision was written by an inexperienced law student. The issues were overlooked. Meritorious claims slip through the cracks of justice all the time.
I still support the judicial system. You gotta weigh the good with the bad. Overall, the good prevails.
Dear denny,
You seem to have confused “the courts” with “the prosecutors” under USA law. Courts are not supposed to go after people or prosecute people. They are supposed to weigh evidence presented. You must be confused with the “Napoleonic” legal system. Please figure the appropriate context before babbling. Thank you.
Well soon as we see “Denny” we’ll let him know how you feel.
Dan, at least you put a name to your ranting. You must be scheduled to make some money from this mine. Because everyone knows that protecting the environment makes more economic sense than destroying it.
New York Grump…. Yeah… tell me about all that you know about mining. Tell me NYG how is closing down a mining operation supplying building materials and providing jobs to scores of locals here is going to make economic sense for us… here in 29 Palms, Ca.? I love you city schlubs.
“We” being you and all your delusions, against people who actually care? Good luck!
I mean, when you don’t actually have an intelligent argument you may as well call for the death of your imagined opponents. That makes a lot more sense than just getting the permits, doesn’t it?
These screw balls will not be happy till we are all walking to work and the desert is closed to everyone but them. Yep, let us return to the days of yester-year, before horses polluted the land and we all lived in caves.
It really isn’t about the desert tortoise, pal. Sheesh, I thought everybody knew that by now.
All of these protected animals serve as canaries in the coal mine, to let us know how we are affecting the earth we live on, which we cannot replace at this time. Right about the time people started saying, “Small world, isn’t it”, scientists started proving how everything affects everything, in ways we don’t know how to control.
You know, I’ll bet even BP kinda wishes someone had saved them all this money by making them drill the well properly the first time.
And if you really think environmentalists are the ones shutting down this economy, you really have been out in the sun too long!
Well first Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville would have taken great offense at your poor attempt to use his name in your bid to make some undemocratic point. It is obvious you never read the man.
We have 14 workers laid off right now out at the mine because of this. That is 14 families thrown into poverty. The chance of 14 homeowners in default. 14 Families without health insurance. All because CBD wants to play games in the judicial system over a couple of tortoises.
While you can generalize this and bring in the Non Sequitur of British Petroleum (a company with no ties to Granite Construction)as if this was a oil well in the middle of the gulf. In reality it is a small town that has a relatively small sand and gravel pit employing a score or two of individuals with a long record of being a good neighbor to the community.
What you want us all to swallow is your group believes that other than you special green coke© suckers, all humans must take a backseat to insects, rodents and desert critters of all types. I’m sorry Alice even as I find you to be of little value, I would rate your existence a thousand points higher than a Tortoise. If I was pressed with the choice of running over a Tortoise or running down a human of even your minimal value, the Tortoise is soup. I suppose that is which differentiates true humanitarians and those frog licking assholes like you who try to sell yourself off as a humanist.
In no other country in the world is the love of property keener or more alert than in the United States, and nowhere else does the majority display less inclination toward doctrines which in any way threaten the way property is owned. Alexis De Tocqueville, 1805-1859, French Social Philosopher
Funny how when Alice writes she does not display the same observation. …. alas times change and tyrants are made.
The state of Cali could do it’s self a great deal of good by sending the bill to the groups that sue on envro grounds for the folks who lose their jobs and become wards of the state, seems only fair.
Does anyone know how (or why) the CBD is able to bring so many law suits?
The grumbling on many off-road web-sites is that the environmentalist’s are encouraged to bring these suits because you and I pay them to do so, win, lose or settle, and no matter whether they have a legitimate case or not.
So does anyone [know] if this is true?
From the New Mexico Federal Lands Council
http://nmflc.blogspot.com/2010/08/activist-green-lawyers-billing-us.html
FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2010
Activist ‘Green’ Lawyers Billing U.S. Millions in Fraudulent Attorney Fees
by Richard Pollock
Without any oversight, accounting, or transparency, environmental activist groups have surreptitiously received at least $37 million from the federal government for questionable “attorney fees.” The lawsuits they received compensation for had nothing to do with environmental protection or improvement.
The activist groups have generated huge revenue streams via the obscure Equal Access to Justice Act. Congressional sources claim the groups are billing for “cookie cutter” lawsuits — they file the same petitions to multiple agencies on procedural grounds, and under the Act, they file for attorney fees even if they do not win the case. Since 1995, the federal government has neither tracked nor accounted for any of these attorney fee payments.
Nine national environmental activist groups alone have filed more than 3,300 suits, every single one seeking attorney fees. The groups have also charged as much as $650 per hour (a federal statutory cap usually limits attorney fees to $125 per hour).
In well over half of the cases, there was no court judgment in the environmental groups’ favor. In all cases, whether there was any possible environmental benefit from the litigation is highly questionable. Most cases were simply based upon an alleged failure to comply with a deadline or to follow a procedure.
A whistleblower who was employed for 30 years by the U.S. Forest Service told Pajamas Media:
Some organizations have built a business doing this and attacking the agencies on process, and then getting “reimbursed.”
This week a bipartisan group of congressional members introduced legislation to end the secrecy of the payments and force the government to open up the records to show exactly how much has been paid to the groups and the questionable attorney fees. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah).
Congressional sources have said the disclosure was necessary to determine the extent of fraud and abuse. The $37 million is considered only a fraction of what has been paid out to the activist groups.
“For too long, taxpayers have unwittingly served as the financiers of the environmental litigation industry,” Rep. Bishop, who also is the chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, said.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin remarked: “Simply put, this legislation is about ensuring good and open government.”
“It’s time to shine some light [on the program],” explained Rep. Lummis, who said the groups have created an industry that “supports their ‘stop everything’ agenda.”
The $37 million figure is considered low. It includes less than a dozen groups and only accounts for cases in 19 states and the District of Columbia. There are hundreds of eco-activist groups in the United States.
According to the whistleblower who served in the U.S. Forest Service, environmental activist groups typically file identical lawsuits to multiple agencies on procedural grounds, such as a missed deadline.
The identity of the huge revenue stream was established by the Western Legacy Alliance (“WLA”), along with Wyoming-based attorney Karen Budd-Falen. Western Legacy Alliance was founded in 2008 by ranchers and resource providers who raise beef and lamb on public lands of the West. What they found was astounding.
Examining court records in 19 states and in the District of Columbia, the total amount paid to less than a dozen environmental groups exceeded $37 million. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” says Budd-Falen. “We believe when the curtain is raised we’ll be talking about radical environmental groups bilking the taxpayer for hundreds of millions of dollars, all allegedly for ‘reimbursement for attorney fees.’ And what is even more maddening is that these groups are claiming that they are protecting the environment with all this litigation when not one dime of this money goes to projects that impact anything on-the-ground related to the environment. It just goes to more litigation to get more attorney fees to file more litigation.”
The whistleblower, speaking anonymously, told Pajamas Media the payments to the activists groups were “quite astronomical.” The former government agent was a line officer in a high-ranking position. That whistleblower added that the filings by the radical groups often were “canned” petitions that contained little research. In this way, environmental groups could pepper government agencies with a flood of lawsuits without much work.
“They will send a myriad of lawsuits across the bow to try to stop a number of projects or programs and then they hopefully will score with one or two,” he said. He saw a lot of the activist lawsuit filings because he had been attached both to the Forest Service’s Washington headquarters and to its field offices. “Then they will send in bills that are quite frankly, quite astronomical compared to the actual work they had to do to file an actual lawsuit. Many of the lawsuits are filed under a lot of canned material, yet the hours and rates that they charge were quite high.”
Here is a sampling of the number of assembly line “lawsuits” filed between 2000 and 2009 that have been painstakingly identified by the Western Legacy Alliance and Budd-Falen. Activist group Western Watersheds Project filed 91 lawsuits in the federal district courts; Forest Guardians (now known as WildEarth Guardians) filed 180 lawsuits; the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) filed at 409 suits; the Wilderness Society filed 149 lawsuits; the National Wildlife Federation filed 427 lawsuits; and the Sierra Club filed 983 lawsuits. These numbers do not include administrative appeals or notices of intent to sue.
Even local or regional environmental groups have figured out ways to turn on the taxpayer spigot. WLA found the Idaho Conservation League filed 72 lawsuits and the Oregon Natural Desert Association filed 50. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance filed 88 lawsuits. At last count, just eight local groups in nine Western states have filed nearly 1,600 lawsuits against the federal government.
On the national level, over the last decade nine national environmental groups have filed 3,300 cases against the federal government. As is usual, the vast majority of the cases deal with the alleged procedural failings of federal agencies, not with substance or science.
Said the Forest Service officer: “A lot of times they will sue on process, and not on substance. And substance means what difference does it mean for the resource, or what’s going in on the ground? A lot of times, it will be a process lawsuit and a lot of times the agency either missed something. … The bottom line is many, many times, when you look at the results on the ground, it [the environmental group winning the litigation] would have made very little difference.”
Karen Budd-Falen said that the cases amounted to a ripoff of taxpayers and rewarded radical groups with millions of dollars. “Although those of us involved in protecting property rights and land use in the West were aware that radical groups were getting exorbitant fees simply be filing litigation against the government, we had no idea of the magnitude of the problem.”
Budd-Falen highlighted one case that typifies the gravy train that has flowed to environmental groups. In 2009, the Earthjustice Legal Foundation represented the Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, and the Vermont Natural Resources Council in a case dealing with the process used by the Forest Service to adopt some regulations. The Earthjustice Legal Foundation filed for attorney fees for that single case that took only one year and three months to complete.
The same suit was filed by the Western Environmental Law Center on behalf of other environmental groups. The seven total attorneys who worked on the case billed the federal government $479,242. They charged between $300 to $650 per hour, far above the statuary federal cap of $125. The case was resolved at the district court level and the federal government did not appeal.
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) also files a significant amount of litigation and receives lucrative attorney fees. In Washington State Federal District Court alone, CBD received attorney fees totaling $941,000 for only six cases. In the District of Columbia, it received more than $1 million in fees.
Fourteen groups identified as recipients of the Act’s funding are: the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Colorado Environmental Coalition, Forest Guardians, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Western Watersheds Project, Defenders of Wildlife, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, WildEarth, Oregon Natural Desert Association, Oregon Wild, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and Wyoming Outdoor Council.
One of the fourteen groups, the Center for Biological Diversity, called the two Republicans and one Democrat “rabid right-wingers” and said that the charges of abuse was “patently false and patently ridiculous,” according to Bill Snape, senior council for CBD.
Another study from Virginia Tech University discovered similar findings as a result of a comprehensive Freedom of Information Act request to five federal agencies. The Virginia Tech study also revealed that two of the agencies could provide absolutely no data on the Act’s payments.
Environmental organizations are among the most financially prosperous non-profits in the country. The Sierra Club alone in 2007 reported its total worth as $56.6 million. According to 2007 Internal Revenue Service records, the top ten environmental presidents receive as much as a half million dollars a year in annual compensation. Fred Krupp, the president of the Environmental Defense Fund, Inc reported $492,000 in executive compensation in 2007. The top ten highest grossing environmental executives all received at least $308,000 in compensation.
Environmental activist groups also have been among the most influential in throwing around political money. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, between 2000 and this year activist environmental political action committees have given $3.4 million in campaign contributions to candidates for federal office. About 87% of the money went to Democrats.
Richard Pollock is the Washington, D.C., editor for Pajamas Media and the Washington bureau chief of PJTV.
See http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=910401 for more
woot a conterey
The Center for Biological Diversity makes me sick.
The environmental movement has now become an environmental lobby. It’s a political advocacy movement today, as evidenced by their stacking the commission in 29, as they attempt to do on every agency advisory board concerning land use, project approval, and resource use, among others. Protection of species is now only a tool to use for them to control political processes, and guilt other people into handing them control.
I have a simple and lasting solution for the poisonous existence of all ECO-JACKALS.
Line every one of them up in a proper way so as to use the least amount of quality ammo in their extermination.
Since they believe that human kind are a blight upon Mother Earth, I do believe that they should by their own example have huge gatherings of young environmentalists with razor blades and they should return their vessels to our Blessed Mother Earth by their own hands.
or they could strap bombs to their chest to spice up a dead news day.
Now that there’s funny h2. I don’t care who you are!
ditto to Mike
So I guess we’er paying the government to sue itself, eh? Groups like the CBD are not helping our economic situation much are they? I don’t know about you but this little recesson thing is about to brake my back. Thanks alot Greene, freaking thugs!
The environmental movement today is the most dangerous and most evil activity on the planet.
AlQaida could take lessons.
Ophir, define environmental movement as you would apply it. The environmental movement in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree has people picking up trash and cleaning dump sites. Is that the most evil activity on the planet?
[ 6: 35- Postscript. They are mostly old timer that like to keep the nest clean. These people are evil?]
Branson the environmental clean up in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree is not the movement. “postscript”
You can tell because Phil Klasky’s Community ORV Watch is not picking up trash and cleaning dump sites. Protection of species is now only a tool to use for them to control political processes, and guilt other people into handing them control.
Tomorrow my son and I ride the mini bike
WOW Ken! How old is that boy now?
He will be 3 this December. Picture taken at the Marine Corps League Steak fry at Camp Pendleton Marine Base. Notice IM wearing a 29 Palms Grand Prix t-shirt.
How time flies! Except for size, you boys look alot alike. Same Barber? Same supercools too!
Branson, the activity you describe reflects on “conservationism” which was the original tenet of the environmental movement. Clearly and obviously the noble start of the movement no longer has a thing to do with it. The present movement *solely* is one of many wings of the progressive, Marxist movement and by far the most extremely damaging to personal liberties.
Next you’ll be calling the tea parties fascist, a tool of the klan, racist. Maybe not, but you would be just as correct.
The difference in the two as I see it is that one uses truckloads of ammonia nitrate, the other less polluting though less effective Mapp gas. Fewer people are killed through environmentalism.