Here are some quotes you might find interesting and maybe even use in you letters: "This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future." (Adolph Hitler, 1935) "...popular plants and animals can be used as a spoonful of sugar to make the environmental message do down." (A National Park Service Manual) "It doesn't do any good to have the right and the intelligence to speack out unless you also have the courage to do so." Mining Horror Story: In Sep. 96, the Mountain Pass mine in the Southern California desert, operated by the Molycorp company, was the target of a SWAT-style raid by federal agents over an alleged violation of the Endangered Species Act. The mine's egregious offense: A few months before the raid, a waste water pipe burst during routine maintenance spilling thousands of gallons of fresh water into the desert. The BLM viewed this as a threat to the Desert Tortoise, a protected species. Susan Mesler, an accountant at Molycorp, said that armed governemnt agents -- complete with badges, helmets and flak jackets -- charged onto the mine's property to let them know that the fresh water they had accidently spilled in the desert is considered a toxic waste. (I wonder what they consider rain?) That was only the beginning of the mine's troubles. After a dead tortoise was discovered on the property, all 300 of Molycorp's employees had to attend a "Desert Tortoise worker education class" even though it was never shown that any of the mine's employees were responsible for the tortoise's demise. To prevent harm to any other tortoises, employees were required to drive no faster than 15 mph and stay at least 100 feet away from any tortoises. Heavy equipment could not be operated unless an authorized government biologist was present to make sure no tortoises were in the way. More serious, though, were the $6.2 million in fines the government assessed on Molycorp,. Says Messler, "We probably didn't make that much money in a five-year period." As a result, the mine has had to lay off one-third of its employees with more cutbacks on the way. (Another successful raid with money being the ultimate goal!) Stan

• Re: Quotes RATTLESNAKEJIM 10:06:57 4/02/99 (0)