Love it. It has no relevance to the fight to regain the rights to dredging but it shows what numbers and money can do to sway public opinion. Millions of golfers, millions of skiers with well financed lobbies and national organizations. Billions of dollars in revenues and very FAMILY FRIENDLY activities.
Who are gold miners REALLY fighting? The government? Environmentalists? Fisherman? How many of us are there? Not millions. MAYBE a few hundred thousand - maybe..
We have to FOCUS. Hone in on WHO our "enemies" really are and stop trying to sue our federal and local governments for rights we already have. The PLP is a JOKE. A fly on an elephant. If we don’t start embracing public opinion, and turning gold prospecting into a “family friendly hobby” instead of acting like a bunch of backwoods pistol pullers that hate the government, looking to fight any and all comers that disagree with us we have already lost. Comparing us to golfers, skiers, bicyclists, fisherman, joggers or boaters is just ridiculous. We just don’t have the numbers to back us up.
Why aren’t we mad at the manufacturers and equipment dealers that have yet to back a national lobby? They mine us every day. Where are they? Why haven’t they stepped up to create a national lobby? Time to stop peeing into the wind people.
......... In that case why aren't we mad at those who mine folks who want to experience what prospecting is all about while we are at it. Where are their lobby donations?
A prime example of how well a "family friendly hobby" has fared across the country is the continued closing of thousands of public lands to metal detecting. And of course we need to blame the manufactures and dealers of metal detectors for that too I suppose.
Do you really think that the mom and pop prospecting equipment dealers and manufacturers have the resources to out lobby the real agenda?
It seems to me you have described one source of our problem..............
It's misguided folks who don't know the facts or even have a clue about what we are really up against.
Without real committed unified action by all of us who are affected and by "action"
I mean real action not just moaning and pointing fingers at one another, we are just "peeing into the wind" as you so aptly put it.
As far as lobbying goes. Our united voices to the powers that be along with our donations to those fighting in the courts is our most powerful weapon in lieu of an unlikely to ever happen well funded national lobby, especially if there are only a few hundred thousand of us being affected. (not sure where you came up with that number) And as far as manufactures and dealers go you may be surprised at how many already do donate to the cause.
Actually the root of the cause to our dilemma lies with the ideals instilled through our liberal educational system decrying the use of the natural habitat by humans as being unacceptable. The schools is where our fight really needs to be to eventually sway legislation in our favor but that would take longer than we have. After all, our real enemies have had a long head start of molding young minds to agree with their agenda.
What needs to be understood is that they do not really care if it's family friendly, a hobby, or recreation, or a livelihood, they just want us to get out of their view of a pristine environment.
I can tell you one thing with all certainty, It's absolutely absurd to believe that we could ever win this battle in court by using the "family friendly recreational hobby" defense!
Truth be told the anti dredging campaign was really started by the greed and jealousy of a group of tribal fishermen using harm to the environment and wildlife by the dredgers citing damage to thier salmon fishing livelihood as their argument to put and end to the competition by the dredgers for use of the waterways. Since then the well funded envirowackos have taken up their cause and it now has to be settled in the courts. Using actual written law arguments not touchy feeley non law protected arguments such as "family friendly" "hobby" or "recreational" which carry absolutely no weight with the court.
I hope this opens a few eyes to what the real issues are and why the use of the while well intentioned but misguided terminology actually works against what is trying to be accomplished by those in the know, and whom are actually putting their money, time, effort and energy toward achieving a victory in court for all of us. So go ahead and bash them while you do nothing but moan and accuse.
With all due respect,
GG~
