Sheriff's rhetoric alarms enviros and game dept.

At a recent rally of at least 700 farmers, tea party members and conservative activists, Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey spoke in almost revolutionary terms, framing the actions of federal and state regulators as threats the county's livelihood. His message drew hearty applause from the audience, many of whom feel literally under attack. But it worries American Indian tribe members, fisheries regulators and environmentalists in a legal and policy fight to protect salmon. They say the rhetoric might inflame a tense situation, leading to possible retaliation from those who might take Lopey's message too far. Lopey, a retired Army Reserve colonel who served in Afghanistan, likened efforts at dam removal and restrictions on irrigation water and access to public forest land to friendly fire. The crowd cheered when he said he was sworn to protect the U.S. Constitution and the citizenry from all enemies, "both foreign and domestic." "We are, right now, in a fight for our survival," he told them. "We are fighting not only for ourselves. More importantly, we're fighting for the survival of our counties, of our local communities and our children and our grandchildren. If we don't save things like agriculture and we let them take our water and land and push us off, we won't have any public safety. We'll have no quality of life. We'll have nothing." At his side were seven other sheriffs from Northern California and Southern Oregon, including those representing Shasta, Tehama and Trinity counties. Each later echoed Lopey's concerns that environmental regulation is causing a direct threat to their constituents' safety...more

Enviro Erica Terence said the Sheriff's speech follows a pattern of intimidation toward people who don't share the county's point of view, and would "elevate the rights of some people over the rights of others."  Now that's humorous.  Her ilk have been promoting the rights of animals & plants over people's right to property or to sustain a living and along comes a public servant who doesn't share her view and she is "alarmed".  Personally, I'm tired of these eat roots & shoots, hug your heifer types doing more than just intimidating ag producers.  They've been putting them out of business, destroying families, ruining school districts and generally running roughshod over rural America and I'm pleased to see the Sheriff offer a lawful challenge.

Then along comes Dept. of Fish & Game Assistant Chief Mike Carion who told the paper his wardens have heard of "vague threats" for about a year, although not from a particular person or group.  Now if it didn't come from a person, nor from a group of persons, then where the hell did it come from...the fish?  Either Carion was born silly and had a relapse, or the salmon have finally figured out  these envirocrats are not their friend.