How can the bids be bogus if the sale was bogus???

"If so many people are miserable and pessimistic at the wealthiest and most comfortable time in history, could it be that wealth and comfort are not the best goals for human society?" Tim DeChristopher

A Facebook post by a friend made me think of Tim DeChristopher...if you don't know his story, you probably don't follow much about the environment and local Utah news...or the feds have successfully covered the story up until it is forgotten and they can just lock him up and throw away the key. 

The short version, Tim finished taking a test during his senior year at the University of Utah, went over to a rally against the unlawful sale of mineral rights to BLM land by oil and petroleum companies and decided to wander on in to this secret sale...he was mistaken as a bidder, and given the bidder card #70.  He purchased 14 parcels worth 1.7 million during this illegal auction and then told them that he had no money to pay for his winnings.  So, for attending a secret or bogus sale and bidding for illegally sold parcels of public land without the money to cover the bids on the illegal sale, Tim is facing federal charges.

The post that got me thinking of Tim was about BLM's contracted Oil Shale research in Utah.

This past week, Tim was in attendance and addressed the Govenors Energy Task Force...Tim has found himself in the position of the head of a new environmental movement.  One that feels "a continued focus on the development of fossil fuels is a declaration of war against the living.”





I had the opportunity to meet Tim briefly at a screening of a documentary on the Green River and water use. Amazingly, the movie is playing on the local PBS channel tonight.  Tim is being regarded by some as a modern-day Edward Abbey.  I found our brief encounter to be insightful, showing an awareness beyond his young years...he is truly passionate about saving our earth from mankind.

They have moved Tim's trial date back to December 13, 2010...two years after Tim made his stand by bidding for parcels during a secret and illegal sale of rights on public land.  Maybe the feds were hoping by then the issue would fall off the radar...but you and I can keep it alive.  Check out Peaceful Uprising, and see what you can do to assist in this environmental struggle.  If you can do nothing else, plan to stand in solidarity for the environment on December 13, 2010.

Birds: After much consideration and thought, I am going to step away from the sport of racing pigeons for a few years. My partner has offered to take my best breeders that I use for one-loft races and keep the family alive for me until I return to the sport.  I will still have several breeder pairs that will need to be sold or given to novice racers to help retain the sport...and some will be donated to the annual club auction.

Honey: The first frost has sweetened the grapes...they are ready for making the best of the best, late harvest juice for wine-- dessert wines.

eBooks (saving our forests one book at a time)

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets."
- Edward Abbey

The wave of the future in books is the rapid expansion and use of electronic Books (eBooks). Environmental issues are raised with these electromechanical gadgets produced mostly of plastic.  However, further research into production of plastic reveals that it is merely a byproduct of North America's dependency on oil--as long as you are driving that gas-guzzling hunk of Detroit metal. The ingredients for plastic have already been ripped from mother earth to feed your need to get there faster than your own two legs will carry you.

Oil Rig on the edge of Canyonlands NP

In 1979 the annual volume of plastics produced exceeded the volume of steel that was manufactured. The annual volume of plastics produced tripled during the period of 1940 to 1945, due to the wartime demand for products. Plastics are essentially a byproduct of petroleum refining.  So as long as we are using petroleum products for energy, plastic will be available without further destruction of the environment, specifically for the production of plastic.

As with all materials, there are environmental costs and benefits associated with the use of plastics. Plastics replace natural materials, including ivory and wood. Synthetic fibers also provide a substitute for cotton, a water- and energy-intensive crop. The use of plastic materials in cars and airplanes reduces their weight and therefore increases their fuel efficiency. The insulating capacity of plastics such as styrofoam reduce the amount of energy required to heat and cool homes.

One of the most significant environmental problems associated with plastics is the improper disposal of plastic goods by consumers. The use of plastics has enabled the development of innumerable disposable products, which has increased the amount of trash that is disposed.  Although paper accounts for most of the trash in landfills by volume, plastics account for 25% of all waste in landfills when buried.
A significant amount of plastic, however, is not properly disposed in landfills and makes its way into the environment. Plastic does not biodegrade quickly which means it remains in the environment for a very long time. Plastic trash has made its way to coastal ecosystems and the ocean, presenting a danger to marine and birdlife.

For my money, the eBook seems the best environmental way to go, and it also makes it easier to carry my library into the field.  Research materials, birding books, plant identification, first aid...all of it able to fill the space of my old copy of  The Monkey Wrench Gang or Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching (I'll have to go look to see if that is on Kindle).

Birds:  110 mile training toss this last weekend...still have two birds in the Beaver I-race...34th and 76th...beat out by my partner whose bird was 32nd.

Honey:  This weekend I will be bottling the Backyard Blonde and cleaning the carboy to start a new batch of Mead that will be ready in March, and with any luck will last us through the summer.