Off-Road Political Action
Committees
Since Del Albright started the Land Use Network, a mailing
list / activism group on Off-Road.com, it has turned into the LARGEST collection
of people, groups, organizations, and publications in the history of defending
the right to land use. Those are the facts. Together those involved have reached quite literally
millions of people whether it's through our websites, usenet postings, newspaper
articles, magazines, or our books ... and many have heard the message. When I heard about the intent of the American Motorcyclist
Associations activities to seek out Non-Governmental Organization status, I have
to say I had one of those "DUH!" moments. It seemed like a no
brainier, yet until now, no one had done it. While the LUN and off-roaders at
large may not be geared toward such an outcome in and of itself, there is one
thing that we ARE "designed" (for lack of a better term) for, and
that's a PAC - a Political Action Committee. You've heard the acronym before - "GOPAC" for
example, is one of the better known. In a nutshell, it's a collection of people
united by a common cause to support candidates and legislation beneficial to
said PAC. What are we if not "a collection of people united by
a common cause". Forming a PAC would benefit us in many ways, and although
I don't claim to be an expert on them, here are a few examples as to how we
would benefit While BRC has done a great job of ferreting out
politicians both friendly and opposed to our cause, it focuses on state
& national level players to a certain extent. This is by no means a slam on
them or the fantastic work that they do, it's a matter of logistics and
economics. Contrary to Eco-propaganda, we don't have multimillion dollar corps
funneling SUV's full of cash at us on a daily basis. If we did, we'd have buried
them years ago. Ergo, BRC cannot afford to cover every election in every town,
village, county, and so forth. A PAC, once organized and implemented, would give us the
numbers and finances (through fundraising - discussed later) to closely watch
these local elections and work toward promoting, financing, and electing those
candidates who would defend our right to private land, and our right to recreate
on the public lands we pay for. Candidates who would bring an end to the science
fantasy practiced by the current administration, and replace it with policy
based on science fact. What good can a local mayor or trustee do in the big
scheme of things? Simple - it's the local mayor who goes on to become a county
commissioner - who goes on to become a state legislator - who goes on to become
a senator, a congressman, and ultimately President. We must forgo the fallacy that there's some silver bullet
out there that will bring a quick and sudden death to the monster that the
environmental / land grab "thing" has become. There's not, deal with
the reality, steel your resolve, and move ahead. An Outdoor Recreation Political Action Committee let's
call it "ORPAC" for the sake of discussion) would be structured as a
national organization and work together with other PAC's to bring about the oh
so needed change. This would dramatically increase exposure to the issue,
membership, and available forms of funding and finance. While there are a
tremendous number of conservative groups, orgs, and foundations that donate
large sums of cash to a PAC to further it's agenda (our rights to use public
land and defend private property rights) , there are none that will do so to a
bunch of people getting together on a mailing list. To sidetrack a moment, let me throw this out there for you
to digest.... MONEY, mula, dead presidents, denero, pick a name for it,
is the single thing holding us back from any form of large scale defense of our
rights. To effect widespread change in today's society, we need to stick the
truth in peoples faces often, in quantity, and in a form that is a part of their
everyday lives. Witness the Sierra Club. Multimillion dollar budget and
what they use it for - Magazines, books, calendars (all printed on paper
made from the trees they oppose cutting - but Joe Average doesn't even realize
that), PAID Lobbyists around the WORLD, TV commercials, news shows, talk radio,
T shirts... They have thoroughly ingrained them self into the lives of
the average person. They quite literally marketed themselves into a condition of
credibility. They created it, they didn't earn it. OK, back to business. A PAC (aptly named) operates on the
principle of strength in numbers, for there is power in numbers. Our country was
founded when a MAJORITY of colonists chose to separate themselves from the rule
of a tyrannical king. Our officials are elected based on a MAJORITY of people
voting for them. Laws are passed by a MAJORITY of congressmen / women and
senators voting to put them into effect. Now bear in mind that "The MAJORITY of
Americans" do not want their private land taken from them. "The
MAJORITY of Americans" do not subscribe to the fantasy that "man is a
cancer on the face of the earth". "The MAJORITY of Americans" do
not feel that "economic growth is the problem, not the cure". I'd be willing to bet that given the choice, "The
MAJORITY of Americans" would rather work than starve and go without shelter
because unproven tales of environmental holocaust caused their place of
employment to cut back, lay off, or be shut down altogether. I'd be willing to bet that "The MAJORITY of
Americans" aren't in favor of a medical system rendered impotent by a group
of "Animal Rights" fanatics, and their cries to "end animal
research" when they or a loved one are sick or dying. And that's the bottom line. As I have said before, and
will continue saying until I can't speak anymore, WE - ARE - THE -
MAJORITY! And Damn it, lets cut the "I'm a Victim" thinking and START
ACTING LIKE IT! Between the NRA and the AMA "ALONE" there are nearly
TWICE the membership of the Sierra Club. Isn't it about time we stop acting like
senate republicans and use the power and influence that our majority gives us? Now just stop and think. How many more of "us"
are there? off roaders (desert racers, rockcrawlers, mud boggers, trail riders
I.E. "many of us") hunters, boaters, fishermen, mountain bikers,
snowmobilers, trappers, archers, recreational shooters, skiers, jet skiers, RV
ers, campers, homesteaders, equestrians, pet owners who bring their pets into
nature with them, prospectors, rockhounds, craftspeople (using natural
resources), pilots, hang gliders, businesses (and those employed by them)
supporting these activities like hotels, motels, boat repair and performance
shops, camping gear supplies and mfgrs., off road truck and buggy sales, repair
and performance shops and mfgrs., restraunts, convenience stores, gas
stations,.... Need I go on? Vehicle / Boat / Engine manufacturers - Ford, GM, Chrysler
/ Jeep, Toyota, Nissan, Yamaha, Polaris, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Bayliner,
Eliminator, Mercury, Evenrude, .... Business in general - The wood / paper industry
(lumberjacks, sawmill workers, equipment operators, construction, contractors,
builders, hardware / supply stores, newspapers, any business relying on paper
products - fast food industry, publishers, and lets stop the politically correct
attitudes and call a spade a spade - when the harvest of trees is so heavily
curtailed, what will people use to wipe? Oil / gas / coal / nuclear / hydro -
pipeline workers, gas station attendants, roughnecks, miners, engineers,
electricians, truckers / transportation, airline employees. Farmers, Dairy
workers, ranchers, cowboys, the food stores where these products go, Health care
- hospitals, doctors, nurses, aides and surgeons,
biotechnology, radiology, anesthesiology..... Each and every one of these people, their businesses,
their livelihood, their financial security, their health coverage, their
ownership of land, their "right" to recreate, and even their right to
"pro"create (as Sierra and other Eco extremist groups are actively
pursuing population control through various channels). are directly and openly
threatened by the policies, philosophies, and legislative efforts of the modern
environmental movement. Tens of millions of people, and each one of them waiting
for something they can get behind - a group that can definitively and
effectively stop the onslaught of Eco-inspired devastation of a place that used
to be called "America". There are 250,000,000 (million) people living
in this country. There are less than 5 million people (and falling) in the
Sierra Club, most of which believe "environmentalism" is a check you
drive your SUV to the post office to mail. The math here is self evident. The concept of "ORPAC" has a broad "gene
pool" to draw from, from the true "grass roots" of America, all
the way through the so called "evil corporations" that
"environmentalists" rail against, yet support through their very own
materialism. Organizing and mobilizing a fraction of the vote, influence, money
and raw power of such an alliance would be thoroughly devastating to these wanna
bee environmentalists. Boy won't our Eco buddies be "green" with envy!
;-) "It's
Not Easy Being Green" - Article Index
Links to so called
"Environmental Organizations" The Sierra Club Homepage - http://www.sierraclub.org
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance - http://www.suwa.org/
Earth First! Homepage - http://www.hrc.wmin.ac.uk/campaigns/ef/pubs/aulat.html |
