Liberty Matters News Service

4/7/97

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 From Bad to Worse

 If you thought your liberty was threatened by the Endangered Species Act and last year’s attempt to create the National Heritage Areas Act, wait until you see the "Endangered Natural Heritage Act" to be announced this week by several environmental organizations. This new assault will address the "shortcomings" of the present draconian ESA. It will establish an "ecosystem approach" to preservation of endangered species and habitat, include invertebrates (bugs) and plants to be protected, and will extend coverage of the Act in terms of "conservation obligations" to proposed and candidate species. And, if that were not enough, it will require "interim essential habitat" to be designated at time of listing, whatever that means. Keep your eye on this one. Faxback Doc 102

 1,000 Days of Liberty Left

Expect more of our liberty to be taken away over the next 1,000 days, before we hit the year 2000. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) had stepped up their environmental agenda last week by announcing their "Living Planet Campaign," calling upon governments, corporations and communities to help make the next 1,000 days "a turning point in the conservation of the earth’s wildlands and wildlife by giving Gifts to the Earth." This program claims to "ensure that outstanding samples of every major wild habitat on earth survive into the next millenium." The plan calls for 200 "ecoregions" to be designated for preservation, 28 of which lie in the United States and Canada. Be prepared for more invasion of your privacy and more land use schemes not only over the next 1000 days, but to infinity and beyond.

 UN Debt a Sham

 Last month, president Clinton announced that the United States would be reimbursing the United Nations for past debts owed. But, in a recent report issued by the General Accounting Office (GAO), it was revealed that not only is the U.S. not a debtor nation to the UN, but has in fact overpaid the UN approximately $3.5 Billion. Congressman Roscoe G. Bartlett of Maryland has introduced H.R. 934, the "Erroneous Debt Act," attempting to set the record straight. Most of the U.S. money has reportedly been used by the United Nations for peacekeeping and military operations from 1992 to 1995, however, only a small percentage of this has been counted against U.S. dues and payments for the period. For more information contact Congressman Bartlett at 202-225-2721 or Cliff Kincaid at American Sovereignty Action Project 703-352-4788. To order H.R. 934 FaxBack doc 103.

 Park Service Seizes U.S. Island

 January 14, 1997, Santa Cruz Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara, CA, was invaded by the National Park Service. According to a March 9th Washington Post story, the last privately owned portion of the island was seized at gunpoint by 20 agents landing in a U.S. Customs Service Blackhawk helicopter. Interestingly, the other 90% of the island is owned by the Nature Conservancy! The Park Service justified the military style action by arresting the caretaker on charges of "grave robbing" for allegedly removing artifacts from a Native American site. The caretaker’s girlfriend said "the park rangers and county Sheriff’s deputies acted like they were conducting a combat operation," even threatening to shoot a 15 year old girl who was a guest of the couple. "Even if you assumed that he did what they say, which he didn’t, their behavior was bizarre." Park Service Realty Specialist John Costello was quoted in the article as saying, "As park acquisitions go, this is definitely one of the most challenging." The island is slated to become the "crown jewel" of the Channel Islands National Park. For a copy of the article order Faxback Document 101.

 Surf & Turf on the Menu

 The National Marine Fisheries Service has recommended that Congress allow the shooting of protected sea lions off the pacific coast in order to protect the endangered salmon, which is a favorite meal for the sea lions. The problem is the sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act while the salmon are protected under the Endangered Species Act. In a related story in Arizona, The US Fish and Wildlife Service is facing extreme criticism for spending over $1 million dollars to raise and release 28,000 endangered masked bobwhite quail, which have been fine dining for the coyotes, bullsnakes and falcons freely roaming the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, where all these species are suppose to be protected from the destructive whims of mankind. Hmmm! Seems like a bad time to be a "protected" species.