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<DIV><FONT size=2>The line of reasoning used in this article is the same as that
which supported "Separate but Equal" and a host of other laws with horrible
consequences.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>This week the <EM>Spokesman-Review</EM> featured articles
bout the consequences of uranium mining on the health of native Americans.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Suppose some company wanted to mine and to process uranium
here in Latah County. Suppose as in the case of the oil sands
there would demonstrated dire health and environmental
consequences from the project. Suppose that the equipment needed for
this project was to come through Cranbrook BC en route from Vancouver,
BC.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>I would hope that the residents of Cranbrook would have enough
concern about their neighbors to object to the equipment passing through their
city.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>When looking at any proposal, it is simply ignorance and
arrogance not to consider the whole range of consequences of the proposal.
The very conservative Prime Minister of Canada, Steven Harper, has now
expressed some grave reservations about aspects of the oil sands
projects. To ignore the possible long range adverse effects of this
project on the lives of many Canadians, including death from cancer, and on
the environment is utter hubris by the Moscow City Council and demonstrates
disregard for anything but alleged local interests. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>And for what? The local economy will receive very little
positive impact from the megaloads, but some local residents will be greatly
inconvenienced. In addition, there are displacement costs which
Moscow and Latah County will absorb: Even if (big if) the megaload
companies pay state and local agencies for the labor by public employees to
clear the way by removing obstacles, etc, there is still a loss as those
employees <STRONG>will not</STRONG> be doing what they are being paid by us to
do, i.e. performing their usual assigned duties to maintain the roads,
etc for the general public use -- duties assigned before this issue even
arose -- their labor is displaced from perform normal work by having to perform
duties for special interests.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>So by arrogantly ignoring the long range effects of the
megaloads, and by not asking not only for the actual costs, but the displacement
costs as well, the Moscow City Council not only failed to protect humankind, but
failed to protect the financial interests of their constituents.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=2>
<DIV><BR>Wayne A. Fox<BR>1009 Karen Lane<BR>PO Box 9421<BR>Moscow, ID
83843</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:waf@moscow.com">waf@moscow.com</A><BR>208
882-7975<BR></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=thansen@moscow.com href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com">Tom Hansen</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Moscow Vision 2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A title=indigo3239@msn.com
href="mailto:indigo3239@msn.com">Jane Kauzlarich</A> ; <A
title=sperrine@potlatch.com href="mailto:sperrine@potlatch.com">Sally
Perrine</A> ; <A title=chicory@wildblue.net
href="mailto:chicory@wildblue.net">Borg Hendrickson</A> ; <A
title=foc@friendsoftheclearwater.org
href="mailto:foc@friendsoftheclearwater.org">Friends of the Clearwater</A> ;
<A title=fritzknorr@gmail.com href="mailto:fritzknorr@gmail.com">Fritz
Knorr</A> ; <A title=jeannemchale@hotmail.com
href="mailto:jeannemchale@hotmail.com">Jeanne McHale</A> ; <A
title=bhaverstick@yahoo.com href="mailto:bhaverstick@yahoo.com">Brett
Haverstick</A> ; <A title=marilynbeckett@gmail.com
href="mailto:marilynbeckett@gmail.com">Marilyn Beckett</A> ; <A
title=Jmuneta@uidaho.edu href="mailto:Jmuneta@uidaho.edu">Joann Muneta</A> ;
<A title=lin@wildblue.net href="mailto:lin@wildblue.net">Lin Laughy</A> ; <A
title=wild.idaho.rising.tide@gmail.com
href="mailto:wild.idaho.rising.tide@gmail.com">Wild Idaho Rising Tide</A> ; <A
title=helen.yost@vandals.uidaho.edu
href="mailto:helen.yost@vandals.uidaho.edu">Helen Yost</A> ; <A
title=dzeiger@uidaho.edu href="mailto:dzeiger@uidaho.edu">Dinah Zeiger</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, June 07, 2011 6:08
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] Megaloads and
Hippies</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Courtesy of today's (June 7, 2011) Moscow-Pullman Daily
News.<BR><BR>------------------------------<BR><BR>Moscow-Pullman Daily News -
DNews.com<BR>HIS VIEW: An issue of facts, not emotions<BR><BR>By Henry D.
Johnston<BR>June 7, 2011<BR><BR>About a month ago the city of Moscow hosted a
public forum to discuss the<BR>potential of moving ExxonMobil's megaloads
through Moscow on U.S. Highway<BR>95. The meeting was preceded by a good
old-fashioned protest,<BR>demonstrating the true size of a megaload and
decrying what it will do to<BR>Moscow's precious trees.<BR><BR>It has been a
long time since Moscow's hippies have dug out their leather<BR>vests, put on
their Birkenstocks and readjusted their graying ponytails in<BR>an effort to
rally "the movement" against "the man." There's something<BR>about a protest
to get the blood pumping and, as the Berkeley of north<BR>Idaho, Moscow really
knows how to throw one.<BR><BR>Quite frankly, I've missed it.<BR><BR>After
watching the video of the public forum (courtesy of local politico<BR>Tom
Hansen) I think it's pretty obvious the vocal minority of
Moscow's<BR>residents don't care about the movement of the megaloads as much
as they<BR>care about the broader impact of what happens when the loads arrive
at the<BR>Kearl oil sands in Canada.<BR><BR>While I'm not unsympathetic to the
broader implications, I think it's<BR>inappropriate to try to block the
transportation of these loads through<BR>Moscow simply because you might
disagree with the end result. In my book,<BR>doing so is akin to stopping a
funeral procession on its way to the<BR>cemetery because you disagree with
burial as a way to care for our dead.<BR><BR>At their May 16 meeting, the City
Council discussed the megaload issue<BR>after a very informative and
thoughtful presentation by City Supervisor<BR>Gary Reidner. At the end of the
presentation, Councilman Walter Steed made<BR>the motion to accept the report
and, at the same time, invite ExxonMobil<BR>to use our hotels, buy fuel and
food and make Moscow their resting point<BR>once the loads reach the
Latah-Benewah County line.<BR><BR>Each council member made well-reasoned
arguments in favor of letting the<BR>loads pass through Moscow. Dan Carscallen
pointed out we already have<BR>200-foot loads move through Moscow in the
middle of the night when several<BR>chip trucks get traveling in a convoy, and
Sue Scott said there is plenty<BR>of noise created downtown by the closing
bells at Mingles and the Corner<BR>Club.<BR><BR>Steed's motion ultimately
passed despite the strong objections of Mayor<BR>Nancy Chaney. Since then our
councilors have taken some pretty heavy and<BR>unfair criticism of their
actions.<BR><BR>But before anyone starts making accusations or generalizations
about the<BR>irresponsibility of our current City Council, I would remind
everyone that<BR>the most irresponsible behavior ever shown by an elected
official in<BR>Moscow was by none other than Mayor Nancy Chaney regarding the
sale of<BR>water to the Hawkins development.<BR><BR>In a memo dated Nov. 19,
2007, to the City Council and city administration<BR>(after numerous appeals
to prevent water right transfers to Hawkins)<BR>Chaney advocated selling water
to Hawkins "at a price, with conditions."<BR>She also attended the
confidential mediation with the Hawkins Companies in<BR>Spokane and presented
the mediation agreement to the council.<BR><BR>It was only after the council
voted to approve the agreement, at Chaney's<BR>express request no less, that
she then took a strong about face and<BR>condemned the sale of water to
Hawkins. If you want to talk about<BR>irresponsibility by an elected official,
that one takes the cake.<BR><BR>The megaload issue is truly one of
facts.<BR><BR>Fact - state highways, over which Moscow has very little
jurisdiction, go<BR>through our town.<BR><BR>Fact - state-federal roadways are
designed to further transportation and<BR>interstate commerce.<BR><BR>Fact -
Moscow's police chief, fire chief and city streets supervisor all<BR>said
there would be no adverse impact to public safety, fire/medical<BR>response
time or even to the infrastructure of the roadways that the loads<BR>will be
traveling.<BR><BR>Megaloads are and should be an issue of facts and not
emotions.<BR><BR>The Moscow City Council deserves megakudos (with all puns
intended) for<BR>making an educated decision based on the facts of this
issue.<BR><BR>------------------------------<BR><BR>Later, Moscow.<BR><BR>Tom
Hansen<BR>Airway Heights, Washington<BR><BR>"The Pessimist complains about the
wind, the Optimist expects it to change<BR>and the Realist adjusts his
sails."<BR><BR>- Author
Unknown<BR><BR>=======================================================<BR> List
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