<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">‘</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">TWAS THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS<br>FOR THE LAND TAKEAWAY TRIO</span></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> By </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Taras Ogychuk</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">‘Twas the night after Christmas when throughout the public lands<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Many creatures were stirring in the forests and sands.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The animals hung their heads for they all had a care<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">And hopes they wouldn’t be traded along with their lair.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The young were all nestled snug in their beds<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">While visions of their forest homes danced in their heads.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The Big Trio in Washington, Missoula and Idaho<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Settled down for a long nap but sleep came slow<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Tidwell, Weldon and Brazell<a name="_GoBack"></a> didn’t count on such a clatter<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">That sprang up from the people to find what was the matter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">With the Forest Service plan to trade the people’s land in a flash<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">They were surprised the owners would make such a splash.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The ‘crats were nestled all snug in their beds<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">As visions of the Lochsa Land Takeaway danced in their heads.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">What the ‘crats wondering eyes did not expect to appear<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Were the people in masse that generated such fear.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">As the people fought the Land Takeaway so lively and quick<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The Trio must have been as surprised as seeing St. Nick.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The moon on the breast of a new fallen snow<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Told the story of the Land Takeaway by the three so and so’s<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The lands’ owners organized behind those brick walls<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">And the opposition were many, in fact almost all.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">They fought to keep their lands and will continue at all cost<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">So the Forest Service Trio doesn’t give them to their own Santa Claus.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The Forest Service legacy and the Trio as well<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Will forever be tainted, so far they have fell.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The people hold their nose as the lands disappear<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">And the smell of something tainted appears and reappears.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">It’s the smell of suspicion as their lands may be lost<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">To a Forest Service Trio’s hand picked Santa Claus.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Ah yes, there’s Rocky Mountain Elk, a once respected org,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Which now accepts cash so a private firm can gorge.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">The RMEF is paid money by a timber/realty corp<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">To help takeaway people’s lands—something here is warped!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">Ah yes, but there’s the law and courts to judge how far a non-profit can go<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">To harm the lives of 150,000 before they must pay back and woe.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">-------------------------------------</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Copies of this poem (in PDF format) may be dowloaded at:</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: -webkit-center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Lochsa Land Exchange Email From Taras Ogychuk to Friends of the Palouse Ranger District"</b></div><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-center; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><b><a href="http://www.lochsalandexchange.com/ChristmasPoem.htm">http://www.lochsalandexchange.com/ChristmasPoem.htm</a></b></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><div>Tom Hansen</div><div>Moscow, Idaho</div><div><br></div><div>"<span style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">There's room at the top they are telling you still</span><span style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "> </span></div><span style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">But first you must learn how to smile as you kill </span><br style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><span style="font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">If you want to be like the folks on the hill."</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><font size="3"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><br></span></font></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><font size="3"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);">- John Lennon<br></span></font><div> </div></div></div></div></body></html>