Letters 4/4/02

April 3, 2002

Defending Antrim County
The Friends of the Jordan River Watershed Inc. reaffirm our support for Antrim County‘s Wetlands Ordinance and for the exemplary efforts to protect our pristine water resources.
Adoption of the Wetlands Ordinance not only recognizes the vital role wetlands play in conserving water quality but also attempts to preserve the natural features that make Antrim County so special for us all.
Antrim County has a long and proud legacy of safeguarding its irreplaceable natural resources. From the Hitchcock Swamp through the Chain-O-Lakes, to mighty Torch Lake, up and down the Cedar and Jordan River Valleys, we are steeped in a rich tradition of conservation. We are also blessed with an abundance of natural treasures. Numerous opinion polls overwhelmingly confinn that citizens of this county value the quality of life here and want to preserve it. As our population grows and pressures continue to mount to develop more and more sensitive lands, responsible measures must be enacted to ensure that future generations will also be able to enjoy some of the same clean, wild and open places we now hold so dear. (And maybe take for granted)
Antrim County‘s Commissioners were forced to act to protect our natural resources due to the failure of enforcement and inadequate protection afforded by existing state and national statutes.
In recent years we have witnessed an alarming loss of farmland, open space, wildlands and wetlands. We have experienced extensive oil and gas development throughout our county, proposed and almost permitted massive water withdrawals from the Cedar River, overdeveloprnent into fragile places and increased erosion into our lakes and streams (A slow death by a thousand wounds). In addition, despite the best efforts by dedicated staff and field personae! within the DNR and DEQ, downsizing of state government has seriously degraded their management and regulatory roles. It is responsible and in the best interests of all county citizens for our County Government to respond to this peril, and for that, the Friends of the Jordan commends them.
The Friends of the Jordan also firmly support the rights of private property owners and the belief that public issues should be debated openly and responsibly. We have demonstrated this resolve on many occasions. Although we believe that every effort was made to include public comment during the drafting of the Wetlands Ordinance (which took many months and several years to complete) we also realize that complex issues need time to sink in. To this end we support the right of the Constitutional Property Rights Association to bring their concerns to the public‘s attention. If their efforts result in the need for a referendum on the Wetlands Ordinance, then we support the informed collective will of the concerned voters of Antrim County.
Antrim County‘s charm, beauty and wealth are vested in its people and bountiful natural features. This county ranks only second in the State of Michigan for abundance of surface water assets. These water resources are irreplaceable and unequaled - anywhere. Even Lake Charlevoix‘s water quality is dependent upon the waters the Jordan River and all her spring fed tributaries (and Antrim Co.‘s wetlands) send it.
The quality of life in Antrim County is dependent on its water resources, which are directly linked to its wetlands. We cannot have one without the other. Let not our heirs one day say about us, “ They sacrificed our natural heritage for the temporary narrow interests of a few.“ It therefore seems only prudent that our elected county leaders would act to protect our valued common interests. For that they have our gratitude and support.

John W. Richter DVM • Presidents Friends of the Jordan

Evil is as evil does
On 3/13/02Pres. Bush had a press conference. Among other things, he said, “We are at war to keep the peace.“ He also said this war was more like World War II than Viet Nam.
I am confused. Did he mean that the attack on New York was allowed, just like the ‘sneak‘ attack on Pearl Harbor was allowed? (For those in denial, please read “Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor“ by Robert B. Stinnett. Or did he mean it was time for some good old-fashioned American military takeovers? And how, exactly, does war keep peace? Aren‘t the two mutally exclusive?
In traditional warfare, an aggressive nation seizes territory and acheives control through military dominance, or “invades.“ The conquerers establish a puppet government, friendly to the victors, and the new resources become fodder for the next aggressive act.
“The Committee on Public Information issued millions of patriotic circulars and pamphlets... Posters... urged the people to support the war... newspapers were provided with articles and editorials which were frankly propaganda to stir up the people... An Espionage act of June, 1917, and a Sedition Act, passed in 1918, gave the government wide powers to punish those who interfered with or criticized the conduct of the war.“ (From the school textbook Americas‘ Progress in Civilization,“ copyright 1942.)
More recently, the Office of Strategic Information was “fatally damaged“ by media exposure, yet suddenly, we are hearing stories of how evil Saddam is. He must go, because he is evil, yet the U.S. sanctions against Iran have killed untold thousands for lack of medical supplies, and bombing by the U.S. since the Gulf ‘war‘ ended has literally taken Iraq back to the Stone Age. I guess the definition of evil depends on who‘s using the word.
War takes resources which are irreplaceable, and economic consequences can be devastating When the Commander in Chief wants to raise the ceiling on an unpayable National Debt for a war that may last generations, does anyone see a problem?
Oil seems to be a concern with the Bush family. Of course, George Ist‘s Desert Storm was about protecting democracy, not oil, and George II‘s Operation Anaconda is about stopping terrorism, not vengeance. But it‘s still war, and life has changed. I do not like see America as an aggressor nation, and hopefully the public will catch on to Dubya the same way they caught on to his daddy.

Robert Vanderlewn • Manistee