Contrary to easily obtainable facts, former Ravalli County Justice of the Peace Ed Sperry injudiciously declares Friends of the Bitterroot (FOB) guilty of contributing to the recent Roaring Lion fire tragedy. In his recent letter to the editor, he says, “Concurrent with the start of the Roaring Lion fire they [FOB] filed a suit in federal district court to stop the Westside Collaborative Vegetation Management Project which would have resulted in reduced vegetation in the Roaring Lion Creek.”
Show me the evidence, Ed. There is none, because FOB did not file any suit anywhere regarding the planned Westside timber sale. You jumped to judgment with zero evidence. You are simply “shouting fire in a crowded theater”, which is the classic example of moral, if not legal, limitations on freedom of speech, and which you just breeched. You are falsely and unjustly trying to direct heated passions to attack an innocent party. Shame on you.
Then Ed, former Justice of the Peace, further displays his unjudicial temperament by wrongfully stating, “They [FOB] just got exposed for a stunt they have been pulling for decades! It started way back when they destroyed the lumber industry.” The fact is that neither FOB nor any other conservation group has reduced the Bitterroot timber cut by even one tree in over 15 years. The last timber sale appeal or lawsuit where FOB (or any other group) prevailed on the Bitterroot National Forest was almost 20 years ago. For decades, the timber industry in the Valley has been standing or falling due to economic forces and their own business actions.
These examples of Ed playing loose with slanderous disinformation and his inability to substantiate allegations with any facts makes me wonder about Ed’s declarations of guilt while he was on the bench.
Then, when Ed enters into the court of public opinion, with his letter to the editor, he behaves like a schoolyard bully with his name calling. He calls FOB, “Fools of the Bitterroot” and “elite eco-fascists,” Reread your statements, Ed, while you look in the mirror, and recall the definitions of fools and fascists (a reactionary or dictatorial person). You be the judge.
Thinking people might wonder what the truth is. Given the facts that not a single tree has been saved, and there’s not been a day of delay of logging on the Bitterroot National Forest for 15 years or more due to “obstructionist” conservationists, what gives? As usual, follow the money. Money grows on trees for the timber industry, especially from taxpayer subsidized public forest timber projects. The timber industry buys politicians by giving them campaign money. Industry reps and their politicians keep repeating the lie that timber supply is the root of their economic problems, due to supposed “frivolous” “obstruction” in court, and we gullible taxpayers not only keep subsidizing the raid on public forests, but remove any limits meant to protect our water, fish, wildlife and forests. Money rules. Scapegoating serves as a decoy for unthinking people.
Larry Campbell
Darby