Eagle Forum
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| July 16, 2001 |
| Are You For Humans or Suckerfish? |
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That's the issue in Klamath Falls, Oregon, where armed U.S. federal marshals
are guarding the irrigation canal gates to keep the river water from flowing to the farms
of 1,400 farmers who depend on it. The Endangered Species Act (ESA), as interpreted
by a federal court, has ruled that two endangered suckerfish have more rights than local
residents who have been using the Klamath River for 100 years. The livelihood of
1,400 farmers and their families are at stake because they cannot survive without the
water from the river.
On July 12 Oregon's U.S. Senator Gordon Smith offered Amendment 899 to release the water to the farmers. It was tabled (killed) by a roll call vote in which most Democrats sided with the suckerfish and all but 3 Republicans sided with humans.
We were shocked to note that Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) voted for fish
instead of humans. We hope he will get a flood of messages asking, "Why did you
vote for suckerfish instead of for good Americans who are just trying to make a living
for their families on their own property using river water that the government promised
them they would always have?" Further information: Let the Irrigation Water Flow in the Klamath Basin of Oregon Petition Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis Fighting for Our Right to Irrigate Our Farms and Caretake Our Natural Resources Rural Cleansing Environmentalists' goal: Depopulate the countryside. |
