Dear HCN:
Mindy Wiebush claims to
have heard negative things about activists protecting Cove/Mallard
forests and Idaho and denigrates those people (HCN, 2/19/96). Yet
she labels actions from corporate vigilantes as merely “hotheaded.”
While I don’t know anything about what she is rumored to have
heard, this is what I know for sure:
All
activists are requested to observe non-violence guidelines. This
includes training to teach respect for others;
I
experienced two separate occasions this past year where gunshots
were used as intimidation and/or threats against protesters. One
person was held by vigilantes with a gun pointing at his head. Both
county and federal governments brushed-off these
incidents;
A close friend, a native of Idaho, was
brutally beaten by a so-called local logger from
Alaska;
I witnessed Forest Service officials lie
in court.
The letter-writer conveys a sad but
true statement about our society – the belief that non-violent
resistance and dissent are wrong and only violence is legitimate.
No wonder the nation, freedom and Earth are all in severe
jeopardy.
Gary
Macfarlane
Moscow,
Idaho
The writer works with
the Cove/Mallard Coalition, which can be reached at the new e-mail
address, cove@moscow.com.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline From the front lines of Idaho.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
