It's always a bummer to get an official-looking letter that demands you pay a fine or parking ticket. So, it would be only reasonable that it ruined Tim DeChristopher's day when he was handed a BLM demand letter for $81,000 a few days after a federal indictment.You would think DeChristopher would be feeling at least a little buyer's remorse for his bidding spree that sabotaged an oil-and gas-lease auction, but the UofU student just keeps speaking out calling for an "uprising" to save the planet.
It's really been overwhelming and emotional for me to see so many people who stand in solidarity with what I did. It's been encouraging and it's given me more hope than I've had for a long time to see that so many others value the land and value the climate and value a participatory democracy as much as I do.
Oddly, no one seems sure who is supposed to collect the $81,000. The BLM says it's the U.S. Attorney's Office. The U.S. Attorney's office says the bill has nothing to do with its case. And U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman is starting to worry that he'll look like the bad guy for going after DeChristopher, "There's a perception of heavy-handedness," he lamented to the Tribune.
Remember these heady days, Tim. It's only a matter of time until the media turns on you.We admire DeChristopher for following his conscience even if it leads him to a small cell behind iron bars. We share his concerns about carbon emissions and global warming. We hope he inspires others to demand that the government take the crisis more seriously and urgently take steps to mitigate the damage.
We wish it could happen without jeopardizing the future of a fine young man with a conscience to match.
3 Comments:
The Trib's editorial this morning was exactly right. All historic social evolution in this country has come about with some necessary civil disobedience. If it wasn't for "scofflaw" activists during the women's suffrage and civil rights movements, for instance, we wouldn't be the same country. And if the very founders of our country hadn't broken the law, we wouldn't have become the United States of America.
That Auction was Illegal to begin with, When are our elected officials going to start enforcing there rules and laws put in place to protect us from big Oil and others who would plunder our resources and give noting back. When that happens there would be no need for civil disobedience ! I say stick it to the Man and Kick the people that support them !
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