Update on Gathering Situation

Well, Wiseaction, it's a dead issue now, the site has been moved. The FS has said that they will only allow a non-permitted Gathering at the strip mine. We'll have to wait & see what they say about the new site that was picked by the scouts. As far as the references, if you check the media link thread that we started, one article stated the information we gave.

Scott, the issue at hand is that the US Forest Service is doing everything possible to stop Rainbow Gatherings. they will lie and misrepresent information to maniplulate the Family, the locals, & the media. we find it difficult to believe the FS when we personally saw agents connected with the Rainbow Management Incident Command sexually harrass a sister, then watched the same agents lie in a court of law about the incident. Please check the www.welcomehome.org. legal pages for more information concerning permit issues and the continued harrassment of Rainbows.

 

so what ya think is gonna happen and what can fools like me do to help?

 

Moved because the ICT destroyed/stole the water pipe. Thats what I heard.

 

I don't trust the forest service, they have been mean and ugly before in the past to the family, remember when they were bombing, the military in the ocala, 5 miles from us. Did the Forest Service stop them, no. We had to take measures. And I sent a message to the Governor and told him this, same thing. They're letting outlaw logging companies ologging the forests in Northern Ca. Oh yeah! Don't give up family! Love Yas. Somebody come and pick up Charles for the gathering, PLEASE! nd get hime down there. That's right, we do need people there. PEACE & BLESSINGS!

 

the forest service in ocala is not going to stop the bombings - they bomb there ALL the time it has nothing to do with rainbow

 

Don't let the man get you down !

If you can, get to WV; if not send your good vibes and if you have the resources, send food or donate to the magic hat. The folks in WV need all the support they can get. With the fact that the site has been changed, the busses will be hurting for gas $$, so will other folks. Do what you can.

 

i agree,, green energy is whats needed now,,, if ya know phamily ,,send it home..

we all gonna need it,, look at the date,, times a waistin...

 

just talked to someone from bank council just momments ago & he still suggests going to elkins site for now, while they figure out where the real site will be so i guess elkins is still not ruled out as beimng the place.
and whoever pivckjs up charles in b-more pick me up in philly too

theyre tring to just push us around, which they can only do when theres so few on site. so everyone just get there & it will be ok..if ya can, bring someone (like me..heehee) who has some hathering experience with ya cause we're gonna need enough people who know what theyre doin to keep things movin in the right direction
is there anyone else whos been on the land who can give further info?

 

Got this from hawker on agr today:


Woza, what a day. My phone has been ringing off the hook all day.

First the facts, then the commentary. It's hard to get all the truth
because I am not there and many stories conflicts with each other. I have
spoken today with several folks on site and many others and am trying to
piece together the real story.

As for the new site. My directions from folks on site are slightly
different than Rob's. It is in Cranberry Glades. The directions are take
219 70 miles south of Elkins to Mill Point. Turn Right on 55/39. Go 6
miles to Rd 150. Left 6/10 of a mile to 102. Left on 102. This would seem
that the directions for folks not on site already (coming from Elkins) are
: Interstate 64 to 219 (exit 169). North on 219 to 55/39 and follow the
rest of the directions.

Also as I understand this there never was a consensus to move the site. I
last spoke to the scouts Friday Night. At the time they had just found this
new site. They said it had some good points, but a major road went right
through main meadow. They also said they didn't want to move and were
upset that they heard folks wanted to move. Given this I don't understand
why most rumors now are the scouts said lets go when others said no. I
won't know the real story till I am able to talk to them. Kid Village
called a council for Saturday. I was told that there was lots of shouting
and arguing and no consensus. Then KV and the scouts just left to the new
site. I spoke to no one on site who wanted to move or who thought that
they should move, yet they are moving since the feel beat by the FS, Scouts
and KV.

Re: The stolen water pipe rumor. Here is what I know. There was a stash
of water pipe at the back door. It was NOT all the water pipe, perhaps
1/5th of it at best. I personally saw this water pipe on Friday. On
Saturday there were horse tracks all around it but it was not there any
more. This is the water pipe that was stolen by the FS. AFAIK the big stash
is under cover and safe where I left it, but i have not confirmed this. I
left the rest with a responsible person who made effort to keep it hidden
as they were concerned about it being stolen already.

I was told that several folks will call me tonight or tomorrow morning from
site with more updates and info. I personally am meeting with one of the
scouts in a few hours and will upload topo maps to Rob and my site as
well. I may not be able to host maps myself anymore because the bandwidth
is costing me too much as I have exceeded my bandwidth contract (to many
3MB topo maps and 400k JPGs I guess). If someone wants to donate for the
bandwidth I will replace it, otherwise I will just give Rob the info for
welcomehome.org.

Some folks are gathering/staying in other sites including the strip mine
(RJ) near Elkins and other campsites trying to re-group and figure out what
to do. There are also other sites that are better that the scouts found,
but didn't use because they liked the Elkins site, so why are we not going
to them? This site is a set up. It was chosen by the FS because it was
closer to there camp in Snowshoe resort and because it is easier for the FS
to drive into the site. I am being told that the parking lot crew is
signing the permit for this FS chosen site and is trying to make sure there
are not the kind of issues we had last year (no nudity, dogs on leashes,
drive ins by the FS etc) but my trust for the Tim Lynn and the FEDs is 0.
They have already lied to us on several occasions this year alone and
broken several promises.

O.k. So the commentary (or more blatantly commentary).
WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE DOING PEOPLE! This is dangerous precedence we are
setting here letting the FS know they can whip us into submission. Now they
think they can run things every year. There is no telling what they will
try to pull next year. In addition we need to NOT be in Pocahontas
county. There is no support system there. The town doesn't love us like
Elkins did. The Emergency Management system there has only BLS not ALS
(Basic/Advanced Life Support) for emergencies. Elkins has ALS. They are
only volunteers so it impacts them more than the larger more established
town of Elkins. We loose all the work and time we have done working with
local businesses and agencies as well as understanding the site and how to
best use it. Buisness owners who stuck there neck out to help us now get
screwed and loose $$$ (they bought extra supplies for us). This happened
because the site was mostly populated by young, inexperienced kids who
lacked past knowledge on how to fight this as well as the support of enough
people to maintain the site. In addition most of the experienced folks were
hiding in town, other campsites or the back door rather than teaching the
kids how to fight and encouraging them. By the time folks, myself included,
started working to motivate folks and teach them how to reclaim the site
moral had been to far lost and we had been beat. There are plenty of other
ways into the first site from many angles. They can't stop us all if we
just keep showing up there.

We need to ignore all rumors, including those of a moved site and return to
the original site, where we can safely gather in a good location. When
enough folks show up then we can reclaim the site from the federalies.

Hawker


...--- We need to stand up for our rights!! We have the first amendment right to assemble peacefully, and I will be damned if I'm going to let them push me away from missing my first Gathering! We need to come home. I need to come home. Babylon is trying to put the cuffs of despair on you. Don't give in. Come home to the original site. Don't let this year set the precedent that if they push us enough that they can make us move where they want to.

 

Just got this off the agr from rob:

I just got an interesting message from some folks I know that went to
the Cranberry Glade site this afternoon, and nobody was there...

- rob -

 

Come on people! We need to stand together. Together we stand, divided we fall, and we are falling all over the place. I say on the 30th, or the 1st, we all go to the elkins site. They can't hold us back when there are thousands of us. We need to stick together. We can't give in. If we give in now, think of the consequences. All gatherings in the future will have permits. They will tell us what we can bring in or take out. I wouldn't be surprised if they start charging at the gate and patting people down. Come on. Stand up for your rights!!!

 

i for 1 am ready to bushwhack my way in, avoid the main trailhead completely & just go around them.. sure they can block the trailhead & try to prevent us from going in, but what can they do when 5,000 are already down on site?
from my understanding based on talkes i had with barry plunker when they tried blocades in utah, previus court rulings state they cannot stop the flow of supplies so once we are in there what can they do? not much except possibly scare away a few first timers, but if theres a good crew at parking that can be avoided too..
i wish i could be there now to help straighten this mess out, bu i'll be there as quickly as possible, & i'll go wherever consencus takes me, but i for 1 am not really interested in just giving in..I don't want to push for creating moreconflict either however..
i cant imagine there wont be some sort of settlement by the time i get there this weekend, but if somehow people are still scattered around at many sites & disorganized, i'm ready to be the 1st to say enough is enough & just head off through the woods into the original site,
anyone who wants to join me is most welcome

 

Ironically enough, I had already had that site bookmarked, but thanks anyhow.

I understand the macro issues, but what is the specific probelm vis-a-vis the FS oinkers? Is it that they want an individual to assume authority for the permitting process, and there is no actual person who can or will take that responsibility according to the ethos of the Family? Seems to me there might be a workaround for that, if that is indeed the case.

Since the FS appears to be extremely fluid in their responses and interpretations of the various laws and regs, it might behoove the Family to adopt the same tactics.

 

"...but what is the specific probelm vis-a-vis the FS oinkers"

One of the main problems is that while we proclaim preace, love and truth we use these insulting stereotypes to characterize the FS. We can powerfully and firmly speak what we understand to be true without resorting to adolescent name calling.

 

Well, thanks for your input. As far as answers go it's not much of one, but I'm sure you feel good about yourself now, having gotten that off your chest.

 

well i agree with wize, we must remember fs are people doing jobs..& we invite all brothers & sisters with belleybootons,
i think if we ever got them out of uniform you'd be surprised to see theyre just like you & me

the permit issue is complex, first of all, we cannot sign a permit because we dont exist. as an organization i mean, we are si\mply individuals who gather together or in other words we are each 1 person who happens to be in the same place as several other 1 persons.
additionaly, if 1 person signs a permit as a representative of this suposed group which doesnt exist, they are taking a leadership role in a non existant group with no leaders. & therefore are legaly respomcable for the actions of 20,000 people they may have never met before.
& lastly he whole permit to gather on public lands issue is unconstitutional, & signing 1 is like signing a petition to wipe the 1st ammendment out odf existance.

1 other interesting point i don't know if anyone has concidered, since everyone with a bellybutton is a part of this non existant non organization..why would the fs need 1 of "us" to signm when they themselves are 1 of us (bellybuttoners) & are just as capable of signing?

i hope thats at least semi an answer to your question

 

Right on Soaring Eagle!

Some of the FS folks have gone to more Gatherings than some Rainbows & truely enjoy the experience (gonna go edit a different post now, to distinguish LEOs from FS)

 

in pa the fs folks even took rainbow names at the spring council & everyone called them by theyre rainbvow names throughout the gathering

 

That is indeed a good and responsive answer to my question, and I thank you for giving it.

Whilst you may consider the FS folks to be "1 of us" I'm not sure that the majority of them identify themselves in that manner, and would likely disagree with you about their capability of signing for a permit.

I would also say that I personally do not feel that any individual acting in an official capacity who contravenes any part of the Constitution while so acting is in any way on the same side as I am, or "1 of me," to put it another way. In my view those people represent the "forces of darkness" and must be opposed. Having been tear-gassed while protesting the Vietnam war, I cannot consider those people my spiritual brothers in any way, shape or form.

You are right, the permit issue is complex, and it seems that in the current situation you all are at an impasse. I don't see any clear way out of this impasse. I had considered having everyone who chooses to do so take responsibility for a permit ONLY for 5 minutes ONLY, but I can see where this would be objectionable. I'm sure gathering at state parks has been investigated as well. Has anyone approached any of the larger intentional communities, such as Twin Oaks or The Farm, about gathering on their land? How about gathering in Canada rather than the US? How about trying to purchase some land for a permanent gathering spot? I'm just brainstorming here, I don't have any answers.

Tranquility, Scott

 

Howdy,
I will not make it to the national gathering this year, however I do have a question that rises due to the F.S. stating that permits are required by Rainbowers.
The question is, "An independent individual with a belly button, travels to camp within the forrest where a rainbow gathering happens to be located.Doesn't the individual have freedom to camp? Who the hell is the FS to state that the individual can not camp unless they have a permit to cover a group?

On the note of viewing the FS rangers as 'the dark side', we have each had our own experiences in life that shape our perceptions. None is right or wrong, so I will not argue the 'darkside' mention, this is my brother's experience & perception and I accept it and him. My perception has not experienced what he has, I have personally seen many very cool,accepting, helpful, rangers at past gatherings. Some even sat down & joined the drumming and they were fully our brothers. I saw others that obviously were not pleased with the shit they were ordered to do due to their jobs and would rather let us be free and truly strove to be as non-interferring as they were allowed due to their job.