“Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care, it is about the safest investment in the world.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
President Roosevelt, one day after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, met with the U.S. Congress. One hour after FDR’s Infamy Speech, Congress declared war on the Empire of Japan. FDR is also remembered for protecting private property, “the safest investment in the world.”
McDonald’s Corporation does not make money flipping burgers and selling fries, they profit from leasing land and buildings to franchisees. McDonald’s makes its money on real estate.
Today, greedy investors take private property for profit as perpetual easements, “the best investment for shareholders.” Remote bulk transmission projects are not about green electrons or crude oil. Easement agreements taken by force using expert third party land agents give Diamond unlimited access to the right-of-way, additional land for construction and roads, and legal protection against concerned people.
Tyler Hamilton was arrested last month in Pope County “for criminal trespassing and obstruction of governmental operations.” Delta Directional Drilling, a Diamond contractor, claims Tyler’s short interruption caused more than $7,000 in damages. Delta filed a charge of second-degree criminal mischief. Tyler, a 22-year old Boy Scout, will be tried on May 1. Legal funds are needed. How is Delta Directional Drilling governmental operations?
Plains All-America, aka Diamond, has exclusive use of a 440-mile strip of land, 100-ft. wide, forever. Landowners will pay property taxes, insurance, and liability, for the right to host the Black Snake. PAA can build other pipelines, fiber optic lines, gas lines, or whatever they want in their easement.
Protecting our Land
A WSJ report last week, “Investors Building Green Power Lines: Billionaires want to move renewable power from the plains to big cities,” is based on the premise landowners living in fly-by, low-income states will sign easements to Make America Great Again. TransWest Express, a $9 billion wind farm and transmission line backed by billionaire Philip Anschutz, wants to sell 3,000 megawatts of wind power from Wyoming to Las Vegas, 730 miles away. Clean Line Plains and Eastern, that has had the same idea for almost 10 years, is now claiming to be “critical infrastructure.”
Remote, bulk, private transmission lines for profit are not critical infrastructure. To deal with extreme weather and abrupt climate change, resilient roads, bridges, sewers, and battery-powered distributed solar generation systems are needed. Instead, Trump is slashing federal public transportation funds to Amtrak, transit, and commuter rail programs, and flights to rural towns, hurting jobs for rural and working class communities and the economy.
Ron tells a different story on YouTube, Clean Line Pollutes & Destroys Home/Land Value. He talks about the lakes, views, trees, wildlife, peace, and quiet. Living at its best is an amazing experience that billionaires in glass towers and private jets don’t understand. In the Ozarks, hearing bald eagles and hawks as they fly nearby is priceless.
Protecting our Freedom
Arkansas representatives tried to suppress our First Amendment rights to freedom of assembly and speech.
Fortunately, Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed the anti-demonstration bill (SB 550).
Oklahoma has two bills for the Diamond Pipeline. HB 1123, with penalties of up to $100,000 and 10 years in prison for individuals and fines of up to $1 million for organizations “found to be a conspirator,” was approved by the House. A second bill, HB 2128, would make anyone “arrested or convicted of trespass” liable for damages, and extends liability to any “person or entity that compensates a person for trespassing.” Will Gov. Mary Fallin have the courage to veto the Diamond bills?
An urgent request
Abraham Lincoln said, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” He said people like you and me, not irresponsible billionaires.
Will Gov. Hutchinson and the Arkansas Congressional Delegation please stand up? It is never too late to protect our land and freedom.
Dr. Luis Contreras
The U.N. protects freedom of speech and assembly. The U.N is concerned with Trump’s attempts in several states against the First Amendment. America is not getting great, is looking more like Rusia!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/4/2/1649586/-United-Nations-Americans-right-to-protest-is-in-grave-danger
This is the video mentioned in the op-ed
What land means to people
Here is a link to the WSJ article – “Investors Are Building Their Own Green-Power Lines”
Billionaires want to move renewable power from the plains to big cities; red tape blocks progress
https://www.wsj.com/articles/investors-are-building-their-own-green-power-lines-1491471009
RED TAPE?