Community Disrespect

[dickb]

The Prospectors and Rockhounds community is pretty much a closed mouth organization. We talk to each other and to anyone who wants to know about us.

The problem is that not enough of the general public has a clue as to what we do to help the environment. They just figure we're a group of people that want to get rich quick and plunder the earth to satisfy our desire to loot the earth of its mineral wealth. They have know idea of what it costs to buy the equipment we need or what the cost in fuel and travel etc. add to the recreation. All they understand is we want something for nothing and don't care what we do to get it.

Unless we as a community reach out to the public to educate them, through the public media, we will never gain their trust. Just take the Hunting community as an example. All the public see is we are killing helpless animals for sport with no regard to the consequences of out actions. Then they go out to the Steak House and have a Big Steak. Obviously, not realizing that that animal was born, raised, killed and packaged for the sole purpose to make someone money and feed that hungry steak eater. Yet, when the hunter kills, cleans, butchers and packages a wild animal to put food on his table, it's horrific cruelty.

Why is it that fishermen aren't classed in that same group?

I've watched water skiers race up and down the lake in their high powered boats, oblivious to the damage the wake on their boat causes to the shoreline, or the discomfort to other boats that they pass, or the turbidity that their propeller causes to the lake bed. Yet, no one seems to notice or complain.

We as a community need to work to change these bad ideas into positive concepts that promote our activity.

Thats my take on what's happing every day to the prospecting/mining community.

WE NEED TO DO BETTER TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC!

Dickb

[russau]

Dick thats what Dredge Earth First (DEF) was all about. educating the public and its gubermint departments about what we were all about and how we did things contrary to what lies the wacoenviromentalists was telling everyone! we had rallys in Oregan,Washington, Colorado,and Georgia. while having our rally in Idahoe Springs Colorado in 2004 (RMMR)Rocky Mountain Miners Rally,a lady from the Washington dept of fish and wildlife came to our rally from Washington no less! she was taken around to all of our demos/exibits/etc. for the three days of the rally. she was with the Colorado F&W guy at those times aswell. she agreed with us and our methods which were just good common sense ways of doing things. when she went back to Washington state. she was vocal about our way of doing things contrary to what her department was saying and they ended up forceing her into retirement and replaceing her with a guy Leonard and i meet in 2007 in Orroville Washington at the NWminers rally.he was full of beans!!!!!! some clubs picked up our educating the masses and still today are doing this. Recources Coalition, the BedRock Prospectors ,and the Washington prospectors and mining association have been working with the WDFW for many years only to have the WDFW disregaurd all that these clubs have brought to the table for them.

[ROKONRANDY1]

look at the low quality of people manning this business now. You ever wonder why no PR? Ever wonder why no resistance? Me too. I wonder why too.rokonrandy

[russau]

look at the low quality of people manning this business now. You ever wonder why no PR? Ever i wonder why no resistance? Me too. I wonder why too.rokonrandy

i have got to agree with you on the lack of good PR . but what would you do to turn this around? how would you get more PR and what kind would you seek to get the biggest bang for your buck? and how would you get people across this great Land of ours to help do this? ive seen a lot of different groups to try to do something only to get shot down from other people in the small scale mining community.

[ROKONRANDY1]

Russau first you ask. How about consulting with people who know how to get the word out, The PR firm. One phone call at a time to start looking for a PR firm. Make a list of what you would expect from them, Now there is not elections going on and times are hard for the PR business. Good people are available. OK 2 find people who can make a slob into some one who can dress and act and speak and demand respect. Wardrob is what it is called along with make up if the guy or gal looks likes a junkie. You good cloths at good will or what ever and taylor fit the person. Ok A little bit of theater and show man ship goes a long way in politics. The moral high ground is yours if you grab it. Ok The PR firm will front the spooksman and the propaganda and get you in the news some place every day and with the people on the streets passing out hard copy you end up with the can do attitude and the willingness to resit will draw people like a magnet. This will give you the oppterunity to build the mass of people who will follow the example of the resistane and become part of the group who does the complaining that results in the mass displacements of people in governemt. The rest is up to you people. Most of you who followed my posts know that this is not the first time I have posted this. I have not changed my stand on resistance. rokonrandy

[russau]

Randy that is good advice! and it looks like it would be in the right direction also. but who would fund this? yep it is truely needed a long time ago! but like i stated before, this has been tried before and got shot down by our own! people thought these people were just trying to line their pockets when infact they werent even receiving a dime from it and funding their attempts to save our rights from their own pockets.i agree whole heartedly that we need this to happen YESTERDAY! but most people in the small scale mining community wont bother to lift their finger to give any help much less a donation to fund it. most want someone else todo it for them, and they are always the first ones to complain! it never fails! how do we get the small scale mining community to get behind this? some people still dont know whats going on on the west coast in any of these states, much less their own state. but your 100% correct that something needs tobe done right now!

[ROKONRANDY1]

First volunters organization. All it would take to start is 1 person working with one other person and you go a start. people who are out going and good listeners and look good and people will stop to listen to them. Funding the hard copy and the PR will come as it will. Most likly from small donations of time and material. With hard copy you cross over to the support side and reach out to all users of the forest and users who do not use the forest. We only need one copy of the hard copy to start. The first contact would be done threw the local papers and TV. This is how it would be looked at it. NOW any one want to file a complain with the Ca Attorney General against Arnold for violationg the endangered specis act on the dredge ban now is the time. The bacteria colonys that make the slice rocks in the stream depend on suspended sediments to survive. Russ, You knew Jerry Hobbs is a con man and you still promoted him WHY? Rokonrandy

[russau]

no i dont know Jerry Hobbs is a conman! and unless you can prove it, please dont say it! this is also part of the respect/disrespect issues!

[ROKONRANDY1]

ok good place to leave it. rokonrandy

[russau]

thankyou.