" Although we have to be vigilant about terrorism, I sometimes wonder if
government and certain businesses are using the fear of terrorism as
an excuse to hide from the public.


Or to take more of the public's money, and keep the public out of public
areas, as was attempted here in Connecticut 2 years ago.

A certain state legislator, who represents a district that includes an
ultra-welathy enclave of people who live on a group of islands just
offshore, decided that "Homeland Security" would be a wonderful excuse for
punishing kayakers for the crime of paddling in and among those islands (It
just happens to be the most scenic paddling spot in the state if you're a
sea kayaker).

Whar he proposed was registration of the kayaks, so that island residents
could harass them by reporting their registration numbers to authorities for
made-up offenses. We already have a problem here with law enforcement being
used as muscle by the wealthy to break the law and dominate lands and waters
held in public trust. This was just one more instance of it.

What was not counted upon was the mobilization of paddlers and outdoors
groups. A large group of us attended and essentially took over two
legislative public hearings, and won over many of the legislators with our
case. The letter-writing campaign that followed was bigger than the one that
followed the disclosure of the Enron scandal (Our state gov't illegally
loaned them $200 Million, and it appears our recently resigned governor was
a part of that deal, as well as a few others that may land him in federal
prison soon) according to one senior senator I spoke with after the fact.
Two years later, we're still getting press in the media about it.

The excuse was kayaks and canoes full of explosives targeting mansions on
the shore. The reality was that the state wanted registration & property tax
$$$ on paddlecraft, and a way to keep us out of places the rich didn't want
us to go.

Be very wary of any attempt to limit your personal freedoms --- the real
reason is usually something far more sinister than the excuse.

AND VOTE THIS NOVEMBER

Wayne