THE PROBLEMS WITH JOHN TURNER - A LIST

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LandRights Network wrote:

American Land Rights Association - Land Rights Network
PO Box 400 - Battle Ground WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 - Fax: 360-687-2973 - Email: <alra@pacifier.com> -
http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 508 First St SE - Washington DC 20003
Phone: 202-251-3473 - Fax: 202-543-7126 - Email: hardimanmike@aol.com

*** IT'S CRUNCH TIME !!! ***

***** SEE ACTION ITEMS BELOW ! *****

THE PROBLEMS WITH JOHN TURNER - A LIST

For the following reasons, Mr. John Turner should not be named to any
administration post that has jurisdiction over private property or federal
land use policy. There is documentation available for all of the examples
listed here.

PART A: His record as Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service in the Bush Sr. and Clinton administrations, 1989 to 1993.

Turner was the only Bush political appointee in the Department of the
Interior asked to stay by President Clinton. Turner asked for huge budget
increases each year, bragging about the agency's prowess at gaining more
funds. In particular, he wanted funds to list more endangered species and
for more land acquisition. He placed virtually no priority on recreational
access for the general population.

Turner made enforcement of the Endangered Species Act the "highest priority
Service activity." He sought to accelerate listings way beyond any court
imposed requirements, and gain regulatory control over as much private land
as possible.

He worked with Democrats in Congress to attach a rider establishing wolf
reintroduction into farming and ranching areas, and coordinated spending
$12 million on the effort.

He showed no concern for the people and communities impacted during the
process of listing the Northern Spotted Owl in the Pacific Northwest.
Secretary Lujan led the way in attempting to mitigate economic impacts,
while Turner was silent, except when it came to advancing the listing
process.

Turner was criticized by the Interior Department Inspector General for
frequent personal travel while claiming to be on official business. He and
others were criticized by the IG for overpaying land trusts $5,200,000 in
real estate transactions.

PART B: His record as President and CEO of the Conservation Fund, 1993
to the present.

The Fund claims to work with local land owners and federal permittees, but
that is frequently not the case. For example, at Antietam Battlefield
National Park, the Fund worked in secret with state and federal agencies
throughout the 1990s to expand the boundaries of the park so that land
owners could be threatened with condemnation. The Fund's cover was blown
when a former Audubon Society lobbyist who lived in the area found out, and
led a successful counterattack to save her farm and others.

Another example is at Great Basin National Park in 1999, where the Fund
claimed a local rancher was happy to sell his grazing rights. However, in
a newspaper report the Fund was contradicted by both the rancher and one of
the Fund's own employees.

Another example is a property owner on Metinic Island off the coast of
Maine, who was snared in a web of regulations when he tried to sell his
property to another private party.

He was eventually denied use of his own cottage on the island. The Fund
then bought the land, sold it to the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1994 for
a $47,000 profit, and FWS refurbished the cottage and now occupies it.

The Conservation Fund's newsletter, called "Common Ground," has worked
against the Republican Party and against recreational access to Federal
lands. For example, five times in the past four years it has published the
League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club's hit lists of candidates
targeted for defeat, nearly all of whom are Republicans.

The Conservation Fund has also written favorably of the Forest Service's
Roadless Policy, and supports further restrictions on private property
inholders and further cutbacks on camping on Federal lands.

PART C: Political Ramifications

John Turner has more political power in Washington, DC backing him than
does Gale Norton. He will effectively run DOI if he is nominated to a high
post there, undermining Norton as he did with Bush Sr. Interior Secretary
Manuel Lujan.

Turners longstanding relationships with the Rockefeller family foundations
and their financing of the environmental left, his collusion with
congressional Democrats and liberal Republicans, and his friendship with
Cheney will allow him to override Norton's priorities with his own.

He is already attempting to place his own "team" into the Department of the
Interior to isolate Norton, such as his efforts to name lawyer Mike Brennan
as Solicitor of the Department.

The Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, League of Conservation Voters and
other members of the Giant Green Land Grab Machine support John Turner.

Turner's record is consistent and clear. There is no guesswork involved.
He will be the source of constant, ongoing political conflict with a core
constituency - what the USA Today map referred to as "the red counties" in
the small towns and rural areas. This includes not only the intermountain
west, but also many politically competitive places such as Tennessee,
Arkansas, West Virginia and rural Florida for example.

ACTION ITEMS:

***** PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR SENATOR *****
and to Vice President Cheney

Are you a member of the Farm Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, the Grange,
National Federation of Independent Business, the Cattlemen's association or
other organization?

-----PLEASE tell them about the threat John Turner poses to private
property rights, and ask other members to write also.

Here is who you need to write to:

WHITE HOUSE CONTACTS:

President's FAX 202-456-2461
president@whitehouse.gov

Vice President Cheney's fax and e-mail addresses:
vice.president@whitehouse.gov
FAX 202-456-7044
FAX 202-456-2685
FAX 202-456-9500

-----CALL AND FAX YOUR SENATORS

You can call every senator at the Capitol Switchboard (202-224-3121). Do
you have their fax numbers? If you do not have their fax number already,
ask for it. Send your senator the No John Turner Poster.

-----Get the "NO JOHN TURNER POSTER" from our website,
http://www.landrights.org

There is no more powerful way to impact your own Senators than to send a
personal, one page letter written from the heart. Your Senators know what
we think about John Turner. They want to know what YOU think about John
Turner.

-----*****Send a fax to your Senators each day this week. It is decision
time.

-----*****Please do not fail to take the small amount of time necessary to
call and fax your Senator opposing John Turner.

-----*****Please make sure you forward this message to at least five other
people.

-----*****Send copies by fax to five others who do not have E-mail.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *NOTE: In accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or
payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this
information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more
information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

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WELNDMN!WELNDMN!WELNDMNWELNDMN!
ahh screw it call me Mark
No matter what you do or say someone will take it too seriously