Subject: Stand At Klamath Falls - Real Americans Fighting Real Tyranny
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:02:52 EDT
The Stand at Kalmath Falls
By Jeff Head 07.17.01
note: pictures and fully formatted text at the following link:
http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/jul/17/arjh071701.htm
I was an eyewitness to events in Klamath Falls at the irrigation head gates to
canal A for the Klamath Project on Friday evening, July 13th through
Sunday afternoon, July 15th. I wanted to write down my account for my
own family and posterity and for any who have an interest to read about
real Americans, full of the spirit that made this nation great, as they
stand up against our own modern form of the "king's" tyranny.
Friday, July 13th, 2001
I drove to Klamath from the Boise, Idaho area after being informed by
email and seeing on the internet that a group of farmers had opened one
of the head gates and were determined to hold the head gates and keep it open. I
verified this information through a local farmer that I was in contact with named
Bill. He and his son James drove over to the head gate and called me
from there informing me that one gate was indeed open.
I was determined to stand with them against the unbelievably
reprehensible actions of the Federal Government in completely shutting
off the irrigation water to over fourteen hundred farm families. A whole
valley full of farmers.
The stated reasons are frivoulous and assault the senses and reasoning
of any individual with a love of liberty in their soul and a drop of loyalty to
our Constitutional Republic running in their blood. Such an action by our
own government can not be allowed to stand, any more than the founders
of this nation allowed the actions of the increasing tyranny of their
day to stand.
I arrived at the head gate at around 11:30 PM, maybe a little later.
James met me at a nearby Safeway and guided me to the head gates. I
found about fifteen local people, mostly farmers, sitting around in
front of the gate, talking and passing the time. They all introduced
themselves to me and greeted me warmly, several of them recognizing my
name in association with an online petition I created on their behalf.
Two or three of their number were women who were standing there with the
farmers in complete support. I asked them where all of the other local
support was. They informed me that quite a few had gone home after they
opened the gate. They also informed me that they had stood down two federal
marshals only an hour or two earlier. The way they did it is a story that
needs to be told in and of itself. It was related to me by one of those
there that night, Joey and several of his compatriots.
When the gates were opened, in defiance of the court order, for the
third time on July 4th, the US Government had dispatched these two US
Marshals there to investigate and keep it from happening again. When
news reached them that the gates were opened again on July 13th and that
a group of farmers were holding the gates, they proceeded to the head gates with
several other officers who had arrived. Upon arrival, these two
immediately got out of their car and began to approach the group of
fifteen or so farmers in a very serious manner, intending business, while
their "backup" was parked on the road, on a little hill above. As they
approached, the farmers and their supporters gathered together in front
of the entrance and ... began singing hymns to the US Marshals!
The marshals were completely taken aback. They stopped cold as though
running into a barrier and backed up to their car. Several of those
faithful farmers believe that God in Heaven took a hand in their
behalf that day. Well, our own nation's fo