The Montana Shrugged Group has submitted this rebuttal to the Billings Gazette newspaper article regarding comments from a Sierra club man concerned 'climate change'.
You can find the original Billings Gazette Article at the following web address:
http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/06/23/news/local/26-protest.txt
Ms. Shay,
I would like to introduce myself to you. I am Eric Olsen, the lead organizer of the Tea party held at the Courthouse on April 15th. I have formed a new group by name of Montana Shrugged Group with the goal of educating people about the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. WE are also the organizing group for past rallies and upcoming rallies. We work directly with other groups in Billings to keep them informed of upcoming events and work with them on their goals and ambitions. WE were instrumental in having a Memorial for our veterans and a follow up discussion on the issues of the day. This rally was held a t Billings West High.
We were directly involved with the Americans For Prosperity for a month before encouraging them to bring their show west to our great State.
I want to thank you for your coverage on the event. I believe that you did a good job in the story. It was very informative and easy to follow.
I am saddened that you did not pick up on the fact that we were there in force although you did get to interview some of our followers.
Please search us out for more input on these critical issues of the day.
We are concerned as American citizens about the excessive spending and taxing issues coming out of Washington. WE are seriously concerned about our future and the future of all Americans, young and old, as we see these excesses unfold.
It seems that Washington feels they have an open checkbook and unlimited funds to push expensive and corrupt agendas down our throats.
We do not and will not stand still for this.
We need to have open discussions on the issues and have a tremendous amount of public input before passing any legislation.
As you probably know, it is impossible to have a conversation with our Senators in Washington. They make few stops in Montana to discuss issues and they sneak in and out without any fanfare. Like they are hiding something or afraid to discuss the issues in public. What is going on I ask?
I do have one bone to pick with you regarding the article you wrote and that is regarding the input from the Sierra Club. When you ask an ignorant group to discuss an issue that they know nothing about, you get an ignorant answer. I have seen little good come from the Sierra club in their history other than destructive and obstructive delays in many beneficial projects in this country. If you watch them they protest everything including industry, energy, coal, power transmission and now their latest protests include green projects such as wind and solar. They are just plain destructive. They are financed by radical libers and foreign entities that are set on destroying America's economy. They have no intent on really helping the environment and it shows. I had an old friend that lobbied in Washington twenty years ago. When I questioned her about the energy plan for America she said that she was sad to report that there was none. The feeling in Washington was that they would fight for oil if they needed it. Of course I reminded her of Germany and Japan's problems during WWII when they had insufficient oil supplies to fight a war. They lost.
The other scary thing she said twenty years ago was that the biggest lobby power in Washington was the environmental lobby and their goals were to destroy the auto, energy and agricultural business. Well, it is prophetic now. They are nearly there. They just about have extricated the backbone of America our of her spine. And the sad thing is that nobody seems to care.
See comments on the Sierra Club quotes in caps below.
Mike Scott, a staff member with the Sierra Club in Billings, said AFP's information on the cap and trade is "blatant lies." The program is market-based, not a tax, he said. THERE IS NO MARKET BASE TO CAP AND TRADE. IT IS A FEE LEVIED ON CARBON PRODUCTION AND CARBON CONSUMPTION. MOST FEES LEVIED BY A GOVERNMENT ARE CONSTRUED AS TAXES. THEY ARE A DIRECT COST TO THE VARIOUS INDUSTRIES AND WILL TRICKLE DOWN TO CONSUMERS AS INCREASED COSTS. CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT. IT IS GOING TO HURT THE HARD WORKING AMERICANS IN THEIR POCKET BOOKS WHICH ARE ALREADY MINIMIZED BY THE RECENT ECONOMIC ACTIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT. HOW MUCH MORE CAN THEY STAND?
"Tax is specific money collected by government, and this does not do that," Scott said. WHAT A LAME STATEMENT. WHAT ABOUT THE COUPONS THAT THEY HAVE TO PURCHASE FROM THE GOVERNMENT? ARE THE FEES PAID HERE NOT A COLLECTION BY THE GOVERNMENT. ????
With AFP's seven-story balloon reflected in his sunglasses, Scott quietly watched the rally but sought out the media afterward. Scott said cap and trade would help the economy HOW IN THE EXPLETIVE DELETED IS THE ECONOMY GOING TO BE HELPED BY THIS COST TO INDUSTRY. WE WILL SEE MAJOR JOB LOSSES OF HIGHER WAGE EMPLOYEES. WE WILL SEE EXCESSIVE COST AND REGULATION RAMP UP THE COST OF ALL CONSUMABLES TO THE PEOPLE and industries by bringing renewable energies into the market. RENEWABLES ARE CUTE BUT ONLY WORK WITH GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES. IN OTHER WORDS THE TAX PAYER PAYS FOR THE COST OF THE ALTERNATIVES THROUGH HIGHER ENERGY COSTS AND TAXES. WHY IS THIS GOOD? I MUST HAVE MISSED SOMETHING . The system would "pay for the true cost of carbon," he said, and make other energies more competitive and cheaper. HYDROCARBON FUELS ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT ENERGY GENERATING SYSTEMS BY FAR. ALTERNATIVES ARE CUTE BUT ARE INTERMITTENT WHICH MEANS THEY CANNOT REPLACE THE BASE LOAD SETUP BY THE HYDROCARBON AND NUCLEAR FUELS. THEY ONLY SURGE THE GRID AND SURGES ARE NOT GOOD FOR THE GRID. GET A GRIP ON REALITY WILL YOU SIERRA CLUB. QUIT TELLING ALL THESE LIES AND NON TRUTHS AND GET WITH THE PROGRAM.
"Really, it's going to free up the economies of it all so this stuff can get on the grid," Scott said. HE OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT TALK TO ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS OR POWER ENGINEERS. INTERMITTENT ENERGIES CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AT ANY TIME. THEY CAN ONLY BE ACCEPTED BY THE GRID IN SMALL AMOUNTS. THEY WILL ONLY BE AROUND FOR SHORT TIME AS WE WILL TIRE FROM THE COST TO TAXPAYERS.
WE WENT THROUGH THIS SAME EXERCISE WHEN CARTER WAS PRESIDENT. READ YOUR OLD NEWS AND IT SOUNDS JUST LIKE TODAY.
WE AS AMERICANS NEED TO WAKE UP AND TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS AND OUR GOVERNMENTS ACTIONS. WE NEED TO HOLD OUR REPRESENTATIVES ON FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY AND LOCAL LEVELS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.
WE, AS AMERICANS NEED TO GET BACK TO THE BASICS AND UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES IN FRONT OF US. IT IS TOUGH JOB BUT WE ARE TRYING TO HELP.
WE HOLD OUR MEETINGS AND RALLIES TO BRING UP THE ISSUES AND SHOW THE EFFECTS THAT WILL COME FROM THEM.
WE AT MONTANA SHRUGGED LOVE AMERICA AND WANT TO SEE HER PROSPER.
WE WANT TO MAINTAIN OUR INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS.
WE CRY FOR AMERICA AS WE SEE HER AS A BROKEN LADY. THE ONCE PROUD MAIDEN IS IN DISTRESS . SHE NEEDS A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR TO COME TO HER RESCUE.
OH, I AM GETTING ON MY SOAP BOX. SORRY. BUT YOU GET THE DRIFT I BELIEVE.
THANKS FOR LISTENING AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE MEDIA IN THE FUTURE RALLIES .
ERIC H. OLSEN
