The Sounds of Silence

A few listers who are concerned about the Settlement Agreement the BOCC is considering tomorrow night have been carrying on the effort to inform the community of just what is at stake, who is behind this push to give away the rights of citizens to protect themselves and their children, and what the consequences will be if the BOCC votes to accept this agreement. Telephones have been busy, conversations across yard fences and in the lines at supermarkets have enlightened a few more people. But there has been one notable silence:

The Sound of the Sun...

Where has our major paper been while all this has been happening? Yes, there have been a few reports of the meetings, usually mentioning that FRI is suing the county because they met on Jan., 22, 1999, to make severe changes in the amount of pollution levels poor but honorable FRI had to fight in court. The implication is that FRI is the injured party.

That is totally inaccurate!

Almost as soon as John Baker raised his hand and swore the information he was signing was correct so FRI could get their Special Use Permit to put a giant industrial plant in an agricultrual area, FRI has been backing away from that level of pollution and trying to say they should not be held to the contract they signed with Alachua County; that means you and me, not just the BOCC. FRI has broken that contract with us and has seemed to convice some members of the BOCC to agree.

An irony is that the same John Baker will swear to and sign this agreement, promising that FRI will live up to this new contract. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us. Of course, if they do fool us again, we will have no meaningful way to stop them.

The Sun should be screaming over this. Yet they are silent about the blatant sellout of the people ; to a company which assumes the high moral ground while using every trick in the book to buy support (Newberry is an example), ; ignoring the Comprehensive Plan ; and the future precedents which the BOCC will set for any other major polluters who want to move into an area that has as it's logo: POLLUTERS WELCOME - WE'RE EASY!!

I personally asked the Sun several times to print the Proposed Agreemetents (plural because the original has been altered several times over the past two weeks) so that people who do not have access to the internet can see what is being given away.

But the Sun has been silent.

There is only a little time for the Sun to join the chorus and take a stand that will encourage the BOCC to vote to go to court instead of give so much to FRI.

Silence?

Ellie Schwab

(Shortly after this was posted, The Sun finally reported that the county had not changed the emission standards.)

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