#buytheland

#sendcleanwatersouth

#saveflwater

#stopsaltwaterintrusion

#acoe

This is my friend Ezra.

I met him at our first rally. He was “Mista Big Sugar” You can see him here in this video and you can also see that the locks were closed that day and they have been closed every single time we go out there.

Except for when Rick Scott was there ( we were not allowed in but he was) and when we did the “Keep them closed “protest.

The issue of “civil disobedience” comes up every one in a while. It usually results in all of  getting  upset. I  personally think if people want to do this then its a issue of free choice. If you want to do this then you tell people about it and you give them a choice of what they want to do. I can’t. I won’t. Because I think if you want to do this, really want to do this ,then you have to be prepared to go to jail. I’m not. I cherish my nursing license too much and  I couldn’t do what I do every day with out without it. All of us that are credentialed have worked to hard to be able to stay credentialed.  For those of those don’t believe me you can go read the nurse practice act.

I also wonder about why anyone would want to do it. I just get never got it as a viable way to do things. I think its born out of frustration and we have so many incredibly smart creative people that are so supportive of each other that we can think better smarter ways to do things as we have in the past. JMHO You have yours. i have mine. RESPECT.

Except this time.

The best things that happen to us happen organically.

Ezra keeps chalk in his car.

So on Sunday, May 3 ,he went to the locks and he wrote

“Buy the land along with his fish symbol that he created.”

Boy did he get in trouble. This upset the policeman so much (our babysitter which is so funny because we have never ever ever ever done anything close to civil disobedience and really insist on being well behaved.

Here he is on government land drawing away with chalk.

photo by Darrel Brand

Photo by Darell Brand

Photo by Darrel Brand

photo by Darrel Brand

A Discussion ensued. It’s Government land. It’s Graffiti.

It’s hysterical. and its ironic if its anything.

The chalk will wash away when we get huge amounts of rain tomorrow. (It would wash away with a little sprinkle)

The green toxic the ACOE is going to send us. Well that’s another story.

This is what Ezra said.

“ I was told to stop what I was doing or face being arrested, as it was considered graffiti on Federal Property. Using sidewalk chalk to draw an image of a fish and the words #SENDTHEWATERSOUTH is apparently a no no. Meanwhile toxic algae was deliberately released into our rivers today. Yet for over 60 plus years, no arrests or fines have ever been made: 1972 Clean Water Act, 1996 Fl Polluters Pay Amendment, Our “Lost Summer” of 2012, dying marine life and sea grass beds, real estate values plummeting and economic losses in the millions. Okay I get it. Next time I’ll just draw images of $ and sugar cane fields!”

So today we went out there because the discharges were starting and someone at ACOE actually had to gall to say that the gate was locked due to yesterdays “Eco terrorist” activities. Seriously. Are you kidding me?

apparently there is an issue with sidewalk chalk. Who knew?

http://www.care2.com/causes/the-american-war-on-sidewalk-chalk.html

While these charges are clearly political (chalk, after all, washes off sidewalks harmlessly) – a scary article from Mother Jones reported recently that at least 50 people have been arrested across the US in the last five years for drawing on sidewalks.

Many of these aren’t political protestors. They’re the parents of four and six-year-old children engaging in fun and harmless summer activity. One mom in Richmond, Virginia was arrested and sentenced to 50 hours of community service for letting her child draw on rocks in a local park – and reports that her daughter is now “very nervous around cops” and “very scared of chalk.”

Apparently writing with Chalk is a gateway crime. Please people keep the chalk away from your children.

Thousands of us have been at these locks. We have had numerous events,

renting out the campgrounds, leaving it cleaner than what we found it, and like I said before the locks have been closed to us every time but once. Which really sucks because the best shot it from the other side. Camera shots people. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.