There is a little slice of heaven, especially for the hunting and fishing-type, up in Wisconsin called the Penokee Hills. Unfortunately for said little slice of paradise, it appears to contain taconite, which is used for heavy industrial iron. Scott Walker was so excited to destroy this part of Wisconsin's heritage for his pay masters, he even had the law rewrote.
I was not aware that law would allow for corporations to use militias on public use lands to stop peaceful protesters and families on vacation from enjoying themselves. But of course, this is the new GOP of whom we are speaking.
Mining Company Deploys More Masked Militiamen Against "Eco-Terrorists"
Welcome to the scary new world of mining in Scott Walker's Wisconsin.
—By Kate Sheppard | Tue Jul. 16, 2013 3:00 AM PDT | Mother Jones
Headline photo of the Mining Militia:
http://mjcdn.motherjones.com/...
Last Wednesday, the mining company, Gogebic Taconite—G-Tac for short—a subsidiary of the West Virginia-based Cline Group, pulled the armed guards after finding that the security firm lacked permits to work in the state. A spokesman for the company has said that the Bulletproof guards will be back once they're properly licensed.
"Basically almost every environmental protection and public health protection you could think of is eliminated under this bill."
One of the activists in the area, however, told Mother Jones on Monday that a new group of armed guards—including one whose shirt bore the insignia for Watchmen of America, a militia group active in at least 21 states—was on patrol last Thursday, the day after Gogebic Taconite pulled the Bulletproof guards. A spokesman for G-Tac said that the guards are necessary to protect its workers from "eco-terrorists." The company pointed to an incident in June when protesters had a confrontation with workers; one of the protesters allegedly took a worker's camera. But most of the protesters' actions around the mine have been peaceful; local tribes have planted a small garden nearby, and others are leading educational tours on the ecology of the region.
Gov. Scott Walker signed sweeping changes to the state's mining regulations into law in March, thus allowing the mine to move forward. The new law, which creates a separate set of laws for taconite mining, abbreviates the permitting process, reduces the number of opportunities for public comment, and weakens rules on dumping mine waste into wetlands and waterways. It also reallocates mining revenues that previously went to local communities into the state's Economic Development Corporation, a problem-plagued program Walker created in 2011 to spur job growth in the state. G-Tac worked closely with lawmakers to draft the legislation. Proponents of the law argue that it will generate new jobs in the state.
But environmental groups argue that the law sets a bad precedent for environmental regulations more broadly. "Basically almost every environmental protection and public health protection you could think of is eliminated under this bill," Kerry Schumann, executive director of the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.
Closing shot of another Mining Militia member:
http://www.motherjones.com/...
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What I found most interesting was this in the comments:
Rob Ganson Today 09:00 AM
Prior to the hiring of these mercenaries, local law enforcement, (our friends and neighbors) had been providing security for a peaceful month. The use of these forces for the purpose of intimidation, on lands of great natural beauty open to public hiking, fishing, hunting etc. does great harm to tourism, the real backbone of our local economy.
Rob Ganson is also the one who took the pictures of the second Mining Militia member.
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So wow, the Pinkertons are back, are they? Quite frankly astounding that Scott Walker's Wisconsin would usurp the control and command of local law enforcement in favor of corporate mercenaries. Unfortunately, this isn't even the Prince with his Xe forces, some of these yahoos are Watchmen of America. That is my complaint here, robber baron interests are going bottom barrel.
Being from rural Texas, I know my militia from my cults and my hater groups, but I also know a confident human being when it comes to the art of war and survival. I know they are just incompetent and crazy because they only make the Southern Poverty Law Center's militia list.
Either Discovery channel used crazy editing, or the Watchmen of America are just crazy incompetent.
Wanna-bes. Wanna-bes like Zimmerman, who can quickly get in over their heads because they lack the proper training.
If Scott Walker really has allowed his corporate masters to field a militia on public use land, this will end in tears. Let's just hope they accidentally shoot each other instead of a family out on vacation.
Let's just hope.