Mattole Action Pictures From Last Week

These two truck drivers swung and threw large chunks of wood at the supporters of the lock-downer ( luckily their aim was lacking). They also directly hit her twice with branches or other large pieces of wood while she was vulnerably locked to the loader. They then left the scene.

Without the presence of police, a truck with cutting tools was called in to cut the bar she was locked around. As the tool cut the metal bar, a steady stream of sparks flew against her unprotected legs. They did not stop as she screamed "You're hurting me!" "Stop!" "You're burning my legs!" They ignored her pleas for protection for her legs. A later examination by a doctor confirmed the burns inflicted on her legs. Do we need nuetral observers in the woods?Damn straight!

I knew these trees before they fell. They stood as testimony to the way things could be without greed as the driving force of society. They were alive before european settlers massacred and destroyed the indigenous peoples of this area. They have been home to more beings than you would find in a skyscraper. They have stood strong though countless winter snows and basked in the sun on countless summer days. i knew these trees like you know a nieghbor. I have lived near them on occasion and enjoyed the water flowing from a nearby spring. They were a haven, a place of comfort. The other day I found them dead. Their bodies smashed and scattered in the meadow they grew and lived next to. They were on the edge of a clearcut. We counted the rings on the stumps.The one in the foreground was over 400 years old. The other was about 320 years old. The Hell-icopters carried their bodies away. They will be used for lumber maybe, or toilet paper or kleenex. Perhaps they will end up as office paper. Or maybe they will be burned in Scotia(Maxxam-PLs town) for electricity. Why must this happen? The rage I feel grows with the sorrow. We must rise up if this sort of treatment of our life support systems can be stopped before it is to late.