Politics from the Palouse to Puget Sound

Monday, October 09, 2006

In Flansburg's Field


With apologies to Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae:
In Flansburg's field the barley is cut
Between the fences, a message is put,
"No 933"; and in the air
The helicopter crew films it all, to pretend that we really care
But the truth remains, opponents want us to keep our mouths shut.

We are the Farmers. Short years ago
We lived our lives, raised our families, watched our crops grow,
Harvested and were paid, and now our property rights are at risk
In Flansburg's field.

Take up our battle against excessive regulation!
Making Washington a shame in the nation
Ignore the opponents of I-933 who try to scare!
All we want is what is fair
The majority is with us, our hopes are not dimmed
As barley is trimmed
In Flansburg's field.
The ironic thing about the whole Flansburg's Field incident (other than the lead singer of a punk rock band having his photo taken wearing overalls and sitting in a combine) is that that carving a message in a barley field is a CELEBRATION OF PROPERTY RIGHTS!! What if putting messages in fields was prohibited by the Department of Ecology as wasteful or some local zoning ordinance prohibited it as ruining the "viewscape" for others?

1 comment:

April E. Coggins said...

In Sunday's Lewiston Morning Tribune, Aaron Flansburg was quoted as saying: On this side of the state, they are going to have to compete with developers for land, he says.
"It's going to price me out of farming."

Essentially what he is saying is that he wants the government to regulate his neighbors land so that the land will not be attractive to anyone else and he will be able to buy it at below market prices.

Remember, I-933 will not force anyone to stop using their land for farming. It will allow farmers the choice to use their land in the way they see as the most beneficial, including building houses for people.