Posted on 04/04/2002 11:51:20 AM PST by AuntB
A Tribute to my friend Jeff Head, Free Republic’s Eagle Award-FREEPER OF THE YEAR
It had only been a few minutes earlier that I hugged blackie, Barb, GrandmaC, redrock and his precious family and headed north out of the narrow canyon, glancing in the rear view mirror at the tiny community of Jarbidge, Nevada. The sun was low in the west, bouncing glistening sparks off the tips of junipers and the winding creek that the narrow dirt road followed. It had been a long three days, my car, gear and my body was covered with a quarter inch of Nevada Dust. and I was distressed that I could not stay for the long anticipated events of the next day, July 4, 2000.
Redrock and the others had already cleared passage through the mountain of dirt and rock that the US Forest Service had dumped to block the S. Canyon Road, the only other road out of the isolated community besides the one I found myself navigating. A “staging ground” and campsite had been set up just over the border of Idaho and I could not resist stopping to meet any other Free Republic members who may have been there.
Remove from your imagination any notion of an organized “camp ground”. This was a big field donated by a local rancher for the gathering. I threw my vehicle into 4 wheel drive and started across the field, which was mostly ruts and foot tall grass. The first group informed me they thought some freepers were…”over that way”. I prayed that I didn’t run over an “endangered” field rat.
I encountered a group deep in conversation, a likely place for a bunch of freepers. After asking if any one there was with Free Republic, a charming man extended his hand, introducing himself as “cc2k”. Leaning against a bumper, with his back to me was a cowboy hat clad man who turned and said, “Who are you?” When he spoke, and I saw his face, I knew it was Jeff Head. Sometimes you meet a soul that you have known forever and you recognize him when you meet him. Then I was back on the road headed west for home for the 800 mile journey.
Jeff and the others finished clearing the South Canyon Road, moved the Liberty Rock, cleaned the outhouses on Independence day. I listened to the live radio reports and knew that all was well. Jarbidge was in good hands.
I never expected to see Jeff Head and my other new friends again. Once was privilege enough. And our work was done. Or so it seemed at the time. In April of 200l, the federal government cut irrigation water off to 1400 farmers in the Klamath Basin. Now, the battle was to be fought in my back yard and once again Free Republic’s incredible resources would be used. The Bucket Brigade was a successful milestone with nearly 20,000 attending in that small community. Many were from FreeRepublic.....MadameAxe, Robert Drobot, forester, Marsh2, Washington_Minuteman, Conservative and many more answered the call.
The residents of the basin were doing all they knew to do to restore some sanity to this process, but finally in desperation, some of them decided to “let the water flow” on July 13. We had a rally that day and I had already arrived home when late that night I got a phone call. It was Jeff Head. He was on his way to the head gates. The farmers were no longer alone.
I arrived in Klamath Falls about 6:00 a.m. the next morning after federal agents had surprised the dozen there trying to protect the water and were now standing armed guard to keep the farmers from obtaining their water. Though tired from the 14 hour drive all night long, Jeff greeted me with that wonderful smile, shaded by his weathered cowboy hat.
All the contributions Jeff made to the community of the Klamath Basin and others cannot be listed here. Until I met some of the fine, brave Americans like Jeff Head, who truly care about their fellow man, and the creatures of the earth as well. I would not have believed such good people existed. The last time Jeff and I met was the big rally at the Klamath County Fairgrounds in August. It had been an exhausting summer for us all. This time he brought his son Jared, who was a delight. These children don’t have to be concerned with not having a good role model and are proud of this Western gentleman they call “Dad”. I situated myself at the front of the building with signs to locate the other freepers soon to arrive. And arrive they did…. in numbers.....nunya bidness, amom, Bump in the night, clamper1797, 68-69TonkinGuilfYatchClub and more. Someone asked me if Jeff was there and I told them, he’s down on the bottom level with some other people. “Look for a cowboy hat with a braided leather hat band.....oh,nevermind, you’ll know him when you see him!.” And they did.
Sometimes, when we are in trouble, good people show up to help. Next time you find yourself in one of those situations, look around. My friend Jeff will be up front…HELPING. I can’t begin to explain it, but you’ll know him when you see him.
So I am glad they did it, but know what the real motivation behind it was.
Here along in late April or early May, I'll get over there with just Jared, my son Jeff and the wife, and pay my respects to that hallowed ground and give my private thanks to God. I'll look up Mike, Joey, Jim, Gaylord, Barron and some others and pass on your best.
Best regards.
The feeling is 110% mutual my friend. God's best to you and yours. May neither of us ever let one another down, or our nation, or our Creator and the principles He established for liberty.
Tell your wonderful wife hello for me and I hope the two of you are over in this part of the country sometime so I can make good on that dinner debt!
Please do. Take care.
Bump.
But then we've spent over half a century watching that scenario play out time after time, so we are not surprised, are we?
The only hope we have is to keep every detail of their shenanigans in the public eye, and subject to constant scrutiny, and nobody on Earth has done more to keep that happening than you! - Thanks for spending so much of your most precious personal time keeping freedom alive.
Thanks for the great tribute AuntB.
Kewl. Thanks, darlin'. What an inspiration you and your bumper sticker art work were. You da man, too!
I pray for the time when I and a large majority of our fellow citizens will do so. I know from my own ecperience that if we will, we shake the gates of hell for a thousand year and put an end to the liberal/socialist/marxist/elitist/globalist/etc. (you fill in the blank) agendas that are destroying our liberty and our Republic.
In this instance, what was so galling in the end was that the very people who implemented the liberal Judge's ruling are the ones taking credit for putting a stop to it.
I know there are people who tell me that they had to do it that way. That it was a political necessity that some group of people suffer to bring this to a fulcrum point.
I say (and pardon my french),
TO HELL WITH SUCH NOTIONS AND PLANS AND POLOTICS!
That's so easy to say and easy to do when it is not their water that is shut off. When it is not their livlihood and way of life at stake.
If those politicians cared about America and the people, they would have forced a constitionla crisis over such a blatant issue. I promise you, if they had spread the word of this through the media and through their positions, the nation and the people would have supported putting an immediate stop to it. Instead, they feared for their political lives and played politics with the welfare, livelihood, way if life and the very lives of a large group of honset hard-working American families. I can never condone, cotton our countenance such behavior and call myself free.
The best that can be said for those people is that they feared so much for their political careers that they did not force the tyranical decision to a conflict or to a point of open fighting. And make no mistake, it could easily have gone there. The prior administration probably would have and I thank God it did not necessitate that. But none of us knew that going over there that first evening.
Most of all, I am grateful to God in Heaven for His answers to very real and heartfelt prayers of people all over this nation. That and the willingness of a few to place themselves in the breech is what made this happen, and I for one will never forget it.
Sorry for the rant ... but this is somewhat of a stickler for me and one I believe we can not afford to lose site of lest we believe all is well and forget and go down the same path.
Thank you for the kind words. Best regards.
It is to them I dedicate the honor.
I truly did just try and help some friends and then use my cell phone and FreeRepublic to get the word out.
BTW, I have a second excerpt out for book two. I will BUMP it to you.
Jeff. Hey Jeff. Congratulations bud. I know you spent a lot of time and effort trying to help the people in Klamath. My hat's off to you. Way to go!
Jeff.....there is no one more deserving of this than you. In my mind...you are the perfect example of 'practicing what you preach'. You have a quiet determination about you that shines.
AuntB....wonderful post. Hopefully will be seeing you and Art this summer....and this time I'll bring the wife and kids.
redrock
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