posted May 10, 2009 :
The other day I heard a lady say, wreathing her hands, &#quot;What can we do about the direction the country is heading?&#quot;.

A lot of us are asking ourselves that question today. For my part, I've decided to speak out at every opportunity when I see our freedom under attack. One way we can do that is to join in public demonstrations which broadcast our displeasure with the direction being taken by government. Another is to let our lawmakers know our views when we have concerns about an issue.

One such issue of concern today to me and should be to those of you who have the privilege of living in the Lake of the Ozarks area is the potential harm that could be done to the lake by the quarry proposed by the Magruder Company. But an even bigger concern and one that should be shared by all who love freedom is the domination by state government in their favoring of the mining industry over the rights of citizens.

I attended one of the court hearings in the legal battle between Concerned Citizens and the Magruder Company and was appalled to see that the lead attorney for Magruder was an attorney representing the Bureau of Land Reclamation (a part of Missouri's Department of Natural Resources). But I guess I should not have been because the DNR Hearing Officer in all the proceeding hearings had been so obviously biased against the citizens that it was an embarrassment to those in attendance.

The Concerned Citizens and the local government lost in the DNR hearings in their appeal to have the Magruder permit rescinded. But they have since won in four successive judicial rulings that have resulted in the reversal of the permitting of this quarry.

But Magruder has not given up and, with the help of the Missouri State Attorney's office, have filed yet another appeal to have their permit re-issued. Why in the world is the State of Missouri providing free legal services to private industry? This is a costly battle for the private citizens who have banded together in the battle and for the city of Osage Beach which has joined them in these efforts to protect the Lake of the Ozarks.

Mayor Penny Lyons of Osage Beach voiced her concern which you can read in the article which appeared in the May 8, 2009 issue of the Lake Sun Leader.

Our legislators and governor need to be urged to change the current laws and regulations which favor this industry over the welfare of citizens of the state. Ted Windels of the Concerned Citizens Group has provided a list of Needed Changes

In addition, you can find a list of who to contact and How to Contact them here.

Let’s all stand up and fight for the values and freedom upon which this nation was founded.

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