" Baloney, there is no way this huge gathering takes place without a lot of planning etc, of course there are follks in charge. They insist not, so no one has to take responsibility. For instance they have no intention of being responsible for the costs of fighting the fire, but no one else could get away with that.
They do not have to be individually banned from the forest, but when they start laying water lines, digging pits etc, it is time to call a halt and chase them out. In other words make it impossible to have that huge gathering.
I couldn't leave a tent in the same spot in the forests for over 2 weeks without moving it, but thse people have been occupying the site for close to a month already, and some of them will be there for a great deal of time still to come.
They should not be allowed to build a town in the forests, even a slum, and that is what they are doing. "

" Folks like the Rainbows are the canaries in the coal mine of our civil liberties. "

" Folks like the Rainbows are the canaries in the coal mine of our civil liberties. What we condone the feds doing to them today may very well become the norm for all of us tomorrow. "

" We suspect many Wyoming residents would be more sympathetic to the group and its desire to visit the state if illegal drugs were not part of its "culture." ............Are you kidding me? Name one public event where 7,000 people gather that illegal drugs are not present. The problem is part of "our" culture, not "theirs". Ever consider what drugs fuel the Sturgis rally? Never heard one peep out of your paper against that "gathering". No your real issue is because they are "different". Just revise your story to read "and its desire to visit the state if they could just be more like me and my culture." "

" No doubt those rainbows are all inducted into the local fusion center by now. "

" Just goes to show you how stupid the FS is, they don't know or FOLLOW their OWN rules! They don't know or follow the CONSTITUTION, you cannot BAN people from what is their GOD GIVEN RIGHT, not Forrest Service given right, this is not going to happen, b/c WE RAINBOWS actually know the law, we follow the law (better than the President or ANY FEDERAL agency, murders and law breakers ALL, starting ILLEGAL IMMORAL wars, murdering MILLIONS in Iraq!!!) We will NOT allow our rights to be taken from us, so these people better start learning the Constitution for themselves or will be abruptly awakened!!
FREEDOM, LIBERTY, JUSTICE FOR ALL REMEMBER??? NOT JUST THOSE WHO SIT ON THEIR HANDS AND THINK THE DESERVE SOMETHING B/C THEY HAVE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE TAGS!! "

" Perhaps the Star-Tribune editorial board can state explicitly a rational basis for preferring the word of the Forest Service to that of the Rainbows regarding the conflicts at Big Sandy. Tom Morton's earlier stories about the Rainbows provided an objective, empathetic look at what the Rainbows are about, and they are good people.

Quite frankly, that the FS and local elected officials have done nothing but spout inflamatory rhetoric about the Rainbows for the last month points to their determination to use cops to instigate various incidents that would justify violating the Rainbows constitutional rights and physically abuse them.

That's despicable, but then, that's government. "

" Why do you insist on reporting blatant lies? I am working with the Boy Scouts, our Order of the Arrow group has not been canceled or moved or changed in any way. It begins on July 26th and is nowhere near the Rainbow Gathering site. It is the duty of the press to report facts, not to perpetuate rumors. Either cite your source or print a redaction. We believe our work is important and the false reporting is hurting our numbers and our moral. "

" Obeying the law is a two way street. Everyone, including federal agents are required to obey the law, especially the U.S. Constitution of which ALL other laws are inferior. The permit requirements and process that the editorial board refers to for public lands use should be very carefully examined to insure that it is fair and is never used in favor of, or to discriminate against, any individual or group.

Illegal drug use should not be allowed, and every group has an obligation to police themselves against this violation of law. However, the degree of special policing of this group by the U.S.F.S Incident Command Team is obviously discriminatory when one considers all the events by all groups on public lands that do not receive anywhere near this special degree of policing by the Forest Service. The whole premise and attitude of the federal forest service law enforcement division is best exposed by their choice of the agency title ICT, Incident Command Team. Command. Command. Hmmmm. Command infers superiority. Command infers military or royal superiority to command and dictate to other inferior entities. I think that one word in this agency's name tells the story quite well, and accurately describes the agency's attitude and pre-disposition to belligerent, brutal behavior towards the inferior American public.
Especially those segments of the public that challenge the autocratic authority of federal agencies.

The Forest Service set this thing up from the very beginning. They wanted an incident, so they created one based upon a rather flimsy set of circumstances, but it got their toe in the door. No sane person over the age of 5 could deny that the heavy presence of federal forest service law enforcement was not specially developed for the policing of this particular group. It would be equally difficult to deny that the heavy handed tactics by the ICT was not specially developed in order to harass, intimidate and contribute to the creation of circumstances that would lead to an incident of this type. It would be equally difficult to deny that this was not precisely the goal of the ICT and that it was well planned by the federal forest service law enforcement agency well in advance of the gathering.

Do we know who the arrested person for the alleged possession of drugs was? Was this a rainbow family member, or just some jerk that came to the gathering. Was this some slug who was working for the forest service? One has to consider all of these things, because that one single incident is what opened the door that allowed this incident to escalate and occur in the first place.. Predictably, the first thing the forest service said following this incident was that the use of public lands by this group will have to be prohibited in the future. Hmmmm. Hmmm. "

" One wonders how much of the U.S.F.S Incident Command Team will be on hand for the gathering of Boy Scouts that is to take place? "

" Jay (above) makes a good point about law enforcement presence. The Rainbows purposely retreat to remote areas, away from the public, to practice their rightful freedom of assembly, speech, religion and other Constitutional rights as US citizens but law enforcement follows seemingly to harass.

The use-permit was not an issue, the Rainbows were fully in compliance with a proper operating plan as presented by United States Forest Service administrators and resource officials. If the USFS law enforcement weren't being overly aggressive, there would have been no incidents as there was on the third, especially around and involving families and children who chose to attend this event. It appears to have been purposeful intimidation by USFS law enforcement.

The excuse by the USFS law enforcement that they were there to protect the public is simply flawed. What "public"? Other Rainbow Gatherers? They were the only other "public" in the specific area where this incident was created. If any other unwilling attendees or threatened public citizens were around, they would have had to have been extremely physically forced to be there as it was probably a physical challenge just to be there by choice. Any other "public" would have been up the road at the campground, a few miles away where it would make sense to have law enforcement patrolling instead of infiltrating peaceable assembly, the very thing our American revolution fought against, to the date, Independence Day, 232 years ago. I'm saddened that our present government is in so many ways, no different than that of King George.

The USFS law enforcement guy, Twiss, should be investigated for prejudicially premeditating the interference and denial of the Constitutional rights of US citizens. Who is this guy to suggest superseding the Constitution? He is obviously a hater. From generation to generation, these haters continue to infest mankind and even worse, finagle themselves into positions where they can do the most harm. Indeed, true criminals do exist in our society; that fact makes an effective police force necessary. However, deeming certain groups as criminals just because one hates them blurs the distinction between the hater and the true criminal.

Creating a situation and then using that situation as a reason to deny future Constitutional rights to a select group of US citizens is a much bigger throwback than a bunch of hippies. I have surely hoped that in my lifetime, American society would have evolved from such bigoted behavior, but, as age grows on me, I can't see it happening. I often wonder why law enforcement, at all levels, is so full of people that seem to want to deny the Constitution they are sworn to protect and abuse the citizens they are sworn to serve. It's hate and like nearly everything else in America today, it's completely backwards. We as Americans really do need to wake up and immediately grab the reigns of our democracy and restore the rights of common men before it's only the haters that are doing the dirty work of the greedy who have gained complete control and REAL revolution is necessary once again. "

" For people who claim to be avoiding maiinstream culture, the Rainbows are sure good at disinformation camaigns and specious rhetoric. They seem to be even more Babylon than Babylon.
The Rainbows don't respect the spirit of the law and only invoke it to further their selfish agenda - their right to party. The Rainbows dishonestly and cynically use the United States Constitution to mimmick Native American attempts to obtain religious freedom. They assert their white power and privillege, not to make the world better, but to obtain self-indulgent and narcissistic agenda of illegal drug use, economic irresponsibility and promiscuity without any legal consequence. The Rainbows threaten the civil liberties of LEGITIMATE political and cultural minorities, they do nothing to promote them.

They are as evangelical as the religious right. They are as highly organized as any political lobbyist. They are as slippery and manipulative in their rhetoric as the tobacco companies and the large corporations. They are highly organized in their campaigns to promote their positive image. This would not be necessary if they would just take responsibility for the impact their partying has on the communities they illegally occupy.

The Rainbows clearly think they are above the law and that they can pick and choose which laws they want to obey and which laws they want to ignore. Remember the incident occured because the Rainbows decided that they did not have to obey the drug laws.

There is no benefit to anyone struggling for justice to allow a group of ignorant, willfully lawless people to pick and choose which laws they will follow and which laws they will ignore. The Rainbow leadership (and yes it does exist) has consistently shown that it lacks the intellect and maturity to make good, or even rational, decisions. For example, in the past Rainbows have violated NAGPRA (Native American Graves Repatriation Act) and refused to respect the laws that protect the Native people they claim to admire. Their childishness and ignorance of authentic Native culture is legendary. They have invoked the ire of several respected traditional Native American leaders in their refusal to listen to anyone outide of their narrow ill-iniformed community about the spiritual and cultural sensitivity of the areas they invade.

Shunning science and reason in favor of bizarre neo-nazi spiritual beliefs about being the chosen white indians, the Rainbows consistently violate solid environmental laws that true activists have worked for over the years. They deposit tons of human feces, urine, toilet paper, tampons, trash, soap, detergents and bleach in a small environmentally fragile area and stubbornly refuse to acknolwedge the devasting impact their actions will have over the years. They cling to a bizarre, impracticle ideology that has been demonstrated over and over again NOT to be sustainable. Whenever they are confronted with the reality of their foolishness, the Rainbows childishly choose to simply redefine reality, change the meaning of words, introduce red-herrings and specious arguments until their opponents are so exasperated with their rhetoric that they give up trying to educate the willfully ignorant true believers.

Facts are redefined as hate speech. Legitimate criticism is redefined as religious initolerance. The Rainbows have NEVER successfully rehabilitiated an area that they illegally occupied, yet they put so much effort into the P.R. that the average uninformaed American believes that they leave an area better than they found it. Any informed person can clearly see that feces, uring, bleach and detergents deposited in a small area will have lasting negative impacts.

It's time for the media to start reseaching all of the Rainbow claims thoroughly and not simply parroting their ideology. Ther media is doing the public a huge disservie in helping to promote self-serving Rainbow propaganda. We need to start dealing in facts.
The pious assertions that the Rainbows are the canary in the coal mine of civil liberties is laughable. Keeping the public uninformed and unaware of the complexity of the legal issues involved serves no one.

Giving thes selfish spoiled children what they want because they are higly skilled in propaganda and manipulating the media does not serve the public interest. The Rainbows do not know or respect the law. They use the law to further a political agenda that most Americans strongly object to. The best way to fight Rainbow propaganda is with FACTS.

Let's photograph the gathering site today and let's photograph it, after it's allegedly rehabilitated. Then let's take soil and water readings and publish those objective readings. Then, lets get experts involved to determine what the true impact of the gathering is on our public lands. Let's not take the word of a bunch of people too stoned to think clearly who think they can shout down law enforcement to get their way.

It's time to hold the Rainbows accountable for the past 36 years of environmental devastation. It's time to start consulting and listening to credible legal and environmental experts. The time for spoiled children to act up to get their way is over. It's time to start thinking rationally and coherntly.

Come on professional journalists!
Show me the FACTS! "

" Thank you for your balanced analysis. We had two problems. One was the unwarranted zero-tolerance law enforcement of the incident command team. The other is the continued refusal of the Rainbow Family, which certainly has influential people, if not "leaders" to embrace the good faith efforts of Mark Rey and the Forest Service during the selection of the site. The permit is actually a non-issue, that requirement may properly be waived, but the failure of the Rainbow scouts to inform the Forest Service that the site was under consideration in plenty of time for them to evaluate it is. "

" You see the editorial staff has to try to be or look objective. they read both sides of the page they write. they are being reasonable in their own minds. they are the problem the freedome of the press has not been banned if it were next they might put up a little fuss before they caved. Rainbows don't answer to the Forest service no reason why they couldn't pass the hat and buy a freakin ranch in Wyoming!! but then that give them a leader and a landlord which is exactely what they don't want.
You cronnies are all of a religion where you must this and must that but see no logic in the true meaning of freedom
of religion that is the freedome to gather
on public land anywhere because the constitution specifically prohibits banning such gatherings. The logical answer arrived at was to have twenty different such gatherings with invite only and tresspassers will be humilated and forced to go frig themselves. Forest service and BLM official you know you
love it it's really the only attention you cats get. "

" EXERSIZE YOU RIGHTS REMAIN SILENT ENOUGH SAID !!!!! "

" PERMITS ARE ONLY THE BEGAINING NEXT THEY WILL WANT A BOND AND THEN A PLan and then public input you see where it's going it's a constructive ban it's a civil rights violation "

" AS LONG AS ONE OF US IS CHAINED NONE OF US ARE FREE. "

" I just watched the you tube video about harassment by armed rangers on horseback rainbow family peacably schools police,dissolves roadblock my video is real slow anyways its like watching frame by frame and I recomend the ACLU do exactly that re-view frame by frame. Rangers blocking the road defenatly harrasment also for sure over kill. I'm sure they got viedo
they will edit thats in progress the news workd in sound bits this one happen in two minutes play it real slow MAN if thas not intimidation and harrasment I don't know what is. "

" Legal Eagle wrote on Jul 10, 2008 9:56 AM:

Leagal Eagle, hiding behind your aninimity, you are a LIAR and a FOOL and if I could prove who you were I'd sue you for LIBLE..your words are LIES meant to fool the public and they SHOULD NOT BE BUYING it. "

" This editorial contains a few factual errors.

The agreement offered by the Forest Service was not for "four sites." There were four sites pre-approved and suggested, but the Family scouts had the option of selecting an alternate site as well. The Big Sandy site was selected five days early (not an easy feat) to give the USFS time to check it out for environmental concerns.

The "Forest Service Rules" that the editorial claims Rainbow should follow are unconstitutional and are currently the subject of several federal court cases. The Forest Service tried to enforce those laws in the past, at the cost of hundreds of thousands in taxpayer dollars. The only result was a negatively impacted relationship with veteran gatherers, and lawsuits that could cost the taxpayers millions more.

The claim that unrest started because "people objected to how the suspect was treated" is patently false. Arrests happen all the time at Gatherings without this reaction. What people objected to was that about ten para-military officers drew live-ammunition weapons, charged into the camp where we keep our children, and aimed those guns indiscriminantly at the crowd there, all of whom were innocent of the allegations related to the arrest.

One slip of the finger could have resulted in tragedy. Those who decry the Gatherers for shouting at the cops and forming a human wall to protect the children should ask themselves what they would do if their own children were threatened in this way over a class C midemeanor.

Finally, a word about drug arrests at Rainbow Gatherings. Hard drugs are rare at Gatherings, what you're most likely to find out there is marijuana, which is pretty common in any community. The difference at Rainbow is that there exists a team of highly-trained and organized para-military police that are instructed to ignore or bypass privacy laws, harrass Gathering attendees, and fish for arrests so that they can make enough money from fines to justify their own existence. They come complete with their own closed courtroom and magistrate so that they don't have to worry about the media or the law. They practice such tactics as puling over vehicles that don't use a blinker an an ATV road (which is not required by law) and then searching each of those vehicles thoroughly with dogs.

If such a team existed in ANY community of similar size in this country, they would find lots of marijuana and much, much worse. But don't just take my word for it... all you have to do is nothing and similar teams will be in your community eventually. "

" Sorry about the double post but I just read Legal Eagle's nonsense and need to address it.

1. Rainbows do not, as a whole, violate drug laws. Many of those individualswho do so also see the prohibition of marijuana as an unjust law that has been used by racists and extremists to further their agendas and in doing so has cost the taxpayers billions of dollars while irrevocably harming our society. If we, as Americans, blindly followed unjust laws, we'd still have African American slaves, women would not be allowed to vote, and a minority of rich property owners would have full legal right to abuse the working class. Challenging unjust laws is one of the most selfless forms of patriotism.

2. The point of Gatherings has nothing to do with "partying." It is true that certain events of the past decade have lead to a certain amount of attendees who come out for revelry. These events include the death of Jerry Garcia, an unfortunate piece of misinformation that was aired on MTV a few years back, etc. However, the result is as much a concern to veteran Gatherers as it is to anyone else, if not moreso.

Long-standing traditions identify the purpose of Gatherings: to pray for peace. It's that simple. Many veteran attendees work very hard to educate the newcomers as to this purpose. Your spiteful rhetoric only validates the beliefs of those who are attending for the wrong reasons.

3. The laws governing use of forest service lands were drafted long after the federal government started trying to stop Rainbow Gatherings. Gatherers have successfully proven those laws to be unconstitutional on three separate occasions. The government response in each case was to change a few words of those laws to satisfy the letter of court rulings while ignoring the spirit of those rulings. Some individuals are now deeply involved in a fight to prove those laws unconstitutional again. It is the Forest Service that is selectively ignoring laws to try and stop the Rainbow Gatherings.

4. There are both selfish people and hedonists at Gatherings, but the majority of attenddees are not. Putting one's own body in the line of fire to protect another person's children is neither selfish nor hedonistic. Nor is paying out of one's own pocket to feed attendees who are less fortunate.

Case in point: during the hurricane katrina aftermath, while you were "sympathetically" watching the tragedy on TV, dedicated Rainbow attendees relocated to the gulf coast and, at a great cost to themselves, provided emergency relief to the hardest hit areas where government agencies and non-profits were unable to assist. The people who did this gave up their jobs, homes, money, and credit ratings to help others who were left out in the cold by organizations who beg for your money. They did it without begging, without backing, and without the double-edged sword of heirarchical leadership. Sounds real selfish and hedonistic, huh?

5. Your call for a scientific assay of past sites demonstrates your ignorance. Such studies have been done at every site used for at least the past ten years, and probably much, much longer. The results of those studies are available through the Forest Service and have been published on the Family's unofficial website (welcomehome.org). The results are also communicated verbally to Gatherers, and they have been unquestionably positive in EVERY case. In many cases, past sites are in BETTER condition within one year of the Gathering (it takes that long for the grass to grow back) than they were before the Gathering occured, because we clean up messes left by locals while we're cleaning up our own.

I suggest that you visit the Big Sandy site during or after August of '09 and see for yourself. "

" Hey Piper, I was there the last five days on fires (7) they have been violating every law pertaining to ltter, food storage (bears), camp fires unattended, stolen cars, sanitation( too close to streams,and just abandoned stuff. Tons of garbage is piled everywhere. No one ever does this without being ticketed. Where in the freakin Constitution does it allow for crimes against Nature? Pack it in pack it out,Leave No Trace. Every thing at Big Sandy the rainbows have done is huge resource damage and a waste of tax payers money.Not to mention huge impact on the lanscape. Go put out arson fires and have another one lit below you up wind. Then get called a Pig when you hike off after a 14hr. day. It's all wrong. VERY WRONG. "

" Well, I saw all the videos that were available on you tube and it very definitely appears that the forest service cops were doing everything in their power to harass and intimidate everyone at this gathering. There are reports from other people that had nothing to do with this rainbow gathering thing that they were also harassed and intimidated and they were not even very close to the areas the rainbows were in. The forest service whatever team planned this and did this to cause problems. Legal Eagle's post writes just like a cop or government agent. I am very ashamed of this behavior by these agents. "

" Anyone who refers to themself as Legal Eagle is definitely a tool. Certainly no self respecting lawyer would. "

" This collection of odd balls is not a group. They have no leaders and will not identify any. As such, they must be handled as individuals. And, when one breaks or defies the law, they must be treated accordingly, as a criminal. "