Klamath Bucket
symbol of more than Klamath
March 27, 2009
We hear a great deal these days about
spending and what we are told we can -- and cannot --
afford. We're told to conserve water, drive less, pull in
our belts, etc. -- while those admonishing us to do more
with less ... and less ... and less ... continue to spend
more ... and more ... and more of our taxpayer dollars on
their own lifestyles.
One or two individuals continue to "stir the
pot" regarding the Klamath Bucket, which stands quietly and
majestically in front of the Klamath Falls government
building -- a shining monument to KBH (Klamath Basin
History). Not only does the Bucket stand as a symbol of the
ongoing effort to protect and restore the property rights of
the Klamath Basin -- it also stands for the property rights
of everyone in America. I was there in August 2001, having
driven from Ohio with a truckload of donations. For eleven
days, I traveled the Klamath Basin and learned why this
special place is so worth fighting for.
The Klamath Bucket represents a labor of
love, from its conception through the considerable labor
involved -- including blood, sweat and tears. That trinity
of love transcends language wherever people own property and
responsibly utilize that property to grow food and fiber to
feed and shelter others. Many are the times when, out of
sight and public awareness, a farmer has sobbed in
frustration, not understanding the apparent insanity of
those seeking to destroy all he has ever known or loved. He
may not know how the federal agencies and their accomplices
(carefully now called the politically correct term
"collaborators") define "restoration," but his gut instincts
tell him that something's wrong.
Klamath Falls, Oregon, has been blessed to
have this Bucket shining in its midst. In most parts of the
world, its presence could never be. Property rights, and the
freedom that go hand-in-hand with them, are not allowed in
most countries.
In a world of little hope, the silver of the
Bucket glistening in the Klamath Basin sunlight and
moonlight still offers hope to the people of the Basin. The
Klamath Bucket could be filled to overflowing with the tears
of those suffering while trying to grow food to feed us all.
It stands mute, awash in the blood, sweat and tears of the
American Resource Provider: Farmer, Irrigator, Rancher,
Fisherman, Timberer, and yes, Consumer. Each of us needs
what the symbolic Bucket represents: the vital Water that
keeps us alive through the things it grows. A part of
America called the Klamath Basin can and does grow food to
feed many more people living in other parts of the country.
To me and countless others, the Klamath
Bucket symbolizes the resourcefulness, ingenuity and
responsible stewardship of resources that call into use many
times, each drop of precious water, intermingled with
fertile soil and lovingly tended by generations of American
Farmers.
Let the Klamath Bucket rest where it stands
-- a monument to a dream hard-won and honestly earned -- a
dream that continues to feed America yet today!
By Julie Kay Smithson, property rights
researcher
213 Thorn Locust Lane
London, Ohio
(Permission to post from the author.)
