This is just UNREAL!
 

As I sit here and look at the page views for some of the topics I cannot believe how few of you have looked at my thread " Another Ala Lake going down"! You people will banter back and forth about nonsense or jump on a forum member for something that did not directly involve you but yet dont seem to care about these new anti boating laws that are popping up in my state. I bet you would if it were happening in your state! The very least you could do is email the the Alabama House of Represenatives at [email protected] and voice your CORDIAL opinion against this type of legislation! YOUR STATE COULD BE NEXT AND IF IT DOES I CAN GUARANTEE THAT I WOULD BE IN YOUR CORNER!

It's because you own two Fountains!!!:evilb:
Just kidding, will search out the the thread and voice my opinion. Big Brother is way out of control, we do need to rally to even have an attempt of stopping some of this BS. Bill

TTT

I agree Indy. Kind of goes back to the whole "are we our own worst enemies" thread. We are fighting the battle up in NH for this and it is amazing how few people actually want to get involved. Of course those same people that are not helping now will be betching the worste when they can no longer run their boats......

You may want to take a look at the thread title. I assumed it was about the lowering of water levels not regulation -there isn't much I can do to make it rain.

I sent my 2 cents in again yesterday to Gov Riley, Barry Mask and then today to the house email you posted. I live in Wetumpka, AL and have a banned boat as well.

yea i remember scrolling past it, thought the same thing, yeaup another lake drying up...hahaha will go back to check it out though.

We went thru the same thing here in Florida, concerning the $TM club and all the manatee zones. Boater apathy is rampant.
BTW, I sent an email to the Gov.
Hope it helps, BUT our experience here in Florida was NOT good, especially when going up against organizations, (Like the $TM Club, Sierra Club, etc.) with BIG $$ and misinformed general public sentiment against us.
Good luck,
Dean

Welcome to OSO.......... Is it just me or is this site going down hill............

For what its worth......... I have donated money to the cause.

i scrolled past also....but wrote them a sweet one just now...

Phuck it, I'm going to Subway!!!:evilb::D:evilb:

Thanks for the support!

Problems! There are really only three ways to handle a problem.

1) Solve it! You tried this and failed. I feel your pain, but now you need to move to the other two possible actions.

2) Remove it! In this case you need to remove yourself from the problem. In other words, MOVE! I'm sorry to be so blunt, but if you won't (or can't) move, you are only left with one course of action.

3) Live with it! Yep, you are just going to have to deal with the reality of your life. Buy a smaller boat or go boating on another lake.

Good luck. (Let the flaming arrow fly now! :p)

So did you email the House reps or just waste keystrokes with this post?

I wasted keystrokes. :cool-smiley-011:

I hope your kidding...

Sent an email - hope it helps. Best of luck.

I'm sorry you think this is funny,Clay. Cause it really isn't. Some of us worked really hard over the past 2 years and spent a lot of our own money.Yeah ,we lost the original case. But Indy's lake wasn't on that case. We are fighting to save his lake,maybe we can, maybe we can't.If you are joking,no harm,no foul. But if your comments are serious,I am disappointed. If you don't want to help,fine. But I respectfully ask you to can the cute comments,please.This is really serious business that affects lots of people. Thanks,Robert Nelems

I was just kidding, I sent an email at 7:15 this morning. Good luck!

I hate to say this but I don't think your legislators are overly influenced by e-mails from people outside Alabama.
ed

Wait until they build the condos, then:

buy a dilapidated bowrider and get some big fat guys to head out there in front of the condos and sunbathe in speedos. Make sure they play the lousiest music you can think of, loudly.

Get out there in a crappy old center console with two of the oldest, crappiest outboards you can find. Mix so much oil in the fuel that they'll barely run. Bring a big fan to blow the smoke toward the condo development.

Grow a mullet, cook up some beef stew, and when they start showing the new condos to potential buyers, show up shirtless with a pot of "roadkill stew" and be neighborly. Make sure you don't shower beforehand.

If you can't beat them in court, hit 'em where it hurts. Legally, of course.

Could you pick me up a double meat beef on wheat? Easy on the mayo.

Me too! LOL! We're used to lakes having lower water levels. Fix the title of the thread! you only have a SECOND to grab someone's attention.

Try this:

SPEED LIMITS BEING CUT on our lake! Please HELP with a quick email today!!!

Or try this:

FREE BEER!!!


That will get most people's attention!!:drink::ernaehrung004::ernaehrung004::e vilb:

Unfortunately, the organizations have very deep pockets. The best way to battle this is typically to get a few of the politicians on your side. Not to short-side your attempts this far, but does anyone in the local boating group have connections with some of the local reps/politicians who can stand in for you guys?? It usually only takes a few connections and they can help out more than 20,000 emails!! good luck.

I edited the title but it has not changed yet, I will email OSO admin about changing it.

How small is the lake?

This latest chapter is different from the original law. That one was backed by APCO and another wealthy corporation. A highly trusted source told me APCO is not involved here,it is just a case of some homeowners asking their local legislator to add their lake to the original bill.The danger is that if he succeeds with Lake Jordan,the power company may think"hey,that was easy,let's add the other 7 lakes that were removed from the original bill".Then the deep pockets come into play again.Best we can tell,this is a local homeowners association effort at this point,but it will probrably grow into more than that if it goes thru. Thanks for everyone's support.

email sent.

I boat in Alabama....I rent rooms and eat food when on vacation there....but I will not be going back now because they passed legislation to keep me and my boat out of there

One poster was right - AL pols (like all state legislators) only care what AL voters think - so letters/e-mails from outsiders don't mean much.

Having your lakes' use and operations controlled by power companies is a real shame - and maybe that's why a lot of people just throw their hands up...

That said - this does represent a bigger problem that won't go away--and one that will touch everyone sooner or later, one way or another. On some of our local lakes, the high-rollers don't like the loud bars, so they buy 'em and turn em into condos or housing developments. Pretty soon, if you don't live on the lake, you won't be able to go there and enjoy it. They'd probably like to ban our loud fast boats, too...

I went back and found the text from an email just I sent BoatUS Consumer Affairs division ......
I included my membership number and other pertinent info about who I am. Hope it helps and I at least get a response from them.


To whom it may concern,

I have been a member of this fine organization since I bought my first boat at age 22. I have since moved into "performance boats" that BoatUS will not insure but have still been a vocal proponent of the help BoatUS provides all boaters and the value of insuring boats with BoatUS.
With that, I am concerned about something going on in the state of Alabama. Alabama's Governor Riley has signed HB 756 into law which was recently challenged and upheld in court. This ruling makes certain boats illegal on 3 Alabama lakes based solely of size and/or speed. I converse occasionally with one of the parties involved in this "fight" and was told BoatUS was contacted but not interested in joining their cause. Please tell me I have been mis-informed.
Of even more concern is that the initial proposed law would have effected 11 state lakes. Under some local opposition, the proposal was reduce to just 3 lakes. Now, just 1 month after getting this law passed on those 3 lakes, a 4th lake is being targeted for the same legislation. A precedence has been set in the first ruling, I ask BoatUS in get involved and keep this from happening at more and more lakes across the country.

I would be happy to provide more consumer input and put you in touch with the Plantiff's who fought (and lost) the first "battle" with the state of Alabama and it's high powered Power Company.


Russ Carter

Let us know how that goes. I have been considering joining that organization, but if that's their attitude about protecting the rights of ALL boaters, then I will think twice about that. :(

In our fight with the State of Fl, The USFWS and the almighty $TM, BoatUS was nowhere to found, and could CARE LESS!:angry-smiley-038:
Good luck,
Dean

[QUOTE=Schweitz58;2525963]One poster was right - AL pols (like all state legislators) only care what AL voters think - so letters/e-mails from outsiders don't mean much.

The good thing sending email is that they do not know where you are from unless you tell them. :D

Thanks!

It's because those people don't own boats!

Or they have crappy ones. ;) :D

One tactic may be to tell everyone, including those homeowner groups supporting the ban, that this is just a foot in the door to banning ALL boats on the lake including theirs. First, it is the larger faster ones, then ski boats, then fishing boats, and finally all boats. It is not as if this type of thing hasn't happened before. Then you would have a much larger group of people behind you.

Michael

That is already in the works, as well as signed petitions. The emails are phase one of the plan because they are easy and get there immediately! We are still fighting the original ban on the other lakes also. Thanks for the support!