Property Owners Vs Floaters And Anglers

[Justin Spencer]

like Big Daddy Kane once said....." Pimping aint easy" right Justin???

Pimpin' ain't easy in the hail storm we just had sitting on a mower fo sho! Now I'm confused, am I a pimp or not, I need to know what to put on my resume'.

The environment is for sure in decline, but it isn't due to the "johns". They didn't fill the nice holes with gravel, erode the banks, widen the rivers, etc. That comes from increased land clearing, more runoff, crazier weather patterns, etc. Once November 1 gets here you will never know that the river had been pimped out for the last 5 months other than a stray beer can or two dropped in by some fishermen after all the stream team cleanups had already been completed.

I fully understand people getting upset with how the partiers use the river, but to think they do it actual damage is pretty crazy. If you want to tell me that loggers and cattle farmers and land developers harm the river environment then I might listen.

And it is the 48th annual float trip that the dentists I put on the river are on this week, obviously very few if any were on that first float. And yes one of them did get in trouble with the forest service when we put in for peeing in the bushes. Just a suggestion, don't pee openly when you see 3 forest service employees standing there, they frown on that!

[Phil Lilley]

Boy, I don't look so bad anymore.

[jdmidwest]

You could probably float many streams this weekend and check out the high water marks. Then you would know where you can pee or not.

[Hog Wally]

I heard on the radio today that he got 2nd degree murder

[evilcatfish]

I've held off on commenting here but here is few things I've got:

1. In the case of this incident, I'm a firm believer that all parties were at fault, or at least certainly didn't do anything to alleviate the situation.

2. The floaters/drunkards can't and shouldn't be banned from the river, hell I've been on many floats over the years where I had a few to many. Its the same way on large lakes with fishermen complaining about jet skis and recreational boaters messing everything up, but at least the floaters aren't operating motor vehicles.

3. The number 1 problem I have with ANYBODY using our waters is littering. I'd rather see littering tickets given out to floaters than public intoxication tickets. Sadly, I have also seen fishermen litter as well

[jdmidwest]

I've held off on commenting here but here is few things I've got:

1. In the case of this incident, I'm a firm believer that all parties were at fault, or at least certainly didn't do anything to alleviate the situation.

2. The floaters/drunkards can't and shouldn't be banned from the river, hell I've been on many floats over the years where I had a few to many. Its the same way on large lakes with fishermen complaining about jet skis and recreational boaters messing everything up, but at least the floaters aren't operating motor vehicles.

3. The number 1 problem I have with ANYBODY using our waters is littering. I'd rather see littering tickets given out to floaters than public intoxication tickets. Sadly, I have also seen fishermen litter as well

4. People should start acting like they do anywhere else in public when they are in a rented canoe in a river. It is not a closed bar where everyone would expect that behaviour going in and with bouncers to control their actions and toss them out.

[fishinwrench]

I've got:

1. In the case of this incident, I'm a firm believer that all parties were at fault, or at least certainly didn't do anything to alleviate the situation.

A dude shows up on public land and starts ordering people around at gunpoint....and all parties are at fault? ????!!!

No.

That's like spreading the blame around to include all the occupants when a plane gets hijacked because they tried to attack the terrorist.

[Wayne SW/MO]

When you bring a gun to confront people who are obviously most likely unarmed, and you don't know whether they might be belligerent or not you're kind of screwed. He obviously took the least acceptable route.

I don't know how you can blame the floaters, they didn't come to the confrontation to start trouble, he did.

[Mark]

Let's face it - the prudent thing to do would have been to just leave the gravel bar and report the guy to the sheriff's office if he had a gun and was threatening with it.

I would have just left - even if I knew I was in the right. Not worth arguing about.

Let's not forget the victim had a blood alcohol content of .15 and the shooter tested positive for marijuana. Not that either should matter in the judgment, but neither man may have been thinking clearly.

[ColdWaterFshr]

I think the bigger picture is this:

The gun lobby's #1 customers these days are people just like Crocker. And there is more and more of them everyday, buying into the warped dream that they're selling, which is "protect your property, protect you and your loved ones, its your constitutional right and obligation to do so, protect your castle, and your neighbors castle, the government wants you unarmed and defenseless and they are going to steal your children"

Hoosiers eat this stuff up and its why the gun industry is having record sales. That and the deep hatred for Obama and government in general.

If Crocker didn't look quite so crazy, and if the circumstances were altered even slightly, that NRA LaPierre dude would've been on live national news from the Steelville courtroom steps, arguing for this guys immediate release.