The Constitution Is Upheld In The Face Of Fear Mongers Hysteria

Gov. Spitzer as usual did the right thing. He upheld the constitution. Despite the fact that national and state government officials have begun believing the contstitution is just some obstacle to be circumvented whenever possible, it is what defines us, and what ultimately determines our rights and the limits of governments powers.

I firmly believe no one died because of lack of cell phone coverage. They died because they were careless and drove off the road. Cell phones don't make you safer, they merely give you a false sense of security. Suppose the Langers cell phone didn't work because it ran out of batteries, should we install chargers along the Northway?

When I was outside Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, my cell phone hardly ever worked. It was an incovenience as I was in the middle of being hired for a new job. I firmly believe he inconvenience of momentarily being out of contact is more the issue to most people in favor of dotting the landscape with cell towers than is safety

People, in this nation of victims, need to take responsibility for their actions. And our local, state and national governments need to run their respective jurisdictions within the confines of the law. Since 9/11 we've become a nation concerned only with the short term. The result is we have failed to protect our rights, and failed to even realize that our long term liberty is more important then the inevitability of death. Government promises us protection and we run for it, even at the expense of freedom.

The area within the Blue Line of NY State is a unique, rare, well planned, and misunderstood area of the country. Most residents of NY don't even understand the protections and uniqueness of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. The ammendments and laws that protect the park are there for a reason. It has been proven time and again, that humans cannot stop their own push for domestication of the wild. Had Article 14 and the APA not protected ADK Park there would be nothing left to protect today.

Once again, thank you Gov. Spitzer for doing the right thing.

FRIDAY MARCH 16, 2007

Spitzer: No cell towers on Northwayby The Associated Press

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer said Wednesday that he won't install temporary cell phone towers along the Adirondack Northway, but said he will continue to seek a solution to limited cell phone coverage in the remote area.

“Despite someone suffering and dying because their cell phone would not work on the Northway - and there being a real threat of that occurring again - the answer to the traveling public is to wait for a permanent solution, which is likely to take years to implement,” Republican Sen. Betty Little said.

Spitzer's office is continuing to “look for the middle path” in providing cell phone service to the area, spokesman Marc Violette said, citing constitutional protections for the Adirondacks put in place more than 100 years ago.“We are reviewing a number of options, and have not ruled out any, to meet a public safety need while also respecting the uniqueness of the environment through which the Northway passes,” Violette said.

Last month, Little sent a letter to Spitzer requesting he issue an executive order to waive the Adirondack Park Agency tower siting policy along scenic Interstate 87 to allow for the temporary placement of three cell phone towers at highway rest stops.Little and other lawmakers have long sought increased cell phone coverage for the highway areas of the road. They renewed their calls for the towers in January following the death of 63-year-old Alfred Langner of Brooklyn.Langner died from hypothermia after driving off a remote area of the highway. Langner and his wife Barbara were unable to get out of the car and were unable to call for help because of a lack of cell phone coverage.“We've been told by the governor's office that the movable cells on wheels would require a lengthy permitting process through” the Adirondack Park Agency, Little said in a statement.

Environmental groups have long opposed the 100-foot towers, saying they would spoil the landscape of a sparsely populated area of the Adirondack Park and violate scenic easements that govern construction in the area.

technorati tags:ADK, Daks, Adirondacks, Spitzer, Artilcle 14, NYS, Albany, New York, Forever Wild, constitution, APA, Blue Line, cell, towers, cell phone, communication

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