Chewing On The Wrong People

<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/07/27/news/local/45-burns.txt">Burns criticizes firefighters, says they didn't heed ranchers</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>Republican Sen. Conrad Burns chastised a group of firefighters over the weekend for doing a "poor job" dousing a 92,000-acre blaze near Billings, a state report shows.<br />n<br />nBurns and the firefighters – members of the Augusta Hot Shots from the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in Virginia -were at Billings Logan International Airport awaiting flights, according to Burns and Forest Service representatives.<br />n<br />nBurns approached the firefighters and told them they had "done a poor job" and "should have listened to the ranchers," according to a report prepared by Paula Rosenthal, a state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation employee who was sent to the airport to speak with the senator.</blockquote><br />n<br />nThis is a bad deal. Senator Burns needs to get his head out of his ass and talk to the right people. Criticizing the firefighting crews for how they fight the fire is like criticizing the troops for how the war is being fought in Iraq. The crews, like the troops, have no control over how they are used. They just do the job they are given by their superiors and do it to the best of their ability.<br />n<br />nSenator Burns needs to be taking his complaint up with the management team that ran the fire fighting efforts, not the crews. When I had the big 30,000+ acre fire out in this country a few years ago I had a lot of complaints about the way the stupid idiots in the management team fought the fire. They didn't listen to what the landowner had to say and they did, time and time again try to chase me off the fire lines and leave the fire to them. I always ignored them when they told me to leave and I continued to voice my opinions even when they were ignored.<br />n<br />nAfter they had the fire contained I warned the guys in charge repeatedly that the one area was dangerous and they needed to do a better job putting the fire out and fire lining it. They kept patting me on the head and saying everything was all right. I told them it was going to blow up there and that something needed done. They ignored me and went about there business. Two days later, while they were still mopping up the fire, the area I was concerned with blew up on them. It scorched an additional 2000-3000 acres before they got it under control again. I very politely told them, "I told you that was going to happen, why didn't you listen to me." They never would respond to what I said.<br />n<br />nSo I know what the Senator was talking about. The fire managers don't listen to landowners and do try to chase them off. But chewing in the crews is wrong. All you do with the crews is thank them profusely for fighting the fire and helping you out. They are under their boss's orders and if they don't do what they are told, they don't get paid so criticizing them is useless.<br />n<br />nBurns never did strike me as very intelligent and this just proves it. Shooting his mouth off like this is just like shooting himself in the foot. It's only going to hurt him and show people that he is not very careful or thoughtful person.<br />n<br />nOne last thing. The fire fighting crews did a great job in getting the fires in the area under control and I thank them for it even if our Senator doesn't.<br />n<br />n<strong>There is nothing wrong with America that faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens cannot cure. Dwight D. Eisenhower</strong>