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Think loggers got a raw deal? Ric Holt has a club for you By PAUL FATTIG Ric Holt is mad as hell. And, yes, he isn't going to take it anymore. Moreover, the Jackson County commissioner doesn't want those who agree with him to take it anymore. Holt has established a group he calls Moms And Dads Against Socialist Hierarchy Environmental Lunatic Logic (MAD AS HELL). The group's mission is to offer a balance to the actions of environmental groups, actions which Holt says has been detrimental to society. "We're playing catch-up," he said. "People are mad as hell. "People are bitching about what has happened to the timber industry," he said. "But nobody is really doing anything. There is no collective organization where all these people can put their effort." Holt, who was having T-shirts with the MAD AS HELL logo printed Friday, said his group will represent those who disagree with the bulk of the environmental movement. He also plans to establish a Web site and organize MAD AS HELL meetings. "People haven't had a chance to listen to the right side of the story," Holt said. "All they've seen are the headlines in your paper and other papers about what the environmentalists are doing." Holt said he decided to take the action after seeing job losses caused by growing environmental restrictions on logging public land, after environmental actions halted the construction of Elk Creek Dam and after alleged environmental extremists burned the local U.S. Forest Industries Inc. office last year. Holt, saying that he is acting both as a private citizen and an elected official, says he already has support from other government officials, labor unions and other organizations. "I'm also getting together people who are also environmentalists," he said. "I have environmentalists who have agreed to help, who have said it has gone too far." However, he did not name those environmental activists. Regna Merritt, mother of three and the Northwest field representative for the Oregon Natural Resources Council, was puzzled by the group's creation. ONRC is a statewide environmental group. "I'm a mom, so I'm not sure if he is referring to me," she said. "But I'm proud to be working to preserve the ancient forests and the salmon for my children and those who come after. "We're saving values for future generations," she added. "It seems to me there is a lot of logic to it. So maybe he's not talking about me." George McKinley, outreach organizer for Headwaters, the Ashland-based environmental group, was also perplexed. "I think it's a rather strange idea for a county commissioner to put forward," McKinley said, noting that he was speaking for himself, not the group. "In some ways, it really sounds more like something from `The Simpsons' than a genuine reasonable attempt to improve the social, economic and environmental climate of Jackson County. "Promoting division and conflict only stand in the way of a better future for the county," he added. "Before he gets mad as hell, perhaps he ought to consider some other options." Greensprings resident Dave Willis, an environmental activist and a wilderness outfitter, agreed. "We all need to pull together to protect the wonderful place that Southern Oregon is," Willis said. "Too often, without meaning to, our humanity polarizes us. I'd hate to think Ric Holt is trying to polarize people on purpose. That's not what Jackson County needs in its leadership." David Hill, executive vice president of the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association, said he would support any balanced approach to the natural resources debate. "A balanced reporting of events affecting natural resources in Southern Oregon and local communities is important," Hill said, noting that he agrees that the industry's side of the story needs to be told. "But I wouldn't want SOTIA to go to extremes on one side as environmental extremes go to extremes on the other," he added. The group will offer a balanced approach, Holt reiterated, saying that it is environmental groups like Earth First! and others who have too long been accepted for their extremist actions. "What I'm trying to do is create a platform where people can get balanced information," he said. "What we're talking about with the environmentalist is the lunatic logic that has no common sense. Some of these environmentalists have been so stubborn and bull-headed. "We've got to do something," he added. "It's fight-back time." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA