Roadless Summer or Mindless Summer?

A small group of anti I-69 protesters calling themselves “Roadless Summer” had their inaugural rally in Indianapolis this past Saturday. In all about fifty protesters participated in what turned into a senseless act of vandalism. As the group’s leaders were whipping the participants into a heightened fervor, someone took it upon himself or herself to spray paint anti I-69 graffiti on the limestone walls of the Capitol building. In looking at the average age of those arrested it appears they were probably to naive to understand what happened but clearly old enough to know better. Obviously this was a conscious act by someone as they undoubtedly came prepared with spray paint. Former Bloomington resident Frank Ambrose that was arrested in 2001 for spiking trees in Morgan-Monroe State Forest was one of the protesters that was arrested Saturday. At the time, Ambrose was thought to be connected to another yet another subversive group called Earth Liberation Front or ELF. Of those arrested at least two others reside in Bloomington.

By every account Bloomington has been doing an exemplary job of breeding and feeding these liberal activists. They are encouraged to be disruptive and uncivil as long as it’s for the right cause. When their prodigy’s happen to get caught in an illegal activity like they did Saturday, all of those that have help fan the flames plead ignorance, condemn the activity and disavow any knowledge of those involved, all the while snickering under their breath. In my opinion spray painting the Statehouse is no different than the type of defacement of public property that is occurring in Bloomington to roadway stop signs or the uncivil protest activities that occur at our local I-69 offices.

Roadless Summer, Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads and Hoosier Environmental Council all in their own way plan to interrupt the process and planning of the new interstate highway in hopes to cause the project to be abandoned. It’s almost laughable that these small factional groups are continuing to oppose a decision that has already been made. They’re insistence on disrupting the process will only raise the overall project cost, which by the way happens to be a major reason for their opposition to the project in the first place. This is nothing more than an infinitesimally small segment of the population that moves from one cause to another finding a method to vent their frustrations with society by manifesting their anger in the form of civil disobedience and discourse. Each of them in their own way must have a need to oppose something, maybe even several things on a daily basis thereby justifying their existence. Rather than a Roadless Summer it could turn out to be nothing more than a Mindless Summer for those that get involved in this charade.