BLM Needs VIP treatment as well.

[Elderberry]

Both snail mail and email are listed here:
http://www.doi.gov/public/contact-us.cfm

Ya, that's where I got the info I have. All generic.

[Elderberry]

You should contact the Dept. of Interior's public affairs office and ask if they have an email address or snail mail address where you can deliver petitions and or individual pieces of mail.

Good suggestion. Will do.

[Meat Hunter]

Is the BLM demand for 24 hr. ice cream service for real?

[[jim]]

Is the BLM demand for 24 hr. ice cream service for real?

I'm wondering if Michelle Obama is 'on board' with their really unhealthy menu?

Surely keeping the stewards of our public lands hale and healthy is just as important as rearranging the school lunches of millions of students?

[Jackass]

Give them rabbit food and special teas in order to maintain a healthy digestive tract, and fighting obesity. They're not really the pictures of health, are they?

[DrYes]

So I wrote a post on what you can do, including a form letter if you'd rather not write your own, and started a change.org petition. Please share around. I'm told that this is a real problem for the BMORG and this is how we can help. I do not want increased ticket prices to pay for Dan Love's 24 ice cream freezer. Fuck that shit.

http://www.burn.life/blog/the-blms-atte ... urning-man

https://www.change.org/p/sally-jewell-d ... ents-to-it

I'll also include my form letter suggestion below in case you don't want to click through to my blog.

Dear Secretary Jewell / Director Kornze,

I’m writing to you in regards to the matter of the Bureau of Land Management’s recent unprecedented request for luxury amenities during the Burning Man event, for a luxury compound called the Blue Pit, totaling an estimated $1-$1.2 million.

Of course, I understand that it’s reasonable for Burning Man to pay for the BLM’s oversight during the event, but what makes little sense to me is why the fees have been rocketing up the last few years despite attendance not being substantially bigger or there being a substantially different level of BLM staffing during the event.

As a reminder, the fees have been roughly as follows:
2011: $858k
2012: $1.4 million
2013: $2.9 million
2014: $4 million
2015: $5-$5.2 million

That’s quite the increase, and what is a little galling is that the increase for 2015 is driven by demands for amenities like flushable toilets, 24 hour ice cream availability, Snickers, M&Ms, salad bars, and Chobani Greek yogurt. What they’re claiming they need is worthy of what a major rock band might request, and is far beyond what anyone else at Burning Man has access to, including billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. This is an event that’s about self-reliance – we even bring our own water – and even employees of Burning Man who might spend a month out there live simply by the standards of the BLM’s request.

As Senator Harry Reid recently said, “While I agree that the BLM should take its permitting duties seriously and work with Burning Man to both guarantee the safety of its participants and the protection of the environment, providing outlandishly unnecessary facilities for the BLM and its guests should be beyond the scope of the permitting requirements.”

I wholeheartedly agree.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to reading that the BLM’s demands for Burning Man 2015’s permit are scaled back to something more reasonable.

Sincerely,

<your name>

<your city and state>

Neil Kornze, Director of the Bureau of Land Management
BLM Washington Office
1849 C Street NW
Rm. 5665 Washington DC 20240
Phone: 202-208-3801
[email protected]

Sally Jewell, Department of the Interior (Neil Kornze’s boss)
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240
Phone: (202) 208-3100
[email protected]
@secretaryjewell on twitter

[Jackass]

Dearest BLM,

Jim Tannenbaum's camp named Caravansicle (or whatever he chooses to name it this year), has all the such amenities you have requested for this upcoming Burning Man event. Please feel free to be hosted by Mr. Tannenbaum for the duration of your stay. If you have any further complaints, requests or inquiries, please refer them to Mr.Tannenbaum as he has pledged his full support to all law enforcement and BLM staff for the duration of this year's event.


With Love,
Lawrence "The Hat" Harvey

[Simon of the Playa]

shack.jpg

[Simon of the Playa]

fly.jpg

[maladroit]

It would be such a major pain, for me and many others...already so much invested in this year's event. But if it came down to caving in to the BLM demands or not having Burning Man this year, I've decided that I'd be OK with BMORG deciding to shut it down this year.

Oh, I'll go if it's happening, even if BLM gets their salad bar and Choco Tacos. But I'm saying that I'd back BMORG if they decided not to put up with this shit and took a year off.

[GreyCoyote]

Wow, Simon. I did the math. This is a huge data point:

Even at $15,000 a pop, Larry could pay Tannanbutt directly for lodging the BLM guys at Caravansicle, and we (the ticketholders) would still come out WAY ahead. And with plenty of Maids of Merriment and those all-important personal "curators", Segways, and epicurean food for their afterhours enjoyment, the BLM guys should remain totally happy.

And of course, Tannanbutt could lament how he didnt make any money (again), he could leave a huge mess and the BLM wouldnt say squat, and Larry would get a healthy kick-back (again). So... Everyone wins! Yay!!!!

Commodify me, baby. All in the name of "security" and "protection". We could call it the Burner Patriot Protection Act!!!

[Simon of the Playa]

Even at $15,000 a pop, Larry could pay Tannanbutt directly for lodging the BLM guys at Caravansicle, and we (the ticketholders) would still come out WAY ahead. And with plenty of Maids of Merriment and those all-important personal "curators", Segways, and epicurean food for their afterhours enjoyment, the BLM guys should remain totally happy.

And of course, Tannanbutt could lament how he didnt make any money (again), he could leave a huge mess and the BLM wouldnt say squat, and Larry would get a healthy kick-back (again). So... Everyone wins! Yay!!!!

if i didnt know any better i would say that you were one of Wacko-Boy's Socks.


seriously...


you have been flogging that horse into jerky...i for one, find it tired, and grey.


he too, uses the "Maths" to "prove" his inane "points".......Hmmmmmmm.

[GreyCoyote]

I just blew Diet Coke all over the screen....

[Simon of the Playa]

so did i, buckeroo, so did i.

[Meat Hunter]

Below is a letter which I have just sent to via e-mail and USPS. Please feel free to use as-is or to modify to express your personal opinions.

Neil Kornze, Director of the Bureau of Land Management
BLM Washington Office
1849 C Street NW
Rm. 5665 Washington DC 20240
[email protected]


Sally Jewell, Department of the Interior (Neil Kornze’s boss)
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240
[email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

June 27, 2015

Dear ______________,

I’m writing to you in regards to the matter of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) recent unprecedented demand that the Burning Man (BM) organization build, purchase and/or supply luxury accommodations and amenities for select BLM personnel during the 2015 BM event; for a luxury compound called the "Blue Pit", totaling an estimated $1-$1.2 million which the Burning Man organization is expected to fund.

It’s reasonable and proper for BM to pay for the BLM’s oversight during the event. But, what makes little sense to me is why the fees have been escalating the last few years despite attendance not being substantially bigger or there being a substantially higher level of BLM staffing during the event.

As a reminder, the fees have increased roughly as follows:
2011: $858k
2012: $1.4 million
2013: $2.9 million
2014: $4 million
2015: $5.0-$5.2 million

That is quite a sizeable increase with no measurable increase of the population or BLM participation. And, what is more than a little galling is that the Use Permit fee increase for 2015 is driven by demands for luxury amenities like flushable toilets, 24 hour ice cream availability, strip steaks, washing machines (which BM is expected to clean), hot and cold running water, Snickers, M&Ms, salad bars, and Chobani Greek yogurt.

The claim is made that the need is worthy of what a major rock band might request -- the demands are far beyond what anyone else at Burning Man has access to; including BM staff and billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. This is an event that’s about self-reliance – we even bring our own water and remove our own grey water – and even full time employees of BM and the volunteers who might spend a month out on the playa live simply -- by the luxurious standards of the BLM’s demand.

As Senator Harry Reid recently said, “While I agree that the BLM should take its permitting duties seriously and work with Burning Man to both guarantee the safety of its participants and the protection of the environment, providing outlandishly unnecessary facilities for the BLM and its guests should be beyond the scope of the permitting requirements.”

I wholeheartedly agree with Senator Reid.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to reading that the BLM’s unreasonable demands for Burning Man 2015’s Use Permit are reduced back to a level that are consistent with and reflective of the event as a whole.


Sincerely,

Your Name
Your Address

[Lonesomebri]

Is it too soon in this game for me to start describing what sandwich I had for lunch?

[Lonesomebri]

Man, notice how serious everyone takes this, something they can rally with the Bmorg over, as compared to the "nothing can be done" rally cry heard by the same exact people when the PRECEDENT was being set by the insiders on the Bmorg. A petition to confront the plug and plays gets laughed at and poo-pooed; here we have a team effort, everyone scrambling over each other to draft that perfect letter to make a difference as it goes in the trash.

[maladroit]

I won't deny that the issues are interrelated in several ways. This sort of thing is what we were hoping to avoid...not knowing it would happen SO SOON though. Self-declared VIPs feeling entitled to special treatment...and this time they aren't even willing to foot their own bill.

The main reason people are taking this seriously, rather than "rabble rabble rabble" is because it could actually result in everyone staying home this year. On top of that, it's of some interest purely as an example of political greed and misuse of power, for people who don't even care about Burning Man. People need permits from all kinds of government agencies to do things. Is this sort of strongarming for perks common? It's a big, loud, wakeup call.

That's why it's different from Caravansicle. That uproar was merely people feeling squicky about tech lords commanding underlings to scrub toilets while spectating from atop their Segways, accompanied by their appropriately Burner-costumed mistresses of merriment, bringing the power of money into a place we all came to escape it for a few days. The event wasn't going to die even if there was a K-street Hyatt. But it will die if the BLM uses public resources to extort money and luxuries from us.

[Elderberry]

Interesting take.

My reason for being angry regarding the permit is that this is a "government agency" doing this. Talk about corruption. That is an out-and-out bribe, which it totally not right, if not illegal.

Plug-n-Play is a whole different animal--it's something internal to the event having to do with the principles and whether or not PNP could exist within those principles.

[Elderberry]

Exactly!

I won't deny that the issues are interrelated in several ways. This sort of thing is what we were hoping to avoid...not knowing it would happen SO SOON though. Self-declared VIPs feeling entitled to special treatment...and this time they aren't even willing to foot their own bill.

The main reason people are taking this seriously, rather than "rabble rabble rabble" is because it could actually result in everyone staying home this year. On top of that, it's of some interest purely as an example of political greed and misuse of power, for people who don't even care about Burning Man. People need permits from all kinds of government agencies to do things. Is this sort of strongarming for perks common? It's a big, loud, wakeup call.

That's why it's different from Caravansicle. That uproar was merely people feeling squicky about tech lords commanding underlings to scrub toilets while spectating from atop their Segways, accompanied by their appropriately Burner-costumed mistresses of merriment, bringing the power of money into a place we all came to escape it for a few days. The event wasn't going to die even if there was a K-street Hyatt. But it will die if the BLM uses public resources to extort money and luxuries from us.

[GreyCoyote]

Is it too soon in this game for me to start describing what sandwich I had for lunch?

Jerky? (Hands Bri a grey-colored strip of horsemeat) It's the new kosher bacon...

[danibel]

It would be such a major pain, for me and many others...already so much invested in this year's event. But if it came down to caving in to the BLM demands or not having Burning Man this year, I've decided that I'd be OK with BMORG deciding to shut it down this year.

Oh, I'll go if it's happening, even if BLM gets their salad bar and Choco Tacos. But I'm saying that I'd back BMORG if they decided not to put up with this shit and took a year off.

I would be oh so sad, but I agree. It's like giving in to demands of kidnappers/terrorists. If you pay them, they will just do it again!

[tamarakay]

It would be such a major pain, for me and many others...already so much invested in this year's event. But if it came down to caving in to the BLM demands or not having Burning Man this year, I've decided that I'd be OK with BMORG deciding to shut it down this year.

Oh, I'll go if it's happening, even if BLM gets their salad bar and Choco Tacos. But I'm saying that I'd back BMORG if they decided not to put up with this shit and took a year off.

I would be oh so sad, but I agree. It's like giving in to demands of kidnappers/terrorists. If you pay them, they will just do it again!

The 24 hour ice cream is not new.
They have been doing it, and this year they went a little too far. Hopefully jobs will be lost and some hands slapped.

[Eric]

That's why it's different from Caravansicle. That uproar was merely people feeling squicky about tech lords commanding underlings to scrub toilets while spectating from atop their Segways, accompanied by their appropriately Burner-costumed mistresses of merriment, bringing the power of money into a place we all came to escape it for a few days. The event wasn't going to die even if there was a K-street Hyatt. But it will die if the BLM uses public resources to extort money and luxuries from us.

This.

[maladroit]

I think this is more this-y:

My reason for being angry regarding the permit is that this is a "government agency" doing this. Talk about corruption. That is an out-and-out bribe, which it totally not right, if not illegal.

Plug-n-Play is a whole different animal--it's something internal to the event having to do with the principles and whether or not PNP could exist within those principles.

Explaining the difference between the two is very important. We already had enough people during the PNP debacle focusing on the luxury aspect of it only, implying that everyone was upset that some people were living better than others, or not burning their burn correctly.

It might not click right away, why this is so different. Someone might come across the controversy and think "Oh, they're upset about ceramic toilets and good food again." Completely missing both the PNP versus internal principles aspect, and the inversion (perversion?) of the government service dynamic.

One exposed corruption of ideals and a few people within a private organization during two weeks in a desert. The other exposes corruption of government officials, people who go out into the default world and have power over people's lives year round.

Do we deserve this permit? I think we really do...but if we didn't...could we just go ahead and buy it this way? Is the BLM giving permits to other people who damage public lands, in exchange for favors, cash, and posh vacations?

Can is open, worms are everywhere.

[Elderberry]

And would this open the door for local law enforcement to then want and start to demand the same perks and accoutrements as the feds?

[digital]

And would this open the door for local law enforcement to then want and start to demand the same perks and accoutrements as the feds?

The difference, to me, is that local law enforcement does not grant the permit. We all have to put up with them but they cannot not, as far as I know, say give us x or we will deny you entry. Two months before the event - one with massive logistical challenges that cannot be moved easily.

[Elderberry]

Good point.

[maladroit]

they cannot not, as far as I know, say give us x or we will deny you entry.

They can say we gave them some X and then escort us back out of the event, though!

[FIGJAM]

They still try to jack up their cumshaw every year though.