'Dozen Protestors' constitutes being 'besieged'?

The article in the Gazette yesterday had a title of 'Ritter's stand against Army's plan besieged'- yet the story makes little mention of any significant public display that would satisfy the term besieged.

Seems there is a concerted effort to throw everything they can think of and see if any of it sticks!

Several statements also deserve consideration as they are evidence of the fear tactics that are being used:

"We're going to lose jobs," said one of the protesters, Boris Dimoff, of Colorado Springs. "This town here is going to close down." [just because Gov Ritter has said he will sign HB1317?]

Colorado Springs City Councilman Darryl Glenn made a connection between the Piñon Canyon bill and the Pentagon's recent decision to place the Air Force's cyberwarfare operation in Texas instead of Colorado Springs, as well as the decision not to muster a new brigade at Fort Carson. [Gates had stopped the brigades before HB1317 was even considered]

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., released a statement denouncing Ritter's stand.

"While this bill would not preclude the Army from expanding PCMS, it does send the wrong message to our troops," Lamborn said.

What it says is there is no need for expansion and the original position of PCEOC and others remains steadfastly 'no expansion'. It has never been anything else. We have always submitted that Colorado Springs should be allowed their economic 'design' as long as it doesn't dictate what the rest of the states' design is.

There is no reason that Fort Carson cannot continue to thrive and prosper, along with the other military installations in that area - it is now readily apparent (to them now too we believe) however that now they really have to rethink their grand plans they had for an ill-conceived, ill-advised, and illegal expansion effort.

We do not pretend to prioritize or otherwise put our economic or community designs and plans above the Springs' plans (or any other area) but we WILL NOT STAND for any other region to overshadow or otherwise try to sacrifice US for their benefit.

We are and will continue to fight off these types of advances regardless of the efforts by Colorado Springs area businesses and elected officials to use their BULLY PULPIT to push their own agenda.

We agree our soldiers' training is important and know that they have been getting the right training and we have no doubt that they will continue to get that training.

There is more than ample space to train in many areas if there is a reasonable effort to secure that. Fort Carson just doesn't want to look anywhere else.

Well, guess what, the military may be finding it is and has to be accountable and maybe it's time they stepped back to really evaluate what they are really doing to this country and not for it.

Running roughshod over communities is not the way to keep from getting the ruler on the back of the hand either. Utilizing fully every square inch they have before even considering they need more is a way to start.