"Don't you have anything better to do than to stand here and keep me from cutting this tree?"
"No, as a matter of fact, I don't have anything better to do than to stand here and keep you from cutting this tree."
"That herbicide that you have been spraying is the most toxic chemical known to man. One part per eight billion is sufficient to cause birth defects. And you have been spraying it bare-handed."
"I hope you didn't wipe your mouth. I hope you're not planning to have children."
It was at this point, that the entire crew quit their jobs in tears. There were no more trees cut that day.
JB: This is powerful stuff. What about the third attempt?
RHP: When I returned to Potsdam, I found out that PASNY had stationed armed guards on land they did not own. They had an easement to construct the power line, nothing more. It was a public right-of-way. By court order, we were allowed to be there if we did not interfere with construction. So I rode a bicycle to the site and, after the construction crew had left, I began questioning the armed guard. She called for reinforcements. As I was leaving on my bicycle, Bill Thompson, the chief of security, showed up and tried to run me over with his truck. I survived by riding backwards, which I was able to do because the chain had come off the gears. Then a deputy sheriff arrived. His words were rather chilling: "You've asked one too many questions. Put your bicycle in the trunk. You're under arrest."
I was charged with trespassing. The case went to trial without a jury, and I was sentenced to 45 days. It was an illegal sentence, the maximum by law being 30 days, so I was released the next day on my own recognizance. It was the shortest 45-day sentence I ever served. But there was no tape recording or transcript of the trial, so I could not successfully appeal the conviction.
JB: Where did that leave you?
RHP: While the case was on appeal, I got the PSC to order a construction halt, but PASNY would not comply. Then I got the PSC to order the electrified portion of the line shut down, but PASNY would not comply. It was now clear to everyone that the true outlaw was PASNY, and all of our civil disobedience was justified. The 765-kV line was built, but the PSC will not entertain an application for another one, and the nuclear power plants were never built.
I went into exile, first in New Mexico, where I completed my bachelor's degree by taking courses from Fred Harris, and then in Oklahoma, where I was adopted one more time by the VVAW so we could lobby successfully for testing and treatment for Agent Orange victims. My further adventures as an activist in Oklahoma and New Mexico will have to wait for another day.
JB: What a saga; I'm exhausted. So, how much of this is currently on your rap sheet? Besides for the teenage drug bust we talked about in an earlier interview?
RHP: I recently had to answer for some of these charges when becoming certified as a foster and adoptive parent -- the first single man in my county to do so. I agreed to the standard 28-year FBI background check, and they went back 50 years. Regarding the teenage drug bust, being a "youthful offender" allows you to say you weren't convicted of a crime, but it doesn't really erase the record. My arrest was in the newspapers. They said it was "the climax of a six-month investigation" into drug abuse in Schenectady County. If I were in charge of that investigation and all I found was an ounce of marijuana, I would resign my commission.
JB: Let's wrap up here for now. Thanks for sharing more harrowing stories from the front, Richard. I can't wait for the next installment!
RHP: There's so much more to tell about the power line fight. I am only scratching the surface, telling of one young lad's involvement with spontaneous grass-roots resistance. This interview has inspired me to start writing a book about it.
JB: Sounds good to me!
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