The Nazi Head
The road they (the ADP) chose (fs 267), was in the process of being heavily developed by an oil operation. Near the end of the road, I came across a tractor with quite the "decoration" taped to the front of it. It was a womans manikin head with a Nazi symbol on her forehead and a bullet in her mouth!
The tractor was parked near where a trail crosses the road and it was parked facing the hiking trail.
Needless to say I was appalled by the disgusting and obscene display.
I photographed the "Nazi Head" and reported it first to the people at the ANF.
Very unfortunately, I got a call back a few days later from the Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Mr Will Novitski (sp?). He told me the display was a matter of "freedom of speech" and the tractor operator was allowed to display this disgusting obscene decoration.
That is just great! Our Governor is spending millions of our tax dollars to invite citizens from all over the country to visit North Western Pennsylvania to see the "Pennsylvania Wilds" and they are greeted (along a hiking trail) by something like this!
I sent the following letter to the Governors office, the Allegheny Vacation Bureau, Kathleen Morse (ANF) and the state attorneys office, as well as others, asking what could be done about this.
Even though the LEO at the ANF told me they could do nothing, a few days later I got a phone call telling me the "Nazi Head" was removed.
Unfortunately the Nazi head was still "on display" during the ADP Fall Gathering just yards up the road from where this tractor was parked.
I couldn't help but notice a truck parked on the same road a few yards up that had an ad on the back that said: "Preston People - We make the difference". Some difference!
Was it a "Preston People" that made this vulgar, disgusting display?
And that was not the worst thing to happen during the Fall Gathering!
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Is this an appropriate greeting to hikers who are invited to explore the "Pennsylvania Wilds"?
Our tax money is being spent to invite hikers from all over Pennsylvania and surrounding states to come to the "Pennsylvania Wilds" to see this obscene, offensive rubbish? These photos were taken just feet off hiking trails in the ANF in the "Morrison area" on forest road 267. This is apparently a "decoration" on a tractor used by an "oil operation" working on forest road 267 off of rt 59 in the Morrison Run area of the ANF. I took some on Wednesday, September 14th and then others on Saturday September 16th where the tractor was at a different location on rt 267, but still feet from a hiking trail. You don't have to be Jewish to be deeply offended by the swastika or the bullet in her mouth! There should be ZERO tolerance for this kind of hateful, disgusting, vulgar, obscene and senseless act, in this day and age! Please tell me what can, or will be done about this! NOTE: THIS WAS CARBON COPIED TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND INDIVIDUALS. I'm hoping SOMETHING will be done to the person(s), and or party (company, organization) responsible for this |
Here's the pics:
The Nazi Head (note the bullet in her mouth)
"Freedom of speech" or just plain stupid?
Different location on Saturday
Just up the road from the Nazi Head! "Preston People- We make the difference" ... Some difference! ... Was this tractor operator ever fired? LOL!
Detained and run off the road!
During the Fall Gathering I took the group to Rim Rock to do some rock climbing and cave exploring. On the way back and forth from the camp site we noticed the signs were torn down and re-located. On the way back to the camp one trip I was blocked in a driveway by a guy who demanded to know who I was and what I was doing there, on public property! He blocked my car and wouldn't let me out. Cathy Pedler backed up the road, and he finally moved his truck and let me go. But he followed us, stooped while Cathy re-hung some signs and he followed us back to the group camp area and even pulled in behind us and then just sat there in our camp area for several minutes before leaving. I did get the chance to photo not only him, but his truck as Cathy hung signs and when I took my camera out he gave me the middle finger.
I decided not to camp a second night and when I left camp hours later the same truck was in the middle of the road where 267 joined 59, just stopped in the middle of the road, and when I was near the intersection, the truck charged right at me as fast as he could, forcing me into the ditch. I was barely able to recover, and made it to 59, and never looked back! I wrote a letter about what happened and Cathy filed it with the State Police and the ANF LEO. Even though it was likely the guy worked in that area, apparently the police never went out there and investigated, as we never heard back as to what (if anything) was ever done. I even provided the state police with photos.
Seemingly, it's like the wild west out there (in the ANF) and visitors to OUR national forest should steer clear of oil operations! So much for shared use of the forest!
Below is the police report that we made.
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We were caravanning with four vehicles on Road 267 toward our camp. I was third in a line of vehicles, behind the Mercyhurst van, Cathy Peddler, and in front of Bill Belitskus. We stopped at a fenced area to observe saplings that had been cut down inside the fenced enclosure.
As we left that site Bill Belitskus in the last vehicle noticed a gray truck speeding up behind him that started to try to pass him on the left and then pulled back in behind him. I turned into a driveway for another campsite. As soon as I did, Bill passed me. Immediately after, the gray truck (a newer Ford 350) abruptly pulled in sideways behind me as I was backing out and blocked my exit. The guy came up to my car window and in a very angry voice demanded to know, who I was and what I was doing there? I could smell alcohol on his breath as he was right in my face as he questioned me. I told him I was trying to back out and he was blocking me. He demanded again to know who I was and what I was doing. I felt threatened by his actions. I told him I was camping up the road. He asked with who. I told him the ADP. He demanded to know where. I said up the road ahead and pointed. He asked how long I was in the area and I said a few days. The other vehicles kept going to the camp, but Cathy Pedler stopped along the shoulder and waited for me. I believe she may have backed up a little and the guy looked over my car and saw her. He went back to his truck and backed up to let me out. I followed Cathy up the road to the next intersection where she stopped to hang another paper sign for our camp. She stopped, I pulled up behind her and the guy pulled in behind me. She got out and as I got out, to be with her, the guy leaned out the window to take our picture with a cell phone. I was very angry having been detained by this guy and interrogated by him. When I saw him taking our pictures with his cell phone, I reached in my car for my digital camera. I turned the camera on him and started taking his picture. He gave me the middle finger. I went up to his window and said to him "never mind who I am and what I'm doing, who are you, and what are you doing here". He hesitated a bit and then said, "I'm an American". As I was at his window, I noticed a few things. He had a pile of stuff on the seat next to him, tthat looked like a clipboard or two, some maps or diagrams, and a couple metal objects under the clipboard, piled among papers and books. One object I saw looked like the top of a slide from a pistol, and I assumed it was a handgun, and I backed away. While I was looing in his truck, I noticed he had another license plate on the dashboard. Cathy finished hanging the sign and we both headed back down the road to the camp. The guy in the truck followed us all the way to the camp and pulled off of Road 267 behind me. He sat there for a few minutes and we didn't see what he was doing. Perhaps he did this just to intimidate us further. Then, he backed out and headed back toward Route 59. I was so upset by his threatening behavior that I decided to not camp another night. I packed up my tent and headed for home. I left alone in my car about 3:30 P.M I was extremely concerned driving out on Road 267 to Route 59. I was worried this guy might be stalking us, or me at this point. As I got almost to Route 59, I noticed that there was the same gray truck, stopped in the road, just where it meets the highway. As I approached, the gray truck accelerated forward towards me real fast. It was in the middle of the road and it came right at me. I was forced off the road, and as it got closer it even swerved more into my lane forcing me off the roadway, and into the ditch. The road at this point is elevated (climbs up toward 59) and I was amazed that I was able to recover and pull my car back onto the road. I guess I had enough forward momentum, and thankfully, front wheel drive. Now I was really scared. This guy, for some reason seemed to single me out and harass me for some unknown reason. I tried to call police, but had no cell phone reception. I was completely unnerved by two encounters with this truck operator in one day on a public forest road. I was simply trying to enjoy a camping experience in the ANF with friends when I was illegally detained, interrogated and intimidated by this "nut job" who, later ended up running me off the road. I believe the gray truck that attempted to run me off of the road was the same guy that blocked my car and attempted to intimidate me earlier in the afternoon. It was the same color, and style truck, but I did not actually see the driver, as I was fighting to keep my car out of the ditch. Cathy Pedler and I filed incident reports with the Kane barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police on Monday, September 18, 2006. I supplied copies of photos of the truck and driver to the State Police. Trooper Scott Nelson is in charge of investigating the incident. John Stoneman |
After I was blocked in and detained by this guy, he followed Cathy and I
As soon as he saw my camera he gave me the middle finger!
I walked around the truck and got some good photos
This didn't help! Is this legal?
This could also be the same guy who made and displayed the Nazi Head, and is most likely the guy who ran me off the road. Brave guy, in a full sized ford diesel pickup running a neon off the road!
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