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Across the Fence:  SOS for our town!!!!!  |
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pinerootsavage
Farmgirl at Heart
7 Posts
Deb
Ontonagon
MI
USA
7 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 22 2009 : 10:24:17 AM
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Dear Farmgirls across America,
These couple of farmgirls are sending out an SOS to save our town. We are VERY rural, our local papermill was recently permanently closed by Smurfit Stone Container. Smurfit is in bankruptcy. This mill has always been profitable, environmentally conscious, locally staffed and safety oriented, this mill has been our LIFEBLOOD to this community. Without employment, our hospital, schools and numerous local businesses will fail, small farms and homes will be forclosed upon.
My 16 year old daughter, Alex, wanted to do something, so she addressed her Government class asking the kids to write to the MI legislation as well as the Bankruptcy
Judge in charge. Kids really network, before long, it was on Facebook and it was heading nation wide. My 8 year old tried to contact President Obama as well, but to no avail. This huge corporation should be held accountable, they owe huge debts to our local businesses, millions perhaps. Smurfit is planning to abandon this mill and let it freeze as of Dec 31, 2009, we are told. If this happens there will be a huge negative environmental impact. If this mill is kept heated it can be sold as an operable business and the funds can help to pay Smurfit debt. We are willing to be employee owned, Smurfit won’t hear of it. We need to keep it a paper mill. We have to convince this Judge to keep it maintained and heated so it can be sold to provide our town with away to make a living, we are in the middle no where and love it!
In short, our future is in the hands of the Bankruptcy Judge and the powers that be, the judge is taking correspondence for a short period of time, we really need your help and support, please write to this judge and help us keep this mill operable. This corporation not only used up millions of Federal and State money, they also got us financially in our hometown. It is time to stop the Corporate greed and bullying nation wide!!!! Thank you
Just a small town farmgirl,
Deb Dix
Ontonagon, MI 49953
PLEASE WRITE:
Honorable Judge Shannon
Case # 09-10235
824 North Market Street
3rd Floor Wilmington, DE 19801
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Edited by - pinerootsavage on Dec 25 2009 09:37:20 AM |
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
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pinerootsavage
Farmgirl at Heart
7 Posts
Deb
Ontonagon
MI
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - Dec 25 2009 : 09:30:30 AM
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| A little about me, I bought my own farm, 113 acres at 23 yrs old (single) I met my husband at the local paper mill, we started a family & I was diagnosed with Lupus and given 7 yrs...I'm still here after 20 and kickin' and squallin' for what is right!! My kids are scared to death! We all are. We raise our own beef, pork, lamb, chickens for meat and eggs, I even have a dutch belted milk cow, huge gardens, lots of canning. There is no reason to close this mill, the whole town will have to leave if they want to make a living. We need to fight harder than I ever have and I am! There is one thing I have learned and know for a fact...farm girls are a different breed and they stick together in the thick and thin of it:) I can't thank you all enough. I know the deck is stacked, but I need to fight for our town, we are like a huge family. Merry Christmas to all, May God bless each and every one! Sincerely, just a lil pine root savage here in the Upper Peninsula of MI. |
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
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Wende
True Blue Farmgirl
353 Posts
WENDE
Kansas City
Missouri
USA
353 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 09:32:48 AM
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Deb,
Can you or someone in the community start a barter / trade type co-op??
If everyone pitches in until something is solved then everyone can make it.
Everyone writes down what they have to offer to the community and what they need back.
If anyone can barter/trade everyone benefits.
I am going to check with two of my clients who work for Smurfit Stone here in Kansas City.
I wonder if they know about this. I do know they both have been treated very badly by the company. It downsized and really made an impact on the community here.
When this started it sounded bad and now it is really bad.
Prayers go out to you, your family,friends and the community.
WENDE
#660
You know your a Farm Girl when... |
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pinerootsavage
Farmgirl at Heart
7 Posts
Deb
Ontonagon
MI
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 3:23:15 PM
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| Our town is more like a family than just a community, everyone helps everyone, with basically no charge just because we really have little money and basically live in the middle of nowhere USA. I am planning to try to fight Smurfit every which way, they owe the small business men here a lot of money and are shedding debt through bankruptcy, this Corporation really plans on taking this town down, people really don't know how to fight them...I'm trying to get to the judge to convince him to sell this as an operable paper mill so we can provide jobs, people are really writing letters, I suspect they are planning to divert effluent waste into the river directly and straight into Lake Superior, the largest freshwater body in the world, this mill is the only mill in MI that has met or exceeded MI clean water standards, we are very proud of this, I will try to stop this as well, it seems that they are ruthless. I sure will be interested to herar what your clients have to say, they have treated the people here quite badly as well. This co. seems to be corporately top heavy, they granted bonuses to the salary employees after filing bankruptcy...I just don't get it. |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2009 : 4:09:29 PM
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I have no problem writing letters to these people and the judge, I just ask one thing in return, GIRLS, please bail me out if I go to jail, cause I will speak my mind, I am blunt and to the point, and alittle crass in my words. I hate what is happening across this country to the little guys, from farms/ranches to Mom & Pops, to the little towns that are the blood source of this country, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, and so many more everyday just don't seem to give a damn.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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kpaints
True Blue Farmgirl
1564 Posts
karen
cheney
wa
1564 Posts |
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pinerootsavage
Farmgirl at Heart
7 Posts
Deb
Ontonagon
MI
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - Dec 29 2009 : 8:00:29 PM
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| keep up the writing girls, got the word that the judge is reading our letters to keep this as an operable mill, we are working to put together an ESOP. I would be the only thing that could save our community! Thank you all so much. |
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HeatherAnn
True Blue Farmgirl
187 Posts
Heather
Rancho Cucamonga
CA
USA
187 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2009 : 07:48:53 AM
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i would like to write, but what does one say especially when i'm so far removed? and when i've never written a letter like this before?
Heather Ann
Apartment Farmgirl
"You got to look at all the good on one side and all the bad on the other and say 'Well, alright then.'" - Aunt Eller, Oklahoma
www.plumblossomknits.etsy.com |
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herblady55
True Blue Farmgirl
3470 Posts
Judy
Louisville
Ohio(Stark Co)
USA
3470 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2009 : 5:44:20 PM
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I'm with HeatherAnn. Where do we start and how do we appeal to someone we don't know. How does one start a letter like that? Do you have a form letter?
Farmgirl Sister# 905
Judy
Hugs&Squeezles!
I am not contained between my hat and my boots! -Walt Whitman- |
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pinerootsavage
Farmgirl at Heart
7 Posts
Deb
Ontonagon
MI
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2009 : 8:15:27 PM
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| We are asking people tp write to keep this mill as an operable paper mill, instead of sold for scrap metal, if this is sold as a business it will be worth more and help to pay the debts that this company is trying to just walk away from. The closure of this mill equals the murder of our community, we have no resources in which to hire lawyers etc. This is a tiny town and the community will be able to survive if it sold to another company who will run it, even if we have investors that will let us work into employee ownership. I don't know much about bankruptcy,especially corporate bankruptcy, it's super complicated and I'm trying to muddle through, I've contacted legislation and they are helping me as much as they can but this is such a big corporation that it is in federal court. this is like David and Goliath. A tiny farmgirl leading the charge with her community against a giant corporation to save my town. It might just be a suicide mission but I've got to try. I wish I knew a corporate lawyer versed in bankruptcy but we are running out of time. I've been working morning til night on this and am getting tired. There is tons of ups and downs. I'll keep you gals posted, thanks to all. |
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Across the Fence: SOS for our town!!!!! |
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SOS for our town!!!!!
