http://www.texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=528438&forum_id=27

For those that can't get into AO

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/1988762.html

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An off-campus bonfire may not burn this Saturday after all.

Judge J. D. Langley granted an injunction Friday morning prohibiting the burning of bonfire out at Hot Rod Hill. The county is under a burn ban, and Langley says the bonfire is not an exception to that ban.

The county has been under the current burn ban since September 6. For the year, the county is nearly eight inches of rainfall below the average.

However, since so much time, money and effort has gone into the building of the stack, Langley will allow county commissioners to decide if they want to make an exception.

Commissioners will hold an emergency session Friday afternoon at 2 to decide if bonfire will burn or not.

If the injunction stays in place, Sheriff Chris Kirk says he will have the authority to arrest any person who acts to light the stack.

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Sorry, forgot which forum I copied from. My Bad

Thanks Country

so not to get involved in the hype, but is there anything new on this...?

I'd look for an update from NSG sometime after 2 today.

She should have more info on this.

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Organizers of Aggie Student Bonfire say they have been meeting with county officials since the summer. County Judge Randy Sims gave permission to ignite the log structure because it is considered a "ceremonial act" and is thus exempt from the burn ban, said Ryan Shafer, one of the bonfire leaders.

"We were told that the burn ban would not be an issue that pertained to this particular event," he said. "We got the go-ahead from the county."

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What do you mean is there something new? A County Judge (Randy Sims) had previously given permission to go ahead with the burn even though there is currently a ban in place. This morning he was trumped by a District Judge who has now put it up to the county commissioners. You would think the commissioners will rule in favor of it, but nothing is a given especially when you have a district judge trumping the county judge.

PJ--that is from the article in the Eagle this morning. However this story just happened this morning. I think (hope) everything will work out, but something smells with this.

[This message has been edited by country (edited 11/18/2005 1:04p).]

I hope this article from the eagle didn't have anything to do with this all of a sudden being an issue.

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/111105/opinions_20051111007.php

HHH Hall - Hell Pot
R.I.P. Hotard

well the question becomes who filed for the injunction?

This should be exempt under the 'ceremonial fire' provision.

OceanStateAg - that's another good question.

If they don't allow stack ot be lit, i say we burn the house of whoever filed the injunction.

(disclaimer: i do not actually advocate burning of peoples houses)

20,000 Ags with Zippos, torches, etc...
Does the sherriff have enough man power to stop that?

Seriously though, who filed with the courts for the injunction? The answer to that is very interesting and demands to be found out...anyone know anyone at the court house?

It is utter B***S*** to pull some 11th hour crap like this to shut burn down. I hope the commissioners rule in favor of burn being clear under ceremonial exemption, as it should be.

And yeah, I'd like to know who filed the injunction that Langley approved.

DYG
http://hogs.tamu.edu

I always thought the best part of bonfire wasnt the burning of it. Would this really take away the spirit if it happened? I think not. Bonfire is not about the burning, but the work that goes into making it.

Here's the culprit from the eagle:

"What burn ban?

Have I missed something, or have we had drought-ending rain in the past month that I apparently missed? I thought the countywide burn ban was still in effect. Or have the students trying to rekindle A&M's bonfire tradition been given "above to law" permission, by county administrators, to actually light a bonfire consisting of more than 2,000 poles when its a fineable offense to even burn your trash in the open in your own back yard?

If the students can have permission from the county, why can't others, or do they have a magic formula in mind to create enough moisture in the surrounding area to protect farm and ranch land - even homes - from burning caused by a spark from the bonfire? And exactly how do we get permission to burn our own trash? Aren't the county commissioners in office to "protect" all residents?

And speaking of burn bans, wasn't the county in a burn ban in 1999, the year of the disaster at A&M? Maybe a few lives (12, to be exact) could have been saved. Or were the students and the university above the law then, too?

CHARLES RAY

Bryan"

The problem would be no one showing up to burn and missing that revenue. Would be a SERIOUS blow.

The good thing is, this will generate alot of publicity should the ban be lifted.

[This message has been edited by bigsue08 (edited 11/18/2005 1:51p).]

You guys need to stop talking like this. Anti-bonfire people make the point that college students aren't mature enough to prevent a repeat of 1999. I know you are and that Student Bonfire is much more professionally run than ever before. But comments about doing violence against those who oppose you don't help your cause.

Settle down.

if you knew me you wouldnt take me seriously. sorry dual

That's just flat out rotten and wrong. I just read this a few minutes ago on the General Board. How convenient that the decision was made/publicized when it's too late to contact them for omplaints/comments.

[This message has been edited by pdc093 (edited 11/18/2005 1:43p).]

[This message has been edited by pdc093 (edited 11/18/2005 1:44p).]

This doesn't surprise me. The newer people in this area have been trying to get rid of any trace of Bonfire for years. There are so many uptight buttholes in this town now it's pathetic. The older families in this area were all Aggie fans that would do anything for the school or it's traditions. They knew who kept them in jobs. The newer people don't feel they need the students.

hmm, remote start maybe as a backup? How would they know who started it?

While I would agree that the most significant part of Bonfire is the building, in terms of a Bonfire without University support a successful burn is critical to padding the coffers for the following year, as well as offsetting any debt accumulated during the construction process. By this point in the game serious financial commitments have been made, e.g. shuttles and equipment rental, and thus scaring away potential attendees with the idea that it may not go down, or flat out getting a ban imposed can have serious financial repurcussions that may be hard to absorb by this still fledgling organization.

So, while I in no way am advocating violence against anyone, I still would like to know who filed for the injunction. Because if he/she/it owns/operates a business in the area, I sure as hell won't be patronizing it, and will urge everyone else to do so as well. Trying to shut burn down after all the hard work these kids have put out is just not right, no matter how one tries to spin it.

Agreed. The person who filed for the injunction needs to be known.

bingo...knowing who is out to hurt the students and all those working on the stack would allow supporters to know if there are bussinesses that we should not be supporting.

Any body want the phone number and adress of one Mr. Charles V Ray of Bryan Texas? At least to find out if he was the one who filed the injuction?

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hmm, remote start maybe as a backup? How would they know who started it?

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Agreed. The person who filed for the injunction needs to be known.

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I would imagine this is a matter of public record and can be ascertained with a phone call or, at the most, a visit to the country courthouse.

If I were ASB, however, the phone calls I would be making would be to some sympathetic member of the Aggie Bar Association, seeking short-notice pro bono representation.

[This message has been edited by DualAG (edited 11/18/2005 2:08p).]

While that guy made himself an easy target by posting in The Eagle, it is best not to go off assuming it was he who filed for the injunction. However, whoever filed for the injunction should be a matter of public record that is available at the court house.

Dual - A visit the courthouse is happening right now by an SB donor. He should be calling me as soon as he gets the info.

I highly doubt it was the guy who posted in The Eagle.

Seriously, someone who has the intelligence level to make all of the logic jumps that he did in that article is not nearly smart enough to do this the day before Burn. He would've done it earlier in the week.

If I were guessing, I would say that the injunction was filed by the County Attorney. He would be the one that recognized that there is no "ceremonial exception" language within the ban. This is just a guess.

I just find it ridiculous for whoever filed the injunction to do so at this point in the game.

Last-minute injunction filing is a recognized tactic that is used all the time. I know a divorced father who was served with a last-minute restraining order preventing his attendance at the wedding of his daughter. His ex-wife knew that if she filed early that his lawyer would probably get the restraining order set aside.

This is judicial hardball. Next year, perhaps ASB will be ready for this kind of tactic.

Hopefully, they can do something this year. Good luck, guys.

[This message has been edited by DualAG (edited 11/18/2005 2:21p).]