Charges fly over Rainbow Gathering

These drug addicts should not be allowed in the state. All they bring is problems every time they have come to NM and actually, every where they go!

These people need to be closely monitored in a State like NM with the possibility of large forest fires always present. It's irresponsible for Federal Agencies to adopt a hands-off attitude with such a devasting possibility. 10,000 people doens't mean 10,000 responsible campers. At the very least environmental damage and reams of litter will be created, an unavoidable byproduct of such a large gathering in one forrested area. The intelligent decision for these people is to split up into much smaller groups in their home states, rather than wreak the typical damages created by such a large number of people at a single spot in a National Forest.

The Rainbow Gathering has been happening for over three decades. There are many, many wonderful people that attend and profound experiences that arise. I would be very interested in those kinds of experiences from our local paper rather than focusing on arrests, etc.

Is anyone from the paper up there? Part of the mission of the Rainbow Gathering is about World Peace. It's about learning how to live together with respect, understanding and contribution.

It's about freedom.

Happy Interdependence Weekend...

dumbfounded wrote:

I do not understand why the forest service would stab someone. Is that part of their nazi tactics?
I sounds like they are the biggest potential source of damage and harm to the people at the gathering.
They should just leave everyone alone and let them have their party.

The forest service didn't stab anybody, you liar.

dumbfounded wrote:

I do not understand why the forest service would stab someone. Is that part of their nazi tactics?
I sounds like they are the biggest potential source of damage and harm to the people at the gathering.
They should just leave everyone alone and let them have their party.

The Forest Service DID NOT stab anyone, the stabbing that occurred was between two Rainbow family members.

Is way overhyped. The hippies that go to rainbow from all corners, are not 'progressive, socially responsible' hippies, they're the dirty, rude, ill mannered hippies. Disaster always.

Drugged up hippie chaos. Happens every year.
I feel for the rangers. They have better things to do than babysit a bunch of drunks and druggies from doing harm to themselves,others and the forest.

Seized drugs, she said, have included marijuana, hashish, crystal methedrine, heroin and psilocybin mushrooms....

One participant "overdosed three times and had to be transported out to a medical facility three times,"

and a stabbing

I was at one of the earliest Rainbow Gatherings at Strawberry Flats, outside of Boulder, Co.. But the majority of the festival took place in Boulder proper. Swammi Satchadanada was there and instructed Hatha yoga personally, Yogi Bajan was there too and personally instructed Kundalini Yoga. The Hopi Prophets spoke and revealed their visions; Steven Gaskin spoke; Bill Kwong from the Mill Valley Institute instructed in Zen meditation. Completely non-political overtone. There was enough Darshan emanated to last a life time. But these gatherings have degenerated over the years into drug induced semi-raves. Ecstacy, Coke, Crack, Meth, and super Pot have altered the nature of society and the Rainbow gathering too. You should be cognizant that change is the natural course of things, and in this case it isn't especially change for the better. Believe the reality, not the hype.

seems to always reported about the Rainbow gatherings. You never hear "Young person has life-changing experience while camping with kindred souls." I guess that's not much of a headline, lol. I went to gatherings years ago in my early twenties and nearly every local media outlet would vilify before the thing even happened. I had some of the best times of my life, NOT high on anything, digging latrines, cooking for hundreds of people at a time, and camping in some of the most beautiful places in the country, being with people that were genuinely interested in creating a healthy healing environment were we could come together and share a sense of family and community even if we'd never met before. Yes, there was lots of weed and mushrooms, but people pushing the hard drugs and alcohol were shunned, and more than likely escorted out. I never heard of anyone ODing and if they were any injuries, we had a medical tent with walkie-talkies to communicate with the rangers if needed. Organizers would do everything possible to work with the rangers, because they'd save our asses if anything bad happened, even if they were hostile from the beginning. The flood of hungry hippies was an economic boon for local shop owners, often leaving nearby communities happy we'd been there. Things are always happier and shinier "back in the day" of course, and maybe I'll looking at things thru rainbow-colored glasses, haha. I haven't been in years, and I'm shocked to hear of meth and heroin found there, and people attacking the rangers? Really? I'm not convinced that this isn't biased reporting with a large helping of propaganda taken directly from the rangers, with the reporter never being within a 50-mile radius of the place. Try interviewing someone who's been on that site for a month digging "sh*tters", marking trails and trying to keep everyone safe. Showing both sides is important to accurate reporting.

This is the third time I have been close to a Rainbow Gathering. Each time they exceed their license, fail to obey the law, looted the food banks, and leave a mess to be picked up and repaired by taxpayer money. Hold them to the wire and if they do not follow the rules stop them from any further destruction of land and resources in the future.

"Showing both sides" is not the forte of the Santa Fe New Mexican. And there's no mystery about that.

The National Forest is not supposed to be a place where filth, drug abuse and alcohol is tolerated.

Free firehose showers and a ticket home for all:

Hippies go home! Come back when your gathering really is clean and peaceful.

The hippies always say they are all about peace and love.
Got news for you: all the money you spend on drugs and alcohol goes straight to some of the worst people on the planet.

Now. Go have another nice peace and love fantasy,'cause fantasy is all it is. Y'all fund some of the worst violence there is: cartel killings, murders, rapes, brutality, violence. Not safe to go to work, not safe to go to school - this is what your drug abuse brings to communities.

I'd have more respect for y'all if I saw you having a Rainbow Family pilgrimage to the graves of the dead in Juarez, along with offering an apology to the people of Mexico for the consequences of your party spending on cartel profits and violence.

My GOD , can you imagine the smell of those filthy pieces of human trash gathered in one area? The smell of pot, pachuli, and dreads mixed with vomit, feces, urine, soy and granola. Tell me, just what kind of 'life changing experience' can one have with these dead beats? Maybe an overdose and a near death experience? Or maybe a pregnancy from all the unprotected hippie love mixed with 3 strains of the clap and herpes. YUCK! YOU FILTHY FUXX, GO HOME!!!!

Oh yeah, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK US FOREST SERVICE!!!!

dumbfounded wrote:

I do not understand why the forest service would stab someone. Is that part of their nazi tactics?
I sounds like they are the biggest potential source of damage and harm to the people at the gathering.
They should just leave everyone alone and let them have their party.

You're kidding, right. The forest service didn't stab someone! The hippies stabbed each other. Ugh.

Doinky wrote:

The National Forest is not supposed to be a place where filth, drug abuse and alcohol is tolerated.
Free firehose showers and a ticket home for all:
Hippies go home! Come back when your gathering really is clean and peaceful.

oh thats clever did you know not only hippies do drugs and this gathering isn't the only place people do drugs either? there are drug addicts on the police force and pretty much anywhere else you know if anything the state should just insure theres no unsafe fires to prevent them from burning down the forest otherwise whats the big deal? its not like they have this festival every day or that it conflicts with your life at all unless you live in the forest or something. these people are passionate about this gathering obviously and just because some people got in trouble doesnt mean thats what they are all doing. why does everyone shun people with a different lifestyle just because it isnt the ideal all work and no fun nonsense. some people just like to be happy in their own way and they are allowed to have these gatherings by law so why not let them?

Joe Dirt wrote:

My GOD , can you imagine the smell of those filthy pieces of human trash gathered in one area? The smell of pot, pachuli, and dreads mixed with vomit, feces, urine, soy and granola. Tell me, just what kind of 'life changing experience' can one have with these dead beats? Maybe an overdose and a near death experience? Or maybe a pregnancy from all the unprotected hippie love mixed with 3 strains of the clap and herpes. YUCK! YOU FILTHY FUXX, GO HOME!!!!

have you ever had a life changing experience or gone to one of these festivals? if not, then you dont know. so live in ignorance but dont put people down that you dont know and have never met. moron.

The environment should be the first and foremost concern, other gatherings such as burning man have extremely strict procedures to protect the environment, even to the extent that no powder makeup is allowed. As far as violence within the group goes, this is absolutely ridiculous, but one may say when this group is together they cause less violence then a city of mixed minded people of the same size. For the drugs - keep it to organics, or at least serotonin based substances..... c'mon.