The feds can't come in here like storm troopers and start running our lands and rivers"

Leave it to Fox News to refer to miners illegally suction dredge mining on Idaho's Salmon River as activists. 

A group of miners began illegally dredging for gold this week in Idaho’s Salmon River to challenge what they call federal government overreach into the waterway, Reuters reported. They are protesting regulations by the EPA that forbid suction dredging and other mining in the river in order to protect the habitat of endangered fish.

LINK 

Comments

[Idaho steel]

Wow, state's rights huh? I thought we settled that once already... But more to the point, how about those of us in the state that don't want our rivers and public lands fucked up any worse? The problem with people like these idiot protesters is they cannot seem to grasp that other people have "rights" as well when it comes to those resources held in common.

By the way, have you ever noticed that a certain type of individual who knows they are in the wrong will always attempt to portray themselves as a victim, or worse still, some sort of patriot? Government tyranny? C'mon, lets get real here shall we?

[BG]

These are the same people who are more than happy to tout that "marijuana is still illegal according to federal law" while states are legalizing it on their own mandates. Yet, they are more than happy to go against their support for federal regulations when it supports their own agenda. I have a solution...treat these guys like the criminals they are...take their equipment and fine them for violating endangered species laws.

[Jeff]

Interesting that they titled the article Panning in Protest...
Panning, to my knowledge, is not illegal and it is also NOT what they are doing. Trying to downplay the severity of what these operations= typical media manipulation.