"Pink E. Burns Cabin" Arsonists indicted

[Magic City Matt]

http://www.myfoxal.com/Global/story.asp?S=13083764


I feel like we should try to make something good come out of this situation. Any one think its possible we might be able to get these kids involved in some trail maintenance this year?

m

[Firedog]

Hey Matt, I saw the article today. I checked with a buddy of mine familiar with the process on this case. He told me that since it's Federal the prosecuter would probably be out of B'ham. He also said we could check with the USFS over here. If they had no prior history, they could get off light or they could go to Federal Prison anywhere in the country. Depends on the Judge.  If someone could find the prosecutor and get a feel for what the outcome might be and if light, then inject the community service aspect. Maybe so many hours of trail maintenance in exchange for time or whatever. If you need me to check on anything over here let me know. Carl W.

[Magic City Matt]

I just think it would be a terrible waste to send these kids up the river for twenty years and never give them the chance to make amens. Just putting themaway doesn't help any body.

m

[Mountain Dog]

It would help me and who knows, it might deter the next punks.

[Magic City Matt]

I am not saying they should not pay dearly for their crime. I am just saying that it might help their reformation to also do some hard work and help create something in place of what they have destroyed.

m

[Mountain Dog]

Hard work and accomplishing something does do wonders to help a person's self esteem.  I'd vote to clear the trail on the section north of Clairmont Gap if it has not been cleared lately.  My first time through that briar patch cost me a pint of blood and if someone had not painted blazes about 10 feet up I'd still be lost in there. 

[Uncle Wayne]

I am not saying they should not pay dearly for their crime. I am just saying that it might help their reformation to also do some hard work and help create something in place of what they have destroyed.

m

Agree wholeheartedly. 

[jaybird]

I say about 15-20 years each, and some hard labor thrown in.  The damage they've done cannot be replaced.  Their parents should do the trail work.

[ednotmilkman]

I think John Calhoun could use these guys to help him maintain some of the many sections he has been clearing the last few years.  I would commit to work with them a few days also if something can be worked out between the judge, USFS and some of us in AHTS or other trail group.

[Mountain Dog]

Oh No!  You can't be serious about holding the parents responsible.  The parents gave them the car, spending money(a lot), computers, cell phones, video games, iPads, etc.  Just how much more could the parents have done for them.  The next thing people will advocate is that the parents spend time with them in the outdoors and make them miss Big Brother or other great reality shows. 

BTW, my son in law is finishing his last section (Cheaha mountain) of the Pinhoti today.  I'll post on the Pinhoti section what he found in regards to water at the crossing.  Since I am watching the grand kids I'm sure he or my daughter will call tonight so I should post this weekend.

[jaybird]

I'm sure their parents are fine, upstanding members of the community (HA!)-- but in my experience, the apple doesn't usually fall far from the tree.  For whatever reasons, these 3 families have failed as parents in the rearing of these three.  And in failing them, they have failed us as a society which cannot function on lawlessness.

Throw the book at them.

[ednotmilkman]

we sure know who has the strict conservative point of view on this don't we !

[jaybird]

And everyone says I'm a liberal on every point........... ........

[Firedog]

I checked on the case. It is federal with a max of 20 years and if convicted will do 85% of time rendered. My buddy said it should move quickly and if we want to get community service added to not waste any time.  He said to contact the US Attorney's office in b'ham and see who has the case and make the suggestions for possible community service. He also said if they had no priors they might just get probation so the community service might be all the good that comes out of this.

[acousticdream]

This whole situation is just terrible. I lived next to Pink Burns for several years and I knew him well. We played checkers and cards at Jack's General Store in the afternoons, and I can tell you he wasn't the "historic trapper and hunter" everyone is saying he is now. Yeah, he had some funny stories and some of them were even partially true. But still, his old shack was a historical spot that reminded us of the 'old days' and how tough life must have been when Pink's family and the Steed family moved into that area. I was at that cabin just a few weeks before it was burned and the place was getting ready to fall in. I think it was a liability for the FS. They say they wanted to refurbish the building, but I don't see how that could have been done due to its condition. I agree that these young folks should pay for their crime, but tossing them into a cell and making them sit it off doesn't seem to solve anything - just us taxpayers having to foot their bills for the next 10-20. Why not make them give back to the ones they took from - all of us who enjoyed that old cabin. I completely agree that they should have to do some very serious community service. The USFS out there could use all the help they can get, and these young folks could use some time on the trail sweating and busting their @$$. I still live near Rabbittown and pass the trailhead often on my way to visit family. I think these young folks should have to build a new building to house campers, educational programs, info, and a museum documenting the history of the old building and Pink's life - and they should pay for the building materials. Five years of trail and community service would be a better learning experience for these folks than jail. Who knows, they may even learn to love the forest and what it can do for the soul.  So many kids grow up not knowing how rewarding and exciting it can be to spend time on these trails.

[stumpjump]

I also lived near Pink Burns' cabin. I remember going to his cabin after cutting firewood one day and listening to him talk. The stories that I heard from Pink and anyone that knew him were always tales of bootlegging or hunting and most of those were fiction. I agree that these kids should pay for the crime that they comitted. However, I do not in any way believe that they deserve 20 years in federal prison. I have hiked the trail behind the old cabin a few times and have pictures of the place. The pictures I have show caution tape, a caving roof, rotten floors, and broken chimneys. The buildings surrounding the old cabin were stained with grafitti. There was drug paraphernalia scattered around the property (aluminum foil, burned coke cans, needle caps). There have been many rumors around the area that the property was/is a popular site for making methamphetamines . I think it is a shame that the USFS let the property get in such bad shape to begin with. I would love to send my photos of the abandoned mess to anyone with a different opinion. If anyone would like to leave information on this site about how I can get in touch with the US attorneys office, I will gladly send a request that these kids repay the community by cleaning up the trails that we all love. I would rather meet these kids on a trail than send my tax dollars for them to watch cable TV in prison. I had rather see them working hard on the trails than sitting in jail while others work to keep the trails clean. I am sure that these kids all have family that love them just like I love my own child.

[Mountain Dog]

Lets see if I have it stright.  Pink Burns was just a farmer and an entertaining liar.  His old place was run down and not really worth/or could be saved.  These punks sort of did us a favor by removing a potentially dangerous house.  Since they did not destroy anything of importance they should not be subject to prison.  But, if they had burned something in good condition and from a reputable family the punishmnet could be different.  So, the nature of a crime must be weighed by its significance, not the crime itself.  So, if I abuse a homeless man that is not a productive member of society I should get lesser punishment than if I abuse someone with money.  Wow, what a system we advocate.

[jaybird]

If anyone would like to leave information on this site about how I can get in touch with the US attorneys office.....

U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance
Birmingham Office
1801 Fourth Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203
Phone: 205-244-2001
Fax: 205-244-2171
 

I am sure that these kids all have family that love them just like I love my own child.

While that may be true, simply giving love doesn't prevent someone from growing up to be a thug.

[jaybird]

By the way, according to the FS -- here are possibly the last known pictures of the cabin (taken by myself and some hiking buddies) from 3/7/09 -- 3 days before the cabin was burned.  Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't look beyond restoration in these pics.  I'll be forwarding these along to the U.S. Attorney.

"Pink E. Burns Cabin" Arsonists indicted

"Pink E. Burns Cabin" Arsonists indicted

[acousticdream]

I have lived in the Rabbittown community almost all of my life. A large portion of my wife's and my family live, and have lived in that community all of their lives, and we know exactly how important that cabin was. It makes me sick every time I pass that old place and think about all the time I spent sitting on that front porch talking and listening to Pink - he was my friend. The pictures you have do not show the condition of the interior nor the damage done to the floor and roof systems of the house. There aren't even any steps to get on the porch. The USFS had neglected the cabin and the place was falling apart. It was so unsafe that the FS prohibited entry into the cabin. The interior walls were ripped out because people from out of town coming in to look for Pinks "hidden fortune". He was dirt poor - there is no fortune and there never was. I haven't heard anyone wanting to throw the book at those folks who were slowly tearing the place apart. Pink was a good guy and I'm not trying to convince anyone otherwise, but the media makes it out like he was some type of  Jeremiah Johnson. He was a simple man and lived a simple life. Not once did I suggest that their punishment be based on the socioeconomic status of Pink Burns.

But as far as doing us a favor, no, they did not do anyone a favor. Sitting in jail for 20 years wasting away is not a reasonable solution. Who wins - these kids will never be able to return to society and have any kind of life after living in a federal prison for that long - statistics say that they will be at a high risk of returning to prison. What if they did five years in prison, with a work release detail that had them working on trails for ten years? Here, they give back a part of what they took from us, they get the chance to learn about how important these historical places are to society, and hopefully they will develop the same passion we all have for nature. A lot of folks in the community think they should have to work it off instead of sitting in jail wasting away. I was a high school teacher for several years, and kids today have little to no real connection with nature because of all the high tech distractions ruining America's youth. I bet if you ask these three kids if they have ever spent even a single hour hiking or exploring the forest, you'd be terribly sad to hear their answers. 

And surely you're not naive enough to think America's "system" is actually working. Studies have shown that a combination of jail time and community service improves the chances of offenders to return to society and stay out of trouble. I think there is a more effective way to handle this situation so that it gives back to the community that MY FAMILY AND I are apart of, and helps to educate these offenders about the importance of these historic places and nature. I am a wildlife biologist (M.S.) and I would gladly volunteer my time to educate these kids about the true wonder of Alabama's forests. I think something very good could come of this very sad situation, for the offenders and OUR community, if it is handled in a reasonable way.