Paul Addis

[Bob]

I have burdensome memories of quieter people who either lost or took their own lives, arguably as a result of the fatigue of busting ass to make the carnival happen. Had to stop working for DPW in 2004, after Tex took his own life before the event, and hearing that Stevie fishtailed and flipped pulling a janky trailer home a day after finishing her bit taking the Cafe down, then working overtime scooping up the remains of the fucking Temple into dumpsters on a Bobcat, upwind in a fucking whiteout. I remember watching her working on my last drive around, then hearing about her needless death on the highway home. So young. And Tex was a talented guy, but maybe he thought he ran into a dead end out in the desert. It broke me. I felt there might come a time for me sooner than later, if I didn't stop.

I felt for Caleb too, and miss him, though I've always advised friends to GTFO of Gerlach in the winter because it can fuck you up. We rescued a tuxedo kitten from out there; her neglectful owner, caretaker on a nearby ranch, blew her brains out in a trailer. Cat's 14yo now, and still feisty.

So... here's to us, and long may we dream.

[maryanimal]

I have burdensome memories of quieter people who either lost or took their own lives, arguably as a result of the fatigue of busting ass to make the carnival happen. Had to stop working for DPW in 2004, after Tex took his own life before the event, and hearing that Stevie fishtailed and flipped pulling a janky trailer home a day after finishing her bit taking the Cafe down, then working overtime scooping up the remains of the fucking Temple into dumpsters on a Bobcat, upwind in a fucking whiteout. I remember watching her working on my last drive around, then hearing about her needless death on the highway home. So young. And Tex was a talented guy, but maybe he thought he ran into a dead end out in the desert. It broke me. I felt there might come a time for me sooner than later, if I didn't stop.

I felt for Caleb too, and miss him, though I've always advised friends to GTFO of Gerlach in the winter because it can fuck you up. We rescued a tuxedo kitten from out there; her neglectful owner, caretaker on a nearby ranch, blew her brains out in a trailer. Cat's 14yo now, and still feisty.

So... here's to us, and long may we dream.

*raising a glass* (((Bob)))

[Savannah]

So... here's to us, and long may we dream.

*raises a glass*

[ygmir]

Fuck you Bob........this wonderful message screws my whole picture of you up........
*raises glass, small tear and a smile*

[theCryptofishist]

*has nothing to add, ferociously raises her own glass*

[cowboyangel]

I have burdensome memories of quieter people who either lost or took their own lives, arguably as a result of the fatigue of busting ass to make the carnival happen. Had to stop working for DPW in 2004, after Tex took his own life before the event, and hearing that Stevie fishtailed and flipped pulling a janky trailer home a day after finishing her bit taking the Cafe down, then working overtime scooping up the remains of the fucking Temple into dumpsters on a Bobcat, upwind in a fucking whiteout. I remember watching her working on my last drive around, then hearing about her needless death on the highway home. So young. And Tex was a talented guy, but maybe he thought he ran into a dead end out in the desert. It broke me. I felt there might come a time for me sooner than later, if I didn't stop.

I felt for Caleb too, and miss him, though I've always advised friends to GTFO of Gerlach in the winter because it can fuck you up. We rescued a tuxedo kitten from out there; her neglectful owner, caretaker on a nearby ranch, blew her brains out in a trailer. Cat's 14yo now, and still feisty.

So... here's to us, and long may we dream.

Thanks Bob and thanks for your work. I miss Shooter too.

[Box Burner]

I will raise a glass too.

[AntiM]

*clink*

[Simon of the Playa]

*clink*

[Roberto Dobbisano]

[Sail Man]

Jawohl! *clink*

[dontflipmejack]

This story really bothers me - sending someone to prison for burning a wood pile effigy of a man early??? Seriously though, shouldn't this have been a civil matter or at the worst some jail time/probation and restitution but sending someone to the pen???

The hypocrisy of the whole thing is astounding

[Elliot]

This story really bothers me - sending someone to prison for burning a wood pile effigy of a man early??? Seriously though, shouldn't this have been a civil matter or at the worst some jail time/probation and restitution but sending someone to the pen???

The hypocrisy of the whole thing is astounding

You are new around here, aren't you....
Addis set fire to an occupied building. That is, he deliberately set fire to a building where he had every reason to know that there were people inside. From what I have read, some of those people were asleep, which Addis also had every reason to expect at that time of night. So he committed a very serious crime just barely one tiny step below Attempted Murder. To my mind, two years incarceration was far too lenient.

[aserendipity]

Thank you Elliot for responding with specifics
I was just feeling the despair of it after reading the post

[dontflipmejack]

This story really bothers me - sending someone to prison for burning a wood pile effigy of a man early??? Seriously though, shouldn't this have been a civil matter or at the worst some jail time/probation and restitution but sending someone to the pen???

The hypocrisy of the whole thing is astounding

You are new around here, aren't you....
Addis set fire to an occupied building. That is, he deliberately set fire to a building where he had every reason to know that there were people inside. From what I have read, some of those people were asleep, which Addis also had every reason to expect at that time of night. So he committed a very serious crime just barely one tiny step below Attempted Murder. To my mind, two years incarceration was far too lenient.

When you say "asleep" are you referring to the person(s) passed out or stoned asleep under the firewood structure? Not a smart place to pass out in the 1st place, they unnecessarily put themselves in danger. So basically the crime here comes down to burning the "authority" outside of the LLC's schedule. A dumb prank yes but jezz sending someone to prison for it was a huge over kill.

Just another example of how corporate BM has become, the message sent is very clear - don't cross the borg or else expect to suffer the worst consequences possible. I dont even think the tea baggers would send someone to prison in a similar situation.

[aserendipity]

Dear dont flip
yes of course you can be right
always

[maryanimal]

When you say "asleep" are you referring to the person(s) passed out or stoned asleep under the firewood structure? Not a smart place to pass out in the 1st place, they unnecessarily put themselves in danger. So basically the crime here comes down to burning the "authority" outside of the LLC's schedule. A dumb prank yes but jezz sending someone to prison for it was a huge over kill.

Just another example of how corporate BM has become, the message sent is very clear - don't cross the borg or else expect to suffer the worst consequences possible. I dont even think the tea baggers would send someone to prison in a similar situation.

People on the playa fall asleep every where. Sleeping, passing out, or any other verb you may call it, is not dangerous or an act of negligent behavior. Starting a fire in said structure is. Many folks could've been severely hurt or killed. Then there were the people who knew what he was planning. why didn't they step up and warn the rangers or someone else who could've stopped it. Do you feel they were a part of this? I do, but they weren't prosecuted. Paul is lucky he only got 2 years. People say he was mentally ill, but that's no excuse for what he did. He paid his dues to society, and hopefully there can be some forgiveness.

[Elliot]

...under the firewood...

Not exactly. The Man was atop a large exhibit hall with a number of "green" displays, similar to a trade show. (I had a film running non-stop on a screen in one of the exhibits.) There were people in those exhibits at all hours -- until Addis endangered the very lives of those people by setting the fire.
And yes, it may be a surprise to you, but it is hardly uncommon at the Burning Man Art Festival to sleep in places other than one's own camp.

But yeah -- feel free to "be right"! I'm done explaining it to you.

[dontflipmejack]

After reading a little more of this thread I would like to respond to the posters that comment about Mr. Addis' mental condition. Was burning the "man" early THAT radical of an act the only a "crazy" person could have conceived?? Please, you people need to get over yourselves.

And as far as mental illness goes if Paul Addis didn't have mental problems before going to the "pen" it's conceivable that 2 years in prison could screw-up anyone......not to mention someone who was never in jail before. And not to joke on the subject but I wonder how prison is for a 5ft 3" white kid???? I know jokes abound on the subject but anyone in that situation is going to have some sort of issues when they get out - if they're lucky enough to survive the ordeal.

[aserendipity]

There you go ~
That can be your cause.

but if you get to heaven and find you like the people you will be with for eternity ...

[aserendipity]

whoa if you dont like the people you will be with for eternity then take it to the org

[dontflipmejack]

On second thought, after seeing a different picture of the structure in 2007 (the one I saw before was apparently wrong) I can see it was a bit more involved than just the "man."

So yes, I changed my mind about it being a dumb prank. The online articles didn't explain the story very well.

[ygmir]

On second thought, after seeing a different picture of the structure in 2007 (the one I saw before was apparently wrong) I can see it was a bit more involved than just the "man."

So yes, I changed my mind about it being a dumb prank. The online articles didn't explain the story very well.

refreshing and honest.........thank you dfmj.

[dontflipmejack]

On second thought, after seeing a different picture of the structure in 2007 (the one I saw before was apparently wrong) I can see it was a bit more involved than just the "man."

So yes, I changed my mind about it being a dumb prank. The online articles didn't explain the story very well.

refreshing and honest.........thank you dfmj.

Yeah, a wooden stick-figure is one thing (the article I read just had the "head" shot in the picture) apparently there was a pretty large structure underneath that wasn't mentioned or pictured.

So I changed my mind. If I had all the info (and I read several articles) I wouldn't have even bothered to post tonight. As far as the prison sentence goes, it's not such an injustice, all considering.

[gyre]

Mental illness actually is an "excuse", or not relevant at all.
You can't have it both ways, as is currently practiced.

The fact is that much worse crimes routinely get lesser sentences, but the federal system is much harsher, as is repeatedly mentioned in current news and storylines.
Stories abound of life sentences for minor drug crimes under the federal system, in which it doesn't appear there is even guilt.
Double jeopardy is a current specialty under the federal system too.
Bear in mind that you can be convicted of conspiracy on no real evidence at all in the federal system, even for a crime that could not have ever been committed.

Falling asleep on the playa can get you run over when you're not visible, but the man shouldn't be dangerous.
However, many don't realize it is quite flammable even before being wired with pyro.
I wouldn't sleep there.

I suspect the only thing that kept the charge from being appealed was the acceptance of a "plea bargain" .
"Plea bargains" are cheap and dirty justice and amount only to extortion.

It's pretty routine for similar or worse crimes to be lightly punished when no one is injured, especially if no intent to injure is evident.
Drive by shootings come to mind.
But the manbase was not a residence.

[gyre]

On an older thread, the question was asked as to how much time the arsonist that burned the Countessa received.

I think the real crime in Nevada is interference with business.

[Corvus]

What needs to be kept in mind is that it was not the BORG that convicted and sentenced Addis, it was Pershing county. In any case involving the cops, once an arrest has been made, the fate of the arrested is no longer up to the victim. This is seen all the time in domestic assault cases where the victim is begging the cops to let the alleged assaulter go rather than haul him off to the hoosegow. Going the other direction, the lack of conviction for the guy who burned La Contessa demonstrates the prosecutors don't apply a lot of weight to the victim's wishes, no matter how fervent. Even after an arrest, it is still up to the prosecutor to determine whether to proceed to trial or not. That the Pershing county prosecutor did so shows he thought the incident was serious. That the sentence was less than three years shows he was not convinced there was attempted manslaughter involved.

On another board (http://preview.tinyurl.com/b3ba5ar), a poster (Librarian50) summed things up nicely:

When Addis illegally torched Burning Man's eponymous central icon during the Monday night lunar eclipse in 2007, he was either injecting much-needed chaos back into the calcified event; indulging in a dangerous, destructive, and delusional ego trip; or he was simply crazy, depending on the perspective of current and former burners who are still quite animated in their opinions about Addis and his act in online forums.

I can understand how like Chicken John, as a Cacaphonist Addis would mourn the anarchic roots of TTITD as it grew. But even Chicken John didn't torch the icon of the event.

[theCryptofishist]

I'm ashamed of you all! Paul was railroaded!
Next you'll be claiming that after the burn he did something really crazy and dangerous, like, um, um, maybe, um, setting fire to a Cathedral in large metropolis. And not even after he got out of that crazifying prison!

[theCryptofishist]

Let us not forget dontflimpejack's long service as a voice of reason on this board...

[Bob]

FWIW the exothermic weight reduction of the Contessa took place in Washoe, not Pershing County. Washoe has constantly been on local landowners' asses the last ~15 years to clean up their scrap yards, fence off equipment, and paint everything that doesn't move a pre-approved earth tone so nothing spoils the "viewshed".