Environmentalism

What a privilege in life to see an idea rise and fall of its own weight. Former Vice President Gore getting a Nobel Peace Prize is the icing on the cake. Now maybe the idea can return to what is good for people.

When Barry Commoner back in the 1960’s made the cover of Time Magazine, many of us phoo phoo’d him as a noble idiot, well intentioned but lacking the money to do what he talked about. About two decades later when I was told I might be liable for the sins of my fathers, and my own Marines, who poured used engine oil down the drains into the local creek in NC, my antenna sprung up. While any normal citizen is for environmental type goals, having to live it and be liable is another dimension. As always, the Marines got in step, and made things happen. Whether our National Defense suffered, we can debate later. And even now, water quality from contamination from an off-base dry cleaner, and I was making babies then, and the babies drank the water, is a present day subject. Breast feeding or formula feeding in both cases uses local water.

Fast forward to the past, first. Even John Muir (Sierra Club) suggested eradicating the American Indians as messing up the pristine environment he sought.

Fast forward to today, second. Politicians have aligned with environmental visionaries to use citizen’s money to achieve their objectives, or try to do so. The practical effects are pitiful, reflecting naïve intentions and poor science by those who even think about science. Four examples are for today.

The obvious one is global warming, which finally can be discussed in scientific terms, not withstanding the environmentalists and their politicians trying to force their positions on the rest of us. The warming, its effects on the world, and the human part of it, are all worthy of public education and debate. There are pros and cons. The most cynical might remind citizens that at the end of the last ice age, New York city was ½ mile or more under the ice, and things might be better if it were still that way.

The second one is most appalling to this citizen, a land owner, and one subject to efforts of the NRDC to control my land, albeit without paying a penny. My bottom line is they want to be able to dictate my timber practices, as well as all the other practices to restore wildlife and the balance before the Europeans came. Their published objective is to keep things like they were in 1900, not 1400. Now if that is not a political objective, tell me what is. And whether one’s objectives are right or wrong, they don’t own a penny of land to achieve their objectives.

The third example is one of so many environmental do-gooder efforts being counter-productive. This idea is not just some debate about good intentions compared to results. Just look at the results in Africa with the practices in Kenya compare to, say Mozambique.

The fourth, and last example, is semi political and religious. Environmentalism has risen to an unobstructed cult or religion, without normal review and constructive criticism. Even the Catholic Church can take criticism. Good intentions, and hidden intents, go far in this newest cult, which is what it is. This cult is being made up as it goes. Thank goodness people all over the world can say what they think about all this. The aspects that are silly and daffy come to mind. Mr. Gore comes to mind.

So has environmentalism reached some kind of epoch. The obvious answer is yes. The five Norwegians voting to award Mr. Gore his Peace award are sending their message. Americans are receiving, and perhaps reacting, and will also send their message back. Our National Interest is not the same as theirs. Whether they receive or not is not even of interest to most Americans.