[at-l] silent spring

[rafeb@adelphia.net (Raphael Bustin)]

At 10:45 AM 2/20/02 -0600, Shane wrote:

> > side of the issue, I am increasingly concerned that environmental issues
> > are being presented to our children in - for lack of a better phrase -
> > "black and white" terms.  Man is evil; Man is not natural; business in
> > general is evil; consumption is morally wrong/bad; etc.
>
>This kind of intellectual depravity is exactly the reason I try not to
>discuss environmental issues.  We complain about loggers, but live in wooden
>houses.  There is a bizarre hypocrisy on both sides of the issue...
>
>The government, in my opinion, is the least capable entity for protecting
>the environment, since - in the end - the government is for sale to the
>highest bidder...



This is a circular argument, then.  The "fix" is not to
abandon government, but to make it represent us,
rather than the corporate/economic interests that
fund the campaigns and junkets.

Big business does its damnedest to eviscerate and
corrupt government (at every level) and then misses
no chance to point out the ineptitude of that same
government.  It's a win-win game, for them.  And
lose-lose, for the rest of us.

Imagine spending $70 million to buy yourself the
mayorship of New York City.  Don't laugh.  It just
happened.

A wooden house that lasts a few centuries is one
thing.  But if it's designed to last only a few decades,
that's quite another.  Let's talk about planned
obsolescence and an economy that's predicated
on non-stop acquisition and consumption.

What alternatives are there to wooden houses?
Certainly, the majority of those who dwell in Manhattan
(for example) aren't guilty of this particular sin, since
they dwell in steel and cement structures.

Matter of fact, government regulations have done
wonders for the environment in the USA -- eg., the
Clean Air Act.  Not to say we don't have much more
work to do, and a huge responsibility also, since we
in the USA consume such a disproportionate amount
of the earth's natural resources.

Let's talk about population control and zero
population growth -- world-wide.  Once you make
babies, they deserve a roof over their heads,
regardless of what you build it from.


rafe b
aka terrapin