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Show THE ZEPHYR JUNE 1991 PAGE 12 that doesnt fit mainstream environmental thought -- - because thats what seems to me to promote growth In clearheadedness. nd last month, Incidentally, to those of you who rejected my poison pen I want you to notice that feeling you experienced as you discarded my arguments. Take note of It, because It Is the same sensation felt by many people who hate environmentalists. When you all start saying that the spotted owl Is more Important than a timber town, that man should no longer be allowed to extract things from the earth and make a profit for himself because hes really raping the land, and that crossing streambeds, In passing near archeological remains, and kicking up dirt In wildlife habitat a motorized talk about contradictory Information attacking basic American vehicle has to be stopped belief systems! out-of-ha- somewhere left of right The Gulf War by Jane S. Jones Looking Backwards case you missed It, last month I put forth the extremely unpopular theory of the Industrial revolution as savior of the world, since Its effects on earths atmosphere may have prevented the next Ice age from beginning on schedule. Other heresies attacking the clear-cuttipractices were also put greenhouse effect, old growth forests, and Brazilian' In ng forth. To clarify, Just because I attack conventional accepted views on the greenhouse I effect, etc. does not mean that I am a proponent for any particular theory. Rather, remain unconvinced that man has any remote concept or understanding of the forces and how they Interact to result In life on this earth as we know It But common sense does tell me that It Is Insane to go on burning fossil fuels at an Increasing rate, causing smells to waft through the air that my nose tells me Is bad. So, why do I always question the conventional environmental wisdom? I guess Just on general principles, the more people who Jump on the bandwagon, the more suspicious I get Its not all Just my perverse nature, either. History has taught me that g. And so me really good Ideas are pushed by folks with agendas other than my of Mother Protection Nature, for some of those really good Ideas can be dead wrong. example, may be the clarion call of the environmental organizations, but Is that all they are pushing? For this reason, I like to look under every rock to see whats really there. And also, I want folks to think about all skies of an Issue, not Just what the media spoonfeeds us, which these days Is all environmental propaganda. I think we all tend to reject conflicting and contradctory Information If It attacks Is most It natural and comfortable to support the theories that support our basic beliefs. what we believe In. For example, Ill be the first to admit I was happy to find some books recently that support my thesis: that environmental hysteria Is alive and well In America, and It Is causing people to shut down worthwhile activities for no good reason other than that a gloom and doom mentality has got us all running scared. The power hungry Federal land management agencies and private environmental organizations are reaping the rewards of Increased land control and Increased funding, to the detriment of Individuals. Thats my opinion. But remember, Im paranoid. Because these books said what I wanted to hear, I was leery of them. The only Issue that seemed worth writing about so far was the one about young trees absorbing more C02 from the air than mature old growth trees, which I discussed last month. The argument seemed plausible. But the theory about the Industrial revolution saving us from the onset of the next Ice age didnt come from those kinds of books, which I categorize as propaganda. Rather, I found It In a scholarly book called Carbon Dioxide and Global Change: Earth In Transition by Sherwood Idso. The theory seemed to have such a macabre twist that I had to share It and cause Stiles some pain. (I was considering writing this month about the safety, efficiency, and cheapness of nuclear power as the energy source of the future.... but we cant have Stiles wringing his hands and gnashing his teeth again this month, can we?) I will continue to So, call me a heretic poke and probe at environmental doctrine, and to occasionally present a blatantly one-sidtwisted, and uncomfortable logic well-bein- ntal You may find that you have basically forgotten, already, about the war. It seems far removed, sort of taken care of, no longer a nightmarish reality haunting our dally thoughts and Intruding on the evening TV viewing ritual. Thoughts of death from war have been replaced with cyclone, earthquake, and starvation death, and this seems to be less threatening, less of a personal problem. Middle class Americans live a basically Pollyanna existence, and thats why the Gulf War was such a shock. It taught me that I still believe In monsters, and that maybe, like Hitler, Saddam Hussein really Is one. But were we fighting Hussein, the madman, or were we fighting a growing worldAnd now, having obliterated a scared, wide perception that America was a of disheartened fringe the Iraqi army, should we feel proud? undernourished, poorly armed, light-weig- I ht? dont The press has been very critical of the restrictions placed on It during the conflict They claim that democracy frills when they are not allowed In the field of battle, that denial of access Is far worse than censorship. Of course I wouldn't expect the press to take this one lying down. Myself, when I dont like something, I spend many hours of Intense mental acrobatics, mumbling to myself, finding arguments to support my side, to shame those who dd the wrong thing. But I dont care too much about the press on this one, because the one thing I was happy about throughout our conflict with Iraq was the restrained press coverage, because I feel In a war situation (and not In any other situation that comes to mind) that the appearance of unequivocal support Is the most Important concern, because of our troops. I dont think a dove should have rased hls conscience during the Gulf War by continuing public protest ridiculing the military machine In public, etc. Because he couldnt find the time to stop the war before It began, then I think he should shut up. He should have to deal with hls pain, with the wrongness of military might subjugating the weak, of dying for oil. It should gnaw at hls Insides and maybe next time he wont sit Idly by when decisions are being made. In this case, Bush and hls advisors had plenty of time to hear what Americans thought before they decided to go to war with Iraq. And It Is dear to me that although I personally dldnt think protecting our sources of Middle East oil was that Important, that a majority of Americans were behind the government when It dedded to remove Iraq from Kuwait ) Following this line of thought I also dont want to see reporters out In the war zone, feeding us nightly primetime TV doses of Inconsistencies and second-guessin- g, looking not for stories that support the fighting troops, but those that find fault I do not believe that honesty Is the best course In this situation. At least In respect to the seriousness of war, let us finally as Americans be forced to figure out what were doing before we do tt, to stand by our decision and taka the consequences without flinching. We owe no less than our complete support to those sleek, shiny-facyoung men and women who go to give up their lives for us. ed ed, Pottery by THE Ottytital'' Kokopelli Gallery & Gifts 90 East Center 9 to 6 - 7 Days a week 259-606- 6 Delma Tangreen, owner KOKOPELLI Southwest Design Hangings by Darlene Summerville Beaded Keychains by John, age 13 Kachina Dolls by Eddie & Evelyn Charley POTTER est. 1972 tootsie art by: sunbird knight life designs we will also have authentic Indian art |