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Show THE ZEPEL i AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2007 Self-satisfied chuckle from Certitude. “Sort of pricks that balloon of yours, Murie, that pie-in-the-sky thing about habitats. Energy is the big deal now. As I said, it’s about time. ndangered species can wait, we'll deal with them later, if necessary. Al Gore had to happen. I don’t like the guy, but in our economy it takes a celeb to make people wake up. By the way, why do you keep going around preaching about this flower-loving fly?” “That fly is an endangered species.” “Trrelevant. The Endangered Species Act is just a big show to keep liberals and leftists ee Extinction is a key part of the workings of this world. Yoiu’re in denial there, old From MARTIN MURIE [ bristled at that “old pal” bit. Amazing, truly amazing, the divergence of our paths. I gave my usual spiel about flower-loving flies equipped with long probosces to suck nectar from flowers. They are on the edge of extinction, hanging on in southern California, only 12 habitats left, the largest is 350 acres owned by two sand-and-gravel companies on the Agua Marisas Enterprise Zone slated for commercial development. “Habitat,” I said. “Without places to live, species die. These flies are like canaries in the coal mine that nobody mentions.” skerihog@ I was really wound up, went on about big Al and his slide show and his book and the Oscar occasion. He’d been in the White House in official capacity, so people sat up and took notice. I could agree with ol’ Certitude on that. Environmental awareness at long last, big blaze, hell of a lot more impact than a few hundred tree huggers trying to save bits of wilderness. But I wanted to nail down this ownership thing. What does it mean to “sponsor” a wolf pup? What does it mean to own an animal or a piece of land or a uranium mine? And that reminded me of Paris Hilton, her going around with that furry jungle animal across her shoulders. I had sent her an e-mail. No, I’m not lying, I actualy did that, suggesting she might want to have a confidential talk with a close friend about acting like she owned that jungle beast. I heard later that the animal had bitten her. Then the breaking parole et cetera and now she’s in jail and out of jail and in again. westelcom.com LOSING SOLITUDE “So, what's your point?” Dogger asked. “Owning things has a strong tendency to shy far away from sharing. That's my point.” Defenders of Wildlife sent me a sticker proclaiming “Proud Wolf Pup Sponsor. I have this urge to send Defenders a much better slogan: “Proud Habitat Sponsor.” The idea being that if we seriously start thinking about habitats ... places for our species and others Another voice. I remembered her but her name escaped me. She was saying, “TI love to own things. I have a five-bedroom home with lawn and lots of trees and a backyard swimming pool and I’m about to plunge on a new car and I have an Irish Wolfhound and two cats and a loving husband and we all get along fine.” to live and thrive ... we will have crossed a divide we haven’t paid much attention to, but it’s there, between us and the rest of the world. We would be sharing habitats. In the kitchen, waiting for rain, I fell into a doze, arguing that thought with old friends and acquaintances. Life sure had taken many a turn since those shining hours of easy-going comeraderie. Not so easy this time. We were biting and snarling. Not much fun. Who needs enemies? It started off mildly enough, Dogger’s voice ... we called him Dogger because he was good at imitating dogs, little rug rats to big Siberian huskies. Had a good wolf howl too and coyote yips. “Martin,” he said. “you're forgetting that sponsoring a wolf pup is next door to owning it, so it’s likely the sponsor might pay more attention to the environment. Another voice. I remembered her but her name escaped me. She was saying, “I love You know, things that give his or her pup a good chance at life. That’s a step forward, don’t you think?” I asked if it wasn’t humanly possible to once in a while take two or even three steps at to own things. I have a five-bedroom home with lawn and lots of trees and a backyard swimming pool and I’m about to plunge on a new car and I have an Irish Wolfhound and two cats and a pues husband and we all get along fine.” “Uh ... “I managed. Another voice. Took me a while to tag it. Ah, right, Simpson, the one who wanted to a time. Another voice. “Too revolutionary, Murie. I remember that habit of yours, wanting to move fast, out of step with reality. You seemed to take a certain pride in that pose.” be a diplomat, part of the foreign affairs establishment. “Martin, I’m afraid you just don’t get it. Owning things is a part of our American culture. You can’t just go around acting Reminds me of something the president said. He’d decided his mission was to preserve the American Way of Life. Turned out that way, didn’t it? He and his oily friends started a war to get into the business of grabbing as much oil as possible for the American Way. I recognized the deep tone of absolute certitude. He had all the answers and hung onto them like they were part of his excuse for living. That hadn’t changed. I tried a little diplomacy. “I think Global Warming has a hopeful side. Good news.” Certitude... I'd forgotten his real name... agreed wholeheartedly, but didn’t ask for the good news. “es all about alternative sources of energy. It’s about time the economy got into that.” I said I wasn’t all that keen on alternative energy tied to moves on the rulers’ chess board, people management. “Subsidizing wind power in places where there isn’t much wind, turning food crops into ethanol, all that techno-market-economy talk, reminds me of something the president said. He’d decided his mission was to preserve the American Way of Life. Turned out that way, didn’t it? He and his oily friends started a war to get into the business of grabbing as much oil as possible for the American Way. It’s clear by now that sharing habitats with wolves and whales and redwoods and whitebark pines and flower-loving flies, let alone other nations, other people, was never included in that decision.” - like it’s some kind of weird calamity. I’m going to suggest something here, and I hope you won't take offense. I think you and Al Gore have something in common.” “Heaven forbid,” I said. “No, listen, this is serious, what I’m trying to say, you and Al are both liberal to a fault, practically socialist.” “The Wall Street tae tagged Al with that,” I said. “That's where you goti “You're right, I did, aad the WS] is a fine paper. However, I do have my own talent for nosing out leftish views. I work in the city, you know, or maybe you didn’t know.” “You mean, New York?” “Of course.” “Stockbroker?” I asked, trying to be funny? “Yes, that is my trade.” Silence, all us ghosts taking it in. Then ol’ Certitude again. “Forget those flies, can’t you? Forget Paris Hilton. Global Warming is the blockbuster on the agenda now, Murie. You know something? I’m really sick and tired of environmentalist exaggerations and snide hits at our system of government and our economy. The way you people carry on is a crying shame. It’s next door to communism Iblew up. “Look, old pal, do you think shock and awe bombing of Baghdad and before that, under Clinton, the bombing of Belgrade, and bafore that the A-bomb, under Truman and before that the bombing of London and Leipzig under Hitler and Churchill were not exaggerated exercises of extremist power? Just kids playing around with fire crackers? Belgrade, that was the capital of Yugoslavia, at the time.” NOW AVAILABLE BREAKOUT A NOVEL BY MARTIN MURIE A cross continent struggle to save people and other endangered species. $15 lf Order direct from Martin Murie ORDER SIGNED COPIES DIRECT FROM MARTIN MURIE: LOSING SOLITUDE: cowtown....$14.95 A contemporary Western. Developers invade a WINDSWEPT: Birdwatchers & a biker from Montana aug with corporation extremists in Medicine Bow, Wyoming....$14.95 BURT’ S WAY: Environmentalists labeled ‘terrorists, keep a’ chuggin’ on the Quebec/New Y ork border...$12 RED TREE MOUSE CHRONICLES: Forest animals on a What is the future of the forests? They turn activist.....$6.00. SERIOUSLY INSISTENT: 80 pages of activist critique...$7.00 Plus Postage--$2.20 for the first book, $1.00 for the second. Send your order to: M ECan MURIE BPA avs North Bangor, NY |
