sanctuary

Monday, March 28, 2016

Truth is clearly overrated among our kind (7)

It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.
(Ansel Adams)

We cannot win this battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond between ourselves and nature as well—for we will not fight to save what we do not love.
(Jay Gould, evolutionary biologist)


Being that change

I read a recent National Geographic article (Feb. 2016) about the Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, a preserve of some 6 million acres, a breathtaking area that is visited by 500,000 people a year. In additional to the astonishing pictures that the magazine has always been noted for, the article itself, in my opinion, provides a glimpse of the land use conflicts, the views of wildlife and the natural world in general that is occurring throughout the country today.

They come here to snap a few pictures and get some bragging rights about being 50 feet from a grizzly. In the course of experiencing this natural drama, something clicks. They go away wanting to protect places like this.
(Park Superintendent Don Striker)

Regarding wolf culls and removal of Denali's buffer zones: It's the state standing up to an overreaching federal government and libtard environmentalists.
(Coke Wallace, trapper and hunting guide)

Don't feel like it, not in the mood

The Washington Post conducted a survey that attempted to find out why Americans do not vote. It turned out that the primary reason was because they were “to busy” or they “lacked” interest. Yeah, they weren't motivated to vote.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that only 41.9 percent of eligible voters voted in the 2014 congressional election, a record low. The percentage of voters increase during presidential years but is still only about 62 percent. Overall, Americans don't vote. Well, not exactly true. Those making over $150,000 manage to make the effort and do a little better. They want their benefits.

It's so hard

Agriculture is probably the one most environmentally destructive human activity we have established.

Instead of forcing nature to give us what we think we want, we ask nature what it is producing and then turn it in to something valuable and delicious to eat.
(Fred Kirschenmann, farmer and educator)

The following is a video worth watching. Even if you live in the middle of a city and have never seen a real farm, learn about your role in changing our food system in any way you can.



Not to worry, the climate changes slowly

Hm-m. Perhaps not. Even the climatologists were surprised. We just had, globally, the hottest winter ever. The month of February was really warm and, yes, the conclusion was that is was primarily caused by humans. But the good news, sort of, is that the latest Gallup poll determined that 41 percent of Americans now believe global warming will be a “serious threat” in their lifetimes.

Yes, climate change, it could mean more rain or less rain for different parts of the planet. Food supplies could be in jeopardy and don't count on industrial agriculture to keep your stomachs full. Of course, mosquito-borne diseases will likely increase, millions of people might attempt to migrate to other locations in search of food and jobs, and political instability … beware of political “guarantees.” The Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization said recently that, “The future is happening now.”

Improving the numbers

Interview with activist Tim DeChristophrer


Both facts and passion required

While these seven articles have been primarily focused on public lands, their history and wildlife in America, we could have created a laundry list of issues the United States will have to face one way or the other, likely sooner than many of us would like to think about.

The national park idea goes back to the early decades of the 19th century and some of its supporters included George Catlin, James Fenimore Cooper, Henry David Thoreau, Abraham Lincoln, Senator John Conners of California and many others. Areas were set aside as public lands and to protect the wildlife in the 19th century, but it was President Theodore Roosevelt, a man of supreme contradiction regarding the environment, at the turn of the 20th century, who got legislation passed to establish a national park system. It is arguably one of the finest examples of public policy that this country ever established.

There is a great deal we can all do; it is not obscure or requires years of specialized training. The first thing is knowing the basic actual facts and the basic actual history of public lands in the United States. Then we can begin to separate the truth from the myths regarding wildlife, along with all the “freedom” and “liberty” buffoonery that is uttered. We're now ready to make more and more people understand the importance of public space and public lands, their value and their legacy at both the state and national level.

Some people may be able to demonstrate why a person in Brooklyn, New York ought to care about a national sanctuary in an isolated corner of Oregon. Or, for that matter, a hiker in the American Southwest being able to grasp the importance of clean air in Detroit, Michigan. It's the connections that have to be established across the entire country to diverse groups of people.

Now we can talk about political corruption, the ignorance regarding wildlife, and the outdated mentality that sees nature as a mere commodity, to be bought and sold and with little regard for the consequences. The last basic step is that we must find, encourage and support individuals who will represent us and stand firm in defending public lands and wildlife. Then we go out and vote at every level all the time.

In 2016 we have an actual chance to be part of the change, a change that does not exclude nor destroy nor take a future away. The change is all of us, not some shining knight appearing over the horizon to make things better.

Additional Information

Knowing your opponents is important. Ultimately we have to know who they are at the national, state and local level. The following are some of the key players in the U.S. House of Representatives. Their goal is to starve public lands by taking away the funds to maintain them. Their real objective is to privatize all public lands and turn them over to corporate interests. Help end the political careers of the following members of Congress: Rep. Greg Walden, R-OR; Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-UT; Rep. Scott Tipton, R-CO; Rep. Steve Pearce, R-NM; Rep. Mark Amodei, R-NV; Rep. Cynthis Lummis, R-WY, Rep. Raul Labrador, R-ID


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Wildlife:





Climate Change:


Agriculture:



The Politics:












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