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The radical green 'god-squad'
By Henry Lamb October 27, 2003 When the radical greens began distributing bumper stickers that read "No moo in '92," and "Cattle free by "93," most people just laughed, unable to comprehend the idea of completely eliminating ranching in the American West. Radical greens, however, are dedicated to the proposition that: "A radical notion may become rational, and then, over time,
reasonable and realistic - if you work your butt off." A handful of radical Congressmen have now introduced legislation, which, if adopted, would be the final blow to the troubled ranching industry. Their plan requires taxpayers to cough up more than $3 billion to buy grazing rights from ranchers. In the West, ranchers pay the federal government for the privilege of grazing their cattle on federal land. To make the land usable, ranchers have to build fences, install wells and miles of pipelines to provide water for livestock, and for wildlife. Under the best of circumstances, ranchers work their butts off to scratch a meager living from the land. Circumstances over the last decade have been far from best. Aside from the problems caused by the lack of rain, radical greens have worked their butts off to impose layer after layer of additional hardships. After ranchers and other residents worked for a century to rid the range of predator wolves, the radical greens convinced Congress that wolves should be reintroduced, at a cost of as much as $225,000 per wolf. Moreover, the proposed legislation lists 15 different federal programs promoted by the radical greens, that impose land use restrictions which have incrementally tightened the noose around the ranching industry. Then comes a trade policy that welcomes imported beef, which is raised in countries where no similar restrictions - or costs - exist. Despite these far-from-best-circumstances, 82% of the 870 public land ranchers in Arizona, do not support this buy-out scheme, according to a survey taken by Kerr's organization. Still, the radical greens persist. These self-appointed protectors of the public domain presume to think they know how to manage the land better than the people who earn their living from it. Their radical vision is to remove the people, and return the land to the rattlesnakes, lizards - and wolves. These self-appointed protectors of the earth have been so successful, they have developed a god-complex, and act as if they, and they alone, know how to manage nature as it should be managed. They have convinced themselves, and a few Congressmen, that people who disagree with their view, are an intrusion into nature, rather than an integral part of it. Development is a blight on nature, rather than a modification to the environment which makes life better. Radical greens have no problem accepting as "natural" the slaughter of a person by a grizzly bear, but stamp a "criminal" label on a person who kills a grizzly that threatens his life or property. In nature's scheme of things, a human has as much right to modify his environment, defend his life and territory, and secure food, as any other species. Like every other species, humans have the inherent right to use every ounce of energy and intellect available to achieve their goals. The self-appointed radical green god-squad, considers human achievement to be unnatural, and seeks to cage and control all human activity to ensure that their vision of how the world ought to be is forced - by law - on those who disagree. The proposed law to buy out ranchers is just another step toward the radical green goal of total people control. Their success in the West is dependent upon the indifference of the people in the East. The same radical green agenda, however, is now beginning to tighten around towns and cities in the East, in the form of "Smart Growth," and "Sustainable Development." A government that acquires the power to control its citizens, rather than to be controlled by its citizens, is no longer a government defined by the U.S. Constitution. This is the "wrenching transformation" now underway - driven by the self-appointed radical green god-squad. © 2003 Henry Lamb - All Rights Reserved
Henry Lamb is the founding Chairman of Sovereignty International (1996), and the founding ECO of the Environmental Conservation Organization (1988). He is publisher of eco-logic Powerhouse, a widely read on-line, and print magazine. His columns are frequently translated into Spanish and published throughout Central and South America, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. He has attended United Nations meetings around the world, is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops across the country, and is a regular guest on dozens of talk radio programs. He has provided testimony for the U.S. Congress, as well as State Legislatures, and has served as a consultant to FOX News on U.N. affairs. For eight years, he was CEO of a national trade association for
contractors, headquartered in Chicago, coming to that position from
CEO of a private construction company specializing in erosion control
and water management structures. His background includes teaching
at the secondary school level, and serving four years as a legislative
analyst for a county government in Florida. E-Mail: henry@freedom.org |