On Mon, 26 Feb 1996, Pezeshki Chuck wrote:

> The obligation that we incur by enjoying the natural world and using it for
> spiritual fulfillment is towards its long-term preservation. That means that
> we all have an obligation towards helping with the fight at certain times in
> our life, and staying currently informed when we are not fighting.
>
> This election year will be a big one in Idaho. Idahoans that love the woods
> are going to have to work hard this year-- it's not going to be optional.
> We pretty much lost the Payette NF this year. If we don't win, we'll lose
> the Clearwater NF.
>
> Chuck Pezeshki
>

Get rid of Chenoweth or you'll regret it the rest of your life. That's
my advice to Idahoans. We Washingtonians need to eradicate Nethercutt
and slaughter Slate (when his time is up).

There is no doubt in my mind that the persecution of our lands comes from
interests that perpetuate themselves through exploitation: logging, oil
drilling, and mining most obviously, but ranching and farming too. The
insistence to use pesticides (poor Swainson's!) and the belief that "This land
has been in my family since...." doesn't wash with me anymore. These practices
are killing species that form our ecology; we shouldn't be "speciesist"
(or whatever the term for that is...).

Furthermore, I'm tired of pig-headed, stubborn people saying that jobs
are more important than the environment. If we keep logging at this
pace, there won't be any trees left to log. Take a trip once a month
during summer to the east of Moscow, Idaho along highway 8. On each
trip, you'll find a whole new hill stripped clean. Yes, sometimes it's
just a big long scar which leaves the top of the hill intact. But
those trees provided something: a prevention against erosion. The silt
that runs off these hills goes into our streams and chokes our rivers,
and eventually our bays. I saw a show which blamed reduction in the
size of orca pods on the silt from clearcutting.

It's not worth 20,000 jobs--or even 100,000 jobs! When the
defense industry cut back at the end of the 80s and nearly
half-a-million people in California were unempoloyed, there was hardly
any furor at all. Why save the loggers? What makes them better than
anyone else?

The problem is, we still rely on wood and paper products in our society.
So, one more thing (before you vote against the anti-environment facist in
your neighborhood): IF YOU DO NOT RECYCLE NOW, START! If there is not a
program in place, start one. In Moscow, we're lucky: there's an
excellent place to recycle a variety of products. Building materials,
paper, etc. can all be made out of recycled goods now. It is worth it,
contrary to my family's opinion in California. Start buying recycled
goods to put the pressure on the companies who use non-recycled
materials. If big business is going to insist on using "the market"
against the environment, use "the market" against big business.

I'm sorry that the tone of this message is contrary to my usual
good-natured prodding, but I find this subject to be one of the most
important topics of this year's election. If I offended anyone with my
words, please write me in private to continue the argument. I won't back
down. Not ever.

-Pat
scott931 at uidaho.edu