Guatemala is also well known for its human rights abuses and genocidal
repression of indigenous communities throughout the 1970s and into the
early 1980s. The situation is marginally improved today. Anyone who
travels to Guatemala to enjoy the birds has a moral obligation, I
believe, to learn something of the brutal recent history of that country
(and the US complicity in that). A good place to begin is with _I,
Rigoberta Menchu': An Indian Woman in Guatemala_, Nobel Peace Laureate
and an inspiration.

Gene Hunn.

On Thu, 29 Feb 1996, Tom Foote wrote:

>
> Greetings--
>
> Last night on Bird Talk we spent the hour talking about Guatemala
> which included a long discussion about the terrible state of the
> environment and disappearing forest. The upshot was no one
> called in. A guy called right after we went off the air and
> said the whole situation of imagining us all standing around
> waiting for birds to return and not showing up as they've been
> extirpated. had him so bummed he didn't want to call.
> sighhhhh..
>
> It does make us wonder what we can do on *that end* given
> the difficulty we have trying to save what's left on this
> end...perhaps a thread for a later time.
>
> Ken did, BTW, say there was a private college there that has
> actually mounted a degree program in Eco Tourism...
>
> Tom
>
> Tom Foote footet at elwha.evergreen.edu
> Lab II
> The Evergreen State College (360) 866-6000 x6118
> Olympia, WA 98505
>
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>