What viewpoint? They? I don't think Linkola is a "they". He's basically a kook I find interesting because of the emotions he represents.
as for David Suzuki and C.W. Nicol, I suppose they are both respected mainstream ecologists with relatively large readerships. The nazi article is very instructive, about the differences between today's environmentalist movements and yesterdays and cautionary as well. The word ecology itself was coined in Germany in this milieu. Or you can look at Tre Arrow. http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=56&ItemID=7666 here in Oregon there are usually tree-sittings going on: Update from Sten tree-sit Update on the situation at Sten: Yesterday (sept 14th) contract climbers working for US Forest Service Law Enforcement and Lane Co. Sheriff's evicted 2 of the 3 tree-sits in Sten unit 43. One tree is still occupied. Active logging has begun within unit 43. Today (sept 15th) USFS and Sheriff's Dept LEO's escorted fellers into the area of the two evicted tree-sits and found one tree had been reoccupied by an activist during the night. Law enforcement guarded loggers as they cut trees around the activist, who remains in the tree at last report. Two activists were arrested on the ground, both were charged with interfering with an agricultural operation. Another activist is remaining in the third tree-sit further down the hill that was not evicted yesterday. A police report was filed yesterday september 14th by an independent journalist who was present during the arrow attack last weekend. The report was taken by 2 officers from Lane Co. Sheriff's office. These same 2 Sheriff's were on-site today(sept 15th)in unit 43 at Sten, evidently the Lane Co. Sheriff's Department feels arresting forest activists is more important than finding violent criminals who would attempt to kill them. Activists are continuing to occupy the forest at Sten and prevent further logging. Updated information will be provided as it comes in. so i guess {shrugging} until ecology becomes the main focus of social policy it doesn't seem like much real progress will be made. Otherwise, i suppose suicide seems like a plausible alternative if the reality of human apathy in the face of earth's impending devastruction seems too horrible to experience. Lexus has a new hybrid SUV... ??? lq > > Hi - I don't have much sympathy for this viewpoint. What are they doing to> > save forests? I welcome everyone from mystics to scientists; anyone who > can help, should. > > I guess I'm tired of the left which seems at times equally bankrupt. > > - Alan > > On Sun, 18 Sep 2005, Lanny Quarles wrote: > > > And I think alot of ecologists echo Alan's basic view. > > here's: > > > > Matters of survival in a 'shattered world' > > Talking about the Earth with David Suzuki and C.W. Nicol > > > > on JapanTimes > > http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fe20050421a1.htm > > > > > > but I wonder what those guys would have to say about > > Pentii Linkola: > > http://www.angelfire.com/zine/thefallofbecause/articles/humanflood.html > > > > which brings us around to looking at Ecofascism. > > (as illustrated by sites like http://www.nazi.org/, home of the > > Libertarian National Socialist Green Party) > > The best article I have read is here which is fascinating. > > > > http://www.spunk.org/library/places/germany/sp001630/ecofasc.html > > > > I am sure this type of material is highly repugnant to most, but I > > encourage you to read the article on ecofascism simply for a greater > > historical understanding. This work is put out on AK press > > a 'respectable' underground anarchist house. And lest you think these > > folks are Green Nazi's themselves, here is the introduction to the > > book: > > > > Introduction > > For most compassionate and humane people today, the ecological crisis > > is a source of major concern. Not only do many ecological activists > > struggle to eliminate toxic wastes, to preserve tropical rainforests > > and old-growth redwoods, and to roll back the destruction of the > > biosphere, but many ordinary people in all walks of life are intensely > > concerned about the nature of the planet that their children will grow > > up to inhabit. In Europe as in the United States, most ecological > > activists think of themselves as socially progressive. That is, they > > also support demands of oppressed peoples for social justice and > > believe that the needs of human beings living in poverty, illness, > > warfare, and famine also require our most serious attention. > > > > For many such people, it may come as a surprise to learn that the > > history of ecological politics has not always been inherently and > > necessarily progressive and benign. In fact, ecological ideas have a > > history of being distorted and placed in the service of highly > > regressive ends--even of fascism itself. As Peter Staudenmaier shows > > in the first essay in this pamphlet, important tendencies in > > German "ecologism," which has long roots in nineteenth-century nature > > mysticism, fed into the rise of Nazism in the twentieth century. > > During the Third Reich, Staudenmaier goes on to show, > > Nazi "ecologists" even made organic farming, vegetarianism, nature > > worship, and related themes into key elements not only in their > > ideology but in their governmental policies. Moreover, > > Nazi "ecological" ideology was used to justify the destruction of > > European Jewry. Yet some of the themes that Nazi ideologists > > articulated bear an uncomfortably close resemblance to themes familiar > > to ecologically concerned people today. > > > > As social ecologists, it is not our intention to deprecate the all- > > important efforts that environmentalists and ecologists are making to > > rescue the biosphere from destruction. Quite to the contrary: It is > > our deepest concern to preserve the integrity of serious ecological > > movements from ugly reactionary tendencies that seek to exploit the > > widespread popular concern about ecological problems for regressive > > agendas. But we find that the "ecological scene" of our time--with its > > growing mysticism and antihumanism--poses serious problems about the > > direction in which the ecology movement will go. > > > > In most Western nations in the late twentieth century, expressions of > > racism and anti-immigrant sentiments are not only increasingly voiced > > but increasingly tolerated. Equally disconcertingly, fascist > > ideologists and political groups are experiencing a resurgence as > > well. Updating their ideology and speaking the new language of > > ecology, these movements are once again invoking ecological themes to > > serve social reaction. In ways that sometimes approximate beliefs of > > progressive-minded ecologists, these reactionary and outright fascist > > ecologists emphasize the supremacy of the "Earth" over people; > > evoke "feelings" and intuition at the expense of reason; and uphold a > > crude sociobiologistic and even Malthusian biologism. Tenets of "New > > Age" eco-ideology that seem benign to most people in England and the > > United States--specifically, its mystical and antirational strains- - > > are being intertwined with ecofascism in Germany today. Janet Biehls > > essay explores this hijacking of ecology for racist, nationalistic, > > and fascist ends. > > > > Taken together, these essays examine aspects of German fascism, past > > and present, in order to draw lessons from them for ecology movements > > both in Germany and elsewhere. Despite its singularities, the German > > experience offers a clear warning against the misuse of ecology, in a > > world that seems ever more willing to tolerate movements and > > ideologies once regarded as despicable and obsolete. Political ecology > > thinkers have yet to fully examine the political implications of these > > ideas in the English-speaking world as well as in Germany. > > > > What prevents ecological politics from yielding reaction or fascism > > with an ecological patina is an ecology movement that maintains a > > broad social emphasis, one that places the ecological crisis in a > > social context. As social ecologists, we see the roots of the present > > ecological crisis in an irrational society--not in the biological > > makeup of human beings, nor in a particular religion, nor in reason, > > science, or technology. On the contrary, we uphold the importance of > > reason, science, and technology in creating both a progressive > > ecological movement and an ecological society. It is a specific set of > > social relations--above all, the competitive market economy--that is > > presently destroying the biosphere. Mysticism and biologism, at the > > very least, deflect public attention away from such social causes. In > > presenting these essays, we are trying to preserve the all- important > > progressive and emancipatory implications of ecological politics. More > > than ever, an ecological commitment requires people today to avoid > > repeating the errors of the past, lest the ecology movement become > > absorbed in the mystical and antihumanistic trends that abound today. > > > > > > ( URLs/DVDs/CDroms/books/etc. see http://www.asondheim.org/advert.txt - > revised 7/05 ) revised 7/05 )
