I know that sometimes, I am incredibly naive. I tend to trust that people mean what they say. I tend to believe that politicians may seem wrong-headed but they have the best interests of the people at heart; that people are basically reasonable and with the right information will make the right choice.
So, ever since the drought made the news, I’ve been amazed at the wrong-headedness of the bureaucrats who seemed to put fish over people. Then more recently, the EPA and the Corps of Engineers have been building this concept of Waters of the USA which makes farming almost impossible in wetlands – and expands the definition of wetlands to include almost any farm in the country. It feels like there is an ‘X’ factor at work here. There is something I am not getting.
I’ve studied ecology and the environment, and I believe that farmers are the ultimate environmentalists. But now It feels like the environmental movement is becoming a threat against society. The ‘X’ factor that I never understood is, there is a faction of radical environmentalism, who do not agree that humans have a place in the natural world.
In Forbes Magazine, writer Larry Bell reviewed Robert Zubrin’s book “Merchants of Despair”. Mr, Bell said the book “chronicles huge and devastating influences of radical environmentalists” and a cult of anti-humanists. These people have had a huge impact upon global events and society, that continues today.
Bell goes on to say that “even the loftiest, best- sounding interests can be manipulated by ideological zealots and propagandists who prey upon ignorance and emotion.” These manipulations go on today within the international environmental community.
These radicals are taking full advantage of groups such as Deep Ecology and the Deep Green Resistance. These folks are convinced that our industrial society is not sustainable and must be dismantled in order to secure a livable future for all species on the planet. They particularly target modern agriculture as one of the biggest threats to the survival of the earth. Considering how Ag interests have been treated lately, it sure seems like these radicals have a lot of power and influence. Maybe it’s time for Ag to wake up and defend itself from them.
I’m Len Wilcox and that’s the Western View from AgNet West.