Whales and wheels…

Letters

Whales and wheels

The note by Dale Mills, “Japan versus whales,” in the Summer 2006 issue of EIJ closed with the thought that Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “can’t be anything but concerned over a public opinion backlash.” Somehow I doubt this, as they’ve been resistant so far to all kinds of diplomacy to end their Southern Ocean “scientific” whaling. I’ve heard nothing of this public opinion pressure. As for me, I’d have traded in my 21-year-old German car by now for a Toyota Prius except for the whaling. Guess I’ll have to keep waiting for the Europeans to come out with a hybrid vehicle. My last American-made car (Ford), after suffering all kinds of repairs, finally caught on fire; definitely not going that route again any time soon.

David Ainley
Sausalito, California

Tuna-safe tuna?

Pole and line tuna fishing is safe for the dolphins but not for the tunas. Perpetuating the acceptance of eating some beings but not others does not serve the environment. As you well know, the ocean fisheries in general have been decimated. Wouldn’t it be better to use people’s concern for adorable, smart dolphins as an opening to educate them about this problem? Many people have given up red meat. It’s time to begin a movement to stop eating fish. Or are you yourself just unwilling to end your sushi and tuna fish sandwich habit?

Coco Hall
Sausalito, California

Aw, thanks

Your article “Clear skies in the desert” by Chris Clarke was one of the best ever! Please keep up the great work!

Charles Monaghan
Sabula, Iowa

Christian-bashing

You embarrassed me with your phony pictures of church signs [Summer 2006 EIJ]. Your clearcut cross was bad enough! Who’s asleep there? Aren’t we supposed to be building coalitions with Christian environmental activists? Replace the writer of that article with someone on your staff or find a Christian environmentalist activist who will write for your readers. Don’t blow it, please! How about real pictures of missionaries out on the tundra looking for starving polar bear cubs to feed? Hey, I share your magazine with friends. Don’t do this again, and even better, do something positive about Christians to make up for it.
I am not a Christian but some of my friends are. You need to do an apology article, not just a few letters to the editor. See to it, please.

All life depends on co-operation, not confrontation!

Ivy Humphrey
Bernalillo, New Mexico

Chris Clarke responds:
We are aware of the strides environmentalist Christians have been making in persuading their churches to take action to defend the planet, from local groups like Earth Ministry in Seattle to national initiatives such as the Evangelical Environmental Network.

Author Stephenie Hendricks specifically mentioned environmentalist Christians in her article, in a discussion of Genesis 1:28 – “God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it” – a verse used by the Dominionists to justify their anti-environmental ideology. From page 29 of that issue:

“Others view [the verse] as a divine commandment for stewardship of the earth. In the words of a statement by the Evangelical Environmental Network, ‘Most major environmental problems such as air pollution, water pollution, and the threat of global warming hurt people. These problems fight against Christ’s reconciliation of all creation.’”

But there are fundamentalist Christian activists who work to erode environmental protection, who loyally support the most anti-environmentalist president in US history, and who glibly distort environmental science to their followers. Reporting on those people is part of our job, and until someone provides a factual refutation of Hendricks’ exhaustively researched article, we stand by it.

If mere mention of the existence of Dominionists seems to unfairly besmirch Christians as a whole, the best course of action would seem to be for environmentalist Christians to stand up and publicly condemn the Dominionists, rather than to try to silence journalists reporting on their heinously destructive campaigns.

Too many people

On page 16 of your Summer edition the Sustainable World Coalition mentions many problems but leaves out the most fundamental problem of all: excessive human population. When I was born more than a century ago, the US population was about one hundred million. Now it is about three hundred million. Virtually every major problem has its source in too many people, but the subject is conveniently left out of any proposed solution.

Clarence Petty
Saranac Lake, New York

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