Earth First Credo

It should be clear that nothing less than Earth First, in our hearts and minds, in our actions, and in our laws, can save us from destroying the Earth.

I do not believe that “humanity” is threatening the planet. “Humanity” did not threaten the planet 200 years ago, but “humanity” does so now. What is different about then and now is the power of our technology and our commerce. Our technology gives us the power to wreak great devastation on the planet. And our current economic law, which we in the West equate with, and confuse with, freedom, gives us the incentive to destroy.

Our heritage with political freedom suggests that we will be intolerant of a government that tells us how to live. By extension, we have crafted our economic law to give our economic powers the same inalienable rights to do as they please without the check of government.

Native Americans believed it was impossible to own the land, the land was put here by God and we put here to live on it. We have no such reverence for the land. We buy it, we own it, we are legally entitled to do with it as we see fit. That is we buy it, we can destroy it. Hey, do you have a problem with that?

It is not easy to define what Earth First means exactly. But perhaps we can get closer to it by what it doesn’t mean.

Earth First does not mean that we must become vegetarians. There are hundreds of carnivorous animal species and they do not threaten life on the planet. But non-human carnivores do not hunt for the sheer fun of the kill, even sharks won’t attack humans if they have just fed. Nor do they hunt so recklessly that they would threaten the continued existence of their food supply. Only humans have proved smart enough to threaten their own food supply.

Earth First does not mean we cannot cut down trees. Beavers and naturally occurring forest fires level trees if not forests. But they do so at a rate that does not threaten the world’s supply of forests. It does mean that we cannot continue to lay waste to our natural forests.

Earth First does not mean we cannot be racists, intolerant, just plain stupid or even evil. Many animal societies set up unfair hierarchies that defy human ethics. Racism is evil but it is not an Earth First issue.

Earth First does not mean we must limit our population growth. Poor countries that have an out of control birth rate watch most of their newborns die. They do not plow under the rain-forest to survive. Would that they could, it would just make matters worse.

Earth First does not mean we need stop killing each other. War doesn’t really threaten the Earth, nor does homicide. The use of particularly powerful and noxious weapons does. We need to have no mercy toward those who would countenance the use such devices of destruction for they do not only threaten our enemy, they threaten the planet and, need I mention, they threaten the nation that is so stupid as to use it in the first place.

Short-term goals are often in conflict with long-term goals. My use of a particular aphrodisiac may require harvesting a rain forest. Harvesting a rain forest may undermine an entire planetary region’s sustainability.

Personal goals are often in conflict with global goals.

Goals of the few are often in conflict with goals of the many.

Earth First seems to be about entitlement, technology and consequences and responsibility.

Our technology allows us to solve problems. For example, our population is growing. If it were not for technology, the population would reach a natural level that the land can sustain. With the power of technology and the entitlement of all humans to life, we can plow under more of our land to raising corn and feeding cattle. Thus our

we have to do to keep it

What Earth First does mean is that we humans do not have a right to use the Earth and its creatures for any purpose we wish. We have no such inalienable right to destroy to profit.

We need to let go the myth that the earth, the seas, the land, the air, the vegetation, animals were created for us. There is a mythology that does indeed say so, that god created everything for his pleasure then for ours. This interpretation of a story needs to go. It is dangerous. If not abandoned for a less harmful interpretation, war will be waged against haters of the earth or, worse, we will all go extinct.

Rights are a fiction.

In the wild, a tiger has the “right” to take the life of an antelope or a wildebeest. For a human to prevent a tiger from stalking, killing and eating his prey merely demonstrates the “right” that belongs to the more powerful species. But the tiger’s appetite for antelope does not endanger the planet, or biodiversity on the planet; indeed it does not even endanger antelopes as a species. For, dependent as he is upon a continued supply of antelope meat, he does not recklessly overkill antelope. Nor does he allow his numbers to grow faster than the antelopes’ ability to supply him with protein.

But back to rights. Humans, the most successful predator on the planet, do not seem to act as though they have an innate check on their so-called rights and, in consequence, are destroying species that are not demonstrably “useful” to them. In other words, they are killing antelope faster than the antelope can reproduce. The tiger that did this would be out of food fast. We just haven’t noticed this because we think we are in control of our food supply. We grow chickens and cattle and corn to feed us. What we don’t see is the interdependency of species. Not really, some do. But others act as if it were not true. And they profit from it.

Our survival depends upon the rights of the many asserting their right to live with a renewable food supply. And if they think I mean domesticating more wild animals for food, they need a refresher course in elementary logic or arithmetic or in using your brain to think with..

How can you achieve fame and fortune in America? Luck, drive / hunger / compelling psychological need, talent, hard work / practice, those are the ingredients. Any one of them, except the last, is enough.

There are many ways to succeed big in the United States of America. By getting lucky and winning a major lottery or being left a fortune

One out of one million people will win a large lottery, one out of 40,000 people will become a great sports star. One out of one million people will become a movie or TV star. One out of 100,000 people will become a successful business person, one out of one million

You know, Darwin was wrong. Not that we are not descendants of monkeys, but that you aren’t, you’re too stupid to be a human being.

When you hear about a multi-millionaire and how he was able to avoid paying taxes, you admire him, like a subordinate monkey admiring the alpha in his pack. If you were a real man, you’d think, “hey, I pay the taxes that that rich son-of-a-bitch is avoiding.” If it doesn’t make you angry and drive you to some sort of action, you’re not a mere monkey, you’re a fucking stupid monkey.

Seven Big Ideas To Save The Earth

1. Earth First clause in Law

2. Regulated use of Private Property

3. Corporate & Personal Accountability for Consequences of Acts & Decisions (Limited Liability)

4. Progressive / Graduated Income Tax

5. Tax on Wealth & Property

6. Betrayal of the Public Trust statutes

7. Re-Thinking of God-given right of Man’s Dominion to include care & responsibility

created 05/29/1998