War on the Environment II

A $1-Billion Public Land Sale Proposed

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-021006forest_lat,0,1030546.story?coll=la-story-footer&track=morenews

The Bush administration today called for selling off more than $1 billion in public lands over the next decade, beginning with the sale this year of $800 million worth of national forestland.The 300,000 acres of forestland proposed for the auction block includes 85,000 acres in California, scattered across most of the state's 18 national forests, including the Angeles, San Bernardino, Los Padres and Sierra National forests.

Pending congressional approval for the plan, the proceeds will go toward funding rural schools and roads. Future sales of land administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management would be used to offset federal budget reductions.

All of a sudden, the Bush administration has a concern for rural schools and roads? And, of course, he can't possibly find the money to pay for it anywhere else, than to sell off our national treasures. Heaven forbid, the ultra-rich give up any of their tax cuts, or we stop throwing trainloads of dollars at an illegal and destabilizing war.
Like an out-of-control alcoholic, he pawns the family jewels to fuel his continuing bender.


Forest

The forest is dying
No
The forest is dead
The Tongass is dead
The Amazon is dead
The Black Forest is very, very dead
The chainsaw is king
Weyerhauser rules the world
The lungs of the world have been cut down
and the forest is dead
How long can you hold your breath?


The Whole Earth Reservation

We all dance between earth and sky

In our dream dances
we see shining cities
and great prosperity
We see far horizons
and many buffalo
We see fat babiesa
nd many relatives
around our lodge fire

In our fear dances
we fenced the broad plains
killed all the buffalo
consumed the forests
pissed in the waters
and farted into the wind
Because we were afraid
Creator of all the universe
would not notice that we were here

Now we presume to sell
pieces of the sky
as the life force
from our mother’s soil
carpets the floor
of the Gulf of Mexico

Where the waters
can no longer breathe
Where the sky cries tears
that sear the ground
Where every mother’s heart
turns to ash and
every father’s work
always returns to dust

In my dream dances
I see the war chiefs
sit with the peace chiefs
and listen to their counsel
and honor them
I see the people
give thanks for Creator’s gifts
and honor them by sharing

I see Creator smiling
because the people notice
that Creator is here
and they are not afraid

Hoka Hey

Ed Hanson