A Ray of Hope

Green Diamond Resource Company (also known as "Greedy Diamond" or simply "the GD", formerly known as Simpson) is the raging pre-apocalyptic death machine with its sights set on destroying what remains of the McKay Tract. They are, in short, "the opposition".

It seems that, like the rest of our voracious economy, they've fallen upon hard times, cutting jobs just most corporations these days. My heart bleeds for the good old boys who won't be able to afford new F-350s this year.

Jeff broke this a month ago. I've often speculated that the reasons the GD hasn't attacked us or started falling trees in the McKay are more economic than anything. Housing starts are way down, as the above article shows. Now Richard Marks, a millworker by occupation, is speculating that California Redwood Company, GD's shell company in Humboldt, might be closing this year. GD execs supposedly came down from Seattle to drop that bombshell, but of course their spokeswoman denies everything.

Many in Humboldt, Marks included, will see this as bad news. Living among huge redwoods marked for destruction, I can't help but see it as anything but a positive development.

Greenwashing; or why trees hate stimulus

This is Stimulus. You can read and dissect the whole thing. Check out page 56 for forest info. Suffice to say that much like Democratic campaigns all last year, especially Obama's, the domestic allocations of funds reek of greenwashing.

Defined:

Greenwashing is the unjustified appropriation of environmental virtue by a company, an industry, a government, a politician or even a non-government organization to create a pro-environmental image, sell a product or a policy, or to try and rehabilitate their standing with the public and decision makers after being embroiled in controversy.

Nice. In this case the culprit is the US government itself (surprise, surprise) and it stands guilty of (re-)conspiring to cut down the national forests in the name of protecting them, and paying billions to corporations in the name of ecological renewal. Also, encouraging greenwashing at the local level.

Greenwashing in Oregon.

Greenwashing here in Humboldt.

Owls die (of course). Trees die (of course). Nobody gives a fuck, because at this point it's all about maintaining the image that the government cares about humans. The welfare of all other life forms (except maybe bald eagles) was forgotten a long time ago if it was ever considered at all.

The big question is not: "How much life will humans destroy in the name of 'environmental protection' before it's 'too late?;'"

The big question is: "How much will be left after 'too late' is over?"

What species will remain after greenwashing and the war machine that created it are burned out? I have talked to trees at length about this, and they all intend to remain for a very long time. Spotted owls are hopeful, but they need a lot of help, and more than a little luck, to hang on at this point.