Fuel to the Fire

Part of building an inclusive society that meets everyone's needs is constructing a non-violent means of resolving differences. Marginalizing minorities because of their political or spiritual beliefs prior to even establishing a process of reconciliation dooms a society to perpetual discord and often lethal upheaval.

The battle over our way of life in the US--sometimes referred to as the culture wars--encompasses many disputes, but none so pronounced as the consumerist lifestyle that at present has sentenced a quarter of Earth's creatures to extinction in our lifetime. Amazingly, opposing this destructive way of life is still considered radical, even by liberals.

Recently, this phenomenon resurfaced in my former home of Puget Sound over the issue of protecting endangered Orca populations. As usual, the Building Industry Association is at the forefront of the conflict.

Last time the Building Industry Association engaged in domestic terrorism against its political opponents, eight anti-environmentalist/anti-Indian militiamen went to federal prison for manufacturing bombs to murder their perceived enemies. The prelude to this lethal politics, organized and supported financially by the Building Industry, included electoral, legislative, and administrative subversion, beginning with a statewide propaganda campaign scapegoating environmentalists and treaty protection activists.

One of the basic tenets of psychological warfare is not to repeat your enemy's talking points, because repetition sinks in, especially to a highly misinformed audience. If our main point is that we need to either change our ways or lose everything we value that cannot be measured in dollars, then we should say that. If we care about other species, we should not marginalize those who value all life as sacred, just to appear more reasonable. The right wing will be happy to attack them for their spirituality--no need to add fuel to their fire.