Newsletter
No. 117 - Serving the Vision of a Sustainable Vancouver Island -
June 2002
LETTING
THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG
Last
September, two airplanes flew into the World Trade Centre, killing
almost 3,000 people. Another 390 died in the planes that crashed,
and at the Pentagon. In the shock-waves that followed, Americans
bonded together around their flag, comforting each other in their
grief and shock, supported by most Canadians and Europeans.
In
the weeks that followed, America and its allies launched a massive
attack on Afghanistan, routing the Taliban and killing several thousand
civilians. The US military received a massive budget increase, and
we were told to prepare for a war against terrorism that might last
50 years. The grief from that day is still tangible, and most people
accept the consensus behind this new reality.
It
was on May 15th that the consensus started to unravel.
That was the day when it was revealed that the White House knew
as early as August 2001 that a terror attack by Bin Laden was likely,
and that Bush was lying when he claimed to have known nothing.
With
that admission, voices which had been ignored since September 11th
began to be heard. One belongs to Michael Ruppert, who has accumulated
evidence that the US government knew the terror attacks were coming,
and actively discouraged investigation into leads that could have
exposed the plot, and possibly prevented it.
The
US government received documented warnings about imminent attacks
from the German, French, Israeli, Egyptian and Indian intelligence
services. Russian intelligence warned that as many as 25 suicide
pilots were training to crash airliners into important targets during
the week of Sept 9th – and yet nothing was done.
In
December 2000, Delmart "Mike" Vreeland, a US naval intelligence
officer, was to deliver a pouch from Russia to a Canadian intelligence
operative who failed to show up. When he opened the pouch, he found
that it contained warnings of the pending attacks. He made urgent
attempts to alert US and Canadian officials, but was jailed in Canada
at the request of the US authorities. In March 2002, all Canadian
charges against him were dropped, and he was granted political refugee
status, fearing assassination if he returns to the US.
In
August 2001, FBI operatives in Minneapolis arrested a suspected
terrorist, Zacarias Moussaoui. Suspecting that he might be part
of a larger plot, they sought permission to search his laptop. For
reasons that have yet to be explained, the FBI HQ refused this until
after Sept 11th.
Maybe
there are explanations. Maybe it’s just incompetence. But the pattern
also points to another, more appalling conclusion: that the US intelligence
services knew the attacks were coming, and chose not to prevent
them.
It
is one thing to accuse the Bush government of stealing the 2001
election, or being influenced by the big oil companies; it is quite
another to suggest a conspiracy of this nature. For details of the
allegations, I refer you to the Online Journal, at www.onlinejournal.com,
and www.fromthewilderness.com,
by Mike Ruppert. If you check these out, you may see why I am thinking
this way. I hope that I am wrong.
But
why? The logic behind such a strategy lies in the politics of Eurasia,
which includes the last great untapped reserves in a world whose
oil supply is about to start declining. The best way to access the
oil is by pipeline across Afghanistan, which is why the US government
supported the Taliban in the past, in the hope that they would do
a deal.
There
is evidence that the US was planning to attack Afghanistan anyway
in October, to oust the Taliban regime. To allow the terror attacks
to proceed would provide the perfect justification for a full-scale
assault on Afghanistan, as part of the larger US geopolitical policy
to gain influence in Eurasia.
Inside
this issue of EcoNews, you will find stories about the small, persistent
ways in which people are working to build a better world. In August,
the world’s leaders meet at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg with
the intention of steering our world towards greater sustainability.
So much effort is going into trying to turn the world away from
ecological and climate chaos, to build a better world.
And
yet at the same time, we live in this other reality, in which our
world is being dominated by people who seek power, wealth and influence,
regardless of the cost. The clash between the two sets of values,
between global sustainability and global dominance, could not be
clearer. One leads to more warfare, more hatred, and more ecological
unravelling. The other leads to sanity, cooperation, and hope.
- Guy Dauncey
ECONEWS
A
monthly newsletter, funded by your donations, that dreams of a Vancouver
Island and a world blessed by the harmony of nature, the pleasures
of community & the joys of deep fulfillment.
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A
big thankyou to Cindy Robinson, Helen
Hughes, Katey Bloomfield, Susan Coward, Maggie Salmond, Judith
Fetter, Bernice Packford, Louise Pothier, Brian Pinch Marianne
Brackenridge, Felix Lion, M. Edwards, Alandra McLaren, Mary Walter,
Virginia Newman, Elizabeth White, Stephanie Slater, Daphne Cuthill,
Ashlee St Clair, Chris Morrison, Brian Lupton, T. Macmurchie,
Kathleen Gibson, Brian John Day, Dan Schubart, Martin Weideman,
Rainey Hopewell, Sharon Hooper, CA Browning, Hendrick Gautier,
Andreas Demmers, Colin Graham, Beth Gibson, Kamal Bhattacharya,
Gavin MacPhail, Sherri Hohert, Shirley Brodeur, Dave Secco, Jolyon
Briggs, DI Robinson, Claire Lynch, Jan Meadows, Mary June Pettyfer,
George Wood & E. McKinnon.
Many
thanks to Dan Rubin & Jessica Hawryshyn for running the
EcoNews EarthDay booth; to Ian Barclay for doing the address labels
and Joanna Wilkinson for prepping the envelopes; and to all who
help at the EcoNews mailout parties!
Donations
can be sent to EcoNews, 395 Conway Rd, Victoria, BC, V9E 2B9.
For a receipt, send stamped addressed envelope.
THE
ECO-CORNER
$5/line
(non-profits & low-income free) 1" box ad $35, $2"
box ad $65
*
It’s World Car Free Day on Sept 21st, and the
Fairfield Community Association wants to plan another "Fresh Air/Car-Free
Day", hoping the weather will be more predictable - sunny and
warm! Funds are needed to pay the Police and City's costs. Can
you help? Please contact Jane Victoria King at 380-2014.
*
For Sale – 1 acre riverfront property with 3 bedroom home,
5’ from downtown Duncan, 40’ commute to Victoria. Renovated basement
suitable for home business or studio. Hot tub, pond, Permaculture-inspired
organic garden including small orchard. Call 250-748-6850.
*
Help wanted with set-up and general assistance during the
"Connecting for Conservation" day on June 8th,
at Pearkes Arena. We also need help finding food donations, and
getting posters around the city. Claudia 995-2428
*
A Woman’s Place B & B, Salt Spring. Single $50. Organic
food. Nr Ganges. Call 250-537-0804, 537-7873. Smallislandgraphics@yahoo.com
* Nearby double B & B $60, 250-538-0162
*
Garry Oak trees – interested in their protection & restoration?
Join the Garry oaks recovery list-serv, with 20+ committed, skilled
people. Send an email to goerecovery@onenew.org
, with "subscribe goerecovery" in the body of the message.
See also www.goert.ca
*
Environmentally ill Fairfield woman needs home support, 1
afternoon per week. Mostly housework, errands; computer work possible.
Mandatory: applicant can lift 30 lbs; leads low-chemical lifestyle;
never uses fabric softener; never shares laundry facilities with
users; never uses items of unknown laundry history (eg 2nd
hand clothes). Desirable: car in good repair, chemical free. Please
call only if all 5 mandatory conditions are met. 920-0036
*
Equinox Bike Trailer (cargo); almost new. Carries 250 lbs.
$300. Call Shannon, 361-3414.
*
Wanted – volunteer to run the EcoNews booth at the Connecting
for Conservation day, on June 8th. 881-1304
Share
Organics
is
more than just an Organic Produce Box
Join
us in nurturing local food production
* Supporting
local organic farmers
* Farmers
in Transition to organics
* Fair
Trade Products
PRO-REP
PROGRESS
The
campaign to gather signatures to change BC’s voting system is
on! The official number of signatures needed by August 12th
is 212,473. More canvassers are still needed, especially in BC’s
rural areas, and in Richmond and Surrey – you can download an
application form at www.freeyourvote.bc.ca
. If you are registered as a canvasser, you should have your kit
by now; if not, call Walter Meyer zu Erpen at 386-4478. And good
luck as you are out gathering signatures!
TLC
WORKING HOLIDAYS
Oops!
The secret’s out – The Land Conservancy’s working holidays on
South Winchelsea Island and the Cowichan River are a wonderful
break from normal life. The same goes for their Nature Cruises
www.conservancy.bc.ca
Call 479-8053
THE
GARDEN PATH
ORGANIC
PLANT NURSERY
Organic
Plants at Great Prices
Heirloom
tomatoes. Vegetables. Herbs.
Perennials.
Roses. Bamboos. Shrubs.
Open
Daily 10-5:30pm, till June 30th
395
Conway Road
(250)
881-1555
ONE
PERC THAT NO JOB SHOULD HAVE
By
Kevin Ablett
Have
you ever noticed the smell of "clean" garments from
the dry cleaners? You know… the one that makes you feel lightheaded?
Chances are, that’s the smell of perchloroethylene, known as PERC.
Dizziness is one of the many signs that you’ve inhaled it, along
with headaches, nausea, and vomiting. Most dry cleaners use it
as their primary treatment solution.
Prolonged
exposure to PERC causes cancer in laboratory animals at doses
only slightly above the legal limits in dry cleaning establishments;
compared to the general population, dry cleaners have twice the
rate of esophageal and bladder cancer (Sandra Steingraber – Living
Downstream, p 84), and an excess rate of cancer of the tongue,
intestine, lung and cervix. Spills, leaks and faulty separation
equipment have enormous consequences when PERC gets into the water
supply. The chlorine from released PERC also destroys the ozone
layer.
Two
years ago, the CRD worked co- with the Federal government and
local cleaners to create industry regulations. Then they went
one-step further, and pre-empted the Feds by enacting them. Prior
to that we had no regulations. Sadly, the rest of Canada still
doesn’t. Henry Lee, the CRD’s Municipal Sewage Control Officer,
is very proud of their accomplishments. "The main goal has
been to create a level playing field at a higher standard for
all operators - we’re one of, if not, the first in Canada to do
so. Eventually, the Feds will likely phase PERC out altogether."
(PERC will be phased out of S. California by 2012)
To
ease the transition, the CRD provided operators with a guide to
the best management practices that focused on minimizing the discharge
of PERC into the sewers, benefiting the environment, consumers
and the operators. They are now discharging less, and profiting
from it. After all, PERC doesn’t come cheap, so reducing waste
is important to a dry cleaner’s bottom line.
Reducing
PERC’s presence is in all our interests, with prevention being
the
best
medicine. Buy clothes that don’t need to be dry cleaned, or limit
your use of clothes that do. There are thousands of great outfits
that can be washed using biodegradable detergents in the comfort
of your own home, for less. Save money and the environment at
the same time. What a great concept. Once again, the Garden City
has a head start on the rest of Canada when it comes to environmental
initiatives. Congratulations Victoria! Hopefully, our positive
results will serve as a beacon for the rest of the country.
Island
Family Counselling Centre
Sherri
Hohert, MSW, RSW
Individuals,
Couples, Families
1520
Fort St, Victoria V8S 5J2
250-598-0544
LOCAL
ORGANIC FOOD
If
you want to be sure of eating locally grown, organic food, there’s
a great choice of weekly brown box programs:
ALM
Organic Farm 642-2131
Community
Organicz 655-0818
Fresh
Piks 383-7969
Kildara
Farms 655-3093
Ladybird
Farm 642-4575
Saanich
Organics 544-4369
Share
Organics 595-6729
Simply
Organic 382-3624
Suz
Natural Choice, Sooke 642-2495
Vegapotamia
656-9807
RENEWABLE
ENERGY
Julia
Roberts writes: The Friends of Renewable Energy BC (FOREBC)
held a very successful public launch meeting in Victoria on May
23rd, attracting renewable energy pioneers from the
1970s, business owners, researchers, financiers, students, members
of NGOs, a municipal councillor, and concerned citizens. An e-mail
discussion list will be set up; possible projects include educating
politicians, the public and school children about renewables,
promoting a green arena and green rec centres, focusing on economically
viable projects such as solar thermal for large water users, forming
a renewable energy co-op, challenging provincial energy policy,
and forming interest groups around energy sources such as wind,
biomass, and solar. A networking picnic will be held on Sat. June
8th in Beacon Hill Park - see Green Diary.
KANANASKIS,
ALBERTA
There’s
an awful lot of work going on in preparation for the alternative,
parallel events to the G8 Superpower Summit that’s coming up on
June 26th/27th. The Victoria Mobilization
for Global Justice group is meeting every Tuesday in Fernwood
to fund-raise, prepare and plan travel (Keith Preston, 592-2118
mrpreston@shaw.ca). In
Alberta, the Talking G8 Travelling Road Show, organized by the
Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, is doing an 11-city tour
offering a "Globalization 101" course, and discussions
on how "A Better World is Possible". The RCMP have emptied
the local jail to make room for the people they expect to arrest,
which prompts me to say that non-violence, peacefulness and good
humour are a total necessity if we want to people to listen.
Protestors who indulge their anger in violence may as well be
working for George Bush or the WTO, for the amount of harm they
do to the cause. In Italy, it is an old Fascist tactic to infiltrate
protestors with rock-throwing yahoos, to justify a police counter-assault.
The protest is essential, for without it, the corporate globalizers
would enjoy unchallenged supremacy, but we should not become like
those we protest against. For the full details, see www.g8.activist.ca
GREAT
BEAR RAINFOREST
Good
news! On May 22nd, the BC cabinet formalized interim
protection of the 20 intact rainforest valleys identified in the
Great Bear Rainforest Agreement of April 2001. In this first step
toward protection, the government established executive Orders
In Council that safeguard the valleys from logging and development
for the next 15 months. This will allow First Nations time to
complete the planning processes for their ancestral lands, and
ensure that economic opportunities for their communities are fully
explored. It also allows the Coast Information Team, an independent
team of scientists, to undertake a thorough scientific and socio-economic
analysis. Following the 15-month period, and pending approval
by First Nations, the 20 valleys will hopefully move into permanent
protection, while allowing uses that maintain ecological and cultural
values. For the latest: www.savethegreatbear.org
FROM
JULIUS CAESAR
"Beware
the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry
into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged
sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind.
And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood
boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have
no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry,
infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all
of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know?
For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."
ACTION
OF THE MONTH
THE
NEW BC FOREST CODE
The
BC government has announced its intention to give industry even
more control over our public forests. The first step is the development
of a "results-based" code, to replace the NDP’s Forest
Practices Code. Under the new code, the responsibility to protect
the environment will shift from the government to the timber companies
themselves. The loopholes are as big as an 800-year old Douglas-fir.
Targets for the preservation of old-growth, for instance, can
be waived to build roads, ensure profitability, or ensure timber
supply. The proposed code punishes those who damage the environment
AFTER the damage has been done, rather than ensuring that it is
avoided. It is part of a package that includes privatization of
forest lands, and "working forest" legislation to increase
operational security for companies in areas with unsettled aboriginal
treaty claims. The code decreases public participation in forestry
planning, with the opportunity for public interest groups to act
as a watch dogs, and decreases public access to data and logging
plans. Adequate planning is not listed as a requirement or a "result"
of the proposed legislation. Good forest management requires good
planning, not less.
Action:
You can see the white paper at www.resultsbasedcode.ca,
and offer your thoughts.
Write
to: The Premier, Legislative Assembly, Victoria V8V 1X4.
Fax
387-0087, Email premier@gov.bc.ca
(Thanks
to the David Suzuki Foundation)
NOTICE
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You can help by making a donation, whether $5 or $100, to:
EcoNews, 395
Conway Road, Victoria V9E 2B9, Canada. Thanks !
Click
here for previous issues of EcoNews.
EcoNews,
Guy Dauncey
395 Conway Road, Victoria V8X 3X1
Tel/Fax (250) 881-1304
Author of "Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate
Change"
(New Society Publishers)
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