Sunday 5 June 2011

Murderous Culture


So, four environmental activists are murdered in the space of four days. That's Jose Claudio Ribeiro da Silva and his wife Maria,the leader of the Corumbiara Farmer’s Movement in Rondonia, Adelino Ramos, and another farmer who was allied with Ze Claudio and his wife, Eremilton Pereira.

The T.E.D blog asks what actions can we take now ? and suggests that you stop buying illegal timber.

Do that if you like - stop buying illegal timber - because we truly need every action, peaceful and not-so-peaceful. But I would suggest that, if the hit-style murders of over 1,500 logging activists in the Amazon since 1988 doesn't convince you that this culture is a culture of murder in a very real sense, then probably nothing will, and you should go on neglecting to buy illegal timber products, for the warm fuzzies it gives you.

And, if you still believe, along with a number of deaf-dumb-and-blind citizens of South Africa, that the police are here to protect and serve you, the perhaps you should ask yourself some hard questions about the sudden detention of Molefi Nonyane, never mind the fate of Henry Okah, who remains detained at the state thugs' pleasure on suspicion of being the leader of MEND.

Or, gimme a break. If you don't notice the insanity of industrial civilization and the gangster capitalism which finances it unto the death of all living things, then perhaps you never will.

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