Skip to main content

New Jersey. Logging Bill. S1085. Science versus Profit. Raping the Land.


Logging Bill S1085, it worries me. I have this image in my head of denuded hills, smoky tractors and heavy transport trucks, wild animals scampering for cover, an open canopy, and reclining state legislators fattened up by lobbyists and with huge smiles on their faces.

On Thursday, March 8th, the NJ Senate Environment Committee will hear S1085 and so it has become extremely important to CALL the committee members' respective offices and urge them to defeat the bill. Stand up and be counted. Your state needs you.

According to this ARTICLE, logging NJ's public lands will ruin the forests rather than make it healthier. Not surprisingly, it would take a knowledgeable person on the environment to explain things to lay people like us. I have no trouble in understanding that cutting mature trees, destroying the natural canopy of the forest, will allow invasive species to thrive on the forest floor while the deer eat up the saplings of the very hardwoods that are expected to replace those that were cut down. On the other hand, I am leery of the government's position that Mother Nature is not doing her job and it is imperative that commercial logging companies go in there and do it for her. This is the very core of the government's argument for S1085. Of course, who else will be the representative of change, the self-proclaimed saviour of our woodlands, but the special interest groups that have drummed up the shady science and who have been lobbying Trenton for years.

Wouldn't you see red flags when more than 100 scientists from the Union of Concerned Scientists (MA, USA) spoke out against S1085? It has also been reported that twenty leading scientists from universities in New Jersey and New York oppose the bill. I am afraid that our legislators will not listen to those who know the science. There is an old saw that tells us that when two or three of our friends tell us that we are drunk, it's best not to argue but to sit down. Our legislators better listen.

More Info:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Philippines. Reporting Animal Cruelty. Emergency Numbers. RA 8485.

Because I belong to an group of animal welfare advocates in the Philippines, I can read the numerous discussions between group members and people who, seems to me, just signed up to make an urgent plea for help. There were two this week who begged for assistance concerning two dogs who were tied up under rain and sun with no food nor water. One was described to be on the verge of a heat stroke. The images that filled my mind disturbed me immensely, but I am also encouraged at the same time. There is a growing number of animal welfare advocates in the Philippines and ordinary citizens are beginning to reject animal cruelty, willing to take personal action against it. Just from this website, I can see from the visitor data that many are seeking information on how to report animal cruelty in the Philippines. You can find my previous post on the subject HERE . Keep in mind that your complaint has legal standing via the Philippine Animal Welfare Act which is also known as the RA 8485 .
56 comments
Read more

Poem. Captivity, Longing. Cruelty. Misery. Free the Animals.

Thumbing through some Robert Frost poems, I was led to this one by Maya Angelou . I don't know if Frost ever had an influence on Angelou, but certainly any American poet living today would be familiar with Frost's work. Frost and Whitman are my favorite poets, and the romantic poets ( Keats, Byron, and Shelley ) I can't bear. I find their work dense, abstruse and impenetrable. It's just a matter of taste and connectivity. I am no expert on verse, but I will accept the opinion of those who are. They warn us that Frost's poetry is deceivingly simple. If we were to try our hand at it, to put complicated emotions into simple verse, we would be tied up in knots. Anyway, Angelou's poem below, Caged Bird, touches on the plaintive cries, the longing for better things, that captive individuals must go through. You can apply the core meaning or sentiment of this poem to any situation involving imprisonment or captivity, human or animal. Think of the dog in a dank, dark
2 comments
Read more

Antipolo. Philippines. Dog Fighting. Dan Sy Tan Arraigned.

It looks like the noose is getting tighter around the neck of Dan Sy Tan , the alleged but obviously guilty ring leader of a vicious dogfighting ring in the town of Antipolo, Rizal in the Philippines. He was finally arraigned on June 5, 2008 for his crimes, illegal gambling and violating the Philippine Animal Welfare Act of 1998 . Caught redhanded by undercover cops posing as spectators, Dan Tan and his business associates face overwhelming evidence. Included in the ring are three Thai nationals who fled the country last year. They are on videotape. There are gate receipts, eye witnesses, veterinary statements, all point to their guilt. These guys made money from the blood of fighting dogs. What a way to make a living! It's been a full year since the night of the raid, but we'll take every bit of victory we can get. I say " We " because I am a member of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) who worked with the police to capture these poor excuses for human be
Post a Comment
Read more