THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 15, 1994 TAG: 9407150022
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
Once again, it's fuzzy logic time on your editorial page when it comes to environmental issues. Your prejudice against anything environmentally motivated has to stem from one of two sources: Either you're just plain ignorant of any wider view of life on our little planet, or greed drives your train of thought.
I'll assume it's the less sinister of the two possibilities and try to explain a few things to you: First, everything on the planet is connected. Pull it here, and it has to give there. Short-term human-capital gain without attention to environmental consequences has consistently degraded everything, including our own living space. It's like your kitchen is on fire and you're saying, ``Hey, it doesn't matter because I'm in the bedroom!''
This isn't about endangered owls or little fish. They're symptoms of larger issues.
If you're not just in it for the money, then remember that only a sick animal defecates in its own nest. The concept that businesses or individuals can foul the air or pollute the water because jobs are on the line is absurd. It's like saying that robbing banks should be legal because bank robbers would otherwise be out of a job.
Earth doesn't belong to us. We're its caretakers. There is an appropriate balance that allows everybody to win. And if there's a stack of angry letters in your mailbox from green groups, it may be because you're doing something wrong.
DOUG THIELE
Virginia Beach, July 4, 1994 by CNB