Surviving Capitalism (Not) : State allowed logging on plateau above slope involved in deadly Oregon [sic] mudslide

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, March 29, 2014

State allowed logging on plateau above slope involved in deadly Oregon [sic] mudslide

Click here to access article by Mike Baker, Ken Armstrong and Hal Bernton of the Seattle Times via Climate Connections. (Note I am using this post because Seattle Times limits access a bit to subscribers.)

This was one of the rare local reports linking this terrible tragedy (north of Seattle in Washington state) to clear-cutting of forests by timber corporations. Local area TV coverage has only focused on themes of pathos and heroism. Apparently, local corporate media do not want people to know much about this dangerous practice of clear-cutting--it might interfere with corporate profits. Having lived in Oregon for a number of years, I witnessed several such slides which were all eventually linked to this practice. The coverage from faraway places like Boston and even Britain (the best coverage) had no problem making this connection.

Just as after the disasters in Oregon over the last 30 years, we once again learn that official authorities knew about the practices and the danger of building homes in these areas, but they did nothing to enforce laws prohibiting these practices or settlements in this area. This tragedy in Washington state is one more illustration that the capitalist ruling class will let nothing get in the way of enriching their members of the One Percent--the timber harvesters, the developers, and real estate brokers. Meanwhile, they succeeded, once again, in keeping the 99 Percent in ignorance.