The Third Station of the Cross: Jesus Falls the First time

[The following is from a series first posted during Lent in 2015.]

< The Second Station of the Cross                                                                           The Fourth Station of the Cross > 

Weakened by torments and by loss of blood, Jesus falls beneath his cross

“It is hard to make a desert in a place that receives sixty inches of rain each year. But after decades of copper mining, all that remained of the old hardwood forests in the Ducktown Mining District of the Southern Appalachian Mountains was a fifty-square mile barren expanse of heavily gullied red hills–a landscape created by sulfur dioxide smoke from copper smelting and destructive logging practices. In Ducktown Smoke, Duncan Maysilles examines this environmental disaster, one of the worst the South has experienced, and its impact on environmental law and Appalachian conservation.” http://legal-planet.org/2012/06/18/how-to-turn-a-forest-into-a-desert/

Relatively early in our nation's entering into the Industrial Age, we saw the sheer havoc and destruction that industry can have on the landscape. The copper industry did much to build the country and move it into the modern age, but Empire often moves with callous disregard for the environment that should nurture all of its inhabitants.

Copper smelting—the process of separating copper from rock—is credited with doing most of the environmental damage in the Ducktown Basin in the 19th century. The process required wood to fuel the smelters, and there was no wood left in the area by 1876. Logs were floated down the Ocoee River from Fannin County, Ga., and about 50 square miles within the Ducktown Basin had been stripped of vegetation by 1878. http://nooga.com/165052/historic-ducktown-basin-a-landscape-transformed/

Ducktown was an early example of the Empire's crucifixion of the environment. Unfortunately, there is still resistance from corporations to make any changes in their practices which continue to pollute, continue to contribute to climate change, and continue to bring damage to the sacred body of the earth, our only habitation.

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The Third Station of the Cross: Jesus Falls the First time

[The following is from a series first posted during Lent in 2015.]

< The Second Station of the Cross                                                                           The Fourth Station of the Cross > 

Weakened by torments and by loss of blood, Jesus falls beneath his cross

“It is hard to make a desert in a place that receives sixty inches of rain each year. But after decades of copper mining, all that remained of the old hardwood forests in the Ducktown Mining District of the Southern Appalachian Mountains was a fifty-square mile barren expanse of heavily gullied red hills–a landscape created by sulfur dioxide smoke from copper smelting and destructive logging practices. In Ducktown Smoke, Duncan Maysilles examines this environmental disaster, one of the worst the South has experienced, and its impact on environmental law and Appalachian conservation.” http://legal-planet.org/2012/06/18/how-to-turn-a-forest-into-a-desert/

Relatively early in our nation's entering into the Industrial Age, we saw the sheer havoc and destruction that industry can have on the landscape. The copper industry did much to build the country and move it into the modern age, but Empire often moves with callous disregard for the environment that should nurture all of its inhabitants.

Copper smelting—the process of separating copper from rock—is credited with doing most of the environmental damage in the Ducktown Basin in the 19th century. The process required wood to fuel the smelters, and there was no wood left in the area by 1876. Logs were floated down the Ocoee River from Fannin County, Ga., and about 50 square miles within the Ducktown Basin had been stripped of vegetation by 1878. http://nooga.com/165052/historic-ducktown-basin-a-landscape-transformed/

Ducktown was an early example of the Empire's crucifixion of the environment. Unfortunately there is still resistance from corporations to make any changes in their practices which continue to pollute, continue to contribute to climate change, and continue to bring damage to the sacred body of the earth, our only habitation.

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Climate Change and the Talks in Paris

The United Nations Paris Climate Change Conference and the 21st session of the Conference of Parties (known by the acronym COP21) will be meeting in Paris from November 30 to December 11 where they will be discussing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions  and climate change. For years there have been experts warning us of the dangers of climate change, yet it has been a controversial topic that has elicited reactions that range from from trite dismissal to political polarization.

Why the Controversy?

I am baffled by such widespread questioning of even the reality of climate change and astounded by the number of people who doubt that human activity is contributing to changes in the environment. The reason for my bafflement is that I remember a time when people paid attention to the scientists, listened to news reports, and lawmakers made some needed changes.

It was back in the late 1960s and early 70s that I recall seeing many news broadcasts on the effects of pollution, especially the harmful smog in urban areas holding dangerous pollutants in the air and the environment. One particular broadcast I recall seeing as a teenager was of a newscaster reporting from Los Angeles, talking about the fact that trees in the San Fernando Valley were dying as a result of smog and acid rain. It was a frightening thing for me to consider as a young teen.

The upshot, however, of those scientific studies and news broadcasts was that congress actually passed legislation to combat pollution. The Clean Air Extension Act of 1970 and the Clean Water Act of 1972 both expanded the regulations to reduce automobile emissions and industrial waste pollution. Even Richard Nixon, in his 1970 State of the Union address stated:

Restoring nature to its natural state is a cause beyond party and beyond factions. It has become a common cause of all the people of this country. It is a cause of particular concern to young Americans, because they more than we will reap the grim consequences of our failure to act on programs which are needed now if we are to prevent disaster later. Clean air, clean water, open spaces-these should once again be the birthright of every American. If we act now, they can be.

Later that year, as he signed the Clean Air Amendments of 1970 acknowledged that the air and water must be clean for our environment and for future generations. As a result, trees begin growing again in areas where they had been dying.

Today, we see more trees dying in California and across the globe due to the devastating droughts that are a part of climate change. We are seeing polar ice caps melting and constant warnings from our scientists, yet the "political will" to do anything is ever so recalcitrant. Moreover, many continue to question whether it is actually human activity that is having such an impact upon the environment. 

Hope for Change

If we were able to pass legislation leading to positive environmental changes in the 1970s under the Nixon Administration, surely there is hope for action today. While much of the political and corporate recalcitrance seems to be centered in the U.S. and some of the developing countries who are unwilling to slow down corporate industry, there are voices of reason among other nations, and many protest throughout the world this week to call attention to the problem of climate change. 

For example, in Paris, even though the march was cancelled due to concerns over safety in light of the recent terrorist attack, over 10,000 pairs of shoes on the Place de la Republique to serve as a visual reminder of the people's concern for the environment. 

Also in Paris, the Indigenous Environmental Network organized a healing ceremony in front of the Bataclan theater before thousands gathered to participate in a human chain action in the streets of Paris.

Indigenous Healing Prayer in front of Bataclan Theater in Paris.
Yesterday, on November 29th the Indigenous Environmental Network organized a healing ceremony in front of the Bataclan theater before thousands gathered to participate in a human chain action in the streets of Paris. It was a beautiful ceremony featuring Indigenous youth speakers from North America, the arctic, and the pacific islands. Our delegations always see it as a necessity to have prayer before any large action. We offered kind words, song, and calls for climate justice and peace. #DefendProtectRenew #IndigenousRisingVideo produced and originally postedby @The New Internationalist
Posted by Indigenous Environmental Network on Monday, November 30, 2015

For a more in-depth look at the effects of climate change, posted below is the two-part BBC documentary by David Attenborough from 2006 (or you may just want to read an account of the films presentation here).

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The People's Climate March: Effective Change, or Day of Reckoning?

People's Climate March, NYC (Photo from Twitter)

Historical Precedent

There was a time when science, the television media, government, and the public all came together to address environmental issues and make a positive change in the way we do things – but that time rests in the past as a dim memory. That time needs to be resurrected. I am thinking of that time when I was growing up in the 1960s. Environmental pollution was becoming a problem. I can remember public service ads on television warning of the effects of pollution and educating the public on things that we could do to avoid dying in a polluted land. I recall seeing on the nightly news well-known news reporters speaking from the hills somewhere outside Los Angeles California where trees were dying on the mountainsides as a result of heavy automobile pollution. “Smog” was a new word that entered into our vocabulary to describe conditions in the city in which fog combined with air pollution to create health hazards for city dwellers.

As a result of the science of the day, the media attention, and a concerned public, legislation was passed in Washington, D.C. that resulted in the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Regulations came into place that restricted the pollutants being emitted by industry. We saw in a relatively short time a reduction in pollution that allowed trees to begin to grow again outside of Los Angeles. The air and water became cleaner, reducing health risks to people in urban areas. The nation was confronted with a problem, and we came together to make some positive improvements.

The Current State of Affairs

Fast forward to present day, and we see a confounding social circumstance in which many are not believing the best science of the day,  elected government officials are paralyzed and ineffectual having become pawns of big corporations and servants to Wall Street. The television media has become a balkanized industry catering to the whims of advertisers and public consumers and demonstrating no investment in or commitment to the common good. This was particularly evident last Sunday when hundreds of thousands gathered in New York City to demonstrate their concern about climate change. The huge event received very little television coverage (see “Sunday News Shows Ignore Historic Climate March”).

By some estimates, there were 300,000 people participating in the People’s Climate March. The streets were filled with protesters calling attention to our failures to address the significant negative impact we are having upon the environment. It was a huge event, but barely even noticed – much less heeded – by the television media. Compare this to past events in our recent history. In 1964, approximately 250,000 people participated in the march on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to hear Martin Luther King's “I Have A Dream” speech. On April 15, 1967, 300,000 marched in New York in the "Spring Mobilization" to protest the Viet Nam War. These events rocked the nation with television coverage on the nightly news.

The silence on TV regarding the People's Climate March last Sunday was perhaps indicative that TV is now controlled by a few corporations which don't want to be bothered with real news, especially news that calls for effective change. When corporations are calling the shots, and when those corporations are where significant change must happen if we are to reduce environmental damage, you can be sure that those corporations will stand in the way of any changes or legislative action. Some say we have already passed the tipping point and that the reversal of the effects of climate change is no longer possible. There is still time, however, to make some progress toward sustainability, yet few in power want to hear or do anything that would challenge the status quo.  

Time of Reckoning

We can pay now, or we can pay later. There was a time when we paid attention to the science that warned us of the destruction we were causing to the environment. There was also a time when legislation could effectively regulate industries to reduce environmental degradation. Moreover, there was a time when the people’s voice could eventually be heard. Today we see how corporations are  controlling both the government and the media more and more. The corporation changes the way we address matters of injustice, health, and safety. When government was effective, changes could be made through legislation. That is how we historically made improvements in the workplace, in the environment, and in civil rights. Without effective government, however, we do not know how to stand up to the ever-growing corporation. Unfortunately, our best hope now may be in catastrophe. It may take a true catastrophe to convince us that change is necessary.

For anyone wanting more information about climate change, here is an article addressing some of the top issues and questions: Eight Pseudoscientific ClimateClaims Debunked by Real Scientists

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Beyond Petroleum: To Ecological Disaster

White sands of the gulf beaches, estuaries and delicate ecosystems, livelihoods of hardworking fisherman – all of these lie in the path of the ominous oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico making its way to shore. The pictures posted with this blog entry were taken a few years ago when my daughter and I visited the Mobile Bay area. We saw the beautiful sands of Orange Beach, and viewed the lush natural habitats on Dauphin Island and Mobile Bay. Much of the beauty of the area lay in its lack of urban development.

News articles this morning tell of efforts to contain the spill from the off shore BP oil rig accident that occurred April 20. We hope their efforts are fruitful, but we all know that disaster is eminent. All who have enjoyed the beauties and the bounties of the Gulf may never see recovery in their lifetime. We can talk about who is to blame, whether it be greedy oil companies, unregulated and deregulated corporate practices, slow government response, or a populace insistent upon abundant fuel for an unsustainable lifestyle. Perhaps there is enough blame to go around. The important thing is to learn from this tragedy.


We could learn the importance of government regulation of industry. We could learn that giving free reign to corporations does not lead to civic responsibility. We could learn that there is no longer a choice between environmental safeguards and profit margins. We could have learned all of this before. We have ample examples of irreversible environmental damage.

There is the Ducktown Basin in Tennessee that was laid waste by just a few years of copper mining in the 19th century. In more recent times, we see in China and the former Soviet Union the kinds of pollution and environmental damage that can occur in industrial nations without proper regulations. In addition, we have had enough examples of damage from oil spills in our country, most notably the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969 and the Exxon Valdeez disaster in 1989.


The damage to the Gulf, ecosystems and shoreline of the Gulf States will likely be widespread. All we can do now is to work together to minimize the damage. We should be able to see more clearly the consequences to future generations when make decisions based on immediate profit without regard to accountability or sustainability. We should see that now, but then again, we should have seen it before.

"Not dark yet, but it's gettin' there."



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