Hole in the Wall
Knee-Jerk Environmental Activism
RECEIVED Tue., July 31, 2007
Dear Editor,
Recently a consortium of environmental groups and activists launched a campaign against power plants in Texas. Sadly it resulted in the Austin area getting a dirty old coal plant, not too good for Central Texas. Now the same players are launching an anti-nuke campaign to attempt to stop the proliferation of nuclear plants in Texas, which, in reality, they have no one but themselves to blame for. And they performed their predictable anti-nukes street theatre in front of the Alamo Drafthouse at the premiere of The Simpsons Movie. How juvenile. Until the environmental movement gets meaningful political power, its street-theatre antics and anti-everything stance will never result in any meaningful wins for the environment and public health. Until the environmental movement elects good leaders into statewide and national positions, it will continue to flounder and frankly embarrass itself with such ridiculous street-theatre productions. A movement loses credibility when it is against everything. Just look at what happened to Save Our Springs. They were against every big-box project but never a peep against Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) or the numerous expansions at the Motorola (now Freescale) plant in Oak Hill. Environmental groups need to choose their actions and issues wisely or they will continue to be irrelevant to the general public and thus have no political clout. The dismal and overwhelming failure of SOS' referendums illustrates that point so strongly. The mutual admiration society among environmental groups is further proof of their delusional state. They simply do not get it that they have no real power (no pun intended).
Recently a consortium of environmental groups and activists launched a campaign against power plants in Texas. Sadly it resulted in the Austin area getting a dirty old coal plant, not too good for Central Texas. Now the same players are launching an anti-nuke campaign to attempt to stop the proliferation of nuclear plants in Texas, which, in reality, they have no one but themselves to blame for. And they performed their predictable anti-nukes street theatre in front of the Alamo Drafthouse at the premiere of The Simpsons Movie. How juvenile. Until the environmental movement gets meaningful political power, its street-theatre antics and anti-everything stance will never result in any meaningful wins for the environment and public health. Until the environmental movement elects good leaders into statewide and national positions, it will continue to flounder and frankly embarrass itself with such ridiculous street-theatre productions. A movement loses credibility when it is against everything. Just look at what happened to Save Our Springs. They were against every big-box project but never a peep against Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) or the numerous expansions at the Motorola (now Freescale) plant in Oak Hill. Environmental groups need to choose their actions and issues wisely or they will continue to be irrelevant to the general public and thus have no political clout. The dismal and overwhelming failure of SOS' referendums illustrates that point so strongly. The mutual admiration society among environmental groups is further proof of their delusional state. They simply do not get it that they have no real power (no pun intended).
Chrystia Wynnyk