Reply #26: Very interesting. [View All]

And well thought-out. I enjoyed reading what you wrote. I probably agree with 99.9999% and maybe a little more. But for fun, let's look closely at that tiny, itty-bitty area where we might not agree fully.

I'll start with dams. Not far from my home is a beautiful creek. On some property that a friend owns, I used to have out-door activities for kids from screwed-up families, when I was a social worker. On the edge of the creek, we built a nice "fire pit" for cooking meals. The children and adult volunteers loved to sit there, and watch the beavers, busy building their dams.

A man from "the city" (in upstate NY, "the city" is all of NYC, Long Island, and north-eastern NJ) bought property near my friend's. His house was so far from the stream that he had to go out of his way to be "disturbed" by the kids. But he was. He was worried that the very edge of the firepit was on his property, and had screaming fits.

I tried to reason with him. But he was unreasonable. He didn't like kids or beavers. One day I walked down to the creek. It was sad, but funny. The man had rented a bulldozer. He ruined the firepit, and then went to destroy the beaver dams. The bulldozer was at a 90 degree angle to the ground, very stuck in the creek. He was having a fit. I knew that the sound of my voice was upsetting to him, so I didn't offer to help.

Now, that's a long way of saying dams are indeed part of nature. But some beings have a greater understanding of how they should be built. Others are just fools on machines.

I used to show kids something I learned. Bury a tire. Next to it, set a good-sized rock. Come back in two years. The tire will have popped out of the ground; the rock will be in the process of being absorbed. The lesson doesn't need my explanation.

I've spent decades on environmental issues. I've gone through the NY state courts on (Native American) burial protection cases. I wrote much of the policy of repatriation for a neighboring state. I spend over 20 years researching and working on a couple SuperFund Sites; I helped the federal government in two cases in federal court versus the military industrial complex.

I've found that at times, something can SOUND one way, but actually mean the exact opposite of my preconceived notions. (wink)