I believe Debbie Neustad posted an article earlier on the threat Sierra
Club is facing in the upcoming Board elections. This Philadelphia
Inquirer editorial lays it out clearly.
I very much want to know what steps Iowa Chapter leaders are considering,
to try and turn out as many votes as possible from our members: I very
much want to help prevent a hostile takeover of our Sierra Club!
Since election rules may inhibit what can be said through this list-serve,
please feel free to reply to me personally at [log in to unmask]
Thanks,
Bill Witt (a grateful Life Member)
You can also call me in the evenings at 319-266-8831. The answering
machine's on the blink, but if I'm not home, my caller i.d. will at least
record your number, and I'll call you back.
--------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: [Con-Com] Editorial: Changes at the Sierra Club?
From: "Dennis W. Schvejda" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, February 5, 2004 8:26 am
To: "NJ-Sierra-Chapter-Cons-Committee"
<[log in to unmask]>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Changes at the Sierra Club?
The danger lies within
Philadelphia Inquirer - 2/5/2004
America's oldest, most respected conservation group may fracture, just as
its power and influence are needed most to fight the worst assault on
environmental laws in 30 years.
Even as the Bush administration hammers away protections, an unusual
alliance of anti-immigration and animal-rights activists is trying to
hijack the Sierra Club's agenda by taking over its board of directors.
Americans who care about the environment, not just Sierra Club members,
should be concerned. A takeover would undermine the group's clout at a
time when nongovernmental organizations are an essential check on bad
government policies.
The Sierra Club brand was built up through grass-roots volunteerism,
dating to naturalist John Muir in 1892. Although best known for its hikes
and calendars, Sierra Club is big business these days, with 750,000
members, 300 employees, a $95 million budget, and national offices in San
Francisco and Washington, D.C. Politicians and products covet its green
seal of approval.
Traditionally, lobbying has focused on clean air, clean water and land
preservation. Members who pay $25 expect the funds to go toward the stated
mission of "exploring, enjoying and protecting the wild places of the
Earth," not to extremists' narrow views.
The Sierra Club has picked its policies well so far. It has welcomed
hunters and vegetarians, environmental-justice advocates and
zero-population proponents. Its diversity is a real strength.
Fights over club policy are settled from the bottom up, with ballot
initiative the ultimate decision-maker.
In 1996 and 1998, the club voted on restricting immigration as a way to
control U.S. population. Many environmentalists believe the ultimate
environmental problem is burgeoning human population. Progress will be
short-lived if human pressure on natural resources isn't controlled.
Yes, that's true. But the club is right to stick to a global approach to
overpopulation, stressing voluntary family planning, human rights and
economic security. Most people thought the issue was settled - and it
should be after members voted immigration restrictions down.
Now, the group that lost, SUSPS (formerly known as "Sierrans for U.S.
Population Stabilization"), is staging a hostile takeover. It's aligned
with a radical animal-rights leader, whose views jeopardize effective
coalitions with hunters and anglers.
Only 8 percent of the membership voted in the last board of directors
election, so an outside group could take over the board just by signing up
members sympathetic to its cause.
The scariest part is the kind of new members who may have signed up. In
the last few months, the Southern Poverty Law Center has found postings on
neo-Nazi and white supremacist Web sites urging people to join the Sierra
Club.
SUSPS repudiates racial motives but cannot stop its repugnant hangers-on.
Also troubling is the animal-rights faction forming around board member
Paul Watson, founder of the radical Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Why
is he bad news? This "pirate" rams and sinks ships to save whales. He's
been jailed for eco-terrorism.
What's happening in the Sierra Club illustrates that members of an
organization take for granted that the most venerable of groups cannot be
diverted from a worthy mission. Clearly, they can. This is no time to lose
the Sierra Club's voice. It's a time for people who care about the
environment to pay more than dues. They need to pay attention.
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