I am writing to congratulate Ray Ring on his analysis
of the Libby disaster and how it relates to the environmental
movement (HCN, 2/21/05: Where were the environmentalists when Libby
needed them most?). He has unearthed the arrogance and elitism that
are so pervasive in the “environmental activist” movement.
It’s easy to fight “evil” corporations whose activities can
easily be demonized as “destruction.” It’s another matter
entirely to face individual people who are suffering because of
environmental irresponsibility.
I believe many (not all)
in this movement have an elitist attitude toward members of the
general public. They believe members of the public have no concept
of what is best for the land, earth, or much of anything else. I am
a consulting environmental scientist. My job takes me to the
working end of environmental issues — cleaning up messes,
developing solutions, and dealing with people often scared out of
their wits by environmental messes. The people of Libby were loyal
to those who paid their bills. They share this with environmental
activists. They have very divergent mission statements, but both
work for money.
Pat Seccomb
Butte, Montana
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Environmentalists show their elitism.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
