—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 15,1971
20
Clean Environment Movement
There’s a growing indication of disen
chantment with the clean environment or
anti-pollution movement.
In many respects, this disenchantment
has sound motives.
But we think most of the disenchant
ment is directed against excesses in the
movement, rather than reduced concern
about the need for a clean environment.
The growing desire of some to disasso
ciate themselves from the anti-pollution ef
fort, we think, stems from some oi the
following factors:
—The tendency for those who know the
least and do the least about cleaning the en
vironment to try to become leaders in the
anti-pollution drive. This results in disen
chantment by those who have been doing
the work and know what the real problems
are.
' —The tendency of some to treat the en
vironment issue as strictly a political issue
which is capable of immediate solutions by
political means. This approach ignores the
long-term nature of the problem; pollution
has been a growing problem lor decades,
even centuries.
This approach also ignores the deep so
cial and economic issues, the need to get
broad-based community support in order to
make any effective effort toward solution;
it ignores the tremendous costs of a clean
environment, a cost which can easily ex
ceed hundreds of billions of dollars nation
ally, perhaps even costing trillions of dol
lars to get an environment as clean as some
would like to see it. The cost of cleaning up
even small communities can be many mil
lions.
To ignore this cost factor completely,
as some anti-pollution proponents do, is to
ignore reality and to invite disenchantment
and stiff opposition from businessmen and
others who have their feet on the ground.
Pollution must be considered in the con
text of many other problems such as mush
rooming welfare rolls, need for new and bet
ter highways, inflation, growing general
government services, and increasing con
cern about ever-rising taxes. In a very real
sense, anti-pollution must compete for both
the dollars and time of government, busi
ness and the public. Real progress against
pollution may simply have to wait its turn
until we can solve, or at least make some
progress on, some of the other issues.
—There’s growing disenchantment be
cause of an association, partly real and
partly imagined, between anti-pollution,
demonstrations and radicals.
While it is true that radicals have
seized on anti-pollution as a weapon in their
effort to tear down the “system,” this tact
should be separated from the fact that there
are real pollution issues and problems
—There’s growing disenchantment over
specific instances in which anti-pollution
crusades, both by well-meaning citizens and
radical trouble-makers, have caused seri
ous problems in both the public and prn ate
sectors.
For instance, there’s the electucal
power crisis. This crisis, of which “brown
outs” and “black outs” aie an outward in
dication, has stemmed in large part from a
determined battle over many years by citi
zens and radicals to stop the construction
of atomic power plants, and other types ot
power plants as well. It is prooably saie to
LAJStAVTER FARMING
Lancastei County’s Own Faim Weeilj
P. O Box 26b L'tuz Pa 17544
Office 22 E .Mam St, Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone. Lancaster 394-4047 oi Lmtz 026-2191
Robert G Campbell, Adveitising Directoi
Zane Wilson i aliasing ismim
SUbSCllptlOil pi ICC jjCI VCdl 111 LdnCdSlC
Couni> *4 cisewiieie
Published every Satmday by Lancaster
Farming, Lmtz. Pa
iseco.K. - . " “o-tage paid at Lititz Pa
17543
Member oi \ewsp->pei Faun Editors Assn
Pa V<■ " ' "fiaiion. and
National Newspaper Association ,
On Cleaning the
say that if power companies had been al
lowed to proceed as they planned, there
would be no electrical power shortage to-
day. Because the fight to stop and slow
down expansion of electrical power was
waged primarily in the name of anti-pollu
tion, those who are now irked by the power To Fol,ow Pesticide
shortage rightfully blame it largely on the
anti-po utionis . farmers will be using numerous
On a broader scale, the growing nation- j cin( j s 0 f spray materials for the
al concern about an energy shortage involv- next several months The control
ing coal, oil and gas, as well as electricity, of pesticides is a public issue
has some of the same roots. Environmenta- getting considerable attention at
lists in Alaska’s North Slope-and elsewhere vaiious levels of government.
stopped or slowed necessary expansion of. Pesticides can play a very im
power production. Those who are aware of Portant part in this country in
these electricity and power problems and the production of food and fiber;
, ,r . however, they must be used cor
uie causes ot them are increasingly disen- Al , duMrs „ re urged
chanted with the anti-pollution drive. tp follow the label and the in-
There are many other examples, such si.ructions on the container or
as the environmentalists’ crusade against package Its the- mis-use of
pesticides; some would actually invite mass a pray materials that can cause
starvation in order to save the environment tiouble. Be Careful.
trom tne marginal damage of pesticides
The anti-DDT crusade is a specific ex
ample ol how environmentalists’ have o ne of the most important
created problems which have turned oif practices m getting top quality
many potential supporters. The numbers of hay or silage is to cut the crop
lives that DDT has saved in this country at the proper stage of maturity,
and ai ound the world by stopping disease Small grams will yield the most
carrying insects can be measured in the value for silage or hay
millions. As previously reported in this when cut 111 blossom stage;
space, some countries which have banned glasses ln e heading stage,
DDT have been forced to return to it to
stop epidemics. In our own country, we in
vite the killing of vast acreages of forest by
the gypsy moth by refusing to use DDT on a
selective basis at the same time we use
other chemicals which are far more danger-
ous to man and his environment.
Likewise, those who are disenchanted
with inflation look at anti-pollution as a
cost of production and a factor in increas-
ing prices. Those who are disenchanted with
h'cfne*’ taxes look at anti-pollution as an-
other factor in rising taxes. In part they are
ngnc, even tnougn pollution itself is very
costly to communities and their citizens
who have to put up with it, even pay for it
in the form of depreciated property, proper
ty loss, and even increased medical costs.
—Perhaps there is also some growing
disenchantment with the clean environment
or anti-pollution drive because of the in
creasingly militant attitude of the move
ment’s proponents. There is a growing at
titude among some that only clean environ
ment people have rights, that those who
pollute should be made, by whatever means
necessary, to stop it.
There is a decreasing tendency to try to
understand the problems and to solicit co
operation; the trend is toward use of force.
We hear increasing reference to replacing
the carrot with a stick which prompts
us to note that this may prove to be fine if
people turn out to be like horses, but it
mav not work so well if people turn out to
be more like mules. We suspect that even it
tne stick approach is successful, it wull be
successful at very high costs, high costs in
the form of farmers who refuse or cannot
farm under the threat of a stick and busi
nessmen who will not or cannot operate
businesses under the new conditions. The
cost of alienating those who produce is, of
course, reflected in inflated prices and high
er taxes for the rest of us.
—There are many other factors behind
the growing disenchantment with clean en-
vironment movement and some of them
3rGn t appealing Some polluters simply The dilfeience, of course, was
don’t think pollution is a worthwhile issue, largely the icsult of Hosea’s own
or they don’t want to spend the money or expouencc with Corner, his wife,
take the time to help sohe the problem trough this e\penencc Hosea
even when they can afford to do so. liather h , ad , Collle f l ° ® dceper under '
than sohe poUnl.on problems, these polls,.
ters ask individuals and communities tc sus.” by Elizabeth C. Clephane,
sutler the esthetic and financial losses we sing
which Stem from pollution. And from my imilten heart ,u III
In conclusion, there are some very te " rs >
basic, sound reasons why there is growing Two uonden I renters
disenchantment noth the clean environment t""’'""’
movement. Because these reasons will con- These two wonders, each pull
tmue and probably e\ en become more ccm ing m a different direction, keep
pelting, at least for the ne't sp\ mal months following us throughout the Bible ■
• { continued -on Page -26)
To Harvest Forages
At Proper Stage
UNCONDITIONAL
LOVE
Lesson for May 16,1971
Background Scripture Hosea 17 14,
devotional Reading. Romans I 31 39.
The prophecies of Amos and
Hosea were alike in that:
—Both accused Israel of break
ing her covenant with the
Lord.
—Both condemned the pcople’s
mdifference to the injustice
‘estering within
;heir land.
>oth condemn
'd the substitu
lon of insincere
.orship for the
ractice of
ighteousness.
/Oth decried
:he growth of
Rev. Althouse S ® l a £ ' mdul f e " ce
as a w ay of life.
—Both attacked the idoltry
which the Isiaelitcs had
learned fiom their neighbors.
—Botli pi oclaimed suffering and
destiuction for Isiacl unless
the people would lepcnt and
retui n to God
But Amos and Hosea were dif
ferent in that while Amos was a
prophet who spoke solely of the
judgment of God, Hosea also
spoke of God s persistent and
compassionate love.
The love of a father
NOW IS
THE TIME..,
By Max Smith
Lancaster County Agent
and legumes such as alfalfa and
clover in the bud to early blos
som stage An Extension Circu
lar titled “Silage and Silos",is
available' covering the subject.
To Protect .Shade Trees
Trees continue to be an impor
tant part of our environment;
they always have been and de
serve proper attention. Trees
along the street, in parking,
areas, and near backyard patios
are often endangered because
the ground area around them is'
covered with blacktop. .Some
folks will .water around the
trunk of the ti'ee because this,
is the only surface area «pen.
We’d like to remind all -tree*
caretakers that the feeder roots
are not near the tunk but most
ly out at the dnp-hne of- the.
branches, actually, the feeding
root zone area of a tree covers
the same area as the hmbs and
foliage above the ground Ehm’t
starve the tree by covering this
root zone with blacktop or con
crete
Though they seem contradictory
of each other, we must never for
get either of them. Without the
remembrance of our unworthi
ness, the knowledge of God's
glorious love becomes a cheap
and common thing. Without tlie
reality of his grace, the fact of
our sinfulness becomes a burden
too heavy to bear. ;
We see both of these elements
combined in the message to Hq
sea: 1 ’ b
When Israel was a chid, I loved
him , j>
• . . I look them up in my arms. I
led them with cords of compassion
• . . I bent down to them and fe'd
them. (Hosea 11:1-8)
The more I called
There, of course, is also* the
theme of man’s unworthiness:
The mote I called them, the more i
they went ftom me; they kept sac
rificing to the Baals, and burning
tncense to idols. (n':2)
This is not so much the condem
nation of an angry judge as it is
the cry of a rejected father.
These are not mere criminals, but
rebellious, errant children. The
injury involved here is not con
cern for a broken law, but the
pain of a broken relationship:
Now can I give you up, O Eph
-1 aim'
How can I hand you over, 0 Is -
tael'
This is difficult to understand
for man often gives love only
upon ceitain conditions “I will
love you if >ou will be loveable,”
is the basis of much human affec
tion Often this is only the prom
ise of a conditional love Do this
—“get good giades,” “buy me a
car,” “do what I want,” etc.
and then I will love you
What God gives to his children,
however, is not a proposition, a
daal, a piomise of something to
come, but the declaration of
something which already exists:
God loves you now, as you are!
It is the knowledge of this un
conditional love from which there
comes the power to change and
become what he desires us to be.
(Based on outlines copyrighted fcy the
Division of Christian Education, Nation*)
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA,
Released by Community Press Service.)
ATTEND THE
CHURCH OF YOUR:
CHOICE SUNDAY
" O'JO'TjjUiQ f .vl
i ( r -1