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| Immigration stance tearing apart Sierra Club? |
| 2004-02-18 |
| Edited for brevity. A fierce battle is brewing over the future of the Sierra Club, and an unlikely issue is at the center of the debate: immigration. A growing faction in the nation’s most influential environmental group has urged a stronger stance against immigration, calling the growing U.S. population and its consumption of natural resources the biggest threat to the environment. Past and present Sierra Club leaders say the anti-immigrant faction has teamed up with animal-rights activists in an attempt to hijack the 112-year-old organization and its $100 million annual budget. "At stake is really the heart and soul of the organization," said Adam Werbach, the club’s president from 1996-98. "It’s a sad attempt by a very small special-interest group to take over the entire Sierra Club organization." Some of the old guard has organized a movement called Groundswell Sierra to oppose what they say is an attempted takeover by outside groups. Their opponents responded by filing a lawsuit claiming the leaders are unfairly trying to influence an upcoming board election. Between March 1 and April 15, members will cast mail-in ballots to fill five open seats on the club’s 15-member governing board. The club’s anti-immigration faction says it needs only three more seats to control policy. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #7 Yeah, but I bet his uncle wouldn't be. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2004-2-18 7:59:15 PM |
| #6 I see this eventuality as a mini version of what is slowly happening in the DNC. I don't think that JFK would recognize his party. FDR, OTOH would be quite happy. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-2-18 7:47:59 PM |
| #5 I think I'll just pour some used motor oil into the ground. |
| Posted by: dataman1 2004-2-18 6:09:48 PM |
| #4 I checked out the Sierra Club once. A lot of the rank and file is non-political, but the leadership is thoroughly politicized. BTW, what turned me off wasn't the politics, but the structure. It's kind of like Scientology. You pay big bucks up front to go to classes, seminars, and trips. Once you've paid your dues and gotten leadership training, then everything is free or reduced cost. At least in the group I checked out, the leaders didn't seem too concerned about the welfare of the "recruits." They mostly seemed to be enjoying a free trip that the recruits were paying for. Another thing that I noticed about them was that they had precisely zero chapters in the black and latino parts of town. They had some sort of outreach committee, but it obviously wasn't doing much. So they're racist, looney, and exploitive. I honestly hope that they break up. Maybe some of the rank and file will pick up the pieces and reinvent it as a fun organization again. |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2004-2-18 4:03:25 PM |
| #3 IS I barely remember that. I do remember when the Audabon Society was heavy into birds tho. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-18 1:49:28 PM |
| #2 A growing faction in the nation’s most influential environmental group has urged a stronger stance against immigration, calling the growing U.S. population and its consumption of natural resources the biggest threat to the environment. I don't know about the "threat" to the environment, but it's pretty obvious that more people in a particular place will consume more resources. Debate the pros and cons of legal immigration if you will, but illegal immigration needs to be smacked down, and HARD. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-2-18 1:36:49 PM |
| #1 "At stake is really the heart and soul of the organization," said Adam Werbach, the club’s president from 1996-98. "It’s a sad attempt by a very small special-interest group to take over the entire Sierra Club organization." How quickly Mr. Werbach forgets. He may be a paunchy old-guard conservative now, but some of us old-timers remember when he and his lefty barbarians hijacked the Sierra Club in the '60s. They transformed it from an outdoor recreational club to a militant anti-capitalist political organization, advocating siezure of land use control nationwide using 'the environment' as their mantra. Just lie back and enjoy the takeover, Mr. Werbach. |
| Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive 2004-2-18 1:34:05 PM |