Birthdays, Ecology and Tyrants

Browsing this morning has led me to the conclusion that April has to be the prime month for birthdays and anniversaries. For me, the parade would be led by the April 1st birthday of my late brother, Craig. Of the three items featured in the title of this post, only one referred to him. Although in retrospect he may have been considered a late blooming ecologist. He gave up moto-cross (very destructive to the landscape) for skiing which may well be one of the most earth friendly sports. Any damage done is melted by midsummer.

To Restorationists and millions of Mormons, April marks the birth date of the formation of the church. For Christians generally, April has special connections to the life of Christ. To patriots, the 18th of April in “75” signals the anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride from Boston through the countryside. The following day marks “the shot heard round the world.” The founding of National Park Service, the assassination of Lincoln, and congressional approval of “In God We Trust” on coins all occurred during April.

In 1789 on April 21st, our “first” president was sworn in, John Adams, preceding the swearing in of Washington by nine days. As I read the constitution, that would make him first. Each of you probably makes an association with some April date which is the result of your own personal interest.

Before we proceed further, allow me to inject a quote which I found particularly significant:

“When people attempt to rebel against the iron logic of nature, they come into conflict with the very same principles to which they owe their existence as human beings. Their actions against nature must lead to their own downfall.”

Today we celebrate the birthday of Vladimir Lenin (1870.) It is also the 38th “Earth Day.” Many claim that this is just a coincidence. Others maintain it was intentional. In the socialist mind, no outlandish claim is too far out to be asserted. I suppose that having the original on Lenin’s 100th birthday was an accident too.

The collectivist experiment and the subsequent enslavement of not just people but the earth itself is still readily apparent in both the former Soviet Bloc states and Russia itself. Mindless land usage and toxic dumping have rendered huge land areas useless and great lakes and seas polluted beyond imagination. Considering the mind set of the folks who initiated “Earth Day” I tend to discount denial and see it as intentional. After the participation of millions in the first “Earth Day” they changed the original date from the 30th of March to Lenin’s birthday. Had they just moved it up one more day they could have had it on the 31st and combined it with Al Gore’s birthday – and mine!

Among the industrialized countries, Russia is probably the most careless about land use and preservation for future generations. The tragedy at Chernobyl has fouled land measured in thousands of square miles. Given the lack of success of the system, the country is so near bankruptcy that the cleanup necessary to restore the earth is out of the question from a financial perspective.

Many other famous people were born in April and many of those might have been more appropriate. They include Shakespeare, U.S. Grant, Booker T. Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Catherine the Great, Queen Elizabeth II, Jay Leno, David Letterman and the most appropriate – John Muir. Had they moved the date up to the 20th they might have used the birth date of Adolph Hitler as the anchor point.

Hitler would have been a far better choice from an ecological point of view. He was a vegetarian, a strict agrarian and sought every means possible to promote sound practice in land usage. An ardent lover of animals he would have been welcomed among veterinarians if not synagogues. He recycled at a furious rate, turning every pot and pan he could get his hands on to further supply raw material for the arms industry. As evidence I urge you to reread the quote cited – it was taken from Hitler's Mien Kampf.

For those of us familiar with the scriptures, understanding dominion over our resources and faithful stewardship go hand in hand. We hardly need a special day to remind us to do every day that which we have been commanded. The Lord even advised us to forgo the Sabbath if “the ox was in the pit.” These things we do because it is our law. It also makes good sense.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon