‘Combat biologists’
true environmentalists
The story is an old on*?: disenchanted workers re
belling against an organization on ethical grounds But
this case puts a new twist on the timber controversy.
Call them "coinbat biologists" — Forest Service
scientists taking on the higher ups who wish to turn
old-growth timber stands into barren clear cuts.
They’ve organized, forming the Association of For
est Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. The
2.(MM) members make a strong case of discrimination by
their bosses Midnight transfers, identifying whistle
blowers, forced resignations — all because the biolo
gists objected to the free-wheeling destruction of the
forests.
Excuse the impertinence, but shouldn't a desire to
protect forests be in the job description of a Forest Ser
vice employee'!’ (lame wardens aren’t expected to be
lax on hunting or fishing violations, so why should bi
ologists be expected to support logging prac tices that
result in the shrinking of forest lands?
The answer is simple Thes shouldn’t
It seems the '80s version of economi* progress has
seeped into the governmental bureaus Forest Service
executive-, who should be protecting their domain, ap
pear instead to be more concerned with cash flow from
timber sales.
AFSEEE members
have presented a damning
list of allegations Illegal
logging, park management
planning manipulation,
resource mismanagement
and falsifying reports un
just a few of the com
plaints One bv one. the
abuses are bud enough As a whole, thes are grotesque.
As can be expected, the Forest Service has re
spondee! to the allegations brought forth bv AFSFI.F In
a February memo, tile chief of the department told em
ployees to not violate environmental lass-, or forest
plan standards, and that he would not tolerate any re
t.illation against whistle blowers.
Sue verbal sophistry, but is that actually happen
ing^ Tin* ey idem e ysould suggest it isn't
It is heartening to see government workers having
the courage to stand up and report abuses AFSEEE has
already had an impact, not only in the Forest Service,
but in other government departments Advocacy
groups are cropping up all over the plat e.
The Forest Service needs to be held to its pro
fessed standards It it doesn't, hoys can its executives
tiope to be taken seriously during .1 crisis, such as the
spotted osvl controversy -' Credibility wanes, and the
only thing the officials will hear is laughter from peo
ple who just can’t believe them.
One by one, the
abuses are bad
enough. As a
whole, they are
grotesque.
(Jregon / fails
Emerald
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OPINION
A few thoughts about Opening Day
THE FINE
PRINT
BY DON PETERS
Baseball hits begun
Logically, it should be
h.irii U) gel exc ited about
the first couple flays In d 1 •
game. sex ell inontb season Hut
xx i re not talking logic hero
Monday \xux Opening Day
( apit.il letters and such
The Dl'12 season is undet
vxay and to borruxx a tired slo
g,in it already has two strikes
against it
Lust years World Series xxill
go down ax one ol the' ties! Ill
history A xcxen game extra in
rung thriller between txvo teams
that were in the i ellar the year
before
Strike one
Kvne Sandbe rg jumps over
the Steve Austin Line and lx
comes the world’s brst Seven
M 111 ton T bdl ar l.i ye.cr) Man
Owners general managers and
Irtiis cringe Players rejott e
Strike two
Look lor the next pitch to be
a high fastball either from the
owners refecting the Seattle
Mariners sale or t.rorge Stein
hrenner returning to the Van
Hut what the heck this is
base-ball The game has sur
xived two world xxars, numer
oils preslcfem les riftiln nil turf
and tree agency This year s
i rop of problems, though large,
are not i rippling Spiraling sal
aries xxill eventually level oil
The cither woes will lix them
selves
There' .ire no problems on
(tpening Day
I take a lot of flack for being a
diehard hasotuiil fan I am In
formix) the game is "too slow"
or "boring " Perhaps for the
amateur viewer Whereas In
other sports, all the action is up
front and on the screen, base
hall has more tilings going on
then most people recognize
A routine groundnut to six
ond is a good example The out
is the i ulmmation of the man
ager placing the fielder in the
proper position to make the
play, the pitcher and catcher
teaming up to decide what to
throw and numerous other
One of my favorite
baseball memories
was watching my
father, as an
umpire, tossing my
grandfa ther-coach
out of a game for
arguing a balk call.
lii!v .illin• [merits May la- tin
butler Wits fooled, .1 right-hand
etj hint ! not turning on the
ball tlie ImI head hiding In
hind his hand#, lnste.id of driv
ing the hall, he h.ireh plunks it
A routine -1 t groundnut, hut
hardly boring
There is something different
.ilniut h.iseb.ill something that
attr.ii ts itself to the Amerii an
public ilasebull fans come
trom everywhere In fail, I just
finished a book by one stu b
Ian, politic.al commentator
(ieorge Will s \fr/i ul I Vi irk. 1
find Will's politics frightening
Anytime I can read a column of
his and know all the words, !
1 onsider it a moral v u tory Hut
Ills love of the game and his
know ledge are reflet ted in
his w riling
1 am genetically predisposed
to ts-tng a baselsill fan My fa
llier yy as on a champion Little
League team In Panama and
played a pretty fair second
base His lather was one of the
best roaches I’ve i-yi-r seen a
man yyith a formidable know I
edge of the game and its rules
One of my favorite baseball
memories ys as w atching my fa
ther, as an umpire, toss my
grand father-coach out of a
game for arguing a balk (all Let
me tell you, it made the next
Sunday family dinner mighty
interesting
On a side note, my grandfa
ther has finally admitted ho
ysas right to get the thumb, but
he still argues the bulk call
I'lic separation of baseball
and other spnrls is also reflec t
ed in movies about the game
football, hoi key and basketball
movies invariably are of the
tin ill ot \ k tors ugonv-of-defeat
type Hut vs e Ians have been
treated to ( lassie s sue h .is flung
the Drum Slowly, field nl
Dreams and the best baseball
movie ever made. Hull 1 hirhum
The on-field action makes up
but .1 small port of these films
The surroundings, the people,
are the important things
(Growing up in Southern Cali
fornia, I had three teams to
choose from My brother fol
lowed the Dis Angeles Dodgers,
and at that time, the San Diego
I’adres wore uniforms more
suited to hist food than last
balls So I rooted for the Cali
fornia Angels
I jii.iv golf because I don't
have enough frustration m tin
Hie I follow the Angels lor
null h the same reason The An
gels will forever go down in
history as the team closest to
going to the World Series
(l'tati, one pltr h) and not make
it I'heir history is replete with
such oi l urrenc es
Hut baseball, like life, has its
ironies Two years ago, I had
the unbelievable opportunity to
cover the 1‘adres for my home
town newspaper After my first
game, I was chewed out in front
of the entire San Diego baseball
press corps by then .Montreal
Kxpos manager Bui k Rodgers
for reasons I won't go into right
now Welcome to the big
leagues, kid
Baseball followers reading
this are laughing because that
same Buck Rodgers is now the
manager of my beloved Angels,
thus providing one of the bi*st
definitions of the term "mixed
emotions ”
Oh well, I'll still live and die
by the Angels Play Kill
Dun Helm Is an editorial edi
tor for the Emerald
COMMENTARY POLICY
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if necessary.