Overview - Property Rights and 'Wise Use'

During the 70’s a grassroots movement appeared in several western states fueled by simmering rage over “government regulation.” This movement, which came to be known as the Sagebrush Rebellion, reached its zenith in the early 80’s during the Reagan years. In 1981 Reagan declared himself to be a sagebrush rebel. In most cases “government regulation” meant environmental protections on land held by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Sagebrush rebels wanted unrestricted access to these lands for cattle ranching, agribusiness, mineral extraction, and various recreational uses and considered conservation management and publicly funded care of them to be an infringement of their “rights.” It was during this period that Reagan appointee James Watt was reigning Secretary of the Interior. Watt, who was well-known for bringing his fundamentalist “Christian” beliefs to bear on Interior policy, did more to roll back environmental protections than anyone to hold that office before him.

In later years Watt vehemently denied any antienvironmentalism in his faith (Watt, 2005). But during his tenure he decreased funding for environmental programs, restructured the Interior Department to decrease federal regulatory power, worked to eliminate the Land and Water Conservation Fund which had been created to expand the National Wildlife Refuge system and other environmental land protections, eased regulations on oil and mining companies, and suggested that all 80 million acres of undeveloped land in the United State be opened for drilling and mining in the year 2000. He favored opening wilderness areas and coastal shores for oil and gas leases and actively fought voluntary contributions of private land for conservation purposes by land owners. During his tenure the acreage leased to coal mining companies quintupled and he once proudly boasted that he had leased "a billion acres" of U.S. coastal waters for oil drilling, though only a small portion of that area was ever actually drilled (Wikipedia, 2007).

Watt once stated, "We will mine more, drill more, cut more timber” (Media Transparency, 2007). He has even gone so far as to openly advocate violence against environmentalists. Referring to Earth First! in a 1991 speech to the Green River Cattlemen's Association he said that,

If the trouble from environmentalists cannot be solved in the jury box or at the ballot box, perhaps the cartridge box should be used.

Hardly a sentiment most people would consider Christian! Contrast these words with those of Jesus, who even prayed for the Roman soldiers who were in the process of crucifying Him.

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

(Luke 23:34)

Few would dispute the extreme nature of some Earth First! beliefs and activities, particularly during their early years. But even at their worst they engaged only in over-the-top political demonstrations and monkey wrench activities (environmental vandalism. The term is derived from Edward Abbey’s novel The Monkey Wrench Gang whose lead character is said to have been modeled after Earth First! co-founder Dave Foreman). Even their encouragement of the potentially deadly practice of tree-spiking was qualified by a policy of informing timber companies of all such activity—the intent being to prevent logging of those areas rather than direct harm to timber workers.

Certainly, such activities are unjustifiable and few environmentalists encourage them. But they do not constitute direct, premeditated violence against human life that justifies being shot to death in retaliation. Though “Christians” like Watt may wish otherwise, last time I checked vandalism was not a capital crime in the United States. Watts remarks are even more revealing in that at the time he made them Earth First! had already publicly renounced monkey-wrench activities and adopted strictly non-violent practices (Wikipedia, 2007b). Like so many of his allies, he never was much for fact checking his remarks.

In the fall of 1983 Watt resigned from office in disgrace after a public speech in which he spoke of his staff saying,

"I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent."

The 'Wise Use' Movement