If an article refers to someone who cares about nature as an environmentalist, for the most part the term would elicit a positive image. On the other hand, the use of the term 'Ecoterrorist' to describe and stereotype people who are committed to preserving and conserving nature and the environment in the face of both business and government(s); which are often hostile or resistant to taking responsibility for the long-term consequences of exploiting nature for the sake of mostly short-term prosperity or political expediency, elicits the image of criminals, misanthropes or deranged or irrational individuals whose priorities are detrimental to the freedom and autonomy of the average working American. Although looking in the short-term it may seem a valid concern that so-called 'radical environmentalists' might foul up the U.S. economy if they have their way, in the long-run the exact opposite is true. Environmentalists are realistically concerned with acting now to deal with a problem(s) that most influential people are willing to postpone dealing with unless or until the problem affects them directly; or, by the time the current so-called leaders are long-gone, the problem(s) becomes too expensive or insurmountable to deal with effectively (i.e. U.S. Energy Policy, Fuel Efficiency Standards and Global Warming). (to be cont'd)
[The original version of this essay first appeared in my unpublished manuscript "In Mediocrity We Trust... In Debt We Die" And Other Essays and in my political blog "Rage Against the [Bush] Regime.]
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