> 2) If it were totally up to you, what would YOU do to protect native fishes and
> their environments?
Chris has a point. Here I am, in Canada, where environmental policy is
at once a national shame, a provincial shame where i live, and on and
on. As far as state's rights, 45% of the population of my province
currently favours renegotiating our status in Canada or becoming
independent. You think Alabama is concerned with jurisdictions?
We wouldn't be leaving North America, however. National, provincial or
state boundaries are pretty unimportant if we look at the ecological
picture. They are human concerns - important, but not valid as ways of
looking at 'big picture' continental environmental policy.
If we have to negotiate about some future ecological initiative in my
province (Quebec) that has an impact on Maine, Vermont, New York, New
Hampshire, Ontario, New Brunswick and Labrador (if it isn't vetoed by
the WTO), we would be better placed to either have a pan-governmntal
North American environmental agency, or at least a Mexican, US and
Canadian body to work this out in. All of Mexico's states, Canada's
provinces and territories and the US states sitting around a table would
be a nightmare scenario for getting anything done.
I believe that to act locally is what we as people can do, but to think
and act globally is what we should do as peoples.
It isn't a utopian vision, but it is hard work for a society to deal
with. I think it's what we should work toward. Yeah, there would be
bureaucracy, and laws - and civic responsibility and policies with a
chance of working continentally, and not according to arbitrary
political boundaries.
That's my dime dropped (six cents U.S.)
Gary
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