-Judi Bari
Judi Bari is a hero for environmentalists and labor organizers alike. A major figure in the campaigns against old growth deforestation, she is most known for her efforts to bring together environmentalists and timber workers. She was both an Earth First!er and a Wobbly, and spearheaded campaigns to demand sustainable long-term forestry in the Northwest, safeguarding timber jobs by protecting the ecological integrity of the forests.
This book is a collection of her writings, lectures and interviews from these campaigns. Here are a few very interesting quotes from Judi:
"The first step is to stop blaming the loggers and millworkers for the destruction of the planet. The timber companies treat them the same way they treat the forest- as objects to exploit for maximum profit. We can't form an alliance by saying, "Hey, worker, come help save the trees." We have to recognize that their working conditions are not separate from or subordinate to the rape of the forest. They are part and parcel of the same thing."
"I have a lot of respect for most of the loggers and the workers and most of them know what's going on, but there's a certain element among them who are busy cutting themselves right out of the jobs and will defend to the death their right to do it. When it's all over and it's all gone, I don't know if they'll ever wake up."
"Now, I don't hold any romantic views about the noble proletariat, especially after being the recipient of their fisticuffs, truck-rammings and pipe bombs. But I also know timber workers, oilfield workers and miners who love the wilderness and are trying to stop its destruction. And it seems to me that people's complicity should be measured by the amount of control they have over the conditions of their lives than by how dirty they get at work. One compromise made be a white-collar Sierra Club professional can destroy more trees than a logger can cut in a lifetime."
A great woman with a great story.