Georgia Straight
for March 1994, Article 3

I am, God knows, no fan of the Don Mills Province, otherwise known as that excuse for a journal published by Southams along with one called the Sun, and distributed daily in our fair town. Their pretence to be a paper representing Vancouver is about as persuasive as the Toronto Globe and Mail's claim to be Canada's National newspaper. (If that is true, it speaks volumes about the sorry state of the daily newspaper in this poor country of ours.)

I am, however, a fan of Brian Kieran who writes a political column for the Morning Blat. Brian is not only a good writer, but he keeps those-who-are-set-in-authority-over-us on their toes. He holds feet to the fire.

Brian, however, obviously had the vapours when, on January 9 last, he did a column on Greenpeace. It was, to be charitable, butchery by innuendo.

The paper told us on page one that Greenpeace would be exposed in a couple of pages as an eco-terrorist organization and I could hardly wait! And there it was!

Not just Brian's regular column -that too - but a news story under his byline as well. I drooled as I contemplated the light he was about to shine on the inner workings of these international do-gooders. When I was finished, I wanted to throw up.

It seems that some Seattle gumshoe named Clausen infiltrated a group called Earth First who have been known to destroy logging equipment and spike trees - conduct which is clearly against Greenpeace's Constitution.

And what did Mr Clausen learn?

That some Earth Firsters had contributed to Greenpeace! Great heavens! But, here was more! Why, some of these terrorists have even have marched shoulder to shoulder with Greenpeace on such exercises as the Clayoquot protests.

The evidence that Greenpeace was a terrorist group - or at least infiltrated beyond redemption by Earth First - was, it was alleged, overwhelming.

In fact, it was about as overwhelming as the "evidence" of Senator Joe McCarthy when he claimed that he could prove that Dean Acheson, General George Marshall (author of the Marshall plan which kept Communism out of western Europe) and President Harry S Truman were communist traitors.

Brian gave us a brilliant rendition of the "he knows a man who knows a man who knows a man who once ... "technique. It was verdict by faint innuendo which unhappily brought Brian down to the same level as the paper which publishes him.

I understand that Brian hates environmentalists. I have hatreds too. Such as vegetable marrow and fried liver. But Brian should confine his prejudicial ravings to his column which, like this column and my daily editorial are mere opinion and taken as such. When he puts his name to a news story containing the thinnest sort of guilt by occasional association he does himself no credit whatever.

I am a fan of Greenpeace which is not to say that I always agree with them. When, for example, the former Soviet Union was armed to its nuclear teeth I found it puzzling, nay incredible, when Greenpeace apparently wanted American Warships to be armed with .22s and slingshots.

But without Greenpeace and organizations like it, we would not have known of many environmental evils in this world much less been able to do something about them. When it comes to the French destroying Pacific Islands and nuking their inhabitants, or the same bunch blowing up vessels in Auckland harbour then honouring the murderers that did it, or the real eco-terrorists of the world, namely those who slaughter whales or use drift nets, I'll side with Greenpeace every time.

I expect Greenpeace to have some uncomfortable bedfellows from time to time just as we once found ourselves fighting alongside the world's worst mass murderer, Joseph Stalin against the second worst, Hitler. It would be preposterous to assert that Winston Churchill condoned Stalin's merciless butchery and brutality because they both fought Nazi Germany. The Arabs are right in at least one respect - when it comes to matters you hold very dear indeed, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

No, Macmillan Bloedel is not the equivalent of Nazi Germany or anywhere close. But then Greenpeace leaders aren't Churchills either. It is the principle we are talking about here. And maybe a bit about fair play, too.

Brian - this was not one of your finer moments.