He's Dead!!!! :( I'm really sad right now

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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David Brower is dead. I can’t believe it. David Brower, the invincible man, is dead. I just quoted him. The man has been a role model to me. I first met him when I was 14. Told him I wanted to run the Sierra Club when I grew up. He just laughed and told me “good luck”.

If he told me to vote for Gore, I would seriously consider it. That’s is how important he is to me.

He was 88.

I haven’t been this sad in a while. I think I might actually cry. Damn it. Why couldn’t he have lived through the election.

I’m having a hard time composing anything right now. I’m going to post some exerpts from various sources.

Monuments to Brower’s militant and creative drive to preserve Earth’s remaining wilderness areas abound.

They include nine national parks and seashores, a Grand Canyon free of dams, the Wilderness Act and a generation of environmental activists around the world for whom he was a mentor and role model.

David Phillips, executive director of Earth Island Institute, who worked with Brower for 25 years, called him “the greatest environmentalist that our time has ever seen.” He added, “He really was a latter-day John Muir. He never lost his ability to see the cutting edge of environmental protection, and even at 88 he had a mind that was young and alive.”

“The axiom for protecting the park system is to consider that it is dedicated country, hallowed ground to leave as beautiful as we have found it, and not country in which man should be so impressed with himself that he tries to improve God’s handiwork,” Brower lectured a skeptical House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

I urge anyone who cares at all about the environment to honor this great man with a vote for Ralph Nader tommorrow, it’s the best service, the best tribute he could ever ask for.

Again to quote him from 96 “Clinton and Gore have done more to harm the environment and to weaken environmental regulations in three years than Presidents Bush and Reagan did in 12 years.” Of course it’s only gotten worse since then.

He also had a sense of humor. He spoke of how he was convinced Al Gore was anti-environmental because of the company he kept. He sent Gore a sweatshirt with the slogan “FREE AL GORE”. Gore never responded.

I’m very very sad.

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I’m sad for you too, my friend.

Damn.

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In case anyone would like to know more about David Brower and his life, here is the article in SFGate about his passing. And here is an interview with him. The last paragraphs are very fitting.

Here’s hoping his dust comes back to us.

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I’m sorry about the death of your friend, but I would disagree with him about the effect of the Clinton-Gore administration. It was a bizarre and false statement and a vote for Nader by an environmentalist would be insane.

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I enjoyed the article in Outside magazine on him and I really admired his commitment and dedication to the outdoors, just reading about him made me feel stronger about preserving our environment. Truly a great man.

Keith

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Well, I don’t want to turn this into a debate. There’s already one in GD. Go ahead and post in there. Needless to say, facts bear his statement out. A vote for Nader is the best way to honor this icon of american environmentalism.

And thanks Spider Woman

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Um, I’m sorry for being less than sympathetic–even nasty–earlier. I just remember what it was like under Reagan and Bush and couldn’t let your statement go unchallenged. And a vote for Nader, while an admirable statement–AND I LOVE ADMIRABLE STATEMENTS AND AM TEMPTED TO VOTE FOR NADER MYSELF!–is politically naive.

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Gee, on the eve of a tight election I just can’t manage being nice. I thought I gave up on politics.

David Brower was a great man with whom I usually agreed. I regret your loss and hope you take comfort in his long and effective life. He couldn’t change everything, but he left behind people like you to carry on his work and I’m glad for that.

Now, go out tomorrow and make your grand gesture. My activist nature envies you for that.

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Another lovely obit was written by Alexander Cockburn. Another man that I admire greatly.

It can be found here
http://eXaminer.com/001109/1109op-cockburn.html
FYI, Brower was able to vote for Nader via absentee ballot.

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While I voted for Henry Hyde’s opponent, even though he had no chance of winning, I thought of your friend. This guy ended up with 40%, the best showing against Hyde yet. Maybe by the time Hyde’s 104 enough people will make their gestures that we’ll beat him. In the mean time we’re building up enough opposition that his successor will have to fight for that seat. Change is slow sometimes, and it’s people like David Brower who start us down the road to those changes.

Sorry again for my assholish comments.

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Just to clarify: Brower was able to vote for Nader via mail-in absentee ballot, before he died.

I thought of him when I voted for Nader.

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Oh, and dropzone, for that comeabout, I gotta say: you rock. :slight_smile: