Today Tzeporah Berman took her pro-corporate environmentalism a step further away from the roots of the struggle for social justice and, ensconsed safely on an electric bike that was trucked in by a local company (and therefore almost certainly making her torch run the largest carbon footprint of the days runners), she waved goodbye to any possibility that people will ever overlook the crass opportunism that has marked her last few months. The conniving betrayals of the campaigner who signed away the Great Bear Rainforest to the man who is now her boss have only become more and more ominous: Sign the GBR, remain silent on the destruction of Clayoquot Sound, promote the destruction and privatization of BC's rivers for supposed "green energy", denounce the New Democrats and jump to the Liberals defense, join the government itself, push past activists getting tear gassed in order to confer an 'award' on one of the world leaders most dedicated to tar sands development (while getting paycheques from the same government).
Yes, Ms Bermans fall has been odious in many ways, but most damning has to be-- mere fifteen minutes drive from where Eagle Ridge bluffs was blown up, and elder Harriet Nahanee was eventually jailed and succumbed to harsh conditions for her efforts in defending the earth-- Little Suzie carrying the Coca-Cola, Royal Bank and Suncor Olympic torch.
Evaluating her promise to "make the connection between the hope and inspiration of the Olympics and the promise of electric vehicles and clean energy," there is little doubt of the confluence. Both are mere catchphrases, lost of their real content in the mad dash to put a trade mark, a price and a fence around everything that is life itself. Her efforts to promote destroying rivers and linking that to a 'resistance' movement towards climate change has as much in common with real hope as does allowing the corporate parade of madness to happen to Vancouver without a fight, but in fact a push.
At the time of her little electric bike riding farce, she sailed on by while two of us held a banner with the simple slogan "No Olympics, no tar sands on native land". I am certain it was accidental, but I enjoyed a chuckle as she stiff arm saluted us to the side, shrieking "Right on!" and she puttered past to where she disembarked from her little joy ride. She wore smiles and moved on.
Meanwhile environmentalists from BC and around the world, concerned about the largest and most destructive project in human history are here with a message of human rights and climate injustice being served in Northern Alberta. Not only the 2010 Games, but the gigaproject of bitumenical destruction itself is brought to you by:
Suncor, Teck, TransCanada Pipelines, Epcor, Britco, and of course Royal Bank of Canada. These corporations are making billions off the destruction of the earth and the denial of self-determination for indigenous communities in the way of their entire continent wide project. Their human rights are denied just as Harriet Nahanee's was. Just as people throughout the area falling under "security" blankets for the 2010 Games-- a festival of corporate swill used to pretty up the ugliest destruction on the planet in the lower Athabasca region. They need corporate spins-- but when that doesn't work, they need shills who we mistakenly take for our own. Those who betray the poor, sell out the weak and erase the history of the people-- complain when they are told they no longer belong.
Corporate shills who hand over the planet, prop up the worst environmental governments yet-- and do it in the name of "fighting for the climate," while ignoring the tar sands-- as if that were not a question of solidarity with all who suffer and all who struggle.
Social justice knows no torch, no Campbell love and no clinkety clinks of the glasses at a celebration of corporate power, war, nationalism and militarism to go alongside land grabs, social displacement and environmental despoliation. Social justice is in the streets fighting to reclaim a city occupied by the powerful who seek to greenwash their plunder for the few years we may have remaining.
To sum, a quote of the day:
"Oh please not choke hack Asbestosis, but truly, Suzie Faye Bermann, in order better to reflect her PR agency design function needs to ascend now to the vaunted ranks of mononymous celebrity. We can't brand her Madonna, Sting, Cher, Prince or Beyonce owing to concerns with copyright and trademarks. But what solitary name (hmmm other than Quisling) can be perpetually associated with environmental treachery? We could call her Hilary but this label is already reserved for a future US war criminal. How about Tzeporah? Dare we identify this vaguely hebrew bird brained name with a proud brave PR strategy to neutralize environmentalism and render it harmless to corporate destiny. Tzeporah, GE's corporate avatar for undermining citizenship, democracy and natural resources. Maybe she could design her superhero uniform too and save the props department a few bucks. Memo to Burson National Public Relations." --collected from the internet, Friday, February 5, 2010.