Earth Day 2013

I remember the first Earth Day. I spoke at four rallies in four different cities in Michigan on the same day. In each speech I pointed out that "... labor with quite a little help from Mother Nature creates all wealth with capitalists, in the process of exploiting labor and raping Mother Nature destroying our living environments..."

Things haven't changed for the better since that first Earth Day back in 1970 and the source of our problems remain the same. Wall Streets greedy drive for maximum short-term profits is the primary source of our problems and the Wall Street merchants of death and destruction with their insane militarism and dirty imperialist wars are leaving behind the largest carbon footprint of them all.

The history of Earth Day is often distorted as Earth Days more and more become controlled and manipulated by the corporate community boasting of how "green" they have become with very few environmental activists aware of the environmental problems workers have to confront in their workplaces and and in the communities where they live.

I can remember the first Earth Day workers speaking about the terrible conditions in their workplaces with dangerous chemicals, all kinds of noxious and deadly fumes and the health hazards of second-hand smoke.

The first Earth Day had a very strong class component as well as exposed the special hazards to women, infants, children and the very racist aspect of many environmental health hazards in the workplace and communities.

Because of corporate sponsorship, many of the foundation-funded environmentalists refuse to discuss the class aspects relating to environmentalism on Earth Day or any other day--- this needs to be challenged and changed because if an industry is contaminating and polluting the environment chances are, the workers in those places of employment are suffering the worst health consequences.

Two-million casino workers are employed in the hideous Indian Gaming Industry in smoke-filled casinos across this country and chances are good environmentalists will not have the decency or the moral and political courage to address this issue.

Silence because the Democrats get hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions from the Indian Gaming Industry.

Even the Green Party is not immune from this corruption as we have seen in northern Wisconsin where Green Frank Koehn works hand in hand with the Indian Gaming Industry yet remains silent when it comes to casino workers being forced to work in smoke-filled casinos in his own back-yard with his "Waters Edge" environmental project funded by the Indian Gaming Industry promoting "sky blue waters and clean fresh air."

Gaylord Nelson wasn't afraid to speak up for the rights of workers to be employed in health working environments at work or in the working class communities where workers live.

Look at this pathetic, shameful and disgusting corporate-sponsored "history" of Earth Day--- not one single mention of environmentalism in the workplace:

http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement

In fact, it was in 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, that the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) was created.

And 43 years later, casino workers are employed in loud, noisy smoke-filled casinos where OSHA isn't even enforced!

I have in front of me, "The Environmental Handbook," which was used to organize the first Earth Day from which Wall Street was a no show.

Today Wall Street is manipulating and controlling Earth Day the same way it manipulates and controls the politics of our country through the Democratic and Republican parties--- and even some elements in the Green Party.

Wisconsin's United States Senator Gaylord Nelson must be twisting and turning and screeching in his grave knowing that the very Wall Street culprits responsible for polluting and contaminating our places of employment and the communities where we live which combined are taking us on the road to the hell which is in store for us we barrel down this road of smoke-filled casinos, global warming and climate change.

The "man from Clear Lake" would be deeply disappointed with the corporate sponsorship of Earth Day 2013 and the foundation-funded environmentalists who craft their words and their actions in anticipation and preparation for getting their next grant.

I wonder what the "man from Clear Lake" would have to say about United States Steel naming its deadly brew of toxic waste held in its tailing pond in Mountain Iron, Minnesota the "Clearwater Reservoir?"

From Governor Gaylord Nelson to Governor Scott Walker... with Wall Street in charge the world is going the way of Wisconsin... Am I the only one who is fed up?

April 22nd is upon us once again...

Happy Earth Day!

If we want our children and grandchildren participating in Earth Days we sure as heck better intensify our struggles to be free from capitalism because the only "green" these Wall Street vultures know about is money "green."

Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council