Preface to “Environmental Non-Policy”now available in e-book format.

You may now get the e-book by clicking “Add to Cart”. Simply adjust the recommended price to whatever amount you see fit. Anyway,here is the Preface:

Do you count yourself among those who care about humanity? Do you believe all people should get a fair shake and be free from oppression,even the ones who live halfway across the Globe and wear funny hats? Do you also care about Nature:clean air and water,access to wide-open spaces,and sustaining Earth’s resources? Do you sometimes feel like you’re being made to choose? Is it really Humanity or The Environment? Or are you perhaps being presented with a false choice?

I intend with this book to present a glimpse into the types of conversations that are beginning to be had between folks all over the world. By no means will you find a treatment of all environmental concerns that are out there. Nor will you find within its pages any claim that all the questions have been answered,and that all solutions to Humankind’s and Earth’s challenges are simple. The fact is nobody knows exactly what solutions will emerge by innovators with the right incentives. What we do know is that they are emerging even as we speak,and policy makers had better get out of the way. You will find,repeated ad nauseam perhaps,the assertion that top-down central planning is always and everywhere a failure,that the unintended consequences of such approaches are long-lasting and far-reaching,and that there are ways to achieve ends other than the employment of institutionalized coercion. Folks just need to stop thinking within the clichéd and failed milieu of policy solutions.

I’m afraid many lovers of individual rights are accused of not caring about the environment,and certainly most people who want to save the Planet are accused of not caring about humanity. And why not? Given the paucity of dialogue between the two camps,and given the common view that Liberty and Environmentalism actually are in opposing camps,who can blame someone for making that accusation? What I propose is that institutions such as free markets,individual liberties and private property rights need not be placed at odds with protecting nature. I encourage you to chime in on the discussion at www.environmentalnonpolicy.com. Thanks for reading!

Gene Basler August 28,2011

Bits from my conversation with Gary Cartwright,EU Reporter

“Ray travelled to Arlington and was diagnosed as having depleted uranium poisoning. A little while later,not so very long after that,he went to a conference on the subject of depleted uranium. While he was away,a very interesting package arrived at his house. It was a letter,a leaked letter from the Chemical Research and Development Establishment at Porton Down ,and it discussed depleted uranium.”

~~~

“The next morning,the housewas raided by the Ministry of Defense Police,who took awayhis personal computer,his children’s computers and hismedical records. She spoke to Ray,and Ray said “Just faxthis out. Get the paper back. Fax it to as many people on ourlist as you can.”

~~~

“…a US study that said Gulf War veterans were 1.8 times more likely to have children with birth defects,and 2 years later,that was actually adjusted. It was increased. The figure was increased by 20%. Now,what we had in the UK was a kind of denial,I have to say. Nobody really wanted to talk about this. Nobody wanted to address it.”

~~~

“A recent audit showed 75% of Britain’s new laws are made by the EU. They’re made in Brussels.”
~~~
“This is not a liberal democracy as we would know it in European Union.”
~~~
“Identity cards for children? Hey,come on!”
~~~
“The EU is effectively a nation being born. We’re seeing it now. It’s recently adopted its own flag;its own national anthem;we are aligning our military forces into a European model:The new European Army.”
~~~
Gene: You mean these guys aren’t elected?

Cartwright:In the Commission? No. They’re not elected. No.

Gene: And that’s the powerhouse.

Cartwright: That’s right. That’s correct. I wish more people would focus on that.

~~~

Gene: You don’t see it as an inherent failure of the democratic process;you see it as more of a function of the inertia of a three-way power struggle.

Cartwright: Yeah. Yes. Yes,but it might highlight one of the weaknesses of the democratic process,in that those countries which are not democratic,I have to say,can move ahead more quickly.

~~~

Gene: (in an affected German accent) Papers,please.

Cartwright: But that’s normal here. To us as English,this is horrific. The level of bureaucracy here is literally stifling. It’s one reason why a lot of British people don’t stay here very long,but unfortunately it’s coming to town near them soon.

Gene: You guys paying attention,American listeners? Dumping of chemicals:of course,democracies don’t want landfills,because participants in democratic institutions can only see as far as the next election,and nobody wants that happening on his or her watch. So after World War II,all the Germans’ stuff got dumped in the North Sea or wherever it was.

Cartwright: Ohh,yes.

~~~

Cartwright:I was looking at this the other day—448 incidents of fishing trawlers dredging up dumped weapons over a 12 year period,‘95 to 2007. Another:2005,Dutch boat was blown up and three fishermen killed. It recently came to light that the Belgians:they were dumping in a little area known as the Paardenmarkt,and it’s less than 2 kilometers from shore front residential buildings!

~~~

Cartwright:…Certainly the attack on Serbia has been the subject of a great deal of speculation and a great deal of examination,because it would appear that a lot of the air attacks were targeted at establishments that were what we call dual-purpose establishments. That is they had both military and civil functions. Now,the Geneva Convention allows this,but it only allows it if the purpose of the attack is to negate the military elements of that establishment’s function. However,it would appear that the purpose of these air attacks on these dual-purpose establishments was to actually force the Serbian people to say,“Well,we’ve had enough of Milosevic.We need a regime change.”

Gene: This was a blatantly civilian PSYOPS operation.

Cartwright: Yeah. Yeah,which is illegal. It is absolutely,undeniably illegal.

Gene: Right. No heads are rolling,or–

Cartwright: They’re not likely to. The heads tend to roll on the losing side.

~~~

Cartwright: I often hear the term “beneficial crisis” used inthe context of the EU institutions.

~~~

Gene: Y’all limeys are nuts for being part of this [European Union].

Cartwright: I’d love you to say that over and over again. We could play it on a loudspeaker here. I like to think that I’m an optimist,and that this is going to work,and that it’s all going to be great at the end of the day,but sometimes it just don’t seem that way.

~~~

Gene: But you’re an advocate of democracy:there are no secrets! I mean,come on now,these are people that are helping us to be good democratic participants in the process.

Cartwright: Well clearly,then,democracy can only go so far.

Gene: Okay. I think we’ve figured that out.

Voluntary vs. Regulatory Tree Protection with Michael Galvin

If you got the book for free and found it to be of value to you,then you can post-pay an amount you feel is appropriate here:

Here are some highlights from Michael Galvin,who like me is active in the Tree Care Industry:

“They pass a bill,and they create a special fundcalled a tree fund. There are all kinds of special funds ingovernment,from transportation funds to—and it says,“Thismoney shall only be used for this purpose. It shall be keptseparate from the general fund except when the budget getsreal bad.” And then there are overall provisions existing inlaw in every jurisdiction that says when things get bad allbets are off;we can wipe every account clean…That’s exactly what happened to the tree fund here in DC this year. They passed a bill to take all themoney out of the tree fund and throw it into the general fund to help balance the budget. So,these were people whoneeded a tree down,who paid money into the fund so that those trees would go back. So not only are 80% of the treesbeing removed considered hazards and don’t have to be mitigated,but the few trees that were mitigated,and there’smoney there to replace them,the government said,“Oh,we have money troubles. We’re just going to take that moneyand throw it in the general fund to fund general government operations.” Galvin

~~~

“It shouldn’t be just:I like trees,so I got some friends,we made a tree commission,and now we badgered the legislative branch,we got them to pass a law that says,“If you want to do something to a tree,you have to ask us.” All those things are good things,but they’re not really good reasons. You know what I mean?”

“My point is saying that isn’t tocastigate elected officials who have to make very difficult choice about,do we laid people off? Do we go into more debt? How do we resolve this budget problem? But it’s justto say,this is another reason why I think some people like the confidence of going to a credential administered by anindependent NGO,non-government organization,rather than having these things established in law…”Galvin

~~~

“…we unfortunately found,that law was supposed to do two things:to protect the quantity and quality of roadside trees in Maryland,and we found that it had a very significant effect on the quality,but it had no effect on the quantity. In fact,there are many places that we were able to find in the literature where inventories were done,that had no law. They had much higher stocking levels than Maryland’s roadsides. So that’s a huge failure.You can’t have trees in good condition if they’re not there.

“The regulatory approach is traditional,while voluntary approaches are newer,and the trend is toward increase. Voluntary approaches can sometimes pre-empt or avoid regulation;other times they serve as the basis for allowing industry consensus,rather than government officials to write regulation. A great example is the IGCC*,” which we’ve just been discussing,“which is a voluntary industry consensus standard written with the intention of adoption as local regulation.”From Galvin’s article titled “Regulatory versus Voluntary Approaches to Tree Protection”published in Tree Care Industry Magazine,August 2010. (as of 2011-08-28-2226 the link in the book that goes to the article doesn’t work. It worked earlier today.)

*International Green Construction Code

~~~

“Regulatory programs are normally the “floor”;that is theydelineate the minimum standards someone must perform in365order legally to engage in an activity. Voluntary programsare,in contrast,about the “ceiling.” They represent things apractitioner voluntarily does to demonstrate care andcompetence above and beyond the minimum,in order todemonstrate quality and added value in the marketplace.” ibid.

~~~

Galvin:“…there are things like [TCIA Accreditation] that you don’t have to do,but you can do,to say,“Because I’m so concerned about my craft and my practice and my profession,I’m going to–”

Gene: And my clients.

Michael Galvin: Right. And that’s kind of the differencebetween the floor and the ceiling,I’d say. What’s theminimum I have to do to engage in this,and what are theways that I can go over and above to show my clients howgood I am as a practitioner,and how conscientious I am?

~~~

“…a traditional approachis to have a champion or champions who are persistent,justbadger their elective representative to go,“Something’s gotto be done about this,” and for their staffers to sit down andwrite a bill,and it may or may not have all kinds ofunintended consequences.”

Who’s who in the pictures at the top of the page?

Ok,Walter Block,Stephan Kinsella,Gary Chartier,Andrew Gavin Marshall. Then on top:Brad Spangler,Gary Cartwright,Michael Galvin and Matt Novak. On bottom:Jurgen Brauer,James Cox,Steve Dutch and Michael DuMont. At the end,Laura Huggins and Margo Edwards.

Now available at ejunkie

I finally have the book available for download via ejunkie. Simply click on the Add to Cart Button and enter a price you deem appropriate.

Thanks to Andre,Susie,Rhonda and Mitch,especially Andre,for your help putting it together. And thanks of course to all the guests who took the time to speak with me.

The index for “Environmental Non-Policy”

Here is the index for the book. It ought to give you a good idea of the topics discussed in the book.

Index

1992 Rio Declaration……….. 207

a priori. 5,65,168

Abbey,Edward 61

abiogenics……. 25,27

abortion…32

acute toxicity……….. 211

Adams,Melinda 252

Adley,Jessica 205

Advancing Arboriculture Award……….. 250

Afghanistan……….. 213

Africa….. 233

Agent Orange 211,245

agorism…21,44,141,172,174

agriculture. 9,67,174,232

AIDS……123

air pollution 6,7,14,176

AK-47 71,201

American Association of Architects……….. 268

American Legion 237

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 256,258,268

American Public Education System 110

American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) 251

Ames,Mark…………. 46

anarchism. 9,21,36,40,41,42,46,52,79,120,126,127,130,131,132,135,136,141,142,165,171,174,181,190,198,220

Anarchist ethics. 142

anarcho-capitalism…132,174,198,224

anarcho-environmentalism…14,128,140,171

anarchy…. 23,24,40,116,139,190,193

Anderson,Terry L. 26,89

Anglo-Iranian Oil Company 158. See BP

Angola….. 67

animal rights. 30,31,48,53,69

anthracite coal…. 280

antitrust…. 29

antitrust law…………. 14

Antiwar Radio. 125,195,197,222

Apache helicopters……….. 202

aquaculture 8,9,53

Aquinas,Thomas 48

Aral Sea 249

arbitration agency. 18,33

arbitration certificate……….. 138

Arbor Day 267

Arctic Circle……….. 277

argon dating……….. 282

Aristotelian Essentialist Realism 29

artificial fertilizer 76

ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist 250

Atlantic Richfield Oil Company……….. 274

Australia.. 62,74,150

Austrian Economics. 13,70,76,114,116,120,122,158,168,197,218,224

Balkan Wars…………. 67

Baltic Sea…148,235

Bari,Italy 146

Bartlett,Eva……….. 206

Bastiat,Frederic 5,247

Beck,Glenn……….. 219

Belarussia……….. 231

Belgium. 150,227,230,236,240,242,245,248

beneficial crisis.. 241

Bentham,Jeremy. 60

Bernanke,Ben…. 170,171,224

Bertrand,Wes…217

Better Business Bureau 254

bioaccumulation……. 146

birth defects……….. 237

bison……7,8

black market. 10,21,22

Blackwater……….. 213

Block,Walter. 15,16,17,50,52,94,113,129,171,176,213,219,220

Boetie,Etienne de la………. 43

Bosnia….. 87

BP Gulf Oil Spill 17,87

Bratislava Declaration……….. 228

Brauer,Jurgen. 53,69,77,78,79,85,229

Brazil……184

Bristow,Ray…238,240,243

British Petroleum…8,17,18,28,53,65,71,102,134,145,152,154,155,157,158,159,162,163,169,212,274,275,277,282

brown tree snake…74

Brzezinski,Zbigniew…103,104,110,118,119,121

Buddhas of Bamiyan 83

Bukovsky,Vladimir……….. 228

Bulletin Board System 116

Bunning,James 170

bush meat 68,71,86

Bush,George W.. 23,243

calcitic coal……….. 280

California 92,144,183,184,191,273

Cambodia 66,67

Camp Pendleton…………. 84

Campaign For Liberty……….. 159

Canada…78,79,102,107,112,126,184,197,203,205,216,222,270,279

cap and trade……….. 175

carbon tax 175

Carson,Kevin…41,99,134

Cartwright…147,150

Casey Trees……….. 250

Casey Trees Tree Report Card…259

causation 13,14

Celente,Gerald.. 22

Center for a Stateless Society 126,129,134,140,143

Central Africa. 66,71,86

central banking 59,60

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).. 223

central planning 60,77,115,246,247

Centre for Research on Globalisation 102,203

cetaceans 49,54,55

charismatic fauna…. 69

charismatic megafauna…………. 69

Chartier,Gary….. 69

chemical agents 246

chemical and biological warfare 199,246

chemical dispersants. 158,275

chemical dumping……….. 246

chemical munitions…144,148

Chemical Research and Development Establishment……238

Cheney,Dick 23,140,141

Chevron International……….. 273

Chicago school of economics…………. 10

child abuse. 32,33,34

China….. 164,249

Chossudovsky,Michel…102,203

Christian Democrat Party.. 229

Christian Science Monitor 159

chronic toxicity 211

Cicero…. 246

Civil disobedience……. 117

civil law 34,35

civil war.. 123

Clairmont,Frederic……….. 102

Clark,Wesley……….. 239

class action. 18,19,20

Climate Gate……….. 178

coal…. 27,88,280

Coase,Ronald H. 7,10,11,12

coccoliths 280

coercion.. 79,80,116,194

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory……….. 106

collateral protections…………. 83

collective property ownership…………. 31

collective rights…. 31

Colombia 66

commercial fishing…. 8,249

commoditization of animals 53,54

common law…113,163,190,233,242

Common Market 227

communism……. 11,23

Communist Party.. 229

Cone,Ben 95

conflict planning……….. 245

Congo……68

conservation easement…………. 98

contract law…………. 13

contract theory…13,14

contractual slavery. 50

conventional munitions……….. 145

coopetition 81

coral reefs 72,73

corporate socialism…………. 64

corporate subsidies…………. 25

Council of Ministers……….. 229

Council on Foreign Relations…102,103

counter-economics……….. 138

Creative Commons. 2,13,134

Cui bono?……….. 153

currency…43,121

Dahl,Arne Willy….. 69

Danish……. 5

Declaration of Independence 60,129

declining populations……….. 249

Deep Water Royalty Relief Act (DWRRA)……….. 160

Defendes of Wildlife. 96

Defense Language Proficiency Tests…. 85

deforestation……………6

Demilitarized Zone….. 68

Democratic Freedom Caucus 129

demographic transition 91

Demsetz,Harold…. 7

Denmark 235

Dense Inert Metal Explosives (DIME) 201

Department of Energy……….. 152

Department of Energy (DOE) 160

Department of Labor……….. 258

depleted uranium…151,199,200,201,202,203,204,205,209,210,211,212,237,238,239,240,246

Dewey,John…110,216

diatoms. 280

DiLorenzo,Tom 3,219

disease transmission……….. 78

disinherison…………. 35

drug laws. 24

dual-purpose establishments…. 239

DuPont.. 182

Earth Day 89,91,101,267

East German-West German Frontier 84

eBay’s feedback model. 193

e-commerce law…….. 13

ecoterrorism…………. 83

Egypt. 62,73

Ehrlich,Paul…101,112

Eisenhower,Dwight. 93

electoral politics. 44

elephant 8,67,68

Ellsberg,Daniel 244

empiricism 5

Ender,Tom……….. 143

English common law 65,190,233,240,242

Environment Minister 232

enviropreneurs……….. 26

Erlrich,Paul….. 91,101

Estoppel Theory.. 13

Ethiopia. 115

eugenecs 164

Eugenical News.. 105

eugenicists……….. 105

Eugenicists……….. 105

eugenics. 77,105,106,109,247

Eugenics Records Office. 106

Eurocentrism…………. 66

European Army.. 227

European Arrest Warrant 242

European Coal and Steel Community……….. 227

European Commission. 228,245

European Community……….. 227

European Green Party.. 229

European Parliament…228,229,230,231,241,242,245

European Union. 147,226,227,230,231,233,234,245,247,248,249

European Union (EU)…150,225,226,227,230,232,233,234,235,241,245,247,250

Evangelical Christianity……….. 129

Evers,Williamson…………. 14

evolutionary process 23,105

exotic invasive species 260

exotic species 157

exporting democracy……….. 159

externalities….. 64,176

Exxon Valdez…157,212,275,285

Facebook 40,41,143,173,195,220,224,250

Fallujah.. 210,211,213

Finnis,John…………. 48

First International…………. 41

First Persian Gulf War 66

Firth,Niall 157

Florida….. 39,154,177,190,191,193,194,237,284,285

FOIA……161

forams…280

forced heirship 34,35

Ford,Henry…182,183

Fort Meade…………. 92

fossil fuel. 25,27,76

France…227

Francioni,Gary…………50

Franklin Roosevelt……….. 163

free-market environmentalism…24,54,97

French Revolution……….. 117

French,Doug……….. 164

Friedman,Milton…46,70

fusion 25,279

Gard,Gen. Robert G…………219

gardening.. 9,10

Gaza City 206

Geneva Convention…196,213,239,245,246

genocide 104

Georgia. 227,239

German Autobahn…………. 92

Germany. 75,91,227,229,231,236,247

Gerstenberger,Peter 251

Global Climate Change 14,36,37,38,39,72,78,176,177,179,248,249

global commons…………. 79

global governance 62,78,79,121

Global Trends 2025.. 121

gold standard……….. 163

Good Samaritan……….. 189

Google…. 20,137,145,151,152,158,164,221,268,284

governance. 78,79,80,81,113,121

granitic rock……….. 278

Grant,Andrea 205

Greece.. 115,137,224

Green Hornet F/A-18 warplane……….. 207

green weapons……….. 208

Greenspan,Alan…. 224

Grisez,Germaine……. 48,49

Guam……. 74

Gulf of Mexico…8,274

Gulf War Syndrome…203,204,237,238

gun control…117,222

Hawaii Undersea Military Munitions Assessment…….. 144

Hayden,Howard C.. 37,38,40

Hayek,F.A.. 46,54,76,106,115,180,215

Hazlitt,Henry…120,158

Hearst,William Randolph……….. 182

hemp….. 181,182,183,184,207,208

Heritage Tree Campaign…252,263

Hitler,Adolph 77,105,164

Hobbes,Thomas 81

Holland.. 184

Holocaust,The….. 105

homesteading. 9,10,22,50,51,67

Hooper,Malcolm……….. 205

Hoover Dam…163,164,165

Hoover Institution……….. 100

Hoppe,Hans-Hermann 13,43,231

Horton,Scott 58,59,125,173,197,214,219,243

human action….. 32,167

human population. 15,23,24,25,36,49,52,53,68,75,76,77,90,94,107,112,118,141,142,165,179,180,188,213,214,247,248

Hussein,Saddam 70,210

Huxley,Aldous. 77,105,110

Huxley,Julian……. 77,79

hydrocarbon……….. 282

identity cards……….. 234

Immanuel,Rahm. 169

immigration……….. 249

implicit contracts 4

inalienability theory…14

income tax 24

India……. 249

indigenous American culture 114

individual rights 3,14,31,34,113,195

individualism…3,14,20,29,31,34,57,91,103,104,106,110,113,116,123,124,125,164,167,180,195,219,259

individualist anarchism…………. 41

Indonesia. 66

Industrial Revolution 65,175,214

Institute for Economics and Peace…………. 62

institutionalized violence…………. 23

intellectual capital 215

intellectual property 13,14,19,43

International Green Construction Code 251,268,269

International Green Construction Code®……….. 267

international law. 13,70,207

International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) 192,251,254,263

Internet 46,47,116,122,139,171,178,179,193

introduced species 73

Iran. 102,103,152,158,159,219,240

Iraq 23,29,70,138,203,205,212,239

Irish Republican Army (IRA)……….. 231

Iron Curtain……. 66,80

Iron Harvest…201,236

ISA Certified Arborist…250,254,267

ISO. 256,268

Israel.. 73,76,136,206,209,244

Israeli-Gaza Conflict of 2008-2009……….. 240

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 137

Italy…75,146,227,249

Jamail,Dahr…210,213

James,William.. 3,38,62,110,125,191,192,208

Japan 91,150

Jeep………71

Jefferson,Thomas 129

Jordan,Clarence 45

Journal of Libertarian Studies 13,29

Julian,Col. Gregory 213

Kahn,Alfred……….. 221

Kamchatka 53

Kazakhstan……….. 249

Keaton,Angela. 59

Kelo v. New London.. 7,12

Keynesian Economics……….. 120

Kinsella,N. Stephan 10,52

Kissinger,Henry B…………118

Koinonia Farms.. 45

Konkin,Samuel E. III………174

Korea. 68,76

Kosovo 67,87

Kosovo War…………. 67

Kovacs,Laszlo 228

Kuwait 26,70,239

Kuwait oil fires 26,66,71,72

Kuznets Curve…91

Kwiatowski,Karen….. 5

Lakota Tribe…………. 82

land-labor theory of property. 6

Lane,Rose Wilder 166

Lao Tzu.. 168

LEED®. 267,268

LeFevre,Robert…. 6

left-wing market anarchism. 40,56,61

Leninism 142

Levy………69

Lewis,Lennos 225

lewrockwell.com…. 3,13,188,198,218,219

liability 19,20,25,70,98,99,134,135,155,156,162,163

liability cap……….. 156

Libertarian Papers. 13

libertarian socialism……….. 135

libertarianism. 10,16,17,41,46,57,58,59,79,129,131,132,223

Liberty ships……….. 235

licensing.. 57,185,192,193,194,251,253,255,256,258,259,273

Lithuania 231

littering…3,6

Locke,John 6,129. See labor theory of property

Long,Roderick……….. 165

Luke,Dean 95

Luxembourg…227,245

Machan,Tibor R. 29

Macondo structure……….. 274

Madison Valley…98

Maloney,Frank. 225

Mamluk Egyptian troops.. 83

Mandelson,Peter.. 229

Manning,Bradley 243

Mao Zedung…………. 90

marijuana 183,184,185,208

market anarchism….. 40,126,135,136

market arbitration 20,189,190

market failure….. 61,198

market for ideas.. 118

market society. 33,40,45,190

marriage. 33,152

Marshall,Andrew Gavin. 203

Martin,Dave……….. 224

Marx,Karl 41

Marxism.. 42,80,129,141,234

Maryland 266

Maryland Department of Natural Resources……….. 250

McKiernan,Gen. David……….. 213

means of production. 28,41,42,56,116,129

medieval Jewish communities……….. 41

Mexico 53,78,79,88,135,164

MI-5…….. 242

MI-6…….. 242

micropaleontology.. 280

microshrapnel……….. 201

Mill,John Stuart…60

minarchism……….. 131

mine fields 67

Mineral Management Service……….. 277

minimum-wage law 6,14

Minister for Veteran Affairs 238

Ministry of Defense Police 238,240,242

misanthropy 26,176,213

Mises Institute.. 3,13,111,166

Mises,Ludwig von. 3,13,111,158,162,166,167,170,171

mises.org…159,160. See Mises Institute

Mississippi River.. 274

Molinari Institute 126

Molyneaux,Stefan 131

Mongolia 249

Monnet,John…227,231

monopoly 15,42,127,132,134,135,136,137,139,167

Monsanto 211

Mooney,Lewis. 238

Moret,Lauren…203,204

Mossadeq…103,158

mustard. 144,145,146,147,148,151,236

mutual aid network 135

Napoleon. 83

National Arbor Day Foundation……….. 266

National Association of State Foresters……….. 266

National Ex-Services Association (NESA)……….. 237

National Security Agency,NSA….. 16,221

Native American….. 21,114

Native Americans……….. 164

NATO…. 213,227,239

natural gas 25,27,88,153,160

natural law 48,49,52

Nature Conservancy………. 97

Neo-Aristotelianism……. 30

Netherlands See Holland

new classical natural law…………. 48

New Socialist Man…. 106,141

New World Order. 103,108

New Zealand…………. 74

Newborn,Jud……….. 188

Nicaragua 66

Nichols,Bob……….. 204

Niger 66,109

Nigeria…109

Nine-Eleven Truthers 224

Nobel Prize 10,12,106

non-aggression principle…116,141,142

non-combatants………246

normative economics……………6

North American integration……….. 109

North Sea 235

Northern Ireland 231

Norwegian. 5

Norwegian Armed Forces. 69

Novak,Matthew 17

nuclear energy. 16,24,25,26,27,28,29,39,71,74,199,203,219,235,284

nuclear war……….. 215

Nuremberg 23

Obama,Barack 169,208,222,225,243

ocean pollution 72

ocean privatization…………. 9

off the grid 44,45

one-child policy…37,76,77,79,90,248

Operation Joint Endeavor…………. 87

Organic Horticulture Business Association………270

overfishing 6,7,54

Paardenmarkt………. 236

Paine,Thomas 129

Pakistan 5,6

paleomagnetics……282

Panama…93

panarchism 40,136,137

parenthood 33

patent law 13,14,15,35

Patriot Act……….. 241

Paul,Ron 170,223

peace activists 109

Pearl Harbor…144,145,147

Peikoff,Leonard 31

Peirce,Charles Sanders……….. 110

Pentagon 212,244

Pentagon Papers 244

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) 91

Permanent Medical Disability……….. 203

Pershing,Gen. John J……….. 92

Persian Gulf Oil Spill 66

Persian Gulf War 70,71,72,82,203,240

Pigou,Arthur……….. 175

Pinyon Canyon Maneuver Site…. 100

plankton. 275,280

Pleistocene……….. 278

Pliocene 278

pluralist democracy……….. 234

plutocracy…132,143

Poland…230

Ponzi scheme 86,215

population control.. 37,111,247,248

Porter,Gareth 222

Porton Down…238,243

Portugal…76

positive economics……………6

positive rights……. 31,32

pragmatism 5

Pragmatists……….. 110

Prague Spring 228

praxeology 41,106

Presidio of Monterey 85

Presidio of San Francisco…………. 85

principle of subsidiarity…………. 80

principle of unintended consequences….. 156

private attorneys general 54

private defense 18,28

private property. 5,8,9,10,11,17,31,40,67,91,94,135,155,163,176,252

privatization of roads 98

propaganda by the deed 45,46

Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) 89,91,94,97

property rights.. 6,7,9,11,13,14,17,35,53,68,91,95,134,153,158,162,163,176,179,252,263. See private property

property title insurance…………. 21

protectionism 14,162,180

Psychogenics. 109,110,122

psychological warfare (PSYOPS)……….. 239

public domain.. 3

public education…………. 24

public sector…See public domain

Race……119

radioactive waste…27

radiocarbon dating. 281

Rand,Ayn 45,58,220

Raskin,Max……….. 218

realschule……….. 216

Red Sea.. 73

red-cockaded woodpecker…. 95,96

refrigerator mountains……….. 233

refugee…. 68

regulatory programs……….. 253

relative prices…11

reparations claims.. 21

resource allocation…………. 11

Reuters reporters……….. 243

River Donau…………. 80

River Rhine 80

Roadside Tree Law……….. 264

Rockefeller,David. 119,121

Rockwell,Llewellyn H…. 13,21,133,173

Roman Empire 136

Rothbard,Murray N. 7,10,12,13,14,15,17,18,19,21,28,31,33,44,46,50,51,52,60,70,106,128,129,131,153,155,164,167,168,169,171,176,179,188,190,214,224

Rothbard’s Button.. 28,188

Round-Up® herbicide……….. 211

Royal British Legion 237

royalty suspension……….. 155

Rusling,Shaun 237

Russell,Bertrand……….. 110

Russia. 9,23,225,227,246,247,249,278

Rwanda…68,70,71

Safe Harbor Agreement…………. 96

Sagan,Carl……. 26,71

Saudi Arabia……. 66,71

Scandinavia……….. 230

Schengen Agreement…230,231

Schmidt,David…50

Schumann,Robert 231

Scientific Racism 105

sea birds. 72

Sea of Azov……….. 249

seasteading……. 44,45

segregation….. 45,229

seismic exploration……….. 274

self-ownership….. 50,116

Serbia…232,239,246

shale 27,278,283

Shell Oil Company…109,212

Shinn Fein……….. 231

Short,Michael 239

Siegfried Line 83,86

Sierra Club…199,205,207

Sierra Club of Canada 199

Sigmoid curve…. 91

silviculture. 9,67

Singer,Peter…………. 30

Skagerrak……….. 235

Slovenia 232

smoking stool syndrome……….. 212

Social Security 86,261

socialism. 16,17,26,41,42,56,80,111,113,114,132,141,142,143,220

solar energy….. 15,252

Somalia. 233

SONAR. 150

Soviet Union. 9,10,138,175,228,249

Spain. 35,76

Spangler,Brad….. 41,140,143

species extinction 5,6,16,52,53,94,113

spontaneous order…. 63,76,115

State Forest Service 258

state parks……. 23,97

stateless society. 50,51,52,54,55,56,127,129,136,138,191

Stateless University……….. 132

statute of limitations…………. 20

statutory crimes.. 60

Stossel,John……….. 161

strip mining 6

strontium dating. 282

Suez Canal 93

Sustainable Sites Initiative®……….. 267

Taliban….. 83

Tanzania.. 68

Tea Party 220

terrorism.. 78

Tesla,Nikola……….. 179

Texas Tree Conference………252

Thomist philosophy…………. 48

thorium….. 25

Toland,John……….. 196

Total Information Awareness……….. 221

tragedy of the commons 7,100

transactions costs…. 11

Trans-Alaska pipeline 277

Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA)…194,251,254,261,263,267

Tree City USA…252,266

Tree Fund 262

tree industry……….. 251

tree preservation…95,263,265

trench warfare 65,146

Trilateral Commission………119

Tucker,Benjamin. 41,42,43,132

Turkey…. 247

Turner,Tec 97

Tymoshenko,Yulia…227

Uganda. 123,124

UK Gulf Veterans Association………205

Ukraine.. 227

UNESCO 63,76,77,79

unexploded ordnance (UXO) 200,201,236,237

unilateral disarmament 27,28,29

unintended consequences. 5,159

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) 206

United States Constitution………224

unmanned drones 5,6

Upper Cretaceous………278

uranium oxide.. 202,204

uranium-strontium dating. 282

Urban Forest Preservation Act.. 259,262

Urban Forest Protection Act……265

US Forest Service 266

US Geological Survey 277

US Green Building Council (USGBC)……….. 267

US highway system. 92

Utilitarians 60

utopia….. 190

value

subjectivity of 11,12

value added tax (VAT)……….. 242

value-free 5,6

vandalism 82,83,99,100

Vanunu,Mordechai……….. 244

Veinotte,Brett…216

Veterans Administration Hospital……….. 237

Vietnam. 204,205

Vietnam War…………. 66

volksschule……….. 216

voluntary associations………247

voluntary exchange…116,121,187,247

voluntary programs……….. 253

voluntary society 218

War Crimes Tribunal 23,140,239

War on Drugs…211,264

War on Terror…205,222

waste disposal 6,233

water pollution. 6,7,14,79,176

Watson,James D…. 106,107

weapons of mass destruction (WMD) 205,246

Weiland,Jeremy. 57

Westing,Arthur…66

whistleblowers. 243,245

white phosphorus. 151,209,210,211,213

wikileaks 243

Wilbur,Shawn.. 41

Wilson,R.A………….. 46

wind energy. 15,71,82,150

Woods,E. Thomas…170,197

World Bank……….. 115

World Court……….. 140

World War I 65,92,146,147,182,196,201,208,216,236

World War II. 66,73,75,92,105,116,144,146,147,150,182,215,235

www.antiwar.com…. 197,198,206

www.stephankinsella.com………. 36

Yandle,Bruce…………. 91

Yangtze River……….. 164

yardang…82

Yellowstone……. 23,99

Zeebrugge……….. 236

zone markers……….. 281

zoning……57

Highlights from my conversation with Brad Spangler

You can purchase the book,Environmental Non-Policy by clicking on “Add to Cart”.
“Voting for a government is just a slightly less messy method of civil war.”

“Essentially the proletarian revolution is the free market.”

Books Mentioned in my book “Environmental Non-Policy”

Stephan Kinsella speaks with Gene Basler about Environmentalists

Stephan Kinsella Discusses Environmentalists

This conversation alone is worth getting the e-book. Click here to be notified as soon as the e-book is available for purchase.

(I also intend to pre-publish the index,to give folks an idea of the zillion topics mentioned in the collection of interviews.)

Here are a few highlights:

Gene:“Do you think the existence of patent law is really nothing more than just one more way government runs block for favored and well-connected market participants by protecting environmentally irresponsible means and methods of production? And if so,does this not logically follow that patent law harms the environment?”

Stephan Kinsella:“Well,that’s an interesting connection. For years now,I’ve been trying to trace out all the harms from patent law. Environmentalism is not one I have made yet. I could see that some arguments could be made…I’d be open to the argument.”

~~~

Regarding class actions:“I would say that…until someone comes up with [a good theory based on solid libertarian principles to argue in favor of class actions]—and I don’t have one,I would tentatively go with Rothbard’s negative opinion about class actions.” ~Stephan Kinsella

~~~

“…if you were in favor of the environment,the last agency you would entrust to protect it is the—is any government,especially the United States central government.” ~Stephan Kinsella

~~~

Gene:“It seems to me like that protection actually helps to limit the liability of the polluter,because if you had the risk of an obscene number of lawsuits from an indeterminate number of complainants,all of whose property had been trespassed by your polluted water or your polluted air,then you would really have a much,much stronger incentive to engage in non-polluting methods of production,in my opinion.”

Stephan Kinsella:“Well,you know,that’s interesting. I’ve never heard it put that way. There’s something to that. I think it’s possible:I mean,I think the state’s mechanism messed up everything.”

~~~

“…people [could] become gradually more economically literate…which could happen over time. For example,right now,most people are much more literate about the evils of communism than they were 20 years ago. Right? Just the fall of Russia itself educated almost everyone to a degree.” ~Stephan Kinsella

~~~

“This my litmus test for environmentalists:If someone claims to be an environmentalist and they’re not in favor of nuclear power,then in my opinion,either they’re an idiot,they’re ignorant or they’re evil. They’re misanthropic. In other words,they really want humanity to starve off because of lack of energy,or they know nothing about physics and engineering and technology,in which case they should really be quiet and just read their papers.” ~Stephan Kinsella

~~~

Gene:And is there such thing as collective property ownership? Or I guess in an anarchistic society,there’s no reason why there couldn’t be collective property ownership.

Stephan Kinsella:I agree with that. I think there certainly could be collective ownership,because people can act cooperatively,so of course there can be collective or cooperative action among people. But that doesn’t mean that the collective agencies exist that are some kind of separate entity with separate rights. Society or some community is only composed of individual human beings that themselves have rights.

Gene:Are there such things as positive rights?

~~~

Stephan Kinsella:I think there are such things as positive rights. I think libertarians go a little bit astray when they so blithely say there’s no positive rights…But,other than [certain] cases,which are all the results of voluntarily chosen human action,I don’t think there are any positive rights.

There’s much more! Click here to get an email notice when the e-book is available for purchase.

Learn more about Stephan Kinsella at his blog:www.stephankinsella.com

Projected Release Date August 2011

Gene Basler’s

Anarcho-Environmentalism

Interviews:A New Direction for the Green Movement

And

An Inevitable Alliance with the Liberty Movement!

Libertarians have always been weak on the Environment. Environmentalists have always scoffed at the message of Liberty. Now,these two seemingly incompatible movements are in the early stages of converging,not because Gene Basler says they should,and not because great thinkers before him have presciently laid the theoretical foundations for it. No,Green and Liberty are aligning because the futures of both Humanity and Earth depend upon it.

Part of the reason libertarians are weak on environmental issues is that the spotlight tends to be focused on the big,sexy issues,like anthropogenic climate change and human population,wherein libertarians spend all their time debunking nonsense and contrivances,and not moving the ball forward.

Meanwhile,everyday concerns like air pollution,water pollution,soil erosion,waste management,clean energy and food production take a back seat.

On the other hand,environmentalists—indeed,the vast majority of humanity—have rejected the message that individual liberty,private property,contracts,torts and markets will find solutions to environmental problems,because the message simply isn’t getting out there! Or when it is,it’s poorly articulated.

Here is the standard argument:

“OK,fine. You libertarians have shown that central planning doesn’t work. We get it. But what about the environment? We have to have a policy…”

This is where libertarians have traditionally dropped the ball. Until now,that is! In this series of interviews you will receive an introduction into the only sustainable direction the so-called “environmental movement” can take.

You will never look at environmentalism the same way again.

“We have to think radically,if we want to save the animals of the sea,or the fish…We’ve got to privatize the oceans.” ~Walter Block

“We’ve got to privatize the Gulf of Mexico,not only for fish,but for oil,because we have had some problems there recently. I’m from New Orleans,so this point is very dramatic to me. “ ~Walter Block

Is Walter Block suggesting that privatizing oceans is the way to prevent oil spills? You have got to read this!

Every other route the Environmental Movement has taken is a dead-end. Here’s one example:

“If you want to preserve animals,as most environmentalists do,you have to go the private property route.” ~Walter Block

This is a hard pill for most people to swallow. But while it may be a radical position,it’s far from extreme. In fact,it makes perfect sense,as you will learn from these interviews.

Look:you don’t have to buy the book! The interviews are freely available in their original audio format at both www.blogtalkradio.com and itunes/GeneBasler.

But let’s be honest:the audio quality sucks.

This fully-indexed book will serve as a very useful reference.

If you’re serious about individual liberty,free markets and a free society,but are not super-proficient at articulating your position on environmental topics—You know who you are!—then you absolutely must have this book!

If you’re serious about the environment,but are frustrated with policies,protocols,regulations,treaties,agreements,deadlines,target dates,manufactured data,politicized research and distractions—you know who you are!—then you absolutely must have this book.

You will better understand the differences of the motivations between the private sector and the public domain!

Walter Block explains why:

“…when you go to a baseball game,you’re allowed to leave peanuts at your feet and beer cans…and nobody says “Boo;” whereas if you do something in the public domain–library or on a picnic bench or wherever–the men in blue will get you!”

Gene:How should I be looking at the world? Should I take a dispassionate,value-free approach,and merely look at cause and effect? And if so,then is it therefore totally inappropriate for me to make any a priori assertions? Are those two things reconcilable?

Professor Block:Well,I think you have to look at the real world and what the causes and the effects are. That’s science:that’s sort of the basis of everything. If you don’t know what’s going on,then you really can’t employ values. But on the other hand,we’re not just scientists:we’re also human beings,and we have values,and I don’t think it’s wrong to bring our values and our goals and desires into the analysis. For example,clean water,clean air,things like that are goals,and then we can discuss what’s the best way to attain those goals. So I think we can and should do both!

After you read this,you will have a new perspective on how principles of liberty,individual rights,private property,liability and contracts can help solve environmental concerns.

You will ask better questions,and direct your positions and arguments in more sensible directions.

You will challenge assumptions.

Your critical thinking skills will be honed to a fine point.

Issues you may previously not have associated with the environment are discussed,such as:

~Customer Service—or lack thereof—in Public Places.

~Implicit Contracts.

~Cause-and-Effect Arguments versus Morality Arguments.

~The Tragedy of The Commons

~Ocean Privatization

~Black Market Food Production

“…Even if our relationship with Pakistan,for example,is improved (which I very much doubt),does that still justify the use of unmanned drones to attack wedding parties,if that’s how we got there? By asking this question,and not sticking to the consequences,am I leaving the realm of Economics and treading dangerously into moral grounds? Is there room for both in my analysis of current events?”

Where is Gene going with this,what does it have to do with Environmentalism,and how does Walter Block respond?

“…You paint a picture in which air pollution,water pollution,waste disposal,littering,overfishing,strip mining,deforestation,species extinction,about any other environmental concern that can be out there,are kind of emanations of poorly defined and poorly defended property rights. It seems to me that the importance of defining property rights can’t be over stated…”

Gene:“Can you briefly describe some of the ways in which Coase,Demsetz,Kelo and Rothbard had it right,had it wrong,when it came to property rights,tort law as they only real path towards dealing with such issues as air pollution,water pollution,over fishing,etc.?”

Professor Block:“Sure. Let me take a hack at that,that’s a big mother of all questions.”

“The cow is never endangered,was never an endangered species,but the buffalo was,and in some parts of the world maybe still is. Why?” Walter Block

“…You’ll be very cautious about shooting or slaughtering your own cow. Whereas in the case of the buffalo,if you don’t own it,it’s going to sort of run by at 20 miles an hour. If you don’t shoot it today,you’re not going have it tomorrow anyway. So the cost of shooting today is very,very low–practically zero. So you might as well shoot it today,even if you’re not going to use it much.” Walter Block

“The reason the rhino and the elephant are endangered,is because they are unowned!” Professor Block

“When the oceans are unowned,the natural tendency is for everyone to grab as much as he can,because if he leaves it over,it’s not going to be available to him tomorrow:someone else’ll get it.” ~Walter Block

“The absence of property rights in the marine world is the reason why aquaculture as a discipline is in its infancy,compared,say,to agriculture or silviculture?” ~Gene Basler

Gene:“There was a huge amount of Soviet-era homesteading,where folks,even if they didn’t have room to do their gardening,Russians are gardeners! And they could take a train or a bus to the outskirts,and they’d find a piece of communally-owned government land and plot it out,and there was a kind of anarchism occurring just outside the cloak of the law. You can go on Wikipedia,and you’ll find out that of all the places in the world,who would have thought that Russia has the highest number of residents with second homes,of anywhere in the world,US included?”

Professor Block:I didn’t realize that.

“Ronald Coase is a Chicago-type economist from the University of Chicago,and thus an intellectual enemy of all that is good and true of libertarianism.” ~Walter Block

“Suppose it’s my hat…and I’ve got all sorts of proof that it’s my hat. Coase is going to give you the hat because he thinks you value it more! Well,that’s a vicious attack on private property!” ~Walter Block

“[Coase’s theory of property] is just even worse than communism! At least communism had a property rights theory. It was a lousy one–the government owned everything,practically,but it was a property rights system. “ ~Walter Block

Environmental Non-Policy:The Book by Gene Basler