Governments,
churches and corporations are falling all over each other to
apologize to whoever demands it. Is it some sort of self-help
exercise -- admitting guilt to groups they have ostensibly harmed?
If they wish to apologize for harm done,
Government (and public bodies) should be apologizing to Nature:
Sorry
Forests, for logging you
Sorry
Ocean, for filling you with plastic
Sorry
Soil, for stealing your water and covering you with concrete
Sorry
Wildlife, for stealing your habitats
Sorry
Birds, for poisoning you with pesticides
Sorry
Fish, for genocidal fishing that's wiping you out
Sorry
Whales, for stealing your fish supply
Sorry,
Factory-farmed and Laboratory Animals, for false imprisonment and
cruel treatment
Sorry
Fur-bearers, for not outlawing leg-hold traps
Sorry,
Human Children, for depriving you of experience of nature, beauty,
and quiet private outdoor places
We
admit that in the pursuit of profit and ethics-free corporate
alliances, and by irrationally ignoring conservation science, human
psychology and animal ethology, we have trampled on everything that
many hold dear. We promise to restore what has been stolen from other
species, compensate victims, and hold ourselves to a higher standard
in future. We ask for your forgiveness -- and hope you'll consider us
in future elections.
