The start of a second Trump administration creates an environment where the hyperbolic is reasonable. His demeanor is that of a mob boss. He threatens anyone who crosses him with revenge and retribution. We should believe what the man says and that means a ton of hurt is headed in the direction of American environmentalists.

Let me be blunt. The election of Trump is a declaration of war on us. The goal of that war will be to destroy our organizations, make us politically untouchable, and erase what influence we have had in the overall society. We can expect the following:

Are you now, or have you ever been an environmentalist?

During the Red Scare of the 1950s, applications for any federal or state job, or any public sector program, contained an affidavit that began “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party of the USA …followed by the names of other “subversive” organizations. Checking off the box that said “no” was a very smart choice for anyone who did not want to be expelled from society.

American environmentalists have already been targeted in numerous state legislatures, including Ohio’s, with anti-protest legislation which targets protesters by bumping up the legal severity for trespass or vandalism, and targets organizations that sponsor protests where individuals are arrested, with organizations busting civil penalties. At the extreme end of this wave of protest legislation are those states that legally protect from prosecution anyone who runs over protesters with a car. These waves were in reaction to the DAPL protests at Standing Rock, and the George Floyd demonstrations in 2020. Add to this the recent crackdowns on pro-Palestinian students protesting the war in Gaza. The peril for environmental organizations is doubled by Trump’s dream of turning the USA into a petrostate, and his alliances with some of the worst polluters in the world.

Targeting the Non-Profit Industrial Complex (NPIC)

The Achilles heel of progressives is the fact that most of their organizations are financed through grants by philanthropic foundations. Love it or hate it ― and I hate it ― without these grants, your organization will close. Those behind Trump know this and have recently passed through the House of Representatives legislation that will yank the 501c3 status of any non-profit that is “sympathetic” to terrorism. The primary target are students protesting the war in Gaza, but any old stick will do to beat the dog of dissent. The promoters of these laws have others in mind, and one of their favorites is the dreaded ecoterrorist.

One purpose of terrorism is to deliver a message. The message of alleged ecoterrorists who blockade a pipeline or lockdown a construction site is that landscapes and communities should not become sacrifice zones and are not expendable in the name of profit. But there is another type of ecoterrorism as practiced by Norfolk Western railroad in East Palestine, Ohio. There is the terrorism of mountaintop removal coal mining, and the poisoning of aquifers and communities with fracking. They deliver messages as well. Their central message is “We don’t care. We don’t have to care.” They don’t have to care because they are protected by powerful interests and politicians who also don’t care.

Deregulating Pollution

Environmentalists have long had mixed feelings about regulatory agencies. On the one hand they are the only thing standing in the way of utter environmental devastation. On the other hand, most regulatory agencies have long ago been captured by the industries they are supposed to regulate. Laws such as the Clean Air Act, or NEPA are irreplaceable tools for the defense of the environment, communities, and natural areas. If the agencies enforcing these laws are shuttered, or subverted by Trump’s hacks, then when we go up against polluters we will be going to a gun battle with a pocketknife.

Responding

If we don’t hang together, we will certainly hang separately

That paraphrase of Benjamin Franklin’s famous comment about the cost of rebelling against the British Empire is relevant to us. What he was talking about was the necessity of solidarity between the American colonies against the Crown. Solidarity within the environmental movement, and between the movement and other targets of the Trump administration, will be critical to our survival. An injury to one will be considered an injury to all. We need to come together in Ohio to form a mutual defense pact that will monitor efforts from the feds, the state, and private entities that we determine to be detrimental to our rights and interests and decide on proper and collective responses.

Combating Toxic Green Washing

Green washing makes all of us nauseous. It is in truth a backhanded compliment from our foes, because if they did not think we had any power, they would not be afflicting us with their bull shit. What is strange about our situation is that just as the fossil fuel industry is riding higher than it has in decades, the destructive results of climate change is in the face of every nation in the world. Something is very wrong, and the carbon oligarchy is trying to deny the facts on the ground, using the old Richard Pryor line, “Who you going to believe? Me or your lying eyes?” Their problem is that our eyes are seeing very clearly what is going on. Our response should be simple. Every flood, every wildfire, every hurricane, every tornado, every “unprecedented” unnatural event, should be laid at their doorsteps to strip them and their allies of their moral legitimacy and force them to be accountable for their actions.

Don’t Give an Inch on Fracking

Fracking is the source of the current boom for the oil and gas industry. Nothing about the boom has changed fracking’s laundry list of crimes: the corruption of state government, the subversion of local government, the extravagant use of precious water resources that are in decline, the pollution of aquifers and wells, the creation of radioactive waste that is foolishly used as a de-icer on roads. Don’t emulate the cowardice of some politicians. Don’t listen to those who counsel us to be reasonable. You cannot be reasonable when confronted by unreasonable power.

Attack, attack, attack

A French Army officer in World War I told his superiors that his situation on the battlefield was hopeless. His response? To immediately order an attack. Playing defense against the coming attacks will be suicidal. When they punch, we punch back. When they try to silence us, we increase the volume. When they try to destroy our organizations, we form new organizations. When they try to divide us, we redouble our solidarity. Never give up. Never give in. That is our only hope for survival in these very dark times.

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Why Randy’s Rants? Randy’s Rants is in honor of the anabaptist sect called the Ranters in the English Civil War, who would chain themselves to the carriages of the nobility, and denounce them by ranting at them; denouncing their greed, depravity, and oppression of the common people. A tradition we intend to continue.

If you’d like flyers to hang or leave in public spaces, email Molly at martin.k.molly@gmail.com