Dear President Bush,

 

I am writing on behalf of the Interantional Conservation Society ( http://ics-org.tripod.com ). We are a non-profit, international organization determined to preserve the world's resources, species and ecosystems for the benefit of our posterity.

 

We would first like to extend our congratulations on a well-earned victory in the recent election. We hope to be able to cooperate with your administration in setting new precidents in mandating the preservation and cleanliness of the environment, as well as reversing the damage that has already been done by wantonly unsustainable development and exploitation.

 

We applaud your initiative in taking further actions against illegal logging. We believe that this will work great wonders in preserving our precious forests, which are vital to the very continuance of the human species. We hope that your administration will continue to urge other nations of the world in providing education and enforcement concerning responsible forestry practices.

 

We would also like to urge conservation-minded practices regarding other resources, chief among these being to maintain the cleanliness of air, water and soil.

 

We furthermore adamantly call for the prosecution of unscrupulous mining giants operating abroad, such as Freeport and Newmont, to the fullest extent of the law for their heinous crimes against the environment, humanity, and human rights violations against both the migratory and indigenous peoples of the areas in which they operated.

 

We recognize that in some cases doing the right thing will not be easy, especially with the enormous contributions made by some major energy companies including Halliburton Oil company. We believe, however, that you are a prayerful and consciescious man capable of putting the greatest good for the greatest number above and beyond friendships and political alliances.

 

We recognize that environmental issues are often labeled as "liberal", but many among environmentalists and among the members of the International Conservation Society are staunch conservatives who believe that worshipping and fearing God extends to the preservation of this indescribably exquisite world which He has created and given us dominion over, not to carelessly exploit, but as stewards charged with its replenishment, as outlined in the first chapter of Genesis.

 

Mr. President, stories abound of your compassion for the individual. We hope that we can appeal to that compassion, not only to the individuals listening to your speeches, but those individual species who cannot speak for themselves, whose homes are being destroyed. We hope that this compassion will extend not only to American voters, but to indigenous people who are being displaced or having their livelihoods supplanted en masse on a daily basis by irresponsible and amoral industrial practices. While your efforts in protecting the indigenous people of Iraq and other countries against the menace of Saddam Hussein were laudatory, we hope that these will extend to the protection of far greater numbers of people against far more unscrupulous corporate tyrants.

 

We also most respectfully request the active pursuit of making alternative energy resources available to the public in all nations throughout the world. We acknowledge again that this will not be easy in light of political alliances with fossil fuel and other traditional energy resource companies. We trust, however, that the strong moral values which propelled you into office again will prevail and that the good of the entire world population will be placed above the good of these relatively few men.

 

Again, we applaud the efforts which your administration has already made on behalf of the environment, especially with regards to the preservation of our impreciable forests. We humbly appeal to your sense of compassion and god-fearing nature to extend these efforts to the cleanliness of the air and water which we must constantly take into our bodies and preservation of all resources, species and peoples throughout the world.

 

We invite you to visit our website whose url is written above. We hope, again, that this is the beginning of an era of unprecedented environmental consciousness, like unto the John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt era. We look forward to cooperating with your administration and the leaders and people of the entire world unto this end.

 

Most respectfully, appreciatively and hopefully yours,
Ernest Woodford and the International Conservation Society