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Home Front: Politix
In the 70s, Obama's Science Adviser Endorsed Giving Trees Legal Standing to Sue in Court
2009-07-31
Since the 1970s, some radical environmentalists have argued that trees have legal rights and should be allowed to go to court to protect those rights.
Honest to Gawd, we don't make this stuff up...
The idea has been endorsed by John P. Holdren, the man who now advises President Barack Obama on science and technology issues.
Good dope back in the 70s...
Giving "natural objects" — like trees — standing to sue in a court of law would have a "most salubrious" effect on the environment, Holdren wrote the 1970s.
How do you plead, Mr....Tree?...Mr. Tree?...Your plea, Mr. Tree?
Sorry, your honor, but he seems kinda wooden.
"Mr. Holdren? Care to make a plea for the tree?"
"Don't mind if I do, yer Honor."
"One change in (legal) notions that would have a most salubrious effect on the quality of the environment has been proposed by law professor Christopher D. Stone in his celebrated monograph, 'Should Trees Have Standing?'" Holdren said in a 1977 book that he co-wrote with Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich.
Ah, those great 70's "visionaries" mentioned two days in a row...
"In that tightly reasoned essay, Stone points out the obvious advantages of giving natural objects standing, just as such inanimate objects as corporations, trusts, and ships are now held to have legal rights and duties," Holdren added
Posted by:Fred

#18  The lunatics are in charge of the asylum.
Posted by: JohnQC   2009-07-31 19:02  

#17  Is Heavy Waters any relation to Mel Waters of Mel's Hole fame?
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2009-07-31 17:47  

#16  we wuz with a group callered Shroedingers Kats, it was purdy iffy all around
Posted by: .5MT   2009-07-31 17:44  

#15  Ima played with Heavy H20 back in the Nam before he wented blind
Posted by: .5MT   2009-07-31 17:43  

#14  "We should give voting rights to Water. Fresh and Salt Water....but not Heavy Water, because it only encourages obesity."
Posted by: Frank G   2009-07-31 14:54  

#13  As a friend said to me recently ... "Is there NO end to the idiotic bulls$$t these people can dream up? ... And then I reminded him he was referring to extreme left wingnut democratic liberals. 'Nuff said.
Posted by: WolfDog   2009-07-31 14:42  

#12  Â“Curiouser and curiouser!”
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2009-07-31 13:00  

#11  
We must give trees the right to sue in court.

Right now the state has a precedent of making inanimate objects into defendants (State vs $$$)

Its not a great jump to say that anything you can sue, should be able to sue you as well.
Posted by: flash91   2009-07-31 11:17  

#10  Of course rocks are next. Gaia is mostly rock...
Posted by: Spot   2009-07-31 10:36  

#9  Trees? What's next rocks? This guy is both a fascist's dream and a lawyer's dream. No wonder Obama likes him.
Posted by: OldSpook   2009-07-31 06:59  

#8  Maybe the trees were out standing in a legal field ...
Posted by: Adriane   2009-07-31 06:36  

#7  I should probably also mention that Sunstein believes in assigning a quality of life measure to all living things and equating their worth thereby. Thus a particularly young happy border collie might well be considered as having more worth and merit than grandma if the latter tends to spend a lot of time sittin around drooling. Again, this is not a joke.
Posted by: AzCat   2009-07-31 01:53  

#6  Cass Sunstein the new "regulatory czar" (I suppose he would be the czar czar) has discussed at length the necessity of allowing your pets to sue you for abuse and believes that in the very near future animals will testify in court. Really. I couldn't possibly make this stuff up.
Posted by: AzCat   2009-07-31 01:51  

#5  Could these same trees have sued Holden for killing several of their fellow trees while writing a book made of paper?
Posted by: Scott R   2009-07-31 01:43  

#4  Maybe so. But I don't.
Posted by: Secret Master    2009-07-31 01:01  

#3  all the old Politburo types from the SDS and Obama's mother's party of choice. Gus Hall would love them.
Posted by: 3dc   2009-07-31 00:37  

#2  A follower of Harrison Chase?
Posted by: Korora   2009-07-31 00:26  

#1  So if a tree falls in the forest and kills a mime...........................................

does anybody care?
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2009-07-31 00:16  

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