BOOK REVIEW
by DON AMADOR
Book Title — STATE OF FEAR
Author — Michael Crichton
Publisher — Harper Collins
Crisis mongering by extreme environmental groups has long been a topic
discussed by dirt-bikers sitting around a campfire after a hard day of
trail riding or by access advocates at any number of recreation conferences
or land-use workshops. While there have been numerous and well-written
books penned by authors who understand and have tried to expose the political
agenda of radical anti-access groups, Michael Crichton,s new book has
just validated said trail-side discussions and literary exposes.
More than just a spy-type thriller, State of Fear, disembowels most
of the current eco-myths being championed by old-guard environmental
groups. Crichton uses his medical degree-based investigative skills to
separate eco-fact from fiction.
As the book's heroes travel the globe
to counter a coordinated attack by eco-terrorists against people and
resources in order to generate support
for an eco-summit on climate change, Crichton cleverly weaves scientific
information gleaned from over three years of research into the story
to blow up currently held views of limousine liberals regarding global
warming, preservation, and Wilderness. The book also daylights a concept that the old "military-industrial
complex" has been replaced by a new dynamic comprised of agenda driven
politics, an activist legal system, and a biased media.
It appears the author's message is that our environmental policy should
be science-based and not agenda driven. Our natural resources should
be managed by staff in the field rather than by ideologues sitting behind
a computer or arguing before a judge. Off-roaders, hikers, mountain-bikers,
and other recreationists would be better served if they worked together
in a cooperative manner and that public land access should not be a partisan
issue.
State of Fear is 600 pages of must read material. It's a thriller to
be sure, but it also brings some common sense into the environmental
debate.
Don Amador is a land-use consultant for the BlueRibbon Coalition,
a national recreation group. He is also a noted speaker on recreation
issues.
He writes from Oakley, CA. He may be contacted by email at: damador@cwo.com. |
