Salt-o-the-Earth Po-ums

Salt-o-the-Earth Po-ums and Cartoons
by Ray Collett
x
A collection of commentary on environmental and other issues
at the University of California at Santa Cruz Campus.
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8) PREEMPTIVE DEFAUNATION*

Honest, Judge, it wasn't premeditated or a
Conspiracy to evade the law.
It was only the tiniest little, accidental defaunation
That happened to get a trifle out of hand
Just in a particular spot where there were some inconvenient rumors
Of grasshopper sparrows and burrowing owls and
Red-legged frogs and Ohlone tiger beetles and
Minor things like that.
And planning and paying for such a simple defaunation operation
Couldn't have involved a soul.
It's true that in our institution
The act of ordering a pencil
Would involve hundreds of individuals
At different levels in dozens of offices,
But, Judge, you'll have to believe that this wee bit of defaunating
Just happened,
And it's just coincidence that we were all determined
To build there and declared publicly,
"Look! It's a done deal."
It was all necessary to get a little, much needed cash
Flowing through our innocent fingers.
(Maybe we would share some with our clerical staff.)
We've never had any trouble carrying out
A little preemptive procedure or strategic manipulation or two
Ever before.
After all, we're an institution that teaches
About environmental theory.
And, Judge, since it's obviously ruined now
>From the point of view
Of grasshopper sparrows and burrowing owls and
Red-legged frogs and Ohlone tiger beetles and
Minor things like that,
You might as well let
Such a small project proceed.

*This word is not in some dictionaries.
Need to coin it arose during an experiment requiring removal of
all life from an island in the Florida Keys.

This illustration provides just a taste.
High resolution files—shot from different angles,
all freely distributable and publishable—
are freely available upon request.