It has been several weeks since my blog, ‘The Rapture Factor in Wildlife Conservation’. In that blog, I noted the danger posed to wildlife and nature by a constellation of beliefs rooted in anti-environmental politics, culture and religion. The immediate inspiration for the blog was Bill Moyers’ comments on the Rapture Index and the state of American politics. The ‘Rapture Factor’ generated a spate of email and commentary regarding this blog from the right-end of the moral-political spectrum. While most of these comments were disappointing — off-handed comments akin to schoolyard gossip — some posed serious questions that deserve thoughtful consideration. I can’t pretend to provide definitive answers per se, but I do want to respect my thoughtful commentators with the honour of a response. So over the next several weeks, I’ll take up the most important topics — religion, ethics, culture and politics. Of course, as readers you are welcome to post your own comments. These are sensitive subjects, especially in a culture such as ours that is increasingly prone to fundamentalist assertions posing as a substitute for reason, evidence and ethics. If you are as disgusted by Fox News as you are by Al Jazira, then you know what I mean. So for all our sakes, please follow the basics of netiquette in your posts. Please see the ‘Welcome’ blog for further information.

cheers, Bill