There was this man, see, and he was doing his job. Not saving the world. Not trying to do anything more than protect what little is left of Australia’s native vegetation. His name was Glen Turner. He was serving notice to a man, a farmer named Ian Turnbull, that his property was to be inspected the next day because of illegal land clearing. Not just a few trees, but thousands of trees. So, the farmer shot the man dead.
In the back.
Dead.
Here is the article from the Sydney Morning Herald
And the local mayor and the newspapers are all like, “oh, it is a tense situation” and “I’m not surprised this happened” and “it is the fault of the bad law”. And the family of the farmer (who is now up on murder charges) said, in a statement “they hoped the tragedy would help prompt change to the Native Vegetation Act to give farmers more say in the clearing of their land”.
Here is the apologistic article from The Daily Telegraph
How in any sane world would a murder get REWARDED with the change of a law to allow more land clearing? Illegal land clearing in Australia has been reduced in the past few years because of the NSW Native Vegetation Act. It works. But now, IF the law gets changed, what is to stop others from taking the law into their own hands?
And, more death.
Here is a photo from the ABC News of the slain man, an environmental hero.
Dr Maggie J Watson 