Treesit Resupply EVERY SUNDAY!

Dear Berkeley tree-sitters,

Let me begin by stating that I like trees. Some of my best friends are trees and I generally support the peaceful coexistence of humans and trees. Similarly, I worry about carbon dioxide emissions and their impact on global climate. I also work on the UC Berkeley campus, and I often walk or ride along Piedmont Ave. on my way to or from work. Thus, I encounter your encampment on a near-daily basis. I see your slogans chalked on the sidewalks. I see your Tibetan prayer flags. I pass through clouds of your collective body odor and exhaled marijuana smoke. Having observed your actions for quite some time now, sometimes I wonder if you've ever considered just how much damage you're doing to legitimate pro-environment, pro-leftist movements everywhere.

Let us examine a few key points that may help you understand why your effort to save the oak grove manages to be futile, ridiculous, ignorant, destructive, and offensive all at the same time:

(1) Consider what you are fighting for.
How many trees does UC intend to destroy for its construction project? (Answer: 38). Is the coast live oak an endangered or threatened species? (Answer: No). Will the removal of these individual trees have any significant impact on the health of the overall population of the species? (Answer: No). Consider how many collective man-hours your campaign has devoted to saving these trees. Has it occurred to you that your time may be better spent focusing on (for example) the huge swaths of the Amazon that are cut down by loggers and developers every day? Are you choosing to protect 38 trees because you really think it is a significant, meaningful cause? I hope not--because that would be ignorant. It seems much more likely that you choose this battle because it is relatively convenient and riskless. Honestly--why don't you sac up and take on a *real* environmental offender?

(2) Consider your conduct.
Do you intend to win the hearts and minds of the people with catch-phrases like "Guantanamo Berkeley" chalked on the sidewalks? Do you really think you have anything in common with the prisoners currently incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay? Perhaps in a momentary flash of sobriety, one of you will realize just how offensive it is to draw a comparison between your fenced-in encampment and an actual prison.

(3) Consider the backlash of your actions.
You are the source and embodiment of all negative stereotypes that conservatives hold against liberals. If you're going to stage a protest, are you capable of doing it in a dignified, respectable manner? Hint: smoking drugs in the trees does not exude dignity. Also, consider periodic showers. Rather than winning popular support from pedestrians who encounter your encampment, you are actually contributing to their mistrust and ire toward environmentalists. Perhaps you are Republicans dressed up as hippies deliberately trying to damage public opinion of the left?

(4) Consider your hypocrisy.
Is that your 60's-era VW minibus parked next to the "Stop driving" message chalked on the sidewalk? Do you know what the gas-mileage on that thing is? (Answer: ~14-18 mpg) Have you considered investing in a catalytic converter? Perhaps you are also the same people who spray-paint "driving" on all the stop signs in Berkeley. Do you think your graffiti will trigger a massive, group epiphany in passing motorists and cause them to suddenly abandon the automobile as a mode of transportation? In reality, your graffiti (and your very presence) only detracts from the natural beauty of this campus and the surrounding town.

In summary, do not think for a moment that you exist under a shield of popular support. You are wasting your time on a futile, meaningless cause. If you're going continue living outdoors and imparting your naïve views on pedestrians, I suggest that you move your operation to People's Park (or perhaps the sidewalk of Shattuck Ave) where you can peacefully co-exist with the rest of Berkeley's hobos.

What are you doing about all of this? you seem to have a lot of criticism but not a lot of action. But i guess that is typical of the left.

you on the other hand suggest taking on a "real environmental offender". then i must ask you, Who has created all of the nukes on the west coast? who has just signed a deal with BP to create "friendly" biofuels? who continues to desecrate Indian land?
The answer is UC BERKELEY!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are taking on the "real offender", which i am not surprised when you act as their mouth piece as they pay your rent.

And i guess you're right about comparing the encampment to Guantanamo, those prisoners are allowed food and water, as treesitters are not. we are protecting these trees because this is our landbase, if we refuse to protect the places we live what are we? statistically we have done more in the past few months with a grove of trees than the whole rainforest movement has in decades, as not one oak tree has been cut down. If we allow this grove to go, who going to stop them when they decide all trees are cumbersome and get in the way of "state of the art training facilities". We don't need sport facilities or football games. we need to breathe and trees help us do that.

your personal attacks about hygiene are unwarranted and just silly. what? are you afraid people around you might actually smell like human beings triggering your sexual instincts that have become dormant after years of alcohol based perfumes? your stooping that low to attack us personally shows that you have no real argument but are just annoyed that we are doing something about the problems in this world, unlike most of the left who continue to vote in idiot boxes. i suggest that you come out to these feedings and see the diversity and level of community involvement.

Lastly, myself and most of the people involved with the oak grove do not drive (those who do only do so out of strict need aka are disabled or elderly). I bike everywhere all the time rain or shine. I somehow doubt that you take this level of commitment to anything you believe in. are you against the war? against pollution? then why are you still driving.

Ever bike 100 lbs of food to people? it's fun and very possible. car centric lifestyles are killing this planet. spray painting "stop driving" is effective, it forces people to consider their violent and thoughtless actions every time they stop.

the sad thing is you actually think that we are trying to "bring back the 60's" when it is you who are living in the past, consuming at a rate like the resources are never going to end. driving like the oil isn't running out. we are the future, you are the dinosaurs that are going extinct.

Ok, you can take your foot out of your mouth now.