Tooker Gomberg's Earth Day Message

"Mike Vandeman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Mike, I opened your post by chance and was surprised to see
a very, very interesting post, where Tooker presents himself
as a victim of green turdism, depression and all. It is a classical
case. I wish Tooker a speedy recovery and a happier life.
Here's the green bible that contains the reasons why the
tragedy happened to him:

***** Quotes from environmental leaders. start: *****

"It doesn't matter what is true ... it only matters what
people believe is true ... You are what the media define
you to be. Greenpeace became a myth, and a myth-
generating machine." -- Paul Watson, co/founder of
Greenpeace and Sea Shepard

"If you don't know an answer, a fact, a statistic, then ....
make it up on the spot ... for the mass-media today ... the
truth is irrelevant." -- Paul Watson in Earthforce: An Earth
Warrior's Guide to Strategy.

"A lot of environmental messages are simply not accurate.
But that's the way we sell messages in this society. We use
hype." -- Dr. Jerry Franklin, Ecologist, Univ.of Washington

"We have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified,
dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts
we may have. Each of us has to decide what the right balance
is between being effective and being honest."
- Stephen Schneider (Stanford professor who first sought
fame as a global cooler, but has now hit the big time as a
global warmer)

"A global climate treaty must be implemented even if there
is no scientific evidence to back the greenhouse effect." --
Richard Benedict, an employee for the State Department
working on assignment for the Conservation Foundation

"We already have too much economic growth in the United
States. Economic growth in rich countries like ours is the
disease, not the cure." -- Paul Elrich, Stanford U biologist
and Advisor to Vice President Gore

"We in the Green movement, aspire to a cultural model in
which the killing of a forest will be considered more
contemptible and more criminal than the sale of 6-year-old
children to Asian brothels." -- Carl Amery, Green Party of
West Germany

"I got the impression that instead of going out to shoot
birds, I should go out and shoot the kids who shoot birds."
-- Paul Watson, founder of Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd

-----***** end: Quotes from environmental leaders *****-----

***** These quotes do make you realize that *****

= The green movement was always & only a sick machination= &
= a cover to get $$$ grants, permit charges & user fees to =
= feed green [censored], be they politicians, consultants,
= activists or= regulators. Environmentalism is just a
= despicable evil green= $$$$$$ game without any redeeming
= value, nor any intent = to save anything. This 40 year old
= scam is now threatened = which is why all those leeching
= green turds are whining =

People are so disgusted with green turdism, so much that

=="Environment" was not mentioned at all in Pres. Bush's ==
== 2004 State of the Union, and NEITHER was any mention ==
== of it in the rebuttals by the DEMOCRATS. & now, RALPH ==
== NADER, 2000 Green Party Pres. Candidate has distanced ==
==himself from the green [censored] and runs as an Independent!==

All enviros, activists, enablers, consultants or regulators
may bark in their green misanthropic and anti-patriotic
hatred until they are biliverdin-green all over, but

**** These enviro-creationist quotes will not go away. ****

The enviros should revere these quotes for they are their
gospel. Don't deny them. Be proud of them. They are,
after all, the

Green equivalent of the Red manifesto or [censored]'s
"Mein Kampf".

The enviros green ilk's strenuous and pathetic efforts to
burry them, is reminiscent of the Nazis who claimed not to
have known how evil their leaders and their systems were and
copping the same plea of "just following orders".
Environmentalism is the same ideology. Environmentalism is
just the revived green version of social pathologies like
BROWN with red and green or RED with brown and green tints.

Face the facts green turds, nowadays the enviros do
have problems,
a) because the people caught onto their game of green
turdism, that

= Environmentalism is just a despicable, evil money (green)
= game, = without any redeeming value, nor any intent to
= save anything.This = scam has come to an end. Now, all the
= green [censored] are whining... =

Why should anyone be surprised? The green movement was
always and exclusively a machination and a cover to get
grants, permit charges & user fees for the green [censored], be
they consultants, activists or regulators.

...to boot, the green [censored] are recognized to be so bad
and evil that

== One of the saddest legacy that the green turds
== produced == is the pervasive trickle down effect aka
== OUTSOURCING ==

b) because it was doomed from the outset by top "executive"
advice from its Führers as shown above in "Quotes from
environmental leaders".

Environmental turdism runs across and far, far beyond
political and ideological party lines. The right wing,
conservatives, have an equal if not bigger number of green
turds amongst them, then the lefties do. Turdism/Turdry
begins when principally noble ideas are exploited for
personal gain. The perversion of the noble goals begins as
soon as the old adage to riches is introduced and applied:
********* "Find a need and fill it" ********* Modern,
current turdism is so vile because the [censored], the green
[censored] expanded it successfully into ********* "Create a fear
and feed off it". *********

Remember, you can strike fear into some people for all the
time. you can even strike fear into all people for some
time. But you cannot strike fear into all people for all the
time. -------- Your green [censored] philosophy has failed --------

The green jig is up! Do you green turds know now why?
ahahahahaha........ahahahahanson

"Mike Vandeman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

April 22, 2002, Earth Day

Letter to an Activist by Tooker Gomberg

Dear Activist:

It's another strange day for me. Things have been strange
for 8 months or

more.

Quoted message said:

I used to be an activist. Now I don't know what I am. Did
you ever read the Kafka story about the guy who wakes up
and he has turned into a cockroach?

My mind is in a fog - I can't think very clearly. Making a
sandwich takes a

long

Quoted message said:

time - I have to concentrate on every step along the way,
and I am moving very slowly and deliberately. I feel like
I am stunned, and spaced out most of the time. Today is
Earth Day, but I feel I am on another planet.

I have been spending lots of time in bed, mostly sleeping,
dozing, and

dreaming.

Quoted message said:

It feels like my mind has melted down, though I am told
that it comes back

once

Quoted message said:

the depression lifts. Whenever that is. For some people it
seems to be months, for others years, and others never get
out of it.

But I am writing to you about activism, not the
frightening impacts of depression.

Amory Lovins, the great energy efficiency guru, once
called me a

Hyper-Activist.

Quoted message said:

I guess that's what I was. I lived, breathed, and focussed
on activism. It

kept

Quoted message said:

me thinking, inspired, interested, and alive.

But it also allowed me to ignore other things in life that
now, suddenly, I realize I never developed. This makes me
sad and despondent.

I used to enjoy cooking, but stopped. I always liked kids,
but never really thought about having kids of our own.
Changing the world was more important,

and

Quoted message said:

having a kid would interfere with our life's work of
changing the world.

I didn't develop my mind in a broad way, learning about
music and art and theatre and poetry, for example. It was
focussed on changing the world. I

never

Quoted message said:

really thought about a career - I was living my life, not
worrying about the trappings and credentials of the
boring, status quo world.

Maybe I was living in a bubble of naiveté, doing my own
thing, unconcerned

that

Quoted message said:

my perspectives and actions were so different from
"normal". I never wanted to be normal anyways. Normal got
us into the mess we're in.

So now I find myself, with my sliver of being smashed to
smithereens after

being

Quoted message said:

assaulted by police in Quebec City, a security guard in
City Hall, and various other security guards during the
mayoralty race. And numerous arrests.

Or maybe it was the tear gas, and last summer's smog.
Maybe I pushed my brain too hard, and overstressed it with
the run for Mayor of Toronto, or the

passport

Quoted message said:

burning, or 20 years of pushing against the juggernaut.
And maybe Sept. 11 firmed up my worries into a real fear
that working for change was really dangerous.

Or it could be a physiological response to too much
coffee, stress, and smog. Maybe I've burned out my adrenal
glands. Maybe my brain is poisoned from so

much

Quoted message said:

thinking about tragic ecological issues, pondering bad
air, and getting frustrated at the slow rate of
improvement and the rapid destruction of the living world.
Could my brain have been damaged when I was close to dying
with heat stroke in Vietnam in 1998?

I should have developed a deeper kinship with my family
and with people. Don't get me wrong - I had lots of
friends and acquaintances in the activist world. But they
were not deep friends of the heart. I neglected my heart,
and how I

was

Quoted message said:

feeling about things, about people, about situations. Now
that I'm in crisis I don't really have the language to
connect with people. The silence is easier than trying to
explain what I'm going through, or to relate to other
people's issues or problems.

So what advice can I offer? Stay rounded. Do the activism,
but don't overdo

ba.

Quoted message said:

If you burn out, or tumble into depression, you'll become
no good to anyone, especially yourself. When you're in
this state, nothing seems worthwhile, and there's nothing
to look forward to.

It's honourable to work to change the world, but do it in
balance with other things. Explore and embrace the things
you love to do, and you'll be energetic and enthusiastic
about the activism. Don't drop hobbies or enjoyments. Be
sure to hike and dance and sing. Keeping your spirit alive
and healthy is

fundamental

Quoted message said:

if you are to keep going.

I never really understood what burnout was. I knew that it
affected active people, but somehow I thought I was immune
to it. After all, I took breaks

every

Quoted message said:

now and then and went travelling. And all my work was done
in partnership with Ange, the great love of my life.

But in the end, when burnout finally caught up to me, it
was mega, and must

have

Quoted message said:

been the accumulation of decades of stress and avoidance.
And now I find

myself

Quoted message said:

in a dark and confusing labyrinth trying to feel my way
back to sanity and

calm.

Quoted message said:

So beware. Take this warning seriously. If you start
slipping into the hole of depression and you notice
yourself losing enthusiasm and becoming deeply
disenchanted, take a break and talk with a friend about
it. Don't ignore it.

The

Quoted message said:

world needs all the concerned people it can get. If you
can stay in the

struggle

Quoted message said:

for the long haul you can make a real positive
contribution, and live to

witness

Quoted message said:

the next victory!

Related links & resources:

Tooker & Angela's website, eulogies, events, more...
greenspiration.orggreenspiration.orgOpen ↗ Activist Support Forum /
Discussion
planetfriendly.netviewforum.phpOpen ↗

Burnout, Stress, Depression - links & resources
planetfriendly.nethealth.htmlOpen ↗
dmoz.orgJob BurnoutOpen ↗ --Open ↗
dmoz.org/Health/Mental_Health/Disorders/Mood/Depression/

Do Not Burn Yourself Out, by Edward Abbey abbe-abbe-Open ↗
yweb.net/quotes.htx?query=paragraph&op=search Creating
Stronger Community - Discussion & Links
planetfriendly.netviewforum.phpOpen ↗

Ten Commandments For Changing The World greens-greens-Open ↗
piration.org/Article/TenCommandments.html How To Be An
Activist sierraclub.caactivist.htmlOpen ↗
Preparing for a Campaign
stopcancer.orgorganize.htmlOpen ↗ Activism
Resources & Strategies
dmoz.orgActivismOpen ↗ Citizen's Handbook
vcn.bc.cacitizens handbookOpen ↗

===
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-
limits to humans ("pure habitat"😉. Want to help? (I spent
the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road
construction.)

home.pacbell.netmjvandeOpen ↗

Who's Booger Toke-good?

Bill "my smart-ass message" S.

Mikey, Are you trying to tell us that you, too are feeling
as though you have neglected the finer things in life, like
friends and family (sorry - I know you have no friends,
didn't mean to remind you...) Or are you telling us that you
are in the same state of mind as Tooker just before he
"fell" off the bridge? If the latter, please seek help. We
may not particulary like you here on AM-B, but we honestly
don't wish that on you.

Steve "but I may be lying - mountain-bikers do that ALL
the time..."

"Mike Vandeman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Do the activism, but don't overdo it.

Read and heed. Words to live by, Mikey.

Pete

"hanson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Mike Vandeman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]... Mike, I
opened your post by chance and was surprised to see a
very, very interesting post, where Tooker presents himself
as a victim of green turdism, depression and all. It is a
classical case. I wish Tooker a speedy recovery and a
happier life.

Sadly, that's not going to happen. Tooker killed himself in
early March. The piece was written about two years ago.

Michael

" S o r n i" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:mnTic.4332
[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Who's Booger Toke-good?

Tooker Gomberg was a driven environmentalist, well-known in
Canada, particularly Edmonton where he actually got elected
for a term as city councillor. While he started off looking
like a one-issue politician, he actually did quite well for
his constituants, but he also annoyed a lot of people, too.
Tooker's problem, politically, was that he didn't pick his
fights. He took on everybody and everything no matter how
inconsequential it might be in other's eyes. (e.g.,
Triggered absurd animosity from another councillor by
refusing to wear a tie.) The letter posted here, I
understand, was written under instructions from a thereapist
helping him deal with depression. I only met him once, very
briefly, with mixed reactions, but I do remember commenting
that if he were running in my ward, I'd vote for him. (This
was just before he actually was elected.)

His passing saddened a lot people.
--
------------------------------------------------------
----------
A L B E R T A Alfred Falk [email hidden] R E S E A R C H
Information Systems Dept (780)450-5185 C O U N C I L 250
Karl Clark Road Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
arc.ab.caarc.ab.caOpen ↗ T6N 1E4
arc.ab.cafalkOpen ↗

Obit from his hometown newspaper:
edmonton.cbc.caViewOpen ↗

--Karen M. who met Tooker and his brother Ben many years ago

[email hidden] (Karen M.) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Obit from his hometown newspaper: edmonton.cbc.caedmonton.cbc.caOpen ↗
regional/servlet/View?filename=edm_tooker040305

--Karen M. who met Tooker and his brother Ben many
years ago

Actually, Tooker's hometown was here in Montreal.

He was a key member of Le Monde a Bicyclette, a bicycle
rights group that started in 1975. They'd have a bike rally
the first Saturday of June every year, and if anyone tried
to get through the bikes as they crossed an intersection,
well they wouldn't. It was subverted years later when
another bicycle organization put their bicycle tour on that
day, so instead of bicycles as revolution, the day became
bicycles as recreation. All kinds of zany stunts, including
going on the subway with ironing boards and other large
items to prove that it was silly to exclude bicycles on the
basis of size. I have no idea if Tooker was the architect of
such things, but if not, it clearly was his beginnings. He
also started a storefront recycling place, which led to the
first door to door recycling in Montreal, in one section of
the city. One memory that I've dredged up since the
beginning of March is that Tooker had been to the Seabrooke
nuclear power, in 1977 or '78, right when the civil
disobedience there was just starting out. I know he bicycled
from Montreal to the Darlington nuclear power plant (well it
was just barely under construction at that point) in 1980,
and he must have been in the police station the same time I
was that afternoon. I have no recollection of exactly when I
became aware of Tooker, but the first time he spoke to me
was on Boxing Day in 1979 at Sam the Record Man, when I was
buying a copy of the "No Nukes!" album and he turned to me
to say something about it. But I already knew who he was.

He left Montreal in the early eighties.

His activities were mainly local, so in the places he
inhabited, Montreal, Edmonton, Toronto and Halifax, he may
have been perceived as local and that's where he'd have been
best known. I suspect his name was never household beyond
those small localities. unlike people who tended to deal on
a nationwide level.

Michael