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

it.

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...
http://www.greenspiration.org
Activist Support Forum / Discussion
http://www.planetfriendly.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=21

Burnout, Stress, Depression - links & resources
http://www.planetfriendly.net/health.html#stress
http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Work/Job_Burnout/
http://www.dmoz.org/Health/Mental_Health/Disorders/Mood/Depression/

Do Not Burn Yourself Out, by Edward Abbey
http://www.abbeyweb.net/quotes.htx?query=paragraph&op=search
Creating Stronger Community - Discussion & Links
http://www.planetfriendly.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=18

Ten Commandments For Changing The World
http://www.greenspiration.org/Article/TenCommandments.html
How To Be An Activist
http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/activist.html
Preparing for a Campaign
http://www.stopcancer.org/action/organize.html
Activism Resources & Strategies
http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Activism/

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
http://www.arc.ab.ca/ T6N 1E4
http://www.arc.ab.ca/staff/falk/

Obit from his hometown newspaper:
http://edmonton.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=edm_tooker040305

--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:
http://edmonton.cbc.ca/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