How futile can you get?

As a political organization we are used to receiving email canvassing our support for some urgent campaign or other.

Here is one that arrived today apparently from Brazil:

The Brazilian congress is now voting on a project that will reduce the Amazon forest to 50% of its size....The area to be deforested is 4 times the size of Portugal and would be mainly used for agriculture and pastures for livestock. All the wood is to be sold to international markets in the form of wood chips, by large multinational companies.

A very serious state of affairs no doubt – if it were true. But as far as we can gather the project complained of was terminated by the Brazilian government in May 2000.

The truth is that the soil in the Amazon forest is useless without the forest itself. Its quality is very acidic and the region is prone to constant floods. At this time more than 160,000 square kilometres deforested with the same purpose are abandoned and in the process of becoming deserts, meaning that this proposal is in the short-term interests of a few, and in the long term interests of none.

Having identified one result of capitalisms insatiable pursuit of profit we could have understood appeals to write to MPs, suggestions that we boycott this or that, request that we join some demo or other. But what are we in fact asked to do?

Please copy the text into a ‘new e-mail’ put your complete name in the list below, and send to everyone you know.

Now this message must rank pretty near the top in the list of 100 Futile Things you can do to Save the Planet.

Want to change the world? No need for political action -- just email your friends.

Well really…