Eco Activist Murdered Feb 26, 2005 Dorthy Stang 74 year old American missionary Sister Dorothy Stang was assassinated on Saturday (February 12) in the Amazon state of Para, Brazil. Sister Dorothy was travelling to a sustainable development project in Anapu with some colleagues when she was shot three times by two gunmen. This tragedy occurred 16 years after the murder of Chico Mendes, who was also a defender of rural communities. Mendes was also a colleague of the current Minister for the Environment Marina Silva. Marina Silva is in Anapu meeting with State authorities, following the news of Sister Dorothy's death. "Like Chico Mendes, Sister Dorothy refused to be intimidated and she paid an enormous price," said Paulo Adario, Greenpeace Amazon co-ordinator. "She selflessly worked for many years supporting the rights of rural workers, and defending the Amazon from reckless deforestation and we can't let her death be in vain." Originally from Dayton, Ohio, US, Sister Dorothy was a Brazilian citizen and has worked in the Amazon for the past 37 years, living in Anapú since 1972. For 56 years she has been a member in good standing in the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, an international Catholic religious order of approximately two thousand women who work on five continents. She opposed land grabbers and illegal loggers who use intimidation, violence and guns to force small landowners off their land. She worked in an area that is remote and lawless and she has received many death threats. "She had been on a death list for years, yet the State government of Para has failed to protect her. She was not alone either, as there are many others fighting against the forest destruction and the rights of local communities, whose lives are in danger", said Adario. "The violence and intimidation must stop. We cannot accept more martyrs in the Amazon." Para is the Amazon state with the highest murder rate related to land disputes. According to the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), a Catholic organisation campaigning for landless people and the poor, 1,237 rural workers died in Brazil from 1985 to 2001, and 40 percent of these occurred in Para. Para State is responsible for approximately one-third of the deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon and plays a leading role in both environmental abuse and human rights violations, both of which consistently seem to go hand in hand. For more information, go to this Greenpeace article: Nun assassinated defending Amazon [article.to_original.homepage.prefix]: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/02/310735.shtml
I'm waiting to hear from the rightwing trolls who will undoubtedly contend that she "got what she deserved". Go ahead, let'er rip!
I dunno man, most people aren't so callous to wish death on their competition, even right wingers. I wouldn't expect that out of anyone, really. Anyways, yeah, this is really sad, but this isn't the first time. Apparently there's a lot of pissed off Brazilians there who are mad that it took the death of a foreigner to get the government to help protect them. Shows where the Brazilian government's interest is. They won't even protect their own citizens until an American is killed and some international pressure is put on them. This is why the Amazon is going to be gone in 50 years. Quite a shame
No asshole, my father knew Dorothy Stang personally and was a friend of hers. She was a great humanitarian. And when the fuck have I ever said that activists deserved acts of violence? I was the one standing up for the rights of protesters on another thread when you and a few others said it was "hilarious" that they got beaten up. Normally I just ignore your flames because you're an idiot who follows me around from thread to thread for the sole purpose of antagonizing me, but now you've pissed me off. I guess congratulations are in order, since that's what you wanted.
wow, you have a great knack for being just plain wrong. First, I don't follow you around, you just happen to post in the threads that I'm most interested in. Two, when was it ME who said that it was hilarious that protesters got beat up? You mean the rightwing agitators? They weren't protesting, they were seeking a fight. As for my "sole" purpose of antagonizing you...well, that's not the sole purpose, just a benefit. I wish you'd leave these forums...I fuckin hate your kind.
Yeah, just like my family's friend Dorothy Stang was "seeking a fight"? Who the fuck are you to decide who is and who isn't seeking a fight? Everyone has a right to freedom of speech without expecting violence against them, whether you agree with their politics or not. Are you so blindly partisan that you only believe in freedom of speech if you agree with the cause of the activist? Someone else made the thread that said it was hilarious that they were beaten up. You chimed in with "very cool." Stop nitpicking, you're no better than that person. You hate my kind for two reasons: 1) I disagree with you; 2) I'm smarter than you.
LOL your responses become more off the wall each time you post! smarter than me huh? No, you're not smarter...just more ignorant and naive. TRUST ME, you're not smarter than me. you're just a spoiled little turd who resents those who disagree with YOU. In essense, you're a hypocrit. When I say that I hate your kind, what I mean is...I hate those who do NOTHING to better this world and just argue with those who disagree with you (most if not all progressives).
Is this an attemped rage? WTF! People were killed this should be taken seriously! I mean common anyone with me?
