California's
new face of terrorism
Nick
Genisauski
Over
the last twenty years, the face of evil
has taken on many forms.
In the early eighties it was the Soviet
Union. In the early nineties it was Saddam
Hussein. And of course, in 2001 it was none
other than Osama bin Laden. But, what happens
when evil is multiplied by the millions,
when the government fails to list it on
the ten most-wanted list, when even John
Walsh is unable to get a hold on this devil?
What happens is that we end up at the mercy
of the nations (California's) new public
enemy number one -- the bark beetle.
The
bark beetle's recent notoriety among Californians
has been astonishing. Just when we thought
our nation had the upper hand on evil, the
bark beetle raised his middle appendage
in the air and shouted "Fumigate this!"
There wasn't much talk about the bark beetle
before it started raining ash on our heads
about a week ago. A large reason for this
was because officials failed to take its
threats seriously. In 1995, the National
Forest Service knew what was breeding in
the hills and woodland areas on the outskirts
of Los Angeles. Due to the damage from smog,
waterless winters and squirrel urine, the
majestic pines have become skyscrapers for
these six-legged tenants.
Unfortunately,
it's obviously too late to wage war against
the beetle, but there's always room to belittle
it. Because of the seriousness of the situation
I will refrain from taking shots at it or
making unnecessary jokes about its species
or phylum. However, in researching the possible
motives or beliefs the beetle beholds, I
stumbled on an interesting fact. According
to Eric Day, scientist at the Virginia Tech
Insect Identity Lab, "bark beetles
are commonly black or brown." Not only
does this statement fuel racial tension
among humans, but more frightening, bark
beetles worldwide. My initial thought was
that in creating bigotry between the beetles,
the conifers of America might suffer a worse
fate. However, in retrospect, the boiling
violence between these insect factions might
eliminate the beetles all together! A sort
of ethnic cleansing at his or her own hands,
or antennae in this case!
In
actuality, we cannot blame the beetles entirely.
By now the nation has seen the composite
sketch of one presumed arsonist. The worst
thing America would have to endure is the
unification between arthropods and man,
which has taken place in the San Bernadino
forests. This isn't a new threat -- we read
about it when the Lord sent Joel an invasion
of locusts. We also saw it in the 1999 blockbuster
"The Mummy" when the Egyptians
produced a strain of scarab beetle for the
use of torture. What about Pinocchio? Does
Jiminy Cricket ring a bell? Was that umbrella
an innocent rain repellent, or a weapon
of choice?
Look,
with all jokes aside, the bottom line is
that we need to get off the weary backs
of our firefighters. Quit possibly, the
real pestilence in the burning regions of
California is not the bark beetle, but rather
the media. I understand that it's imperative
to inform the public of natural disasters,
especially of this magnitude. However, undaunted
field correspondents and makeup caked anchorpersons
must remember that the element of fire has
been a friend and foe to mankind for tens
of thousands of years. Filming the same
flames and plumes of smoke, then looping
the tape for an hour does not help or enlighten
viewers. What does entertain the viewer
and widen his/her eyes is when, as on Tuesday,
a sluggish news van succumbs to an inferno
because it was in the wrong place at the
wrong time. We must ask ourselves what we
really know about the fires of the past
week by sifting through the information
we receive.
The
identification of the supposed arsonist
is merely what a witness perceived they
saw, and fire is simply a gas. If we want
the media to truly work for the good of
the people, they should give us what solid
evidence they have, for instance, a composite
sketch of the real mastermind behind the
devastation -- the bark beetle. When absorbing
the news, we need to go after what is concrete
and what is tangible. Failing to do so will
prove that these miniature terrorists have
won.
Nick
Genisauski is an English major at Cal State
Long Beach.
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