ATWA (an
acronym
An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...
for Air, Trees, Water, Animals and All The Way Alive) is the ecological belief system propounded by
Charles Manson, who was later convicted of conspiracy to commit murder as the leader of the communal
Manson Family. ATWA names the interrelated life-support systems of the
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
. Manson and his associates, most notably
Lynette Fromme and
Sandra Good, use the term to name the forces of life which they believe hold the balance of the Earth.
Origins
Manson was paroled in 1967 and found a welcoming environment in the burgeoning counterculture. Together with a small retinue of disaffected young people, he took flight from what he characterized as the "madness of the cities" and established a communal colony at the
Spahn Ranch in the Santa Susana mountains outside of Los Angeles, California. The group began to make survivalist forays into Death Valley in order to scout out more remote areas of the desert. In September 1969 some members attempted to thwart nearby road developments by deliberately setting an expensive piece of earth-moving equipment on fire. This early act of
eco-terrorism occurred a number of years before the concept was popularized by
Edward Abbey,
Dave Foreman, and other environmentalists.
Lynette Fromme and Sandra Good
In the years following Manson's conviction and imprisonment for conspiracy to commit the murders of seven people, Lynette Fromme and Sandra Good became increasingly active in their efforts to raise awareness of the present system's failure to properly steward the Earth.
In 1975,
Lynette Fromme was found guilty of the
attempted assassination of then-president Gerald Ford. While questioned in custody she was asked why she had pointed the gun; she stated, "I stood up and waved a gun (at Ford) for a reason, I was so relieved not to have to shoot it, but, in truth, I came to get life. Not just my life but clean air, healthy water and respect for creatures and creation."
[ In August 2009, Fromme was released from federal prison after serving 34 years.
Sandra Good was imprisoned for 10 years for conspiracy to send threatening letters to corporate executives unless their corporations ceased polluting the environment.][ After her release in 1985, Good led a campaign against International Paper Co., which she said was harming ]Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec.
The cities of Burlington, Ve ...
.
In popular culture
Metal band System of a Down has a song named "ATWA" on their 2001 album ''Toxicity
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacteria, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect o ...
''.
References
External links
Official websiteOfficial blog
*''Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature'' edited by Bron R. Taylor (Continuum, 2005, )
*''Charles Manson - Love Letters to a Secret Disciple'' by Sy Wyzinski (Moonmad Press, 1976, )
*'' Charles Manson Superstar'' documentary directed by Nikolas Schreck (Music Video Distribu, DVD Release Date: 2002)
*''Desert Shadows: A True Story of the Charles Manson Family in Death Valley'' by Bob Murphy (Sagebrush Press, 1999, )
{{Manson Family
Charles Manson
Environmental philosophy
Ecofascism