Walk the Walk

I sent this as an editorial for my local newspaper:

For those who support fracking, oil sands and the northern pipeline or for those who encourage investing in fracking, oil sands or the northern pipeline, I have this suggestion.  Move your home next to a fracking well and put down your water well along side.  Or better yet move your children there or better yet move your grandchildren there.   Let the pipeline filled with toxic fluid come along the boundaries of your land here in lovely Northern Minnesota.  The same for the oil sand works in Canada.   Move your grandchildren up there in the poisonous air and next to the polluted rivers and environmental degradation. 

Here is an interesting quote from a proponent of oil sands:

Oil Sands Could ‘Delay’ Peak Oil - Candice Beaumont

http://www.hardassetsinvestor.com/features-and-interviews/1/2419-candice-beaumont-oil-sands-could-delay-peak-oil.html

** from a portion of the interview****

“Ludwig: Where else are oil sands located besides Canada?

Beaumont: There are some oil sands in the United States as well. In Utah there are some oil sands, and in West Texas. But it's harder to produce in the U.S., because it's still environmentally very difficult.

In Canada, it's in very remote places, it's 40 below zero, nobody is going to that neighborhood. In the U.S., in West Texas, people live where the oil reserves are and so you couldn't have the type of environmental impact that they are doing in Canada, where they are basically destroying the environment. If a bird flies over a river near the oil sands, the bird dies just from flying over the river. It's that toxic. They are just dumping all the waste into the waterways. If you did that in the U.S. you would be in jail.

Ludwig: Is that going to be an issue over the long term?

Beaumont: It's an issue. But because it's in remote areas and not inhabited, they aren't worrying about the pollution, because nobody lives in that area. So, they can do it.”

And I say, “We do live there, it is our earth.”

To be found in my essay: http://sunweber.blogspot.com/2011/02/curmudgeon-report.html

There are major advertisements on television promoting oil and gas from these environmentally intrusive sources.   One is an attack ad like they do in political smear campaigns against those of us who are deeply concerned for the environment and humanities future.  Big money is trying to convince people that it is okay to endanger the future so “business as usual” can continue a little longer.   Short term “benefits” for multiple longer lived problems.  How many truly believe the world can continue as it has for the last hundred or so years with resources and energy use?  

Who puts on the advertisements for the earth and the next generations?

So those of you who would promote monetary gains by investing in what you claim are benign activities, put your life where your money is.