Assault On The Environment
D. S. Mitchell
Iron Eyes Cody
The first time I can remember, actually thinking about pollution, I was watching a ‘Keep America Beautiful’ campaign, in which Iron Eyes Cody, had a bag of garbage thrown from a car, land at his feet. Iron Eyes, in full American Indian regalia, looks into the camera, and I watched as a tear rolled down his cheek. That was probably 1968 or 1970. Very powerful.
A Drawer Of Bags
The Iron Eyes Cody series of commercials made a big impact on me, and I made sure I never threw garbage out the window of my car, again. I also, discovered recycling, something my Mother had done for years. My Mom lived thru two World Wars, and a near country collapsing economic Great Depression. She had a drawer for the perfectly folded paper bags. There was a another drawer where she stored a ball of rubber bands, a giant ball of string, and sheets of aluminum foil layed flat. She had learned to recycle out of necessity, rather than as an environmentally beneficial behavior. Although her purpose was different from mine, the results of her actions were good. The thought of garbage on the roadside, toxic waste in rivers, polluted air, brings a tear to my eye.
The Fingerprints Of Man
What is going on with the environment has the fingerprints of man all over it. The only people who are denying man’s impact on the planet are lying, and they are most likely lying, because they have a financial stake in the denial of the obvious. Keep your eyes on the staggering projected budget cuts to the EPA. It could be disastrous. It is expected that Trump and his associates, will be a poor steward of our environment.
Dakota Access Pipeline
I went on-line and pulled up the first internet “ad” under search “Dakota Access Pipeline” (#www.daplpipelinefacts.com/). I am going to quote directly from that home page. Here goes, “No part of the (Dakota Access) pipeline will be installed on Standing Rock Reservation. The part of the project that needs the approval of the Army Corps of Engineers is a sliver of 1000 feet of federal land-not Standing Rock land-that is part of its crossing beneath Lake Oahe. This part of the pipeline would be tunneled using state of the art Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) through soil nearly 100 feet below the bottom of the lake. This is about 20 times deeper than an existing pipeline that was installed beneath the same lake in 1982, and has operated safely for 35 years. In fact, eight pipelines currently pass below Lake Oahe, as well as one high energy electrical system.”
Holy Cow
HOLY COW! If the author of the above defense of the pipeline thinks I have just been soothed from my hyper-hysterical state, boy, did that writer miscalculate my reaction. No wonder the Standing Sioux tribe have protested. All of us need to wake up. This assault on the environment by fossil fuel billionaires is intolerable. We as a country, need to move forward to clean energy. It is not necessary to rape our land, contaminate our water supply, destroy wildlife, and pollute the air with toxic gases. We have the technology to transform our world from the filth of the last Industrial Revolution, to the green environmentally sound practices of the new Technological Revolution, led and fostered by an enlightened people.
Visualize A Sponge
I feel as if the “mad” capitalists, headed by the fossil fuel industry visualize the world as a giant sponge, and they intend to squeeze every noxious drop of oil and gas from its deep core, either by drilling, or fracking; and then transporting those sucked profits on cargo vessels across turbulent oceans or thru dangerous pipelines crisscrossing the world, often under irreplaceable water sources. Maintenance and upkeep, secondary to the bottom line.
Lake Oahe
There are already “eight” pipelines running beneath Lake Oahe! Some of those pipes are 35 years old! That’s right, I’m screaming, and waving my arms. How many pipelines are running under this country, anyway? Is there a fucking map of this travesty that I can look at, somewhere? I can already see a repeat of BP @ the Gulf Coast, Exxon @ Prudhoe Bay. Maybe the next environmental tragedy will be at Lake Oahe, or maybe Yellowstone, or Yosemite.
Reject Old Energy
The Standing Rock Sioux are protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, yes. But, I believe the call is to all of us to stand with the native people of this country, not just against the DAP, but all the assaults against our environment. Reject old energy and demand new, clean, environmentally safe energy.
Where’s The Love?
The Trump Administration is in the process of dismantling the EPA from the inside. The appointment of an EPA opponent, to the Directorship of the agency, is alarming. Yes, there are regulations. Damn, right there are. Thank God, there are. Otherwise, we could light our rivers on fire, wear respirators every day, and search grocery store shelves for our water. My God, they have no shame, they have no love of their children or their grand children, they have no love for the beauty of the country, or love of Mother Earth.
More Money
“Fuck it all! There’s money to be made,” the old dirty, environmentally destructive Trumpers scream. They may have the money, but we have the numbers, we just need to stay in the fight. The Trumpers are mounting an all out assault on every front. Taxes, environment, health care, education. I’ve never seen such a demonstration of hatred of institutions in my entire life.
Impassioned
No, matter what issue you are impassioned about, remember, it is together: voting, organizing, calling, writing, protesting, donating time and money, that will allow us to successfully push back against the “de-constructors” of government, now controlling the White House, and their money motivated Republican partners in the Congress. Using massive resistance and persistence, we can hold off the Trumpers until we can force our will, at the ballot box, voting straight Democratic ticket across the country.
At Every Level
Voting happens more often than every four years. There’s probably an election, of some sort, going on somewhere in the United States this month, or next month. It is vital that we as Progressives rebuild our foundation. Start at city, county and state level. Your local School Board, is important, and it is a good way for citizens to become involved. These elected officials, believe it or not, direct policy. Although not obvious, government policy starts with your school board, even your water board. Base policies are like small waves, growing exponentially, as they move from local, to state, to regional, and finally to federal directed policies. Well, we need to make sure the policies that are the basis of the wave are Progressive policies. So, make yourself a promise, one that will have a continuing effect on your life, promise to vote; in every, single election.
Conclusion
Join the discussion, join the dissent. Run for office. If you want to be good, you can be. Just remember, when you win your election, you have committed yourself to public service, not-self service. Calamity Politics is calling for the best, not just the angry.
Join the Resistance
