Greetings. Last night I shared numerous items on my FB timeline pertaining to the Tar Sands and the destruction being wreaked upon the Boreal Forests in Canada. Items included the photos taken by Garth Lenz (powerful) and those from Greenpeace International posted on Flickr. There was even an Infographic from Circle of Blue depicting the costs of producing one barrel of oil from the tar sands. I included links to stories & actions from NRDC and Sierra Club. Now I hear this morning that the Keystone Pipeline is once again included as an item in the political hostage negotiations in DC. I am curious. Has anyone EVER suggested that political leaders at any level – but particularly those at the federal level in Washington – take a tour, aerial and ground, of the Tar Sands Mining Operations in Canada? Have any of them actually seen with their own eyes (not just photographs) the destruction of the forests? The loss of carbon converting trees? The precious amounts of water stolen from human lives and forever lost to toxic pollution? The obscene size of those same toxic lakes and ponds? Have any of them actually walked the ground to feel the earth beneath their feet? See the wildlife being displaced? Smelled the acrid stench of pollution from the mining process invading their lungs? Felt the heavy air upon their skin covering them with filth? Have any of them actually talked to the Native Peoples? Seen first-hand the cultures being destroyed in the name of parasitic progress? Heard the stories of lives and heritage and traditions stolen and shattered? And if any of them have done this, WHEN? Recently? The photos I shared last night were from 2009 and 2010, when the project was supposedly young. Already at that time the project was too big, too obscenely destructive. I have no adjectives adequate to convey the horror being wrought upon our planet, the wildlife, the humans and all future generations; I now wonder if we will even live long enough to see the birth of a seventh generation. If none of them have gone – at all or recently – I suggest that before ANY further vote is taken pertaining to the Keystone Pipeline or any other pipeline or refinery project, an in-depth trip be made to see first-hand the subject of said vote. One cannot speak with authority to a subject or topic about which one has no first-hand knowledge. One cannot say any aspect of this project is healthy unless one is willing to breathe that air, drink that water, live next to said project. One cannot say with any honesty that there is no long term damage until one has see the landscape at the mines, or talked to the residents living at spill sites and heard their stories of loss, including the loss of health and sense of security. I would further propose that no vote on ANY further action be made until AFTER said trips are made by those with the power to make the decisions AND until evidence of said trips are made public and verified by reputable sources. In this day and age of photoshopped pictures and lies being perpetrated upon the public daily, I would not put it past any of them to attempt to lead us astray. Sadly, there truly are too many bad apples in the barrel poisoning any good fruit that might remain. I would very much appreciate acknowledgement of receipt of this e-mail. I also hope someone might be able to make this suggestion or a similar one to those in power. Few things in life are ever real until seen and/or experienced firsthand. Thank you. Sincerely, Wanda J. Kothlow
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 01:19:42 +0000
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