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Enviromentalist's Are A Funny Lot
So. The pipeline. To build or not to build? As some of you are probably
aware, our Government here in BC is currently trying to block the new pipeline
that the Federal government has approved, citing that the possibility of a
spill and the damage it would cause to our lands and wildlife is completely
unacceptable. (Instead they think it is safer to transport it by train, which,
let’s face it, is akin to sending tens of thousands of bomb-laden railcars
through our country, and therefore our province too, every year. In 2013
Lac-Megantic in Quebec was devastated when one such train slammed into the town
and exploded killing 47 people, destroying over 44 buildings, razing to the
ground 57,000 square meters of downtown, and releasing over five million litres
of crude oil into the environment with hundreds of thousands of that spilling
into the Chaudiere River.)
They cite concerns also for our coast and the Juan de Fuca sea-life from
possible spills from the increased tanker traffic that would be carrying the
products to other countries. (By the way the Federal Government has just spent close
to a billion dollars on improving tanker safety and controls.)
I am not arguing that neither a pipeline or a tanker spill would not be
devastating, but surely it could not be as devastating as that which happened
to the poor people of Lac-Megantic? There are certainly risks either way.
However I have two observations to share with you.
Firstly, the hypocrisy of the protesters. Do all the environmentalists
bicycle to the protests? Or do they all have electric cars? Or fairy-dust
operated winged devices? And why is it only the pipeline they’re up in arms
about? What about other environmental issues? My new novel is set in Victoria,
and whilst researching the city I found that it still today dumps its raw
sewage (a mere 84 million litres) straight into the ocean, totally untreated
and unfiltered, and has done so for over one hundred years. In addition the
city of Vancouver, which calls itself environmentally committed pumps nearly 34
million litres of sewage, micro plastics and chemicals in the Strait. Check
that against the Calgary which has zero spillage into their Bow River.
No one has mentioned how many fish and other ocean critters that the two
BC cities have killed and continues to. (And which get contaminated and we then
eat!) But I guess environmentalists don’t like to take on crappy concerns, no
news in that. Just the big headline ones.
Secondly, it was just announced that the province of Alberta (this province has the largest deposits of oil in the world), which
supplies our province with most of its fuel and has to use BC as its ports to
sell to other countries, will shut down our supply if we block the new
pipeline. Hmmm. Let’s see what happens when no one can get around without any
fuel or we have to pay a lot more to ship it up from the US. Still, at least
then the environmentalists will be happy. No one will be polluting anymore
because we either can’t get to work or it costs more than our annual salary to
do so. Actually, after July 1st (or whenever it is likely to be
now) most everyone will be happy and stoned when the Federal Government brings
in its new marijuana laws. Well that’s as long as we can walk or fly in our
solar operated transports to the nearest pot store, because for now it's going
to get tiring to push our cars anywhere. Unless we come up with some clean
alternative form of energy, besides oil, we must use it as safe and wisely as
possible.
Well we could all go back to riding horses. Then I'm sure someone is
going to complain about all the stink and methane of the horse droppings.
So the moral of this month’s blog is this. We’re kinda stuck between the
Devil and the deep blue sea. A really crappy one at that!
Sincerely
Frank Talaber
My webpage
Frank Talaber’s
Writing Style? He usually responds with: Mix Dan Millman (Way of The Peaceful
Warrior) with Charles De Lint (Moonheart) and throw in a mad scattering of Tom
Robbins (Even Cowgirls Get The Blues).
PS: He’s better looking than Stephen King (Carrie, The Stand, It, The Shining) and his romantic stuff will have you gasping quicker than Robert James Waller (Bridges Of Madison County).
PS: He’s better looking than Stephen King (Carrie, The Stand, It, The Shining) and his romantic stuff will have you gasping quicker than Robert James Waller (Bridges Of Madison County).
Or as is often
said: You don’t have to be mad to be a writer, but it sure helps.
My novels on Amazon are at (copy and
paste link): https://www.amazon.com/Frank-Talaber/e/B00UC407R0
https://www.facebook.com/franktalaberpublishedauthor/
(My facebook short story page)
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