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Monday, September 19, 2011

Food for thought

It's harder to find a more pristine wilderness than that of the Peel River Watershed in the Yukon Territory. This year the Yukon government has issued 8 341 mining claims. Near the town of Faro, a large wooden sign proclaims, "Yukon's Best Kept Secret". They are not talking about the once largest zinc mine in the world, a testament to toxic damage. The company has long gone and the taxpayers are stuck with a $1 billion  clean-up bill. Two water treatment plants filter toxins out of the mine  tailings; soil and rock must be sealed in plastic before new soil can be  brought in; they are talking about keeping clean-up operations going  until the year 2500! The mining industry promises they will be more responsibly and clean up when they are finished. How believable!

On the other hand, those protesting outside the White House against Protesters of Trans-Canada Corp's controversial pipeline that will bring the clean tar sands oil (well that's what the ads say about that gooey  muck!) from Alberta down to refineries on the Texas Gulf coast, are  being arrested (more than one thousand to date) for daring to stand on  the sidewalk and disagree, actually for 'failure to obey'. (must be communists, right Mammoliti? Can you smell 'em or is the stink of tar too great?). Among those arrested this week was Canadian activist icon,  Naomi Klein, "She was arrested outside the front door of the president she thought agreed with her." (Toronto Star report). She said, " It  feels inherently weird and uncomfortable for me to do something remotely critical of this president." This shows the level of understanding of how capitalism works that boggles the mind. What does she think was  going to happen, that Obama would agree with her and take on capital?
Unbelievable! So far as we know, none of those responsible for the mess in the Yukon is under arrest. John Ayers

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