Tom Fletcher strikes again. Once more we hear about the conspiracy to take over B.C. and Canada’s environmental movement. Yes, folks, if it wasn’t for the “foreign radicals,” the Sierra Club, Coastal First Nations, Forest Ethics and Greenpeace wouldn’t be anything but paper tigers. At least that is what Mr. Fletcher implies in his column “Is natural gas the enviro-villain of 2013?” (Chilliwack Progress, Jan. 3).
He describes them as having “muscled their way to the table.” I wonder if it has ever occurred to Mr. Fletcher that in a true democracy they would not have had to “muscle” in to be heard. As to the sources of their funding, what difference does it make who foots the bill as long as there is a legitimate reason for the bill to be footed?
These organizations, and tens of thousands of citizens of British Columbia are dead set against the pipelines, the tanker traffic and the only way anyone in authority will pay any attention is to raise a ruckus. Being part of big business, the mainstream media only reports the disruptions of these meetings, never the meat of the subject. Enbridge has their ads running on TV showing the birds singing, the sun shining, and flat calm surrounding the tanker and tugs. The “Idle No More” movement has spread worldwide but has only recently made its way on to the evening news, and then only if it has caused a disruption somewhere.
Conspiracy? Yes, I would call it a conspiracy. It is a conspiracy of big business, big oil, big media and big government to paint this backlash as a bunch of troublemakers, funding by the aforementioned “foreign radicals.” Somebody has to step up to the plate and try to stop these things from happening. Are we to sacrifice our rivers and streams, our untouched wilderness, our pristine coastline so that some fat cats in Houston, Calgary or Beijing can give their stockholders a good year?
Remember the mantra of big business, folks; “Our first responsibility is to our stock holders.” If those words don’t scare you I’m wasting my time. There has to come a time when the common good is more important than the profit and loss statement of some oil company. The myth of all the supposed jobs this is supposed to create should be exposed, finally.
One more thing, Mr. Fletcher. The technique of fracking is indeed decades old. Just because it has been done for years doesn’t make it right. I think I know whereof I speak, having spent over 15 years in the offshore oil field. I know about big oil. I’ve seen them in action. I don’t want them tramping all over the interior of this province and I sure don’t want them moving 300 to 400 supertankers up and down our coast. As an example of their attitude to the public good, think of the Ocean Ranger, the Exxon Valdez, the Alexander Kierland, and on and on and on. The recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is a classic example of the attitude of the oil companies. Do you want these guys building anything through the untouched wilderness of B.C.? I think not.
This is not a conspiracy, Mr. Fletcher, this is fighting back anyway we can.
Jerry Riches,
Chilliwack