×

Columnist gets it wrong

Regarding Rich Lowry’s Sept. 26 column. When 350,000 are in New York alone telling this country’s leaders to reduce fossil fuels, the Rockefeller foundation divesting all its billions out of fossil fuel, and every industrialized nation of the world not only accepting global warming, but acting to reduce fossil fuels, Mr. Lowry is wrong.

Yes, even China is far ahead of the U.S. in its reduction per capita of fossil fuel use and move toward alternatives. Castigating China for behaviors we are accustomed to every day such as the SOA in Fort Benning, Ga., that trains Central American soldiers to torture, maim, and murder innocent women, children, and citizens trying to establish self-rule and true democracy, occupation of 136 countries protecting corporate interests, and living with the fact that one out of every four prisoners in the world are in the land of the free, is the pot calling the kettle black.

“Big Coal,” by Jeff Goodell, spells out with facts the corporate hegemony existing in this country with unconscionable CEOs increasing their bottom lines with no regard whatsoever for ethical and moral behavior, not to mention any concern at all for their own grandchildren and those yet to be born.

Clean water is not only a problem in Third World countries. How many folks in this country’s coal, gas, and/or oil sectors drink water from a spigot? When up to 8 million gallons of water is used to frack one gas well, thus polluting every drop, how long will it be before the U.S. has a Third World water problem?

Mr. Lowry blames activists for not standing up for medicines to fight and cure diseases while corporate American is not making enough AIDS medications simply because it’s not profitable.

“Industrial development” is not the answer to a progressive rise in poor countries’ “welfare.” The biggest inconvenience in BC, Canada’s First Nation’s land were there exist 85 percent unemployment is that when they bend down to drink from the streams and rivers they have to push the salmon aside. These wise folks kicked a pipeline corporation out of their territory when approached to provide jobs that threaten this inconvenience.

I’ll end this with a quote from Malcom X. “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

Ron Teska

Belleville

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today