5/02/2010

Question for Sarah Palin: How's that Oily Drilly Thing Workin' For Ya Now?

A few months ago, Sarah Palin  posed a question to the people who didn't support her views on anything, by asking, "So how's that hopey changey thing workin' fer ya now?" She supports  many things that many Canadians don't.  While recognizing that our southern neighbours have substantially more investment  and say in all things global,  I still think it's okay to say, "It's now right back atcha, Sarah," and I just have to ask,  "How's your oily, drilly thing workin' fer ya now, honey?"
                                             Since the explosion of the British Petroleum oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off the shoreline of Louisiana, I have had trouble sleeping. I hear about  all of the plausible scenarios that may, and probably will, take place; I see pictures of dead sea turtles - with headlines over their bodies like, " Scientists explore if there's a link between the number of washed up sea turtles and the recent oil rig explosion." One has to wonder if these are scientists who may, or may not, be smarter than a  fifth grader.    I was raised with a few basic assumptions in life. The sun rises. The sun sets. The seasons come. The seasons go. The tide comes in. The tide goes out. Humans share the earth will all kinds of species...we are just one of many. Because we have opposable thumbs that can do tricks, we think we're the winners of the Who's on Top game called Life As We Know It.
The operative word here is "think". And for several decades now, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of that going on, unless of course the motivation is money, driven by greed, and consumed by power.              
Well - here's the thing. I think that it's time to stop drilling for oil in environmentally sensitive areas. I think that it's time to rethink the North American obsession with the car.  We can no longer afford Henry Ford's dream - which has become the cause of our current nightmare. I think that for every dollar spent on cleaning up this devastating mess, there should be a dollar spent on research and development of sustainable energy, sustainable development,  sustainable governance models.         
I never thought as a teenager, young adult,  or parent about any of the above - I trusted that common sense would prevail, and that all would be all right. Well, sucks to be me, because all is not all right!  I trusted, and I assumed that the duly elected representatives would make sure that all was right with the world. Hah!
Well, as the saying goes, "Fool  me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." And it won't be right with the world until you, you, and you decide that this current environmental disaster (and many others around this little green planet, third from the sun) is OUR  collective problem.           
I think that haranguing politicians and their ilk is not the answer. Although, letting them know what you think is definitely something that needs to be done. Ask questions, and show them what you think of their answers.  That's also called voting.
There are also literally hundreds of clubs, groups, organizations  - Green Peace, Sierra Club, Nature Canada, World Wildlife Fund, Audubon Society to name just a few who do great work...you choose who best speaks for you. Support them however you can. Just do it.
Get off the couch of complacency, and tell the world what you think.
I never thought that I would. But I just did.

9 comments:

Susan Ellis said...

Thanks Jenn...

Dave said...

And boycott BP too!
You know, the American taxpayers will get stuck with this bill just like the one from the Exxon-Valdez mess...morons, all of them.
Great post Susan.

Katie (Nature ID) said...

Go, Susan! It's been horrifying listening to the oil mess and their "solutions" or lack thereof.

kirstallcreatures said...

This is my first visit to your blog and a great introduction. Couldn't agree more, wonderful post, well said, Linda

FAB said...

Spoken with feeling Susan. Great post. Cheers FAB.

Wolynski said...

Sarah Palin is not in charge (and, no, the hopey changey thing ain't working out).

Obama is in charge and just over a month ago he authorized more off shore drilling - something even Bush couldn't do. Not much point in bashing Palin when Obama is so much worse.

I use public transport and am looked upon with pity. Americans LOVE their cars. I know a few people that could easily take the bus, but no...

Can't be blaming politicians when there's so much people could do, but won't.

robin andrea said...

I'm so glad to read this, susan. It's a rant right from my own heart as well. I find it unbearable to look at the photos of washed up sea turtles. I am very pessimistic both about being able to thwart this disaster and for our species to wise up. The exploitation of resources makes our lives what they are, and the handful of people who enrich themselves through our addictions like us just the way we are. When I watch TV, I learn more about who we are by watching the commercials than by watching the news. The time to change has long passed, and the damage has been done.

Did you ever read Alan Weisman's book The World Without Us. It's a very interesting read on how long it would take the planet to heal once the humans have disappeared.

Lori Skoog said...

Susan...how refreshing, to read a post from someone who is not afraid to have an opinion about today's state of affairs. We have the ability to exist without all that oil but the money bags don't want to give up their wealth. Oil is at the root of so many problems at the international level...not just here.
And our environment has been forced to absorb all this abuse along with the innocent creatures who live in it. For what? Dollars, bottom line. Our priorities are screwed up.

And Sarah Palin...I wish I had the guts to put what I really think in print...it would not be pretty. Ya know?

Your photographs are beautiful.

A human kind of human said...

No need for me to get off the couch of complacency, and tell the world what I think... you have told the world already. I think very much the same as you think. People think they need not have or show respect for nature and then when things go wrong, they wonder why?