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.
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.
