Whoever writes the editorials for the TandT wrote a sort of respectable one yesterday. It was really propaganda for SWN; and it was written to stir up fear and hatred of shale gas progesters. But at least it wasn't the real down and dirty stuff that the editorials usually are. Today makes up for that lapse.
It repeats the SWN propaganda that it simply could not expose its employees to physical threats by protesters. (Never mind that such threats were never made.) And my goodness, the only protection that the SWN people would have is all the armed police in the province. Of course, the protesters could fight back, armed with their plastic Stop Shale Gas signs.
Never mind, too, that SWN is used to protesters all over the US and Canada. In any such case, it's the one with muscle on its side. This lying editorial is an attempt to stir up fears, lies and hatreds. It's written to support the propaganda and lies of SWN. That kind of lying and fear-mongering is exactly what creates violence - and the violence usually comes from the billionaires who can rely on the support of political hacks and the full resources of police and even military power.
Then he says the protesters are closing their eyes to the financial benefits of shale gas development. On the contrary, it's the editorial writer who has closed his eyes to the consequences of it - and who has routinely lied about it.
Incidentally, it is not likely that shale gas will bring prosperity to New Brunswick. Most of the money, by far, will go out of the province.
In a related case, BC has refused to allow a pipeline from the tar sands to cross it. The arguments against it are much the same as those against shale gas. How odd that the TandT didn't bother to report the BC story!
What's really going on here? The age of fossil fuels is coming to an end. Oil and gas moguls - and Harpers - are determined to sell as much of it as possible before the roof caves in. And if that poisons us and impoverishes us for generations to come, so be it. They'll rip what they can out of the province, and leave us to cope with the disasters. Not they're problem. They'll be busy ripping off somebody else in some other part of the world.
Big business lives for now. Its idea of future does not extend more than three months. And it has only one concern - making profits. It couldn't care less about what that does to people. That's why it's fatally dangerous to allow business to corrupt and to interfere with government.
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In a related story (on p. D1) there was a riot at a Canadian gold mine in Krygyzstan in which 85 people were injured. That's not unusuall. Canadian mining companies have a dreadful reputation all over the world for brutality, bad working conditions, confiscation of land, displacement of people, beatings, murder all over the world.
If the TandT is really concerned about violence, if might want to take a look at that as, for example, in Central America where pollution from Canadian mines runs wild, and where thousands have been killed by police and the army. Gee! How brave of the mining companies to put their executives at risk. Luckily, the armies and police have concentrated their beatings, killings and rapes on the lowly employees, not on the company bosses.
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The rest of editorial and op ed were okay - and Gwynne Dyer was excellent. Brent Mazerolle's column was a little lightweight - all about the naming of a school. But at least is was an opinion column, and not a doggie woggie story.
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Check out Isabelle Agnew's column on p. F3. She responds to pastor Richard Jackson's sermonette on last week's face page. She thought it was a good column - and I agree. But what's most interesting is that his column took a very practical approach to religion - and that is what got a response from Isabelle Agnew.
This wasn't a dozy column about how sweet Jesus is. It was about Christianity as a practical matter - the only such sermonette I have seen on that page. And it made contact. And it stimulated thinking. And it created interest. This is good stuff. But Miss Agnew tells the story a whole lot better than I do - so be sure to read her.
________________________________________________________________________________
A reminder about the gathering of the current events groups this Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Moncton library. All are welcome. One topic for this session is "The truth about Stephen Harper". I have always thought him an ideologue with fanatical political philosophy with the potential to destroy Canada. I may have been wrong.
I think now that he has no political ideology at all - just a fanatical desire to have power (with the potential to destroy Canada.)
It repeats the SWN propaganda that it simply could not expose its employees to physical threats by protesters. (Never mind that such threats were never made.) And my goodness, the only protection that the SWN people would have is all the armed police in the province. Of course, the protesters could fight back, armed with their plastic Stop Shale Gas signs.
Never mind, too, that SWN is used to protesters all over the US and Canada. In any such case, it's the one with muscle on its side. This lying editorial is an attempt to stir up fears, lies and hatreds. It's written to support the propaganda and lies of SWN. That kind of lying and fear-mongering is exactly what creates violence - and the violence usually comes from the billionaires who can rely on the support of political hacks and the full resources of police and even military power.
Then he says the protesters are closing their eyes to the financial benefits of shale gas development. On the contrary, it's the editorial writer who has closed his eyes to the consequences of it - and who has routinely lied about it.
Incidentally, it is not likely that shale gas will bring prosperity to New Brunswick. Most of the money, by far, will go out of the province.
In a related case, BC has refused to allow a pipeline from the tar sands to cross it. The arguments against it are much the same as those against shale gas. How odd that the TandT didn't bother to report the BC story!
What's really going on here? The age of fossil fuels is coming to an end. Oil and gas moguls - and Harpers - are determined to sell as much of it as possible before the roof caves in. And if that poisons us and impoverishes us for generations to come, so be it. They'll rip what they can out of the province, and leave us to cope with the disasters. Not they're problem. They'll be busy ripping off somebody else in some other part of the world.
Big business lives for now. Its idea of future does not extend more than three months. And it has only one concern - making profits. It couldn't care less about what that does to people. That's why it's fatally dangerous to allow business to corrupt and to interfere with government.
_________________________________________________________________________
In a related story (on p. D1) there was a riot at a Canadian gold mine in Krygyzstan in which 85 people were injured. That's not unusuall. Canadian mining companies have a dreadful reputation all over the world for brutality, bad working conditions, confiscation of land, displacement of people, beatings, murder all over the world.
If the TandT is really concerned about violence, if might want to take a look at that as, for example, in Central America where pollution from Canadian mines runs wild, and where thousands have been killed by police and the army. Gee! How brave of the mining companies to put their executives at risk. Luckily, the armies and police have concentrated their beatings, killings and rapes on the lowly employees, not on the company bosses.
_______________________________________________________________
The rest of editorial and op ed were okay - and Gwynne Dyer was excellent. Brent Mazerolle's column was a little lightweight - all about the naming of a school. But at least is was an opinion column, and not a doggie woggie story.
________________________________________________________________________
Check out Isabelle Agnew's column on p. F3. She responds to pastor Richard Jackson's sermonette on last week's face page. She thought it was a good column - and I agree. But what's most interesting is that his column took a very practical approach to religion - and that is what got a response from Isabelle Agnew.
This wasn't a dozy column about how sweet Jesus is. It was about Christianity as a practical matter - the only such sermonette I have seen on that page. And it made contact. And it stimulated thinking. And it created interest. This is good stuff. But Miss Agnew tells the story a whole lot better than I do - so be sure to read her.
________________________________________________________________________________
A reminder about the gathering of the current events groups this Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Moncton library. All are welcome. One topic for this session is "The truth about Stephen Harper". I have always thought him an ideologue with fanatical political philosophy with the potential to destroy Canada. I may have been wrong.
I think now that he has no political ideology at all - just a fanatical desire to have power (with the potential to destroy Canada.)
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