While citizens in Nebraska and all over the USA watched and waited for the decision of Nebraskan Governor Heinman regarding his decision to allow or prevent the TransCanada Keystone XL oil pipeline into ‘his’ state, I cringed, as that mentality is damaging and part of the colonial construct. The Ogallala Aquifer does not acknowledge the Governor. Nor does it acknowledge Secretary of State John Kerry, nor President Obama. I also cringed because another chamber of the heart of the matter is where the tar sands oil comes from in the first place, and what that mining is doing to the Boreal Forest, the Athabascan River watershed, and the Red Nations People and all of life in that area.
The dirty tar sands oil is coming from the tar sands oil mine which has wreaked havoc on the lands and waters and all of life there, only to feed the insatiable monster of greed of the fossil fuel industry and the discussion must include the need to get off the fossil fuel train wreck that is ruining the earth to line the pockets of a few, and the discussion must include the realization that the time is now for all mankind to re-evaluate their true needs and wants and decide if they want this pipeline.
There comes a time when it boils down to personal responsibility. We either look at the whole big picture to see the truth or we continue to live in the many levels of denial for what the industry is doing with our support as inactive human beings. People need to take courage and take that stand that this fossil fuel industry and the tar sands oil mine is wrong and work to shut it down before it is too late. Letting that pipeline in is not only contributing to the continuation of the tar sands oil mine, destruction of sacred water and all of life, it is actually supporting the continuation of the tar sands oil mine while it risks our sacred water here because it WILL leak and spill and when it does, it cannot be cleaned up, the technology does not exist.
We have to be brave and strong and take action to stop that pipeline and shut down the tar sands oil mine. People need to see the bigger picture and realize the kind of government they have that sets up the situation so they have to choose a job over stopping the biggest threat to the Ogallala Aquifer and all our
surface water as well. Who will take a stand to defend sacred water? The sacred water must be preserved for our coming generations. IT IS THEIR WATER.
I hope everyone in Washington DC tomorrow yells out 4 times “SHUT DOWN THE TAR SANDS” in a combined voice of 30,000. That would make this Grandmother very, very happy. And the Universe may be listening.
Hecetuwe.