Sunday, February 17, 2013

Mining Forces Barking Up Wrong Tree

I've heard of hugging trees, but this is the first time I've seen someone chatting with one. 

Amazingly, the tree speaks English, knows current events, is short on manners and doesn't understand mining interests are about to rename him Stumpy McOverburden.

Thanks to the Journal Sentinel for posting this.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great video, I love it.

Anonymous said...

I am wondering why we have no effect in changing the minds of legislators in spite of all your good efforts. I am quite certain at this time that there are more than enough votes in the senate to pass the mining bill, and I find this very disturbing. Whatever it is that we are doing, it is not working. I think we have to take a good hard look at what we are doing and admit that it is not working and we need to do something completely different. I have made many posts on anti mining sites and pro mining sites and have knocked myself out pleading with people and researching facts and I now feel that I have totally wasted my time and energy and made enemies over nothing. What can I really do that will actually make a difference? It certainly is not what I have been doing.

James Rowen said...

These issues take time, and will twist and turn. Things change. Do not give up.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 6:37, I have Republican relatives and they don't like the mining bill either. It is the legislators, not the people.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the anti mining people are losing because rational people have examined their arguments and have concluded that they are groundless. No one is talking about destroying the environment or committing genocide except for the radical fear mongers. The pro mining people point out that the mine will be environmentally safe and they back their statements up with facts such as pointing to the bill which requires the mining permits to be denied if lakes and streams are to be destroyed. There is not one pro mining person who is saying that the quality of the environment must be destroyed in order to create jobs. They are all on board with protecting the environment and maintaining real environmental standards.

Dennis Grzezinski said...

While the bill's sponsors say the bill does not allow destruction to the environment, anyone who has actually read the 200+ page bill knows that is false. In each and every case where standards are set for protecting the environment at and near an iron mining site (except for Great Lakes Compact prohibitions on water withdrawals out of the Great Lakes basin),SB1/AB1 requires the DNR to exempt a mining company from the requirements as long as the company agrees to "mitigate" the damage -- which can be done by spending money to improve a resource elsewhere in the state, or even just putting in a pier or trail or road to provide access to a lake or river, to make up for destroying a lake, river, spring, stream, or wetland at the mine site. Look at the part that absolutely strips DNR of any power to deny or impose conditions on groundwater withdrawals requested by a mining company, even if needed to prevent drying up residential or municipal water supply wells. See section 295.61(5), pages 163-164. In addition, just in case the drafters failed to provide an exemption for any individual requirement, there is a "universal exemption" provision at pages 125-126 that allows a company to ask for an exemption from any of the environmental provisions in the bill, requires DNR to decide on the request in 15 days, and requires DNR to grant the request as long as the company will mitigate the environmental damage -- stripping away any protection from the local environment in return to do something nice somewhere else. Anonymous should read the bill rather than accepting legislators' words --they are worse than used car salesmen. And if people can't take the time to read the bill, even reading the Legislative Council summaries of the bill and its amendments will demonstrate that it does reduce environmental protections and increases exemptions.

Anonymous said...

"
Perhaps the anti mining people are losing because rational people have examined their arguments and have concluded that they are groundless"

Rational people don't talk about using caulk to prevent acid mine drainage.

Anonymous said...

We are losing but we are right. The mining bill is almost certain to pass and we must try to stop this at all costs. We need a total blitz against mining proponents. Where ever you see a pro mining post, challenge it! Do not get bogged down in arguing or debating facts, just hammer them by repeating over and over again that they are wrong, their opinions have been shown to be wrong, and that credible scientists are in agreement that the mine will harm the environment. These mining people are mindless robots, and being mindless robots they can be re programmed by constant repetition. Repeat our position over and over; never acknowledge theirs, this is a fatal mistake. Never, never, never even suggest that there is any rational viewpoint other than mining will destroy the environment and the lives of people


Boxer said...

That is the ugliest gol' durn tree--looks just like Yosemite Sam. But even uglier is stupid Shirl LaBarre having a conversation with it and pretending it's a two-way conversation. Guess that can happen in LaBizarre world.
Shirl obviously doesn't get it that the concern is not so much about trees as it is about water quality, water quantity and watersheds.
She doesn't get it that a real tree with a fake mustache cannot give permission to fill wetlands with waste rock, pollute the groundwater and headwaters, and rip a gash in the earth 22 miles long, 1 -2 miles wide and 1000 feet deep.
I wouldn't let her pump my septic system if she were standing in it, face to baffle while I flushed my toilet. Well, OK, maybe then I might.