Chuck Pinkey is pinch-hitting this week for Tom Sears, who is working on a project. Sears' column will resume upon his return.
The environmental movement has polluted our country and the minds of our youth. Never has there been such an agenda with so little science, so much emotion and so little common sense. This movement is protected by zealots. Speak against environmentalists and you are demonized.
"You want people to breathe unclean air, drink dirty water and die!" they say. No, I do not. I just don't agree with Chicken Little, who says "The sky is falling!"
This sacred cow is cloaked with great packaging. Swamps are called "wetlands" and overpriced bland foods are labeled "organic." Certain cars that are too expensive, too small to hold Delaware County rednecks and have the acceleration of a dump truck are called "hybrids."
We hear words like "recycle," but no thought is given to the possibility that it may cost more than new! And, one of my all-time favorites is "infinitely renewable resources." Apparently, this doesn't apply to timber, game animals and fish.
Ever watch "Whale Wars"? Here are a bunch of environmentalists endangering Japanese whalers -- and their own lives -- trying to save whales from harvest. Would these same loving, tender, peaceful, eco-friendly heroes ever consider "Baby Wars"? Almost a million human babies are crushed to death in the womb each year, but do they care? Nope, they are in the Antarctic saving whales!
There is so much more! Just sit back, relax and enjoy memory lane. In the late 1960s, we were heading into an ice age. Wars would be fought over the remaining food supplies and only musk oxen would survive! Remember Freon? It was destroying the ozone layer and we were all going to get skin cancer or be radiated to death.
Recall about six years ago, William Shatner (AKA Captain Kirk) stating that our oceans have maybe six years left, which means, any minute now.
Another classic is the "off-limits" oil field in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. You will be happy to know that while we are paying through the nose for gas and fuel oil, the caribou are not inconvenienced on the frozen tundra.
On the "top 10 list" are four relative newcomers! First, the visual and noise pollution from windmills. Sorry, I mean "industrial wind turbines" (more great packaging). Then consider the frenzy surrounding gas drilling. New York state is broke, farmers are hurting, and gas drilling has a great safety record, but what do we hear? "Is it safe?" and "no drill, no spill."
It never ends. Nothing is ever good enough for the environmentalists. Next, we have new Earth-friendly light bulbs and your moronic "carbon footprint." If you believe this, let me sell you a solar-powered manure spreader. You will need it.
A little fanfare, please. This one is great! The granddaddy of them all is "global warming"! We are all going to die an agonizing death. This is good stuff! The Earth will turn into a cinder and our beloved whales will boil like lobsters! How can anyone possibly oppose Al Gore and his cronies, who after all, are only trying to save our lives (and the whales, too).
Of course, this concern for the survival of our grandchildren does not extend to the economic survival of our grandchildren. Most of these people are the same progressive liberals who have spent this nation into unsustainable debt and eventual destruction. Oh! Remember the farmer in New England who stated, "We all know cows are a major cause of global warming." This hammerhead changed their diet to minimize belching and bovine flatulence. I prefer the term "dairy air" (my great packaging).
A while ago, I was in a local market and the young lady asked me if I wanted plastic or paper. I responded, "Which is worse for the environment?" She said plastic and I asked why. She explained that sea turtles will see plastic floating in the water and mistake it for food. They will swallow it and choke to death. The young lady looked at me like I was a serial killer when I said, "Give me plastic. I've never liked sea turtles."
In 2002, we were at Sequoia National Park, looking in amazement at the giant redwoods. Noticing that they were fenced off, we asked a ranger why. She stated that the root system is very fragile and the compaction from the tourists could damage the trees. I said, "Miss, you have got to be kidding! These trees are over 1,000 years old. They have withstood elk, torrential rains, forest fires, untold tons of snow, and now you're telling me that the compaction from these 14-year-old Girl Scouts is going to kill them!"
In truth, the movement is about control. Regulating people's behavior. Dictating their wants and needs. You are too stupid to know what is good for you. It is about anti-capitalism. You know, the fashionable, socialistic, "redistribute the wealth" crowd, who blame America first, disdain our free-enterprise system, and want to impose their definition of fairness and righteousness upon us all.
Chuck Pinkey is the owner of River Valley New Holland Inc. in Otego. He can be reached at chuck.rvnewholland@gmail.com.
Columns
Environmental movement is polluting minds
- Big Chuck D'Imperio
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My pal Brucie, savior of Sidney's hospital
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We've become our own worst enemies
The past month has been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
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We've become our own worst enemies
- Chuck Pinkey
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Records seizure is an insult to free press
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Records seizure is an insult to free press
- Lisa Miller
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A view from above
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- Mark Simonson
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General Clinton Canoe Regatta got a new home in 1972
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- Rick Brockway
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Kids have sparkle in their eyes
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Kids have sparkle in their eyes
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
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- Republicans feelentitled to allthey can garner An entitlement is a legal benefit available from the government to individuals who are within a defined category of recipients, such as needing insurance for unemployment or health services.
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Romney focuses on self; Obama emphasizes unity
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Romney shows little regard for common man
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Scouts' gay ban creates problem where none exists
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
