After two visits to Standing Rock to learn about their efforts to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline, the first when the clergy were there and the second when the veterans came, and after attending two informational meetings in Bemidji and one at the Hubbard Community Center on the proposed abandonment and reroute of Enbridge's Line 3, I decided it was time to voice my opinion.
I am a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. My family lives in Park Rapids. The proposed reroute of Line 3 borders Park Rapids on both the west and south. The water table in this area is already at risk through the agricultural practices of industrial farming.
"Water is life" is more than a catch phrase. We are made of 50-65 percent water. What happens to the water happens to each and every one of us. We all need clean water to live. If you don't believe that statement, go to Flint, Michigan and try drinking their water or even bathing in it. Speaking as a great-grandmother concerned about the world I will be leaving behind, we need to stop right now! We need to take a look at what is happening to the earth and the waters.
We need to take a look at how we're living our lives. We can no longer be silent in privileged, complacent comfort.
If we don't protect our natural resources and the environment, it's not going to matter who you voted for, or what political party you belong to, or what church you attend. It's not going to matter how much money you make or the color of your skin.
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Water is life. Fighting for clean water is a fight for our lives. We need to educate ourselves. We need to explore sustainable ways of living on this planet. We need to protect more and consume less.
We are home to cleanest water in our country. Why would we want to compromise that by allowing a foreign oil company move tar sands oil (of which if there is a spill, they don't even have the technology to clean it up) to Superior so they can load it on ships to export to other countries?
But don't take my word for it. I invite you to educate yourselves. A perfect place to start could be attending the upcoming Pipeline Primer Movie Night at the Hubbard Community Center on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. Or go to www.honorearth.org . Or follow on Facebook Winona LaDuke Honor the Earth or Friends of the Headwaters.
