Feb 21, 2022·edited Feb 21, 2022Liked by Bob Dolgan
The 60s were also a time when ordinary people, through collective action, believed they could influence public policy for the good of society and the planet. Some of us remember those days as a time when almost anything seemed possible. But as with all social movements--civil rights, feminism, environmentalism, democracy itself--there is always backlash from the powerful and moneyed status quo. These battles must be fought over and over and over again. Unfortunately, it's possible that at some point we will have lost too many natural areas and our fate as a species will be sealed. THAT is why people still march with banners and disrupt meetings. The protesters were polite and civilized compared to the machinery that will lay waste to the defenseless animals and plants in Bell Bowl Prairie.
Bob, your story shows how industry and politics, when left hidden from the public eye, do as they please regardless the consequences to these dwindling natural habitats. The threat could be minimized by rerouting the road connecting their warehouses around this modest plot of land. The cost relative to their profits would be infinitesimal. Not one job would be lost. They could demonstrate how they can make loads of money and still respect nature’s minimal needs to survive. But apparently they just don’t care about endangered species and the vanishing lands that are forever lost due to negligence of people like Mike Dunn and our political representation who we expect more of. Please keep up the fight. Simple compromises could avoid this permanent and careless action on their part.
The 60s were also a time when ordinary people, through collective action, believed they could influence public policy for the good of society and the planet. Some of us remember those days as a time when almost anything seemed possible. But as with all social movements--civil rights, feminism, environmentalism, democracy itself--there is always backlash from the powerful and moneyed status quo. These battles must be fought over and over and over again. Unfortunately, it's possible that at some point we will have lost too many natural areas and our fate as a species will be sealed. THAT is why people still march with banners and disrupt meetings. The protesters were polite and civilized compared to the machinery that will lay waste to the defenseless animals and plants in Bell Bowl Prairie.
Bob, your story shows how industry and politics, when left hidden from the public eye, do as they please regardless the consequences to these dwindling natural habitats. The threat could be minimized by rerouting the road connecting their warehouses around this modest plot of land. The cost relative to their profits would be infinitesimal. Not one job would be lost. They could demonstrate how they can make loads of money and still respect nature’s minimal needs to survive. But apparently they just don’t care about endangered species and the vanishing lands that are forever lost due to negligence of people like Mike Dunn and our political representation who we expect more of. Please keep up the fight. Simple compromises could avoid this permanent and careless action on their part.