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The use of coal as an energy source is a mixed bag on several fronts, but I have a real problem with tactics that involve trespassing and disregard for private property.
Meh, let 'em stay. They'll come down eventually. Especially when it gets cold/snowy/icy.
I don't have a problem with their message but I don't hear anyone coming up with an alternative (cost effective) solution. I don't like what they do either, I don't condone raping of the mountains, but what other alternatives do we have? I know there are other options out there and no one seems to want to listen to the other side .... Progress nor the enviro activists ... it's just like everything else these days ... "I'm right, and if you don't agree with me then the heck with you!"
As for people living near the plant. Why did you buy a house so near a power plant???? ... I was always taught that if you don't like the stink of pig poop then don't buy/build a house near a pig farm ...... just sayin'
The use of coal as an energy source is a mixed bag on several fronts, but I have a real problem with tactics that involve trespassing and disregard for private property.
I think the word "invades" is a bit Orwellian, don't you? It's not like a mob of armed soldiers has stormed the barricades or anything.
What is more troubling to me is the blatant disregard for the environment and for human health exhibited by these coal companies, whose solitary goal is to make profit, whatever the costs to those who live in the community and to the health of the environment.
I personally take the security of our energy infrastructure very seriously... I don't care if it's under the guise of a protest - even if there appears to be justification for that protest. We're not talking about a whaling boat here.
I personally take the security of our energy infrastructure very seriously... I don't care if it's under the guise of a protest - even if there appears to be justification for that protest. We're not talking about a whaling boat here.
Ok, but how does unfurling a big banner threaten your energy infrastructure?
That's my whole point - you're arguing semantics of unauthorized people trespassing in an energy plant.
This is not OK in my book.
I think unfurling a banner at the energy plant pales in comparison to the destruction of the environment, the destruction of the health of entire communities, and the systematic pillaging of the land for short-term profit while ignoring the devastating long-term consequences. So to me, complaining about a few protesters trespassing on private property and unfurling a banner is like complaining about a hangnail as you enter the operating room to have open heart surgery.
The *real* criminals are the coal companies, who have privatized their profit while leaving the public to clean up after them and pay the costs. It's just not right.
I think unfurling a banner at the energy plant pales in comparison to the destruction of the environment, the destruction of the health of entire communities, and the systematic pillaging of the land for short-term profit while ignoring the devastating long-term consequences. So to me, complaining about a few protesters trespassing on private property and unfurling a banner is like complaining about a hangnail as you enter the operating room to have open heart surgery.
The *real* criminals are the coal companies, who have privatized their profit while leaving the public to clean up after them and pay the costs. It's just not right.
You're missing my point completely. Unauthorized and trespassing are not grey terms by which you can apply subjective details to justify them.
You're either an unauthorized person in a secure area or you're not. I don't care if you're hanging a banner, spray painting, or planting a bomb. There is no justification to be there.
You're missing my point completely. Unauthorized and trespassing are not grey terms by which you can apply subjective details to justify them.
You're either an unauthorized person in a secure area or you're not. I don't care if you're hanging a banner, spray painting, or planting a bomb. There is no justification to be there.
I understand your point, and I disagree. Your position is a black and white one, and mine is grey. We're not debating whether or not it's *legal*. Of course it's illegal.
But whether something is *legal* or whether it is *justified* are two different matters. Sometimes breaking the law *is* justified, and I can think of countless examples. If my child is dying and I'm rushing her to the hospital, running the red light is illegal, but I could give a flip, as saving my daughter's life is the higher priority.
Similarly, one could argue that protesting the massive injustices and destruction performed by the coal companies is more important than the petty crime of illegal trespassing. Again, it's like worrying about a hangnail when you're in the midst of having a heart attack.
Indeed, if you're suggesting breaking the law is *never* justified, then I would suggest that this nation of ours would have never been spawned in the first place, lest you would consider the boston tea party protesters "terrorists" instead of "patriots".
"One may well ask: How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others? The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." -- MLK Jr.
I think the word "invades" is a bit Orwellian, don't you? It's not like a mob of armed soldiers has stormed the barricades or anything.
I did not use the term "invade" lightly, but I hardly think of it as Orwellian.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has as one of its definitions: 2: to encroach upon : infringe
It also has "See Synonym Discussion at trespass"
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