The demographics of the area surrounding Seneca Lake in upstate NY is interesting. Watkins Glen and Schuyler County, where salt caverns are at the center of the controversy of LP and Methane gas storage, is certainly a politically conservative area. That doesn't mean there aren't people of a more liberal persuasion but the general description would certainly be conservative. The eastern neighbor of Schuyler County is Tompkins County which includes Ithaca College and Cornell University in the city of Ithaca. A typical conversation among conservatives in Schuyler about their neighbors to the east will reference the 'People's Republic of Ithaca' followed by either a chuckle or a look of disgust.
Don't get me wrong, the folks in Schuyler County are good people who care about each other and their community. There just seems to be a mentality, like so many other communities, that is protective of belief systems, a way of life and an established political hierarchy. As we've all learned over the years, it's in our nature to be tribal relative to food, beliefs and values. Much of this occurs over years and years of living together.
Demographics do change, however and people as well as institutions change too. The economy sometimes forces change. Many times people do not go along with the change automatically. They are often pulled and dragged screaming along the way. Of course there are those instances where people and whole communities refuse to change and there we see the sad results of denying the inevitable.
I've witnessed a great deal of change over the years in the Schuyler County community. People put their shoulders to the wheel and really put tremendous effort into the development of the area as a top rate tourist attraction, building on the development and success of the Finger Lakes wine industry. Hotels, lakefront development, entertainment and art venues, food and wine pairings have all been part of the effort and it's been successful. People are looking at retirement options in the area.
It's with this backdrop that the current fight is taking place relative to the use of salt caverns to store LP and Methane gas to be shipped by rail, trucks and pipe lines wherever the market for the gas takes it - upstate NY, the northeast corridor or overseas. Corporations basically bribe communities with promises of jobs and taxes while at the same time negotiating tax breaks to bring new or sustain existing jobs.
Here's where it also gets odd in terms of partnerships and contradictions. It's interesting to watch those very conservative politicians who run against big government, agency control, mandate relief and paternalistic regulations tell people opposed to the project that they (the politicians) are depending on - guess who? The answer of course is, the big government and its agencies who over regulate, create mandates and in general make a pain of themselves. Suddenly, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and others have become the experts that everyone should listen to. These are the folks who have all the answers, lets just let them do their jobs. Now isn't that a bit odd? We'll see what happens if a decision is made by one of these agencies to halt the project.
And then of course there is the outright anger about all of those outsiders who want to change everything. You know, the old hippies who live in Ithaca, Syracuse, Elmira, Rochester, Geneva. Yes, all the folks that were marketed to about coming to visit Wine Country and stay awhile - but not for too long mind you. God forbid that one or two of them like the area so much that they decide to invest some money and open a business here. That's one of the great risks of marketing your community. People come, they like it, they stay, they invest and they don't think like you.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Thursday, November 26, 2015
The Fight Over LP Gas Storage At Seneca Lake Location Getting Nastier
The polarization over gas storage in old salt caverns around and under Seneca Lake here in upstate NY continues and seems to be getting worse as both sides dig in and try to make their position heard by people in decision making positions. That's ok to a point. It's what free speech and political processes are all about. But 'to a point' is the issue here.
Facts, or 'my facts vs your facts' seem to have taken over in the latest conversations. Some of this may be the result of a recent election in the Town of Reading where a number of folks opposed to the project ran and lost against incumbents and people in support of the project. The campaign allowed lots of people to voice opinions in letters to the editor that liked to take swipes at people vs issues. In that process the facts flew from both sides based on their position. All of that has continued after the election.
And then there's the national conversation and attitudes that are going on in the Presidential campaign and in protests in the street over police conduct, racism on college campuses, immigration, refugees and terrorism. Everything is beginning to collide and what seems to be a vacuum in leadership is allowing values to be redefined and hatred to become acceptable. An environment like this is not conducive to conversation and debate. It is becoming acceptable for people protesting to be thrown out of political rallies while being kicked and punched on the way to the exit. It has become acceptable for people to mock people with disabilities during campaign speeches. We are actually having conversations about registering people of specific religions and keeping people of certain ethnic backgrounds out of our country. Within the past few weeks, hundreds of people were shot in Paris. This past week a number of protesters in this country were shot during a demonstration of Black Lives Matter.
I lay all of this out because it really gives a sense of how badly we seem to be doing in terms of civil dialogue and civility in general. It also brings me back to the conversation about Seneca Lake. Facts and misinformation seem to be thrown around interchangeably. They sometimes become entwined and confused and hard to follow. Both sides are easily angered and frustrated. The process of approving or disapproving the project by public officials seems to be taking a very long time. I've concluded myself, quite some time ago, that this project is not in the best interest of Seneca Lake or the many thousands of people living around her or the many others who enjoy her beauty and recreational bounty.
This weekend, people opposed to the gas storage project, have been invited to march through the streets of Watkins Glen on Sunday, Nov. 29th, in solidarity with international Climate Marches throughout the world. I was extremely disappointed to see that an elected Schuyler County official, a county Legislator and former Undersheriff, posted a pretty awful comment on the march sponsor's Facebook page. After the announcement inviting people to join the march, he posted a comment that people should remember that Saturday was the beginning of deer hunting season. To make matters worse, another elected official, a NYS Assemblyman, has suggested that this fellow should get an award for 'poking fun' at these people. That's where we seem to be at this point. People talking about guns and protests and attempts at intimidation and excusing it as humor. It was a stupid and irresponsible comment by one official, followed by another.
It's an example of how nasty the conversation has gotten recently. It can happen on both sides of any issue and I would encourage everyone to tone it down. There are people who may take words like this too seriously. Try to be respectful of the opposition and don't encourage or let hate speech take over. In the meantime, my plan is to show up and join many others in the march through Watkins Glen. People will be wearing orange to signify both safety and the emergency that confronts Seneca Lake.
Facts, or 'my facts vs your facts' seem to have taken over in the latest conversations. Some of this may be the result of a recent election in the Town of Reading where a number of folks opposed to the project ran and lost against incumbents and people in support of the project. The campaign allowed lots of people to voice opinions in letters to the editor that liked to take swipes at people vs issues. In that process the facts flew from both sides based on their position. All of that has continued after the election.
And then there's the national conversation and attitudes that are going on in the Presidential campaign and in protests in the street over police conduct, racism on college campuses, immigration, refugees and terrorism. Everything is beginning to collide and what seems to be a vacuum in leadership is allowing values to be redefined and hatred to become acceptable. An environment like this is not conducive to conversation and debate. It is becoming acceptable for people protesting to be thrown out of political rallies while being kicked and punched on the way to the exit. It has become acceptable for people to mock people with disabilities during campaign speeches. We are actually having conversations about registering people of specific religions and keeping people of certain ethnic backgrounds out of our country. Within the past few weeks, hundreds of people were shot in Paris. This past week a number of protesters in this country were shot during a demonstration of Black Lives Matter.
I lay all of this out because it really gives a sense of how badly we seem to be doing in terms of civil dialogue and civility in general. It also brings me back to the conversation about Seneca Lake. Facts and misinformation seem to be thrown around interchangeably. They sometimes become entwined and confused and hard to follow. Both sides are easily angered and frustrated. The process of approving or disapproving the project by public officials seems to be taking a very long time. I've concluded myself, quite some time ago, that this project is not in the best interest of Seneca Lake or the many thousands of people living around her or the many others who enjoy her beauty and recreational bounty.
This weekend, people opposed to the gas storage project, have been invited to march through the streets of Watkins Glen on Sunday, Nov. 29th, in solidarity with international Climate Marches throughout the world. I was extremely disappointed to see that an elected Schuyler County official, a county Legislator and former Undersheriff, posted a pretty awful comment on the march sponsor's Facebook page. After the announcement inviting people to join the march, he posted a comment that people should remember that Saturday was the beginning of deer hunting season. To make matters worse, another elected official, a NYS Assemblyman, has suggested that this fellow should get an award for 'poking fun' at these people. That's where we seem to be at this point. People talking about guns and protests and attempts at intimidation and excusing it as humor. It was a stupid and irresponsible comment by one official, followed by another.
It's an example of how nasty the conversation has gotten recently. It can happen on both sides of any issue and I would encourage everyone to tone it down. There are people who may take words like this too seriously. Try to be respectful of the opposition and don't encourage or let hate speech take over. In the meantime, my plan is to show up and join many others in the march through Watkins Glen. People will be wearing orange to signify both safety and the emergency that confronts Seneca Lake.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Being Numb About Paris Shouldn't Be Excuse For Stupidity
The tragedy of violence in Paris does have a numbing effect, as did 9/11 in NYC. We're always shocked about the death and suffering of innocents and heroes. But this statement comes with some realities and contradictions. One of the realities is that others are suffering and being killed every day throughout the world. Bombings from suicide vests, missiles, planes and drones are a way of life and death in parts of the world. Sides don't really matter. Death has no allegiance. Death doesn't care about sides or political positions.
Death and injuries do instill fear however and sometimes fear impacts how we think or what we believe. This is not only the point of terrorism, it's the point of violence in general. So now, Europe and America struggle with policies and political reactions. Values that are centuries old are suddenly questioned and there are reactionary responses to refugees and migrants. Values like opening arms and borders to the politically oppressed or those suffering from the brutality of war or the poor and hungry go quickly by the wayside. People, politicians especially, speaking before thinking or checking the facts, stoking fear and in many cases hatred. The reality is that currently Syrian refugees are going through an 18-24 month vetting process while some make arguments about the outrage of their entry across America's borders. None of the same politicians are talking about the thousands of tourists and businesspeople who fly and sail to America every day or the Visa program that allows many across borders. Classes of people continue to matter.
There is the other very harsh reality. We have been engaged in war for 14 years and all the things we've tried have not worked - soldiers on the ground, drones in the sky, etc. Yet now, we somehow think that more of the same will solve the problems we've seen and that we have. There are so many experts and critics pointing out failed policies but not providing useful solutions. No one seems to be looking at or caring about where the violence is coming from or why it exists. Instead we follow the same course or call for more military action that in the end creates and fosters more radical responses from some in the Mideast.
The numbness from violent attacks on people makes us crazy and sometimes stupid. We all have to fight that instinct. We have to be smarter about our reactions. We have to think about our own ancestors, their plights and their journeys across seas. We have to think about the reasons for war and the injustices that create the environment for war. We have to protect values that are dear to us through dialogue. We have to keep working for peace even while we're numb from continued violence and death.
Death and injuries do instill fear however and sometimes fear impacts how we think or what we believe. This is not only the point of terrorism, it's the point of violence in general. So now, Europe and America struggle with policies and political reactions. Values that are centuries old are suddenly questioned and there are reactionary responses to refugees and migrants. Values like opening arms and borders to the politically oppressed or those suffering from the brutality of war or the poor and hungry go quickly by the wayside. People, politicians especially, speaking before thinking or checking the facts, stoking fear and in many cases hatred. The reality is that currently Syrian refugees are going through an 18-24 month vetting process while some make arguments about the outrage of their entry across America's borders. None of the same politicians are talking about the thousands of tourists and businesspeople who fly and sail to America every day or the Visa program that allows many across borders. Classes of people continue to matter.
There is the other very harsh reality. We have been engaged in war for 14 years and all the things we've tried have not worked - soldiers on the ground, drones in the sky, etc. Yet now, we somehow think that more of the same will solve the problems we've seen and that we have. There are so many experts and critics pointing out failed policies but not providing useful solutions. No one seems to be looking at or caring about where the violence is coming from or why it exists. Instead we follow the same course or call for more military action that in the end creates and fosters more radical responses from some in the Mideast.
The numbness from violent attacks on people makes us crazy and sometimes stupid. We all have to fight that instinct. We have to be smarter about our reactions. We have to think about our own ancestors, their plights and their journeys across seas. We have to think about the reasons for war and the injustices that create the environment for war. We have to protect values that are dear to us through dialogue. We have to keep working for peace even while we're numb from continued violence and death.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Remembering Roger Allen LaPorte
In the early morning hours of Nov. 9, 1965, a young man named Roger Allen LaPorte completed his trip to the UN carrying a container of gasoline. He sat down on the pavement, poured the gasoline over his body and ignited himself in flames. This self immolation was Roger's protest against the war in Vietnam. Roger was taken to Bellevue Hospital with burns over most of his body. He identified himself as a Catholic Worker and indicated that he was against war, all war and that he did this as a religious act.
Roger was 22 years old, a former seminarian and someone who volunteered at the Catholic Worker's House of Hospitality close to the Bowery in NYC. I knew Roger and worked with him. I was 21 and was in the middle of my own protest against the war. There were many other people who knew and worked with Roger. We were living in a somewhat surreal time. We worked with the poor and the marginalized. We cooked soup, gave out cloths to those who needed them. We sat up at night singing songs, drinking beer and arguing with each other about war, peace and our actions and reactions to the politics of the time. The times were intense. People were making decisions about their lives and about their futures.
Roger was quiet and thoughtful. He watched what was happening around him. A week earlier, another young man, a Quaker named Norman Morrison, had set himself aflame in front of the Pentagon and the office of the Secretary of Defense.
A few days before Roger's action he had attended a draft card burning demonstration at Union Square. He stood in the crowd and listened to hecklers telling the young men on the platform to burn themselves, not their draft cards.
Roger made a choice. He didn't tell any of us of his plan. He went to the UN early, before people would see him and intervene. He sat down and acted.
At 5:16 pm that evening, NYC and much of the northeast went black with a large power outage. Traffic lights, elevators, and lights throughout the city stopped working. At the Catholic Worker, the evening meal was being served. We were lit by candles and the light from a bicycle turned on its handle bars and seat with people taking turns turning the pedals. After dinner a small group walked the streets in wonder at how everyone was helping each other out. Pedestrians were directing traffic, people were helping each other cross streets. We sat together in an apartment talking about, praying about Roger. Wondering, thinking in silence and sometimes breaking into a song.
Roger died the next morning. There are those who spent and continue to spend time analyzing Roger's action. Was it this or was it that? It was what it was, a young man seriously frustrated and angry about a war that seemed to have no end.
Roger was a good young man and he should be remembered as such. That's the way I remember Roger LaPorte fifty years after his death.
Roger was 22 years old, a former seminarian and someone who volunteered at the Catholic Worker's House of Hospitality close to the Bowery in NYC. I knew Roger and worked with him. I was 21 and was in the middle of my own protest against the war. There were many other people who knew and worked with Roger. We were living in a somewhat surreal time. We worked with the poor and the marginalized. We cooked soup, gave out cloths to those who needed them. We sat up at night singing songs, drinking beer and arguing with each other about war, peace and our actions and reactions to the politics of the time. The times were intense. People were making decisions about their lives and about their futures.
Roger was quiet and thoughtful. He watched what was happening around him. A week earlier, another young man, a Quaker named Norman Morrison, had set himself aflame in front of the Pentagon and the office of the Secretary of Defense.
A few days before Roger's action he had attended a draft card burning demonstration at Union Square. He stood in the crowd and listened to hecklers telling the young men on the platform to burn themselves, not their draft cards.
Roger made a choice. He didn't tell any of us of his plan. He went to the UN early, before people would see him and intervene. He sat down and acted.
At 5:16 pm that evening, NYC and much of the northeast went black with a large power outage. Traffic lights, elevators, and lights throughout the city stopped working. At the Catholic Worker, the evening meal was being served. We were lit by candles and the light from a bicycle turned on its handle bars and seat with people taking turns turning the pedals. After dinner a small group walked the streets in wonder at how everyone was helping each other out. Pedestrians were directing traffic, people were helping each other cross streets. We sat together in an apartment talking about, praying about Roger. Wondering, thinking in silence and sometimes breaking into a song.
Roger died the next morning. There are those who spent and continue to spend time analyzing Roger's action. Was it this or was it that? It was what it was, a young man seriously frustrated and angry about a war that seemed to have no end.
Roger was a good young man and he should be remembered as such. That's the way I remember Roger LaPorte fifty years after his death.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Fifty Years Ago - Draft Cards - Protest & Free Speech
Fifty years ago on Nov. 6, 1965, five men stood on a platform and burned their draft cards in front of a crowd of about 1500 people at Union Square in NYC. Peace activists A.J. Muste and Dorothy Day both spoke at the event. Counter demonstrators yelled that the men should burn themselves and not their draft cards. In the first attempt, someone in the crowd shot a fire extinguisher at the flames from the protestor's lighters. The men and others thought it may have been gasoline and stepped back briefly. Regrouping, they relit the pieces of paper that symbolized hundreds of thousands of young men being called upon to fight a war that many questioned.
There were three aspects to the draft card burning at Union Square. One was to protest the war in Vietnam that was becoming increasingly unpopular. The second was to protest the draft itself and the selective service system that was choosing who would fight in that and other wars. The third aspect was to speak up for the First Amendment and protect the right to free speech and protest. Earlier in the year, Congress had passed a law that specifically made it illegal to destroy a draft card. This legislation was a direct result of more and more people speaking out against the war and public demonstrations that included draft card burning. The legislation was meant to stop the protests and intimidate the protestors. In October of '65, David Miller became the first person to publicly challenge the new law and he was quickly arrested and charged. On Nov. 6th, these five men publicly burned their cards in solidarity and in support of Miller. Three received sentences of six months in prison. One wasn't charged due to his age. The last received 2 years probation but was then inducted, refused induction and served two years of a three year sentence in Federal Prison.
There are many today who don't know what draft cards were or what they symbolized. There are those who have no memory of the Selective Service System of that time, the lottery or the draft. Ultimately the draft ended, in no small part because of demonstrations and sacrifices made by many during this period of unrest and protest.
There is much more to the story of these five men and others but I'll leave that for another day.
There were three aspects to the draft card burning at Union Square. One was to protest the war in Vietnam that was becoming increasingly unpopular. The second was to protest the draft itself and the selective service system that was choosing who would fight in that and other wars. The third aspect was to speak up for the First Amendment and protect the right to free speech and protest. Earlier in the year, Congress had passed a law that specifically made it illegal to destroy a draft card. This legislation was a direct result of more and more people speaking out against the war and public demonstrations that included draft card burning. The legislation was meant to stop the protests and intimidate the protestors. In October of '65, David Miller became the first person to publicly challenge the new law and he was quickly arrested and charged. On Nov. 6th, these five men publicly burned their cards in solidarity and in support of Miller. Three received sentences of six months in prison. One wasn't charged due to his age. The last received 2 years probation but was then inducted, refused induction and served two years of a three year sentence in Federal Prison.
There are many today who don't know what draft cards were or what they symbolized. There are those who have no memory of the Selective Service System of that time, the lottery or the draft. Ultimately the draft ended, in no small part because of demonstrations and sacrifices made by many during this period of unrest and protest.
There is much more to the story of these five men and others but I'll leave that for another day.
 |
| Tom Cornell, Marc Edelman, Roy Lisker, Dave McReynolds, Jim Wilson, Nov. 6, 1965 at Union Square, NYC |
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Lets Blame The Mentally Ill For Everything
It seems that's the thing to do these days - mass shootings take the lead in these conversations but it happens in other topics too. When the discussion comes about relative to shootings, it's not about the availability of guns, including assault weapons and powerful ammunition. Instead the focus is on the mentally ill - you know the really crazy people. You know who they are, right? We're not talking about the people who occasionally get upset at poor service in a bar or restaurant and make a scene. Of course not. We're not talking about the man who every once in a while gets upset at his wife or girlfriend. Somehow, that's become normal behavior. Certainly we can't be talking about the otherwise rational human being who gets upset with others in traffic and goes through a little road rage. These aren't the mentally ill people we're talking about. These are just people who sometimes walk around with weapons.
Add to all of this the concept of more people walking around with concealed or open carry weapons keeping us all safe. Vigilanteism at its best. More people, more guns and we'll all be safer. Just don't get caught in the crossfire. None of this is crazy.
So as I see it, maybe we should blame more things on the mentally ill. How about the ineffectiveness of Congress and the President? Its got to be the mentally ill. Then there's taxes. That too has to be the fault of the mentally ill. The environment and climate change - these have to be the result of the mentally ill too. See, it's easy. Anything you can imagine is really the fault of the mentally ill and there's not much we can do about it unless we round them all up and put them in one big place.
Somebody's looking at me funny so I have to go.
Add to all of this the concept of more people walking around with concealed or open carry weapons keeping us all safe. Vigilanteism at its best. More people, more guns and we'll all be safer. Just don't get caught in the crossfire. None of this is crazy.
So as I see it, maybe we should blame more things on the mentally ill. How about the ineffectiveness of Congress and the President? Its got to be the mentally ill. Then there's taxes. That too has to be the fault of the mentally ill. The environment and climate change - these have to be the result of the mentally ill too. See, it's easy. Anything you can imagine is really the fault of the mentally ill and there's not much we can do about it unless we round them all up and put them in one big place.
Somebody's looking at me funny so I have to go.
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