Natural Gas 4 Us: How Great Thou Art

Perhaps it is the aging process (yes indubitably getting older) and major health challenges. I am reunited with my enduring interest in history, both in the broad overview global as well as local and personal. I am struck by the consistent parallels of 125 years ago and today’s headlines. The corporate energy oligarchies aligned with political consorts are again seeking to be permitted to develop new oil exploration in our national parks. This is astounding, our national park system provides “we the people” ownership, access, and stewardship. As I have often written I am not opposed to prudent management development of our natural gas resources in the Marcellus crescent in the Allegheny River Valley area. However, our national park system should be treated as almost sacred. Currently I have been viewing of several videos produced by Ken Burns and have been absolutely astounded by their beauty and the information presentation and the on going struggle to protect the American people’s ownership and access. (As you the reader may have done with your family) I have traveled with my sons to places such as the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Four Corners, and walked among the Sequoia and Redwoods Trees in California and the wilds of the Allegheny Forest here in Pennsylvania.

Now to hear again the current administration is cutting funding, staffing and protection of these awesome natural God created areas in the past thousands perhaps millions of years old seems asinine. Turning over the American Peoples Parks to the current band of Merry men and women, lobbyists and attorneys seem extremely foolish. We the people need to demand a go-slow approach and the attitude “don’t tread on us” and leave our parks outside development. We spend almost a trillion dollars on defense “now war”, one would think we can fund the Park System adequately. In Europe most wild areas are controlled or owned by the rich and those with noble lineage. We have a President who has said he sees himself as King, how great thou art? He also contends we are entering the Golden Age. We should note we have been here before’ it was called the Gilded Age.

From Wikipedia: The Gilded Age, period of gross materialism and blatant political corruption in U.S. history from the late 1870s to about 1900. Characterized by rapid economic growth, industrialization and vast wealth of a few, but with extreme inequality, political corruption and social problems including poverty and labor exploitation. It was presided over by a collection of colorful and energetic entrepreneurs who became known alternatively as “captains of industry” and “robber barons.” They grew rich through the monopolies they created in the steel, petroleum, and transportation industries.

Or maybe it is again the time of the Wizard of Oz and soon we will see behind the curtain. Even more distressing it the tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes. From Wikipedia The tale concerns an emperor who has an obsession with fancy new clothes, and spends lavishly on them, at the expense of state matters. One day, two con-men visit the emperor. Posing as weavers, they offer to supply him with magnificent clothes that are invisible to those who are either incompetent or stupid. The gullible emperor hires them, and they set up looms and pretend to go to work. A succession of officials, starting with the emperor’s wise and competent minister, and then ending with the emperor himself, visit them to check their progress. Each sees that the looms are empty but pretends otherwise to avoid being thought a fool.

Finally, the “weavers” report that the emperor’s suit is finished. They mime dressing him and he sets off in a procession before the whole city. The towns folk uncomfortably go along with the pretense, not wanting to appear inept or stupid, until a child blurts out that the emperor is wearing nothing at all.

We the people are not stupid, what was Abraham Lincoln attributed to saying: “you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time”.

When one stands on a high point in our glorious, wild wilderness and is enthralled by natures grandeur one can truly say to the heavens, “How Great Thou Art”.

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