May 18, 2010
Tuesday

In response to Terri Anderson's opinion letter, I'm not sure what country you live in, but it's obvious that your a person who chooses to live in a paranoid delusional state when it comes to recent facts about BP spill in the Gulf. Its very doubtful that 'people all over the country' are getting the 'vibe' of your conspiracy theory of domestic terrorism. Any reasonable person would see that the evidence, based on eye witness first person account (see this weeks 60 Minutes story), that the explosion on the BP oil rig was as a result of a consistent disregard of industry safety practices designed to protect workers and the environment.

For the past 20 years governmental deregulation, by both political parties, have permitted various industries to self regulate their actions. For the most part industries in this country understand that their activities do impact their neighbors and have operated safely for years regardless of the so called burden of regulations. Companies like BP who have 'no conscience' towards their own workers, their neighbors, or the environment that sustains a community are in obvious need of regulating.

The regulations that some fear as being obstructionist in this country were needed to remind these companies to develop a conscience to distinguish whether one's actions are right or wrong. A conscience focused on the wellfare of our neighbors and not the bottom line profits at any cost.

The 'open mindedness' you so passionately wish others to endorse is a belief that each of us is a victim of a conspiracy, by a small percent of our population, against our common rights. To buy into your extereme and irrational mistrust of others is to demonize and ascribe any personal failures or misfortune on to them. An engaged citizenship carriers with it boths rights and responsiblities, a freedom few in this country fail to tap into, but instead are quick to blame others for any economic or social catastrophes.

There is nothing terroristic about an engaged citizenship that cares deeply about an issue whether its the environment that sustains them and/or future generations to come or some other social issue. What is terroristic is the promotions of 'conspiracy theories' that have no factual basis in reality and attempts to marginalize people as unfavorable just because they think and act differently. Its terroristic to continue to think that we can harvest our natural resources without putting limits on our personal peace and affluence.

No one took our country from us, it was our own apathy or indifference concerning our responsiblity towards one another that created this sense of helplessness. It's an insult to the men and women who not only died to give us our rights, but the responsibility as citizens to forge a just soceity based on respect despite our differences.

Chris Rose
Ketchikan, AK

About: "Life-long conservationist and resident of Alaska for 24 years."

Received May 18, 2010 - Published May 18, 2010

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