The Otterail Power Company Meeting

What a privilege to be able to live so close to nature, and with a mere few steps be out there on my morning jogging stretch. I am including a few picture for you to look at and get an idea how fortunate I am living where I live.
Not only do I have some really good neighbors, but I also get to be part of a community that cares about each other and makes sure no one is left without support and help in times of need. I can attest to that myself, where I have not been left to isolate, out here on the prairie, but found my neighbors to be very inclusive indeed !!

Last night we had Ottertail Power Company gives us the pitch on why they think it is necessary to build yet another coal burning facility to support their customer grid. The facility named Big Stone II, has been heavily opposed by the native tribes in the area. When the question was posed to the 3 member OTP panel last night, in regards to the native community and the current relations, the answer was that they (OTP) had not heard -, nor did not know anything about ANY opposition from the native tribes against building the plant, rather, they claimed, the native tribes wanted to participate in the project.....I am sitting there thinking, what is going on here.. I am either loosing my mind, or they are either completely ignorant, or just feeding us some well formulated bs.

Then it dawned on me, that in the background, behind all of the sweet talk about how environmentally safe the coal burning facilities are theses days (120 pounds of Mercury bleeds out in the water shed each year, and a tonnage of Carbon Dioxide is emitted in the air, that is just part of the emissions connected to burning coal, even today), there are the OTP stock holders that wants to see some profits being generated. They don't care from who's back or from who's declining health that profit is generated, bottom-line (love that word) is profit, to almost any cost. That has been the corporate story over and over. I do not oppose corporations that act responsibly in regards to our environment, treat their employees with dignity, participate in the building of a better, inclusive and safer community for all...I do oppose the profit mungers that stop at nothing to gain access to even more profits, amassing vulgar richness on the back of the working men and women.
OK, enough ......
But I AM hopeful and believe in us the people, no matter if I get disillusioned from time to time. We can turn it all around for us and our children ! That is my strong conviction, and as Dala Lama states: My religion...is kindness. I side with that !