Pete and Repeat

<$BlogMetaData$>Chapter 2


Pete and Repeat

I re-read last week’s article and discovered an amazing thing. I have been saying for over 3 years everything that was in last week’s article, except saying what is on everyone else’s mind. The skids have been greased ($$). I wonder why it is that I keep writing things like that over and over and over. It brings me back to when I was instructing new radio operators in the service. “You’re going to do this until you get it right.”

That is the way things were done back then. Today they call it ‘rote’. For the life of me I do not understand why I don’t adapt to change. Could it be because it is harmful to my health and well being? Could it be I believe green is not fresh air and good health, but that the only thing that some people believe in is that the green is in money. Could it be that I care about the future of our children wherein after many years of pollution we will be like China? Can’t we rise above greed and money and learn from others mistakes? Could it be I believe there are “other options”? As my mom always said: “after the horse is out of the barn there is no need to shut the gate.” There I go repeating myself again.

After last week’s article, I went back over many of the articles I’ve written over the last 3 years, and it is amazing how many times I repeated myself about many, many things about Hyperion and the people intimately involved in the process have done. At what point do I just chuck the whole mess and resign myself to the fact that this is going to happen regardless of my efforts to stop this. My answer to this is comparable to what Charlton Heston said when he was elected President of the NRA and was asked when he was going to admit that gun control is going to happen. Holding up a frontier long rifle he said: “when they pry this gun from my cold, cold hands.”

Those words are my sentiments exactly. I will quit opposing this refinery when they put my cold, cold body in the ground. (Hope it doesn’t take that long) I’m tired of being the one who compromises. We were here first and if Hyperion wants to come and screw things up, then they must be the one who compromises. My first demand is they pick up their papers and go back to Texas, and then we can talk about it. What is it about NO DIRTY REFINERY don’t they understand? There I go repeating myself again. The second thing is that our state and local government THOROUGHLY examine both the good and the bad about refineries and hopefully admit they made a tragic error to allow this to happen. The onus is on Hyperion to submit a study showing the impact this is going to cause on the community. For once in their (state) life make a decision and force Hyperion to do something instead of being so condescending.

This isn’t a broad based opposition to many issues; this is very narrow in concept and one issue, NO Refinery! Now I may not be a rocket scientist, but I do understand plain English. So it will be my mission that until Hyperion packs up their bags and goes home, I will continue to Pete and repeat this simple request. I don’t think that is being unreasonable do you? Even if you don’t agree with me, it is my simple mission to bring the truth to light and then for you to decide whether or not my mission has validity.

I cannot repeat often enough that facts have been presented that cannot be dismissed by rational people; however, the people in power have dismissed or for some strange reason, ignored these facts. The reason we are where we are today is the almighty Texas dollar is speaking. Whether or not it is good for us and the state of South Dakota has been ignored to the point that those of us opposed to this intrusion are Ogres and stupid for not recognizing the facts. People often come up to me and accuse me of being a chronic complainer and a cynic and why don’t I try to be constructive rather than destructive. Why don’t I try to be positive instead of negative? (My God, how can you be positive about pollution?) (I’m positive Hyperion isn’t coming.)My answer to them is that this is the only way I can get their attention. I have the attitude that I cannot go to sleep at night asking myself “what’s wrong with this picture?” Once you cross the line you cannot have ‘do over’s’ to correct the mistake you made in the first place. Ten years down the line is not the time to say oops. If one needs someone to blame for this opposition, I’m more than willing to be the blame. (To be continued (:0)