RE “All sides pressing Kerry on pipeline” (Page A1, May 28): If Secretary of State John Kerry approves the Keystone pipeline, he will have bowed deeply to the corporatist forces that have largely co-opted our system of government. Given Kerry’s lifelong environmentalist orientation, such capitulation would be a depressing indicator of how deeply the rot has penetrated into our society.
Claims that the pipeline’s environmental impact would be minimal are laughable, the loudly touted promise of job creation has been rebutted, individuals who worked on the State Department’s study of the project are case studies in conflict of interest, and the world’s leading climatologists are unified in their assessment of the tar sands’ potential to trigger devastating destabilization of the earth’s climate. What’s left? The Keystone XL is about profits, and nothing more.
If Kerry wishes to be remembered as a statesman, he must place the lives of our descendants above the lure of unfettered gains for the privileged and powerful few.
Advertisement