I have traveled the world and seen
and lived in some of the most beautiful places it offers. I love and respect
our diverse planet. Despite amazing and odd pockets of beauty, nowhere has ever
touched me as deeply as Nelson County. My family lives in Ablemarle County, which
is gracefully beautiful. Yet where Ablemarle is beautiful, Nelson goes beyond:
It’s magical. There’s something here I find indescribable, but it has to do
with the natural world and neighbouring national parks, the wildlife, the
cadence of the seasons. Something that must be felt—felt with all of the
senses, as well as the heart. Running a pipeline through this rural, magical
land will jar not only our own senses, but nature and her critters. It is like
slicing a knife into the gut of a living animal.
Let’s face the facts, the pipeline
is not about giving jobs to locals or about independent energy; it’s about filling
the pockets of Dominion CEOs. Otherwise said, it’s about greed. It is far from
safe, as Dominion claims. The potential hazards are many, from contaminating
ground water to drastically altering the ecosystem. And that doesn’t even begin
to consider the aesthetic hazards. We need legislators in office who will act
in the long-term interest of their constituents, legislators who are not afraid
to speak up to big energy, and do the right thing. Plato wrote of “philosopher
kings”, those wise and just rulers who would always do the right thing. The
right thing here seems obvious. If we lose the environment, we lose everything.
But current businesses and politicians are too blinded by short-term greed, to see,
or admit, that. To our legislators I say: Please consider
what your constituents are saying. Once a pipeline is in, it is too late. Do the
right thing now, and live with integrity the rest of your life.
Kay, Sallie, Rosie