Michael Riordon

the view from where I live

Category Archives: Economic


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In our name…

…the war against the earth and its defenders goes on.

Photo: StarMetro Vancouver

Currently one of the most vital front lines is on Wet’suwet’en First Nation land in “British Columbia,” Canada.  Wet’suwet’en defenders stand in the way of a zombie pipeline due to transport toxic liquid natural gas over their land to ocean tankers.  The land defenders are under siege by Canada’s national government and its police.  This whole abominable project is owned and paid for by the people of Canada, and promoted by the authorities – in our name.

Details here: https://dogwoodbc.ca/news/rcmp-wetsuweten-raid/

…and here: http://priceofoil.org/2019/01/10/shameful-trudeau-accused-of-violating-first-nations-rights-over-gas-pipeline/

The Wet’suwet’en defenders are putting their lives on the line, for the earth and for all of us.  Most of us can’t be there with them.  But whoever and wherever we are, we still have other capacities, including our voices.  Let’s use them well.

To stay informed and in touch:

Gitdumt’en Under Siege, here:  https://www.facebook.com/wetsuwetenstrong/videos/472608843268486/

International Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en, here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/2225649537692362/

#wetsuwetenstrong

#notrespass

#thetimeisnow

Dogwood, a grassroots citizens’ movement in British Columbia, here: https://dogwoodbc.ca/news/


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“There is a crack in everything…”

“…That’s how the light gets in.”  (from Anthem, by Leonard Cohen).

In the closed, murky realm of democracy-for-sale and rent-a-politician, a huge, astonishing crack has just opened up in British Columbia.

Big congratulations and thanks to all who worked so hard to open it.

Let the light flood in!


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Growing up: Three rivers get legal rights

Whanganui River, New Zealand

Glimmers of hope.  Details here.

Mind you, human rights tend to be honoured a lot more on paper than in practice.  So it will be with river rights.  Rivers, lakes, oceans and their defenders will continue to face countless challenges and battles.  But at least now two rivers have some legal rights to defend.

Meanwhile in the USA, rivers have no more rights than do sewers or highways, both of which purposes they serve.  In sharp contrast, corporations in the USA won long ago the same legal rights as individual citizens, which they deploy to commit horrible crimes against humanity and nature, including the poisoning of rivers, lakes and oceans.  Of course, unlike actual human persons, corporations regularly get away with murder.

In Canada the picture isn’t much better.  The late Conservative regime decimated environmental protections for all but 159 lakes and rivers in this country, leaving more than 31,000 lakes and 2.25 million rivers wide open to destruction.  Breaking election promises to reverse their predecessors’ crimes against nature, instead the current Liberal regime is deferring to corporate pressure to maintain the status quo.

In such a grim context, the hard-won court decisions in New Zealand and India represent a huge step forward, rare signs that we can act sanely and respectfully in relation to the natural world, our life support system.


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And yet, grounds for hope. Real hope.

Against impossible odds:  Ecuadoreans’ Legal Fight Against Chevron Continues in Canada.

chevron-in-ecuador

Texaco/Chevron vs Ecuador.  Photo: La Hora.

On South America’s teleSur, journalist Joe Emersberger interviews lawyer Stephen Donziger on a crucial case with huge implications for us all.

Donziger: “The fact top law firms around the world are helping the Ecuadorean villagers is terrifying to Chevron and the fossil fuel industry and completely changes the risk calculus of oil drilling in delicate ecosystems.  These firms normally represent the oil industry; now they are representing groups fighting that industry. That’s never happened before.”

The interview is here.

True, this couldn’t happen without the lawyers.  But before, during and after the courts have their say, again and again it’s people who live on the land and water under siege that have to hold the front line.  Against Dakota Access, Enbridge, Line 9, Kinder Morgan, Energy East and all the other petro-invaders.

If our planet is to remain livable, these are the first people we should thank, and support.

 

 


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In a tiny country far, far away…

Yemen.  It’s in the news, briefly.  But not enough, not nearly enough.

yemen-war-ruins

Ruling regimes in the US, UK and Saudi Arabia continue to rain down mass murder on this tiny country far, far away, on the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula.  This is their favourite kind of war, one of many directed from above, with impunity, by one US president after another, along with their collaborators and apologists.

As usual the big media reliably pour out a relentless blur of effluent as to the perpetrators’ motives, goals, and actions.  But really it’s not so complicated.  As in so many vicious wars far, far away, this one is about oil and control.  All the horror is merely collateral damage, invisible to the willfully closed eye.

However, up-to-date insight can be gleaned from a few sources, including yesterday’s post by the remarkably well-informed blogger Moon of Alabama, here.