More Stop Pipeline updated with community response...

Message was received in my listserv and I believe it has such a thoughtful
response, I must repeat it here, in the continuing Pipeline fight.
there is a religious, a human, a practical, a thoughtful approach,
and it follows below. by repeating this message
like a prayer,
the energy may flow
and the light may shine.
My prayer, stop the pipeline.meg




Here is the Quakers' Addison Independent letter:


"Officials urged to reject pipeline

We of the Climate Committee of Middlebury Friends Meeting
(Quakers) appreciate the
challenge faced by the Middlebury selectboard in drafting a response to
the Vermont
Gas pipeline proposal. We respect Angelo Lynn's editorial assertion that
taking
actions on a local scale is more complex, and difficult, than if the
health of the
planet and its ecosystems were their sole concern.
However, as Quakers we are encouraged to consider the best action
in light of both
the local and the global, and for the future as well as the present. Does
bringing
fracked gas to Addison County, no matter whether it seems cheaper in the
short
term, serve the best interests of our children's children? Does it
represent the
best stewardship of our plants and soil, which sustain us? Will it delay the
transition to cleaner renewable energy? Does it respect the water rights
of those
living where fracking is permitted?
Global decisions are the sum of many thousands of local ones. The
sacrifices of
convenience and cost that we know will someday have to be made begin on
the most
personal level. There are alternatives to burning dirty fossil fuels,
beginning
with energy efficiency and radical conservation and extending to renewable
energy
sources. Rather than kicking the worsening problem into the future, we
believe that
now is the moment to make the right local decision.
Is it easier for a faith-based group to stand up to dirty fuel and
corporate
interests than a selectboard? Absolutely. But changing their stand to one
which
instead favors life and future-affirming values will mark them more heroic in
future history books than we could ever hope to be. We would be so proud
of our
selectboard if it courageously took the long view rather than a position of
expedience supporting the status quo.
Be courageous, we say. Now is the time.

Climate Committee
Middlebury Friends Meeting (Quakers)
Chris Stackhouse
Winslow Colwell
Ted Colwell
Spencer Putnam
Fran Putnam
Claudia Stoscheck
Tom Nicholson
Laura Asermily"