For those confronting company spokespersons when opposing the Trans-Pecos Pipeline in West Texas 2015-16 or thereafter Dakota Access and Keystone XL, there is no joy in Sludgeville. Keystone ruptured Dec. 7 near a creek in northern Kansas, spilling 14,000 barrels of oil/588,000 gallons. Keystone has leaked 22 times; this time is bigger than the others combined.
The petrochemical–big oil business template is written in the sludge of lies, deceit and political influence placing profits over people, safety and environmental concerns. This disaster caused a brief surge in crude prices.
Dec. 7 was a Keystone disaster in-waiting. The company said it would conduct a full investigation. Wasn’t anything learned after 22 times?
We’ve heard the corporate damage control hand-wringing “sounding” accountable. Against all hope and experience, we are deer in headlights that it will never happen again. However, at Sludgeville USA, déjà vu always does.
Rev. Barry Abraham Zavah
Alpine
School loans
transferred
These are hard economic times that we are living in. On top of that, millions of Americans are having to pay on their student loans. President Biden’s student loan canceling program would certainly relieve some pressure on those who signed for, received and benefited from these loans.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as student loan cancellation. It is a student loan transfer. The debt goes from a person who received, enjoyed and benefited from said loan to a person or people who neither requested, received, enjoyed nor benefited from it. This is equivalent to me buying a car and when the bill comes in, require my neighbor to pay for it.
Fight fair, Biden. No se vale.
José C. Coronado
Mission
Turnout
discussed
Some brief comments in response to your editorial, “Who cares?” published Nov. 23. The low voter turnout for the recent midterms elections is indeed shameful and disappointing but not surprising. Most registered voters apparently had more important things to do, or were too busy doing nothing to take the time to cast a ballot.
The lyrics to an old song that used to be played on Mexican radio are very fitting to describe voter apathy in the U.S.: “Por eso estamos como estamos. Por eso nunca progresamos.” To translate: That’s why we are the way we are. That’s why we never progress.
I would venture to guess that voter turnout would have been even lower if the right to an abortion had not been a major election issue. Equally disturbing is the fact that “soft on crime” politicians and proponents of sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants were voted into office in states like New York and Pennsylvania.
Only time will tell if, and when, the American electorate will awaken from their dogmatic slumber and come to the realization that elections have consequences. But then again, voter apathy, like stupidity are forever.
Ben Castillo
Harlingen
Don’t insult
Joe Biden
It’s kind of funny and sad to read some of these negative letters against President Joe Biden, some asking for his impeachment, which I can’t even start to understand, since all the poop that Donald Trump did (this is the funny part) and he wasn’t removed by the 25th Amendment! Now we all know that people who criticize Trump were saying he was a narcissist, a big liar, a con man and things of that nature. The only problem is that it’s all true. Then you have on the other side people criticizing President Biden, saying stuff like he can’t even talk, when we all know he’s has a speech impediment and that he’s old, and we all know we are either old or we’re going to be there someday. Even when President Biden had a stumble off his bicycle, like one of his administrators said, “Well, at least we have a president that can get on a bike!”
There’s a song by John Lennon that says, “Instant karma’s gonna get you.” Remember, you have kids or maybe grandkids or your own grown kids, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. I don’t know, but they can be inflicted by something like this or something worse.
So get off the sarcasm that President Biden is old; so is or was your mother!
Rick Ruenes Sr.
Brownsville
