Greenpeace in the Oil Sands

It's as predictable as snow in October. Once again, Greenpeace have invaded the oil sands in the hopes of spreading their message.

I don't really have a problem with someone protesting; after all it is a free country. Nor will I talk about the "security risks" and "dangers" of climbing up machines in the oil sands to make a point.

The problem with Greenpeace is that they just don't get it. They don't seem to get that the reason the oil sands exist is BECAUSE there is a demand for oil and, in the scheme of things, a growing shortage of easy to extract crude.

The reason that Greenpeace protest up in Fort Mac is because it's all about getting camera time & media attention. You're never going to see Greenpeace heckling shoppers. They will never point out the carbon footprint of a mango. Or a tomato from Mexico. Or a pizza manufactured in Florida.

And I wonder how many of the members of Greenpeace eat fruits & veggies? I'd bet a lot of them. I wonder if any of them give thought to how those mango's, oranges, grapes..etc land on their plate. Or when they go out for a coffee do they ever think about how the coffee got there? Or when they crack open a Stella Artois or some "hipster" European beer do they give thought to how it got here?

The answer is no.

Greenpeace are like the people that blame drug dealers for the problems in a bad neighborhood. Drug dealers are just a symptom of a problem. The root of the problem is the drug addicts. The people that need a fix. Our world is addicted to oil and we need our fix and the oil sands is our dealer.

So rather than climb up tall towers in some remote location in Northern Alberta, maybe Greenpeace should reflect on their own actions..and THEN go protest down at Safeway when they see people buying boxes of food or out of season fruit.

But they won't. Because doing that won't get them media coverage. And it would piss off potential donors to their cause. AND..(the big and)..they'd have to admit that they are part of the problem.

How's the mango and coffee taste now?