Yesterday-Our Troubles Aren't So Far Away...

Toxins in the environment, as a subject, is one thing it is easy not to think about- if you don't have asthma or other breathing difficulty, if your skin isn't too sensitive, and you have reasonable immunity to disease. And if you have a lot of other problems to worry about-why add one more?
So I'm really heartened that so many folks including the courageous Flower Mound City Council
have seen and reacted to the dangers of natural gas drilling, in its present form in the Barnett Shale.
I do wonder why more people have not been concerned about toxins in Mountain Creek Lake and the TCE plumes extending out from the Dallas Naval Air Station/Vought plant.
I do question how Dixico in Oak Cliff flew under the radar in a residential neighborhood for so long, and why complete records on Dixico's ink manufacturing and laminating activities have been difficult or impossible to find.
I question how the river bottom industrial area is not a BIG RED FLAG for developers of a supposed recreational, tourist area. Personally, I would not put wildlife in the river bottom in a "refuge"-must less tourists! "REFUSE" is the word for the river bottom-not refuge or respite.
Ruined groundwater is not what Dallas needs to be known for-but what are you going to do?
Our city and state decided to require clean up of asphalt, asbestos, and metal graveyards to a level that would endure a mere five years-until everyone forgets about them and goes on to the next "new thing."
Old and new is an important concept in modern society.
When pollution is "old" we forget about it-not realizing that the ruined land or water will never be renewed by nature in our lifetime, and perhaps not in the lifetime of our children.
The pollution at Mt Creek Lake and Dixico is "old" but still very real. The pollution Flower Mound
avoided would have been "new"-and something we can really do something about.
Should sites polluted thirty years ago be cleaned up now? Is it worth the money?
Personally I would say yes-especially as new technology makes clean up more feasible and less expensive.
In difficult economic times, it is important to remember that the planet and her resources are our
life and comfort, and a trust we care for until we pass it on to others. It is not okay to live for today and live for self only.
Just speaking from my heart, I feel a responsibility to those who were made ill by industry and never knew why. Do you ever think about that? We can't bring these victims back; but we can help their loved ones understand what happened, and work for scientific knowledge and social progress that will eventually spare others.
I think Flower Mound's citizens and city council took a bold step toward making this happen; and I rejoice that they "saw" what toxins do to bodies, families, and cities.
Open your eyes-to see both the risks of today... and the industrial travesties of yesterday that seem to powerfully live on after claiming their susceptible victims.