Editor, The News:
Re: ‘Bravo to those who attended protest’ (Letters, Dec. 11).
Deborah Winkler has expressed praise for those who attend protests, with assumption that I wrote to criticize protestors.
This is incorrect.
I would agree protests are very important to create needed change.
Too many people do not fight for change.
I have always fought for needed change.
I even ran for the Marijuana party a few years ago, seeking change in rather absurd drug laws.
What is more important is that people be informed about what the issues are.
Too many people support protests based on poor information presented by people with narrow vested interests.
When people are protesting the pipeline and have little information about all the facts, they are simply being used by those with vested interests.
If you feel that the only thing that is important is the extreme remote chance of a small environmental damage and that economic gains are unimportant, then protest the cause.
However, if you actually think it important to see economic growth that could see everyone gaining – do not protest.
If you value decreased homelessness, more money for school, closer to cancer cure, do not protest.
If you understand that lack of money put in the infrastructure causes more environmental damage than a possible oil leak – do not protest.
Protestors need to be informed about all the facts.
Protests without information are as bad as people who vote for a party because the candidate is cute, or just do not vote because the issues are too complex to understand.
I protest against the protestors, because they have, by information given, indicated they do not know all the issues or full impact of no pipeline.
Dan Banov
Maple Ridge