Dan Mills to Council, Politicians

January 18, 2010

Re. The Draft On Wind By-Law for Upcoming Hearings on January 25,2010

To the Municipal Council of the District of Digby


Dear Members of Council:


Democracy, won and protected by blood out-spilled so many times in Canadian History , is not something with which we are free to toy and to manipulate like children’s molding clay into any shape or form we choose.

“For the people, by the people, in a democratic way”, my grade 5 teacher taught to my generation, while my immediate ancestors – just a few short years older, boys in fact, donned uniforms forfeiting their own education, careers, and lives even, so that me and those who came after would be free to live it!

You must be familiar with the extinct family Raphidae? We call them “do-do” birds. That seems to be the route contemporary politicians are becoming wont to take us on, in this new age and day, at each and every level. Perhaps I was too busy in my working years to see the slow but yet systematic erosion of all which has been good and decent in the political forum in my three score plus ten (and a few small more).

When politicians have come a knocking at my door to seek my troth in political wedlock,
they were very clear in stating, in words unequivocal, that henceforth unto death political, he or she would represent me and speak on my behalf. Some of you have been at my door! Lest I forget! And may you not either, for you’ll know not where to come again!

For months and months, the Planning Advisory Committee with communal input, had lead me to believe that democracy at least wasn’t dead yet! Had I known then what I know now, I could have reduced my carbon footprint by simply not driving back and forth to all those wasted meetings. Had we all done that, we may have saved our corner of the planet for another year or so.

And there we were: in support of what had been accomplished over so long a time. The Deputy in dual role as member of the PAC voiced : “Yes, the task at hand is won, and we shall present to Council Mothers and the Fathers for acceptance of our motion.”

Oh what a dolt I had become! I had fallen victim to the spell that democracy would prevail. We walked- naively now I confess- into the hallowed Chamber to which the same honored gentleman proposed the motion for acceptance to Council.

Good people and caring who pay taxes here for many years, stood up to defend our PAC. The same who attended and participated from the outset! And out of the blue, as by lightening strike, the proponents of exploitation and greed came from afar (not following a star this time, for sure) and sulked like babies. Effectively, they said, “If we don’t get our way, we won’t like you and shall not come to play with you anymore!” (I paraphrase of course, but that was the essence. And in the essence you’ll find truth!)

Well now, what happened next came straight out of Aesop! You must remember him! The same spokesman for the PAC who had presented their longtime work to Council for approval,- well, he fell like a house of cards, and bowed to the new god of Big Grasping Business, and cowering so, he spoke against his motion- and it was slain in its’ tracks! Yes, indeed, one of Aesop’s Ogres had inhabited the body of the PAC, and then and there it died!

To keep it dead, our Council must have decided then and there: “Enough is too much from that wild and wooly crowd. We won’t tolerate them again. We’ll just do what we wanted from the start!” In the words of the crooner, they intoned their callous song: “‘We’ll do it our way’”

Without foresight, I believe, Council chose 4-Site Group who had disagreed vociferously in the first place with the Development Agreement process,- again on the taxpayers tab- and they certainly were paid well for their input in to the first and failed bylaw, you can count on that! Unlike our volunteers who are not valued in the main, they are paid very well, you can be sure!

Dear Council members, I have the memory of an elephant. You’ll scan this likely, and in the words of your leader will repeat: “We know where this is coming from!” And probably pay no heed, and perhaps even delete. That’s fine if you want, but just remember what every politician knows: for every letter written there are dozens who agree.

I shall send this with an e-mail one of two attachments for you to read.

Daniel Mills
9396 Waterford
RR4, Digby NS
BOV 1AO


Copies:

Minister of the Evironment; Sterling Belliveau
Harold Theriault (Jr), MLA
Andrew Younger,MLA
Darrell Dexter, premier of Nova Scotia
Stephen MacNeil, Liberal Leader
Karen Casey, PC Leader
And to others at my discretion