A Sermon on Saving the Planet by Father George Carlin

This morning's repast with my newspaper (aka tangible media) was full of Greenpeace Photo-Op Protestations and Premier Stelmach calling them "tourists" and offering them guided tours of our world famous judicial system. Then we have new reports of old ice on polar caps melting at unprecedented rates to a comprehensive analysis by Graham Thomson of the big engineering Carbon Capture and Sequestration projects to save the planet projects. Then I had the most counter-intuitive piece of all, Lorne Gunther writing about and delights of "whole food" in an environmental context and segueing to health care.

Then a new twitter Follower had a link to an old George Carlin piece on saving the planet. I love George Carlin for so many reasons and at so many levels. This piece is a perfect example of his acerbic and nimble mind. His bottom line is the planet is fine and will do quite well without our species as part of its future. He says humans, like most species before us are on our way to extinction and we are self inducing our demise.



Carlin is always profane, funny, profound and perhaps prophetic. Gandhi had the prescription for the disease we humans are inflicting on our habitat and other creatures with whom we share the biosphere "You must be the change you want to see in the world." All else is detail and discipline.

Design Thinking+Integrated Thinking= New Politics for Alberta?

Here is a TED Talk by Tim Brown that is a helpful provocation to consider in reactivating citizenship in Alberta. He says "The human need is the place to start." We seem to be lead by a Modernist model that says getting rich and having a job is the human place to start. Not good enough any more.

http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_brown_urges_designers_to_think_big.html

Reading the Auditor General's Report and I Feel Screwed by my Government

GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE PROTESTS COMING A DECADE AGO:

Cambridge Strategies Inc. was doing research for the Alberta Forest Products Association in 2004-5 on the risks to the forest industry's social license to operate. We met with the major environmental non-governmental organizations as part of the work. They told us then that they were shifting their activist focus from forestry to the oil and gas industry, oilsands specifically.

We advised the provincial government at the political and administrative levels and some key energy industry people we worked with. Industry took it seriously but did not know what to do or to expect. The government shrugged it off.

Well now we have "dirty oil" as the Alberta brand around the world and a government indifferent to the aspirations of Albertans who want to be proud of the development of their oilsands resources. Now, according to the Auditor General, we have a government that is indifferent and inept and husbanding and accounting for the rents the energy industry owe to Albertans for for royalties.

WHY IS OUR GOVERNMENT NOT COLLECTING ROYALTIES OWED TO ALBERTANS AND THEN CUTTING SERVICES TO CITIZENS?

The government of Alberta attitude seems to be that most clearly expressed by former Premier Ralph Klein who refused to review royalties when his bureaucracy recommended it. He said, " We get our pound of flesh" referring to the collection and accountability of public revenues from the natural assets and heritage of every Albertan, our natural resources.

Well that is far from the case according to the recent Royalty Review Panel and the Auditor General. The Government of Alberta and the energy industry has some pretty serious explaining to do to Albertans. And they now need to prove there is not corruption either. It is a serious question to ask about a government not doing its job to steward the revenues owed to Albertans.

Premier Stelmach, do not shut down a single hospital bed, cut off services to another autistic kid, or cut back on teachers, service to developmentally disabled or long term care needs of Albertans. Hold off on all of this until you can prove to Albertans that the cash needed to pay for these vulnerable Albertan has not be forgotten in the bank accounts of the energy sector.

Oilsands Project Protesters Are International

The Alberta oilsands are an international concern. The 500 dead ducks started the ball rolling, and the fact the truth was over 1600 dead ducks did not help. Now we see Greenpeace activists from a number of countries coming to demonstrate against the oilsands development.

That shows the level of international awareness and concern. It is a complex matter but one thing for sure, our Alberta government better have its act together by the time COP15 happens in Copenhagen in early December. The Alberta oilsands will be a target for sure.

Green Oil Book is Launched - AG Says Albertans Getting Screwed on Royalty Collection

The launch of Satya Das' Green Oil on Thursday was terrific. The books signing at Audrey's Books last night drew a good crowd. Interesting mix of people, politicians and journalists, not that the latter are not people too. We sold a bunch of books too. Go figure!

Last night we had Raj Sherman from the Alberta PC party, Edmonton Strathcona NDP MP Linda Duncan and Edmonton Centre Liberal Candidate Mary McDonald drop in for a glass of wine and a chat. Doug Roche, a true Canadian statesman, was in attendance too.

Traffic on the Green Oil website www.greenoilbook.com is starting and will grow over the coming weeks as we see Albertans start to take control of the oilsands agenda and express their concerns on the site.

I think the message in the book it resonating. Albertans need to get informed and engaged as owners in the oilsands to ensure it is developed on a responsible and sustainable basis and with a long term view. The conversation amongst Albertans has to start and get serious. The consequences of continuing to get the oilsands wrong are devastating as to many levels.

For one way we are getting it wrong according to the Auditor General is Albertans are out hundreds of millions of dollars in uncollected and unaccounted for royalty payments. The recent Royalty Review said the same thing but the government gave more industry even concessions instead of beefing up collection and accounting capacity on royalties. We are getting screwed according to the AG. Too bad he is leaving.

Put that sense of political and industry entitlement of big bonuses and "gold plated" gifts to departing government agency officials in health as we cut social services and hospital beds, Albertans better get more insistent on better governance of our assets and provincial natural resources too.