Live without regrets; fight wind farms
Kokomo Tribune | August 23, 2013 | kokomotribune.com
Who among us hasn’t wished for a “do over”? Everyone has a regret, a life event for which we wish we could turn back the clock and change our course of action. Hindsight is 20/20.
We in Howard and Grant counties have an opportunity right now to change course and avoid monumental regrets. I’m speaking of the proposed wind projects that may come to our areas. Both county boards of commissioners have not yet reached the point of no return.
Our elected representatives, if they are ethical, at least started out wishing to serve the people who elected them. If they don’t hear from their constituents, they, hopefully, act in a moral, responsible way when making decisions. Can we ask more than that? We have a responsibility to inform them of our wishes, and if we do not, we deserve to bear the results of our apathy. But that could be a tough pill to swallow.
Remember when no one thought there was harm in asbestos? Cigarette smoking? Lead paint? X-ray machines in shoe departments? If we had known of the ill effects, wouldn’t we have spoken up? Doesn’t our government require warnings on cigarette packages?
The residents living near phase 1 of the Wildcat Wind Farm in Tipton and Madison counties have daily reminders of a misguided drive to “greenness” – they suffer in the shadow of nearly 500-foot tall wind turbines. Many of them have spoken out, trying to spare others from the same fate. They have filed more than 150 written complaints.
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” wrote Thomas Jefferson. We have a duty to be informed and involved in our democracy. If we give up this right, we forfeit what our forefathers, our fathers and grandfathers fought and died for. Please, if you haven’t been following this battle, start now. Don’t expect a few to carry the burden of defending the peace of rural life.
Go to easternhowardwind.com, grantcosetbacks.com or tiptonwindconcerns.com to begin your education on this pressing issue, and share the facts with your friends, family and neighbors. Then attend a county commissioners meeting and contact your commissioners. If you don’t, you may live to regret it.
Susie Cox
Greentown
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/08/23/live-without-regrets-fight-wind-farms/