MY 70th BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Peter, may I please have THE SCOURING OF THE SHIRE as my 70th birthday present?

It was always my favorite part of Lord of the Rings. It is also an excellent lesson in taking care of country that you love.

Hobbits know that we should not destroy our environment just to allow some people to make money.

Hobbits learn that we all have to protect our own borders from orcs and would be orcs.

As long as I am on this subject...

Right now, oil from Canada is coming into the US on trains. These trains leak all over the train tracks, both in cities and in pristine wilderness. The proposed pipeline has passed environmental impact assessments in both US and Canada and in several provinces and states. The pipeline would leak MUCH LESS OIL than the trains leak.

Protecting the environment is NOT a DO NOT BUILD ANYTHING game. It is a balancing of progress vs. protection. Sometimes really hard choices have to be made. The pipeline does not seem to be a hard choice.

All causes have a group of people who are beyond logic, because they are fanatics. Unfortunately, fanatics tend to act like orcs.

WE HAVE TO STOP THE FANATICS WHO TRY TO FORCE US ALL INTO MAKING ILLOGICAL DECISIONS.