Waking to Power: The Success of Speaking Out Against - [Windsor, CO Radioactive Storage]

Citizens of Windsor and its surrounding communities had come to speak out against Allied Wireline services, who were proposing a radioactive and explosives storage facility within a thousand feet of Resurrection fellowship, home to a K-12 school, fellowship and pre-school. What would have been stored and transported through this beautiful town?—“radioactive materials, explosives, detonating devices, and/or other components which are used by Allied Wireline.” Americium, Beryllium, Californium and Cesium—lethal by the truckload slipping in under our nose. The explosives to be stored would also have been carcinogenic—cancer-causing. Allied’s response (Burt Gowdy): “Even though the activities and components described in the previous paragraph are not listed as either permitted uses or accessory uses in the I-L zoning district, some aspects of Allied Wireline's operations are allowed uses within this zoning district.” This may be the worst interpretation of zoning code one could possibly imagine. It’s akin to saying, “even though the playground isn’t zoned for storage of nuclear waste, some aspects of storing nuclear waste, such as making money from it’s cheap disposal, are (sorry about your infant son).” It’s important to make an analogy to determine the validity of a claim. It’s important to interrogate those who make decisions for us, since life is in fact, Our Right.

            Though, we as citizens of the United States have become used to being lied to. We’re used to rich liars getting away with crimes that would send any one of us to jail for a long time. We’re used to those same liars getting paid for their lies so they can lie again. I don’t see much difference between coporate bailouts and approving permits for storage of lethal facilities. One wonders what these radioactive and explosive devices would be used for. “In general, wireline companies provide services to the oil and gas industry to evaluate oil and gas wells. The term 'wireline' or 'wirelining' refers to a technology to lower measurement devices into the oil and gas well with a cable to evaluate the well. Allied Wireline stores and utilizes radioactive and explosive materials in order to complete the well measurement.” Oh, so it’s all about fracking—the prime example of corporate destruction of the commonwealth. Fracking is exempt from major federal regulations that are in place to protect our very existence—how can you drive your car or fly to Vegas if you haven’t had a drink of clean water (you have approximately three days)? How do you expect to pro-create when the air you breathe has disrupted your endocrine system making that nearly impossible? What kind of cow are you eating that’s spent it’s entire life drinking flowback from a fracking well (know what’s in that? BTEX, et 700+ alia)? Can you hear the irony? Without irony, there is only fury. Fury must also be allowed its course. Fury forces its cause.

            What is important is that at this meeting in Windsor people spoke out against Allied Wireline’s proposal. The planning board, to their credit, realizing that if they approved such an irresponsibly and impulsively conceived plan, anything that would happen—spills or “loss” (theft of explosives), exposure of people to lethal radioactive and explosive materials—they would be on record for having approved it.

            Fracking is representative of how our lives and the lives of our children are being sacrificed for the sake of material wealth. We have learned that if we stand up and fight against this, We will win. This is the lesson of America. This is the lesson of Patriotism—to stand against tyranny. We are few but increase in number, our voices growing louder and more powerful. We are waking to our innate power as human beings who value life and will fight for our lives with all of our force and ingenuity, against those who would sacrifice us, without our knowledge, for the sake of their financial gain and continued power.

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that All are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—that to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Us, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

We have awakened to the power of our rights. The plans on the horizon are far worse. Every voice is required. We speak for the sake of our lives.

By C. Michael Serrano