Even the lie is dirty
Let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time, the people decided that there might be a problem related to the smoke from their cooking fires. Certainly, the fire made cooking their evening roast possible, but the village was constantly under a pall of noxious fumes that made the children cough, even when the H1N1 virus wasn’t close at hand. Finally (although the story does continue), the people decided to make an agreement with their neighbours to limit the cooking fires. No more kitchen duty at any hour of the day; instead, the people would limit the emissions. They called this agreement Kee-oh-toe, and they were truly pleased.
Time passed. Remember, finally doesn’t mean final when leader are involved. More time passed. The smoke didn’t seem to diminish. If anything, there was more smoke than ever, and the main chief claimed that it was impossible to control. Besides, people get hungry in the middle of the night and deserve a hot meal, just like the neighbours. The leader pledged to build a new super stove, one that would burn black rocks (sometimes called coal). Black rocks weren’t dirty, because they were washed at the mine, just like potatoes. If they weren’t dirty, then by definition they were clean. Henceforth, the smoke would be clean.
Enough with the fake parables. Today our federal government pledged to construct a new “clean coal-fired generation plant” somewhere near Edmonton. No pollution worries. The current government knows all about spinning a good tale. I’ve seen coal. I’ve touched coal. I’ve burned coal and lugged the clinkers outside to the driveway in winter. The only thing clean is the white-faced lie, and when the great leader gets around to touching his cheeks, even that illusion will be gone.
