July 30th, 2001
| To: | The Dexter Township Planning Commission, The Dexter Township Zoning Board of Appeals, Residents of Dexter Township |
| From: | D.C. Moons, President, University Lowbrow Astronomers |
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I attended the Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, July 26th. The matter at hand was the controversial proposed gas station at the North Territorial and Dexter-Pinckney intersection. I heard numerous township residents in attendance at the meeting express varying degrees of concern and even outright opposition to the proposal, and not one resident spoke in support of it. In point of fact, the only persons who did speak in favor of it were not residents, but were paid, by other non-residents who stand to reap enormous profits, to lobby the legal authorities in their employers' interests. Those who do not stand to suffer can not be permitted to gain at the expense of the citizenry, especially if the potential losses are unrecoverable, or the potential harm incurable. I find it difficult to believe that either those who stand to profit in this case, or those who were paid to speak on their behalf, intend to drink the water they will be placing in danger of contamination. I also find it unlikely that they will be suffering any of the other deleterious effects which the developers' own hired consultants said were expected to occur during the anticipated 50 - to - 100 - year life span of the station. The developer's legal representative even went so far as to say, in so many words, that the quiet, rural nature of the township is fated (in his opinion) to disappear -- inferring that all the local residents should simply shut up, back off, and allow his client to speed the degradation of the lifestyle they wish to preserve. He did not appear to grasp the fact that the more the residents at the meeting spoke in opposition to the gas station, the more specious his argument became. The truth that seems to elude him is this: if, when, and how the nature of the township comes to change, it will be at the will of the residents, who are the voters and taxpayers. I was especially insulted by his attempt to impart guilt to all those in opposition, insinuating that the local residents are hypocrites because they don't want pollution in their own homes and bodies, but will patronize long-established gasoline stations in other communities. I would wish to ask him, under the "cross-examination" he was so quick to challenge, exactly where he buys his gasoline, and precisely which local municipalities he and his clients are polluting.
I submit to you that those holding legal authority in this case bear a grave responsibility to all of their constituents - your neighbors - who are at great risk. The first duty of a government official, at any level, is to protect the health and safety of every citizen, both nearby and downstream, now and in the future. No person on Earth holds the moral right to knowingly place at risk, for personal gain, the physical well-being of someone else - across the road or miles away - today, years, or decades from now. Some things are more important than tax revenues and the benefits they bring to the community. Just ask any grandparent to show you a picture of one. We must, all of us, remember this: the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America begins with three words - not four. Note that it does not say, "We, the rich guys," nor does it say, "We, the government officials,". It says: "We, The People,". The overarching legal and moral authority in our nation rests in the hands of the citizens, and the will of the taxpaying resident voters in this case, to my ears, was made most abundantly and unequivocally clear --
With eight gas stations already operating within twelve miles of the site, this proposed facility is not needed, not wanted, not welcome, and very likely to be continuously legally opposed, protested, picketed, and boycotted. The potential for irreparable harm to the environment and to human health is far too great, and the proposed design of the safety systems is untested and unproven. The resident's concerns are valid, and they refuse to have anything forced upon them just because they're not all scientists, engineers, or multi-millionaires. If the owner will not consider selling the property or proposing a non-hazardous commercial use for it, then it is incumbent upon all the township officers to invoke the will of the people by denying the owner's requests.
We, the people, are placing our trust in our public officials' good judgement, and trusting that they will honorably execute their solemnly sworn duties. We implore them to remain cognizant of these two irrefutable facts: first, that the stewardship of public lands is a sacred trust, and second, that their decisions will have consequences that reach far afield and far ahead. We need these most vital members of society to know that they stand between us and irreplaceable loss, and they stand between our children and harm. We, the people, must know that our faith in our public servants is not misplaced.
Respectfully,
D.C. Moons
If you have comments about this issue, send email to NoGasStation@aol.com