Coast Salish cultural survival response

Indigenous resistance and racist schooling on the borders of empires: Coast Salish cultural survival By Michael Marker explains the horrible discrimination towards the indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest. In the late 1800’s children of these tribes were forced to go to boarding school, once there they were forced to abandon all of their ancient traditions and assimilate into modern culture. Should they refuse, harsh punishments awaited them. When the government finally decided that forcing these children to attend such schools was unethical they decided to unsegregated public schools and allow Indian children to attend. The children that went to these schools face such harsh criticism that soon their parents were sending them back to the boarding schools they had once been so desperate to be free from.

In reading this I cannot help but think about the assimilation policies for aborigines in Australia during the mid 1900’s. Aborigine children that had fair skin were taken from their families and homes and forced to go to school. Once at these schools they were trained in the ways of modern culture and then placed with a white foster family. Most of these children never saw their real family again. The children of this ancient culture would become known as the lost generation. The racist policies seen in the late 1800’s and 1900’s are not just unjust, but unethical. Unfortunately, racism may never be abolished in the world, until then inequality and ethical criticism is a daily reality. It saddens me to learn of the treatment of native Indian children and make me realize that this harsh reality my never be changed.

The Meatrix Resopnse

      The Meatrix, while funny and somewhat childish, does an excellent job of revealing the horrors of factory farming to its audience. The films show how the quaint family farms that most major agriculture companies use as mascots are indeed things of the past and that a very small number of companies actually operate the agricultural market. To be able to fund the fast food crazed society of the 21^st century these companies mechanized all farming processes in order to maximize profit. The animals grown are so unhealthy that most are unable to walk; many never see sunlight or get a breath of fresh air. What happens to these animals is cruel and inhumane and must be stopped. These factory farms are also disgusting, many are known to let manure drip onto already processed meat. The standards of the meat packing industry must be raised or people throughout the world may soon feel the repercussions.
      When I watched films I was forced to remember the awful stench of the chicken houses outside of North Wilkesboro, NC that i pass everytime I go home. The stench alone is enough to make you sick.


My US History teacher in high school told me this to help me remember about the meat packing industry:


"Marry had a little lamb and when it began to sicken it was ent off to the meat packing plants and now its labelled chicken."

Genetically Modified Crops Response

Genetically mutated crops may be one solution to the world’s growing hunger crisis, but what risks do they pose to worldwide health. The world’s population has exploded over the last century, and shows no signs of stopping. As populations increase governments are forced to look for ways to feed their growing populations, many have turned to GM crops. These crops are genetically mutated to increase yield, some are changed so that they take shorter time to grow while others are mutated so that they can endure different environmental climates and shocks. Even though these “super crops” sound great in theory, humans must realize that the food they are eating has been chemically altered and carries with it some health risks. Crops throughout the world have been linked to such bacteria as e.coli, among others. These bacteria that have themselves mutated along with the crops are much more resistant to antibiotics and can seriously harm any unfortunate consumers. The moral dilemma of the food service industry is that if we don’t modify crops people could starve but if we do people could get sick. The decision is entirely that of the consumers, if you don’t want to eat GM crops, buy organic. These crops may cost more but they are much safer to eat.

Fracking Response

Environmental groups finally have what they have been hoping for ever since natural gas drilling began, evidence that fracking is harmful to the environment. Fracking is a technique that uses highly pressured liquid (water and other chemicals) to hydraulically fracture shale formations, creating veins that allow for the collection of vast reservoirs of natural gas. Many areas that are “fracked” soon see contaminates show up in their water resources. In Wyoming people started to see particulates in their tap water that gave the water a brown hue. Environmental researchers working with the EPA were able to link this to hydraulic fracking nearby. While this is the first proven case of contamination, many people across the country have reported contaminated water soon after natural gas wells were built near their homes. In a small town in Pennsylvania methane leakage was so bad that tap water turned flammable. Local residents were able to hold a lighter to their faucets and see their water spark. This is because of the many chemicals that are shot down wells to fracture shale. Substances such as methane and lead are sent down right below underground aquifers. Ever though there is a considerable distance between the bottom of the well and the fresh water, some of the chemicals are still able to reach the underground drinking water. Many chemicals that are used are classified as carcinogens and can be detrimental to the health of anyone that is unfortunate enough to come in contact with them. Methods and technologies that are associated with this dangerous drilling technique must be cleaned up, or abolished. There are too many people put at risk to justify drilling for natural gas. By improving drilling technology we may someday be able to harvest the Earth’s natural gas resources safely, but until then something must be done so that innocent people are not forced to suffer and the surrounding areas are not destroyed.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fracking-linked-water-contamination-federal-agency