Dear President Obama,

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”

Gary Snyder was a great mind. He asked us all, as Americans, to see ourselves as natives; to learn and respect the land we call home. I believe America transcends borders. In other words, our ideals, values, and beliefs are what we fight for. But what personifies these beliefs? Is it the Golden Gate Bridge? The Empire State Building? Or is it our Boreal forests and native wetlands? I would argue they all do. To destroy one is to destroy the other.

I’m not ignorant to the state of the world’s economy. We seem to be stuck on a train; gluttonously demanding more and more coal and power as we head towards a destination we know nothing about. 50 more years; 100 more years, and for what? So we can stick around long enough to see our GDP and income disparity grow exponentially? The whole thing seems soulless to me.

This isn’t a fight between Native Americans, environmentalist, and the rest of the country, this is a conflict between destruction and life. We are all Native Americans when it comes to the preservation of the land. Put simply, we must favor the survival of our ideals and future generations, so that life and democracy continues to exist. And I ask, Is supplying the unfulfillable life?

It only takes a brief refreshment of our nation’s history to see we do our best problem solving when things seem most dire. Let’s solve this energy crisis compassionately, intelligently, and with integrity.

Mr. President, please deny the Keystone XL Pipeline. If we don’t hold respect for the land we live on, the land that gives us food, shelter, and beauty, then do we even respect ourselves?

Sincerely,

Jay Jasinski