My Social Responsibilites…In Part

I went away for a month’s vacation in Pennsylvania to relax.  I admit that I also went with a bit of an agenda.  Pennsylvania is my home state and I have a vested interest in it.  To be specific, I have an interest in the Hershey Company and the issue of Hydro-fracking for gas. I also have a more personal interest, concern for the Cemetery in the Woods in Williamstown, PA where some of my relatives are buried with other early citizens of the town

First, the Hershey Company.  It seems that chocolate companies get most of their cocao from West African farms, many of which employ child labor. ( Someone called this to my attention before we left for vacation.)  So while we were next door to Hershey, I called an executive at the Company. I asked what they are doing about the issue of child labor. I love Hershey chocolate and want to be assured that my enjoyment is not on the backs of young children.  I was told to check out their Web-Site and their report on Social Responsibility.  I did this and they are invovled in addressing this concern. But, are they taking the lead among other companies? They are the largest. Since returning home, I have written a follow-up letter. I await a response.

Then there is “fracking.”  It seem that the mountains that once supplied the nation with coal, and central easwtern Pennsylvania with jobs, harbor deep down, under the coal deposits, deposits of natural gas. There are three issues.  The first is how to extract the gas without destroying the environment, specifically, water supplies and rivers. The second is how to insure that the people in these now depressed areas benefit from these operations. The third is, onece the first two have been solved, how to regulate the companies that drill for gas and then hydro-fract to release it from the shale.  Come to think about it, there is a fourth issue.  In Massachuestts, far from the natural gas deposits, we are being told in ads that a wonderful new source of energy has been discovered, gas. We are not told of the environmental hazzards invovled in the process of obtaining it.  W are being prepared with propaganda for the expansion of this industry without being told of the hazzards it poses.

Our Senator, John Kerry, serves on a Senate committee that has before it a bill that would require the companies that are drilling for gas to disclose the chemicals they are injecting into the earth in the process. Simple, but critical.

So far, what I’ve done about this issue is read about it and talk with people who are already being affected. One woman who lives outside of Willkes Barre,  already has black water coming out of her kitchen sink rendering her home worthless. And I have followed the issue in the Pennslyvania Senate.  They are not exactly being transparent with the public about how they are handling this matter. And I am supporting the bill requiring the disclusure of chemicals used.

The people in the area are of two minds. They would like to profit from this enterprise, being in a depressed area since coal ceased to be king. On the other hand, they don’t want the environment destroyed.

Finally, The Cemetery in the Woods. My brother, Harold and his wife, Fran, along with others in the community worked tirelessly to restore it.  They did an incredible job. Bordered by two rivers and surrounded by greenery, this Cemetery was beginning to be a bit of Eden. Flowers, restored tomb stones, benches for reflection. Birds, butterflies, and peace. But then, the Catholic Church which owns the Cemetery called a halt to the work.

My brother has since died. Fran continues to be concerned about the cemetery. She is a member of the Catholic Church and has been told, in very unkind words, to back off. Tom and I ventured past brush and weeds, down an overgrown path, into the heart of the Cemetery.  It was a disgrace!  Stones toppled over. Weeds everywhere. Fences that had been restored, knocked over and pieces missing.

Among those buried there are three Civil War Veterans and a Revolutionary War Veteran. The burial place of many who were founders of this town lies neglected. We have pictures to prove it. It seems that this little town has a poor self image. This doesn’t help. Not only does this town have a proud history, it ccould have an interesting future. It is one of the few places in the United States where people with modest incomes can live well in the midst of considerable natural beauty and natural resources.  I have written to the Priest of Sacred Heart Church to ask that the Cemetery restoration be reinstated.

I will keep you posted.  And, if you have a chance, ask for governmental and corporate accountability in regard to Hyrdo-fracking.