http://aquafornia.com/archives/8516
What has Rodriguez’ concerned to spark political action is the shutdown of water pumps in the Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta. These pumps move water from California’s wet north to the agricultural Central Valley and urban Southern California. A judge’s ruling switched the pumps off over a controversial U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report that declared a fish, the delta smelt, threatened. No one really knows if turning the pumps off will help the fish, but most can agree that California’s agricultural industry will take a big hit this year due to lack of water.
Rodriguez and his family own farmland in the Central Valley where, as the comedian said Saturday night, “We grow the sweetest oranges and sourest lemons.” But now, because of a judge’s ruling, the most fertile land on “this blue marble” will lie fallow. People will be out of work. Less food will be grown. And farmer and farm worker alike will be hurt.
Rodriguez had notes at the podium but didn’t refer to them as he spoke for 40 minutes, presenting a potent alternating mix of passion, humor, and fact. He recalled using his talent to help many prominent Democrats raise money only to have every one of them turn him a deaf ear when he asked them for assistance over the water issue. “What are they afraid of,” he asked, “fish can’t vote.”
He said many environmentalists are earnest people who are concerned that the delta smelt are “the canary in the coal mine” of the delta’s environmental health. Rodriguez said he asked his uncle who mined coal in Chihuahua about canaries and coal mines. The uncle said, “Yes, we used canaries. When the canary dies, you run like hell out of the mine!” The canary dies and the coal miners live. In the case of the delta though, “The fish lives and the farmers die,” Rodriguez observed.
Now I'm all for saving animals, but at the expense of humans? Unemployment in Fresno 15%. Generations of farmers have worked this land and now they are being destroyed by a three inch fish.
Virtually all non-tropical crops are grown in the Central Valley, which is the primary source for a number of food products throughout the United States, including tomatoes, almonds, grapes, cotton, apricots, and asparagus
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Comments: 4
I can not believe in a time when the economy is so bad and Obama claims to want to grow jobs for the people that this is an issue...When it comes to putting all of these farmers out of work and now some are on food stamps... What is Peloski thinking? Or can she even relate to these poor farmers because she is rich? We will now have to import the many items that cannot be grown here from other countries... It will also, keep us dependent on foreign growers, just as we are with oil... when we could keep the jobs here and what about the cost?
If Peloski and Obama are educated, then I am glad that I am stupid. When you become rich , it doesn matter that others are struggling, all they are concerned about is their families will be fed....
Then I saw Hannity's special. There's a little more to the story although I can't quite remember the details - something about the water having been diverted in the first place to where the farms grew up around it? The gov promising never to redivert it if people would just move in and start farming ... I might be remembering wrong . . . worth a look up if anyone is interested.
By the way, P. Rodriguez was hospitalized recently ...
Left you a 10.