Editor, the Times

I'd like to rebut the letter from Greg Lanning (Times, Jan. 26).

Although well written and rather feisty when attacking Robert Rock, I think Mr.

Lanning is missing the point.

Going on technicality about what "tar" is, Orwellian diction doublespeaks, and the opinion of a columnist in the Vancouver Sun is all fine but like I mentioned, beside the point.

The real question is: at what point are we as a society going to put our foot down and have the guts to think about the future?

Now I'm as worried about jobs as the next guy but some costs are just too high. Eisenhower warned us about quick industrialization and Jimmy Carter warned us about consumerism, two strong suits of the neoconservatives.

I say 'neo' because unlike real conservatives, they are far from frugal.

Yes, the oil industry does create some jobs, even some high paying ones but to think that it's worth destroying our world, who's the real radical?

I say screw your job! You can be retrained, other sectors and jobs can be just as easily created; it just takes political will and guts.

Just look at Germany, already on top of the world by investing in new green technology, or the U.S., clamping down the old fossil fuel bandwagon.

The reason the oil sands are being used is because we've likely reached Hubbart's peak, the reason we need more revenue is because of careless spending - the race to the bottom started with the neo-conservative banging the failed free enterprise drum (ie. 2008 recession).

We were warned.

Kevin Francis Mission