Like the vast majority of Minnesotans, I greatly value clean water, clean air and clean land.

My current understanding is that the Minnesota House of Representatives voted Feb. 10, 2011, to exempt the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board from the environmental review process. If Polymet or whatever group or groups are allowed to mine in northeastern Minnesota, an enormous area of land and amount of water will be devastated for centuries to come.

A related great concern is coal, commonly used as a fuel source for utilities power generation. Coal produces more radiation than our nuclear reactors are allowed for generating power. Coal is also rife with other terrible pollutants, causing enormous health difficulties and great loss of life throughout the planet.

We seemingly have legislators who are callous to the extent of loathing our health and solidarity in a healthy environment to provide for ourselves and future generations. If right-wing-nut extremists, henceforth “the buck starts here” Repugnikans, and the remainder only slightly to the left of them continue to grow numerically as some dumb and Dumberkrats are, altogether effectively constituting America’s home-grown Taliban in their enthusiasm for eliminating our abilities to make a living, or, to even live at all, they should enact legislation that provides them with unemployment compensation if it is not allowed for them. Legislators continuing to cater only to the very few, rather than to the very many, will never have my vote, regardless of party affiliation.

Many moons ago Garrison Keillor, as North Dakotans were apparently considering changing the name of their state, suggested they change it to “South Canada.” Perhaps “Minnesota” should be changed to “North Mississippi”?

These radical right-wing-nut extremists blather “revolution.” History records that for every revolution, there is a counter-revolution.

Rick Mammel

Albert Lea