Trying to gather a few thoughts here. Right now the word is overwhelmed! Why? I went over to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) website and ended up surfing all over the place looking at dioxin information. Not to pass on the overwhelmed concept, I'm going to take this in small bites... beginning with the LoneTree Council. Knowing little about the LoneTree Council, I googled it. All I could find was a little definition put on the internet by a student at Saginaw Valley State University:

Lone Tree Council

The Lone Tree Council first formed in 1978 when there was a proposed nuclear power plant to be built in Midland, MI, known as Dow Chemical. They are a nonprofit environmental group with the mission to keep the water and air within the tri-cities area fresh and clean.

The Lone Tree Council has a lot of influence in our area. It appears that they are largely responsible for getting DEQ to designate my back yard as a 'toxic waste facility'... my backyard where we raised six daughters, all of whom grew up healthy and above average in intelligence... who in turn are now raising my six grandchildren, all of whom are healthy and above average intelligence! Must have been all those good vegetables we grew in our 'toxic waste facility' eh? Thanks, Dioxin!!!

Now I see the DEQ is taking their advice from an Environmental Advisory Council (EAC). I quote DEQ here: "The EAC consists of 25 members representing a wide range of interests affected by DEQ activities including citizen organizations, the regulated community, local government, academia, and others." I do not see the majority of people in the 'toxic waste facility' river floodplain represented here. I do not see any evidence of sickness in those of us who lived here our whole lifetime. I do not see the majority of people who lived here their whole lives complaining about dioxin.

I do see a group of extremists trying to change the comfortable lifestyle of the local citizens... farmers, retirees and families who enjoy the quiet life living near the river. I do see wildlife thriving right here in my own back yard. I do see a bureaucratic organization determined to satisfy the few extremists to the detriment of a satisfied majority. I do see some of those extremists 'representing' me (and I don't like it) ... who in turn advise the DEQ.

What do these people really want?