Anti-wind group dividing Cape community

SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2011 It's good to see the Cape Vincent community coming together to support our elementary school. I was hoping we could move beyond the destructive divisiveness the Cape's anti-wind group has dragged our community through.

But instead, they've stepped up their political games, trying to make people believe that the only thing that matters is banning renewable energy from our agricultural district. Just as we are rallying support for our community's school, local blogs are labeling our community members as Nazis and terrorists.

I guess the anti-wind group feels threatened by Voters for Wind. Though many in Voters for Wind are our volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians, opponents of renewable energy can't stop writing about how much these community members are nothing but terrorists and thugs.

While our community is going through a crisis of the possible school closing, the anti-wind preachers are doing all they can to distract people from the fact that wind revenue will benefit our school district. While we have a crisis of not enough young families living in the Cape year-round, local blogs are screaming that all focus must be on Cape's summer resort interests, and all potential year-round business development must be chased out of town.

And while we are trying to unite our community, the blogs are trying to drive a wedge between year-round residents and seasonal residents, when I know for a fact that many seasonal residents know wind revenue could reduce taxes and improve Cape's waterfront, and they support wind development for those reasons.

Anti-wind group members target community members and make you feel like they're your best friend, when they are only using you for your vote. Will they stay your best friend after the next election?

Wind opponents say they're not manipulative, but I've seen how they talk online and everything is all capital letters, all exclamation points, and everything is blown way out of proportion. First they say something is a certain number. A few months later, that number is doubled. A few months later, the number is tripled. No evidence is ever given to support their escalating numbers. When one fictitious number isn't scary enough anymore, they just come up with higher, scarier fictitious numbers.

These are tactics of people who do not have facts on their side. The anti-wind group is just scaring our community members. And it's a shame they are doing this during these difficult times.

Harvey White Cape Vincent




This letter appeared in the Thousand Islands Sun ~ 4/ 13/2011