Desmond Tutu calls oil sands ‘filth’

The retired Anglican eco-cult Archbishop, giggling guru, Desmond Tutu has pronounced the Alberta oil sands “filth”. He must have flown from South Africa to Fort McMurray, where he intoned his disapproval, using jet fuel distilled exclusively from nice clean Saudi oil, the country where women are not allowed to drive, Christians are persecuted, rape victims are caned and girls are likely to have their genitals mutilated. He remains obstinately silent about that; much easier and more profitable to whine about Canadian oil sands.

From here:tutujpg

Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu has called Alberta’s oilsands “filth” created by greed, and has urged all sides to work together to protect the environment and aboriginal rights.

“The fact that this filth is being created now, when the link between carbon emissions and global warming is so obvious, reflects negligence and greed,” Tutu told more than 200 rapt attendees a conference on oilsands development and treaty rights in Fort McMurray.

17 thoughts on “Desmond Tutu calls oil sands ‘filth’

    • So they (the Indians of Fort McMurray) used him for political purposes. And he either he was too stupid to realize it or he has allowed himself to become a lobbyist for a special interest group. And if he is now a lobbyist he should stop calling himself a Bishop because he is no longer being a servant of God.

      • The point of my comment was that Tutu was invited to come and speak about the oil sands, so it is unfair to criticize him for not speaking on the other topics that David mentioned in his post. .

        Further, I don’t think he refers to himself as Archbishop anymore (perhaps “former” or “emeritus”) but the media may still refer to him with the title. But even if he did use the title, I don’t see any reason why he can’t express his opinion on the matter. After all, most of us are not experts on the subjects we discuss on this blog.

  1. If he only preached the Gospel with the commitment he does on these issues ,he would be doing a lot more for the Kingdom then what he is doing now. The problem ,I think ,is I don’t think he really believes the gospel as once delivered by the saints

  2. In their natural state, the Tar Sands are filthy. The fact of the matter is, the process of oil extraction from the filthy tar sands produces cleaned sand.
    Eons ago the tar sands were pristine until geologic and other factors co-operated to contaminate the sand with oil–but that’s ok because humans weren’t involved and therefore it’s *natural*, organic, etc.,

    We think our ancestors thought and behaved strangely sometimes. What will our forebears think of us?

  3. He is just one more example of how a once Faithful Church has been disfigured into something else. That something else being, in this case, environazis.

    And Mr. Tutu likely wonders why so many of his “churches” are almost empty of Parishioners and closing.

  4. While I might have some question as to Bishop Tutu’s theology, I must state that I have serious concerns with the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and the irrepairable damage that it will create. Tragically most governments think only of claimed economic benefits as if something should be approved simply because it makes money. The companies behind this project care nothing about the truth and will say anything that they believe the general public will swallow. This issue also applies to what is referred to as “fracking” – blasting underground to release deposits of natural gas.

    • I agree with you Frank. Being concerned about environmental (or non-economic) factors with regards to development does not mean that we are flaming liberals or diluting the Gospel message. Sometimes I get the feeling that conservative/evangelical Christianity in North America is often tied too closely to the corporate agenda.

      • Truth is that we conservative/evangelical Christians have been conned by all of the propaganda being spewed out by the left wing. We conservative/evangelical Christians actually think for ourselves.

  5. One might ask the question as to what your thinking might be if your property was affected by either the pipeline or fracking process? No, tragically conservative people do not think any more or less than others. The false advertising by large corporations clearly show this to be the case.

    • Typical disjointed and flawed liberal “thinking”:
      Actions by one party (i.e. corporate advertising) is indicative of the abilities of another party (i.e. mental ability of conservative/evangelical Christians).
      Please do explain just how corporate advertising shows me to be stupid.

      And seeing as you raise the issue of property values perhaps you would be kind enough to explain why the people in rural Ontario should have their property values and health adversely effected by the hundreds of wind turbines that the city living liberals and environmentalists think are so wonderful.

  6. I am definitely not Liberal and if you want examples of how corporate advertising shows me to be stupid just look at recent advertisements by the auto industry, employee pricing?? – if you swallow that you must be stupid yet that is what they want the public to believe. The advertisments by Enbridge with respect to the Northern Gateway Pipeline are equally deceptive. Wind turbines are certainly more scenic than the land after an oil spill.

    • You are spot on Frank. Even business schools are researching how corporations are manipulating the minds of society.

      Here is an article that I read recently about how Tim Horton’s has even manipulated our perception of its history so that we feel more connected to it.

      http://www.researchgate.net/publication/256799868_History_as_Social_Memory_Assets_The_example_of_Tim_Hortons/file/5046352693ae6f2938.pdf

      So while we often criticize liberal-leaning Christians for blindly accepting the environmental message, we need to understand that conservative-leaning Christians often equally swallow the corporate message. Both groups need to realize how they are being shaped.

    • May I surmise by your stated opinion that “Wind turbines are certainly more scenic…” that you do not have much experience with them in the area that you live.

      Allow me to convey my own personal experience with these behemoths. As I drive along highway 21 on my way to work I pass through a “wind-farm” of more than 100 turbines. The wind is blowing and the sun is shining, and the shadows of their huge blades falls upon the highway, resulting in a flicker effect that: distracts attention away from the road, makes it almost impossible to see oncoming traffic, and gives me a headache in a matter of seconds! But not to worry. These gentle giants that are so incredibly environmental only sit upon concrete foundations the size of houses. Of course the environmentalists do not concern themselves at all with the amount of acid these foundations leach into our farmland! Neither do they seem to be at all aware of the devastating effect on the earth worm population that is severely effected by electro-magnetism. Oh yah, earth worms. Those slimy little creatures that do so much to facilitate natural fertilization and irrigation of the soil.

      But so what. Lets just continue to liberally blind ourselves and swallow the propaganda of people like Tutu. After all the electricity from the wind turbines is ever so “green” and powers so many cars. Wait a moment. Just what percentage of cars run on electricity and not gas produced from oil??? And lets not forget to consider all those transport trucks pulling huge trailers across our country all running on electricity, along with the trains and planes and ocean freighters.

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