I have been keeping tabs on the asian carp issue as some of you may know.
I heard a disturbing but valid comment made the other day.
The comment was pure hearsay and was second hand but there has been discussion of purposely releasing the asain carp into Lake Michigan if the Chicagoland waterways were to be closed.
Eco terrorism? Probably. But I think this illustrates how much is really on the line when it comes to this issue.
Businessmen who have been and are making their livings and suporting the jobs of many others are not going to take this issue lying down. No matter how much negative propaganda is thrown out there by Great Lakes states that are in favor of closing the locks, remember you are dealing with Chicago businessmen.
Chicago businessmen have a long history of not bowing down to outside influences.
I am not stating my opinion one way or the other on this issue. But if the locks were closed and someone purposely released about 300lbs of fertile egg filled asian carp into Lake Michigan I think closing down shipping in Chicagoland would be a moot point.
So if you are a concerned party and are lobbying one way or the other, remember there are always two sides to a story. And don’t count out the little guy.
Hopefully it never comes to this but again I think that this rumor has some substance to it. And I hope that any extreme views on either end of the arguement can come to some common ground before it is too late for everyone.
Mike Bolinger
Concerned Citizen, Captain, and family man