lakes of doom

I wonder how many lakes of putrid, poisonous, industrial crap of one type or another are lying behind inadequate "earthen embankments" just waiting to swamp homes and towns? And this threat is universal. Today it's central Europe, and that's just a start, because central Europe/western Russia is known as the most industrially polluted region in the world. (A dam broke in Hungary and its sequel is imminent there. Lives and property have been destroyed.) CLICK

In recent years, dams have broken in Kentucky and Tennessee and filled the landscape with filth.

I've had it to up to my ears with the "tree hugger" charge of people who think that's some sort of argument against environmentalist who try to call attention to this sort of looming disaster. Yes, I'm a tree hugger -- as are most of my friends -- and yes I believe that resources should be set aside to clean up these messes, if possible, before towns are submerged and more rivers are destroyed.

We are so good at reacting to disasters, why can't we get better at predicting them and averting them? More power to the environmentalists out there, including one of my sons, Steve, who are struggling to make a difference in this holy war.