It is obvious from reading some letters to the editor in this newspaper that there are people out there who have already made up their mind to be against the Ajax mine proposal.

I think that this is akin to a person finding someone guilty of a crime before there has been due process, a chance for evidence to be weighed, and an educated decision made.

Without benefit of thoughtful due process, it is hard to believe anyone could come to such definitive conclusions?

Consider that there is going to be a significant amount of study done in and around the Ajax site as part of its submission to environmental review. Most of the groundwork is not yet complete, and is therefore not ready for distribution to the public.

Yet, there are some people in the public who don’t even want to see the outcome of these studies, and therefore are making their decision upon poor evidence. These are not people that I would want to see on a jury, if I were to have the misfortune of becoming a defendant.

The source of all this animosity toward the proposed Ajax mine stems from an uneducated conclusion that mining is bad in general, and should be avoided at all cost.

Mining is one of the fundamental activities that allow the creation of the environment to which we all have become accustomed.

Most everything around you, in your home, garage, school, office, or play area has been made from materials that were originally mined from a source. If it cannot be grown, it has to be mined.

I cannot help but conclude that these people think that gas comes from a gas station, food comes from the grocery store, and everything can be obtained without ever having to deal with how it comes to be.

The more these people distance themselves from the concept that animals die so that they can eat, wheat fields are plowed flat and fertilized to allow crops, gas is extracted from sources and shipped to stations, and minerals and other materials are mined, the better they feel.

This if fundamentally wrong. The truth is not convenient to them.

This brings me to the most annoying aspect that seeps through the anti-Ajax, anti-mining people; that it is somehow holier to stand against projects of this type rather than letting them go through due process.

The Ajax mine could be a benefit to those who want, and maybe even need, it to go ahead. For every person that is totally against the proposal at this stage, and just want to keep things stagnant for their own benefit, there are a greater number of people who really want good paying jobs, need the minerals that are to be mined, and understand that the review process should be allowed to proceed.

I, for one, hope that the review process is successful and the mine will be allowed to operate.

I wish that those who are attempting to derail the Ajax proposal at this early stage would stow away their greed to save a piece of land for their own benefit (be it land that has been previously mined and belongs to the mining company) and allow due process to proceed.

Make an informed decision based upon the best evidence available, not an ignorant one based upon opinion and biased beliefs.

PERRY GRUNENBERG

Kamloops