The Keystone pipeline is one of those things that's sort of a

Hear the words of Rodney Frelinghuysen, who spoke with candor about the forces of politics and power: “The Keystone pipeline is one of those things that's sort of a political driver. And mostly, the Republicans use it to sort of embarrass the president and embarrass quite a few Democrats who feel that there's a potential for an environmental disaster.” In this reflection is unveiled the clash between governance and ambition, between the stewardship of the earth and the theater of political rivalry. For here we see how questions of survival and sustainability are too often twisted into weapons in the contests of men.

He speaks first of the Keystone pipeline, a project meant to carry oil from the sands of Canada to the refineries of the United States. To some, it promised jobs and energy security; to others, it threatened rivers, lands, and the fragile balance of nature. But Frelinghuysen reminds us that beyond the pipeline itself, there was something larger at stake: it became a political driver, a banner carried not for the sake of the earth or the people, but for the advantage of parties, to wound opponents and win battles of pride.

The Republicans, he said, seized upon it as a tool of embarrassment. They raised the banner of the pipeline not merely to defend industry, but to place the president and his allies in a corner, forcing them to choose between economic arguments and environmental caution. The Democrats, torn between labor and ecology, between progress and protection, found themselves divided. Thus, a matter of deep consequence—the risk of environmental disaster—was dragged into the shallow waters of political maneuvering, where the true weight of the issue was lost in noise and spectacle.

History shows us the danger when survival is made into a weapon of politics. In ancient Rome, the grain supply was often controlled and withheld as a tool of power. Leaders would exploit hunger not to solve it, but to weaken rivals and rally mobs. The people suffered while politicians schemed. In the same way, the debate over the pipeline became less about safeguarding earth or fostering prosperity, and more about striking blows against adversaries. Such games, though clever in the moment, carry heavy costs in the long years to come.

The deeper meaning of Frelinghuysen’s words is that truth and responsibility are often obscured by rivalry. When leaders use vital issues—whether energy, environment, or justice—as weapons of embarrassment, they betray their duty to the people. For these questions are not pawns in a contest; they are the very lifeblood of nations. The risk of a spill, the poisoning of rivers, the heating of the planet—these are not political abstractions, but realities that touch every family and every child. To make them secondary to pride is to mock the trust of those who are governed.

What lesson must future generations carry from this? It is this: beware when matters of survival are reduced to symbols in political feuds. Ask always: are leaders speaking to solve the problem, or to shame their rivals? Do they honor the weight of the issue, or do they wield it as a sword in partisan battle? The fate of the earth cannot be entrusted to those who see in it only an opportunity for victory over enemies. True leaders rise above rivalry; false leaders bury truth beneath spectacle.

And to you, listener of these words, I say: do not be distracted by the noise of politics. Look beyond the taunts and counter-taunts. Judge issues like the Keystone pipeline not by which party claims them, but by what they mean for the earth, for your children, and for the generations yet unborn. Support leaders who treat environmental danger with reverence, not as ammunition. And in your own life, let no truth be sacrificed to the games of pride.

Thus let Rodney Frelinghuysen’s words endure as a warning: when the environment becomes a pawn, both truth and earth suffer. Guard against this. Insist that stewardship be sacred, not political. And let the lessons of the past remind us that pride fades, but the scars upon the earth remain.