This little bit of soapbox oratory certainly falls into the broadest interpretation of the Town Hall's purpose of affording a place for topics that don't fit elsewhere. My apologies in advance to those who might be inclined to suggest that I get myself a blog.

I tend to steer clear of threads focused on politics, quasi-political topics, and 'causes', such as global-warming, etc - no matter how strongly I feel about them - positively or negatively. They engender much hard feeling, rarely change anyone's mind, and are, generally, more boring than informative. Yes, they're important - they impact our lives, our society, our pocketbooks, and the world - but, for me, they tend to be matters with which I deal within myself or in less public circles than the internet.

Tonight, however, I read a brief piece which so aggravated me that I'm compelled to post about it. The topic was the effect on the earth's carbon footprint of the cutting of a tree. First off, I need to acknowledge my personal animus is very pro-environmental, so it's rather out of character for me to take umbrage with someone who's promoting a pro-ecological viewpoint. But, this had that effect and, for better or worse, I decided that it was here that I'd vent about it.

Just How 'Green' Is The Boston Christmas Tree? quotes a professor of environmental policy at a local university as he muses about the negative environmental effects resulting from the annual cutting of a tree in Nova Scotia and its subsequent transport to Boston for display on the Boston Common.

The tree in question is chosen, according to some rather stringent criteria, as the result of a year-long search conducted by Nova Scotia's Provincial Department of Natural Resources. And, yes, the selected tree is, always, an awesome speciman. And, yes, it is one that has stood majestically, for decades. And, yes, I can appreciate very well what a shame it is that such a beautiful sign of God's design of nature is sacrificed to a chain saw's blade. But, as much as I might object in other circumstances, I find myself unable to do so in these.

For almost 40 years, the people of the Province of Nova Scotia have annually gifted the people of Boston with such a tree. And it is the symbolism of the gift - the reason why it is given and the circumstances that it remembers - which, for me, take it out of the realm of events over which hands should be wrung for it as an insult to the environment.

On 6 December 1917, a horrendous explosion rocked Halifax harbor when a fully-loaded French munitions ship collided with a Norwegian vessel. At least 2,000 people in Halifax and surrounding communities were killed, over 9,000 were injured in the blast and its aftermath, and every single structure in a 500km area was flattened by what was the largest accidental man-made explosion ever to occur. One cannot be anything other than awed by photos of the devastation. In today's money, the damage exceeded $400 million dollars. The resultant fires and a blizzard that night compounded the horror.

In a kinder, gentler, time, when the border between the US and its northern neighbor was little more than a line on a map, news of what happened reached Massachusetts by telegraph. Twelve hours after the explosion, a train left Boston carrying about 100 medical personnel, almost 100 volunteer construction workers, and tons of supplies.

The railroads cleared the tracks of all other traffic to allow the relief train to travel the 700 mile distance, unhindered, at breakneck speed. That train arrived less than 30 hours later, despite the need to stop several times and have its passenger workers shovel snow from the tracks. A second train, outfitted with a full complement of equipment and supplies to set up a full-service 500 bed emergency field hospital, and an additional 100 medical personnel, together with more workers, was dispatched the following morning. And there was a continued outpouring of clothing, etc, for weeks afterwards.

It's that event and the response to it by the citizenry of Massachusetts which first fostered the gift of a Christmas tree from the people of Nova Scotia to those of Boston in 1918. About 40 years ago, the Province announced that it wished to revive the giving and has done so since.

Living in Massachusetts, like anywhere, has its pluses and minuses, its ups and downs, but each time I hear the story of the 'why' behind this annual happening, my pride in being from here is - if only for a bit - renewed.

So, I find myself compelled in this instance to suggest that the well-meaning professor who, like me, is concerned with the environment and what is being done to it, find a real issue. Let a tradition, which both remembers mankind being selfless in the face of its neighbors' need and also shows that people still are gracious enough to give thanks for kindness rendered, alone.