If you are ...

If you are a POC, LGBTQ, a white person with any degree of compassion, a woman, a young adult, a senior, and anyone who cares about our planet, education, health care, democracy, civil rights, freedom, constitutional rights, and peace, then you really need to vote 

 

 

Why pay attention to the SOTU?

Most people pay a little attention to the State of the Union Address. They can be boring and filled with lots of rhetoric and horn tooting. However, the SOTU given on 1/20/15 is worthy of attention because it lays out the battle lines for American politics for the next few years leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

Of particular interest should be the GOP/Tea Party response. Their response, and the public reaction, will determine if we continue down the path of oligarchy (rule by the few and wealthy), or whether we reclaim the republic where we are a government for the people. Do we continue to help the wealthy or do we step up for the workers? Do we help the elderly or shunt them off to poverty in oblivion? Do we care about families or only those with the 'right' last names? Do we let loose the Cracken  of an unfettered Wall Street or rein in the abuses of unregulated money changers? Do we protect the environment and try to have a better world for our children/grandchildren or seek to make money with disregard for the consequence? Do we let consumers make intelligent/informed choices concerning the food they eat and the products they buy, or just ignore dangers of manipulated and tainted products? Are we all partners in the economy, politics, and culture, or, as in Animal Farm, are some more equal than others?

These are just some of the pressing questions and lines that have been drawn by the SOTU. We really need to pay attention or quick bitchin'. We create our reality, please do so wisely.

Thank you Sen. Angus King

XL pipeline vote failed in Senate by one vote. " And on Tuesday afternoon, Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with the Democrats, announced that he was voting "no" on the measure." HP

While this vote will return in January, we appreciate Senator King saying no to Big Oil and shame on you Senator Collins and all you democrats who voted for this environmental disaster in the making. The pipeline will not create thousand of permanent jobs or lower oil prices. Get real people, end reliance on oil.

Disastrous not just for Democrats

Yup, democrats got whipped big time on November 4th. But they will not be the only ones to suffer. With the republicans running the show, look for new trade deals in Europe and the Asia. Sounds good? Well, have free trade deals ever increased jobs at home? No. Just as the American economy is thinking about turning around, more jobs will be sent to foreign shores. Further, most of the "free" trade deals on the table allow corporations to override local business rules and environmental regulations. Look for Wall Street to make more money and for workers to lose more jobs.

Higher wages for American workers? Yeah, right. We know where the GOP stands on raising the minimum wage.

Better jobs and higher wages for women? Umm, no.

Protection and proper response to changing climate? Not a chance. Regardless of the causes of climate change, reliance on fossil fuels , strip mining, record CO2 emissions, poisoning water supplies with fracking chemicals, massive oil spills, deforestation, arctic drilling, over fishing, acid oceans from pollution, etc., are definitely not a good thing for us or the environment. The GOP and its big money supporters have, recently, done nothing to solve these problems and are often the cause of them.

Banking reform and regulations that help Main Street and small business? Well, we know what's happening there: nothing but rules that benefit big corporations.

Peaceful approaches in foreign affairs? Isn't it the GOP that asks for more definitive military action in the Middle East?

This is not a very good time for the nation to shift to the political right. Yup, you can smoke dope in several new places but in the total scheme of things, will that really matter?

Yes, the election of 2014 was indeed disastrous.

The Wheel Turns

Does life seem like deja vu? 

One would think that after thousands of years of history, humanity would at least begin to get it. Despite thousands of years of warnings by prophets and seers, one would think that humanity would pay some heed to the events that surround them. Despite the lessons from science: that if you deplete your resources species die; you can't breathe CO2 and methane; acid oceans = no fish; polluted soil = no food; extinction is not healthy ... people would pay some heed to the signs of the times.

While the world's economy has created a new wave of isolationism, there are those who can read the signs and who take advantage of the weakness. We know that if you don't stand up to bullies, they sense the fear and bully even more. The cost of dealing with the issue later is far greater than, as the cliche says, nipping it in the bud now. Or, do not put off until the 'morrow, what can be accomplished today.

We are not dealing with climate change and the price to do so later will be staggering. We are not dealing with Putin or Syria and the cost to do so later will be staggering. We are not dealing with our polluted soils and air and the cost to do so, if there is a later, will be staggering.

The Wheel Turns.

False Hope or a Changing World?

At this point it would appear that the U.S. will not bomb Syria. And today, Iran promises it will never build a nuclear weapon. There is no saber rattling in Israel. China is quiet with its demands in Asia.  And, while Putin is a loose screw, there are no current threats from Russia. Is this a world moving toward peace? A sign that perhaps humanity is turning a corner?

Then we have Republicans who really seem to have it in for the sick, elderly, and the hungry. Businesses are raking in the cash, banks are whistling Dixie, all the while the middle class is shrinking and the poor are getting poorer.

Certainly these are interesting times; a period of transition. The environment is on a precipice, and yet we have the technology to alter its course. There is feast and famine; abundance and perceived scarcity; war and rumors of peace.

If there was ever a time to try to influence decisions, this would be it.

Silence

Silence is often deafening. I'm reminded of the song from Simon and Garfunkel, Sounds of Silence.

"And in the naked light I saw Ten thousand people, maybe more People talking without speaking People hearing without listening  

People writing songs that voices never share and no one dared Disturb the sound of silence"

Read more: SIMON AND GARFUNKEL - SOUNDS OF SILENCE LYRICS

So much is going on in the world, yet so few talk about what's happening. While something very fundamental is changing, silence is the sound that's heard. Make a social media post about a failing economy, floods, droughts, solar anomalies, lakes at the North Pole, methane from a thawing Tundra, the danger of fluoride, natural cures, oil spills ... and if you're lucky, you might get a few 'likes' and maybe even a comment or two, usually from the same people who post similar stories. But make a post with a cute kitten, horse, an actor, or what to have for dinner, and the comments are minion. An inspirational quote that few will ever live by gets many thumbs up, but mention that soda is turning our kids into mush and few dare to 'disturb the sound of silence.'

Are people simply in denial? Do they fear change? Truth?

"And the people bowed and prayed To the neon God they made And the sign flashed out it's warning In the words that it was forming And the signs said, 'The words of the prophets Are written on the subway walls and tenement halls' And whispered in the sounds of silence"

 

Perhaps it's just one of those days beset by frustration. Perhaps it's just all the cloudy weather. Perhaps it's the toll taken by so many years of of trying to alert people that "Somethings happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear."

 

Perhaps I just need another cup of coffee.

THE DEBRIS IS ON EVERY BEACH

in Alaska. The environmental disaster on the Alaskan coastline is probably one the least reported stories.
This from NPR:




"Last summer, the state paid for an aerial survey to inspect 2,500 miles of Alaska's coastline. Elaine Busse Floyd, who's with the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, says there was tsunami debris on every beach photographed.
"They took over 8,000 pictures, and it was more widespread and in greater quantities than we even expected," Floyd says."
"In a lot of ways, it's a lot worse than the oil spill," Pallister says, "both in the geographic scope of it and the chemicals that are coming with it. And who knows what the impacts are going to be?"

 http://www.npr.org/2013/02/06/170858057/refrigerators-bottles-foams-tsunami-debris-lands-in-alaska?ft=1&f=1007

 http://youtu.be/QtpGmuBtKMU





Last May, we reported that on 40 tons of debris from the 2011 Tsunami that devastated coastal regions of Japan had washed up on Montague Island in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Since then, trash has continued to land on Alaska’s beaches, and cleanup efforts have been sluggish at best. The trash could have a serious long-term effects on the environment, but the federal government has been slow to act, and little money has been devoted to cleaning up the beaches so far.

Read more: Debris from 2011 Japanese Tsunami Continues to Threaten Alaskan Environment | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building 

 

Once again, we must ask, why are stories like this not making the news? Is it because it might hurt the tourist industry? Is all about dollars and not about protecting the environment? How many more disasters are not being reported or greatly under reported?

 

Many groups, organizations and individuals are trying to inform us all about these kinds of stories. Of course, mainstream media paints these people as fringe idiots. Occasionally someone like NPR catches on. It is clear that if you want to know what is happening, what really matters to the planet, you'll need to look elsewhere for the truth. The planet is in trouble and only knowing what is going on will give us a chance to help save it---from us!

LACKING VISION, NO DREAM

Well, not sure we have had one in recent times. When I was growing up, the American Dream was to have a house in the suburbs and a two car garage; a one car garage if you were blue collar; a house if at the bottom of blue collar; a meal if you were really poor. You were supposed to love your job, your family and you had to save to send your kids to college so they could one day get their house and two car garage. That was really about it. Oh, of course you went to church.

Hmmm, not really a great dream, is it? Americans have lost their vision and have no dream. We do not even seem to ask what we, as a people and a nation, want for our future. Instead, we are caught up in the mechanics of life and have lost the dream of life. The debate on gun control is not a vision, but rather a diversion from saying we want a society where we are safe from harm from one another. The debate over Social Security and Medicare/caid cuts does not say we want all to be able to have freedom to live a long healthy life. Those wanting to revise the tax code say nothing about what a tax system should be. The arguments over CO2 emissions does not say we want a pollution free environment. Our economic fiascoes say nothing about having sustainable economies in which all have free access to prosperity. The list goes on.

This problem is symptomatic of the loss of individual dreams and visions  which, taken together, create the national vision. Most just want to make it to the next day. Most pray they don't get sick or fired. Most would, indeed, sacrifice the environment for a job. Most hope their kids will hurry up and grow and move out.

Without a vision, a dream, a road map, there is no clear direction we, as individuals or the collective, wants to go. If you don't where you want to go, chances are you'll never get there. Battles in congress will continue to plague us because we are hung up on the mechanics of life. Wall Street will continue to rule our lives because we are afraid to reach for something different. Truly, there may be more than one road to reach a destination, but you have to know where you want to go. Until a destination is chosen, many will have us detour to places that simply make no sense, and that simply may be our downfall.

Don't let the bastards get you down!

 

I had a disheartening conversation with an acquaintance of mine a few days ago. Being well educated, she has followed the antics of the banks, the economic fiascoes, political idiocy in congress, the constant denial about climate change, Monsanto and the GMO conspiracy, and the general head in the sand affliction being experienced by so many.

She said, "I give up. I'm going to close my doors (I think she meant in her mind, not home) and just not listen anymore. There's nothing I can do anyway."

I told her that if she did that, then THEY win. They have beaten you into submission and that has been their plan all along. Like, "Your vote doesn't make a difference" as a tool to keep people from voting while they line up their faithful at the ballot boxes.

So, she may have just been having a bad day, but with all that is happening in the world, don't let the bastards get you down. THEIR hope is that as issues drag on and no actions are taken, people will forget about the problems and/or just give up in frustration, thereby, they keep control. This is not a time for indifference or complacency. I have heard others say that since nothing happened on 12/21/12, all of this Earth change must be a bunch of bunk. That is so far from the truth and so much is changing that if you are aware, it makes your head spin. But you see, THEY wanted people to believe that changes were going to be a ONE DAY event. And, since nothing happened, there are obviously no problems. That was their spin many have fallen prey to this lie.

Keep watching, stay alert, stay tuned, that big lady has not even begun to sing ... yet.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Study predicts imminent irreversible planetary collapse

This is an important story that needs constant repeating. Time is not on your side!
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Study_predicts_imminent_irreversible_planetary_collapse_999.html

Using scientific theories, toy ecosystem modeling and paleontological evidence as a crystal ball, 18 scientists, including one from Simon Fraser University, predict we're on a much worse collision course with Mother Nature than currently thought. In Approaching a state-shift in Earth's biosphere, a paper just published in Nature, the authors, whose expertise span a multitude of disciplines, suggest our planet's ecosystems are careening towards an imminent, irreversible collapse.
Earth's accelerating loss of biodiversity, its climates' increasingly extreme fluctuations, its ecosystems' growing connectedness and its radically changing total energy budget are precursors to reaching a planetary state threshold or tipping point.

2MIN News Apr12

URBAN FRONTIERS

About Utopian Frontiers – The Book

What if there was a secret city at work on finding answers to the survival of humanity? Technologies beyond your imagination; a city expanding, recruiting and evolving. There is no government, no money, no bosses, institutions, cars or roads; and age takes on new meaning.

This “facity” is one big research product in and of itself, and nothing else quite like it exists on this Earth. This is the city that Erwin Sharp and his family are drawn into on the fringes of a national park. They fall headfirst down the rabbit hole into a world of space probes, cancer cures, and a core myth that defies belief. They soon realize that some doors are only meant to swing one way. This is a parable of trust and hope–a flashing beacon of hope in a world hell-bent on destroying itself. It is ultimately a story of ambition, of owning up to life, showing up and trading up. In a story that is as controversial as it is reassuring, sometimes it is possible to find something you always hoped existed, and in finding it, you confront your own truth as much as that of the world you live in.

About Utopian Frontiers Non-Profit Organization

UTOPIAN FRONTIERS FOUNDATION is a non profit organization dedicated to developing multi-media works intended to educate and provoke meaningful discourse on global environmental concerns – including the relationship between humankind and technology.

To educate and increase the public’s understanding of the environment and its importance by offering courses, seminars, conferences and meetings and by collecting
and disseminating information on that topic.

EXCERPT

“This research city explores the relationship between human- kind and technology, in service to ecology. Most people think that technology is a laptop or the cockpit of a fighter jet. Technology is the use of tools and techniques, methods and systems to solve a problem or serve a purpose. Meditation is incredibly sophisticated technology.”

She led them out of a side door and into a landscaped garden with benches and water features, plants and drinking fountains. A path wends through the trees out of sight, and Beth spots it coming back into view by a rose garden near a rock outcrop.

“This is just so sublime,” said Beth taking in the full measure of the landscaped gardens. “And inspiring, and peaceful.”

“You can’t put a price on beauty and peace… and you shouldn’t try.”

They both sat together on a bench by an arbor overlooking a section of the undisturbed outer valley, taking in the view for several minutes. Barbara broke the silence.

“Elizabeth, have you ever had an experience that you willed to happen, and when it did you just accepted that you’d brought it into your life because there was no other explanation. It could be a chance meeting, phone call or email out of the blue, a gift of money, whatever?”

“Many times. Too many to count.”

“You created that. YOU created that. This is why energy consciousness is so important. Consciousness is real, it has an impact. Every single one of us creates the reality we see around us, in some small or large way, bringing it into being. We are what we think, and because all energy is connected, changing from one form to another, our thoughts are critical to the survival of our species. We attract into our lives that which we place our focus upon. Good luck, bad luck—they’re two halves of the same coin.”

“I strongly believe that too,” said Beth.

“Which is why you’d fit in well here. I can tell. But many transplants reject Vipassana without ever trying it, or they try it and leave on the first or second day. It’s hazardous.”

“To whom?”

“To themselves, and to everyone else. It’s like surgery. You go in deep, through the cutaneous, the fat and muscle, into the bone, inside the bone marrow, into the blood. This isn’t a game or a social activity. This is serious work. Never underestimate the power of our thoughts. If we collectively accept the perceived reality that this planet and all its inhabitants are doomed, we invite war and chaos to feed that reality. In the natural law, there is a cycle of destruction and creation. It’s not good or bad, it just is; and we summon either one, because we can be either one.”

“And you’re saying that Vipassana can do this, can influence this? I’m a big believer in meditation, for tranquility, to reduce stress. I had no idea of its potential to divert chaos in the world.”

“Vipassana means to ‘see things as they really are.’ To strip away the untruth to the ripened fruit of truth. The mind and the universe are one in the same thing, and it’s structured in layers. If we live our lives in the outer layer, we have limited influence to change things. But if we go within, into the potent rivers that bind us all into one vast ocean of conscious energy, we can move mountains like chess pieces. And the truth is that you, Elizabeth Sharp, and me, or a fisherman in Indonesia, are all spiritual beings of infinite potential. To hurt yourself is to hurt us all.”

“You mean in the collective conscious?” said Beth, enjoying their conversation and trying to keep pace.

“I should ask if you’re a religious person before I explain any further. I need to be careful as I have offended some people before.”

“No, I’m not religious, and you won’t offend me whatever you say. In fact, sometimes I long for someone to offend me just to prove to myself that I have a framework in place for what I do believe in.”

“I’m not a religious person either, in the sense of following an organized religion,” said Barbara. “But we respect religious practice here. I believe the true pursuit of religion is love, and love is positive energy. The negative references to religion you see in the media are when people claim religion as a motive for actions of non-love.”

Excerpt from Utopian Frontiers by Drew Tapley

For information about Utopian Frontiers, the book, the organization or the music, visit http://www.utopianfrontiers.com. To learn more about the book and to get your copy, visit http://www.amazon.com/Utopian-Frontiers-Story-Drew-Tapley/dp/1927005124/.

 

1/2 TIME IN AMERICA & THE WORLD

Truly,in the past, we have pulled together to solve pressing problems and to deal with pressing issues. The ad during the Super Bowl indicates that America can do what it sets out to do when we work together. Yes, America is at 1/2 time, trying to figure out what went wrong and how we can fix it. How can we change our game strategy and pull out a win, not just for jobs, but for the environment, our schools, our health care system, our safety net, the poor, homeless and perhaps even the world?

We cannot play the game as we have in the past. We cannot listen to those voices that would deny that the rules have changed. The game is no longer about money, it's about survival of the species. It is not about profit, it's about caring and helping. It's not about how many resources we can consume, but rather it's about how we save and re-use those resources. It's not about drilling, it's about the renewable alternatives. It's not about how much we can take, but about how much we can give. We came out of the locker room only to find a totally different field, with different rules, different players, and different ways to win and lose.

Can we change our game plan? We have to!

Chrysler - Clint Eastwood - Super Bowl Commercial

Remember These 12 Facts November 2nd

12 Environmental Facts to Keep in Mind on Election Day

389 – The concentration in parts per million of carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas, in the earth's atmosphere today.

38 – Percent increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration since the industrial revolution.

18 – Number of countries that have set all-time heat records so far in 2010.

82 – Percent decline in U.S. corn, cotton, and soybean production possible under current warming scenarios.

1 – Rank of 2010 so far as the hottest year on record (tied with 1998).

16 – Estimated number of Exxon Valdez-sized spills it would take to equal the amount of oil spilled into the Gulf after the BP Blowout.

4,342 – Total number of oiled birds collected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Gulf Coast region.

$68.5 million – Amount spent by Big Oil and its special interests allies this year on TV ads designed to elect pro-polluter candidates.

$514 million – Amount spent on lobbying and advertising by big polluters to stop the Senate from passing global warming legislation.

23,000 – Number of Americans whose lives will be saved in 2010 alone because of the Clean Air Act, according to EPA estimates.

232 – Number of toxic chemicals found in the umbilical cord of tested newborn babies in the U.S.

1 – The number of votes it takes to decide a close election. 

Please remember to vote on November 2, and please – vote your planet!

Sources:

• http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/
• http://co2now.org/ 
• http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.
  html?entrynum=1659 
• http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget/08/hl-full.htm 
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618143950.htm
• http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/crop-yields-could-wilt-heat/
• http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/?report=global&year=2010&
  month=9
• http://www.nwf.org/Oil-Spill/Effects-On-Wildlife/Compare-Exxon-
  Valdez-and-BP-Oil-Spills.aspx 
• http://www.restorethegulf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/
  Consolidated%20Wildlife%20Table%20102710.pdf
• http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2010/10/
  bigoilmoney.html
• http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/08/31/
  the-changing-climate-for-environmental-legislation.html 
• http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/
  legislating_for_a_new_climate/pdfs/SavetheCleanAirAct.pdf 
• http://ewg.org/minoritycordblood/home

SUMMER FROM HELL

FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE ACTION FUND

As Charles Dickens may have written of the summer that ended last week, "It was the worst of times. It was the worst of times."

There is brutal irony in the Senate's failure to take up a strong climate and energy bill during a summer when the world baked, melted, flooded, and burned.

Below is a summary of some of the most tragic and ominous climate impacts from this summer. We offer this list not to scare or depress you, but to:

1. Emphasize what's at stake and make it clear that the consequences of climate inaction are not theoretical – they are frighteningly real.
2. Inspire us all to stay in this fight and keep urging our leaders and our networks of friends, family, and colleagues to treat this environmental crisis seriously.

Afterall, the polluters aren't giving up -- not for a second. Even now, they and their well-heeled lobbyists are working overtime to secure Senate votes to limit the EPA's authority to cut climate pollution.

We must stop them. Please take this opportunity to email your Senators and urge them to oppose efforts to limit the EPA's authority to address the climate crisis.

Even if you have already emailed your Senators, email them again. Make sure they understand that the polluters may have the money and the lobbyists, but we have the numbers and we will stay in this fight for our planet's future.

Thank you!

Here are some of the most tragic and ominous events from this year's "Summer from Hell." Please forward this to everyone you know and urge them to get involved in this fight.

Summer from Hell: Our New Normal on a Warming Planet?

• 10 U.S. states had their hottest summer on record and all but 7 states were above normal. And summer nighttime heat records were set in 37 states.
• June-August global land surface temperature was the warmest on record, 1.80 F (1.00 C) above the 20th century average of 56.9 F (13.8 C) and surpassing the previous record of 1.66 F (0.92 C) set in 1998.
• For only the third time in the satellite record and the third time in the last four years, the Arctic sea ice extent fell below 5 million square kilometers (1.93 million square miles). This summer's Arctic sea ice extent fell more than 25% below the 1979-2009 31-year average.
• Arctic sea ice volume (extent and thickness) reached the lowest level ever recorded, prompting Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center to predict, "The Arctic summer sea ice cover is in a death spiral. It's not going to recover."
• A record Russian heat wave caused massive wildfires and drought and may have killed up to 15,000 people, cost the Russian economy $15 billion, and destroyed a third of the Russian grain crop, causing global wheat prices to nearly double. Peat bog and forest fires filled Moscow's air with carbon monoxide levels reaching 6.5 times more than the maximum allowable levels.
• Devastating floods inundated one-fifth of Pakistan, drove millions from their homes, and led to the deaths of more than 1,600 people. Up to a foot of rain fell in a 36-hour period and Ghassem Asrar, director of the World Climate Research Programme, pointed to climate change: "There's no doubt that clearly the climate change is contributing, a major contributing factor. We cannot definitely use one case to kind of establish precedents, but there are a few facts that point towards climate change as having to do with this."
• Hundreds of walruses on Alaska's North Slope were stampeded to death when they beached themselves on land because there were no sea ice floes available.
• This year's extreme heat is causing only the second known global bleaching of coral reefs. In oceans from Thailand to Texas, scientists fear this year's die-off may be as bad as or worse than in 1998 when an estimated 16% of the world's shallow water reefs were severely damaged. In the waters off the Philippines, 95% of the corals have died this year.

---

Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2010-09-08-record-summer-heat-_N.htm
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/09/37-states-set-nighttime-high-temperature-records-this-summer.php
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/hottestsummer/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100919104002.htm
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52896
http://psc.apl.washington.edu/ArcticSeaiceVolume/IceVolume.php
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-10/russia-may-lose-15-000-lives-15-billion-of-economic-output-in-heat-wave.html
http://www.economist.com/node/16994407
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100808/160116529.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/7937269/Pakistan-floods-Climate-change-experts-say-global-warming-could-be-the-cause.html
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Map-of-Pakistan-s-flood-area/Article1-591497.aspx
http://www.eenews.net/public/climatewire/2010/08/18/1
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/39278191#39278191
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/science/earth/21coral.html
http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0923-fidenci_coralbleach.html]

Louisiana: Raped Again and Left For Dead

The following is a review of my book, RAPING LOUISIANA: A DIARY OF DECEIT. While it is about the aftermath of Katrina, its words of warning are appropriate still. With the nation's worst environmental disaster looming heavy over the Gulf Coast, one cannot help but wonder what will become of this oil ravaged region. Already, BP is being slow to pay local governments and fishermen, businesses are on the verge of collapse, the people disheartened. This disaster has environmental/economic implications that have yet to even surface. How will the government respond? Can the government respond? Is there money to continue to pay for all of those things that are needed in light of what seems to be priorities elsewhere? When disasters strike foreign lands, we are quick to send aid. Why is it that when disaster strikes at home, we sit on our asses? Why is it that no foreign government offers to send us help? Maybe it is time to re-think this one way street. Maybe its time we stopped leaving our for dead and actually live our own creed-no one left behind!


Hurricane Katrina, a disaster of Biblical proportions, is no longer in the news but the devastation of the land and the victimization of the residents of the Gulf Coast continue. Philip Harris's Raping Louisiana - A Diary of Deceit addresses the aftermath of the storm through the eyes of Steve Burgoyne, a middle aged truck driver from upstate New York. The bluntly honest depiction of his yearlong odyssey working in the Katrina cleanup efforts reveals the corruption, the despair, and the government waste in detailed diary entries.

Burgoyne's descriptions, presented with the minutia of a daily journal, illustrate the three types of people who came to the Gulf in the aftermath of the storm: crooks, victims trying to survive, and the people who came because they genuinely care. Burgoyne met plenty of all, the faceless contractors came down to make a quick fortune off the government and the unfortunate; the victims as they wandered the streets of the Dead Zone in the lower ninth ward; and the men moving debris and clearing the streets of rubble.

Steve and his crew worked and lived in conditions little better than those of a third world country. They initially slept in travel trailers parked in horse pastures with no potable water or sewage facilities. But even in those conditions, the men stayed on working to make the land clear so the previous inhabitants of the Gulf Coast could return to their land. Every truck load carried away from previously populated area impacted the men who worked there. "It was stressful...you're picking up pieces of somebody's life." Throughout, it is evident that Burgoyne's family was his support network while he toiled in the land of the hopeless.

On the Gulf, with no affordable places to live, there is no working class to run the shops and businesses in the service industries. FEMA has made a feeble attempt to provide housing for those living in shelters surrounded by hopelessness. Those that stayed and now make their homes there are the disabled, the elderly, and the unskilled labor. They now sit in their FEMA provided formaldehyde-laced cages destitute and deeply depressed. The rebuilding of the city has completely ignored this disenfranchised population, government supplemented affordable housing is not a priority in the re-building boom.

New Orleans is currently the murder capital of the world. Depression, suicide, and anxiety are rampant. The devastation of the storm still takes victims in its path through drugs and alcohol abuse. The imported workers and those refugees who remained self-medicate as they live side by side in a ravaged land.

Ignored, forgotten, and abandoned the Gulf Coast is still a hotbed of contention and corruption. Raping Louisiana is a good read for raising America's social consciousness. We can provide millions of dollars to tsunami stricken countries, we can fund a war to fight terrorism, and we can forgive billions of dollars of foreign debt but we have written off our own citizens. Raping Louisiana should be a wakeup call to those who have forgotten Katrina and her victims. Is anybody listening?

Shannon Evans is recognized in the Puget Sound as an expert in how to make your business have a web presence rather than just a web page. Her conversational marketing techniques and practices outlined by Practical Local Search, LLC you will see your small business presence on the web increase: http://www.practicallocalsearch.com/ She is a consultant for social marketing campaigns that allow you to organize your marketing and sales efforts in an inexpensive delivery platform that is easy to set up and manage. The ability to send, deliver, and track any installed resource gives you the power to create a marketing program quickly and easily in a scalable format that can grow with your business.

Shannon is also a co-author of Get Found Now! Local Search Secrets Exposed: Learn How to Achieve High Rankings in Google, Yahoo and Bing and multiple business ebooks. Her books teach entrepreneurs how to leverage the internet to attract new clients.

Shannon has a wide and varied background in both the practical and the pragmatic aspects of the business world. Shannon loves nothing better than teaching local businesses how to think globally and to be searched locally.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Evans

THE ECONOMY OR THE ENVIRONMENT?

There are those who would have us believe that resources and actions must be devoted to solving the world’s financial crisis at the expense of all else. These same people would also have us believe that addressing the issue of climate change and the environment must be put aside in light of this new priority. A recently released poll indicates that the issue of climate change has dropped to position number 20 as far as issues concerning the American public. It is clear that the economic stress has taken a bite out of concern for the environment. However, can we afford to lose sight of what is happening to the climate? Are the issues of the economy and the environment really separate issues? Can we have one without the other?

What is currently going on in the environment? Keeping in mind that everything is happening faster than scientists have predicted, a brief snapshot is as follows: Major Arctic and Antarctic shelves have collapsed which may make it possible for land glaciers to now slip into the ocean; Major rivers around the world are losing water; Icelandic glaciers are retreating at an alarming rate; the Bering Sea may soon be ice free in the summer; The magnetic North Pole is rapidly shifting; the oceans are being depleted of fish; tropical diseases are moving further north and south from the equator; species are dying off at an alarming rate (this time period has been labeled the 6th great extinction); the earth’s population may have already reached its sustainability limit; bird migrations are changing; storm severity is increasing; wildfires are more frequent; droughts and crop failures are spreading; sea levels are rising; drinking water is disappearing, and need I go on?

How can anyone possibly believe that we can address economic issues at the expense of climate change issues? Economies run on resources. If the forests go, there is no wood for houses; if the fish die, there is no fishing industry; if re-emerging diseases start killing everyone off, there is no one to buy the products; if storm severity keeps increasing, all the insurance bail out money is wasted; if crops fail, there is no agricultural industry. Industry would have us believe that getting the economy back on track is achieved by giving more money to banks and freeing up credit. The sad part is that politicians have bought into this argument and they keep giving them more money, but the economy still worsens. They do not want our precious dollars to go into new green companies or concepts because they are not yet prepared to gobble up those dollars. And a result, they have convinced many that it comes down to a choice, the economy or the environment.

President Obama has taken a more holistic approach to solving our major public policy issues. He seems to understand that you cannot treat the disease with a Band-Aid. All facets of life are interrelated and the health of the whole is equal to the sum health of the parts. What will it ‘profit’ us to regain an outdated economy at the expense of quality of life? Are we that selfish that we are willing to sacrifice the planet for a few more years of buying junk? The change that is coming is coming fast. It is not centuries away. It is happening now and may soon, if it has not already, be beyond the most valiant efforts to alter. The brain cannot function without a heart; the economy function without an environment. By our continued focus upon the things of life, we are losing any notion of the essence of life. It is way past time to put away our childish things and to concentrate upon a world at peace with itself and its environment. Blessings to the Earth!

"YOU CAN'T GET THEY'AH FROM HE'AH"

If a tourist asks a Down-easterner from Maine directions, he might be told, “You can’t get they’ah from he’ah.” This phrase was popularized by the infamous Bert and I created by the late Marshall Dodge in the late 50’s. Try to ask anyone what it means and you will get as many answers as respondents. The definition I will use is that “the road you are on won’t take you where you want to go.”

President Obama has a new vision for America but we must understand that the road we are on will not take us where we want to go. The paradigm we cling too will not manifest the new vision. Take a look at the economy. The efforts by former

President Bush were to stay the course and give more money, our money, to the very institutions that generated the crisis. While President Obama seems to have a better grasp of the true nature of problem, we are still talking about giving more money to those same institutions. You simply cannot get economic recovery on that road. Simply put, people do not need more credit. It is the abuse of credit lending institutions that is the genesis of the problem. How is the average American helped if they go deeper into debt? The real problem is that we cannot get rid of our bills because of the high interest rates for credit cards, mortgages, auto loans and the like. You pay and pay but the balance never goes down. This road is a dead end for the consumer.

President Obama’s vision is unattainable if we insist on travelling on a road that will not get us they’ah. Peace in the Middle East will not be achieved by travelling on the same road. We will not have universal health coverage by travelling the same road. We will not manifest the idea of ‘love thy neighbor’ by travelling the worn out religious road. We will not educate our children by travelling the same road. To achieve the new vision we need a new paradigm, a change in the fundamental thought process. The President talked about “worn out dogma.” He gets it. But, do the pundits, economists, educators, health workers, environmentalists or the consumer get it? It is not just a matter of doing business as usual; it is about a whole new business. You can only fix an old car for so long and then it fundamentally breaks down. Pills and wasted surgery will only hold off the pain or disease for so long; then the body breaks down. You can only preach righteousness for so long while you allow genocide, strife and poverty and then the system breaks down. You can talk a good deal about reducing carbon emissions and about alternative energy, but the system is breaking down. The old patches and band-aids are no longer functional, they are worn out and the bleeding is showing on the gauze.

We do not need to talk about sacrifice. That is also a ‘worn out dogma.’ What it really means is that you and I have to suffer while the heads of corporations get bonuses and expensive retreats. The old paradigm says that if you sacrifice, maybe your children will have a better life. Sorry, that worked for several thousands of years, but it is worn out. There are no shortages of money. There are no shortages of ideas. There are no shortages of job potential. There are no shortages of knowledge to convey to our school children. There are only shortages if we believe in them and, the ‘worn out dogma’ wants you to believe in them. That has been their “Secret.”

Just the other day I received in the mail numerous requests by banks offering to give me all kinds of credit. We still see the ads for new cars, pills for scores of new dysfunctions and enticements to invest in this or that fund. Religions are issuing new lists of sins, stirring up old hatreds, and condemning any action that even hints of free choice. This is worn out dogma. Sociologists say we need to break the cycle of poverty. The new paradigm says we need to create a cycle of prosperity. The worn out dogma says we need to preserve the jobs of auto workers. The new paradigm says we need to employ people in new modes of getting people and goods from point ‘a’ to point ‘b.’ The old way is to search for new oil and gas. The new way is to say we need to develop new, sustaining, non-polluting forms of energy. The old way says take a pill. The new way says to focus on a healthy body, mind and spirit. The old way says to go to church every Sunday. The new paradigm says that wherever you are, you are on holy ground.

If we truly want change, we must abandon the old roads. They have taken us to this point, but as any Mainer will tell you, filling the potholes does not last very long. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and tear up the old raid and build a new one because “you can’t they’ah from he’ah.”

THE BABY BOOMER LEGACY

Many have said that the election of Barack Obama represents the end of the era
of the baby-boomer generation. I beg to differ. In fact, the election of Obama is the fulfillment of the baby boomer generation.

As we pass the torch of power, boomers can feel a sense of redemption when Obama takes the oath of office. In truth, our moment in history will be recorded as the one that most altered the course of history. Arising from the ashes of World War II, boomers literally rocked the world in the 60's and 70's. Rejecting the ideology of those who came before us, we declared that LOVE' is the answer to all of our questions. We institutionalized our historic commitment to equality for all. From civil rights to gender rights, we broke the back of hatred and bigotry. We said 'no' to separate but equal' and proclaimed that no topic is sacred and beyond question. We raised
the 'red flag’ on environmental destruction. We 'caught a glimpse' of the true nature of our relationship to each other and the world in which we live; but, our failing was that we became consumed by consumption.

As the 'age of technology' took hold we were fascinated by all things new. Gadgets and gizmos, a speeding lifestyle, and life on the go with fast food and fast cars were as enticing to us as it was reported to be to the Atlanteans of ancient lore. We thought we could do both; conspicuously consume and erase our sin by pushing for bottle bills. Money flowed like water from a garden hose as we were enticed to buy more, toss away, and then buy some more. Gold cards, Platinum cards, and equity lines of credit enabled us to spend double, triple our wages. And so what, government was doing it, why not us? To fight rising prices we sent our production to foreign workers who received pennies a day in sweat shops. As long as the gadgets and the credit kept flowing, we could ignore the cries of child labor in remote places of the world. Our money was the standard for the world and our military kept it that way. Mess with us and the newest technology and super weapons would set you straight.

But, in the deep recesses of our memory, we felt the growing pains of the seeds that we planted in the 60’s and 70’s. Something was not quite right. We were haunted by the memories of ‘love-ins,’ the toppling of a president that had gotten out of control, civil rights marches and the recurring dream of Camelot. And even though the never really free market system continued its daily barrage on our senses to spend, spend, and spend – deep down inside – we began to question. What was with all of the new diseases? Why do our children not want to learn? What is happening to all of those species that once populated our lakes, forests and jungles? Why is the weather acting so strange? What is happening to our culture? Why are crime rates getting out of control? What is that spilled oil really doing to our environment? Are you sure those materials are safe? Who really did make that sweater? Where are all of the jobs going? Why is it getting more difficult to pay all of those credit cards?

Our peaceful but shaky world shattered on 9/11. Our attention and questioning was diverted and we rallied to fight the new enemy. But who where the enemy? We could not find them. In a state of fear and paranoia, we gave away freedoms, money and lives. And, as my good friend Marvin Wilson would say, Owen Fiddler came to town. It was time to pay the fiddler, the piper and the ferryman. Stretched beyond our means to a level that only the bankers knew and even encouraged, the money tree was chopped down. We all know the story; it plays out in the news every day. We, the “baby boomers,” brought ourselves to a state of collapse. We made thing so bad that only the most ignorant would say we could stay the course. Had all of this not happened, we would have awakened one morning to find that our ecosystem had collapsed and that there was nothing we could do to alter the continuation of the “Sixth Great Extinction” that would soon include the human species. By bringing our lifestyle to an abrupt halt, we had to take notice.

Barack Obama’s election was our crowning achievement. Not because he is some super human savior that will solve all of our problems, but because he represents the re-emergence and manifestation of the dreams of those aged ‘flower children.’ Because of our errors and our ignorance, we have allowed the Lady of the Lake to return Excalibur. Not to President Obama, but to us. But we are not yet finished. We must still lead our children to the Promised Land, even if many of us will not enter it. This is not in any religious sense, but rather in the sense that we must continue to teach and remind the new generations not to repeat our mistakes. This is our parting gift,our legacy; we have shown the world how not to live.