Comments re: Cesar Chavez Day Proclamation and Offshore Drilling

The following is posted on the White House flickr page:

Dear President,

This looks and sounds good.

But please, please, please move beyond the rhetoric and take action according to the ideals that Cesar Chavez fought for!

Thus far we have seen a lot of talk, but we need to see the walk.

Corporate greed is running humanity and this planet to ruin.

A better way is possible. Please. Lead the way to real change - to a real redistribution of wealth. To environmental and social stability, to ecological and economic justice and sustainability.

Wall street speculators driven by greed do not deserve a greater influence over policy matters than anyone else.

All people deserve to be treated equally by government.

This is good rhetoric. Now make it into good policy. Please - stand up against corporate power! Stand up against this tremendously abusive economic environment! Stand up against the exploitation of the poor by the rich!

Sincerely,
Berd

p.s. I think the move to deregulate off-shore oil drilling was incorrect.

Because, it makes sense to focus on reducing consumption, through improvements in efficiency, subsidies for public mass-transit, and the like - rather than open up the planet to increased industrial exploitation, which will only cause greater harm and increasing potentials for global warming and other related environmental catastrophe.

Know Your Farmer

I like this. Moving toward sustainability and a truly peaceful set of policies and behaviors of international relationships will require changing the ways of America's food systems. Localization, elimination of fossil fuel dependency, agro-chemicals, etc... Close the loop!

Good way to go. A call for conversation. What a breath of fresh air.

Billions Face Food Shortages

This is a big problem. Food shortages. People starving. This study doesn't even take into account the problem of dwindling energy supplies, which will also negatively impact food production. If human were to take this issue seriously, then it will begin intensive programs in earnest—and starting now—to address the problem of overpopulation. With adequate efforts toward education and economic equity, the problem of overpopulation can be rectified with a minimum of harm over the course of a few generations. What it is going to take is intentional curtailment: the conscious awareness of the problem by most people, and the subsequent decision to limit reproduction to one child per couple. This is just plain necessary to bringing the needs of the human population back into line with the abilities of the planet to provide for them. Check out this article I found on Truthout.org:

Billions Face Food Shortages, Study Warns

Friday 09 January 2009

by: Ian Sample, The Guardian UK

Climate change may ruin farming in tropics by 2100. Record temperatures to become normal in Europe.

Half of the world's population could face severe food shortages by the end of the century as rising temperatures take their toll on farmers' crops, scientists have warned.

Harvests of staple food crops such as rice and maize could fall by between 20% and 40% as a result of higher temperatures during the growing season in the tropics and subtropics. Warmer temperatures in the region are also expected to increase the risk of drought, cutting crop losses further, according to a new study.

The worst of the food shortages are expected to hit the poor, densely inhabited regions of the equatorial belt, where demand for food is already soaring because of a rapid growth in population... http://www.truthout.org/011109A

Power of Community

I already published this video on this blog, but it's worth posting again. It is about how the nation of Cuba survived a crisis similar to Peak Oil, in 1991, when imports from the Soviet Union ceased (upon collapse of the U.S.S.R..) The film explores how the Cuban people adjusted, specifically in terms of local economic solutions.

Many of the same solutions could be applied to societies elsewhere, if we were to make conscious changes, and a decision to move away from an economic infrastructure that is based on and utterly dependent on petroleum resources. Petroleum is a finite resource. It will run out. Whether it is in 30, 50, 100, or 300 years (or however long), there will come a time when we will not have access to petroleum.

What will fuel our economy and our every day lives? To what will we turn?

I argue that we would be better off to make these decisions, to make appropriate changes, without a (metaphorical) gun pointed toward our heads. Already, we are embroiled in wars over resources. Many people suffer and die because of domestic demand for petroleum. It's unethical to kill people over resources. The technology exists for an altruistic and enlightened society. Let us make changes that will benefit ourselves, and indeed all of humankind and future generations.



link to film on internet: http://www.livevideo.com/video/mercofspeech/CD893609A0CB495D9A9CF04AC9E4AEFF/power-of-community-how-cuba-.aspx