Discuss: Duty Dodgers

How about the most important race in the country this year, Virginia’s 5th district?  Tom Perriello, who barely defeated the longtime conservative favorite Virgil Goode,  works harder than anyone I know, in Congress and at getting re-elected. Green jobs for SW Virginia might overcome reactionary ‘government takeover’ talk, but has intelligent hard work ever trumped tea-party race-baiting and the like?

Bill, you’ve missed the reality of the situation…the best thing that the current congress and admin can do is ...nothing!

Mr. McKibben makes an excellent point.  Perhaps our lawmakers are not like us in that they cannot envision working “really, really hard” more than once a year or so.  It IS really, really had to face the sort of opposition your garden-variety environmentalist does - even if few Congresspeople might be characterized as such.  It IS really, really hard to do battle with people you won’t be able to get away from unless you do something really, really bad and are booted out.  And it is REALLY, really hard for an elected official to roll up his sleeves continuously because of all the dry-cleaning that will ultimately involve.

As a result, we’ll have to the heavy lifting Mr. McKibben describes.  We’ll have to bring our spades and our shovels and our cooperative spirits; we’ll have to hammer in solar panels; and we’ll have to crawl around in the dirt hoping the best from a world that rarely delivers it.

Does it matter whether a thousand molehills does not a mountain make?  Possibly not.  Will it make any difference if more community gardens are planted, solar panels heat small livingrooms, formerly denuded streetscapes bloom with trees?  To assorted individuals, yes.  And what possible impact can thousands of rock-moving, spade-wielding, hammer-ready people have on the juggernaut that is our anti-climate infrastructure?  Possibly none at all.

The issue at hand is not really whether we do these things, but how such activities will influence a growing number of people who might think - and possibly even say: “I’m mad as hell and I can’t take it anymore!” loudly enough for the work-averse people who manage our fates to hear.  And they must learn to hear before everybody else loses heart and voice.

“the best thing that the current congress and admin can do is ...nothing! “This is such a sad comment;I refuse to say this job cannot be done,or will not be done,it is a job which must be done and as I see it the best step is to place a price on carbon in the form of a tax.We pay money to have food,shelter and safety,why should we not pay to shift our energy source-that is as crucial in the long term as any of the above.Just do it like any other job,one small bit at a time.Start now.I’ll be out there on 10/10/10 too-what about you?

Bill… with all due respect, and I mean that with sincerity, I’ve really lost faith that congress or the president or any elected official can do a blasted thing about anything as long as we continue to live in a Corporatocracy.  Somewhere along the way, this country shifted.  Those elected men and women are owned by a much wealthier and more powerful voice than ours.  It’s why we did not get Universal Health Care (and why, today, I am paying even more for meds and co-pays and why my mother can’t see her doctors anymore).  It is why we will not see the kind of meaningful regulations placed on coal mining, oil drilling, or the over fishing of our seas and the like.  It is why we will not see the government supporting small, local farming practices so that we can move away from oil dependency.  Every elected official is in Washington because of corporate interests and donations.  They have a job to go to because of big ag, big oil, big com, big auto, and Wall Street. 

The Republican-Democrat- Independent-Libertarian horse and pony show is merely there as fodder and entertainment for the masses.  Yes, they “debate” the issues (and get caught doing all kinds of “amoral” things -yet another diversion-), but ever since I became old enough to understand the issues, I’ve been hearing the same lyrics to the same tired songs… it’s like listening to Top 40 hits… nothing new.

I’ve been an activist ever since college.  I’ve worked for The League of Conservation Voters.  I’ve gone to protest march after protest march.  I teach middle school.  I don’t own or drive a car.  I’ve always done my part and it’s all I can do.  Until the fat cats start subsidizing small local farms (not to mention so many other changes) and this country begins to understand that it’s, frankly, too late, then all the community gardens are going to do is make us feel good psychologically as we watch the news reels telling us about another politician spending money on another sex toy, trying to forget about that big donation he just got from con-agra.

I’m amazed how Bill is right on point, the gardens and everything else are very important, I’m very sad at this point, extremely so, it breacks my heart, they haven’t pass this energy bill yet, a decent one. Please everyone don’t give up, thank goodness for Public Citizen’s Allison Fisher, organizer, working relentlessly, day and night, on climate change. We need direct action acts, as ususal, but with the economy, people are scared of losing their jobs, and more people are becoming homeless, and living in a tent. Tent cties have grown across this country, it makes my heart bleed. And the gulf, with the major oil barons, it makes me want to throw up, and I feel for the people there. BP, should be ashame of itself, for all this calamity, and the mammmals dead. I pray things will get better, and we must alol pull together like Bill said.
Linda

How about we all take to the streets - marching to our delinquent senator’s offices, singing this little ditty:

“We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore!

We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore!

We’re mad as hell
‘cause there ain’t no climate bill

We’re mad as hell
‘cause there ain’t no climate bill

So if you don’t pass one soon ______
you’re OUT fo sure!

You’re so right, Gail. It’s all about WE ALL. When WE ALL make a stand, then things will shift.

Organize in our community, organize in your neighborhood, organize in your precinct. Call townhall meetings, find a common ground with your neighbors, stand up for the 95% of us who aren’t fat cats. Skinny cats, unite!