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Today on the Quilt Art list, the hot (no pun intended) topic was the weather – world wide. Someone said Gore was right. Then someone talked about making a quilt about global warming and talked very seriously about this problem. Then someone called those who are worried about the environment – Gorebots.
That made me mad. first of all a comment like that just ends any intelligent discussion. There are, by many estimates, about 20 – 30 % of the population of the US who will follow the Republican Party line no matter what. They will not listen, they will not discuss – they are Bushbots!! They are not patriots because they don’t really care about the welfare of this nation or the people who live here. They are party loyalists. Party loyalists are the precursor to fascism. More on my fear of that in another rant.
Now back to the environment. I found this article, Chicken Little was right; Al Gore, too by Alan W. Scarth here. In it he says:
British scientist James Lovelock offered us a first-edition manual in 1979, called Gaia,
his name for the planet’s operating system, after the immeasurably
fecund Greek goddess. He warned us that if we overloaded the operating
system with carbon, it would break down. We ignored him. Our planet
seemed to be running well enough, and we were more interested in his
former specialty, exploring the possibility of life on Mars. The
possibility of diminished human life on Earth seemed a stretch.Now, at 86 and with his Gaia system recognized by scientists
worldwide, Lovelock — named last year by Prospect magazine as among
the world’s top 100 global public intellectuals — offers us an updated
work, which he calls The Revenge of Gaia. As the title
suggests, his thesis is that despite his warnings, we have gone and
done it: We have overloaded the system with atmospheric carbon, and we
are at the point of irreversible breakdown; the evidence of hurricanes,
melting ice and increasing drought is all around us.
This is only one of many scientists who have researched this topic. They are not right or left – they are looking at facts. I, for one, am scared. I thought this might happen some time in the future and now it looks like I will live to witness the mess we are making of this planet.
The idiots running this country are too busy taking care of their rich buddies and waging an illegal war to pay attention to the important things.
I am currently reading Anne Lamott’s Plan B Further Thoughts on Faith. Oh my goodness, I love her writing. It is at times poetic and at times like a knife cutting through the crap. These essays were started after Bush was elected, and she says this to which I can so relate.
Everyone I know has been devastated by Bush’s presidency and, in particular, our country’s heroic military activities overseas. I can usually manage a crabby hope that there is meaning in mess and pain, that more will be revealed, and that truth and beauty will somehow win out in the end. So much had been stolen from us by Bush, from the very beginning of his reign, and especially since he went to war in Iraq. I wake up some mornings pinned to the bed by centrifugal sadness and frustration.
Hadn’t the men in the White House ever heard of the word karma? They lied their way into taking our country to war, crossing another country’s borders with ferocious military might, trying to impose our form of government on a sovereign nation, without any international agreement or legal justification and set about killing the desperately poor on behalf of the obscenely rich. Then we’re instructed, like naughty teenagers to refrain from saying that it was an immoral war that set a disastrous precedent ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äù because to do so is to offer aid and comfort to the enemy.
She goes on to talk about how do we get through our days with this mess hanging over us. She gets advice from a Jesuit priest: "Left foot, right foot, left foot, breathe." A kind of mediation as we wander through the current desert.
I must give her credit for taking part in protests. And as a product of the 60’s, I’d sure love to see some mass protests again. I am sad that the younger generation seems so apathetic. And I have babbled on for long enough.
Gerrie, good rant! I am proud to call myself a Gorebot, but of course, this issue is bigger than politics and exists whether people “believe” in it or not. Let us just pray there are enough of us that care to be able to effect a positive change.
You go, girl! Rhetorical question: Why is it that the conservatives in this country (USA) resort to personal attacks instead of debating the issue?
Gerrie – I was simply enjoying myself in my fiber-minded stupor when I happened upon your rant and oh, what a cord it struck! I rarely hear anyone near me say things like this. In fact, I am from Ohio (nuff said!) I, too, am a product of the 60s and yearn to be surrounded with like-minded people who care about something and use their God-given intellect to reason things out. Thanks so much for expressing exactly what I feel!
Babble on, Gerrie! They are words that so need to be said – and more importantly need to be HEARD! We hear you. Now if only those in power did.
Very eloquently put,Gerry. While I always enjoy reasoned political debate, I don’t normally join in, but this goes beyond politics. Unfortunately too many people see this as a problem for others to sort out sometime, somewhere. Individuals must realise it’s *their* problem too or what are we leaving for our grandchildren? I am at a loss to understand how otherwise intelligent people still use clothes dryers when the weather is fine, be careless with water, be careless with every known standby light known to man and buy huge petrol guzzling vehicles to drive 2 miles to the nearest recycling depot…
I hear you. That “Gorebot” comment on QA made the hair stand up on the back of my neck!
There is a fascinating speech given by Bill Moyers on accepting Harvard’s Medical School Global Environmental Citizen award. He talks about how the extreme religious right is such a danger to the environment. You can read it here: http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1206-10.htm
It’s amazing how many people are so brainwashed.
teri
Proud Gorebot here. Voted for him for prez back in the 90’s. I wanted to go see Inconvenient Truth this week to escape the crazy hot heat. But the theatre is in Santa Cruz, a nice little old quaint one. Without **Air Conditioning**, and it was TOO hot in Santa Cruz to go see an un-air-conditioned movie about how dang hot it is going to get. Last night my parents apologized to me that their generation let the planet get so screwed up. I think I’ll be apologizing to my kids shortly for the same reason. sigh.
Thank you for saying what I would like to say but can never find the right words. You do it so well. I love the term “Bushbots” and agree with you completely on this issue. Keep on ranting!!!
Bushbots! *so*sadly*true. Now, wouldn’t it be great if we could get them to wear the t-shirt, so we’d just *know* who to avoid a circular conversation with?
I do so love it when you rant. Thank you.
Amen. Rant on! We all need to be speaking out every single day, and taking action to stop the disasters.
calling people names and stereotyping them stops all conversation. The QA list does this all too often. Good rant, Gerrie.
The younger generation is NOT APATHETIC! I’ve been in marches in New York against the war on Afghanistan, the war on Iraq, that numbered INTO THE MILLIONS. Yes, over ONE MILLION protestors. We took the tip from the past and from our hearts knew we needed to gather together in large numbers and be seen and heard. And the mass media and the police forces took the tips from the past and made sure that no missteps were made by the police that would cause a fuss amongst the crowd, made sure that the number reported in the New York Times would be “about 10,000,” that it wouldn’t be on the front page of anything or on the televised news.
We are not apathetic, we are ENRAGED, but as sophisticated as our tools for organizing may become, our government and its mutually supportive mega-commerce (including the media) have developed as well and they have fine tuned many ways of protecting their interests, which includes downplaying, undermining, pre-empting, sidestepping all the legal ways we have of protesting and acting in the interest of social change.
I don’t intend to be mean, but I AM defensive about this issue. People are smarter and more sophisticated than ever before, and “the machine” of Bush, Walmart, et al are also bigger and more powerful than ever.
well said…rant on!
Amen, Gerrie! I love reading your political rants. You always say just what I’m thinking and you say it rationally and eloquently.
I agree wholeheartedly.
I am a lurker on the quiltart thing and could hardly believe that was posted.
I went to DC last Sept to protest the war. Unfortunately our 100,000 turnout was eclipsed by the arrival of Hurricane Rita. We need more of these events nation wide.
As to the turnout for Inconveninet Truth of only 6 people that suprises me……..here in SW FL the showings are mostly sold out.
Right on.
There is a powerful essay by Bill McKibben in this month’s National Geographic that hit me like a ton of bricks. I mean, I have understood and believed in global warming since “they” first started discussing it – but this essay really brought it in to focus. I’d recommend it.
I agree with every word you said… wish more people did….
(a former lurker)
Here here!!! Bushbots suits them so very well.
Thank you and I am right there with you, or left with you. You know what I mean.
Anyway, thanks.
Mel
No words. The “centrifugal sadness” set in on November 7, 2000 and has only become heavier and heavier.
I went to see Al Gore’s movie, and there were approximately 6 other people in the audience. I can’t help but feel that there are so few people who care about our world, but then I come across someone like you and realize that, yes, they are out there. Thank you for making your voice heard. We all need to step up to the plate and do something . . . now.
I hear you! I am sad to say that I think that my generation is the first one where the majority probably can’t create a better life than our parents did. A single income family is almost impossible in the US tday. I for one know I can’t afford a house like the one I grew up in. The public school system can’t offer my kids what it offered me. Saving for college is much harder (we started saving for our kids at birth; my parents started saving 10 years later.) My kids will grow up surrounded by war and disaster, whreas I didn’t. It’s the beginning of the end, but the Hobbsian (life is short, nasty and brutish) in me does think the earth will be bettor off without us.