The Fate of Humanity Is at Stake -- Why Are Romney and Obama Too Cowardly to Talk About it.
http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/noam-chomsky-fate-humanity-stake-why-are-romney-and-obama-too-cowardly-talk-about-whatNoam Chomsky: The Fate of Humanity Is at Stake -- Why Are Romney and Obama Too Cowardly to Talk About What Really Matters?
With the quadrennial presidential election extravaganza reaching its peak, its useful to ask how the political campaigns are dealing with the most crucial issues we face. The simple answer is: badly, or not at all. If so, some important questions arise: why, and what can we do about it?
There are two issues of overwhelming significance, because the fate of the species is at stake: environmental disaster, and nuclear war. The former is regularly on the front pages. On Sept. 19, for example, Justin Gillis reported in The New York Times that the melting of Arctic sea ice had ended for the year, but not before demolishing the previous record and setting off new warnings about the rapid pace of change in the region. The melting is much faster than predicted by sophisticated computer models and the most recent U.N. report on global warming. New data indicate that summer ice might be gone by 2020, with severe consequences. Previous estimates had summer ice disappearing by 2050. But governments have not responded to the change with any greater urgency about limiting greenhouse emissions, Gillis writes. To the contrary, their main response has been to plan for exploitation of newly accessible minerals in the Arctic, including drilling for more oil that is, to accelerate the catastrophe. This reaction demonstrates an extraordinary willingness to sacrifice the lives of our children and grandchildren for short-term gain. Or, perhaps, an equally remarkable willingness to shut our eyes so as not to see the impending peril. Thats hardly all. A new study from the Climate Vulnerability Monitor has found that climate change caused by global warming is slowing down world economic output by 1.6 percent a year and will lead to a doubling of costs in the next two decades. The study was widely reported elsewhere but Americans have been spared the disturbing news. The official Democratic and Republican platforms on climate matters are reviewed in Science magazines Sept. 14 issue. In a rare instance of bipartisanship, both parties demand that we make the problem worse. In 2008, both party platforms had devoted some attention to how the government should address climate change.
tama
(9,137 posts)Sam1
(498 posts)the Audience is left to wounder about who can or can't handle the truth. The ultimate question turns out to be can anyone handle the truth?
The wall not only keeps the "them" out but it also keeps "us" in.
If the voters, I would rather call them citizens, can't handle the truth it is because the powers that be don't want them to. However the ability of the citizen to handle the truth is shown at places like Gettysburg, Flanders Field, and Bastogin.
The Colonel Jessiups of this world will always claim that "you can't handle the truth" because the answer you come up with when you handle the truth probably will not be the same as their answer and their answer has to be correct.
(on the other hand when you build a shitty wall the Mongolians will show up)
tama
(9,137 posts)Or just Frodo and Sam sneaking in...
But you nailed it. What would happen if TPTB told tomorrow everybody that the growth game is over, everybody needs to learn to live within means? Zombiehordes or hobbits taking Shire back from Saruman?
Well, what we know is that when Carter told the truth, people didn't handle it well and what happened was Reagan Democrats and 30 years of blowing up the neoliberal debt bubble and the worst global environmental destruction ever.
PS: Welcome to DU!
raccoon
(31,111 posts)and use more other types of energy.
They wanted to hear St. Ronnie say it's "Morning in America!" and we can use as much
of the world's resources as we want to.
rug
(82,333 posts)cbrer
(1,831 posts)4dsc
(5,787 posts)and the habit of consumerism isn't going away too soon. Consumerism is killing the planet and until you change that nothing is going to get in the way of climate change.
But don't worry folk, peak oil will take care of these kind of problem well before 2050.
sad sally
(2,627 posts)We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on its vulnerable reserves of air and soil, all committed, for our safety, to it's security and peace. Preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work and the love we give our fragile craft.
Adlai E. Stevenson