The Earth's Destiny and Our Fates are Being Determined by Approximately 500 Wealthy Men...

[MrScorpio]

And Corporations.

JACQUELINE MARCUS FOR BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

...the hollow acts of political theatre-Chris Hedges, The Death of the Liberal Class

Consider the unending BP Gulf oil spill and Japan's nuclear radiation catastrophes, global warming on the rise, thousands of species that are either extinct or threatened with extinction, glaciers melting, deforestation, overpopulation, lifeless oceans "designated dead zones," and you'll arrive at the conclusion that the earth is in fact-dying.

It's mind-blowing when you actually think about it: The fate of our planet, our destiny, is being determined by a small group of wealthy corporatists and politicians, who control, and profit from, dirty energy and military-war decisions. The consequences of their decisions have already brought about an unfathomable hell of economic and ecological ruin. (Read Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine) If they are allowed to have their way over the opposition of millions of people, globally speaking, the future could very easily resemble the 1973 sci-fi film "Soylent Green".

I don't think food rations will be made from dead people, but otherwise, this is not paranoia talk.

Seafood from both the Gulf and Japan is a health risk. Seawater tested near Japan's coast show radiation surged to 7.5 million times above the regulatory limit. The affected zone is banned for fishing. Near the Gulf of Mexico, fishermen complain about oil found in the shrimp, clams and fish.

Much of what is described in "Soylent Green" has already become an acceptable reality without much resistance. As seen in the film, the dark fate of an overpopulated and polluted earth, where nature and all other species became extinct, happened because of the insanely greedy decisions made by a small group of industrial corporatists who influenced members of congress, the executive and judicial officials of government, through power and wealth, including the infiltration of government agencies that were supposed to protect the public from corporate abuses and ecological ruin; think of the lax regulations at the Minerals Management Service and the Nuclear Regulatory Agency that rubber stamp safety checks for the oil and nuclear industries and you'll get the picture. The government and the media are both controlled by the same few wealthy industrialists.

Question: How can a small group of industrialists determine the fate of our planet over everyone and everything else?!

I repeat: a small minority of industrial polluters, Wall St. investors, and politicians are allowed to literally destroy the entire planet as we know it for short-term profits that benefit them and them alone. They're legally allowed to poison our planet so that they can buy more private jets and more mansions.

http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12586

[leftstreet]

1. Ya gotta give the Ruling Class credit - they're loyal to each other

:puke:

Imagine a Rich Person bitching about what another Rich Person buys with his Tax Cuts

"I was standing in line at the Bugatti dealer and this other billionaire..."

K&R

[Angry Dragon]

3. They have no problem turning on each other

They will fight each other to be #1

[roguevalley]

9. actually, it was heartening to read the OP headline and see 'men'.

because you ALL KNOW what would happen if women were in charge ...

May they all burn in hell.

[Hannah Bell]

10. if women were in charge it would be the same. as can be seen when women are in charge.

i've never found offices or businesses run by women to be much different, on average, from those run by men.

maggie thatcher, golda meir, hilary clinton, etc.

[Angry Dragon]

2. They think they will arise above it and be immune

They may be the first to perish

[CrispyQ]

4. "Consuming the ecosystem for the profit of a few."

I think that line was in the documentary, "The 11th Hour." Very succinct.

[catbyte]

5. That's whay I'm so glad I am as old as I am and I never had kids

The not having kids was a conscious act and my DH and I haven't regretted it. I can't help but feel sorry for all the pregnant women and infants I see. I can't imagine what this planet will be like in 50 years. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so. There will be a tipping point where the population outstrips resources and our ability to juggle--actually I think we've passed it. When things get bad enough, the billionaires will all be screwed with the rest of us.

[txlibdem]

7. I share your worries about the "young uns"

When I was in high school they told us that productivity was going up so fast that we would all probably have 4 day work weeks and never work more than 6 hours a day at that. Funny how the billionaires turned that into a bleak future that threatens the very survival of the human race. I saw it as it happened decade by decade, tiny little steps backwards one after another (sometimes it was one step forward and two steps back).

[drokhole]

6. Recc'd!

[Rex]

8. The Earth is not dying, just us.

You can pollute the Earth, but after a million years (which is nothing) there will be no sign of human existence and the Earth will still be here along with a diverse biosphere.

[Odin2005]

11. Guillotine them and liquidate their assets.