tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post3033872568545982581..comments2023-12-21T01:10:25.829-06:00Comments on Urban Oasis: How Dare We Be Optimistic?Iowa Victory Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07220818462081082930noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-14493838926706712022008-04-09T22:56:00.000-05:002008-04-09T22:56:00.000-05:00Thanks for the additional linkage, dada ... as if ...Thanks for the additional linkage, dada ... as if I needed more convincing! Like you, I watched my teenage environmental idealism get crushed over the ensuing years, so in a sense you're right, so maybe optimism is not on the menu. <BR/><BR/>We could surrender and just curl up in the fetal ball (tempting), but if Al can get through to at least some who begin to change their thinking, maybe it can indeed go viral ...<BR/><BR/>As for us, we do our best to cover our small part of the world by doing the small things we can ... CFEs in the entire house, composting as much as we can and of course religious recycling. Maybe one could consider that just "feel good tactics," but we hope it has at least some small impact. <BR/><BR/>Al's political rant was righteous I thought, and I can't recall when I last heard a politician (well, maybe Kucinich) talking about getting people to raise their consciousness! <BR/><BR/>Yeah, Obama is not perfect (and you know was not my first choice), but given the alternatives, I'm more willing to give him the chance than the CryptoCorporate Fascista in the pantsuit. I just hope this year doesn't turn out to be the nightmare scenario we've been fearing .... Let's fast forward to the flip side and get it over! (Even if that means I age myself one more year, lol.)Iowa Victory Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220818462081082930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-77126227984768104302008-04-09T16:57:00.000-05:002008-04-09T16:57:00.000-05:00what l found interesting in that clip is the "poli...what l found interesting in that clip is the "political" aspect. l doubt, given the long standing polling from <A HREF="http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/2122" REL="nofollow"/> that 78% of the respondents recognize the problem, that awareness is the problem, and additionally a poll from<A HREF="http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/btenvironmentra/79.php?nid=&id=&pnt=79&lb=bte" REL="nofollow">wpo</A> that found:<BR/><BR/><I> "An overwhelming majority of Americans support the United States agreeing to limit greenhouse gas emissions in concert with other members of the G-8 Summit. The new PIPA-Knowledge Networks poll asked, if, at the G-8 Summit, “the leaders of these other countries are willing to act to limit the greenhouse gases that cause climate change, President Bush should or should not be willing to act to limit such gases in the United States?” Eighty-six percent said that he should. Eighty-one percent of Republicans supported this as well as 89 percent of Democrats.<BR/><BR/>Virtually all respondents—94 percent—said the United States should limit its greenhouse gases at least as much as the other developed countries do on average. Nearly half—44 percent—think the United States should do more than average…"</I><BR/><BR/>what <B>is</B> the problem is a lack of political will and leadership to fund, and subsequently find, the solutions. none of the current candidates for president have shown a desire to do that, imnsho. without belaboring the point, they all have the expected platitudes and buzz words in their campaign position papers but both continue to support the burning of fossil fuels and ethanol, and both have supported "clean coal", with obama going so far as to cosponsor a bill to provide incentives for liquified coal technology.<BR/><BR/>as for ethanol and it's prominent position in the last "energy bill"…supported by nearly all the demoRATs …that's another boondoggle, and was nothing more than a three card monte game to enrich the corporate farmers and the energy producers at the expense of those who can least afford it...hence the drastic rise in the costs of basic commodities: wheat, corn, etc., combined with the effects of climate change on crop yields and productivity...you do the math.<BR/><BR/>until the politicians follow the peoples lead things are not going to change. we had a window of opportunity back in the 70's, and carter pleaded with people to change…what we got was more of the same greed and hubris. hind sight being what it is, and 30 years of mismanagement down the pike and we're still having these discussions.<BR/><BR/>long story short ivg: optimism is not on the menu, at least not here. l've been doing my best personally and professionally for over 30 years, and have come to the conclusion that it's going to have to get a hell of a lot worse before it changes, let alone, gets better.<BR/><BR/>as my long time sig at another web site says: <I>the revolution will not be televised</I>.<BR/><BR/>draw your own conclusions as to where that leads.<BR/><BR/>apologies for the length.<BR/><BR/><I>peace</I>dadahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06949727917480786306noreply@blogger.com