Atmospheric CO2 levels hit 800,000-year high: CSIRO. [Australian Broadcasting Corporation] – Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are now higher than at any time in the last 800,000 years, while the last decade in Australia was the warmest on record, CSIRO scientists say.
The Crisis of Civilization
The Crisis of Civilization is a documentary about the end of the Industrial Age based on the book by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed. Director Dean Puckett and Animator Lucca Benney remix, interweave and otherwise mashup clips and images from far and wide to illustrate Ahmed’s narration.
The film provides compelling evidence that the many crises facing us in our day are all interrelated manifestations of a single failing global system. The question is not whether there should be dramatic changes to our way of life. For better or worse, change is already upon us. The question is whether we can find a way to sustain human life and liberty in the coming age.
Our days of denial are coming to a close.
Big Brother’s Secret Legal Theory
I wish I could tell you more about the government’s “secret legal theory” that allows them to spy on you, but it’s – you know – a secret.
Democratic Senators Warn About Use of Patriot Act. [NYTimes.com] – WASHINGTON — For more than two years, a handful of Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee have warned that the government is secretly interpreting its surveillance powers under the Patriot Act in a way that would be alarming if the public — or even others in Congress — knew about it.
On Thursday, two of those senators — Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mark Udall of Colorado — went further. They said a top-secret intelligence operation that is based on that secret legal theory is not as crucial to national security as executive branch officials have maintained.
May 1st, 2012: General Strike!
May 1st, 2012
No Work * No School * No Shopping * No Banking
READ:
10 Ways to Future-Proof Your Child
10 Ways to Future-Proof Your Child. [GeekDad | Wired.com] – You can’t predict what your children will find of interest as they grow up, but there are things I can do now – today – that may be somewhat beneficial to them in the next 5 to 10 years.
New Study: Synergistic Toxicity and GMOs
Enjoy your frankenfood Bt Sweet Corn this Summer.
From a Study Conducted at the University of Caen:
…we argue that modified Bt toxins are not inert on nontarget human cells, and that they can present combined side-effects with other residues of pesticides specific to GM plants.
Read More: Bt toxin and glyphosate residues in genetically modified plants likely exhibit synergistic toxicity. [GreenMedInfo]
Why I Won’t Vote Democrat In 2012
I have been a Democrat most of my life. Not once have I voted for a Republican candidate for President, and very seldom have I voted anything other than a straight D punch. There have been a few times that I may have felt it necessary to hold my nose while voting, but I “did my duty” and cast my vote for the Party if not the individual.
My sister calls me a “Dyed-in-the-Wool Democrat.” I have preferred the term “Yellow Dog Democrat” – meaning that if a yellow dog was running on the Democratic ticket, I’d have been inclined to vote for him.
But not this year. Here’s why.
On the national level, both parties have become so corrupted by the influence of big money that it’s impossible to trust either of them to do what’s right. For example, the healthcare reform bill that was signed into law by President Obama in 2010 was a massive gift to the big pharmaceutical and insurance companies, having been largely shaped and molded by their lobbying efforts. If one of the defining achievements of the Democrats under Obama’s leadership is so tainted, how can one have faith in the rest of their policies? I won’t even start on the cozy relationship between the Obama Administration and the banksters, the revolving door between the government and Monsanto, the extrajudicial execution of American citizens, the codifying into law of indefinite detention. This is what the Democrats have to offer. None of it is acceptable to me.
Yes. Yes, I know. Of course the Republicans “are worse” – both in measure and in kind. So have we come to a lesser of two evils as default? Is that truly the only choice left to us?
Let’s turn to the local level. In my state, Democratic governor Pat Quinn has announced his intention to make deep cuts in Medicaid and human services and in the state’s pension programs. The result of these cuts will be increased misery for working people, children, the poor and the elderly. Protecting the most vulnerable among us from the ravages of poverty, and ensuring that there are opportunities for everyone in our society to advance in life is at the very core of what it has meant to be a Democrat for nearly a century. It is painfully evident that such is no longer the case.
Yes. Yes, I know. “Somebody has to make these hard choices. Somebody has to be the grownup in the room. Somebody has to deal with these shortfalls.” Again, of course the Republicans are worse. They offer no solutions, except even further cuts to essential programs, plus the prospects of further tax cuts that will make the problems even more acute. Does the obvious fact that the Republicans offer no viable alternative relieve the Dems of their obligation to offer principled solutions? I, for one, think not. How about ending giveaways to the Chicago Board of Trade, Sears, the Mercantile Exchange, et al, before we start hammering the piss out of the poor?
The examples cited above barely scratch the surface. To catalog the entire range of egregious sins of the Democrats in our day (both nationally and locally) would take more time than I care to offer, and I suspect that I’m boring you already.
It should be noted that I do not come happily to a decision to leave my Party this year. I was an early and ardent supporter of President Obama (and I still hope against hope that he will surprise us in a second term and lead us beyond the rocky ground). I was the coordinator in my county for Governor Quinn’s election campaign last time (though I now fear that he is beyond redemption). I still serve as treasurer of the Coles County Democratic Party, and plan to complete my term (a few more weeks). I wish the Democrats every success. I cannot, however, support them with my vote nor my contributions until their conscience has been found.
In the meantime, I’m a man without a party. I will not vote in the Primary Election in Illinois this year for the first time since 1976. I have not yet decided whether to vote in the Fall of 2012. That will depend on whether or not there is a candidate and a platform outside of the two major parties that reflect my convictions.
Godspeed the day when we face better choices once again.
Go Cards
With our move to Kankakee rapidly approaching, I was more than a little concerned about the fact that we’ll no longer have the St. Louis sports channels in our Cable lineup.
Problem solved. Thanks, MLB.TV.
I’m looking forward to another great season of baseball from the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Dueling Headlines
First, from yesterday’s New York Times:
Next, from today’s Wall Street Journal:
When you dig into the details, both reports seem “factual.” The question is whether or not these stories represent competing points of view, or competing agendas.
Click on the images to read the full articles.
Apropos of the Day
In 1920 these suffragettes from the National Woman’s Party unfurled a banner at the Republican National Convention in Chicago.
The banner displays a quote from Susan B. Anthony. “No self respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignores her sex.”
On this International Women’s Day 2012, perhaps it’s appropriate to reflect on what progress, if any, has been made over the past century.