Something to think about on this Sunday afternoon …
Category Archives: Environmental Issues
You Aren’t In Kansas Any More …
I left this world back in 2023, and I said at the time, rather tongue-in-cheek, that I’d like to return in 100 years and see what my country and the rest of the world would look like then. In 2023, the United States was in turmoil, stopping just short of complete chaos, but certainly not far from it. There was a group in Congress calling themselves the “Freedom Caucus” who stood for everything BUT freedom. The right-wing Republican Party had strayed so far from any sense of humanitarian values that I believed they were on a collision course. Guns were more plentiful than people and violence was always right around the next corner. And around the globe, troubles were brewing. An arrogant Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin had invaded Ukraine and was trying to expand Russian territory in hopes of building an empire. Democracies ‘round the globe were being challenged. Climate change, coupled with massive deforestation was a significant threat to the environment that few were taking seriously. And so naturally I wondered what the next century would bring.
It is now, as I have just learned, 102 years later, the year is 2125. One minute I was living happily within my wolf pack, and then I found myself here, on a street corner in a city I almost, but not quite recognize, scratching my head and wondering WTF happened. Well, might as well make the most of it, take a look around, and see what the world has turned into in my absence. The first thing I notice is that there are no trees, no flowers, nothing I would define as nature at all. And very few people …
I find a wallet in my pocket with $215 in it … enough for some breakfast, at any rate. Now to find a coffee shop … a Starbucks or something. Let me just ask this lady wearing a mask and waiting for her bus …
Me: Excuse me, ma’am?
She: Don’t you dare come near me … I have a gun and I’m not afraid to use it!
(Okay, one question is answered … the gun culture is still alive and well in the U.S.)
Me: No worries, ma’am … I was just wondering if you could tell me where the nearest Starbucks is?
She: Starbucks??? I have no idea what you’re asking.
(Another question answered … Starbucks didn’t survive into the 22nd century)
Me: Where is the nearest restaurant where I might get a bit of breakfast?
She: Two blocks down and on the left, there’s a Trump diner.
Me: Is there any other restaurant in the vicinity? I’m not a fan of anything with the name “Trump”.
She: Where are you from, anyway? Outer space?
Me: I’m from out west, ma’am, and I haven’t been on the East Coast for over 100 … er … for several years.
She (slowly backing away and reaching into her coat pocket): Go! I’ll buzz for the police … you’re that escaped lunatic they’ve been talking about on the news, aren’t you??? That’s why you look like you belong in a pack of wild animals!
Well, that certainly went well. I moseyed on my way before she had a chance to sic the police on me, but already I was getting some answers about the state of affairs here. I needed coffee, food, and a newspaper in that order! I started walking, and eventually came upon a little café that serves sandwiches and hot coffee, so I ordered an egg & cheese sandwich and a large coffee. The tab came to $14. Another question answered.
I found a day-old newspaper on one of the empty tables and snatched it up to peruse while munching on my sandwich. The headline read:
President John White to Meet with Congress Regarding Debt Ceiling
Some things never change. Reading on …
Russian Troops Near French Border
WHOA!!! Last I knew, Vladimir Putin’s Russia was still fighting to take Ukraine! Reading on, it appears that what were once Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Austria, Germany and Italy are now all a part of the ‘Russian Union’. No … this can’t be right!
I look around the small café … there are only three other patrons, all wearing masks that they pull down to take a bite of food or a sip of their drink. Finished with my tasteless sandwich and weak coffee, I leave a $1 tip and exit the café. I notice there are few people on what was once a bustling street. I also notice they are all wearing masks, walking in a strange way, almost as if they are afraid … of what? Has there been another pandemic like the one we had back in 2020?
There is a strange scent to the air, rather like dirty laundry. I see a man who looks friendly enough, so I approach … with caution.
Me: Sir? Excuse me, but I’m from … er, out of town … and I was wondering if you might be able to help me …
Him: What do you want? I have a gun and I will use it.
Me: No no … I mean no harm, but I’m a bit lost and wondered if you could tell me how to get to the nearest library?
Him: What? Library? There are no libraries here! The last one closed when I was a child. What do you want it for?
(Knowing it will sound weird if I tell him I want to see what has happened in the world over the past century, I try to think of a reasonable answer, but this is a new world to me …)
Me: I just hoped to find a new book to read, that’s all.
Him: Book??? (He laughs maniacally) What, are you from the 21st century? (more laughter) Books are illegal … I think you should move on now … get away from me before you get us both arrested!
I resume my walk down the street, take a right at the next corner, and suddenly I hear a booming electronic voice booming from all directions, echoes bouncing off the buildings …
ATTENTION! Curfew is in one hour! Anybody caught outside after 6:00 will be arrested on sight! I repeat, curfew is in one hour! GO HOME!
Oh how I wish I could go home, back to my pack where life was simple and relatively safe.
(To be continued … maybe)
Open Letter To ALL Elected Republicans
Sometimes the angst builds and one just has to let off a bit of steam. This is one of those times. This letter is intended for Republican members of Congress, but also governors, state legislators, and ALL elected representatives who are failing us.
It’s sad that so many people have put their lives in your hands, yet you are playing Russian roulette with them. You have betrayed the people you claim to represent, worse yet you have betrayed this nation while convincing the masses that you are acting on their behalf while filling your own coffers and laughing all the way to the bank.
Voting rights … as a citizen and taxpayer I demand the two bills that failed last year be re-visited and passed. You say unfettered gun ownership is a constitutional right? I SAY voting is a much more important constitutional right!!! Those guns you are so damn protective of have killed 8,607 people so far this year, more than 300 of them children under the age of 17, and yet you say this is the “price we must pay for freedom”. Bullshit!
You roll back regulations designed to save lives AND the environment, and then you point the finger of blame everywhere but at yourself when a train carrying deadly chemicals derails or a bank goes under because of a lack of oversight. Look in the mirror!!! Therein lies the blame! Regulations on business exist because people are greedy and the more they have, the more they want and when they want more, they don’t give a damn who they step on to get it. THIS is part of the purpose of government, but you shirk your duty in the interest of your own bank account!
Too many people in power don’t give one damn about the people of this country.
You can dye your hair, but eventually your roots will start to show. You can whitewash history, but our roots will out. American history IS Black history. The U.S. didn’t exist as an entity until 1776, but African slaves were brought here and put to work as early as 1619, more than a century earlier. They were beaten, starved, their children taken from them and sold to the highest bidder to be worked literally to death, but today we are supposed to turn a blind eye, to pretend it never happened???
The joke’s on us … on me … on every person in this country who isn’t wealthy. NO, DAMMIT … Trickle Down economics is a myth, a fairy tale, it DOES NOT WORK!!! And yet, once again, that is what we are being told. “Oh, just put more money into the hands of the wealthy corporations and it will trickle down and fill your pot!” NO, IT WON’T. It never has and it never will. WHEN will we stop being told this mythical lie??? WHEN will you politicians realize that we’re smarter than you give us credit for being? Meanwhile, your pots are overflowing with donations from the likes of Charles Koch, Bernie Marcus, Paul Singer, the DeVos family and more. Rather reminiscent of that fable that Marie Antoinette once said, when told that people were starving and couldn’t afford bread, “Let them eat cake!”
And then you blame everything that goes wrong on those of us who have compassion, empathy, who care about such things as human lives, the planet, other species – you call us ‘woke’ and make it sound like the dirtiest word in the English language.
You would take away the rights of women, of Black and Asian people, of Jews & Muslims, of any and all who do not fall into that “white, Christian, male” category and turn this nation into something ugly. Well, if you succeed, you can have your damn country, for I want no part of it! I don’t share your vision, and neither do the majority of people in this country, but in your eyes, we are naught but tools to be used, manipulated, then thrown away when we are no longer of use to you. Beware, for when people have nothing left to lose, they fight. That fight will come and it will be on your shoulders.
Conjunction Misfunction
As he usually is, Clay Jones is spot-on once again. Thanks, Clay, for setting the record straight. Now if only the Republicans would listen!
Silicone Valley Bank crashed Saturday with $212 billion in assets. It’s the second-largest bank failure in history. This prompted Cocaine Bear, I mean Donald Trump Jr, to tweet, “I don’t remember banks collapsing under Trump.”
Seaway Bank and Trust Company, Proficio Bank, First NBC Bank, Guaranty Bank, Fayette County Bank, The Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Argonia, Washington Federal Bank for Savings, The Enloe State Bank, Louisa Community Bank, Resolute Bank, City National Bank of New Jersey, Ericson State Bank, The First State Bank, First City Bank of Florida, Almena State Bank all collapsed during the Trump administration. In case you’re counting, that’s 15 banks that collapsed during the Trump administration. Just because Sniffles Jr doesn’t remember something doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Ten years from now and he won’t remember dating Kimberly Guilfoyle.
Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted, “They give money to Silicon Valley Bank. They give money to…
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But Who Plays The Wolf?
The Boy Who Cried Wolf … from Aesop’s Fables
There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, “Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!”
The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.
“Don’t cry ‘wolf’, shepherd boy,” said the villagers, “when there’s no wolf!” They went grumbling back down the hill.
Later, the boy sang out again, “Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!” To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf away.
When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, “Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don’t cry ‘wolf’ when there is NO wolf!”
But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.
Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, “Wolf! Wolf!”
But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn’t come.
At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn’t returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him weeping.
“There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out, “Wolf!” Why didn’t you come?”
An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village.
“We’ll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning,” he said, putting his arm around the youth, “Nobody believes a liar…even when he is telling the truth!”
We are so bombarded by lies every hour of every day told by Republicans that if, by some miracle, one of them ever tells the truth, we will discount it as just another lie. The “Grand Old Party” has lost its integrity, its reputation, and sold its values to the highest bidder. Collectively, they are the little shepherd boy in the fable, and the people who watch Fox “News” are the sheep, while those of us who recognize a lie when we see one are the ‘woke’ villagers who are trying to ignore the lying, cheating likes of George Santos, Matt Gaetz, Marge Greene, Lauren Boebert, Kevin McCarthy, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and all the rest, while realizing the potential for danger. And the wolf?
Well, you see, the little shepherd boy crying wolf are the Republican politicians and media clowns who are painting Democrats as the wolf, but when the real wolf shows up, they may be surprised to find it isn’t at all who they thought. The real ‘wolf’ is a combination of climate change, guns, racism & bigotry, wealthy corporations, technology, and a few others. And yes, the wolf is really there, creeping ever nearer, unimpressed by the deniers and the conspiracy theorists who have laid the path, allowing him to creep forward at an even faster pace.
Robbed!!! We’ve Been Robbed!!!
We’ve been robbed!!! There was no 2:15 a.m. today. Nor a 2:30 nor a 2:55 a.m. One minute it was 1:59 a.m., and the next it was 3:00 a.m.!!! The clock high on the wall in the living room suddenly read the ‘correct’ time for the first time since early November and suddenly it was my bedtime in the blink of an eye … 3:00 a.m. The clocks in the bathrooms, on the stove and the microwave are now all wrong. And why??? Who made the decision that we should lose an hour of our lives just so it could stay light until after 9:00 p.m. in mid-summer? Well, according to History.com …
The real reasons for daylight saving are based around energy conservation and a desire to match daylight hours to the times when most people are awake. The idea dates back to 1895, when entomologist George Vernon Hudson unsuccessfully proposed an annual two-hour time shift to the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Ten years later, the British construction magnate William Willett picked up where Hudson left off when he argued that the United Kingdom should adjust their clocks by 80 minutes each spring and fall to give people more time to enjoy daytime recreation. Willett was a tireless advocate of what he called “Summer Time,” but his idea never made it through Parliament.
The first real experiments with daylight saving time began during World War I. On April 30, 1916, Germany and Austria implemented a one-hour clock shift as a way of conserving electricity needed for the war effort. The United Kingdom and several other European nations adopted daylight saving shortly thereafter, and the United States followed suit in 1918. (While Germany and Austria were the first countries to implement daylight savings, the first towns to implement a seasonal time-shift were Port Arthur and Fort William, Canada in 1908.)
Most Americans only saw the time adjustment as a wartime act, and it was later repealed in 1919. Standard time ruled until 1942, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt re-instituted daylight saving during World War II. This time, more states continued using daylight saving after the conflict ended, but for decades there was little consistency with regard to its schedule. Finally, in 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which standardized daylight saving across the country and established its start and end times in April and October (later changed to March and November in 2007).
Today, daylight saving time is used in dozens of countries across the globe, but it remains a controversial practice. Most studies show that its energy savings are only negligible, and some have even found that costs are higher, since people in hot climates are more apt to use air conditioners in the daytime.
Meanwhile, Hawaii and Arizona have opted out of daylight saving altogether and remain on standard time year round. In March 2023, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida reintroduced a bill to make daylight saving time permanent across the country, arguing an end to the “antiquated practice” of changing clocks twice a year.
The original bill, called the Sunshine Protection Act, passed the Senate in 2022, but it stalled in the House and expired at the end of the last 2022 session of Congress.
And now, once again Congress is trying to ensure that we never regain that hour we lost last night, and with the McCarthy House, it’s more likely to happen. ‘Twould be really nice if they put as much effort into protecting the environment or reducing gun deaths as they do robbing us of an hour or our lives! I am planning to sue for an hour of my life lost forever … if I can just figure out the monetary value of my life, then divide it into hours … an hour of my life comes to … approximately 38 cents!!! Now I just need to find a lawyer who will take my case …
Saturday Surprise — A Double Treat!
I have so many posts started, but my motivation is low tonight, so I thought probably it’s time to step away from separation of church and state, from Kevin McCarthy & Jim (Gym) Jordan, from transgender issues, and just have some humour for this Saturday morning! So, I have a double treat … some fun jokes from Bored Panda that they refer to as Nature Jokes That Do Not Grow On Trees … and also some fun/cute/interesting wildlife photos from The Guardian’s “The Week in Wildlife”.
First, the jokes (some truly groan-worthy one-and-two-liners) …
“Dad, can you explain to me what a solar eclipse is?”
“No sun.”
Lion: “You’re late. We said meet at sunset.”
Giraffe: “I can still see the sun.”
How can you tell the ocean is friendly?
It waves.
“Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend a fortune on gear he will only use twice a year.”
“What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple?”
“Finding half of a worm.”
How do you properly identify a dogwood tree?
By its bark.
Why do fish swim in salt water?
Because pepper makes them sneeze.
What did the Jedi say to the tree?
“May the forest be with you.”
What is the best way to learn more about spiders that live in the rainforest?
Check out their web site!
How can you get down from a tree?
You can’t because down comes from a duck.
“Beaver 1: “Sir, the river is running at full capacity with no obstruction!””
“Beaver 2: “Dammit!””
Okay … ‘nuff of that! You can find the rest of them at Bored Panda’s website, if you so desire!
And now for some gorgeous wildlife photos, courtesy of The Guardian …
A cheetah rests in a reserve in north-west South Africa. Illegal poaching, drought, depletion of water resources and the destruction of habitats have negatively affected the lives of animals in this nature reserve Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty
Langur monkeys in a deer park in Pushkar, India Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty
A wild elephant eats water hyacinths in a wetlands in the Burapahar range of Kaziranga national park in Assam, India Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
Pelicans swim in a lake in Guangzhou, China Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty
The Ghost of the Rocks. A red crab (Grapsus adscensionis) on La Gomera, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. The gold winner in the behaviour – invertebrates category in the World Nature Photography awards 2022. See more of the winners in our gallery Photograph: Javier Herranz Casellas/World Nature Photography Awards 2022
Snow Leopard in the Indian Himalayas. The gold winner in the animals in their habitats category in the World Nature Photography awards 2022 Photograph: Sascha Fonseca/World Nature Photography Awards 2022
A bee sips nectar from an almond flower at Badamwari park on a sunny spring day in Srinagar, India Photograph: Adil Abbas/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock
A bird perches on a branch of fully bloomed early flowering cherry blossoms on a river bank in Tokyo, Japan Photograph: Yoshio Tsunoda/Aflo/Rex/Shutterstock
A Texas zoo said it had taken back an 8ft alligator which was stolen as an egg more than 20 years ago, then kept as a backyard pet. A Texas parks and wildlife spokesperson said a game warden found the animal, named Tewa, during an unrelated investigation in Caldwell county last month. Photograph: The Guardian
A lioness in one of the world’s rarest lion populations has given birth to three cubs in Niokolo-Koba national park in Senegal. West African lions have almost completely disappeared. Scientists believe between 120 and 374 remain in the wild Photograph: Panthera/DPN/Everatt
A double-crested cormorant struggles to eat a catfish in a pond along the fifth hole during a practice round for the Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA
Two very wet storks sit on their nest in the Hessian Ried in Biebesheim am Rhein, Germany. Despite the adverse weather, the imposing migratory birds have already occupied their nests and begun courtship Photograph: Boris Roessler/AP
A Sri Lankan kangaroo lizard (Otocryptis wiegmanni) in Eheliyagoda, Sri Lanka. The brown-patched kangaroo lizard, Sri Lankan kangaroo lizard, or Wiegmann’s agama, is a small, ground-dwelling agamid endemic to Sri Lanka Photograph: Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
Well, folks, I hope this has started your weekend with a smile or two, and I’ll be back later today with my usual snark! Have a great weekend ahead and … do something fun!
Priorities
While Ron DeSantis is worried about children reading about two male penguins taking on the care & feeding of a baby penguin, and Jim Jordan is worried about accusing the FBI of discriminating against Republicans, and other Republicans are worried that white people are losing their status as the majority in this nation … there are more important issues at hand that our congressional ‘leaders’ seem not to see. Children are dying in schools by gunfire. Polar ice is melting, temperatures are warming, our air/water/food supplies are in danger. People are reaching adulthood without being able to function in the workplace or in life because our education system is failing. People – mostly Blacks, Jews, and LGBTQ people – are being abused and killed by a bigoted society who thinks there is only one sort of viable human: white, straight, and Christian. There are people sitting on billions of dollars, laughing at each increase in their investment portfolio, while others are sleeping in cardboard boxes under highway overpasses hoping that someone will give them a dollar for something to eat in the morning.
Priorities, people!!! A line from Harvey Milk in the movie “Milk” …
“Worry about gun control, not marijuana control. School supplies, seniors, not the books we read.”
I don’t know if Harvey Milk actually said that, though it does sound like something he would have said, but the principle is sound, whether fact or fiction. Here is a list of my top five priorities …
- The environment
- Human rights
- Civil rights
- Women’s rights
- LGBTQ rights
- Education
- Guns
- Wealth inequality/poverty
That is not to say that nothing else matters, for certainly many other things matter, but … we need to put things into perspective somewhere along the line! I honestly don’t give a damn what is on Hunter Biden’s laptop, but I DO give a damn that our children are being murdered in schools around the nation. I don’t give a damn about Kari Lake’s inane claims of election fraud while more than half a million people in this country are homeless.
The ’United’ States of America needs to get its collective priorities straight. What will still matter 20, 50, or even 100 years from now? Will Hunter Biden’s laptop still matter? I think not … in fact, I don’t think that in that time frame anybody will even know … or care … who Hunter Biden was. Will gun deaths still matter? Will poverty and income disparity still matter? Will ignorance still be a factor in who rules nations? Will we have potable water to drink and plentiful food to sustain life? Will women be forced into second-class citizen status around the globe? Some things matter … really matter. Other things are just minutiae designed to distract us from the things that really do matter. We need to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff.
What is on your top five list of priorities?
Good People Doing Good Things — Teresa Gray and Mobile Medics International
It was less than a year ago, April 2022, when Teresa Gray and her wonderful organization, Mobile Medics International came onto my radar and I wrote a post about their origins, and also about their trip to Romania to help refugees fleeing Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February. Ms. Gray was a CNN Hero last year for her efforts.
Once again, Ms. Gray and the Mobile Medics are back on the radar as they traveled to Turkey last month to help deliver care to Turkey’s earthquake survivors.
On February 6th, 2023, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong tremors and aftershocks devastated southeast Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye) and northwest Syria. There have been more than 46,000 deaths and 115,000 people injured.
By February 7th, Gray had received permission from Turkey’s Ministry of Health to join the relief efforts, and she flew out early the next morning. She packed up supplies to help hundreds of patients, ranging from trauma dressings to antibiotics to acetaminophen. She also prepared the equipment her team would need to be self-sustaining in freezing winter conditions.
“The buildings have been substantially damaged, so you can’t stay inside, it’s too dangerous. We’re going to be sleeping in a tent, eating MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) … This is not going to be a good time.”
Gray also did a video call to touch base with her team, which included a paramedic from London, a doctor from Malaysia, and a nurse anesthetist from Missouri. It was a hectic time for Gray, who says she gets “hyper-focused” before each mission, trying to anticipate problems that might arise.
“We need to find a safe place to be. What if somebody forgot their sleeping bag? We don’t speak the language, so I need to find some interpreters. These are the things that run through my mind as I’m getting ready to go to the airport.”
After an epic journey through Seattle and New York, Gray finally landed in Turkey late on February 9th and met up with her team. They made their way to Hatay Province and once there, began doing mobile clinics on the streets of Samandag.
For Gray, the destruction she saw was difficult to comprehend. At least 13.5 million people and 4 million buildings have been affected. About 345,000 apartments were devastated.
“This is the 28th mission for me probably. The most destruction and human suffering I have ever witnessed. … Not a single structure was undamaged, and we are talking about a town the size of Anchorage, 250,000 people. Nothing was spared.”
Since so many structures were unstable, the government had mandated that all families must sleep outside in tents. In a cell phone video made on Valentine’s Day, Gray described how she and her group would go street to street, stopping at tents to offer their help. She reported treating people for earthquake injuries, including a girl who had been trapped in the rubble for more than 12 hours, as well as sicknesses like the flu that had been exacerbated by the living conditions.
“Whatever they need us to look at, we will. Then we go back, sleep in our car. Get up the next morning and do it again.”
They treated hundreds of people during their 10-day mission, Gray said. One of their interpreters, a high school teacher who they called K.T., became an essential part of their team. In a cell phone video, K.T. told Gray what the people they were helping had said to her.
“They told me, ‘Say them thank you. It’s really good for us because … we can’t see any doctor, we can’t go any hospital.’”
K.T. had also suffered a great deal. Two of her students had been killed in the earthquake, and the school where she taught had been destroyed. She and most of her extended family – a total of 15 people – lost their homes and were forced to take refuge in a greenhouse on their property.
Despite their own hardship, K.T.’s family adopted Gray’s group as their own, Gray said – letting them stay on their property, making them tea and coffee, and sharing meals with them. Their generosity served as another reminder that, even in desperate times, humanity shines through.
On February 19th, Gray got back to Alaska. When a 6.3 magnitude aftershock hit Turkey the next day, she immediately reached out to K.T. and others she befriended on her journey to make sure they were all okay. She’s working to send another team of volunteers very soon.
If Ms. Gray and all those who volunteer with Mobile Medics International aren’t a prime example of good people doing good things, then I don’t know what is. My hat is off to these fine folks.
Channeling my inner Stephen King
While I don’t deny the importance of the issues on the table today, issues that if left unchecked could result in the destruction of our nation as we know it, we tend to sweep the single most important issue under the rug. WHY? Probably because a) it’s harder than most to deal with, requires a bit of sacrifice from us all, and b) it’s not as ‘exciting’ as the clown show, the mudfest that occupies so much of our attention. I’m as guilty as any of pushing the environmental issues back in order to focus on the latest exploits of our politicos, but we really do need to open our eyes and work together, else none of the political disputes will matter 50 years from now when humans are gasping for breath, searching for food & water, and trying to stay alive. Our friend Keith has a not-too-subtle reminder for us today …
Amid all the contrived and exaggerated banter by one of the US ‘ political parties about fairly pedestrian topics, I am sure a story out of Australia was missed about the Antarctic ice melting at an even faster pace. This is not good for our planet, especially the billions that live in our coastal cities.
Citing the lead character Johnny from Stephen King’s book “The Dead Zone” might help get people’s attention. After an accident, Johnny could see a hazy future when he touched someone which could be altered if people acted differently when told of his prediction. An arrogant father chose to ignore Johnny as he told the father his son and other kids would drown at a hockey practice on a frozen lake that afternoon. Johnny hit the table with his cane and said you know who I am, don’t you? You investigated me before letting me tutor…
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Filosofa's Word 