My Final Blog

I commented on Amanda's latest blog, My Thoughts on U.S. government: U.S. Government.

I sympathize with you, I truly do, however I disagree when you state "Unless the U.S. wants our country to eventually be run by only the elite..."

Our country is run by an army of lobbyists sent by corporations to direct policy. I am for the smaller groups you mentioned, but I know that Greenpeace isn't getting the same treatment as say Goldman Sachs. Special interests can be a very good, or very bad thing. It seems like more of the latter these days.

I'm not sure what the answer would be for trying to get Americans to be more politically active. It used to be the responsibility of the media to report on issues and inform the public. Now the media are the gatekeepers of the secrets rather than the investigators trying to uncover them.

As long as the media is corporately controlled and in the hands of a four or so conglomerates I feel it will be a long road to an aware citizenry.

These days information is power and We the People are losing power everyday.

BP: Master of Disaster

BP Is Criticized Over Oil Spill, but U.S. Missed Chances to Act

Another disaster unfolds as a result of our nation’s dependence on oil and our “brilliant” idea of offshore drilling. We heard earlier last week about an oil leak in the Gulf Coast, coming from an oil rig explosion one mile beneath the ocean. This leak has grown to releasing over 5000 barrels of oil per day, with estimates that it could take up to 90 days for the rig to be halted. 11 workers on the rig were also killed as a result of the explosion.

What is the public’s reaction? Anger? Disgust? Distrust? In the first article released in the NY Times, there was not even a mention of the perpetrator. It seems it is just now crossing the minds of many public officials, the significance of this disaster. Fisherman who depended on the sea and shore for their livelihood are left with no help or resources, and all this coming just as they had been working so hard to recover from multiple natural disasters. My heart goes out to all those affected by this unfortunate event. I hope to see more action brought forward. The article mentions BP has taken every possible plan on action and is “doing its best. “Here you have the company that is responsible for the accident leading the response to the crisis,” said Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program. “There is a problem here, and the consequence is clear.” It was clearly ignorant to think a massive oil spill would be able to be contained a mile beneath the water and 50 miles from the shore, with the agitator in charge of the cleanup. Seriously!? Its quite a hefty task. Take every profit possible needed to do the job of cleaning up the mess they created. “If the government determines that the responsible party is not up to the job, it can federalize the spill, running the cleanup operations without the private company but billing it for the cost. This is a last resort, however.” Why is this a “last resort”? The consequences of this event just further my conviction that we are in a very unhealthy position. #1. We need a clear distinction between business and government. Lobbying on behalf of matters that in the end are not beneficial to the human welfare should not be taken seriously. #2. We are so dependent on oil that events such as this can happen and no real, sustainable solutions can be brought about. It seems we have come to value profit over people, neglecting to think of the countless scores of men and women who die every day in an endless oil war. This disaster is yet another result of the system currently in place. We, the people, need to get stand up for what is right, and what is clearly wrong. We need to write, sing, shout, buycott!, tell our friends/families/classmates, that we are “MAD AS HELL, AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!”

*Taken from an ingenious 1976 movie called Network- an excerpt from a speech by Howard Beale:

"“I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's work, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TV's while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be. We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, 'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone.' Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get mad! I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot - I don't want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first you've got to get mad. (shouting) You've got to say, 'I'm a HUMAN BEING, Goddarnit! My life has VALUE!' So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell,
[shouting] 'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!'”"

I feel I may have gone off on a tangent, but I can not help but get emotional on issues involving “Beyond Petroleum”, and the way our government is handling the serious matter. Blame should be assessed, administered, and sustainable solutions should be brought about.

My opinion: BP should correct the imbalance left on the effected ecosystems, apologize to the public and ensure it never were to happen again, after making every effort and spending an enormous amount of money to restore all the coastal waters. Lets not forget about the late 80s Exxon Oil Spill Crisis, a lot of which is still indebted to the government for the accident. This is 5X bigger!

Oil should start being phased out of our daily lives. It's not going to last forever! In fact, we’'re going to hit the peak oil pretty soon, and then we’ll really feel it when they can gauge us on gas prices. It means major changes. More options on the table. And it all has to start with the people. We have to show them that this is what we want, and we'll take nothing less...

Below are some ways we can help (courtesy of msnbc.com)

Msnbc.com reader Madeline Crowley pointed out links to several local environmental organizations that are working on cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and accepting donations:

Tri-State Bird Rescue Research is working to "oversee the wildlife rehabilitation" along the Gulf Coast

Mobile Baykeeper is raising money in response to the oil spill in order to protect "the beauty, health, and heritage of the Mobile Bay Watershed."

Seabird Sanctuary has 300 volunteers on "stand-by" to assist with the Gulf Oil Spill if it impacts Florida.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation has set up a fund to help some communities that will be affected by the oil spill. 

Msnbc.com reader Corla Coles points out the efforts of Matter of Trust, a non-profit organization that invites salons, pet groomers and the abundantly coiffed to send leftover hair trimmings for use in highly absorbent hair mats and booms. According to their website, "Hair is very efficient at collecting oil out of the air, off surfaces like your skin and out of the water, even petroleum oil."

The group boasts twelve locations across region that are ready to receive human and pet hair, and hundreds of volunteers participating in "Boom B Q" parties stuffing the donated locks into recycled nylons to form booms that can be strung along beaches and marshes.

Related link: Organization combing country for spare hair to fight oil slick

To report injured or oiled wildlife, call 1-866-557-1401. To report spill-related damage, call 1-800,440-0858, and to inquire about volunteering, or to report oil on the shore, call 1-866-448-5816.

The Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board is connecting BP with fisherman looking to aid in the cleanup effort. If interested, call 281-366-5511 or e-mail, HorizonSupport@OEGLLC.com.

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is looking for volunteers to “fill a variety of needs.” Pre-veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and anyone with HAZWOPER training (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard) are “strongly encouraged” to register.

The National Audubon Society is recruiting volunteers in the fight to save “ecologically sensitive areas.” Visit their website to fill out a volunteer registration form.

OilSpillVolunteers.com also provides the opportunity sign up and assist with the cleanup.

While their website says volunteers are not yet needed, Mobile Baykeeper is urging anyone who is interested to call their office at 251-433-4229 or e-mail info@mobilebaykeeper.org.

Humorous... "Socialism"

My Critique

I wrote the commentary below after review my classmate, The United States' Power and Regime Blog.

I say give the guy more of a chance. When I first read your post regarding scrapping NASA, I was perplexed. Why would a liberal, forward thinking president like Obama cut spending in an area like science, where we have fallen far behind? The first thing that comes to my mind is that it probably was not his first choice, but in light of wars and economic recessions, cuts had to be made somewhere. I did a bit more research on Obama's new proposed NASA program, which allots millions of dollars to creating space jobs in Florida, and billions towards going to Mars and beyond. So maybe we won't be going back to the moon anytime soon.... but it's not going anywhere for awhile anyways. The budget cut was necessary in my opinion to give headway to more advanced space programs.

During a speech to NASA, Obama was quoted saying:

“I am 100 percent committed to the mission of NASA and its future. Because broadening our capabilities in space will continue to serve our society in ways that we can scarcely imagine. Because exploration will once more inspire wonder in a new generation -- sparking passions and launching careers. And because, ultimately, if we fail to press forward in the pursuit of discovery, we are ceding our future and we are ceding that essential element of the American character.”

I know it may seem a bit hard to comprehend at this very moment, but reforms brought about in the health care industry were much needed in my opinion. It presented more mandatory regulations (like not being able to turn down health care to children), not what so many refer to as “socialized medicine”. You still have plenty of options for health care providers depending on your budget. Just look at the handful of other industrialized societies and you will see they give us a run for our money. Somehow, they manage to provide every one of their citizens decent, affordable health care and have not incurred near as much debt as we have over just the last 9 years.

Now I am trying to think of what other measures Obama has “done away with”? Are we referring to the issues on torture, Guantanamo, illegal wiretaps? Not much has happened there. And he followed right in ex-President Bush's footsteps when he lent trillions of dollars to keep our weak financial system afloat. He did not reverse the unconstitutional Patriot Act, which ultimately gave the government the right to listen read any pertinent email, conduct “sneak and peek” searches of residences, search medical and library records, etc.

So as far as leaning right or left, Obama has done a fantastic job of riding the line of a cautious moderate. I get that he is trying to be “partisan” and take things slow, but he better realize the ones who elected him to office expect to see more changes in the upcoming years, and more campaign promises fulfilled.

  Right now I think one of the most important developments largely ignored by the mainstream press is brewing in Senate in the form of new legislation proposed by Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman eerily titled the Enemy, Belligerent, Detention, and Interrogation Act of 2010. At only 12 pages long the bill proposes into law sweeping executive power giving the President the ability to detain anyone, including American citizens, indefinitely on mere suspicion of involvement with terrorist groups against the U.S. or its allies. What kind of a democracy allows the President to use king-like powers such as the ability to detain without charges? Changes such as these are over-reactions at best, this is a complete subversion of our balance of power system. It reminds me of some of the worst policies of the Bush administration, only this time they are being designed for use at home. It it a complete step back on civil liberties at a time when the Obama administration has already floundered on many key issues such as the his support to renew the Patriot Act and his support for the illegal NSA wiretapping program.

I feel like we should be working to roll back many of the unconstitutional Bush era terror powers and that this bill is a reactionary step in the opposite direction. Whether President Obama supports the new legislation in question remains to be seen, however there is support from both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate right now so this could theoretically pass. This is an issue of what we want to look like as a country. If you have no right to trial by jury then you are no longer have to basic right afforded to you in a fair justice system and that is not the country I wish to live in.   

What’s Happened to Cultural Discourse?

I read the article entitled “What's Happened to Cultural Discourse?”. This very question has run through my mind more and more lately it seems, maybe not so much in the same words or context, but the same general idea. The commentators, Dick Cavett and David Brooks, go on to talk about current shows and news covered by the media. Despite the fact that people seem eager to hear about other topics, we rarely see other cultures making our headlines. This not only applies to newspapers, but blogs and magazines as well. Mr. Brooks says it ever so eloquently when he states:

“You can turn on the TV at any moment and find 5 shows debating the Tea Party movement, but almost none debating changing parental norms, changing definitions of masculinity, etc. It’s hard to recall the last time a novel generated a national discussion, or even a history book.”

They go on to question the motives of writers in the present day. I can not tell if they are suppressed or simply blind to what is happening around them...

Then the conversation turns to social trust. Looking at Italy as an example, do people tend to place their trust in family rather than government? It is my opinion that one has to earn another's trust. Each president we elect must prove to that his main priority is to ensure peace and wellness.

Is it odd that a majority of young people these days get their news from comics like John Stewart and Stephen Colbert, instead of relying on the mainstream media? I think not. As someone who has viewed both news networks and the comedic performances, there does not seem to be too much difference, although one is quite funnier than the other. Either way, you are getting the same filtered information. Ultimately, they are still under the undeniable control of 4 executives who run all the major media outlets. In the article Dick Cavett cited a quote, “The people get what the people want”. Nowadays, however, it seems to be more in tune with “The people get what they get”. I am starting to think this mindset has led to a generation of apathy and unawareness.

Both authors are notable writers/political commentators for the New York Times. David Brooks has been featured on NPR as well as “The Newshour With Jim Lehrer”. Dick Cavett is a former host of the Dick Cavett Show on ABC from 1968-1975. He has also written two books, and made appearances on Broadway, television, and in the movies. Their audience seems to be well-educated, moderate-liberal minded folks who are interested in things happening in the world around them.

Toxic Waters: Rulings Restrict Clean Water Act, Foiling E.P.A.

I feel like I keep hearing the same sad story over and over again. Big business buying political power and ultimately using it to go against legislation enforced to protect citizens. The article is entitiled Toxic Waters, and is “about the worsening pollution in American waters and regulators' response.” This time it is the American Farm Bureau, National Association of Homebuilders, and American Land Rights Association that are opposing new laws created by the Environmental Protection Agency. They have lobbied the issue to the point where it has not even been able to make it the the floor of the House. Interests groups like the Waters Advocacy Coalition like to “emphasize the scary possibilities”, making voters wary of any new passing legislation. The authors goes on to mention that if a political commentator, like Glenn Beck, can tell the millions of Americans watching his show that the new water regulations will send “government storm troopers” their way, you better believe it will sway an opinion or two on the matter. And this is how during the last four years over 1500 major investigations regarding pollution have been “shelved or discontinued”. A even more shocking revelation: “About 117 million Americans get their drinking water from sources fed by waters that are vulnerable to exclusion from the Clean Water Act, according to E.P.A. Reports.” 

One of the authors, Janet Roberts, has written many previous articles for the Times including reports on past environmental regulation, the banking industry, and such issues as new laws for the food and drug administration. The other author, Charles Duhigg, is an award winning writer and is credibly noted for his findings on profits in the elderly industry. I strongly agree with both authors. Legislation restricting the powers of the Environmental Protection Agency is only hurting ourselves, and saving the big corporations the time, effort, and energy needed to clean up their messes. The safety and well-being of not only ourselves, but our environment, is necessary for our society's success.