re: >> ..Could the Gulf Oil Spill Be a Game-Changer?..<<
I doubt it VERY MUCH with an attitude like:
"The American Way of Life is Not Negotiable"
It very well could be for the GOM and maybe the whole planet's ecosystem though in a HUGE NEGATIVE way..
Think the movie Avatar and what the invaders were doing on Pandora.. :(
And I too, believe that is the "Faulking Truth".
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Feb 5, 2005 -
"The American Way of Life is Not Negotiable"
by Robin Buckallew
A very early action of the Bush administration upon assuming office in 2001 was to lobby for the replacement of the chairman of the official United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This was done at the request of Exxon, who felt the sitting chairman, Dr. Watson, was too "aggressive" in pursuing action on the issue of global warming. As a result of actions taken by the administration, Dr. Watson was replaced ("at the request of the US") by the industry-friendly Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, hand picked by the administration, and referred to by former vice-president Al Gore as the "let's drag our feet" candidate. Last month, Dr. Pachauri issued the strongest warning yet in regard to global climate change, and a most urgent call for immediate action. His report stated that there is not a moment to lose, and added that we are risking the ability of the human race to survive. He is calling for "very deep" cuts in current pollution levels, stating that the point of no return was rapidly approaching. This is simply the most recent in a long line of defections by scientists hand-picked by the Bush administration to administer their version of the "best science" in the service of free enterprise and the industries that contributed huge sums to the cause. It comes less than a year after the shocking report by the Pentagon which described global warming as one of the greatest risks to homeland security that we are going to have to face in the near future. And what are the smiling faces of the talking heads on the mainstream outlets talking about? The need for a Constitutional amendment protecting marriage from the scourge homosexuality. The need to protect our children from "liberal" thinking in our schools (such as evolution in the science classes). How best to deal with the possibility that Hillary Clinton might run for President in 2008. Oh, yes, and the ever popular weapons-of-mass-destruction-related-program-activities. No clarion call for international action on global warming. No insistence on a commission to investigate why the president is ignoring one of the greatest threats to humanity. Perhaps if the global warming scientists would only wear a blue dress with a stain, they would get some press...
It is all too easy to blame the current lack of attention to global warming on the president. After all, this president has failed to respond to public challenges on the war, on the economy, on many other issues of concern to the American people. It is easy to think that if we just had a different president, something would be done. Unfortunately, this is not even close to being true. We have had different presidents, with different philosophies. There have been no bold and courageous steps taken. During the campaign, little mention was made of global warming, and the environment was all but ignored by both parties. Why is no president or presidential candidate responding to public outcry for action? Because, overall, there has been no resounding public outcry for action. Oh, yes, there are people who express concern with the problem. There are groups working on the problem. Is the problem public awareness? That is the common answer of people who try to explain why no one has really risen up and marched on Washington about this. I am not so sure. Everywhere I go, I find that most people are aware of global warming. A great many of them express some level of concern about it. In general, when I ask people what their greatest environmental concern is, global warming is the one most often mentioned. The "best science" supports the conclusions of the global warming Cassandras. Nearly 98% of the scientific community accepts global warming as established fact. It is here, it is happening, it is changing the face of the earth as we know it. Already, the earth has warmed by 1.4 F since 1750. And still, no outcry from the American people. The Kyoto Protocol takes effect officially on February 16, and we are not a part of it. But no outcry from the American people. Island nations are already disappearing in the face of rising sea levels (from the melting polar ice). No outcry from the American people. What is wrong? Where are we when the world needs us? I'll tell you where we are - we're driving our SUVs to 7-11 to buy our Big Gulp soft drinks while we watch The Apprentice on TV. To the rest of the world, it must appear that the American public is wallowing in a gluttonous bout of selfish hedonism. From the recent polls I've seen, it appears that we are aware; therefore, the rest of the world must be drawing the conclusion that we simply don't care. America fiddles while the world burns.
In June, 1992, the Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At this conference, 153 countries (including the United States) signed treaties to curb the damage to the environment from human economic activities. This conference was attended by George H. W. Bush, then President of the United States of America, who proved resistant to efforts to make deep and lasting changes that could ensure protection of the world on which all nations depend. His reasoning? "The American way of life is not negotiable". In 2002, a 10-year follow-up to the Earth Summit was held, and President George W. Bush decided not to attend, sending Colin Powell in his place. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer was asked prior to the event whether the new president would be asking Americans to reduce consumption in order to reduce pollution. The answer was no. In fact, the comment made at this time was "The American way of life is a blessed one". It is to be protected at all costs. In fact, international policy makers were asked by the United States to endorse that goal. The rest of the world was being asked to sign onto the right of Americans to consume the resources of the world without consideration of the consequences for the rest of the world. Is it any wonder Colin Powell was heckled and booed as he attempted to make his speech?
The American way of life is not negotiable. The American way of life is a blessed one. Even worse than the fact that these grotesque statements were made in such a forum is the fact that Americans don't seem to find anything wrong with them. It seems that the American public agrees. Our way of life is so special, so unique, so satisfying that it must be protected at all costs. Of course, Americans aren't quite that monstrous. They do believe that something should be done about global warming. Our government should do something. The international community should do something. The United Nations should do something. But whatever they do is supposed to be done in a way that protects the right of the American consumer to consume. Sales of SUVs continue to rise, even as we embroil ourselves in wars in the Middle East to ensure ourselves a plentiful supply of cheap gas. And at most only a handful of consumers will accept the rising prices at the gas pump (in spite of the fact that our gas is several times cheaper than that in other parts of the world). We continue to eat out regularly, frequenting drive-thru restaurants that serve us nearly tasteless food in Styrofoam® containers to keep it warm. We continue to buy disposable everything, using things once and throwing them away. We continue to drive everywhere we go, even when it is only a couple of blocks away. We keep our lights on even when we have no need of them. America contains 5% of the world's population. We account for 25% of the world's consumption. We are the largest per capita producers of trash. Our carbon dioxide emissions account for 25% of the world's total. In short, we are not only using our fair share of the world's resources, we are, each and every one of us, also using the fair share of 4 other people. The saddest part of this orgy of consumption is the research that has been done on human happiness, finding that we rank very low among other countries on nearly all measures of human well being, including our own self-reported happiness. We are not consuming all of this to produce a grander cultural heritage than other countries. We are not steeped in the satisfying glow of human achievement and happiness. No, the more we have, the less happy we are, because we never seem to have quite enough. Oh, we think, if we could only have that new DVD player, or that blue dress we saw in the window of Dillard's, or the new car..then, we would be so happy. But we wouldn't. We would become quickly disenchanted, and need to move on to yet one more "just one more." to make us happy.
Look around you. Pay close attention to what you see. This, what surrounds you, this is the American way of life that is "not negotiable", that is "blessed". The toasters, the DVD players, the SUVs, the Wal-Marts, the Coca-Colas, and the endless doo-dads and gadgets that seem to us to be necessary to make our lives bearable. Every year, we buy our children hundreds of dollars worth of toys that they aren't playing with anymore by year's end. Every year we buy hundreds of dollars worth of clothes that we might wear once or twice and grow bored with. How many pairs of shoes do you have? How many pairs of feet do you have? Look around you, all around you. How much trash have you thrown away this week? How many miles have you driven this week? Are you happy with what you bought last week, or has it been forgotten and needed to be replaced with something else to make you happy this week? Is all this "stuff" worth the life of a Marshall Islander? Is it worth the life of an Inuit?
For most of the twentieth century, America has been giddily having a party. Unfortunately, the rest of the world has not been invited, though they have been quietly picking up the tab. It is time for he who is dancing to pay the piper. If we just keep on partying, we can continue to get high, until we suddenly realize we are on a very bad trip. Then, we will change our lifestyles. Or, we can negotiate now, and make changes in our lifestyle that are meaningful and somewhat in our control. If we choose the first road and party on, the rest of the world may eventually abandon us as we've abandoned them. If we sober up quickly, begin to tally up the tab, and commit ourselves to change, we can make meaningful changes that are at least somewhat in our control. If we choose this way, no doubt the rest of the world will be there to support us, to encourage us. Either way, the American way of life is going to change. And that is the Faulking Truth.
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