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Got that right, Christopher. Dangerous, evil buncha bastards. And if the TPP passes, they'll be even more in the driver's seat than they already are. This nightmare ain't over, not by a long shot.
Chuck, fellow Unitarian, I wholeheartedly concur.
Where we differ, chuckle8 -- and it is an irreconcilable difference -- is in our understanding of what history indicates is possible.
Based on what I have witnessed during a journalism career that began in 1956 and lingers on even now via my blog, I know the enitre U.S. system to be irremediably corrupt at every level, local, state and federal. This was not always so, but what began as episodal corruption has metastasized into the defining charactertistic of governance anywhere in this nation or its imperial possessions.
In this context, to believe in reform is to believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. A system so corrupted cannot be reformed. The imperial U.S. has become the global, governmental form of organized crime, and it can only be dealt with accordingly.
Neither can capitalism be detoxified. Capitalism is the serial-murderer mentality expressed as economics and politics, and even when caged (as the Scandanavian countries surely attempted), its inertial momentum will always be toward Nazism.
As to the Dark Ages, never forget that despite the wretchedness of life in post-Roman Europe, it was in some ways not as dark as we imagine. For example the Roman Catholic Church enforced an absolute prohibition against interest on loans (for which see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usury ) A result of this ban was the meager (albeit relatively stable) economy that characterized Europe until the Protestant Reformation, which in fact spawned capitalism and employed Protestant dogma to rationalize its malevolence. See for example Max Weber, The Protestasnt Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
Manifest evil -- and that is precisely what capitalism is -- cannot be made less evil. To imagine otherwise is to imagine Ted Bundy could have been -- by the plunking of some cosmic twanger -- transformed into a saint. It was the failure of the New Deal's proponents to understand this fact that resulted in their defeat and our subjugation.
Corporate climate change deniers (and their avatars in Congress) aren't merely dishonest, they truly ARE Satanically inspired (in a DEADLY sort of way)!
Hi Thom, I know you don't actually READ books or anything ever written here, and that as a result, your RESEARCH and RELEVANCE is a little bit behind the curve ( way behind ) as you sturggle with memory issues, your compulsion to write ANOTHER unnecessary book and to be all things to all people.......and endlessly repeating yourself. without the FACTS to effectively make your POINT.
Therefor, the following ( which I know you will ignore ) can solve these problems.
The burning answer : the solar revolution : a quest for sustainable power / Keith Barnham.
which was recently released in the U.S. can be of use, as well as.....
This changes everything : capitalism vs. the climate / Naomi Klein.
which has been available for some time.....these will bring you to the present in terms of the econconomic viability and WHO ( besides the KOCH brothers ) is blocking what could be an effective and fairly rapid transition to 100% renewables in most developed countries in less than 20 years with current technology. ( the author of the first book was involved in developing a 42% efficient solar cell.........explains E=hf, the equation that actually won Einstein the Nobel and the difference between energy and power.)
Read MORE, write LESS, TAKE NOTES and PREPARE!!!!! It time to move past kindergarten PROGRESSIVISM 101.
Hey Christopher I join your disgust but raise you on outrage AT HOW CHEAPLY THEY ARE BOUGHT !
However in regards to the inclusion of Viet Nam with this TRADE ABOMINATION they are DESECRATING THE GRAVES OF 58,000 Veterans that didn't die in Viet Nam to provide the population for Corporate enslavement in poverty just so some rich scumbag Pychos' could steal more profits out of the mouths of the children when there's no way they could spend what they've stolen already!
Oh ! Then there's the pesky fact that Viet Nam has never "honored" a Treaty! So we should compete with that? Ok ! HOW?
Greed. My own definition of Greed has 2 parts. 1. More for me. 2. Nothing for anything else. Greed just does not have room for anyone else. I got some examples of Greed in action. The General Motors Electric Vehicle. The EV1. Some GM Corporate guy decided to end the GM EV1 project and then Part 2 of Greed kicked in. He decided that each EV1 built and leased ought to be called back to GM and crushed.
Corporate Global Climate Change guys are Greedy. 1. More than enough for me. 2. Nothing for humanity, nothing for living things, nothing for planet earth. The Corporate Guys are pretty goofy. My recommendation. No longer repeat the Big Lie: Humanity Causes Climate Change. Just watch some movies about crazy criminal characters. The Criminals say to children and to women as they kill them: You made me do this to you.
Humanity is not responsible for Global Climate Change / CO2. Please stop saying that Big Lie. Just imagine all the babies, toddlers, children, mothers, families and communities around the world as your image of Humanity. Humanity is not the cause of Global Climate Change / CO2. A few Corporations have caused Global Climate Change / CO2. Remember: Corporations are Corporations too. Stay Tuned.
There is already plenty of evidence that they are unsafe in practice. I am old enough to recall the Secretary of the Navy insisting that Agent Orange (dioxin) was safe.
Roland
That is why we need to replace the current bunch of bums, Paul.
Roland
The U.S. Economy has been immoral for over 170 years, with a respite from 1933 to 1969 when the oligarchs were seriously worried by the prospect of a Bolshevik revolution here.
Roland
The Texas Emergency Management director has already given the deniers' credo and complained that "the global warming crowd will just use this to say 'I told you so.'" To paraphrase Verdi: Dumb, Stupid, Texan.
Roland
w1ders, there is a way to achieve some of that procedurally. We could do what I call generational term limits. Instead of restricting each member of Congress to the same total amount of time in office, you'd say that in a year that's a multiple of 20, anyone that was there before the previous multiple of 20 can stay. It would cut a sizable top off the seniority pyramid every 20 years. (So in 2020, everyone from before 2000 would be kicked out.)
BTW, I think Jefferson had second thoughts. He might have chosen 20 years because of the span from 1780 to 1800, when his election changed the country. But in 1820, his party was still in power, and in fact won the electoral college almost unanimously.
One thing that was done recently, Mauiman2, is letting ships in port plug into the local electric grid, so they don't have to burn dirty while they're there. I think that was San Diego I heard about, but I'm sure the idea is spreading.
Yes big oil is here to stay for quite some time. Just cannot run 18 wheelers, ships, airplanes, etc on a battery. Not yet anyways. Coal however is another story. You can generate power with other sources, as is being demonstrated now. "Green" electricity is more expensive, but less polluting. As a society, how much are we willing to pay for our power? That is the question.
@Kilosqrd, Strawman. Thom never said that solar would be used by combustion engine vehicles. He never said solar would be used by aeroplanes. He never said that it would change in a few months.
But, he did state that China reduced its emissions by 8% in a surprisingly short timeframe
Kilosqrd, you misrepresented Thom's article and then you arbitarily dismiss the overwhelming burden of scientific evidence of climate change. But then it appears that you'd rather support a free market, whatever the costs, even though most of the costs will fall on younger and future generations.
It doesn't look like there's much, if any, of the lymphatic system near the mammary glands, so the bra theory of breast cancer that Thom mentioned is probably bunk.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Jefferson seemed to know what he was talking about. Can't think of a better time. Bernie is probably our last chance of a peaceful solution. I could be wrong.
Hectocubed, I appreciate you owning up to being a denier, rather than trying to make yourself seem undecided by calling yourself a skeptic.
Given that, I wouldn't expect it to hurt you to be called a denier, but your denial itself will hurt you. Just the rise in sea level will lead to mass migrations of coastal populations and a need for expensive rebuilding of port infrastructure. Then there's the shifting of arability, infestation and disease.
C'mon Thom. Take a look around you. 250-300 million fossil fueled vehicles are on the road right now. Thousands of aircraft in the air flying hundreds of thousands people to thousands of destinations. Do you really believe this will stop, or even change in just a few months, or just a few years? Transportation manufacturers are building the machines for the future Thom, using internal combustion powerplants. We will be pumping oil and gas from the ground for many generations to come.
Call me a denier all you want. It doesn't hurt me at all. There is NO CLIMATE CRISIS.
FreddyK. -
Clinton is not showing all her cards. For good reasons. Hiding her membership in the 1%-D party. She has lots of jokers up her sleeves.
Reply to #13: Brilliant idea, David! Love it!
How much is that US Senator in the window?
If you act now, you can own your very own US Senator for the low, low price of $17,999.99. That's right folks, you can own your very own Senator, if you act now during this limited time offer. Be the envy of everyone on your block! Trade with your friends! Write your own legislation!
If you act by midnight tonight we will also throw in two Representatives and a Supreme Court Justice. That's right! One US Senator, two Representatives, and one Supreme Court Justice for the low, low price of $17,999.99.
If, at ANY time, you are not completely satisfied with your US Senator, simply return the unused portion and we will refund all your money. Please keep the two Representatives and the Supreme Court Justice as our gift.
All Senators must go before the deadline of the passing of the TPP; after which, the value of Senators will be $0.00. Order yours today!
Loren B -- How serious is the austerity in the Scandinavian countries? I heard one country tried it, and it was reversed by the people.
I used the wrong word for the "magical" path. It seems to be the best path so far in the 7000 years of western civilization. I agree that it was fraught with peril. However, I think the policies it tested are the best policies to follow.
As I said before, the fight between capitalism (greed) and socialism (caring) has been going on for 200,000 years (corrected from 1 million years). It has been much worse than it is now e.g. the dark ages. It took the plague to escape from that. Maybe global warming will be our plague. A much better solution is to fight for Bernie.
Chris C -- You are such an idealist. I am sure those rotten Senators can rationalize themselves out of that part of the Constitution. It would be fun to have Steve Colbert provide the words of their rationalization.
My words are wimpy. One rationalization they might use would be they were using their control when the gave the control to executive branch.
An Open Letter to the US Senators Who Voted To Fast-track the TPP!
In order to qualify for your job and a United States Senator, you were required to take the following Oath of Office:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
When you voted to “fast track” the TPP, you not only ABDICATED your constitutionally required responsibility to control the negotiations of trade agreement treaties, you BLATANTLY VIOLATED the above Oath of Office by voting to hand over control (for most practical purposes) of all three levels of our government to a cartel of greedy multinational corporations that literally “have no god but money” and clearly don’t give a damn how many Americans they IMPOVERISH and/or KILL as long as they can continue to profit by doing so!
Since you are obviously no longer willing to meet that requirement for becoming a United State Senator, YOU SHOULD RESIGN IMMEDIATELY so that your position as a Untied States Senator can be filled with someone who DOES take that Oath of Office SERIOUSLY!
Feel free to publish this,
Christopher C. Currie, 161 Lake Shore Drive, Pascoag, RI 02859 401-568-8266