Saturday, November 20, 2010

What to be thankful for.

There is always something we must find, to be thankful for.  On the first thought, we all imagine family and our ties keeping us sane and loving during difficult times.  It's a mass of confusion!  On the one hand it's pretty easy to get up in the morning, make the coffee, it seems to easy ... the electric still works, the toaster works, the is bread in it's house (the mircrowave above the stove), I have MSNBC on in the background... it's business as usual.  Nothing is wrong.  Darkness does not hover at the edges of our world and my breath is as vital and clear as my nephew's grandchildrens' will be.  Safe as houses.  That's what we are.  No troubles about the wasting oceans, I can't see Russian from here but if I get a President who can from her back yard... well, what's so bad?  She'll receive the world's leaders with crib notes on her hand!  The atmosphere is not receding away and climate change, global warming is a hoax.  
On the other hand;
my President is not the leader I had thought he would be.  The massive environmental crisis (ongoing) that has ruptured on his watch has been destructively handled by the high offices... his choices in leadership have failed.  And the world has passed over it, leaving the southeast of America to decay and decline in a slushie foam of corexit, crude oil and frozen methane warming up along shorelines of acid-like snap crackle and pop nastiness under the blanket domain of  Corporation Earth.   The Gulf of Mexico shoreline states are left to die an environmental death without a word, in despicable Republican crony - ism with big corporate oil under the eyes of President Barack Obama.  Two short years ago I was deeply grateful for his rise.  This year I am filled with remorse over his failures. 
Witness:

PRESS RELEASE-RALLY FOR THE GULF-SATURDAY

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Karen Mayer Hopkins, Dean Blanchard Seafood, Gulf Change
grandislekaren@yahoo.com

Actor Stephen Baldwin Rallies His Support for the Gulf Coast

Grand Isle, Louisiana - Actor, director, producer and author, Stephen Baldwin, announced Thursday that he will be attending the Rally for the Truth, which is set to be held this weekend, November 20, beginning at 1:00 pm.

Baldwin, who has been producing a documentary on the truth of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, will come to “show his complete support” for the people, ecosystem and economy of the Gulf Coast, which has been ravaged by the still lingering effects of the catastrophe.

He will be joined by other film makers, activists, fisherman, oil workers, local politicians and coastal citizens, coming together to unite in their struggle to let the rest of the world know the truth of what is happening on the Gulf Coast.

This weekend’s rally, which has been organized by a coalition of Coastal citizens, is to expose the fact that the Gulf States are still, very much, under assault by legions of oil on a daily basis.

Although BP and federal officials have all but declared the disaster over, local citizens, politicians, environmental and industry groups understand the effects of the April 20 spill are still in the early stages.

“The objective of the event is to meet with Gulf Coast Residents and present our case, regarding the health of our people, the impact on our communities, etc. We want to compile a "history" of our feelings, experiences, beliefs, whatever they may be, since the oil spill. It is not a "bash BP and/or the govt. event", it is a RALLY FOR THE PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO TELL THEIR TRUTHS,” explains event organizer, Karen Hopkins.

With a growing number of coastal citizens now ill from the effects of the dispersants and oil, the scientific disputes surrounding the validity of the FDA’s safe seafood claim, the continued suffering of the local ecosystems, the devastating economic effects of the offshore drilling moratorium and the recent discontinuance of the VOO program, and the consistent and ever prevalent sub-sea/ surface oil and dispersant discoveries; Coastal citizens are facing major, unaddressed complications that are affecting humans, wildlife and domestic animals.

This rally will center around sharing of information by those who live, work and play at ground zero for the spill, and their unique experiences.

Independent test results, interviews and all relevant information will be available to the press.

All local and state politicians; as well as, the EPA, FDA, NOAA, Coast Guard, DEQ and other involved entities have been invited to attend.

Speakers for the rally will include: Cherri Foytlin, Kindra Arnesen, Billy Nungessor, Karen Hopkins, Drew Landry, Susan Felio Price, Mac Mackenzie, Dean Blanchard, A.J. Varner, Jessica Hagan and a representative from the law firm of Leake & Anderson, additional speakers to be announced.

Donations will be taken to send a delegation to speak to congressional leaders in Washington D.C., and Coastal Heritage Society of Louisiana will conduct a Christmas toy and food drive.

Food in the form of Bar-B-Cue and Shrimp will be available free of charge.

The event will be held. at the Pirate Island Daquiri Shop in Grand Isle, several hundred people are expected to be in attendance. 
 

2 comments:

Rick Massey said...

Sadly, I share your disappointment with the new President. Contrary to the claims of his own spin machine, I am not upset because he didn't do enough fast enough.

Doing the right things: throwing the bums that destroyed everything out instead of re-appointing them; reducing the power of corporations to control this country by cutting of government contracts with them to do everything the government is responsible for; actually holding banks, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies accountable for screwing the real human beings in this country; and holding the major oil companies accountable for what they continue to do to our planet would have been the kinds of efforts that would have given all of us some hope we could “believe in.” I am not as disappointed that none of these things happened as I am that none of them were attempted. The “credit card reform” was a scam. It makes no meaningful changes to help real people. The “banking reform” is non-existent. If the “healthcare reform” finally does make healthcare available to more people than before, I am glad for those people. But it didn’t really “reform” any of the known and obvious causes of the problem. Forcing everyone to do business with the criminals that have driven healthcare costs so high by taking advantage of all of us for years may be a lot of things, but “reform” isn’t one of them.

If he would have tried to do the right things and failed – that would have been huge. At least we could have gone on believing there were some politicians that were not for sale. At least we could have continued to believe that the problem with the Democrats is that they have no spine. Now we have to face the ugly truth that even if they had a spine they would be useless to the American people. They have prostituted themselves to the same corporate pimps.

Unknown said...

Rick... sorry it took so long to respond... busy month!
Thank you for your commentary. It's a terrible year's end with thinking that the President is just another corporate hack. I'm sorry to say I feel that's the truth. I'm about to post another piece...
again. I don't why I didn't get this comment... but you are appreciated. Ta for your thoughts!