Sunday, July 16, 2006

The Al Gore movie, power, control and our Democratic Republic.

Went to see the Al Gore movie, Inconvenient Truth on Saturday. Oddly enough, it was reported by LifeScience.com that the first half of 2006 was the hottest ever on the CONUS.
Anyway, it’s very good.
A few things strike you while watching. One, where was this Al Gore in 2000.
And two, the “compare and contrast” of the stupid fucking rube we have now in office compared to an educated, well spoken, moral man like Gore.

As you start to put together the clues, you realize the almighty dollar at work again.
And more.

There’s no real scientific debate whether or not global warming is “real”. For instance, climate fluctuations have always occurred as far back as can be measured but it has well surpassed previous spikes (exponentially) since we started pumping lots of CO2 into the atmosphere.
There are, however, differences in information from the media that likes to portray “both sides” of the issue. It’s like this: There are no two sides to the issue on this one.

What else strikes you is that knowledge and choice mean power. Not that profound, I know, but stick with me here.
We’ve gone through profound changes in this land of ours since 1776.
For the people to have power, true power, they have to be informed and they have to have choice AND as a democratic republic that means everyone.
See where I’m going with this?
Now, lots of people wax poetic about the founding fathers. But in reality, there were only a handful of people at the time of the signing of the Constitution that had any real power. Huge reason: The times they lived in.
However, once the document was done, though the times they were not a changin’ for quite some time for a lot of people, the words were on paper already. Change was bound to happen, and it most certainly did. Everything from women getting the right to vote, to the end of slavery, civil rights, etc.. We were on our way to being a TRUE (not just on paper) free society.

Sometimes I wonder if they sit back in some green room in the sky watching the progress and change their words wrought.

See where I’m going with this?
Congress, Oil men in the White House, Supreme Court, K Streeet, the 2000 and 2004 elections, more corporate power within government.
Do I need to draw you a picture?
We’re talking talking a reversal of everything that makes this country great. Power in the hands of a few powerful men.
Whether it’s through constant war, voter disenfranchisement or driving those wedge issues, it’s about moving power and choice AWAY from vast numbers of Americans.

Full circle, back to Al Gore’s movie.
The status quo for a handful of wealthy and very powerful people with connections straight to the White House and congress means the money keeps flowing. These days, it’s directly from our pockets AND from the treasury in the form of power bills, gasoline and war profiteering.
Preach the word of conservation and spend what will eventually amount to over a trillion dollars on this war on trying to keep the CO2 out of the air and putting alternatives in front of us, and some serious money spigots dry up for certain people. Can’t have that.
What to do?
Marginalize “liberals” and environmentalists and scientists and for that matter the Kyoto treaty.
Funny thing is, when I was growing up, doing your part to conserve was as part of being an American as going to a ballgame.

I’m not saying that the neo-cons are afraid of Al Gore and that he’s their reason they have fought for power. This global warming issue is just one of many that became a victim.

Let’s name some things that almost all “developing” or third world nations have in common: Power in the hands of the few, importing more finished goods than they export, vast amounts of wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few.
Do we really want to go down that road? Or just as bad, a return to the Gilded Age?

You and I count. We all count. Demand it. Start here on Greg Palast's page and pray for real democracy.

6 comments:

Karen said...

so much bad news, it's all very depressing. hubby pointed out an article in the Wall Street Journal saying global warming "can't be proven" because they said they found a handful of scientists who say so, in other words, they have been able to pay the handful to say otherwise. the really scary part is most of the dems are just are just as bad as the rethugs. *sigh*

Mike V. said...

One that does not marginalize certain groups of people.
Which was well documented in the 2000 and 2004 election.

One that does not favor corportate control of the government like now.
Heard of K Street?

On the subject of energy policy, we have a president that appointed a fucking energy industry former employee and lobbyist for gods sake!

Mike V. said...

balance of power when they are all corporate republican thugs???

right. there's freedom.

Mike V. said...

The house and the senate are both controlled by the replublican party.

I explained what a real democracy is.
Read it again.

Mike V. said...

the bill of rights has been shredded under W and the rethugs.
hell, some of them think they can play doctor in a braindead woman's hospital room.

SheaNC said...

"We’re talking talking a reversal of everything that makes this country great."

That's why I get so [insert word combining "enraged" and "depressed"] that I can hardly blog sometimes.