Town Hall Meeting

The Natural Resource Defense Council created a nice web tool to check out how clean or polluted your local recreational waterway is. Many major beaches across America are listed. Check it out here or click the map below.

That’s 39th out of a possible 149, which means the US is in the 74th percentile, a weak “C” grade. On this Earth Day, this recent report is important to think about. Remember that April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans demonstrated to demand fixing the horribly polluted environment in the US, the largest demonstration in US history. Nixon was forced to create the EPA because of all this pressure. Starting with Nixon though, each administration did its best to undermine the EPA’s mission and make sure corporations could profit despite disastrous pollution: the result, we are 39th, just behind Uruguay, and just ahead of Greece.

Study by Columbia and Yale…

The U.S., once a leader in environmental protection, has failed to keep pace. “Starting 25 years ago, the United States started to fall behind in relative terms. Before that time, Europe always had dirtier air and drinking water,” says Mark Levy, associate director of Columbia University’s earth science center. Then-President George H. W. Bush signed the last significant American air quality legislation in 1990, an amendment to the Clean Air Act. The U.S. scores a meager 63.5 on the ecosystem vitality scale, vs. an average score of 74.2 for the world’s richest nations. The U.S.’ overall EPI score is 81, putting it in 39th place on the list.

Here are two examples of countries ahead of the US:

Switzerland, Score: 95.5 No. 1 Overall
The world’s fifth most affluent nation on a GDP-per-capita basis is also the world’s cleanest. Switzerland scores a perfect 100 in eight environmental indicators, including sanitation and water quality, forest health and pesticide regulation. All that cleanliness translates into a life expectancy of 81 years for the Swiss. But Switzerland’s mountainous landscape forces farmers to grow crops on every slope and in every cranny, reducing the country to a merely average score in agricultural practices.

Japan, Score: 84.5 No. 21 Overall
Japan’s life expectancy of 82.12 years is the world’s longest, due in part to the country’s excellent sanitation infrastructure, avoidance of chemical pesticides and relatively low levels of air pollution. Japan even gets a perfect score of 100 for its efforts to conserve forests. But overfishing of coastal waters earns Japan a score of 81.6 for the measure of marine biodiversity, vs. 88.8 for its regional peers.

You can find the source material for the Columbia/Yale study at these two sites:
http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/es/epi/downloads.html
http://epi.yale.edu/CountryScores

Check out this brand new Frontline report on the health of America’s waterways.

Use those canvas bags when going shopping, we’ve got a looong way to go!! :)

Did anyone know that the 3 pirates killed by the US military were aged 17-19? Check out this interview by Davey D (Oakland representin) of K’naan a Somalian rapper, poet, activist about piracy. Again, what a novel journalistic technique: interview someone who is from the country you are reporting about! The largest point is the mass media omission of the fact that nuclear waste is being dumped into the ocean off the Somalian coast.

A group of folks at a dinner on New Year’s Eve in 2005 decided to “unplug from the matrix” and stop being a conspicuous consumer for one full year. This compact has gained a lot of traction because it not only does good for the community, but it also feels good to do things other than going to the mall. And saving a lot of money helps too! Check out one of the original newspaper reports here.

The basic rule is not to buy anything new for one year. They feel the current climate crisis and economic and socioeconomic crises are a result of out of whack consumerism. They have a blog, and a yahoo group.

Check out their original blog post from 2006: http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/2006/01/new-years-resolution.html

Here is the main picture on “The Compact” Yahoo Group web page, it explains it all…

A cool flash thing that shows some interesting stats on our one and only earth. Check it out by clicking on the picture below. Seems like the time is ticking for how much longer earth will be habitable for humans, and there isn’t any doubt in my mind that humans, especially due to unrestrained capitalism, are speeding us all to the end.

Another mass protest in Los Angeles, one of many around America this weekend. Here are some pictures. The war is 4 1/2 years old now. It is unbelievable how the reasons for the war were all completely proven false, yet the war goes on. WTF! I estimate the crowd at around 7500.

Some names that give me concern because they are powerful and they are Democratic presidential hopefuls and they are sometimes considered liberal or centrist: Biden, Clinton, McCain, and Schumer.

Some names that give me relief are all 30 (not one Republican) who voted for it. You can see how everyone voted at the senate website: Cluster Bomb Vote Breakdown.

Who would vote against such a thing, it is beyond comprehension. This issue has been around for a while but was reignited when Israel dropped cluster bombs on Lebanon in the last days before the recent cease fire. Many of the bomblets go undetonated, and then days or weeks later innocent people might walk by and trigger them, killing or maiming all near it. This is the exact same problem with land mines and the reaosn why land mines have been made illegal all over the world. But here we have the US Senate voting 70-30 against stopping the use of cluster bombs! In case you are wondering, the US uses cluster bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan and NATO used them in Yugoslavia in 1999.

I went to a 10pm showing last night and the place was full, which is great, and the parking lot looked like 5% of the cars were hybrids! I think this film is excellent. It is a documentary of Al Gore doing a presentation about global warming that he has performed over 1000 times, as he says in the movie. The reason I liked it is it lays out the problem piece by piece, including the history, the science, the arguments against it, and then gives solutions at the end that we can all do to fix the problem. And it is fixable. He gives the example of the great progress we have had as a global community in fixing the ozone layer.

A part of the movie that I was waiting for and it did deliver on was showing just how much America pollutes compared to the rest of the world. I think the average American (as do some in my own family) thinks that America has the strictest environmental laws in the world and thus does not pollute nearly as much as most others. Well, neither of those things are true, as this film points out. America’s fuel economy standards are half that of China, Europe, Taiwan, and Japan. And American pollutes more global warming causing chemicals than all other countries, and if you remove Europe, all other countries combined.

They have a website called climatecrisis.net which you can check out for ideas on how to start living a life that contributes less and less to global warming. You can see the trailer here.

The anniversary of the invasion of Iraq is coming up again. There will be mass protests all around. Demonstrate your disgust for militarism, greed, nepotism, cronyism, or just go out and meet a bunch of fellow peaceful citizens. Try a google search to find a protest near you, or any of the following links:

www.internationalanswer.org
www.unitedforpeace.org
www.campusantiwar.net
www.warresisters.org

Bernie Sanders is an independent running in Vermont. He is honest and fights for very important issues, such as corporate domination of media, workers rights, and protecting the environment. I donated some money to his campaign, which you can do too by going to his website: www.bernie.org.

You can also learn more about what he is doing now in the House of Representatives at: www.bernie.house.gov

What an outstanding turnout today in Los Angeles. The turnout was announced at 50,000 people. That same number was announced in San Francisco, and an amazing 300,000 announced at the main event in Washington, DC! It was invigorating to see such non-violent support for peace and justice. All of my pictures have been posted here. I’ve already seen the national press say things like “thousands of protestors showed up across the country” and “pro-Bush protestors were there as well.” I have given up on the mainstream media long ago: CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN (I don’t even count Fox since they are in a whole other league). I was there, you can see my pictures. Real reporting would include things like “hundreds of thousands protested across America today” and “people are fed up with militarism and occupations.” Thankfully we still have news programs like Democracy Now!.

September 24, 2005 – mark your calendars! It’s a great opportunity to protest the illegal war on Iraq, the illegal occupation of Haiti, the attempted and failed coup on Venezuela’s president, and any of the other U.S. foreign or domestic policy horrors you can think of. The main protest will be in Washington, D.C. There will also be major ones in at least Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Go to our demonstrations page for links to more information.

For those of you who are wondering what we are really doing to ourselves and our planet, I IMPLORE you to read Elizabeth Kolbert’s article “The Climate of Man – I” in the April 25th issue of The New Yorker Magazine. This is the first of a three part article that creates a chilling (no pun intended) snapshot of where we are and where we are headed. Warning: do not read this immediately before going to sleep.

-Andy

The DVD for the flim The Corporation is now available in the U.S. If you haven’t seen this movie, check it out. It was by far my favorite film of 2004. You can watch a preview here.

I attended one of the protests around the world today, this one in Los Angeles. I was hoping to see 1,000 people come out, on this rainy day. By the time the march through Hollywood started, there were about 10,000 people there. It was a beautiful event, everybody was on the same wavelength-no more war, stopping the ruling elite from killing for their profit, and there is no mistake about the connection of Iraq and Palestine. This protest is just another example that if this many people are willing to march in the rain, how many more are out there that want this vicious, illegal war to end? Of course, if you watch the chicken shit American media tonight, you won’t hear a peep about these protests. 100,000 people protested in London alone today. There were protests all over the world. The people want change, and are showing strong solidarity. The mainstream media is doing everything they can to muzzle us. I have not yet seen (I know, it won’t happen) news coverage from corporate media that actually interviews the protestors or shows footage of some of the speeches. Corporations are against us, but it is very encouraging to see the mass amount of support out there today.

Tie a Green Ribbon

Unite Around the Arctic Refuge

America’s Arctic Refuge is in danger. This week, oil interests came one step closer to ruining the wild coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with sprawling oil development. In a backdoor scheme cooked up by drilling proponents, the U.S. Senate has included language in the Federal Budget that could remove protections prohibiting oil development in the biological heart of the Refuge. But the fight is far from over!

Make a statement today. Show your solidarity for America’s Arctic Refuge with a visible symbol — a green ribbon. Tie it in your yard, hang it on your home, pin it on your clothes or wear it around your wrist. Then pass it on. Give ribbons to your friends and family.

Millions of Americans feel strongly about this issue — and together we will NOT be ignored. Show your support until Congress assures us that the Arctic Refuge is safe from oil drills.

For more information contact The Wilderness Society www.wilderness.org

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* WILDALERT — Friday, March 11, 2005
* Brought to you by The Wilderness Society
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ARCTIC REFUGE ACTION NEEDED

This week, the House and Senate budget committees split over
whether or not to include proposals to allow drilling in
America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be included in the
federal budget. The Senate budget has such a provision; the
House bill does not.

During the next 4-5 days, we ask you to bear with us as we ask
you to again take action. Today and Monday, we urgently need
your phone calls and faxes to your representative in the House.
Early next week we will ask you to contact your senators. More
detail is below.

CALL NOW

You can call the switchboard 202-224-3121, or use our online
contact directory to look up the direct phone number for your
representative.

Your message:
Please do all you can to ensure that the House Budget does not
allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
If you cannot call, please click here to send an email.

BACKGROUND

House Bill Free of Arctic Refuge Provision

This week, the House and Senate Budget Committees marked up the
budget. The House budget resolution has no Arctic provision in
it.
But drilling proponents may still have opportunities to slip
Arctic drilling past the House through the budget process, if
House Members are not actively vigilant. We need you to keep
pressure on your Representative to make sure that this cannot
happen.

Senate Bill Includes Arctic Refuge Drilling

In the Senate, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg
(R-NH) decided to include the controversial drilling provision
in the Senate version. Despite opposition from several Senators
in his own party, Senator Gregg said he thought it was
“reasonable” to assume that the drilling provision would remain
in the budget. Our WildAlert members in New Hampshire are
working hard to deliver a message to Sen. Gregg that this
position is unacceptable.

During the budget committee meeting, Senator Russ Feingold
(D-WI) offered an amendment to strip the Arctic drilling
provision out of the budget resolution. The amendment failed on
a straight party-line vote, 10-12.

Next week, the Senate is scheduled to have a floor debate on the
budget resolution. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) will go to the
Senate floor with an amendment to remove the provision that
allows drilling in America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Please take action today or Monday!

As you can see, our efforts to protect the unequalled Arctic
Refuge are far from over.

WE NEED YOUR CALLS AND EMAILS TO THE HOUSE TODAY AND MONDAY!

Call the switchboard 202-224-3121 or use our online contact
directory to look up the direct phone number for your
Representative.

Your message:
Please do all you can to ensure that the House Budget does not
allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

If you want to say more:
Opening the Arctic Refuge to drilling through the budget process
would be fiscally irresponsible, since no one knows the amount
or value of oil that is there. Moreover, it would ruin a
wilderness and wildlife habitat that is unequalled any where on
earth. This is one place where drilling must not take place.

After you call, or if you cannot call, send an email.

Our WildAlert members have done a remarkable job contacting
Congress on this issue. Thank you! With your continued help, we
can ensure the protection of the Arctic Refuge.

WORDS TO INSPIRE

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed
citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that
ever has.” – Margaret Mead

Listen to this speech given in 1988 (about 3 minutes) by a Democrat who won the state of Michigan by 55% to 28% in that years primary. Democratic leaders today should listen and know that this is what popular Democrats used to stand for. The speech is taken from the documentary by Pacifica called A Passel Of Pomp & A Circus Of Circumstance.