If you’ve been following my blogging you can tell that I like to speak honestly, I have strong opinions and although I might rant, I choose to see the light in the world. I have longings to see the world in a healthier and balanced place. I do want to believe that as an individual I can make the world a better place. Collectively as individuals we make a huge sum of all our parts and collectively we can change the things that weaken us, make us not so proud. I believe that in order to heal, to grow and change our ‘thinking only of me’ ways so prevalent in America, we need to return to basics in our society. Basics like ethics, do they even teach it in school anymore? Honesty? Integrity? Altruism? These are not ideals, these are not concepts, these are not to be only for a few to understand and pursue. These have to be at the core of our foundation.
I sing in the subway, underground, I work under that foundation, in the foundation. I enjoy the compassion and interest I see from 1000’s of people everyday-that’s what I choose to see, so what I say above is possible, I know it profoundly. I give power to that, why I sing my song Dedicated “No Hate No War, can't take no more so I dedicate my life to it” the lyric goes. Or Through My Eyes, “See the world through my eyes, so many good things can materialize…” People, we are moving, listening, we can be better, do better.
Looking at this weeks news, it's clear to see we've got work to do.
Wall Street greed has ensured huge returns for betting against a client, (why doesn’t wall street have the same commonsense ethics as lawyers do regarding conflict of interest). Banks have earned billions this quarter at a time of huge ecomonic stress, banks we bailed out.
Arizona, the Governor signs into law arresting immigrants who do not carry papers, she invoked a recent murder of an Arizona rancher by an illegal immigrant to warrant her signing the law. Now how is that action not going to start a huge wave of racial profiling and abuse of Civil Rights?
But an international corporation (BP) can own and operate an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, have an explosion that kills eleven people, and after being fined etc. etc, will be allowed to continue? The loss of human life, not to mention the tragic death of unimaginable quantities of sea life leaves me breathless. Troubling is the Obama administration still wants to consider all aspects of a new Energy Bill that includes oil drilling in the Gulf Of Mexico. Oil drilling in the Gulf is like a Nuclear power plant, there is no room for ONE accident, not ONE error. What will be lost is far greater than our continued addiction to oil, it doesn’t matter if it comes from a terror state, or within our own borders-oil drilling is all a risk.
The Valdez catastrophe cost Exxon billions to clean up and surprise, they had huge earnings in the billions this year alone, even during an economic crisis. There is something wrong with this picture. We need the resources of our Coast Guard and National Guard and Military that are spread thin fighting two unnecessary wars, wars going on so long that no one understands why we are at war anymore. We need their help immediately, why have days gone by waiting for BP to figure out how to limit the growing catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico? What tragedy is awaiting the coastlines cannot even be understood at this time.
We have the ingenuity, the brain power and the resources to switch to alternatives from petroleum energy. It isn’t out of reach, it’s not a dream, it’s just out of our longing, it’s out of our vision. Okay so you say how will longing and dreaming and vision heat my home, light my lights, fuel my car? We collectively can make changes so swift that we will hardly feel the change. We learn to handle weeks of travel halted due to region wide snowstorms, and ash clouds, and power grid outages. We figure it out. If all the banks and corporations who (I say ‘who’ on purpose, as our Supreme Court decided long ago a corporation is a person!-we could start there, but I digress, or maybe not…hmm) have billions of earnings be regulated to fund alternative energy grids and mass transit, that would be a start. Instead we have over burdened governmental agencies that reach all the way down on the most local of levels-all are stressed, overly in debt and with scant resources left for public infrastructure. And while we're at it, there's a huge workforce being punished, arrested and deported in Arizona just waiting to be respected and given a chance to live the dream we call America.
If we can’t count on the individual to do what is important than we have to collectively join together and make our own National Government able to instruct and regulate and make change.
We are so much better, I believe this profoundly.
Update
on 2010-04-30 21:01 by NYC Subway Girl
As the massive oil slick from the oil rig explosion reaches our coasts, it's also a wake up call. The Senate is considering legislation that will promote new offshore oil exploration. President Obama can stop this by reinstating the ban on new offshore drilling.
Hearing from Americans coast to coast will send a powerful message that we don't want new drilling.
Can you call President Obama at (202) 456-1111 today? Tell the president to reinstate the ban on new offshore drilling. I called, introduced myself, and then expressed my concern about the spill, and that I urged the President to not only reconsider any efforts to drill in the Gulf of Mexico but to pass a moratorium on drilling forever. The representative said, 'Thank you Cathy, I'll pass that on"....
Update
on 2010-05-24 18:55 by NYC Subway Girl
Sick Of The Oil Slick!
Now a month into the spill and there is still no end in sight. Hearing rhetoric about how BP intends to deal with this is deeply upsetting. And talks of "killing the well" as a solution, that would be too hard for BP to concede. It should have been the first solution. What is in sight and already on the ground is the thick oil killing wildlife and habitats, and a priceless landscape. Kill the well, and any future oil drilling. I hesitate to add or at least where access is too dangerous and difficult like 1000’s of feet under water, but then I would concede that we’re responsible enough to truly be responsible, which I don’t believe, as there are too many special interests involved. The double speak is to try and make it our fault due to our addiction to oil, true to a point, but without proper regulation and then allowing offshore (excuse the pun) corporations to flaunt their disregard for proper fail-safe methods and honest inspection, we are punishing ourselves again and again.
Businesses crushed, tourism bruised and soon devastated. This is a national crisis, and a call to action. This isn't a war on distant land, this is our beautiful Country.
When will we learn?
"Oil Spill Got You Down? Don't fret, seize the opportunity" http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/
great comments and solutions from Sheryl Eisenberg