California's Mendocino Fire just broke the record set by the Thomas fire last year. Last year was bad, the worst ever. This year is already worse and we are just entering the "Old" fire season. What I suspect and we all fear is that there isn't a season to contain fires in any more. Mostly we don't put out fires any more. We try to block there progress around human structures. And basically get stuff out of the way. They fight until exhaustion endangers them. Right now firefighters from Washington, Canada and Australia are holding the line. Yeah we now have to shift and share our firefighting forces, We are now fighting fires to big for a nation to handle alone. One very clear sign of this is Redding Calif. We lost Towns. We never use to lose but maybe 4 or 5 homes. Now we lose towns, Here is how this will end. "Like smoke beyond all repair." The fires will stop when there is no more fuel. No more forests, no more grass lands. This has only just begun. I only caught a news flash. But Scientists Again in Australia Have announced that this is all going to happen much sooner and faster than previously thought. This is in part based on the discovery that the poles are heating up much faster than the equator. But also upon a reassessment of the effects upon global systems of the failure of any single part. They are calling it a domino effect but it seems more like a ever widening hole in the dike to me. In short as always, it's later than we think. I have no crystal ball. So I have to ask, What the hell are our poor farmers going to do. Feeding us is their whole life. We've lost 80 percent of our Krill, the foundation our the food chain in our northern Oceans, So we went looking to find out why and maybe fix it! The why was and is that they need ice to feed off of, less ice less krill, they also need that ice in the traditional seasons to breed...seasons which are fading from the worlds memory. there will be less krill in our oceans and less, much less everything else. The worst thing trummppy has done is to distract us from the war on global climate change. Surely the world can now see that we are being set ablaze and flooded and that the tap from which all sorrows flow has just been opened. How much longer can we feed ourselves seems a very perpetrate question to me. Every crop that we depended upon, depends upon stability. I expect to hear about food shortages some time after my last meal. I can't think of a single strategy that might work in a world this in chaos. Mankind has never had to deal with such. "We have to go out but we don't have to come back in." Each man goes to meet his fate alone, something no army has ever been able to hide. No mother has ever been able to forget. We are connected but ties are always being severed. We are only here together because we made a concerted effort to be so.and technology supports our effort. So please enjoy this time we have together and use it to strengthen yourselves for the time to come.":O}
From what very little I know and have seen lately it's really beginning to look like how fast we die off may determine how far and how many will be able to get past the next 100 to 150 years. If famine plague and drought take most of us in just 2 or 3 years. Those remaining may have some chance of holding on to at lest some of out technological gains. I can't even guess as to how bad this is going to be. But I'm seeing far more problems than adequate solutions. Trumppy now has been inspired to roll back Obama's emissions standards I think it's 27 states are suing to stop him.. This signals that many who are in power have Zero idea of what is coming this way. Yet our world is vast and is as likely to conceal solutions as it is to spring new problems upon us. We didn't have to go looking for our Climate problems. But we will certainly have to scour the world for solutions. The real problem as I see it is time. These changes are coming on very fast. our solutions have not yet been identified nor has any real implementation begun. That recent study out of Australia. their findings say that even if we fully implemented the Climate accords, it won't be enough to stop a 2 degree increase world wide in temperature. 2 degrees has been the point of no return for some time now....and we are not going to be able to hold at 2, they are suggesting that we may see a 2-5 degree increase in the next 100 years. And Trummpy the brilliant has pulled us out of the climate accords. Well here we are at the precipice Will we, can we change? My answer might well be that not all of us need to change. Can we impose change in time upon the insane rich? If we can not, mother will of a certainty do so. and Mother Earth is not known for her discriminating awareness. Remember that the world does not want to kill us all...That is simply the only choice we left her with. If we can find another way for this to go, I'm sure we would hear no complaints. "The last of the just" The Jewish tradition with which I'm only faintly failure has the concept of the last Just man. The man for whose sake all the rest of us are spared judgment. The idea being that God would not treat a single person unfairly just because he was standing next to the devil or surrounded by a million devils. When the last Just man dies, God's wrath will fall upon us.Our only hope of mercy is to keep the last Just man alive. The only way to be absolutely sure we do this is by becoming Just men.It always comes down to you and me. With God it always comes down to just one man. You. So this is me trying to be you. Trying to find equally in all that we do together.Trying to stay the hand of a Just and very angry God. Who is standing behind and in waiting for the last Just man to fall at our hands. "How long shall they kill our prophets while stand about and look?" And so like the saints of old we are being called by our time to repentance and to make amends. One Just man is all that stands between us and oblivion., Let us make certain that we stand with him and support his quest for justice. If this won't in your mind save us, find something that can. We are all depending on you. .
I'm not known as Mr Sunshine. As far as I can tell it's doubtful that the human race has 100 more years. We passed the point of no return BEFORE we knew it was there. Is this due to human folly? Yes, however we must remember that Neoliberalism is most to blame. Steal all of the money from the little people? Check. Steal all of the power of "the people?" Done. Write the news, er, propaganda to keep 'em confused in Keokuk? Done. Make them hate themselves far, far more than the oligarchy? And done! I pray that the human race is not clever enough to spread itself, oops, I mean the rich beyond Earth. It's highly doubtful that we, err, they can. Justice FINALLY done? Check!
So what? Your going to concede the war before the battle is joined? Justice is done? 7 billion lives on the line. If 1% control the wealth and the power then your writing off the innocent 99%. What I'm hearing is oh look this is going to be to hard, you guys messed up and now I'm giving up. If the humanity is to survive we will have to do a lot better than bitter recrimination that offer no solutions. Consider this: Not one thing was ever accomplished with negative energy. What success there is to be had, is had thought the application of positive energy. You may be right we may go under...again. But I can tell you this I fully intend to expend my last breath trying to save all that can be saved...even if all I can save is my own soul. It's to easy to give up hope and say nothing can be done. Especially when there is so much that can be done. How well do you think your point of view would serve parents with children to be raised? If you find your self alone and in darkness... become the light that others may see.
If that's my possibly ignorant, or more possibly my reading of the truth isn't that my problem? We allowed the people in charge to destroy ourselves. And the Trumpers and their opponents now in charge are throwing dynamite on to that terrible fire. As long as the rich feel secure they'll change nothing. Fortunately or not they are completely unable to see themselves in a realistic mirror. The little people have only begun to suffer what's coming. "Spread the wealth" is my motto. Graciously, and thank you Great Spirit! All will suffer at the very end, and ONLY the rich will live to feel it. Whaa! My foot. Do I have my mind right? Why my dirt is filling the warden's hole, from "Cool Hand Luke." No my mind ain't right. I can't really see how anyone who is awake can be at peace with the true horror we all face every day.
Yet Tom Wolfe said this: Love is the ultimate expression of the will to live. Can't argue with Mr Wolfe, he's my most favorite modern author.
It's all over but for the funerals. Trumppy as of yesterday is on his way to trial. This without Muller's input. This without even looking at his treasonous behavior. He illegally payed to silence at lest two different women just before the election. What just as damning is that the State of New York is making a case against the Trummppy's "Charity" Which after his nomination became a Republican party slush fund. Totally illegally supplying charity dollars to fund his campaign. New York is charging The whole damned family! Even poor little Evanka! The pres. former lawyer is "begging" to tell the world of his criminality and is willing to confess all to nail Trumppy. And he has already done just that! Mean while Muller is just sitting back and watching as a new case is handed to him most every day now. Manafort and Cohen. Manafort just now convicted of eight felonies is due to start a new trail in which the prosecution claims to have literally 3 times the documentation as the last trial.Over a thousand pieces of evidence to enter against him.He is already looking at up to 60 years imprisonment from his recent conviction. So he has to be looking at the possibilities and seeing but one way to ever walk free again. Let's talk about the Russian connection shall we? Within the same hour as Manafote's guilty verdict. Trummy's former lawyer of 10 years just completely blew the lid off any Trumpery defense by pleading guilty to all counts against him...( Tax and Bank fraud.)Then completely unnecessary and voluntarily implicated trummy in the pay off to Stormy and the other one whose name slips my mind.The money coming from Trumpy Charities. Which is why he is on the hook with the New York Att. Gen. It gets just so much better. A Woman who was appointed temporary Atty. General of N.Y by republican legislators, who looks like a worn out mop but has talents that exceed mere external beauty has just gotten a deal with Cohen's partner in the Medallion cab company. He was on the hook for 5 million in tax fraud and just walked. Why? Because he is singing like a canary. This very clever lady took him to court in a small N.Y town. Took him to CIVIL court. Where he cut a deal. She Then mailed the case files to EVERYONE!! LOL Criminal prosecutors, The US Senate and congress, the US atty General. It is expected that they will all be bringing cases off this. Evidently he knows enough about trummy's operation To walk free on a 5 million dollar tax case. N.Y prosecutors are going after the Trumppy's organization, No presidential immunity reaches beyond the pres. to his companies. No Immunity for the company none for the Trummpy family. Don Jr and the other two are named in the Charity fraud case. Seems the whole family dipped into it as they saw fit. Yesterday was the beginning of the end for this "shit hole" president. You know we really should be grateful. At every point there seems to be at lest one man or woman that was willing to face the Trumppy supporters to call him before the law. America still has heroes. There are several other cases being brought all have a good deal of substance. He's being sued under the "Emoluments clause" Which is his taking money from foreign countries, There seems to be endless occasions on which he did so. At this point Muller has "farmed out" many prosecutions to state governments. The President can not pardon a state conviction. It's a great time to be watching fake news for to see justice being done. ":O}
Indeed I was surprised to find that he was capable of such clear and far reaching thought. A shame he did not resort to it more often.
Oh, thank goodness that our present violent excuse for a president is so very capable of almost continuous clear and far reaching thought. Ain't it something to behold?
And the hits just keep on coming! The CEO of "The National Inquirer" Was just granted immunity For his testimony concerning having bought The Stormy Daniel's story in order to bury it on behalf of the Trummmy campaign. It was a forbidden use of campaign monies. So... we have the great twit Armarosa with her tapes and videos. 18 months worth! We have over 2 million doc's from the Cohen raids by the FBI that have just been release my the "Master" who was charged with deciding which doc might be privileged and what was fair game for the prosecutors. Almost everything is now fair game. Including many conversations with Trummy on tape. We have Cohen himself who now seems to be on a mission the bring tummy down. We have Flinn,(SP) The "National security adviser who worked for Putin...Just singing his pretty little head off and escaping serious jail time. We have 5 guilty pleas, total remorse and contrition which allows them to sing their pretty little heads off and thus minimize their jail time. We have the most notoriously corrupt figure in the middle East. (Sorry forget his sleazy name.) Who just got total immunity from the USA in order to speak with a clear conscience of his 20 year relationship with Trummy/ Thus receiving redemption rather than life in prison. We have the N.Y. "King of Cabs." Tried in a very quietly in upstate N.J. by the N.Y. att gen. He was a cohen partner and had dealings with trumppy over the years. They had his conviction on a 5,000.000 dollar tax fraud. And now he's going to walk...because he is going to talk. You don't let thugs like him walk on a 5000,000 conviction unless he can give you the moon. He can. Muller has I learned yesterday farmed out ALL his cases to State prosecutors, making them pardon proof. Except one. Manfort convicted on 8 counts of tax and bank fraud face a possible 60 year "cooling off period" He has 30 days to file an appeal. By which time he will have begun his trail in DC on charges of espionage, working as an agent of a foreign nation without registering. This trial will completely open up what Muller has found as far as Manaforts actions in the tummy campaign. and oh just so much more! Leave us not forget that Manfort's life long partner, Gates has turned states evidence against Manafort while himself pleading guilty to the tune of around 70 years in prison if he queers his deal by lying about how he ties his shoes in the morning. So on a very tight leash. We have Jarred busy busy Jared soliciting bribes all over the middle East. We have the whole trummy family misuse of the "Trump Charity." We have Tummy nationally televised confession that he fired Comy because he was feeling pressure about the 'Russia thing" And we have yet to hear anything of what Muller has from Muller. We just know what the guilty have told us he is interested in. He's interested in trummy treason. I've tried to outline the prosecutions, but truth is we know only what Muller was doing 6 months ago, we're that far behind his investigation according to Martin Nance an ex CIA counter Intel specialist. A guy whose been spot on with every thing he has said concerning these investigations. Popanopolus wore a wire around 6 months Amarosea recorded, well...just about everything. Cohen taped his phone. N.Y has the whole family on Charity fraud. I estimate that I have listed less than half of what is known and what is headed for trial. Personally I think we are far from knowing the worst, the worst is yet to come. Just my guess base upon the character of those involved.This has taken a year longer than it should have. One has to wonder who owns the allegiance of the Republican party. How many of them work for Russian interests? This is not an accusation, this is a real question we as a nation must learn the answer to.
Alas, doing nothing about Climate change is what the rich want, it's all they want to go on raping the planet until she's dead.We cannot afford to make these kinds of mistakes. WE have GOT to move on this; it is already moving on us!
Not entirely sure what the quoted post had to do with climate change, but actually the smart rich person would realise that the largest potential growth market is the green market. Green power generation, small-scale water treatment, rapid micro-infrastructure - that's where the money is. The oil industry isn't going away: oil's inherent usefulness in making everything from packaging to cancer treatments is not going to end just because we stop wastefully burning it in cars. But it's not really going to grow all that much, in comparison. The oil companies know this - it's why they have massive positions in the renewable energy markets as well as their core business. The Chinese (among others) know this, which is why they're literally covering mountains in solar panels. Governments know it, too. Well, rational ones do, anyway. Not sure about Mr Fart. The scientific evidence for anthropogenic global warming was basically complete in the 1980s. The technology to actually fix it didn't exist, however. The solution was never as simple as "everybody stop driving, having AC, flying, or having nice stuff," which the environmentalists do understand. Problem is, people are not very good at 40 year projects - that's why so many of us have inadequate pensions - so the environmentalists had to make everything out to be an emergency. This only serves to desensitise us, even while it has changed our habits somewhat. Meanwhile. technology has caught up to where we need it to be. The people who should be good at 40 year projects are, in fact, governments. Even with our somewhat chaotic democracies, the core institutions remain largely unchanged from one administration to the next, and should be capable of doing what needed to be done. Legislation to phase out coal and oil power stations was welcome and long-overdue. Legislation to phase out petrol and diesel engines is welcome, and timely, now that electric cars don't suck. In the future, restricting new gas turbine power stations would certainly help. Subsidies on domestic solar have proven very helpful in its uptake (and yes, it does make a difference, even in the UK where at time of writing it's producing ~13.5% of our energy requirements. So maybe we need to allow a little more government? Maybe a little more tax to pay for all of this? Anyway, it's easy to chuck rocks at "them," whether "they" be whites, mexicans, the rich, the poor, liberals, atheists, fascists or the alt-right as they seem to be called thesedays. But "they" aren't the ones that keep falling for the same low-tax, small-government propaganda. We are. And they're not really in a position to determine whether we keep buying big, inefficient cars, eating too much meat or keeping the AC on when we're not at home. We are. Still. Progress is being made, despite ourselves. Be positive!
Who ever said that the rich are smart? We may have the tech but I don't see it being employed at any thing like what is needed. K... you seem almost to be saying were not really in trouble. That we can change a few minds and all will be well? Worse you seem to be say that environmentalists are the problem for trying to get their world to take rational action by telling us we are on a dead end path. I'm not chucking rocks at the rich. I'm trying to persuade the world that we can't afford them. The rich are in fact as a rule stupid. Like most of mankind. Were it not for vested interests we would not be here now. As you say we've known all we need to since the 80's, I'd put that back to the 70's as that's when I knew the score. You also seem not to appreciate the active propaganda campaign against recognizing Climate change for what it is, an unmitigated disaster for all species on Earth. The billions spent to convince us it isn't real or if it is we had nothing to do with it.. If you want to know who the rich are and what they are just look at Trummmys cabinet. Money is what is killing our biosphere. We are also presented a choice of allowing the unrestricted accumulation of capitol in the hands of less than 1% or we can give ourselves heath care, collage, retraining when needed, support of our permanently in firmed.Not to mention old age and hoped for retirements. In my view it really is us or them. If we go with them were dead meat. Take another look at Trummy, he is the rich. If you think I exaggerate just look at the state of the world that they control. We didn't get here by accident. It took will, money and mass deception to arrive at the edge of this cliff. We are burning and drowning all over the globe. All indications point to a beginning not not yet fully realized. Science has long said that climate is a one hundred year pipe line. The climate we are experiencing is from the work done in 1918 to improve our lot. K...many knowledgeable climate scientists have stated flat out that it's is to late to save ourselves, our civilization. My real concern in the next decade is weather will will be able to feed ourselves when we can no longer rely upon the seasons. I see a very much darker future than you seem to. You just gotta know I'm praying I'm wrong.
Please look upon the mighty works of our Special Counsel. Just the shear timing of his orchestrated investigation is mind blowing. The NY and DC att. gens along with others got convictions and plea deals or granted immunity to extremely key people in Trummys financial circles. Abmarosa running around playing tapes and assuring us she has hundreds she wants with all her heart to give Bob Muller...when next they meet.. Michael Cohen pleads guilty to 8 counts and Trumpy is an UN-indicted co-conspirator. In the very same hour that Manafort receives a guilty verdict on 8 of 18 counts...There was one ass hat hold out or it would have been guilty on ALL 18 counts and the Judge wants us all to know that the prosecutors are welcome to re-try him on the remaining 10 counts.Manafort sit in jail thinking about his future. If Trump pardons him...N.Y has as slew of charges that they will push, basically for the same crimes, if any object to that well they have those ten counts the jury locked on they can simply ask the FBI if they would mind turning over the case to them. Mean while in the same week The emoluments clause people have literally hundreds of changes of bribery and related crimes to bring against trummy/ Then there's 'o l Bob sitting there saying nothing watching as the rats scatter and run to him looking to be the one who gets the deal... AND we still know almost nothing about his investigation other than the convictions he's racked up along the way to trummy's house. Damn...it's almost like Halloween! LOL Trummy continues to commit obstruction of justice right in front of God and everybody. I'm sure someone is writing it all down.":O
Oh how I wish that seeing the backside, I know, the horror! of the Trump thing would make a real change for the better. It will, of course. But only in a small way. However too many "people" in power have no scruples whatsoever. This includes BOTH sides of the aisle. Plain and simple. Big money gets politicians to do what it wants. We have no meaningful input on Capitol Hill.
I was not being anywhere near as flippant as you seem to think. But it's simply not correct to say that the world has done nothing for 30 years because propaganda by "the rich" has stopped us doing anything. I even gave examples! Maybe you think it's not fast enough, but even small projects take years to execute, and need money, which tends to come from "the rich." "The rich," however, include you and I. This may come as something of a surprise to you, D~, but you're in the top quartile of the world's wealthy already, just by being able to pay the rent in somewhere like Greenwater*, and occasionally eat, too. The 1% are relatively rich, compared to you and I, but you are still at least a couple of powers of two wealthier than the "average" Indian, just as they're a few powers of two wealthier than a Burundian. So while you might be poor relative to the USA, you are rich, from a global perspective. And when it comes to global problems, it's only really the global perspective that matters. It's not the 1% that are solely responsible for the majority of greenhouse emissions, water pollution, land degradation... it's all the world's top quartile. It's you and I, just as much as "them." We are the ones that needed to be convinced to change. We needed to be convinced to recycle, to insulate, to choose green energy suppliers. We are the ones that needed to be goaded and cajoled, even at the expense of "crying wolf" syndrome. Us. The 1% are irrelevant. It's the 25% causing the damage. You also need to remember, too, that press and propaganda tends to be localised. What in the US is a massive, organised and highly vitriolic anti-warmist campaign is, in the UK and EU, barely noticeable, beyond a couple of commentators for papers with seriously declining readerships. Recent polls suggest that only about one in six Brits rejects anthropogenic global warming as fact, mostly the oldest generation. And the UK are relative laggards compared to our neighbours. Since this thread is dedicated to the state of your nation, the point I'd been trying to make (seemingly unsuccessfully) is that your nation's people are the ones that create the conditions for Trumps, denialists and 0.1% capitalists to flourish. They do this by only selecting candidates that promise lower taxes: taxes that could be used to fund health and social care, support for the elderly, education for the young, and protection for the planet. They do this by only selecting candidates that promise smaller government, reduced regulation, less red-tape, which then allows corporations to operate unchecked. And then they act surprised when there's neither the money nor the institutional ability left to provide universal healthcare, subsidised college, adult education and training, support for the elderly and infirm, state pensions, environmental protection or the myriad other things they chose to not to have by voting for "small government low taxes". You can't have it both ways. This stuff needs organising and costs money. As to the last, "many knowledgeable climate scientists have stated flat out that it's is to late to save ourselves, our civilization" such alarmism is no better than denialism. Without hope, what's the point? If we have no hope for success, we might as well burn it all down and have a bloody good time doing it. Beyond that, while the climate scientists are experts on climate, they are not the oracle of everything. They have no more idea than you or I what scientific or technological miracles are being worked on, which may push back the crisis some more. * I'm actually somewhat horrified by the rents in that part of the world. A hut in the middle of nowhere shouldn't cost so much more than it takes to rent a 2 bedroom house in a nice part of town in MK, molten or otherwise...
While we do see some things differently, we are not that far from agreement.So If I make no mention of something were most likely aliened. I didn't give the view of some that we are past the point of no return to deny or instill hope. But rather in an attempt to recognize in some way the gravity of our situation. In my mind the common man has little to do with how we've dealt with Climate change. You tell the common man that saving the planet will hurt his take home and he falls silent in his complacency. I'm aware of my privileged situation. Having put aside those things I wanted affords me all that I need and then some. Truth is that if the poorest had what I have and the riches had no more we would not have a world wide crisis on our hands. The world can afford me, it just can't afford me and the rich. More than the stupid greed, the world can't afford their self serving misdirection. But my view is not entirely black. Recently I met (On TV) a rather delightful optimist who accorded his listeners with many facts I was unaware of. Those I can Remember: The following compares us today with 20 years ago. 1.far fewer people are starving. 2. Far fewer people are going uneducated. 3.China has installed more solar power than the rest of the world combined (Why is this good? Because it shows the way forward. It increases research dollars and demonstrates the feasibility of this approach. 4. Innovation in terms of tech that the very poor can directly use has increased dramatically in research and in implementation 5. The cause of woman's equality has finally started to gain traction world wide.. So there is some movement in areas we would all like to see do better. But the problem in it's fact-ness remains. We are far to many. We ask for far to much from our world and our world has grown very tired of our constant demands. I can't say weather it is to late or not. Our action should be the the same either way. We should be making corrections until we can do no more. If we are on the way out...We should at least take some of the mess out with us when we go. If we are to know continuance, then we should do the same thing. Why go on living in the lest responsible manner possible when there is a better world to be had. So in my view almost all our troubles come from having succeeded to well and thrived to the point of self annihilation. If we did not have a climate problem we would still be forced to the wall with our need to change ourselves.We cannot increase our numbers infinitely in a finite system of life. As governments can't be relied upon to make sane decisions...if becomes every man for himself. This will be the ultimate in elections. What left to himself, each person decides what this world can afford to give them. And how much they need to give back if the world is to give what has been received by them to the next generation. So that's Monday... Beware near the end the days go by very fast...
Heard something I had to share... "Trumpy's mind is like a cellphone whose mail box is full: You can reach him, but you can't leave a message." Bill Marr Well two days ago trummy announced that he was declassifying The Muller investigation...in the middle of the investigation... Every one went understandably nuts. this would get people in the field killed beyond a doubt. Refusals and resignation were predicted. Today he changed his mind after speaking with Rosenstine. Or maybe he just wanted to change the topic... What were we talking about? Oh yeah Manfort sold his soul to Bob Muller. Manafort has to show up any time anywhere for any reason the government wants him to. To give sworn testimony or as a consultant for prosecutes who hunt down Russian criminals, spies and assassins. A favorite among his new obligations, To go undercover and wear a wire (Hows that going to work!!??) A sort of new career in his retirement. And he has Agreed not to bring a lawyer...I kid you not. There are guys doing life in max who have more freedom of choice than Manfort. Manny is telling Bob all about the Russia-Republican connection. I'll bet trummy can picture them sitting together over coffee... Bob asks manny to pass the sugar, Bob nods his thanks as he does so. Small talk has crept towards an awkward silence. They can't seem to find anything really in common. Then manny's face brightens " I know why not lets talk about trummy! What a guy! I've got a thousand stories and every one of them is true...I swear to god and under oath!" Bob shrugs and says "Ok manny tell me me your favorite."l
