We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, September 30, 2010

A High-Risk Fossil Fuel Boom Sweeps Across North America

by Keith Schneider from Environment 360

This article reports on some little known facts that are mostly not covered by mainstream media which, instead, trumpets the efforts of big energy companies to promote the development of "green" energy sources.
At a time when the country should be embracing a renewable energy revolution, it is hurtling in the opposite direction, developing on a massive scale sources of energy that cause considerably more environmental harm than conventional oil and gas drilling.
It is clear to me that ruling circles are intent upon preserving the capitalist system regardless of the consequences for the vast majority of people and other creatures on this planet. Such is the desperation of a small number of people who are addicted to the power and wealth that the system brings them!