The craze of late has been that natural gas will be a primary solution to the energy problem in the United States. This news has come as supposedly vast natural gas reserves have been found, and the natural gas industry has found that its interests conflict with the coal and oil industries. The environmental community has also been thrown this bone that natural gas is an attractive alternative because of lower CO2 emissions, and is less destructive than the devastation of mountain top mining. This "alternative" falls in the category of "too good to be true," just like the vaporware of Obama's support of "clean coal."
Economists state that "Higher unemployment might become the norm as result of (the) recession." The problem is that this is not simply a "recession," but the collapse of the heavily skewed global economic system. The follies of monopoly capitalism, combined with the funny money financial schemes, have hit the world hard. However, they have hit the United States particularly hard, and may have permanently damaged the economic dominance of the United States.
I have added an addendum at end of this post in response to questions and comments
Obama is meeting with various advisers at length to determine a strategy for Afghanistan. However, this is truly a complex question with far reaching effects. The realities are grim, and seem counter-intuitive to any strategy whatsoever. Unfortunately Obama committed early on to Afghanistan as "the good war." A bad choice in my opinion, but that campaign rhetoric commitment is part of the anchor which now is likely to hold him to certain constraints.
The Guardian informs us that 314 of Forbes richest 400 people in the US lost $300 billion in the past year. I guess a takeaway might be that everybody has gotten hurt in the economic collapse. We could also say, "Gosh! Look how much money the richest folks have lost." Well, don't start taking donations for these poverty stricken billionaires yet.
Flash fires on Iran's nuclear status and capability are back in the news. From google images of an alleged underground nuclear site to a seemingly endless supply of pundits - the news is Iran. While Iran has admitted the existence of an undeclared nuclear site, their actual nuclear weapons status remains a question mark. This makes Iran's alleged nuclear status is front and center - again. However, other recent news should sound a note of caution about what is real.
People may find the full text and video excerpts of Obama's speech to the full Congress at Huffington Post. I am going to excerpt and discuss what I think are the most critical components.
Let's talk class warfare shall we? Anytime someone raises the issue of the outrageous gap between the very rich and the rest of the population then either a politician or a TV talking head will caution against "class warfare." This is so disingenuous because there is an ongoing class warfare being waged on the population by the very rich - and their very well placed lackeys. The news and reports of late demonstrate the real warfare that is being waged - and who pays the price for it.
Robert Milage of Idaho gets the bragging rights for killing the first wolf in Idaho as OUR EPA continues to fight in court to de-list the wolves as an endangered species.
Picture from the The Idaho Statesman - 9/02/2009
In the heat of healthcare reform and the mobilization of radical shock troops, the economy has drifted with little public discussion. When it comes up, it is frequently within the context that "the worst is behind us;" "we're leveling off;" or "recovery is just around the corner." While I wish all of this was true, I am concerned that it is not. While I wish that the Obama administration were being more honest, I believe they are engaging in the same type of spin we became accustomed to under the Bush administration.
Across the country there is a vocal minority who are loudly protesting certain issues. We have the "birther" folks who think that Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States. We have the "deathers" (including Sarah Palin) who apparently think the government is going to use health care reform to kill the old and disabled. Then we have the anti-healthcare reformers who have a bucketfull of confusion and fears about socialism, fascism, and losing their "choice" in healthcare. All seem to be being spurred on by corporate backed "astroturf" organizations and by a few unethical media mouths.
Why do we need universal healthcare? Let me share a personal story.
First, I have health insurance through my employer. They chip in and I chip in, and both my partner and myself are covered by a major HMO. Like all insurance, each year for about the last 10 years, the premium and deductibles have gone up. Sometimes more than 10% in a year. This is pretty typical. However, folks should realize that 10% per year increase means that the cost of health insurance doubles in seven years.
I beg everyone who reads this and clicks onto the link to send it on to everyone you know. Send it to your congressmen, your governors, your legislatures, the White House. Get an email chain going--put the link up on yard signs or billboards. Put it on bumper stickers. Stencil it on tee-shirts or tattoo it onto your forehead. Whatever it takes.
This is a television event too important to let die. Please. Keep it alive. Keep it going. It's up to us now.
I was tickled pink that she got such recognition. So I am sending a shout out for her.
Unfortunately, that part of the show does not seem to be on the site videos for last night, but if you can catch a replaying this week of the program, it is at the beginning of Moyers' intro.
Ramona RAWKS!
Updated: Here's the clip and related info. Thanks to OGD and others for pointing to it. Here's the link to the full broadcast.
One blogger at the widely read website Talking Points Memo summed up what many had to say:
"I beg everyone who reads this and clicks onto the link to send it on to everyone you know. Send it to your congressmen, your governors, your legislatures, the White House. Get an email chain going--put the link up on yard signs or billboards. Put it on bumper stickers. Stencil it on tee-shirts or tattoo it onto (sic) your forehead. Whatever it takes. This is a television event too important to let die... Keep it going."
On 7/27/09 Andrea Mitchell (MSNBC) interviewed Orin Hatch on healthcare reform. The full interview is available here. It is approximately 9 minutes long.)
I was stunned to hear Hatch saying he supported healthcare for those who "really deserve" it. Mitchell did not ask him who that was (or who the undeserving were). I was immediately transported back to Reagan with his discussions of the "deserving poor." Who DOESN'T "really deserve" healthcare. I can't even believe that the Republicans are going to pull this one out again. The clip below from the interview is approximately 52 seconds. It includes the Hatch quote in context.
The U.S. and the world have major crises to address. There is the economy, resources, environment, and global warming. Each of these intersect in complex ways to create other massive problems: loss of jobs, failed crops, and war. And these in turn create other crises: mass migration and xenophobic responses, power grabs, destabilization of governments. Big problems all. This series of articles will focus on critical issues that fall off the table.
In the category of "you can't make this stuff up," we have the case of corruption in New Jersey which ranks right up there. The FBI have arrested 3 Mayors and numerous assemblymen, and a couple of rabbis (40 plus folks so far), on charges of money laundering and at least one case of selling a human organ on the black market.
