The Worst That Could Possibly Happen Is For Real Taking Shape...

Noam Chomsky: Those Who Failed to Recognize Trump 'As Greater Evil' Made 'Big Mistake'
by Deirdre Fulton
Leftist scholar has a message for voters who refused to cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton to prevent Donald Trump from winning the White House.

Trump Empire Contains 'Most Blatant Conflicts of Interest in History'
by Deirdre Fulton
Trump's "duties to the American people now must prevail over your personal ties to the Trump Organization businesses," say pro-democracy groups

Trump Nominates 'True Enemy' of Public Schools for Education Secretary
by Deirdre Fulton
Billionaire Betsy DeVos 'has consistently pushed a corporate agenda to privatize, de-professionalize, and impose cookie-cutter solutions to public education'

Trump Just Put Net Neutrality on Death Row
by Andrea Germanos
Jeff Eisenach and Mark Jamison, appointed to Trump FCC transition team, 'have deep financial ties to the telecom industry' 

Planned Parenthood Gets More Than 50,000 Donations in Mike Pence's Name
by Nadia Prupis
VP-elect has called for health organization to be de-funded and for Roe v. Wade to be overturned and 'consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs' 

'Shockingly Stupid' Attack on Science: Trump to Eliminate NASA Climate Research
by Nika Knight
President-elect plans to entirely slash climate science in favor of deep space exploration 

Trump Taps 'Master Assassin,' 'Right-Wing Nutty' as National Security Advisor
by Lauren McCauley
Amid a wave of controversial new appointments by President-elect Donald Trump, this may be the scariest.

Sending Novice Haley to UN, Trump Clears Path for Loyalist in South Carolina
by Deirdre Fulton
Haley's nomination has the (possibly intended) consequence of elevating Trump loyalist in South Carolina 

6 Worst Things About Trump Tax Plan
by Frank Clemente
If Congress takes up tax reform in early 2017, the White House will push cuts that would benefit the wealthy, including the president-elect himself and his family members. 

Get an IUD While You Can
by Olivia Alperstein
With a new Congress threatening birth control access, millions of women are looking at long-term solutions. 

Trump Expected to Name Anti-Worker Billionaire Wilbur Ross as Commerce Secretary
by Nadia Prupis
Ross 'might be the second-most complicated person in the administration to vet, behind the president-elect himself' 

Trump Infrastructure Plan a 'Trap' Democrats Should Reject, Experts Warn
by Nadia Prupis
Closer look at proposal shows the plan may just be a smokescreen for corporate tax cuts that might not build anything new at all. 

Trump Considering Gen. James "It's Fun to Shoot People" Mattis for Pentagon Chief
by Andrea Germanos
Marine Gen. James Mattis also led U.S. Marines during bloody 2004 bombardment of Fallujah, Iraq 

Trump expected to name financier Steve Mnuchin to Treasury
By Ylan Q. Mui and Philip Rucke - The Washington Post
President-elect Trump is planning to name investor and former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary, opting for an industry insider with no government experience to helm the agency in charge of the nation’s finances.

Trump's Obamacare Repeal Could Spell Chaos for Unstable Insurance Market
by Nadia Prupis
Insurers could leave marketplace early to avoid losses, as new report warns 25 percent of already-insured children still lack healthcare 

Is Paul Ryan's Dream of Gutting Medicare About to Come True?
by Andrea Germanos
Trump's transition site says administration will 'modernize Medicare'—code for Ryan-style death by privatization

Trump's Adviser on Wall Street Regulations Is a Longtime Swamp-Dweller

by Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica

The ways that the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are likely to approach financial deregulation could serve Trump's transition-team adviser Paul Atkins' wallet as well as his political agenda. Like Trump, Atkins faces potential conflicts between his business dealings and his public role.

After Railing Against 'Rigged' Economy, Trump Readies to Rig It Even More
by Deirdre Fulton
A deregulation bonanza, benefiting Wall Street elites and corporations, is on deck for the Trump administration

Ivanka Trump’s Presence at Meeting With Japan’s Leader Raises Questions 
by Eric Lipton - NY Times
The potential for conflicts of interest between President-elect Trump and his family’s business ventures emerged again Thursday evening, when a photograph was distributed that showed his daughter Ivanka at a meeting between Mr. Trump and the prime minister of Japan. 

...we've let emerge a venomous economic, social & political system that has corrupted and is destroying our society..  

The Terrorism Targeting Our Grandchildren
by Paul Buchheit
Four decades of American narcissism and greed and exceptionalism have allowed the super-rich to dictate the future path of our nation.

 

... "get over it"... REALLY?!

As some of you might know, it's been quite some time since I last blog-posted. And I hadn't actually thought about it until the final election results were in. But I still wasn't sure I was going to do anything, until I started coming across comments on Facebook and Twitter.. the likes of... "you lost.. get over it.. just deal-with it... and.. you've gotta give him time."

And I started thinking... REALLY?!... time for what???

• - to keep avidly denying over and over ACD even exists.. that it is all a liberal hoax..all the while as climate disruption has already altered nearly every single ecosystem on earth
• - to keep his promise to roll back most all environmental protection regulations fought for and enacted over the past decade (in order to help 'protect' business).. his choice of Myron Ebell to lead the 'transition' of the EPA is an absolute disaster for the agency and the environment .. (the article by David Hunter is almost two decades old and things have only gotten so much worse.. we need MORE regulation and better enforcement.. NOT less)
• - to keep another promise.. to prevent the US from signing the Paris climate accord (weak as it may be, it's at least something.. a start)
• - to cut funding for and eliminate clean energy solutions (again to protect business. fossil fuels in particular)
• - to keep supporting the subsidy and use of fossil fuels (to the detriment of the ENTIRE planet)
• - to appoint Supreme Court Justices that will not support the rollback of Citizens United... (one of the most damaging split-court rulings of all time)
• - to bring in some of the worst group of individuals imaginable to be part of his Cabinet (to assist him in ruining the country)
• - to dramatically alter or possibly kill Obamacare .. throwing tens of millions of people off their healthcare plans
• - to dismantle and weaken the CFPB ... Warrens Consumer Protection Agency
• - to continue with proposals such as 'bombing the shit out of ISIS' and perhaps putting boots on the ground in Syria. Policies most intelligence officials say, will undermine U.S. counter-terrorism efforts around the world. 
• - to keep supporting income inequality by support of oligarchs and the uber-wealthy
• - to put off revamping our unfair tax codes that now favor the wealthy at the expense of everyone else 
• - to continue his tough-on-crime, law-and-order stance.. keeping inmates confined even for what are minor offenses..(of which the Prison-Industrial-Complex is most supportive)
• - to keep on track (as the GOP has been fighting hard for) to revamp and gut social security, as well as many other much needed (now more than ever) social programs.. which are forcing many to go 'warfare' in order to sustain themselves and their families
  
• - to keep the rhetoric up about how dangerous Iran is to world peace, with their nuclear weapons threat.. (what BS.. Iran wants a no-nuke treaty with all countries in the region, and we all know why that's not going to happen anytime soon)
• - and to keep up his racist beliefs and rhetoric regarding his fixation on  immigration.."They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.".. and his aspirations beyond deporting as many as 11 million undocumented US residents... building a wall along the southern border... and barring Muslims from entering the country.

Trade agreements... health care... gun control... foreign policy... education... drugs/ crime... civil rights... abortion (fearful what he'll mean for women’s reproductive rights)... 
...the list goes on and on.. ask anyone outside the upper-upper income brackets what they think of most all of his policies, and a majority are at the opposite end of the spectrum. Unless they are just so misinformed they don't know any better (easily possible with our miserable, money-bought fourth estate today).. 
..OR.. they just don't G-A-S!! ...(and there's an unbelievably large number of these  when you consider nearly half the number of eligible voters didn't bother to vote.. which means only 1 out of 4 actually selected him (many voting 'against' her).. same for Clinton).

We still have all the same crisis that we had facing us before the election.. but the job of tackling them has been made all that much more difficult. It's not impossible, but the most severe problem remains.. do we have TIME!! 
As each year passes and nothing or little gets accomplished we are potentially sacrificing everything, and the possibility of getting much or any of it back becomes ever more remote.

There is one number above all others to keep in mind .. when I first understood what it truly meant, and began watching it regularly, it was around 385.. (and it was really not that long ago). It now stands above 400.. and will be there (and higher) through the lives of anyone living today. 
And the truly scary part is that all knowledgeable individuals are in agreement.. 
... the safe number should be no higher than 350... (and we are WELL above!!)

It's shown on the blog homepage.. here it is again..>>>  co2.earth

And please don't take my word alone for any of this.. do your own research.. 
...guarantee you'll come to a similar conclusion.

By far this was the worst choice this country could have made.. 
...when you consider we're now facing 400+ppm for the remainder of all our lifetimes.

But what can we now do.. should we give up... NO F---IN WAY!!  
There's no Planet B to escape to before we run out of time.

As many have said... "...we have to get more involved. We do what we can to fight injustice anywhere we see it.. and whether it’s writing a check or rolling up our sleeves (and climbing up the backs and getting in the ear(s) of our elected representatives).  We fight for families that aren’t as fortunate as we are. We fight for a woman to keep her right to choose. We fight for the First Amendment and we fight mostly for equality.. not for a guarantee of equal outcomes but for equal opportunities. We stand up.

Many don’t believe he can make it a year without committing an impeachable crime (his maniacal personality does readily lend itself to the possibility) . But it's most likely not going to happen cause the GOP controls government, and he's more than likely going to be giving them most of everything they would be wanting. so they're not going to be kicking him out anytime soon. If he does manage without breaking the law for four years, we’ll all make it through those same four years. And three years from now we’ll begin our fight like hell for our candidate(s).. and we’ll win and they’ll lose... and this time they’ll lose for good. 

The battle isn’t over, it’s just begun. We must not hand over to future generations a country shaped by hateful and bigoted men."


 

Ask anyone you know.. what are derivatives?.. and what makes them so important in today's world.

A derivative, put simply, is a contract between two parties whose value is determined by changes in the value of an underlying asset. Those assets could be bonds, equities, commodities or currencies. The majority of contracts are traded over the counter, where details about pricing, risk measurement and collateral, if any, are not available to the public.

In other words, a derivative does not have any intrinsic value. It is essentially a side bet. Most commonly, derivative contracts have to do with the movement of interest rates. But there are many, many other kinds of derivatives as well. People are betting on just about anything and everything that you can imagine (they even now have weather derivatives), and Wall Street has now been transformed into the largest casino in the history of the planet

Never before in the history of the United States have we been faced with the threat of such a great financial catastrophe. Sadly, most Americans are totally oblivious to all of this. They just have faith that our leaders know what they are doing, and they have been lulled into complacency by the bubble of false stability that we have been enjoying for the last couple of years. Unfortunately for them, this bubble of false stability is not going to last much longer. A financial crisis far greater than what we experienced in 2008 is coming, and it is going to shock the world.

THIS IS AN ENORMOUS MARKET.. NOBODY EVEN KNOWS ACTUALLY HOW HUGE IT REALLY IS, BECAUSE IT IS SO SECRET !!
ESTIMATES RANGE ANYWHERE FROM $700 TRILLION.. TO AS MUCH AS $1.5 QUADRILLION DOLLARS !!
AND NO ONE HAS ABSOLUTELY ANY IDEA AT ALL WHAT THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY BE WORTH AT ANY TIME... THE LARGEST PONZI SCHEME THE UNIVERSE HAS EVER SEEN !!!

~ Video:  Wall Street's Derivatives Scam

~ Amount of Total Derivatives Is Almost Unimaginable

~ Big Risk: $1.2 Quadrillion Derivatives Market Dwarfs World GDP

~ Big Banks and Derivatives: Why Another Financial Crisis Is Inevitable

~ The Size of the Derivatives Bubble Hanging Over the Global Economy Hits a Record High

~ Video:  Bill Moyers, Matt Taibbi and Yves Smith on Big Banks (CDO's & Derivatives) ...these three are ones to follow should you want to know what's really going on..

 

And be sure and do your own broad based research.. see what you can learn on your own

 

Climate Disruption's New Record: Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach Highest Point in 15 Million Years

Climate Disruption's New Record: Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach Highest Point in 15 Million Years

405.66 ..HOLY-CRAP !!!!!

... as the old saying goes.. 'records are made to be broken'.. well every person on the entire planet should be wantin for this one to STOP being broken !!

...I first started keeping serious track of CO2 levels in 2005 when they were in the upper 370 range..
..and reportedly 350 is the 'safe' level... and when we're approaching 450.. it'll be GAME-OVER !!!

.. now in a decade I've watched to go up almost 30 points (and it's accelerating)..
..so you don't have to be Einstein to deduce we're heading towards Armageddon outrageously fast !!

..so these guys that control-the-world better come up with a plan mucho-pronto.. like collectively put up a BILLION dollar (or more) reward/ prize money for any of the worlds brilliant genius minds (they're out there), to make carbon-capture an ASAP reality (like freakin tomorrow !!)..

...cause SAS, we ain't gettin it done by reducing our fossil fuel addiction...
 
BS.. note SERIOUSLY is the only guy of that other sad-sack POTUS wanna-be cabal taking this whole crisis SERIOUSLY !!! 

."...the Arctic today is not in equilibrium with the greenhouse gas settings, meaning that we have to expect significant increases in [Arctic] temperature and precipitation even if the level of greenhouse gases keeps at a constant"  ... which it WAY isn't !!

..."Earth's systems are kind of sluggish beasts. It takes a while for the oceans and atmosphere to respond to this rapid rise in carbon dioxide"

...YEA...like several decades !!..
...what we're experiencing today is a result of CO2 levels from back in the '70's..
..we won't know what 405.66 in reality looks like until 2050 or 2060...

..and what will the world's devastating CO2 levels be by then !!   (these charts are terrifying)

 

...Methane Ice Bubbles In Lake Selbusjø, Norway

 ... great image
... this June while in Norway.. we'll be fairly close to this lake, but probably will not get the chance to visit.. (Kristiansund is one of our port stops)

Ice bubbles in Selbusjø, a lake in Norway
When lake water freezes quickly, it can trap bubbles below the surface. These bubbles, in Selbusjø, a lake in central Norway, were likely formed from methane. Decaying organic matter at the bottom of the lake is eaten by bacteria, which in turn pump out methane gas. If conditions are right, the methane bubbles are captured as the water freezes around them.
 
Looks pretty this image.. but methane being released in enormous quantities world over is a HUGE issue affecting our ultimate survival.

"... alarming news .. Arctic permafrost holds 30% or more of all the carbon stored in soils worldwide. In reality, the Arctic sea ice is continuing to retreat at a rapid pace...
...the East Siberian Arctic Shelf as a key reservoir of Arctic methane  encompassing more than 2 million square kilometers of seafloor in the Arctic Ocean... and is more than three times as large as the nearby Siberian wetlands that was previously considered the primary Northern Hemisphere source of atmospheric methane...
 the permafrost under the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, long thought to be an impermeable barrier sealing in methane, is perforated and starting to leak large amounts of methane into the atmosphere...
..he current average methane concentrations in the Arctic is about 1.85 parts per million, the highest in 400,000 years.” 

..it's important you read the full article.. we are in a very precarious point in history.. what we don't do now will have extremely harsh consequences in our very immediate future..

Arctic Methane Release and Global Warming


... and you don’t have to look 85 years into the future to see what a sinking world looks like...
 ...it's happening NOW !!...

Rising Sea Levels Are Already Making Miami’s Floods Worse

~~~~~~~~~~~~
The image is of a sculpture by street artist Isaac Cordal, which has been dubbed 
 "Politicians Debating Global Warming."

...what we're doing...

It's crucially important.. but can be wearisome.. but we should try and be aware what's happening all around us.
Will keep adding to this blog post.. should you have interest, check back every now and again. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~... the strongest storm in the Southern Hemisphere since record-keeping began...
 
~Impacts of Arctic warming are usually considered in isolation, and that’s a mistake... “It’s unraveling, every piece of it is unraveling, they’re all in lockstep together. And keep in mind this is all happening in deepest winter. Summer is coming.

~Climate scientists have long warned that insect infestations will be greater on a warmer planet.

~ Methane emissions in the country rose over 30% over the 2002–2014 period, and that increase "could account for 30–60% of the global growth of atmospheric methane.

~Deepest problem is Exxon's business plan... searching for new hydrocarbons. Given the recent plunge in oil prices, its capital spending and exploration budget was indeed cut by 12% in 2015 to $34 billion, and another 25% in 2016 to $23.2 billion. In 2015, that meant Exxon was spending $63 million a day "as it continues to bring new projects on line." They are still spending $1.57 billion a year looking for new sources of hydrocarbons - $4 million a day, every day.
 

..WE HAVE RESOURCES.. WE JUST KEEP SQUANDERING THEM....THE 'SYSTEM' ISN'T WORKING... (check back.. more to be added)

• Money and the 2016 US Presidential Elections: The $10 Billion Contest ... 85% of the population believe major changes or a "complete rebuild" of the U.S. election system is needed.

• "Public education is NOT being supported. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) recently stated: "Most states provide less support per student for elementary and secondary schools—in some cases, much less—than before the Great Recession...Worse, some states are still cutting eight years after the recession took hold."

• $300 million for one painting!! It's so mind-boggling absurd. There's just something completely wrong with a society where individuals can amass such outrageous fortunes, while an increasing number within the general population are finding it harder and harder to cope with everyday life.

• Inequality Against Democracy: 10 Facts About the 1 Percent... we're living within a very skewed system.
• Why Our Government Isn't Listening: How Greed Is at the Root of US Suffering. Long have the powerful few profited from the poor majority's struggle, and the United States in 2016 is no different. Through complex and convoluted public policy, the politicians in Congress and the executives of large corporations are capitalizing, as humans have for millennia, on an inequitable system to make off with millions. Oppression is a highly profitable business.

• Feeding the Military-Industrial Complex - Spending on major military acquisition programs is projected to soar 23%, after adjusting for inflation, 2015 to 2022. Worse yet, Congress and the administration are spending much of that money on weapons that don't even work as advertised.

• This is a system that is NOT working...except for those spending all those millions/ billions to buy government. And their rate of return.. well, what can you say. Lobbyists extract $3.5 trillion in benefits from government coffers every year at an expense of $3.5 billion in lobbying fees.

• Pentagon F-35 fighter jet report reveals massive problems still facing 'most expensive weapon in history'...so far cost over $3.5bn, and is eight years late.

• A post-apocalyptic space station straight out of a science fiction movie... Ordos - A Failed Utopia.

• When you 'buy-government'... this is exactly what you expect for your money.. and the rate of return is beyond-belief obscene and unconscionable.

• With extreme inequality comes disastrous misallocation and waste of resources. World over it is devastating all societies.

• ProPublica has been scrutinizing tens of billions spent on reconstruction in Afghanistan by the military, State Department and US Agency for International Development. Project after project has foundered because the US ignored history, warnings, local culture and common sense. Last month, ProPublica analyzed and, for the first time, added up the cost of these failures and found  least $17 billion in questionable spending since 2009.

• Operation Iraqi Freedom... what an absolute waste of lives & resources.... Counter: Cost of War in Iraq...
•  ..and all for what!!!... Civilians in Iraq Face Violence From All Sides, UN Says

• Condos targeting ultra-wealthy were at risk of being overbuilt... so companies moved focus to the next tier of wealthy buyers: domestic millionaires spending between $1M - $15M... those transactions are still excluded from the federal government's new rules.

• There’s less trees than at any point in human civilization... since the spread of human influence, we’ve reduced the number almost by half, which is an astronomical thing.

• Two major nuclear construction projects—one for melting down old bombs and another for remediation of toxic waste—have turned into epic boondoggles.

• Just Who Exactly Benefits Most from the Global Giving of Billionaires

  The world has extreme resources and wealth.. but we've let happen a system that is at some point going to take down everything.

..there is only one candidate I've ever financially suported...in 50 years voting

Should you want to know why... there are numerous reasons...

...and basically, all boils down to common beliefs.

Most are discussed in the articles listed below.

November 8th will be the most important election of our lifetime.

Imho.. there is only one choice.

(click on links)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Generation Sanders
by Robert Kuttner
The millennial generation has gotten the worst economic screwing since the generation that came of age in the Great Depression. This is the first American generation ever to begin economic life deeply in debt. And this generation also faces a job market in which regularized employment is disappearing in favor of short- term gigs. Sanders much more than Clinton has been challenging an economy of, by, and for the rich—one that stunts the dreams of the young. At the heart of the skewed economy is the Wall Street domination of the rules of the game, and Sanders is the one willing to name that reality and call for its demolition.

Enacting Sanders Agenda Would Catapult Economy, Shatter Inequality
by Lauren McCauley
First comprehensive, independent analysis shows that incomes would rise, job markets would grow, and prosperity would be more widely shared if Sanders' proposals were put into practice

While Mega-Donors Average $1,950,000... Average Sanders Donation Still Just $27
by Jon Queally
Billionaires are dominating 2016 spending, but Bernie supporters are proving that small donors can fuel national campaign.

Sanders Campaign Is a Genuine Progressive Social Movement for Democracy
by Danny Glover
"Sanders has demonstrated that he understands that real democracy is essentially a pro-active citizenry demanding that public servants represent just causes.
This campaign is a rare, perhaps unprecedented event in this country's modern electoral history. It deserves the support of everyone who favors social and economic justice."

Sanders Argues for "Yes We Can" While Clinton Counters "No We Can't"
by Jon Queally
"... there is a reason why these people are putting huge amounts of money into our political system. And it is undermining American democracy, and it is allowing Congress to represent wealthy campaign contributors and not the working families of this country.”

The Iowa Winnow.. And Why Bernie Sanders is for Real
by Robert Borosage
Sanders is providing the first clear, forceful, populist message and agenda that voters have heard, focused on how our corrupted politics and rigged economy keep us from building a decent, vibrant country of opportunity – where health care is a right, college is free, workers are empowered, big money is curbed, and the rich and powerful pay their fair share. He’s begun to educate a generation — and to transform the activist base of the party.

Bernie's Legacy
from DailyKos
Whatever happens going forward, Sanders has breathed new life into the progressive agenda, called forth a can-do spirit for struggle against domination of the 1%, and presented a vision of a future America not ruled by naysayers and numskulls.

On Climate Questions, Only One Candidate Has All the Right Answers
by Deirdre Fulton
From Arctic drilling to fossil fuel divestment to fracking to #ExxonKnew, the senator from Vermont has taken strong stances.

The Most Expensive Election Ever Is a Billionaire's Playground: Except for Bernie Sanders
by Nomi Prins, TomDispatch
For your amusement and mine, let's examine the relationships between our 21st century plutocrats and the contenders who have raised $5 million or more in individual contributions or through super PACs and are at 5 percent or more in composite national polls.

Why Bernie Sanders Is Winning the Hearts and Minds of America
by Tom Weis
My reason for supporting Bernie Sanders for president can be summed up in one word: authenticity. 

Black Lives Like My Father’s Should Matter. That’s Why I’m Endorsing Bernie Sanders.
by Erica Garner
I want a leader who truly cares about justice for my family, for black people and for all Americans. 

Porter Ranch 'Climate Disaster' Shows Need for National Fracking Ban: Sanders
by Deirdre Fulton
The leaking well serves as "yet another example of the urgent national need to transition away from fossil fuels." 

It's a Movement, Stupid: Why Bernie Can Deliver on Promises of Change, While the Sensible Centrists Can’t
by John Atcheson
Here’s the irony – the only way the Democratic Party can get and keep power is by embracing revolutionary change.  

Seizing on Establishment Panic, Sanders Sharpens Contrast with Clinton
by Nadia Prupis
"It is great to be against the war after you vote for the war."

No Endorsement Yet, But Plenty of Clues from Sen. Elizabeth Warren
by Deirdre Fulton
"Anyone who shrugs and claims that change is just too hard has crawled into bed with the billionaires who want to run the country like some private club."

Spin Shift on Bernie: The Escalating Media Assault
by Norman Solomon
Many journalists can’t resist lumping Trump and Sanders together as rabble-rousing outliers. But in the real world, the differences are vast.

The difference between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in one paragraph.
-DailyKos 
One candidate believes citizens and strong leaders representing those citizens can shape public policy. The other believes corporations, like private health insurers with outrageously-wealthy CEOs have all the agency.  ~~~~  Choose wisely.

Take the Movement to the White House
by Jim Hightower
Sanders is as offended as the great majority of people are that Washington is so totally in the pockets of moneyed elites.

As Clinton Attends Investor Gala, Sanders Tells Iowans, "I'd Rather Be Here With You"
by Deirdre Fulton
"We do not represent Wall Street, we don’t represent corporate America, we don't want their money."

The Most Pragmatic Way to Fix American Democracy: Elect Bernie Sanders
by Robert Reich
The real choice isn’t “pragmatism” or “idealism.” It’s either allowing these trends to worsen, or reversing them. 

Evolution or Revolution? Town Hall Clarifies the Choice for Democrats
by Isaiah Poole
There can be no jelly without the people who can shake the fruit off the tree.  

As Sanders Slams Wall Street Elite, Clinton Ditches Iowa To Fetch Their Checks
by Jon Queally
Despite critiques, Clinton will soon leave the hotly-contested state to attend a pair of Wall Street-sponsored fundraising events.

Sanders Puts Block on Obama's Big Pharma Nominee for FDA
by Nadia Prupis
"Dr. Califf’s extensive ties to the pharmaceutical industry give me no reason to believe that he would make the FDA work for ordinary Americans, rather than just the CEOs of pharmaceutical companies."

Bernie Sanders is the Realist We Should Elect
by Katrina vanden Heuvel
Sanders is inspiring people with his poetry, but even his prose proves he's the better choice to lead a nation in difficult times.

Bernie Sanders Refuses to Melt
by Bill McKibben
It's a year, perhaps, for people who insist on telling the truth, even if it's in a Brooklyn accent. 

Off With Their Heads! Why Change Demands Progressive Hearts, Not Centrist Brains
by Peter Bloom
The idea that electability and good policy lies in the center ground lacks both intellectual substance and historical grounding. 

Sanders' Medicare-for-All Plan Takes Aim at For-Profit Healthcare System
by Deirdre Fulton
It is 'time for our country to join every other major industrialized nation on Earth and guarantee health care to all citizens as a right, not a privilege.'

Maybe Bernie Can Win
by Bob Burnett
'I’m beginning to believe Bernie Sanders can win the Democratic nomination and then the presidency...'

Something Is Happening
by Jim Hightower
The 'Sanders Sensation' is a spontaneous, unusually vibrant grassroots uprising that has already shattered the Democratic Establishment's holy myth that corporate centrism and super PAC money are the only means to victory. 


 

Murders of Earth's Defenders: The Deadly Trend Continues

Murders of Earth's Defenders: The Deadly Trend Continues | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community

...  'The world is standing idle whilst people on the frontline of the struggle to protect the environment are getting killed'

... "hidden crisis" of murders of those who defend the earth from environmental destruction

... environmental defenders are fighting to protect our climate against ever-increasing odds

... report documents killings in 17 countries, though roughly three-quarters of them took place in Central and South America

... secrecy around how natural resource deals are made fuels violence and must end. It’s time for the international community to stand up and take notice

...  world is standing idle whilst people on the frontline of the struggle to protect the environment are getting killed. The time for action on these killings is now.



  

And so it begins...Legal Action Accuses Dutch Government of Failing on Climate

'Lawsuit Out of Love' as Unprecedented Legal Action Accuses Dutch Government of Failing on Climate | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community

And so it begins...

  ...knowingly putting current and future generations of people at risk from the well-established threat of global warming and climate change...

...not taking sufficient measures to lower the country's dependence and overall consumption of coal, oil, and natural gas...

...human rights are being used as a legal basis to protect citizens against future harms related to a hotter and less stable planet...

... by far not doing enough... really not going quickly enough if you want to avoid a catastrophe in this and the next generations...

...more clear to a broad group we are heading to a catastrophe...

...an increasing number of legal experts around the world have come to believe, the lack of action represents a gross violation of the rights of those who will suffer the consequences...

...obvious international politics has not brought much good to the world... the power of politics, fossil fuel companies and the banks are so large.. 

...but there is one other powerful system with a lot of wisdom.. and that is the law...

...we simply cannot wait in the pious hope short-term-minded governments and enterprises will save us.. and when we act it must be on the basis of equity and justice.. and that is the law..

...governments are violating their legal duties if they each act in a way that, collectively, is known to lead to grave harms...

...every year we miss increases the challenge and risk... we’ve squandered decades already...

...our window for action is [rapidly] closing... we must act now.


  

Greatest Threats Facing The World...

10 greatest threats facing the world in 2014

...there's quite a few lists...

..usually at the top... and while terrorism is without question a most grave threat.. throughout history it has continually existed in numerous forms.. and it shall always continue to do so..
..we could weather its' storm, and that of all others, as history has proven time and again..

...but by a margin so enormous it cannot begin to be measured.. is the threat of.. 
...'the continued use of fossil fuels' ... and ultimately the resulting catastrophic climate disruption...

..for once the planet is despoiled to such a hostile environment.. it threatens most all existing species.. and it leaves us no way out...

..at some point in the future, we might have been able to relocate a portion of our population to another more hospitable world... but we've pretty much run out of time for such a complex escape..

... and so ... we continue on our present path to 'whatever'.. 
... and try and make the best of what is surely to be a formidable and most difficult future for all of civilization...

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4.22.15  -  Most migrants crossing Mediterranean will be sent back
...these are just very early warning signs..
...as the world dramatically keeps changing, ever growing numbers of populations will be forced to migrate..
..eventually numbers will reach tens of millions, then hundreds of millions..
... the longer issues are ignored, the more difficult solutions will become
 
4.16.15  -  Halting Intentional Climate Inaction
...a political exercise that commits large amounts of money to access climate science and yet pays scant attention to it..

4.15.15  -  Here’s What a Hillary Clinton Presidency Would Mean for Global Warming
... both major political parties want to act as if the status-quo can go on indefinitely....
... well it most certainly cannot... it's only going to be getting more intense as each year passes with little or no action taken..
... said before.. well worth repeating.. we're still just acting like 'frogs in a pot'..

4.13.15  -  Welcome to the Tipping Point
.. really not gonna be much different to say.. less time ya got... easier it's gonna be...

4.11.15  -  The Media's Failure With the Biggest Story in the World
... only 28% think that it should be a "top priority" for the politicians in Washington. Of the 21 issues tested, moreover, global warming was at the bottom of the priority list

4.07.15  -  The Great Burning: Rising to the Greatest Challenge Humanity Has Ever Faced ..will there be a life for us beyond fossil fuels.. and just what shall it look like.. in all probability nothing like ours appears today..

3.31.15  -  US Climate Plan 'Treats the Wound But Does Not Stop the Bleeding'
... without moving beyond fossil fuels the US will not avert climate catastrophe

 

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World's Oceans In Serious Trouble...

 ...and we are not being adequately informed and warned...

 4.12.15  -  Triassic Mass Extinction May Give Clues on How Oceans Will Be Affected by Climate Change
... history repeats... ancient mass extinctions such as the end-Triassic inform us of the possible consequences of our own CO2 crisis

4.10.15  -  Oceans Facing Carbon Rates Which Spurred Mass Die-Off 250 Million Years Ago
 ... "released at a rate similar to modern emissions" .... "This fast rate of release was a critical factor driving ocean acidification."

 5.01.14  -  Oceans in Trouble - Tiny Pteropods' Shells are Dissolving in increasingly acidic ocean water 
... the oceans food chains will be disrupted in catastrophic ways. Hundreds of millions of people depend on the roughly 160 million tons of fish caught worldwide.


                  National Geographic  -  Ocean Acidification.. putting all shelled animals at risk
... all signs indicate unless humans are able to control and eliminate fossil fuel emissions, ocean organisms will find themselves under increasing pressure to adapt to their habitat's changing chemistry... or perish.

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