The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that the past twelve months (from May 2011 through April 2012) were the hottest ever recorded for the contiguous 48 states. The average temperature of 55.7 degrees was nearly 3 degrees above the 20th century average. If the climate change deniers still have a problem with the data, perhaps they should reflect on the disturbing information that all 10 of the warmest 12-month periods on record have occurred in the last 15 years. The past year was not an outlier and the trend is clearly tied to human activities and fossil fuel consumption.
Earlier posts have explained (in what some may call mind-numbing detail) the reasons for global warming, the potential consequences, and what we can do about it. Links to these posts are given at the bottom of the page. We should not expect to hear much on this during the 2012 election cycle. Unfortunately, global warming is not an issue that excites the electorate. But the consequences of inaction are growing daily. A Republican-controlled Congress or White House will delay effective action for at least another four years. Just another reason to get to the polls in November no matter how disappointed we on the left might be with some Obama policies.
In the meantime, while we wait for politicians to face up to the situation and begin the massive effort needed to correct it, we can all start to do the "little things" in our daily lives to help mitigate the problem. There's a great list of 50 simple actions at the Global Warming Facts website. You can click on this link to reach it. You may have seen and acted upon some of these suggestions before (tire pressure, car pooling, mass transit, compact flourescent light bulbs, fresh/organic food, less meat, etc.). But this checklist can help us get started and keep track of how we are doing. As Global Warming Facts states on the web page, this list provides "50 simple things that everyone can do in order to fight against and reduce the Global Warming phenomenon: some of these ideas are at no cost, some other require a little effort or investment but can help you save a lot of money, in the middle-long term!"
August 2011 Ecology and Climate-Related Posts
Silent Spring, Nuclear Winter, Gaia and Medea
Global Warming 101 - Part I
Global Warming 101 - Part II
Global Warming 101 - Part III
Global Warming 101 - Part IV
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Stealing an Election
The most fundamental right in a democracy is the right to vote. That right is under severe and organized attack across the country. Under the guise of preventing voter fraud (which is almost completely non-existent in the United States), voter ID laws have been passed in 32 states and are in effect in 30 of them as of this writing. (Wisconsin's law was declared unconstitutional and Mississippi's law requires implementing legislation as well as pre-clearance under Section 5 of the 1964 Voting Rights Act.)
These voter ID laws have a single purpose - to suppress the vote of those segments of the population most likely to vote for Democrats. For these are the segments of the population least likely to have the required ID's - elderly, low-income, students, African-Americans. Fifteen to twenty-five percent of these groups do not have state-issued ID.
The potential disenfranchisement is the greatest since the infamous Jim Crow laws were overturned both in court cases and by the 1964 Voting Rights Act. The Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law examined the 19 laws and 2 executive orders in 14 states that enacted voter ID measures in 2011. The Center estimated that 5 million voters could be prevented from voting in 2012 because of these 2011 laws alone. If we look at the bigger nation-wide picture, as many as 21 million Americans lack state-issued ID.
Voter ID laws pose as great a threat to our democracy as the Citizens United decision. But all is not lost yet. A number of groups (e.g., AFL-CIO, United Steel Workers union) are working to inform voters of the impact and the ACLU has mounted several legal challenges. A number of Southern states must have the laws pre-cleared by the Dept of Justice under the Voting Rights Act.
If the legal challenges fail, it will be necessary to help those without ID's get the required ID's. Unfortunately, there appears to be no national effort to do this. All the apples are now being placed in the judicial cart.
At the least, we need to stay informed and know the voter requirements in our own state. The National Conference of State Legislatures' website has details on the requirements of each state and updates on the current status of the laws. Take a look and make sure you understand what you need to bring to the polls in November. If you don't have it, get it.
People have died for the right to vote. Now. because of an organized conservative effort, this right is being taken from those whose voices most need to be heard. Let's hope this latest challenge to democracy in America is overcome. If not, the truest and biggest voter fraud of the 21st century will be effected on November 6. Votes will have been denied and the election will be stolen.
Further reading:
Center for American Progress post on AlterNet, April 4, 2012
Update - interesting discussion too. People are looking for ways to help.
MoveOn's Daily Share for 5/3/12
These voter ID laws have a single purpose - to suppress the vote of those segments of the population most likely to vote for Democrats. For these are the segments of the population least likely to have the required ID's - elderly, low-income, students, African-Americans. Fifteen to twenty-five percent of these groups do not have state-issued ID.
The potential disenfranchisement is the greatest since the infamous Jim Crow laws were overturned both in court cases and by the 1964 Voting Rights Act. The Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law examined the 19 laws and 2 executive orders in 14 states that enacted voter ID measures in 2011. The Center estimated that 5 million voters could be prevented from voting in 2012 because of these 2011 laws alone. If we look at the bigger nation-wide picture, as many as 21 million Americans lack state-issued ID.
Voter ID laws pose as great a threat to our democracy as the Citizens United decision. But all is not lost yet. A number of groups (e.g., AFL-CIO, United Steel Workers union) are working to inform voters of the impact and the ACLU has mounted several legal challenges. A number of Southern states must have the laws pre-cleared by the Dept of Justice under the Voting Rights Act.
If the legal challenges fail, it will be necessary to help those without ID's get the required ID's. Unfortunately, there appears to be no national effort to do this. All the apples are now being placed in the judicial cart.
At the least, we need to stay informed and know the voter requirements in our own state. The National Conference of State Legislatures' website has details on the requirements of each state and updates on the current status of the laws. Take a look and make sure you understand what you need to bring to the polls in November. If you don't have it, get it.
People have died for the right to vote. Now. because of an organized conservative effort, this right is being taken from those whose voices most need to be heard. Let's hope this latest challenge to democracy in America is overcome. If not, the truest and biggest voter fraud of the 21st century will be effected on November 6. Votes will have been denied and the election will be stolen.
Further reading:
Center for American Progress post on AlterNet, April 4, 2012
Update - interesting discussion too. People are looking for ways to help.
MoveOn's Daily Share for 5/3/12
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