#236 / When The Ship Is Going Down

I am angry. I am angry that those who we elected to and expected to protect and defend us — the US population, the global population and our priceless natural resources, our ecosystems, our homes — have failed us, spectacularly.

The picture and the above quote come from a recent online article. The main point of the article is relayed in its title: 

The “Media” Need to Report on the Climate Crisis Every Day

I certainly agree with that sentiment, and I recommend the article by Ami Chen Mills-Naim. You might also check her personal website, which provides this advisory: 

WE INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED LIFE FOR A BROADCAST OF THE GLOBAL EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM. THIS IS NOT A TEST.

She is right on point. Our ship is going down. This is not a test!

I do have a quibble with the quote featured at top of this blog post. It is, of course, understandable why United States citizens should be "angry" with "those who[m] we elected ... to protect and defend us...." Our elected officials have not done a good job with respect to the global warming crisis that confronts us, but if elected officials have not served us well (and they haven't) that is ultimately our own fault. 

In a government of, by, and for the people, we can't expect the government to be "for" us, if we are not directly and personally involved with government ourselves. Most of us aren't. "Of," and "by" are the two most important words in Abraham Lincoln's formulation of what self-government is all about.

Righteous anger? Let's look in the mirror! Voting is obviously not enough, and when we examine our past behavior, we must admit that we have turned our government over to the corporations. Do we still think that the government should be representing us? It hasn't been, and unless you believe the newest and latest corporate propaganda, the Business Roundtable statement that now claims that the "purpose" of the corporation is to achieve our social and environmental goals, you will realize that it's time for a change. 

A radical change!

The changes we need are not going to be delivered by the people we have elected in the past, and who are serving in office today. We need to "interrupt our regularly scheduled lives" to assert, once more, our own dominion over politics and the future. If the government isn't doing what it needs to do, the blame (and shame) is ultimately on us!

Image Credit:

https://medium.com/@Amichen/the-media-needs-to-report-on-the-climate-crisis-every-day-2023a1b17a71