You've seen the photos and the news footage: the buckled houses, homes sinking as if into quicksand, the boardwalks ripped up and scattered like busted piano keys, cars leapfrogging each other down the streets. You've seen the East River lapping, almost gently, over its barriers, and then the floodwaters that swamped Avenue C. You saw footage of the Con Edison plant on 14th Street explode into sick, green flashes of light like the coming of the alien invasion. You've seen the post-apocalyptic devastation in the Rockaways, like the bombing of Dresden, and the misery in Staten Island. And you've seen the people crying, digging through Dumpsters for food, begging Bloomberg to do something.
Maybe you are one of those people. Maybe you're among them, helping. Or maybe you spent the night looting their homes. This week we've seen both the horrors and the wonders of humanity.
But there is one burden we all share: We invited Sandy to our shores. The product of human-induced climate change, we invited her with our burning of fossil fuels, our hunger for convenience and speed, our selfishness. We're all guilty to some extent or another. We must not turn away from this painful truth.
 |
| Diesel Jeans ad |
We also invited her by voting for politicians who don't put the environment at the top of the priority list. Tomorrow, we have a chance to at least vote against a man who thinks the rising of the oceans is a joke, who believes global warming isn't happening, and who probably doesn't care what happens to Earth when he's gone because he'll be the God of planet Kolob by then.
 |
| Avenue C and 8th St. |
It's time to get our heads out of the sand, as we dig out from Sandy, and face reality. Our planet is warming, our oceans are rising, we will be inundated again and again if we don't take action.
 |
| On Avenue A |
8 comments:
While it is often difficult to step aside and accept that, with extremely rare exception, we are all guilty of negative environmental impact, it is crucial to do so. A careful vote is one of the most basic ways to reverse this, and I appreciate your courage in saying so. I can only hope that access to voting facilities will be available in the areas damaged by Sandy - that many may lose their ability to vote, particularly in the most diverse area of the nation, is distressing. Good luck to all.
Sorry, bro. but this post sounds exactly like the fear mongering from someone that you don't want your readers to vote for. Years and decades of human disregard to nature can not be remedied by one man or country alone.
I remember that Diesel Jeans ad back in the day and it made me sick.
The Spielberg movie "A.I." has a similar scene, only its far more sad and dramatic. And in the end, there are no humans left. How about that...
Sadly, personally, I feel there is no stopping global warming. Go to LA; go to Bejing; go to London. People, cars. People, airplanes. There is no stopping it.
Global warming happens too slowly and not unilaterally. The world will just have to suffer until we are forced to make a change.
It’s very difficult to have a rational discussion on climate change with a national party (and most of its base) that believes that the universe was created 6,000years ago.
@ Anon 8:48.
Of course the environmental problems can't be remedied by one man or one country alone, but the journey needs to start somewhere and it needs to start now. Better to pick someone who doesn't actively deny the environmental problems that we now face. Also, I realize that the earth has been warming since the glaciers began melting around 10-15,000 years ago, but I also believe we've accelerated the process.
Randall, tere are a lot more to being the POTUS than solely voting for the person based on one stance, such as climate change, abortion, gay marriage, etc. One needs to look at the overall, macro, quality and stance of a candidate. We are not voting for a person who has the power alone that can decide what's good or not good for us. There's Congress and the Senate to approve or veto, hence the balance of power. Unlike Emperor Bloomturd who has more power as an individual. Whether O or R gets elected, climate will change. Neither can do anything about it by signing bills or whatnot. The topic has just become so political that I don't think either candidates care for it. O is just using it to sell his candidacy as usual and R is being blunt on his view on it. Pick your poison for the good ol' USA.
Obama is absolutely the lesser of the two evils available to us, but let's not kid ourselves. He has done nothing substantive about climate change and there is no reason to believe that will change.
so what ARE they doing about the victims? is this katrina meets haiti? new yorks a blue state, NYC the wealthiest, but yet this could be india. what's going on w/this?
Post a Comment