Amos's River of Justice

Category: Protecting Planet Earth

  • Gender Rights are a Litmus Test for Left-ness

    Aside from the climate crisis there is general agreement that individuals on the left don’t have to share the same religious beliefs or ideology. However, that belief is misleading. A focus on Gender rights seems to be an ideological requirement. The issue of Gender rights has become a litmus test for left-ness. A realistic analysis of our allies and our opposition suggests this ideology acts as a handicap for political success.

    A Focus on Gender Rights Alienates Important Allies

    The climate crisis is rightly a major focus for the political left. Due to time constraints and the ongoing attacks on the democratic process, there are natural limits to additional issues that can be effectively addressed. These limits have to do with our indigenous allies in the fight against climate change and their consensus, or lack thereof, on our political patform.

    No one seems concerned that our allies among the Native Americans believe there are only two genders, male and female. This lack of concern is surprising, considering that globally, indigenous people are the foundation of our fight against climate change. We’ve asked them to teach us to care for the land and they’ve indicated that they’re willing to do so, but how teachable are we if we blithely carry the gender rights banner at the front of the parade?

    Would the Left Benefit From a Narrower Focus?

    In my opinion, individuals on the left have some important questions to answer. What are we trying to accomplish? Are we trying to address a threat to the human race, or are we establishing leftist credentials? Do we behave as friends to our allies, or competing ideologues? Do we fit the Right’s definition of the ‘radical woke’ left, or are we clear-headed strategists? I would argue that if you don’t think these are important questions, either you are not serious, or you don’t understand our opposition.

    Gender Ideology is an Easy Target for the Right

    Ideologues on the right have made their opposition to gender ideology a major part of their platform, and they are unified against this issue. They also deny the danger of global warming. So, in the minds of undecided voters, denial of global warming has become inseparable from a conservative position on gender. In this scenario, the left’s focus on gender ideology is the opposite of strategic. It is a handicap.

  • Laudato Si’ and the Progressive Movement

    Laudato Si’ and the Progressive Movement

    Some people were surprised by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’.  However, the Catholic Church is the most obvious entity in European history to take up the cause of the environment.  The progressive movement shares Pope Francis’s concern. We should make ourselves familiar with this document, discuss it, and build on it.

    (more…)

  • Greta in the Lion’s Den

    Greta Thunberg and her fellow climate activists testified September 18, 2019 before the U.S. Congress. It’s painful to watch, but please watch the whole thing. There were many interesting observations but the one that stands out for me is that when the conservatives talk about the good of the economy, they mean the corporations and those who profit from them. They most certainly do not mean you and me.

  • Resources for Water Protectors

    If you’re looking for a good source of information on water protectors and their activities across the nation, check out the YouTube channel: The One and Only Power. Here you can get important news from all over the country as well as educational outreach.

    In addition, I want to share the following video from Unesco announcing its 2017 World Water Development Report and World Water Day hosted by Unesco’s world water Assessment Program. World Water Day is tomorrow, March 22, 2017. If you are not familiar with Unesco see the website at: 1. [http://en.unesco.org/about-us/introducing-unesco]↩

    The 2017 World Water Development Report deals with treating waste water to take forward the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 6: To assure access to water and sanitation for all. The report shows that wastewater management can facilitate access to sanitation, provide an alternative water source for cities, support farmers with water and nutrients and generate clean energy. This is the key message of the 2017 World Water Day. It will be hosted this year by the government of South Africa.

  • Water Protectors Call for Mass Mobilization

    This was published today by Democracy Now.

    It is encouraging that the former Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell, has stepped in to this fight.  Jewell said Wednesday that the Army Corp of Engineers is violating its legal obligations as well as its promises to indigenous leaders to complete the environmental impact study.  The Army Corp is legally required to abide by the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.  That has not been done in this case.

     

     

  • Help the Water Protectors: Write a Letter

    Although the Army Corp of Engineers was instructed to proceed with the easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline that does not mean the project has been approved. You can still make a difference. The period for public comment remains open until February 20.

    ICMN Staff • January 25, 2017

    With President Donald Trump’s signing of presidential memos to fast-track review and development of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and Keystone XL, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its supporters say it’s more important now than ever for people throughout the country who are opposed to DAPL to register their disapproval with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    The Army Corps of Engineers on January 18 date initiated its Environmental Impact Statement, part of which involves a 30-day period in which the Corps invites members of the public to weigh in on the project. The public has until February 20 to comment about the environmental impacts of DAPL at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website. With less than 28 days to go, organizers say that now is the chance for people nationwide to speak up.

    Send your letters to:

    Mr. Gib Owen, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, 108 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310-0108

    Or send your comments by email to: gib.a.owen.civ@mail.mil (Use subject line NOI Comments, Dakota Access Pipeline Crossing)

    You can find ready-made forms for either method in the following article.   1. [Hillary Hanson, Huffington Post, January 31, 2017. Available: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/public-comments-dakota-access-pipepline_us_5890e57fe4b0c90eff009b6a]↩

    Your comments should identify potential issues, concerns, and reasonable alternatives for consideration in the EIS, as well as the rights of the Native people on the front lines.

    “While the EIS is exactly what we called for, we must ensure that it fully takes into consideration tribal treaty rights, natural resources, cultural and sacred places, socio-economical concerns, and environmental justice,” the tribe said in a statement on January 18. “We need your continued support as this process moves forward. Submit a comment to the Civil Works Division, and help us show the Army that #MillionsStandWithStandingRock.”

  • How Can We Protect the Environment?

    The water protectors are confused over the tribe’s messages about closing the camp.  If you’re thinking about going there yourself, you’re probably even more confused.   Here’s Jordan Chariton’s latest post for an update.

    Also read Representative Raúl Grijalva’s suggestions in the Huffington Post regarding how we can protect the environment going forward.  In summary: keep the policies we have; talk to diverse groups of people and explain how important this is to them; call out our elected officials when they make bad votes or excuses.  Finally, if they don’t listen, vote them out of office. 1. [Rep. Raúl Grijalva,Stand up Environmentalists, Huffington Post, January 31. Available: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raul-m-grijalva/stand-up-environmentalist_b_14531792.html]↩

  • Calling for the Defense of the Des Moines River in Iowa

    The Dakota Access Pipeline Company is preparing to drill under the river today.  That portion of the pipeline could be completed within 5 hours.  Come to Road 130, Boone County, Iowa.

error: Content is protected !!