February/March 2004
Do
Corporations or "We The People" Rule?
Democracy Unlimited Steering Committee
The
Buying of the President 2004
Interview with Charles Lewis by Amy Goodman
America's
Empire of Bases
Chalmers Johnson
Answer
the &$%#* Question!
Trudy Liberman
Their
Media War and Ours
Danny Schecter
Locally
Grown Food
Wendy Siporen
The
End of Fossil Fuel: Crisis and Opportunity
Roar Ramesh Bjonnes
The
Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies
Richard Heinberg
Reviewed by Jim Hight
New
Energy … New Jobs
Michael Schellenberger
Can
the Safety of Meat in the U.S. be Guaranteed?
Michael Greger, MD
The
Sacred Enneagram
Eli Jaxon-Bear
Understanding
Your Life Through Color
Nancy Anne Tappe
Reviewed by Ellae Elinwood
Primary
Perception
Cleve Backster
Reviewed by Paul Von Ward
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
Deborah
Mokma, Editor
“I
do not allow myself to be overcome by hopelessness, no matter how tough the
situation. I believe that if you just do your little bit without thinking
of the bigness of what you stand against, if you turn to the enlargement of
your own capacities, just that in itself creates new potential.”
– Vandana Shiva, India Activist and Author
There are times when the immensity of the challenges facing us today feels like more than I want to bear. Indeed, if I had my druthers I would choose only to see life as the blessed, beautiful gift from the Divine that I know it truly is. But there are serious problems on the planet today—as well as the wonder of nature, family and friends—and I understand that it is up to the human population to solve the problems we have created.
As with any difficulty we face, the best approach is to narrow it down to a manageable size. What can we as individuals do to make a difference? The list will be different for each of us, to be sure, although some things will be the same. Seeking information which can provide us with alternative choices is a good place to start. Believing that our choices will make a difference is also essential. Understanding that the most important aspect to anything we choose is its sustainability will go a long way towards accomplishing our long term goals—personally, as a community, and as a species.
Wendy Siporen has provided us with some valuable insight into how we affect our communities and our quality of life when we choose locally produced food and other products (see her article on page 13). “Addressing the needs for increasing local self-reliance and sustainability, many new business opportunities can be found within the building blocks of sustainable economies. These building blocks include the local food system, sustainable energy, alternative transportation and fuels, locally designed and made clothing, recycling and reuse, green building, independent retailers, local arts and culture, neighborhood tourism, crafts production, holistic health care, eco-friendly cleaning products, and independent media. By addressing the deeper needs of their employees and community, business owners can grow their companies in new ways, providing more fulfilling jobs, healthier communities and greater economic security for their bioregions.” This is a far-reaching effect for a relatively small effort on our part!
There is also something we can do on a grander scale, and William Rivers Pitt points out this larger view in his report on truthout.org (Perspective, January 23, 2004) following a weekend spent in New Hampshire last January with Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President. Pitt explained, “There is not a single polling indicator that puts Kucinich above ten percent support at this point … Pragmatism dictates that he is merely tilting at windmills, but a closer look reveals something far different in play. In speech after speech, in place after place, Dennis Kucinich asked the same question time and again. ‘How much change,’ he asked, ‘are you ready for?’ The people gathered in these places, people who came out by the hundreds, always leaned forward hungrily, always cheered, always waited for the word. Without fail, Kucinich brought that word, and people left filled.”
Pitt goes on to say “It comes down to this. Dennis Kucinich is running for President, but he is also formulating a national movement that will be in place long after the race is run. This movement, in all 50 states, will stand ready to defend the most basic American principles that have been lost for years. The movement stands for the workers. The movement stands for the families. The movement stands for the environment. The movement stands for health care. The movement stands for peace. The movement stands for America. Dennis Kucinich reminds people why they are Democrats, why they are progressives, in the first place. He is the soul and the spirit of those beliefs personified, he is Franklin Delano Roosevelt returned, walking and talking and preaching in the 21st century. Anyone who doubts this has not seen the man in action, has not met the people who surround him and support him. This run for the White House is about far more than winning that office. If you think the end of the primaries will spell the end of his run, think again. If the Democratic Party should win the White House in 2004, a powerful progressive network will have to be in place to push the new administration in the right direction, and against the tide that has been unleashed. This is what Dennis Kucinich is constructing, one brick at a time. This tide has only just begun to rise. How much change are you ready for?”
I, for one, am
ready for a lot of change. This movement needs all of us. It’s big, yes,
but not so big that together we can’t wrap our hearts and minds around
what needs to be done. Together, we can.
