Democracy Blast

Montana & Maine--is your state next?

Corporations aren’t people--so says Montana’s Supreme Court. And Maine’s Legislature is next in line to argue with the Citizen’s United ruling. 

As you’ll recall, two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations had free speech rights equivalent to that of humans--and “speech” equals “money.” The result is that corporations are now able to contribute an unlimited amount to politicians’ campaigns--which critics argue is tantamount to buying political influence.

Maine Representative Jon Hinck has recently submitted a bill entitled “An Act to Limit to Natural Persons
the Right to Contribute to Political Campaigns” to his state’s Legislature.

Hinck states “Corporations are not people, and elections are not auctions where the office goes to the highest bidder.”

Do you agree with him? Would you support a similar bill in your state’s legislature?

 

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SkyTruth!

Those of a certain age will remember a television series named Sky King that chronicled the adventures of a pilot who used his vantage point in the sky to reveal ne’r-do-wells and lay bare evil plots.

Satellites and the Internet have taken that idea to a whole new level. The website SkyTruth “uses pictures taken from orbiting satellites and aircraft to show people the impacts of our activities on the planet.”

Currently on its blog, SkyTruth is highlighting an oil spill off the coast of Nigeria that covers 356 square miles. Both the website and the blog keep an eye on environmental concerns such as the Upper Green River Valley gas drilling in Wyoming and mountaintop removal coal-mining in Appalachia.  

It’s yet another example of the intersection of today’s technologies, communication abilities, and environmental awareness that were not dreamed of in the 1950s’ days of Sky King--which after all, were not really all that long ago.

Now “Out of the blue of the Western sky comes” — SkyTruth!

 

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Incredible Edible

A small Victorian town in England has a radical idea: by 2018, the residents of Todmorden intend their
town to become the first in that country to be self-sufficient in food. 

Mary Clear, a co-founder of the plan dubbed Incredble Edible, is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying, “It’s a very ambitious aim. But if you don’t aim high, you might as well stay in bed, mightn’t you?”

To that end, the townspeople grow carrots and potatoes in front of the police station, beans and peas at the college, apricots and apples on a pathway by the canal, rosemary and mint by the health center. And all the food is free for the taking. 

There’s also a thriving farmer’s market, the local school won a grant to create a fish farm, and there are classes on bread-making, on pickling and on preserving fruits.

Incredible Edible was launched three years ago when Mary and co-founder Pam Warhurst discussed their concern about the state of the world--and decided to do something about it. They started locally, but 21 other towns in the UK have been inspired to start their own programs, and they’re now gathering interest from Hong Kong to New Zealand.  

Mary Clear says, “This is a revolution. But we are gentle revolutionaries. Everything we do is underpinned by kindness.”

To which the rest of us can only say, ¡Viva la Revolución!

 

 

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The power of Facebook: it’s not coal

In 2010 Facebook announced plans to run a new data center on electricity generated through burning coal--so by Dec. 2011, what could make Facebook declare its freedom from coal? What force is strong enough to compel this complete about-face toward sustainable energy? Who could wield such influence over Facebook? Why, the people on Facebook, of course. Over 700,000 of them, from all around the world.

In addition to mobilizing thousands who use Facebook to petition the giant, Greenpeace created events in London, Dublin, Palo Alto, Austin, Milan and Stockholm. The campaign generated a Guinness Book of World Record for most comments on a Facebook page when supporters posted 80,000 comments in at least eleven languages on the Facebook Unfriend Coal page.

As Greenpeace points out, “The energy used to power data centres, such as those which run the websites and online services of Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Twitter and other major IT companies is enormous, totalling more than 2 percent of US electricity demand, and is projected to grow 12 percent or more each year.” 

Imagine the possibilities that social media creates for change in every one of those companies.

 

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Need another gift, quick?

If you’ve found yourself a gift or two short, with Christmas or Hanukkah breathing down your neck, no worries. There are plenty of wonderful cyber-gifts still available--best yet, they’re more meaningful and will have a much better impact on the world than another Chia Pet or Snuggie.

Check out Charity Choice. You make a 100% tax-deductible donation, and your recipient selects which cause to support with that donation, from a choice of over 100 charitable organizations. 

After all, does your Uncle Ed really need a Big Mouth Billy Bass?

To discuss Charity Choice, click on the “Comment” link blow, or visit us on Facebook.

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Do you hear what I hear?

No, that drumbeat isn’t emanating from the Little Drummer Boy--it’s the incessant beat of the annual “War on Christmas” proclamations. 

When did the war start against this now-obscure holiday that receives no notice in American society? Maybe it was when we were looking for Halloween candy in the stores and found Christmas decorations were already out in force. Or maybe before then, when Bing Crosby had the audacity to sing:

“Happy holiday!

Happy holiday, happy holiday
While the merry bells keep ringing
May your ev'ry wish come true

Happy holiday, happy holiday
May the calendar keep bringing
Happy holidays to you!”

The nerve of that guy. As Laura Ingraham recently stated on Fox News, “Why did these pilgrims brave incredibly difficult conditions to live here, die here and to try to start a new way of life?...For religious freedom. Yes. And now religious freedom is on the rocks.”

But wait--the war on Christmas may actually have started with those very pilgrims, who declared that anyone observing Christmas by feasting or by not working or in any other way, must pay a fine of five shillings for every such offense. 

Bing Crosby would’ve been in big trouble by crooning  “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.” 

 

What’s your opinion about the war on Christmas?  

 

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Avoiding the mall

‘Tis the season to avoid the mall, whatever your reasons: too crowded, too chain-stored; not green enough. 

There are plenty of alternatives, like say, a children’s gift exchange. But not an exchange between children--an event where parents bring gently-used toys that their children have outgrown or never taken a shine to, and go home with free toys that their children are more apt to prefer. Dawn Friedman’s article on how to host a toy exchange appears on MMN.com.

There are fair-trade retailers and DonorsChoose, Women for Women, Heifer International, Oxfam, and Mercy Corps.

And last but not least, consider this well-reasoned rant by Bridget in the comment section of the Rochestercitynewspaper--she participated in 12 secret Santa/white elephant gift exchanges last holiday season: 

 “Here's a modest proposal: Just say no. Stop exchanging gifts with all other adults except maybe your nearest and dearest. Think of the waste, the fossil fuel burned, the solid waste generated, while countless women drive around town looking for generic not-too-expensive gifts. Not to mention the time spent organizing and planning these events.

     Stop the madness! Stop shopping for things people don't really want for people you really don't care about. Think of what women could do if we stopped all this--cogitate, agitate, meditate, fornicate, write the great American novel, play with your kids, take a nap, read a trashy novel, give to charity, volunteer, run for office . . . but stop with the gift exchanges.”

 You’ve got 17 Christmas shopping days left (unless you follow Bridget’s advice). 

 

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Is your brain red or blue?

Okay, you might debate the interpretation of this study’s results, but it is intriguing. As reportedin Current Biology, scientists at University College London found differences in the brain structures of liberals and conservatives.

According to cognitive neuroscientist Ryota Kanaihe, the MRIs of 90 student volunteers revealed differences that correlated with how they rated themselves along a five-point scale ranging from very conservative to very liberal. 

The conservatives tended to have a larger right amygdala, which detects threats and responds to fearful stimuli. Meanwhile, liberals tended to have a larger anterior cingulate cortex, which becomes active in situations involving conflict or uncertainty. 

Sciencemag.com describes Dr. Kanaihe's conclusions: “conservatives are more sensitive to negative emotions like fear and disgust, whereas liberals are more tolerant of situations involving conflict and uncertainty. (To armchair psychologists, this might explain some stereotypical behavior, such as the spike in blood pressure a hard-core conservative might experience when Fox News plays a new recording from Osama bin Laden, or the half-hour it might take an Earth-loving liberal to decide whether to buy the organic apple flown in from Chile or the local apple treated with pesticides.)”

So? Whaddya think?

 

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When Casual Friday got a bad name

 Consider three depictions of police using pepper spray against Occupy demonstrators:

1. Seattle: 84-year-old Dorli Rainey is led away by fellow protestors, her face dripping with spray
2. Portland, OR: Liz Nichols receives a direct blast of spray 
3. UC Davis: Lt John Pike sprays peaceful protesters 

While coverage of each of these has gone viral, it seems to be the casualness displayed by the officer at UC Davis last Friday that has spurred the greatest response. 

“Casually pepper spraying cop” is a term that pops up on Google, and dozens of sites use the word “casual” in describing the incident--and a still shot of the strolling officer has become a meme, featuring a photoshopped Lt. Pike spraying kittens, the US Constitution, and Edvard Munch’s The Scream, among many, many others.

So it’s interesting to note that ‘casualness’ was not initially not reported by the traditional media covering the UC Davis event, according to newsreview,com. The site states that while professional media stood by on Friday, it was a student with a iPhone, Thomas Fowler, who captured the video of Pike. 

And that footage dramatically changed the tone of media coverage. “Early TV news reports, for instance, didn’t question the aggressive nature of police tactics. UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi wrote an email to staff and faculty approving of how officers handled the situation. And The Sacramento Bee reported that, while pepper spray was used, it was because of what UC Davis police chief Annette Spicuzza described as a ‘volatile’ situation,” reports newsreview.

What do you think set the Fowler footage apart?

 

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You're killing me

Shortly after taking office in January 2009, President Obama banned waterboarding as an interrogation method, recognizing it as torture. 

Last Saturday, during the Republican candidates’ debate, presidential hopefuls declared their willingness to reinstate waterboarding--a torture technique used during the Spanish Inquisition.  

Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Herman Cain stated outright that they would allow waterboarding; on the Monday following the debate, Mitt Romney’s campaign spokeswoman stated that Romney does not consider waterboarding torture.

In contrast, Ron Paul said the technique is “Illegal under international law and under our law. It’s also immoral, and it’s also very impractical. There’s no evidence that you really get reliable evidence.”

John Huntsman said: “We diminish our standing in the world and the values that we project, which include liberty, democracy, human rights and open markets, when we torture.”

 

How about you? Do you agree with Bachmann, Perry, and Cain or with Paul and Huntsman?

 

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