Krieg: Good for you! I don't have a website, only a blog, The Gorsepatch. It has a small beginning you can read. I'll get busy and continue the exposition.

Sunspot: I think the public channel would not carry any usual programming, but be dedicated to presenting live coverage of the "National Meetings" I envision. BTW, it would also be stand-alone, i.e. like the polling connection it would not be accessible from the Web or a phone or whatever. Mustn't have hackers, you know.

Regular TV would go on as it will, no change there. Anyone who would rather watch a smackdown than help govern the country is free - indeed, encouraged - to do so. So decisions would be made by those who want to participate, and participation would be highly educational, a claim that only democracy can make.

Are we 'ready' right now? Probably not, but you have to start somewhere. I suspect it's like having children: If you wait until you're ready, you'll never do it.

More on The Gorsepatch soon.

bbr-001:

Southern, in addition to the coal plants spotlighted in this story, and a lot of other generation, operates 3 nuclear reactor sites with 2 reactors on each site. They also have plans to build an additional 2 (on an existing site).

Waste from nuclear power is controversial but nuclear power is a source of low CO2 electric power.

Southern has a serious investment in hydroelectric throughout Georgia. Beyond this, they do not have much in the way of renewable generating capacity.

Southern is a big "polluter" simply because it burns a lot of coal to make a whole lot of inexpensive electricity. Al Gore can pretend he is buying "green" electricity, but he is really using this stuff. I doubt all the solar cells and windmills in the world put together on a windy sunny day even make a tiny fraction of Southern's electical output.

We have to replace large scale fossil fuel electrical generation ASAP, but we can't just "tun out the lights" on almost 300 million people overnight. To move away from fossil fuels for transportation and home heating, we will need even more electricity. We need a stategy in place.

There is no easy answer, and our political leadership ranges from staus quo deniers, to all sides of every issue talking heads, to elitist NIMBY types. There is no consneus, no leadership and no plan, and I guess things are going to get pretty bad.

starofthesea,
Okay, you caught me being facetious.

Some people seek and acquire power with the intent of doing good, some people seek and acquire power with the intent of doing harm; just like the person doing good seeks to do good for more people, the person doing harm seeks to do harm to more people.

They both tell themselves that what they are doing is right, but only one of them is correct.

Human beings know what is right and wrong; it's written right into their DNA; human beings who treat other human beings well feel good about themselves; human beings who treat other human beings badly feel bad about themselves; every member of our species has known this from its beginning; it's what makes humans human.

starofthesea,

I grok, and your point is well taken for us as well - we should focus on what we can do, regardless of the cheerleaders for the status quo. However, (there's always a however), it's also useful to call attention to those who call for us to forget what our eyes see and just do as it's always been done.

Now, as far as what we can do, I'm wary of specific plans. The opposition is powerful, wealthy beyond belief, and ruthless. What chance do individual plans have? And, if someone came out with "the perfect plan," would we believe her/him? Not in today's world. In the heyday of the 60's, plans were believed and acted on. Many failed because they were either hair-brained or because they were co-opted (COINTELPRO).

I think many thinkers today are wary and weary. We've tried too much and seen too much to get fired up about plans. Yet, we're driven to continue to see things as clearly as we can and to care enough to stay pissed and connected.

The future, from where I am, is in organics. Organics, both in terms of food raising and in terms of political/social change, is the only sustainable way to be. Our movement is organic and it is changing the world one person at a time. Demonstrations and sit-ins have their places, but the change we all know is necessary is happening one conversation, one personal contact at a time. The main thing is to keep plugged in to reality as well as to other people who you can give support to and get support from - that is what we most need.

Power to the People!

Threatening a war of aggression against a country that is no immediate threat is a violation of the UN Charter which the U.S. signed and is bound by. Congress needs to revoke the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force and inform Bush that an attack on Iran would be an impeachable offense.

In fact, why wait until the war criminal has Iran attacked? It will be too late by then. He and the rest of the thugs that are in charge, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, have been beating the drums of war against Iran loudly of late.

dreamertoo---never heard that one but that's a very interesting idea. To carry it further, though, if most of the rapists had been eliminated by their victims, does that explain the disproportionate powers that are currently wielded by such a tiny minority of "global rapists", the handful that managed NOT to fall asleep, their survival the result of natural selection, as well?

And alas, I lament along with you the glacial speed of human evolution----at least the expression of heart-centered. life-affirming action. Too much yang without the necessary moderating influence of yin.

iammyself---I, too have noted Daniel David's silence of late. Perhpas he's given up on us, or perhaps he's actually having second thoughts about his allegiances...then again, maybe he went on vacation, or his computer crashed.

Frankly, I'm weary of how much attention his "broken record" postings got, as it seemed like it only served up a familiar target for our frustration. Our own predictable reaction short circuited, rather than expanded, our own ideas about how best to replace the current system. I think our time, attention and energy can be better utilized. It's right our of the Rove playbook when you think about it---keep creating distractions, so that no one has time to expose the real problems. I'm not suggesting DD is a troll, just that his participation seems to add little of real substance to the discussion by virtue of it's repetition.

Surprise, surprise, surprise - what did anyone really expect!

"Apart from vague promises by the Democratic presidential hopefuls, there is no pressure on this or any other power company to clean up their act and cut back on CO2 emissions.

"Politicians from both parties fear the influence of Southern, which spends huge sums both on lobbying and on political campaigns and is among the biggest power players in Washington. It has seen off numerous attempts to impose controls on the amounts of pollution it pumps out."

Calling Messrs. Daniel David, Nader2000, et al. Are you listening?

I'm glad to see that the majority of folks on CD have enough sense not to fall for the D vs. R claptrap. It's a smokescreen and we know it.

merryoldsoul,

The reason men are sleepy after sex and women aren't is so if a man drags a woman off to his caves unwillingly she can slit his throat afterwards. Natural selection.

There is very little difference between us and the humans of 250,000 years ago; and some would say we act like we've learned little.

Chimpy or the dick accepting money from the biggest polluter in the world? Who would think....but then again, thats from a British source. Whats up with the billions illegally funnelled into chimpy's coffers by the saudi's. Oh, I forgot, that never happened, but then again if you go to cbc -fifth estate- conspiracy theories you can read about that and the other crap these criminals were pulling years before they rigged the last 2 elections. The world court should put these 2 assholes on trial along with chimpy's dad and his dad and then throw the whole family in prison where they belong.

$6.2 Million....its depressing to see that the political class willing have sold the planet into destruction for basically the price of a small McMansion...pathetic

sunspot says: Does anyone have ideas on pioneering an election system that is immune to corporate interest?

Both Manitoba and Quebec ban Corporate and Union donations, which cuts down on it a lot.

Certainly explains Bush's stance on Kyoto, doesn't it!

You do know that some of the same people involved in trying to convince the public that Tobacco was harmless are now trying to convince people that global warming either isn't happening or is a natural occurrence unrelated to human activity:

http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/denialmachine/video.html

What else is new?

I have read it here I believe, that the rethuglicans covet the earth, and the notion of America, with its "Free enterprise system", like a lusting, passionate brute planning the rape of a woman, and if he had his way with her, he'd defile her, take her innocence, rob her of her hope, rights of sactity and be proud of his accomplishment. Because after all, it was his "due."

So these monsters and deniers refuse to accept that the ongoing rape of mother earth will not come back to haunt them. But like the molested and defiled victim of his conquest, divine mother will exact her revenge, and hell hath no fury like a woman robbed of her innocence and treated with distain.

Is this a surprise?

If a polluting company knowingly causes death and disability, shouldn't it's owners be tried for murder and injurious assault?

Paulbk: and while were at it lets get rid of the EUPHENISM OF FOREIGN AID and call it what it is FOREIGN BRIBERY!

Sunspot: Great question.

In addition to full public funding of federal elections, I would forbid paid TV, radio and newspaper advertising, but would require all media to provide free time for debates AND equal time/space to all candidates so they could present their positions without being SwiftBoated or slimed.

Cutting the campaign from the two years it has become to something like six months might help, too.

All of the Christians in Georgia and the rest of the "Bible Belt" who think that their extraordinary drought can be ended if only they pray to God and REPENT of their sins ought to be challenged about these possible reasons for God to punish them:
a) their sins against nature such as those highlighted here.
b) their support of evil campaigners like chickenhawk Saxby Chamblis who portrayed Vietnam hero and double amputee Max Cleland as clone of Osama Bin Laden.
c) their support of lying George W. Bush over truth-tellers Al Gore and John Kerry.
See http://LiberalsLikeChrist.Org/

Stiv Whitman and anyone who's had the problem of "disappearing posts". There seems to be a software glitch, and maybe it happens with only some browsers. I use Mozilla, don't know if it's a problem in IExplorer or others.

Every once in a while when I've typed a post and click on "Submit Comment" at the bottom of the typed post, the next window that appears starts at the top of the report and doesn't include my post.

All I've needed to do is go back one window and my unposted comment is right where I left it. I just click on "Submit Comment" again and then it appears. I've never had it fail twice in a row.

Oh, and sometimes when I click on the Submit button, the window jumps up or down away from the post. The post doesn't disappear, but sometimes I have to scroll to the bottom to find it and click on Submit a second time.

Paul Bramscher: "I've got a theory that (some) humans may be one of the only species capable of admiring aesthetic beauty from a distance, like art or music, to enjoy something without eating, possessing or destroying it."

I could not agree more with this theory. It is almost a perfect either/or human condition. You are either one of them or one of us. These two classes of humans are NOT 'birds of a feather' except that we all walk on our hindlegs. I am not a bigot or homophobe but it does seem to me that the non-aesthetic type cannot 'get it'; and that is what makes them so dangerous. They express themselves with comments like: "I could never do volunteer work without getting paid for it" and "immigrants are the problem; they take all of our social benefits and our jobs". This human type has a value system that is based solely on material wealth. It wants to privatize the entire natural world in its lifetime to extract maximum commercial value. Don't waste your time talking to them, their brains are hard-wired that way.
And in defence of our non-human fauna co-travelers, most do not attack and destroy their own species, like we humans do. Or so it appears to this long-time observer...

Gorsegrower:

I'd like to hear more of your ideas--I'll log on to your website soon. I've never heard your ideas before or I would've shown some interest. Anything that shows promise for getting us out of this mess that we're in is worth looking at.

We should use the law to protect our planet and life forms from polluting industries. Green organizations should be aggressively and continuously filing suits against these industries. Environmental statutes are plentiful and are being violated. We cannot just sit by and watch the greatest mass extinctions in the history of the earth take place without doing something.

For full information on contributions, check out:

http://www.opensecrets.org/

The huge amounts of money listed above buy a lot of influence and votes. While it continues, nothing will change.

The only thing that will change this is public funding of elections at all levels. It would also allow candidates who are not wealthy to run for office.

"I am shocked, shocked to find that there is gambling going on in here!"

This article can't be true. Is it possible that Bush would do something against the best interests of the American people for money?

Three very good reminders of what the republicans have accomplished in the last 7 years and why it is time to defeat them at all costs in 2008, listed below:

Taken from the Huffpost;
Ad Exec Rich Silverstein (from got milk fame) came up with these wonderful posters.

http://assets.huffingtonpost.com/posters/poster2.html
http://assets.huffingtonpost.com/posters/poster1.html
http://assets.huffingtonpost.com/posters/poster1.html

Some campaign/election innovations have a better chance when implemented first at the state level, where voters have more power in relation to corporations, and their success at these levels can promote nationwide use. Public financing would be an exception because it would be more difficult for a state to come up with that money. IRV (instant runoff voting) may be a good innovation to start with to help open people's minds because it can save money.

I've also thought of the possibility of someone running for president spending absolutely no money. The idea would be that the novelty of the campaign would attract the necessary attention, and it could be used to force the media to seriously discuss campaign financing reform. (And hell, if you can run a campaign on zero dollars, you'd probably be able to balance a budget better than anyone else.)

And while I disagree with tax reductions for cutting pollution, since that's what everyone should do anyway, what about a tax competition each year for the corporation that pollutes the least?

Great comments by everybody. But I still don't see much emphisis on the real problem. Population control. It has to happen, or else, it's going to happen at 150 degrees at night.

We need to see the real enemy here. It's not some religious bedowins on camels who "hate us for our freedom", rather it's our own subversive institutions in business schools who don't teach adam smith's principles of mercantile economy with small local businesses and meaningful competition; but rather teach some alien form of preditory mutant capitalism; where mass extinction is o.k. as long as it's profitable.

We need to declare Harvard and Yale Business Schools, along with Skull and Bones as Terrorist Organizations. We must round up their operatives: (27 years of Bush/Clinton in the two most powerful offices of the land can't be a coincidence) and apply capital punishment.

pac - out

The following quote by Ralph Nader during the 2000 Presidential election campaign described the current political system so descriptively when he said, "The only difference between Bush and Gore is the velocity with which their knees hit the floor when corporations knock at the door."

Both parties have been and continue to be bought and paid for by the largest and most powerful individuals and corporations. Telling most politicians from either party to forgo this largesse is akin to trying to convince a drug addict to go cold turkey.

If you have ever sensed a fundamental disconnect between the voters and their representatives in Washington, D.C., the explanation is quite clear. Most representatives and senators fiercely protect of the interests of their largest campaign contributors, which are oftentimes diametrically opposed to the interests of those who vote them into office. Applying such a template provides a ready means of understanding much of what may otherwise seem inexplicable.

The earth will likely be able to sustain life for many centuries to come -- the only question is that of how long the environment will be able to support human life.

Corporations are, by law, required to place earning profits for their shareholders above all other concerns. We are witnessing rule by corporate fiat in our country. Those who gather even more wealth by continuing current practices, as the world becomes an increasingly hostile environment for human existence, will have the financial means to survive longer than most, earning them the arguably dubious distinction of being the last to die.

Something very similar occurred on Easter Island, as described in Professor Jared Diamond's books, "Guns, Germs and Steel" and "Collapse." A preview of what we might expect, should significant and constructive change not occur soon, can be found in the pages of both books, for those who dare to glimpse what may well become our future.

Conflict of interest used to be the kiss of death in business and politics. Now it is a job requirement.

"....there is only one political party in the United States, The Money Party. It has two wings, Republican and Democratic. That party represents excessive concentrations of wealth in the hands of corporations, other organizations, and individuals. They put up the money and get what they pay for every time.

They make sure that the election system is rigged to rely on money like a junkie relies on heroin. The system takes care of them. They don't have to obey the same rules that we do. Why? Because they're above the law." --- Michael Collins

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/11069

"Big lie 1: "We're the world's leading democracy." Not since Bush-Cheney took over. We're dropping fast. Maybe it has something to do with the Patriot Act and all that illegal wire tapping of U.S. citizens? Maybe it has something to do with a Congress that does nothing to stop an out of control president. Ratings on democracy show us behind 14 other countries.

Big lie 2: "Just let the markets handle it. The free enterprise system will work it out." This is supposed to appeal to our love of capitalism. Well, we don't have capitalism in the United States.

We have socialism for the rich and survival of the fittest for the rest of us.

When you hear about the wisdom of "the markets," you know that The Money Party is attacking some new law or regulation that might give us an equal footing and create real competition. The party can't stand free enterprise because it won't play any game that it might lose. Count on it. NAFTA - just let the markets handle it. Health care – it's the market at your service. Pollution – you guessed correctly, it's a "market thing. "We wouldn't understand." Dumping mercury in the Great Lakes, it all makes sense to the party.

Big lie 3: "There are two sides to every issue." Does that have anything to do with two parties? Where in the world did this come from? Who knows? But the corporate media rides this one into the ground.

Take climate change for example. Two sides, really? Well just about every respectable scientist in the world, at least those who get published in real science journals, says climate change is real, it's man made, and it's dangerous. The explanations are varied (many sided) but there's only one side of the larger issue if you want your children to survive. Climate change is a very real, scary deal. We're all threatened. But a correction might hurt their short term profits. As a result, the dangerous lies persist brought to you by The Money Party "communications divisions."

Big lie 4: "The federal government just screws everything up." Oh, like going to the moon, developing the internet, and providing health insurance (Medicare) for many times less overhead than private health insurance companies. The Money Party hates the government with a passion when it serves the general public. But when the federal government fixes competition so that only big money wins, when it ignores problems that might require some sacrifice, and when it prolongs a war for profits, the federal government is their best friend.

It's not a conspiracy. It's just what they do, what they've always done…further their own interests at our expense. There used to be some restraint to maintain appearances but the Money Party is now on steroids.

When you see some corporate news reader cock his or her head to deliver a "gem of wisdom," count on it to be a big fat lie, one that's essential to justify the theft of our well being for the interests of a very few, their bosses. They don't care because they don't have to. We're the ultimate donors to The Money Party through our hard work, time, and taxes.

The Money Party thinks that they own the country, they know that they own most of the politicians, and they're 100% sure that they know what we need to believe. These are just a few of the big lies that we hear all the time from the usual suspects. It's time to wake up, call their bluff, and take the country back." ---- Michael Collins

hmmm. Just tried to submit my little analysis without a link and it was 'disappeared.' Democracy at work here. I guess I used taboo words again. Please post a list of forbidden words and ideas.

Thanks!

take the media away from the corporations and put them in the hands of publicly owned and locally run 'citizens with media skills' and others willing to learn.

That would be my suggestion for the first step in reforming this country... how to get there? We've seen it happen only when things get really bad and there's a general strike, as in Poland.

But it is always exciting when the media is finally taken over by citizen's groups--making sure that they remain decentralized and create democratic structures at the local level, smaller scale would be important.

But yeah, the democratizing of a corrupt country, never easy.

Our short term survival is at stake as the price of oil is sure to rise and the issue of avoiding CO2 emissions is more critical.

The oiligarchy is our worst nightmare. They will take the train to war, and over a cliff before they put a cent into a braking system.

Haley Barbour, who was mentioned in this article, was showcased on Bill Moyers tonight, in relation to the rebuilding of Mississippi after Katrina. Apparently he has so much clout in Washington he got the Feds to drop oversight of the federal money sent for Katrina recovery. Fed regs require 50% to go to low income housing. Guess what.......A billion dollars spent for development of casinos and hotels on the Gulf coast in the first year. Low income housing didn't even get money until the second year and then only a small fraction of this amount. They like him in Mississippi though, just re-elected him governor.

Eliminate all political contributions and we'll see a better world. The people need to be heard and politicians not to be bought.

gorsegrower,

Hmm... I gave that some time to soak in. It was refreshing until I couldn't evict the notion that we may not be ready for a democracy, yet. Can the common man/woman be trusted to make decisions about governance? You said;

"but we would have a more authoritative source of reliable and objective information. I doubt that major media would be willing to donate air time just to spread propaganda, or that sponsors would clamor to pay for it. In any event, viewers would soon see the difference in the quality of information provided."

Only if that information was sandwiched between mind numbing entertainment (who expects the general populace to switch on the channel that requires critical thinking), and for that matter, if it was given any attention when it was on.

Maybe you earn the right to vote by accruing a certain amount of hours at community forums where pertinent information is presented by objective sources. And then, how to keep the sources objective?

A worthwhile puzzle, at least. Coming up with some answers in this regard may help us currently, in unanticipated ways.

Just like there is a " War on Terror" and a "War on Illicit Drugs", the Congress and the upcoming Democratic Administration should declare a "War on Major Polluters", using RICO type laws to punish and confiscate assets of willful infracting Corpos and their "cahootin' Politicos".

Sunspot: There are a lot of such issues to be addressed, obviously. It would take a very long exposition to describe the entire system that could be built around the new IT.

We need a publicly owned information setup, maybe derived from such institutions as the Congressional Research Office and/or the Library of Congress, to gather, evaluate, and discuss on the air factual data on the issue at hand. I think this function is much too important to be left to private concerns as is now the case.

Of course private media would still exist under the first amendment, but we would have a more authoritative source of reliable and objective information. I doubt that major media would be willing to donate air time just to spread propaganda, or that sponsors would clamor to pay for it. In any event, viewers would soon see the difference in the quality of information provided.

BTW, this new institution would have power to subpoena witnesses and evidence, and perhaps even to compel testimony. I think it should convene weekly. It could enlist citizens as investigators, rather like a grand jury. (Athens had the ecclesia and dicastery.)

Someone scoffed at the idea, calling it "government by debating society." Right on! At least we would always be given both sides of the question.

Glad to see your comment; at least that signifies some interest.

bush has always been a butt boy for big business. he hasn't done one thing for the average joe in 7 yrs. compassionate conservative for those that have. the rest,... let them eat cake.

ancienprof,

I like. Much more detail is needed, though, in terms of limiting the exposure of those individuals with private $ hoards enough to inundate the public in increasingly clever ways.

Gorsegrower,

That addresses one facet of the problem, but not the fact that those electronically cast votes would still be influenced by corporate sponsered media time.

The useful life of a coal plant is about 60 years. If Southern, or any other utility for that matter, is to shutter a plant before the end of useful life, it needs an incentive. Both carrots and sticks work.

A modest cap and trade system for CO2 would only discourage new coal powered construction. A vigorous carbon tax could encourage technology enhancements or earlier replacement of these plants with less CO2 intensive generation.

My personal preference is a graduated carbon tax to a level of perhaps $50/ton of contained carbon over two decades. (This is a hefty stick.) I would also pay $25/ton or a full rebate of the carbon tax which ever is higher for sequestered carbon. (This is a very juicy carrot.)

Carbon taxation is now under discussion in the Senate but I would not expect meaningful legislation until after the election.

S1492,

"Greg Palast has a story on Clinton's connection to another US power company doing business in Pakistan. (See ZNET today)"

Thanks for the ZNET reminder -- and a reminder of just how much sleaze & backchannel dirty business, apart from Milton Scaife's and Robert Tyrell's delusions, the Clintons have really been involved in.

Sunspot: There is a potential solution, but nobody wants to hear about it, apparently because it seems too radical for our current crop of radicals.

It's direct plebiscitary democracy in which the Congress is replaced by electronic ballots cast from home (via the 'voxbox'). In that situation wealth loses its political clout, since noone can bribe that many voters, and ballots are secret. The rich man gets one vote, just like the poor man.

Voters set policy. The President becomes a true executive, i.e. he is charged with administration only and serves at the pleasure of the people, subject to the vote of confidence.

Parties disappear, since they no longer have a function. Jefferson would approve.

But Americans have no interest in structure; they insist on dealing with personalities. We think our problem is bad men in a good system, when in fact it's just the other way around: We have ordinary people enmeshed in a lousy system that has been outmoded since 1964, when data were first sent by wire.

If you want we can discuss this privately, or you can find a rudimentary beginning of an exposition on the blogsite 'The Gorsepatch.' I haven't worked on that recently, since I cannot detect any interest.

greatbear215---had the exact same thought. There is antother article posted on CD about drought---worldwidse and closer to home---especially the SE and more particularly Atlanta. Woder how far this heavy-hitter (should say emitter) of greenhouse gases is from Atlanta...Just wondering if there could be a connection.

sunspot--I'm with you. Clearly there is no difference between corporations and our govt as things are. We cannot get the perpetrators to pass meanuingful reforms because that would disempower them.

So how to clean house and start again? If the article on deepening drought conditions is any indicator, just such a seachange may be thrust upon us, ready or not.

We are ONE folks. There is no place to run and hide when Gaia has been forced to be ruthless on her own behalf. We humans are expendable, and her powers make the "shadow government", the evil cabals, whatever you wish to call them, seem like minor players. Indeed!!! Indeed!!!

ancienprof---of course that is the only way, and your point is well articulated---the question is how to remove all those hands from the cookie jar? They will have to be dragged kicking and screaming, and unless we the people can find some way to replace them all with true citizen-representatives, not career politicians, I'm not sure how we can realistically expect serious reform.

Nobody is gonna legislate away their goose that lays the golden egg unless they are really really really principled. Good luck with that. We should start taking names and kicking you-know-whats.

To Sunspot: Public financing of campaigns is the only way to "buy" honest elections. We, the People, have to BUY the elections, so that the corporations can't.
Almost nothing bugs me more than people like George Will who defend corporate contributions as a form of Free Speech. We all have freedom of speech, but I have my feeble voice while the corporations have gigawatt amplifiers.

Birds of a feather.

I've got a theory that (some) humans may be one of the only species capable of admiring aesthetic beauty from a distance, like art or music, to enjoy something without eating, possessing or destroying it.

It may well turn out that the greed-mongers are lacking this gene. They are predators only. If it can't be consumed, bought or stolen -- or destroyed for the sheer hell of it -- , it doesn't register in their brains. All of nature works this way for them. Whereas some of us see beauty and wonder in wilderness, in plants, animals, the natural world around us -- they just don't see it that way. Better to have a dollar in your pocket and a poisoned environment. Beauty and clean air are threats in some deep-seated psychological way.

Gee, I think I just figured out why the republican party has always been so resistant to admitting to the reality of Global Warming.

Lets go back to the cave, pull women by their hair, and mate with abandon,,,,oh wait , very little has changed, as Margaret Thatcher said the veneer of civilization is very thin

Ah, the freedom that wealth affords corporate giants! Ah, the freedom that is separated from mutual responsibilty for the commonwealth! Ah, the freedom that allows you to get away with all your nefarious money-grubbing schemes! Ah, the freedom to "elect" the president of these untied States!

What's the best strategy for getting us out of this mess? Is Dennis the new messiah? And how doe we expect that he'll ever be elected president, since he's not beholden to the corporate giants?

This is in the British press about Southern , the dirties power company and how they grease th3 wheels of everybody especially Bush. This will be consudered a shameful embarassment to Bush internationally because everybody is trying to clean up the green house gases and everybody cares about this topic.

I called the White House comment line at 202-456-1111 and told them that I read it here on the internet and that word has gotten out about this scandal so Bush better clean up his act.

The survival of the planet depends on it and the game has changed- it is no longer acceptable to just do things that the electric companies want to do.

We must start solar and wind power NOW. Call Congress.

I'm sorry to say that if ten thousand tons of plastic explosives suddenly disentegrated capital hill while both the house and senate were present, i would breath a huge sigh of relief, and think that a few billion other good people would probably do the same.

The average person on the street is far more decent and honest than those dirty rats. Apparently they have nothing more than lies and contempt for the people.

I've asked in a previous thread, and I'll ask again. Does anyone have ideas on pioneering an election system that is immune to corporate interest?

There will always be at least traces of greed within both the candidates and those trying to influence them, but where are the solutions that we can apply to the next governing body?

We all know this one is toast.

Is anyone educated about attempts in other nations, failed or succeeded? If failed why?

We can make this forum far more impactful than a string of cathartic, witty cynicisms. (As much as I find relief in those!)

PaulBK, I agree, it's time we used the word BRIBE to describe what is going on in our very corrupt political system.

I wonder how big George's slice of the pie is.

Greg Palast has a story on Clinton's connection to another US power company doing business in Pakistan. (See ZNET today) This company isn't involved with global warming. This company is involved in helping to destabilize Pakistan. Just another example of political-corporate profiteering by the United States of Everything.
Hoa binh

How about a statute that guarantees you 20 years in jail for selling the public interest to private lobbyists? We pay these parasites top dollar "in order to attract the best people into public office"?! And look what they turn out to be. If there were a real risk of prosecution, how many current people in Congress would be there? Next to zero....As a parallel example, I know first-hand that MDs in Greece are paid a very good salary by the state, and then, if they are caught taking money from patients/companies etc., they lose their license and do time. Result? Only people who want to be doctors---who want to help human beings in need, rather than get rich---go into the profession. And when injured there I got the best health care of my entire life....I know, Congress would never pass laws enforcing its own ethics---and that's where we are until WE clean house!

Why would anyone think that this power company influences the government with vast sums of money? How stupid do these people think we are? The government is corrupt and has been for ages, as long as elected officials can be bribed, and there is no other word for it, then the people do not stand a chance.

Conflict of interest? Corporations dominate public policy making via lobbying, formal advisory committees, political campaign financing, and a constantly revolving door between business and government.