Chomsky: The Dimming Prospects for Human Survival

[GliderGuider]

The Dimming Prospects for Human Survival

The government's regular, easy acceptance of threats to survival is almost too extraordinary to capture in words.

In the case of nuclear weapons, at least we know in principle how to overcome the threat of apocalypse: Eliminate them.

But another dire peril casts its shadow over any contemplation of the future - environmental disaster. It's not clear that there even is an escape, though the longer we delay, the more severe the threat becomes - and not in the distant future. The commitment of governments to the security of their populations is therefore clearly exhibited by how they address this issue.

One might even take a speech of President Obama's two years ago in the oil town of Cushing, Okla., to be an eloquent death-knell for the species.

He proclaimed with pride, to ample applause, that "Now, under my administration, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years. That's important to know. Over the last three years, I've directed my administration to open up millions of acres for gas and oil exploration across 23 different states. We're opening up more than 75 percent of our potential oil resources offshore. We've quadrupled the number of operating rigs to a record high. We've added enough new oil and gas pipeline to encircle the Earth and then some."

The corporate sector is carrying out major propaganda campaigns to convince the public that climate change, if happening at all, does not result from human activity. These efforts are aimed at overcoming the excessive rationality of the public, which continues to be concerned about the threats that scientists overwhelmingly regard as near-certain and ominous.

To put it bluntly, in the moral calculus of today's capitalism, a bigger bonus tomorrow outweighs the fate of one's grandchildren.

Chomsky continues to be contrarily correct.

[Nihil]

1. But, but, but ... I've been assured (stridently) that he is an environmentalist ...

> One might even take a speech of President Obama's two years ago in the oil town
> of Cushing, Okla., to be an eloquent death-knell for the species.
> He proclaimed with pride, to ample applause, that "Now, under my administration,
> America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years.
> That's important to know.
> Over the last three years, I've directed my administration to open up millions of acres
> for gas and oil exploration across 23 different states.
> We're opening up more than 75 percent of our potential oil resources offshore.
> We've quadrupled the number of operating rigs to a record high.
> We've added enough new oil and gas pipeline to encircle the Earth and then some."

"Hope & Change"?

For all that the cheerleaders claim, there really isn't a shit of difference when you strip off the
paint job is there?

[GliderGuider]

2. Not so's you'd notice...

But then the job of cheerleaders is to keep you from noticing how badly the home team is doing. Whether the cheerleading is for politics, nuclear power, renewable energy or BAU in general - it's the same sad story.

"Barack Obama he's our man! If he can't do it no one can!"