We Are the Leaders We Have Been Waiting For

I recently saw Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Chris Hedges speak for a third time here in Portland. There are those rare investigative journalists in America who go far beneath the surface of things to expose hard, hard realities which take a great deal of courage to look at. Among those is the truth of how similar the political parties in America are. Yes, there are some differences. And it is also true that these differences do not impact the larger picture with desperately needed positive change. While Romney is so plastic and so dangerous, Obama is, in Chris' words, mediocre. And I will add also dangerous. Obama passed more legislation curtailing decent and whistleblowers than any president. He has stood against critically needed changes addressing climate change. And much more. Obama is aligned with Big Money, which has taken over our democracy. While there do exist some differences, neither party's leadership is working to address the changes needed to save us all. And as Chris Hedges and Bill McKibben and others speak of, if global warming is not addressed Now, it is game over. In Chris' latest book, "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt", he writes, "Currently greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are at 390 parts per million and climbing, with most climate scientists warning that the level must remain below 350 ppm to sustain life as we know it. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that the measurement could reach 541 to 970 ppm by 2100. At that point, huge parts of the planet, beset with overpopulation, droughts, soil erosion, freak storms, massive crop failures, and rising sea levels, will be unfit for human existence. And yet we retreat into fantasy. The US Senate, in the summer of 2010, refused to take a vote on a watered-down and largely ineffectual climate bill. The House, in April 2011, voted 184 to 240 against legislation asserting that global warming was real." While we know that Romney is not going to save us, neither is Obama. We are the leaders we have been waiting for. Recently Chris Hedges joined Rev. Daniel Berrigan, age 92, and others in being arrested for acts of civil disobedience. They know that we are the leaders we have been waiting for. May more and more of us be inspired by their courage and deep, deep caring for us all.