It was 84 degrees near the Arctic Ocean this weekend as carbon dioxide hit its highest level in human history
From the June 2019 Harper's Index -
Percentage decline in climate-change coverage from 2017 to 2018 on U.S. broadcast television news : 45
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From the October 3, 2018 Alabama Political Reporter -
More children live in poverty in Alabama in 2018 than in 2000. About 30% of children under the age of five live in poverty in Alabama. Even as the total number of births has fallen and the number of teen births has dropped, the state continues to be plagued by high infant mortality rates — the highest in the nation. The rate is at 9.1 per 1,000 live births, compared to the national rate of 5.6 per 1,000 live births.
From the May 14, 2019 Washington Post Article - Alabama Senate Passes Nations Most Restrictive Abortion Ban -
“This bill is about challenging Roe v. Wade and protecting the lives of the unborn because an unborn baby is a person who deserves love and protection,” Alabama state Rep. Terri Collins (R), the sponsor of the bill, said after the vote Tuesday night. “I have prayed my way through this bill. This is the way we get where we want to get eventually.”
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From Wikipedia - Mission Accomplished Speech given by George W. Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003
Although Bush stated at the time "Our mission continues" and "We have difficult work to do in Iraq," he also stated that it was the end to major combat operations in Iraq. Bush never uttered the phrase "Mission Accomplished"; a banner stating "Mission Accomplished" was used as a backdrop to the speech. Bush's assertion—and the sign itself—became controversial after guerrilla warfare in Iraq increased during the Iraqi insurgency. The vast majority of casualties, both military and civilian, occurred after the speech.
From the May 14, 2019 Arkansas Times Article - Tough talking Tom Cotton
Senator Tom Cotton tells Firing Line if it comes to war with Iran, he is confident the United States would win, and would win swiftly. “Two strikes, the first strike and the last strike,” says the Senator.
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That's enough to make anyone's head hurt. On a brighter note I've been digging Wendall Barry's thinking lately. There's a good interview with him in Orion magazine titled Caretaking about local economies, local communities and local food. It's a potential future that seems quite promising for future generations who may decide that a liveable world is more valuable than cheap fast food, a gas guzzling car and a McMansion filled with plastic people and plastic things. Sorry for the snark...it really does sound potentially quite beautiful - not easy but satisfying in ways that modern society cannot provide.
Did you know that one of the earliest pre-communist groups referred to as "a community of goods" are the Hutterites? There were estimated to be about 40,000 Hutterites in Germany in the 1500's. Communism has been an abject failure when it's been enacted by the state but when it's been undertaken by communities of faith it has proven to allow some of the few enduring successful utopian societies.
Just something to think about - horses are cool man. A community based on exchange of products you helped create would be soul satisfying. You'd need other people, unlike our current society where you earn money so you can pay other people to do things. In our capitalist system you don't need anyone and they don't need you - you just need money. How much more meaningless could life be?
