Letter to the Editor
Hope
Published Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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To the editor:
A couple of weeks ago, I spent a few days in Barrow. I like Barrow. The first thing to greet you is always a crush of smiles, handshakes and hugs in the small Alaska Airlines terminal. The people of Barrow are special.
Flying home though, I was troubled. Something’s wrong in Barrow. An exhausted polar bear was shot on the beach the day I arrived and two more later that week. The ice at the time was a couple of hundred miles offshore and whaling captains were beginning to worry about storms and fall whaling in an iceless sea. Parents were worried about exhausted, desperate polar bears roaming through town looking for food. And there’s no end to these calamities in sight.
Global warming is a real and threatening force in the Alaska Arctic. The people that live there are under stress and under siege. What concerns me most is that no one, outside of the North Slope and a handful of scientists, seems to be concerned. We hear distortions and flippant comments about global warming from our own governor on the national campaign trail, and of course the focus today is on the economy.
I’m worried about the people of the Arctic, I’m worried about all of us, and I find myself simply looking for hope. Yet, in this time of crisis, we are a nation divided. We can’t seem to find the moral strength to form a united front. Sen. Obama, earlier this year, delivered a speech on race that was both insightful and sincere, and if you listen to it carefully, it’s all about hope — hope for humanity. This is why I’m supporting the senator from Illinois, he gives me hope that we can do this, that he can bring us back together, working toward common goals of peace, justice and environmental sanity. If we give him a chance, maybe, just maybe, he can give us reason to hope.
Community Discussion
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And the former community organizer Obama can magically lower the water level in the seas. I cant wait to see that.
Obama used to do dope, now he peddles "hope".
What Obama will give the American People is higher taxes and a poorer standard of living......He talks a great game but he doesn't have the experience or record to lead this country foward.
Chances are very good you are right suomi. But I don't think it's human nature at this stage of the game for no one to do anything.
suomi- (its me? brazilian portuguese?) I agree, there has not been recorded weather patterns long enough to rule out anything. Shifts in magnetic north, balancing of the weather causing new frontiers to cycle, plate tectonics and how they can affect all of the above. Just not enough for worldwide panic due to some changes in remote area's. We have 40 year cycles and hundred year floods; what makes everyone so certain that the earth doesn't experience thousand year or five thousand year ice ages?
"If we give him a chance, maybe, just maybe, he can give us reason to hope."
The same could be said of either cantidate, none the less the hope you speek of is not reason enough to vote for either. If you vote based on hope and not facts and record, good luck to you and good luck to all of us.
I wonder how we caused mars and jupiter's moons to warm up as well. Now they're cooling off again, like we are. Obama's supporters just can't wait to get hired as burkenstock brigades to come and fine you if you exceed your alloted carbon credits or when you exceed the maximum allowed number of children. By the way, Would it surprise you if the oil companies were behind the carbon credit schemes? They can pump less and charge more, claiming it's for the environment. One child and two child limits have been discussed for England and Australia lately.
Anyway, I happen to get all of the MoveOn.org junkmail and they're working hard to get Soros' New World Order Candidate in office. "Change" what the h*ll does that mean? How about an accurate slogan.
Obama: A Fresh Face for Facsism!
Vote Chuck Baldwin or Write in Ron Paul '08
All Obama does is give speaches, but he says nothing. Hope is not a plan. Tell me what action you're going to take, then I might listen. Look at who he associates with now and in the past and really examine his record. Why would America want a democrat as President when congress is controled by democrats and they have done NOTHING, their approval rating is in the teens and, people want one of the worst in the White House. I don't understand the logic or the lack there of.
Obama has a good speech writer, and his VP is NOT hot like our Sara. Bottom line is tell the group you're in front of what they want to hear, and make it sound like something JFK (the last great Dem. president) would have said.
Words are cheap.
Obama is more likely to get the necessary anti-pollution measures and treaties passed than McCain is. Thus global warming will be slowed more under Obama than under McCain.
Though both sides do it Republicans have more of a history of not backing their words up with action.
"And the former community organizer Obama can magically lower the water level in the seas. I cant wait to see that.
Obama used to do dope, now he peddles "hope"."
What does his being a former community organizer have to with the rest of this statement?
Alright, so I'll give Obama credit for being a Community Organizer. It takes a noble person to dedicate such a huge amount of time for the greater good. BUT, can anyone tell me what he accomplished as a community organizer? I'm sure the community he was organizing is still drug flowed, crime riddened, and still as dangers as it was before.
This is a sad letter. To put hope in a politician as the panacea to the world's problems isn't hope, it's insanity. To think that Obama is going to single-handedly save the polar bears is insanity and evidence that one has joined the cult of personality.
Reagan said gov't isn't the solution it is the problem.
JB: "suomi- (its me? brazilian portuguese?)"
Nope, I'm guessing it's Finnish for "Finnish" or "Finland".
According to Archaeologists, the North American Continent was populated by Asians that crossed the Great Land Bridge between what is now Alaska and Siberia. Other scientists explain that this Land Bridge existed because overall lower temperatures on the Earth retained much more of the available Water in the form of Ice in the Polar Caps and Glaciers. The last time this Land Bridge was exposed was roughly 22,000 to 7,000 years ago (it had been exposed several times before that).
Global Temperatures have steadily increased since that time (maybe you have heard of the Ice or Pleistocene Age). It is quite possible that the development of Modern Society by the species Homo Sapiens (Humans) has had an accelerated effect on these Global Temperature trends. However, THIS HAS NEVER BEEN PROVEN TO THE SMALLEST DEGREE!!! It has and continues to be THEORY!
Having said that, what specific things could Sen. (maybe Pres.) Obama do to reduce Global Temperatures by even 1/10 of one Degree Centigrade?
It is sad that the Earth is a changing environment. Change is scary. I don't like it. But, I am not so ARROGANT to believe that there is one thing I can do about it!
Maybe we better focus on the issues that we CAN control, like National Security, Economic Stability, Employment, etc...
I have always believed that Democrats tend to be Idealists. Republicans tend to be Realists. I will vote with the Realists.
BKB
Valkyrie---does it really matter what the two sentences had to do with one another? It was just plain funny!
I too feel that Obama offers the only real chance for change and a new beginning. McCain will only offer the same policies that got us into this mess and cmon now he was around for the last ice age. I think someone once wrote " I love my grandparents dearly, but do I think they should be in charge of this country? The answer is NO " So my vote is for Obama.
What change the the speach giver offer? Higher taxes and more wasteful gov spending? He has an agenda that is not public yet in my opinion. I love my country and my rights that's why Obama shouln't be in charge of it. God help us if he wins.
Ok morons, non-partisan groups have come out again and again and said that Obama will REDUCE taxes on middle America more than McCain will and that most of McCain's tax cuts will benefit the rich. Either you people are rich or you are hopelessly ignorant. Those of us who have children, do want to find hope in the world because we worry about the world we're leaving to our children in terms of a wrecked environment and economy. Yes, we do have to place our hope in the leader of our country. The problem is if stupid 1 (McCain) and stupid 2 (Palin) get elected, there will be no hope for our children or yours. Mr. Bright cares about the people of the arctic and worries about the demise of their lifestyle. You only make yourselves look stupid by criticizing him for his altruistic concern.
akjak,
The only contributor that looks stupid is he who has nothing to contribute other than to denigrate the other posters.
First of all, this Thread was not addressing Tax Cuts. So your reference to Obama's Tax Plan is out of place.
The topic here is the environment. In specific, Global Warming/Climate Change. You have stated that you are concerned about the Environment. Many Republicans are as well.
Am I (and like minded persons) STUPID because we believe in SCIENCE and not EMOTION? Are Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin STUPID because they don't even pretend to have answers to the Climate Change problem?
I asked a simple question earlier. Please provide one single solution that Sen. Obama has proposed that is PROVEN to reduce the average Global Temperature even 1/10th of 1 Degree. You didn't provide a valid response.
Instead, you offered that I must be STUPID for not agreeing with Mr. Bright's idealism.
Come back when you can offer something constructive.
BKB
Obama has written two books, one of them was about what he did as a community organizer (The Audacity of Hope) read it if you want to know what he did. I wonder if there is anything that we can do to help the hungry polar bears....its a little sad:(
Listing the P bears as endangered has the potential to royally screw the people of Barrow. With this listing comes the mandate the some bureaucrat in DC actually do something to help the bears. Fine, you say, good for the bears. I agree, but what can be done? A 100 percent fuel tax or some carbon rationing. Not in this lifetime, so what to do? How about restricting all human activities in the P Bears habitat. Works for me but the fine people of barrow might not agree. You see the bears and the Barrowans share the same habitat.
Beautiful letter. This fellow Alaskan is pointing out reality on the north coast of Alaska in clear and noble terms. You folks have further illustrated the frustration that is described. No one is listening. You don't really care. The environment up there is radically changing. It is happening faster now. When you have been away and then come back it is even more clear. To someone observing listening it is easy to sort out that the Republicans not only don't care they want to deny anything is really going on. It is easy to sort out that the Democrats do care and have some interest. As an Alaskan walking in his shoes would you vote for candidates that want to deny what you can plainly see with your own eyes? Sure there may not be solutions. There are a whole buch of us out here that have respect for seekers of solutions. Problem solving not by force, ignorance, and greed, but by cooperation, wisdom, and information sharing. I have hopes for that myself. Yeah hope. We are realists too. And we know for a fact that there is another way to do things than the garbage that has been going down. Thanks Larry for a great letter to all of us.
Obama is a Constitutional attorney and a Constitutional law professor. He is the most educated candidate in the field of government. It would be incredible refreshing to have someone in the White House who doesn't look at the Constitution as "...just a GD piece of paper!" (Like GW did in '05.) George Bush and his minions have treated the Constitution like it was a piece of toilet paper for the last eight years, so the chance that we may have someone in the office who is actually schooled in Constitutional law, is enough to give me a modicum of hope for America. No, he's not my "savior", and I don't agree with all of his policies, but Obama certainly does have the best resume for the job.
Val---
"Former community organizer" is a self defining characteristic of Obama. I thought that community organizing in Chicago was what prepared Obama for his political career. I got that from listening to the Senator. I used to call him Senator Obama, but when the Democrats and a compliant mainstream press started describing Governor Palin as former small town mayor, governor of a primitive incestuous state, hussy, mother of hussy, primitive Christian, I said to heck with it and that's how I would refer to the former community organizer.
It's not as rude and crude as many have been to Sarah Palin, but then again I'm not a Democrat.
doris---
Would you explain your charges against the President with some real life examples of using the Constitution as "toilet paper". I mean real stuff, not rants. What did Bush do, in your knowledge, that shredded the constitution? (A few sources would be appreciated).
All the stupid Republicans whining that Obama doesn't give any details need to work on their Internet skills. These are really, really easy to find:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
http://www.barackobama.com/tv/
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlue...
Of course, the people clamoring for detail don't actually give a sh*t what Obama's plans are, and they know it. They're diehard, briandead Republicans repeating a line they heard somewhere to insult Obama. They think they sound smart by acting like they want details Obama hasn't provided. Instead, they look like retards who never heard of google.com. They need to pack a sandwich and some apple juice, get back on the short bus, and do a few more years in elementary school.
Any objective, intelligent person who has ACTUALLY looked at the plans from both candidates knows that Obama has offered much MORE detail than John McCain.
Also, Obama's plan will lower your taxes more than McCain's will unless you make over $250,000/year. That's just a fact. The people who dislike Obama don't want lower taxes... they just cling mindlessly to the Republican no matter what and PRETEND that represents lower taxes.
Setec---
Thanks for the kind, and thoughtful words. You are, indeed, a citizen that I would never listen to, what with your insults and one-sided candidate propaganda. I know that this is tough for you to think of, but what if I dont believe what Obama says. He's taken both sides on several issues, including gun control, abortion, the military, and the bailout. Just for instance.
If your intent is to preach to the choir, then you're doing a fine job. Keep up the fine work.
Setec,
Thank you so much for the THREE links to the Barack Obama for President Campaign Web Site. That is a very objective place to look at an unbiased opinion.
How ironic that after you blast us with a statement that claims that all Republicans "look like retards who never heard of google.com", yet you choose to use only the Obama Propaganda to argue your point.
I happened to browse all of the links that you sent to us RETARDS (how politically correct). I did not find one reference to a solution that would reduce melting of the Polar Ice Cap or of helping the poor Polar Bears.
I care very much for the environment. In fact, I am willing to bet that I belong to more organizations, done more hands on grassroots work and spent more time enjoying the environment we live in than 75% of the con