Enforced political INaction?

[BaerbelW]

Hi Folks,

I already saw this mentioned in the NYT but the article wasn't available online without registration, so I held off - figuring that Joe Romm would soon be blogging about it. He does today:

"The Cafe we could have had"

Can the White House be sued for deliberate negligence for behavior such as this?

I'm still shaking my head....

Cheers
Baerbel

[BaerbelW]

And another "interesting" post from Joe Romm about the EPA not acting on Emissions this year

It's really unbelievable how much time is being lost

Baerbel

[776281]

http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_meslin...to_apathy.html

Well worth a watch. Does it give anyone any ideas?

[gazelle]

Originally Posted by 776281

Well worth a watch. Does it give anyone any ideas?

Wow. Yes indeed. I'll forward that link to the local council. After all, I am one of their "advisors" (although so far they've done their own thing regardless!). I'll forward it on to some grassroots groups too, that are trying to build some momentum within the community (Transition Towns stuff).

[wibble]

Originally Posted by 776281

http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_meslin...to_apathy.html

Well worth a watch. Does it give anyone any ideas?

Damn, I wish I could buy positivity pills like this guy uses.

Ideas? Yes, good ones, such as:

• intentional exclusion is rife
• politics is not a spectator sport
• the enforced silence of the charities
• our culture leads us to believe that leaders are heroes, but fails to make it clear that the 'hero of a thousand faces' is pure fiction

But:

having just recently myself been part of an attempt here in the UK to implement one change Mr Meslin is talking about (electoral reform: we had a once in a lifetime chance to improve our voting system) and having resoundingly lost that fight to the status quo, I'm unconvinced that the kinds of changes he's advocating are as feasible as (I do believe) they should be.

For instance, getting 'City Hall' to change the way it presents construction development announcements - absolutely brilliant idea. Chance of success: snowball in hell, I'd say.

[wibble]

Originally Posted by BaerbelW

"The Cafe we could have had"

"Political parties do function as mediating institutions, only not for voters."

No sh*t.

As for the idea of suing a government for negligence, I think the phrase is (all too sadly) 'good luck with that'.

[776281]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYIC0eZYEtI
More George Carlin
Comedy?
"they do not want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking"