There is a mistaken belief, going back to the 60s and 70s, that us human beings can destroy the planet on which we live. Back then we thought it would be nuclear war. These days we think it will be global warming.
This is pure vanity, of course - not to say, hubris - to imagine we are powerful enough to destroy life on this planet. We are nothing more than ants crawling on its surface. We cannot destroy the planet, or the stupendous, rich, complex sources of life it sustains: what we can do is make it uninhabitable for us human beings.
I’ve heard that scorpions and cockroaches can survive a nuclear attack. I suspect they would like the conditions created by global warming too. So maybe that’s the question: it’s not whether the earth will survive, it’s whether we want a world full of scorpions and cockroaches, or one fit for humans to live in.
According to some estimates, at the current rate of species depreciation, the earth will reach tipping point by 2012. That is, unless we change our ways drastically within the next FIVE years the earth with begin to become unsustainable for human life. That doesn’t mean human life will end, just that we will have gone passed the point of no return, in which life can only get progressively worse.
Other estimates are less pessimistic: they allow us till 2050 to get our act together.
Either way, within the lifetimes of our children, we have some very profound choices to make.
Meanwhile we are still destroying habitat, razing down the rain forests to make way for cash-crops, and continuing to pollute the planet at an unsustainable rate.
In other news: in 2006 Tony Blair stated that immigrants to this country should learn our values or stay away.
This is another one of Tony Blair’s rib-tickling jokes, of course.
So what values, Mr Blair, should immigrants have to learn in order to be allowed entry into this country?
Obviously the values of invading a poor, defenceless, third-world nation in order to steal its oil, of lying in order to provide a pretext, and then, when that fails, of making some pretence about bringing democracy and getting rid of dictators while, at the same time, covering up one’s own responsibility for keeping that dictator in power.
Saddam was tried and executed in 2006, but his accomplices in the White House got away with it.
Meanwhile we are still keeping dictators in power.
One of the most ludicrous things last year was when Tony Blair described President Musharraf of Pakistan as a “moderate”.
Musharraf: a dictator who overthrew a democratically elected government in a military coup, who routinely uses torture and “disappearances” and who supported the Taliban through all of their worst atrocities.
These days we have to support dictators who support terrorism in order to maintain democracy and defeat terrorism, it seems.
This is obviously another one of Tony Blair’s hilarious jokes.
Boom boom! He’s so funny.
A happy New Year to you all!
2 comments:
Yes, Tony Blair must be the most hilarious person on the planet right now, along with his mentor and intellectual superior, George W Bush.
The problem is that neither of them has that much longer left in office, but all those who hate them (ie everyone) will breathe a sigh of relief when they are gone and assume things will get better.
They won't. Every bad law and nasty, restrictive piece of legislation will remain in place and the world will continue to become more and more cowed and subdued by politicians and their henchmen.
If the world really is getting to the point of no return environmentally, you can be sure that what we have to look forward to will be a global police state.
Happy New Year!
I think my comment got lost in hyperspace. Let's try again.
"Meanwhile we are still keeping dictators in power."
Exactly! We miss that one a lot of the time. I'm ready to stop.
Want to get together for a beer some time in July? I'll let you know when my plane ticket si booked!
Happy New Year Chris!
love
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