"An Inconvenient Truth"

Last night we went to see "An Inconvenient Truth." In case it doesn't sound familiar, it is a documentary film about Al Gore and his slide presentation on Global Warming. (Yes, the caps are intentional.)

Although I have been aware of global warming for years, it was still devastating to see the reality of what our modern society is doing to the world around us. To see the dramatically rapid decline of the polar ice caps and glaciers is sobering and moving.

Gore maintains that this is not a political issue, but a moral one. And I agree with him. Raised in a Christian household, attending a church where we sang, among other hymns, "This Is My Father's World," I was raised with a strong sense of responsibility toward the land. I was taught that the world, since Adam and Eve, has been man's to care for and keep safe.

Of course it probably helped that my parents came from families filled with farmers, and a respect for the land was necessary for survival, but I learned the lesson well without living on a farm myself.

We must take action NOW to reverse the effects of global warming. Unfortunately, we have a government to mired in special interest influence that they will never, or, at least, not soon enough, require responsiblity for this crisis. After all, the industries who would be most affected financially by the requirement to change are a big part of those special interests.

Stephen Colbert likes to say, "I don't let the facts get in the way of the truth." And, right now, that seems to be the attitude our government has taken. Unfortunately, reality isn't a comedy show.

What disappoints, and sometimes, angers me, is that this same administration so firmly in the pocket of the industries who oppose changing their ways, ride under the mantle of "Christianity." However, their brand of Christianity is not mine. President Bush, who so vigorously champions any form of human life, refused for a long time to believe global warming existed. He refuses to sign the Kyoto Treaty. He allows rape and pillage of our natural resources and decimation of our land and ecosystem. Obviously he does not see himself as a steward of the earth, but of the material wealth of the wealthy.

As Al Gore points out in his slide show presentation: What good is the wealth if there is no planet?

Watching Discovery Land

Today the Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely at Kennedy Space Center.

What a thrill it was to see the shuttle launched on the 4th of July. But it was more exciting seeing the shuttle land safely today.

After Columbia exploded on her return two years ago, the future of the space program has been in doubt. Not by me, or by the people I know who know that the future is space. But by a lot of people who wonder why we are in space at all.

So, welcome home, Discovery! We are happy to see you here, and eager to see you return soon to space.

Is World War III starting?

North Korea is developing nuclear missiles and refuses to stop. Israel is (seemingly gleefully) attacking Gaza with abandon, and ignoring the United Nations. Iraq is a mess, Iran is a bigger threat, and there doesn't seem to be a world leader who can handle this.

Well, there used to be. Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton; even George Bush Sr., would be able to sit and talk diplomatically. Our president makes friends easily, but he's not a world leader in that sense.

Not that I can blame much of this on Bush, either. While it is possible that he started some of it by invading Iraq, it seems more likely that it's all coincidental.

I hate that my children have to experience this. I hate that I have to experience it. I hate that the "Greatest Generation," just like the generation that fought "The War To End All Wars" has to see another world conflict escalate out of control.

Am I scared? You bet. Do I have an idea of how to solve it? For once, no. I can only hope that the various countries involved will find ways of their own to de-escalate before it becomes a free for all.

And if it does? I shudder to think. Annhialiation? It can't be ruled out.

Being a liberal and a patriot

It seems these days that being a critical of the government means being un-American. It reminds me a lot of the 1960s during the Vietnam War, when opposing the war implied hating the United States.

Why is disliking a war unpatriotic? Since when is the president infallible? Or the Congress? Are we really so weak that our government will collapse under the critical scrutiny of the people?

I consider myself a progressive and a liberal. Although liberal-progressive has taken on the meaning of very left, that's not necessarily the case. Theodore Roosevelt was a progressive and a conservative. Although I suppose nowadays he would be considered a moderate and disliked in his own party for being a progressive. But I have opinions that range on the political spectrum, although they all fall left of the current president's.

But first and foremost, I am a patriot. I cry when I sing or hear patriotic songs, and can proudly sing more than one verse of both "America The Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner." I enthusiastically cheer when the United States wins medals in the Olympics. I put my hand over my heart for the national anthem, and can recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the Gettysburg Address, and the Preamble to the Constitution. I vote in every election. I cry when I hear "I Am An American" recited at Purdue University football games. I even know most of the U.S. Flag Code. I have seen violations of the code by people who would call me anti-American.

To be a patriot means to love and be loyal to one's country. I burn when I am, directly or indirectly, accused of being disloyal. Yes, I am a liberal. And I am a liberal because I love America. I believe that we should take care of our own. We should preserve our land, glorious and beautiful. We should keep the air clear, the water pure, the wildlife safe.

We have a moral and ethical duty to our country and our world to lead the way in preservation of our wonderful freedom and land. And we have the moral and ethical duty to keep a discerning eye focused on the government of the people. Because it is by and for us.

I believe that the original Patriots, who had the courage to found a new nation, had this in mind. God bless the United States, the Glorious Experiment, on its 230th birthday.