Fuel for thought!

Every time, I hear the argument for bio-diesel, it makes me cringe. It makes me wonder from where this idea is springing forth. Is it an outcome of affluence, lacking a moral ethical conscience or does it spring forth from ignorance that does not recognize the disparities that much of our world is evincing today.

Let us consider some of the existent situations in the world today and decide for our selves whether it is right to burn food for fuel. There are three broad scenarios that are very evident today that does not justify the burning of food for fuel. They are people's extravagant lifestyles, the environment and global poverty.

By saying extravagant lifestyles, I am just not just meaning the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but the way over and above means of subsistence living that many all across the world indulge in. From vast impersonal cookie cutter single family fortresses,to mind numbing, soul sucking stores that have clear views of a vast and expansive parking lot. There is no point to this mindless sprawl, this cold obscene suburbia where personal contact is a rarity. Why burn food for fuel to support this cheap characterless life style. These secluded eerie neighborhoods which have so sidewalks, no crosswalks, no mass transit do not deserve more assistance to grow and prosper and spread isolation. It is wasteful and environmentally devastating. So many nice hillsides, pastures and sea shores have been cruelly devastated by mindless sprawl. Not a good excuse for burning food right?

Global poverty, no one can deny this vicious cycle that engulfs not only the so called Third world and Fourth world nations but continues to brew in countries deemed affluent like the United States, Great Britain and other super power nations. Consider regions in rural Applachia, reservations in Arizona, the deep inner cities from New York to LA. Poverty, yes in the land of oppulence. How can anyone justify burning food just to drive your car? ?Unimaginable but true that countries like India where stark poverty is evident though often dismissed for ideals like 'India Shining' can even consider bio- fuel when there are so many more critical problems at hand.

Where will these crops for fuel be grown? Will huge primeval forests that have witnessed aeon's gone by, be cut down from their majestic heights? Will the forest give way fields of corn. Where will the world's battles be fought? In the Amazon Basin or Borneo? Death, carnage of so many species of animals, birds, trees just so that humans can continue on with selfish individualistic greed. All earth reduced to a wasteland, no more singing bird, no more swaying tree just a long concrete highway- to the middle of nowhere.....

One world..one dream disappearing

Today, I feel compelled by feelings of moral outrage and a deep sense of panic to write out aloud about the atrocities endured by those who are treated mercilessly by China's iron hand. Consider this: 400,000 dead in Darfur, Sudan- killed, raped, murdered and tortured by a murky force that hangs in the background strangling poor people in the middle of the night, thrown out on the street, left to die in despair just so that profits can go up. Another Fact: Imagine being imprisoned for sending an email, Shi Tao ( a poet and a journalist) denied his freedom of expression. Can a state own your thoughts? your beliefs ? In China it seems that they can! What can be worse than being poor and downtrodden- well you can be displaced thrown out of home, your residence, your refuge and left fend for your self with no aid, no help and definitely no voice. The dream of this family is indeed being shattered- should the small children leave their schools and work in some industry that fashion's China's economic progress. Isn't the dream disappearing? Need more - what about the notion of innocent until proven guilty, never heard of by officials in China. With numerous cases of mysterious hangings, torture, pathetic prison conditions and something called 're-education through labor'( administrative detentions for minor infringements) all that one can hope for is to never disagree with the Chinese government. One cannot list China's human rights violations without mentioning the years of mistreatment and cruelty endured by the Tibetans and the the suppression of their religion and culture. But, how is this possible- as citizens of the world aren't average Chinese Joe's and Jane's supposed to have a moral conscience, a voice to speak out against injustice, a heart beat that lives for truth, justice and knowledge of all that is right and good. Average citizens are doing the unthinkable standing up for the truth and they are paying the price- now it our turn the rest of the world to stand up and be agents of positive change. We can do so- we can call on corporates, governments, important world citizens to boycott the "Genocide Olympic Games" - it would be the best form of non-violent Resistance. This could be the 'slap in the face' that China deserves- did they not promise the Olympic committee, that they would clean up their human rights act. Well, there is enough proof that they haven't and the rest of the world should not accept these lies lying down. The promise that must be made is that the world will unite as one world and stand up for the one dream where people are treated with dignity, where justice for all is equal and life is worth living well.