Durban
From the NY Times
When Todd Stern the US Delegate to the Durban conference was denying the obvious
He firmly denied that the United States was dragging its feet and, somewhat ambiguously, endorsed a proposal from the European Union to quickly start negotiating a new international climate change treaty.A young bunny spoke up
Give that girl a carrot.Mr. Stern’s statement to delegates from more than 190 nations at the annual climate conference was disrupted by a 21-year-old Middlebury College junior, Abigail Borah, who told the assembly that she would speak for the United States because Mr. Stern had forfeited the right to do so.
“I am speaking on behalf of the United States of America because my negotiators cannot,” said Ms. Borah, who is attending the conference as a representative of the International Youth Climate Movement. “The obstructionist Congress has shackled justice and delayed ambition for far too long. I am scared for my future. 2020 is too late to wait. We need an urgent path to a fair, ambitious and legally binding treaty.”
Ms. Borah, who is from Princeton, N.J., added: “We need leaders who will commit to real change, not empty rhetoric. Keep your promises. Keep our hope alive.”
Scores of delegates and observers gave her a sustained ovation. Then the South African authorities threw her out of the conference. “That’s O.K.,” she said later by telephone. “I think I got my point across.”
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31 comments:
What is she talking about? Everything I read in the deniersphere makes it clear that OBAMA is spending TRILLIONS of (our tax) dollars to destroy our economy forcing us to switch to totally unfeasible and economically destructive renewable energy. If the administration was being obstructionist the republicans would be trumpeting Obama's policies.
Where DO these college students get their information from these days.
Abigail Borah is the voice of conscience. Hats off to her!
Meanwhile, Jon Huntsman, the sole Republican Presidential candidate who faced up to the reality of anthropogenic global warming, has changed his mind.
Yes, the political system really IS that dysfunctional.
trillions? Huh? clearly not connected to the real world. Some proof to such a staggering piece of misinformation would let us know what you are talking about, but please go waste somebody else's time, say Anthony Watts or Rush Limbaugh.
Would it were true that a trillion were committed to getting us off poisoning our future.
I sure do hope Abigail Borah goes viral. That is the future 99.9% speaking, not the shills of those wishing to return to the 1800s. There are some other interesting links once you've watched the 20 seconds or so.
Susan:
"trillions? Huh? clearly not connected to the real world."
Or has an other-worldly sense of sarcasm ...
John: Meanwhile, Jon Huntsman, the sole Republican Presidential candidate who faced up to the reality of anthropogenic global warming, has changed his mind.
Now we can call him crazy. Just like the rest of them.
Cheer the path to dictatorships. Quite a point you make Eli.
Celery Eater
OK, link to the full video, with intro by Amy Goodman, starting at minute 28 (seems to be set up to do this):
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/12/8/im_scared_for_my_future_student
Just to be fair, I think Jon Huntsman was catering to his audience at the Heritage Foundation by claiming more work is needed. Not a complete cave, just the usual disgusting hedging.
Dhogaza:
Oops, you're right, I missed the irony. Bad susan. Thanks. Time to desist.
Dr. Jay Cadbury, phd.
@Eli
Oh c'mon how could you delete that post?
@Susan
you don't have a right to burden your fellow citizens. You do have the right to go on the internet and complain about pretend problems you've made up in your head. Can't you people just make the changes you want everyone else to make yourselves and be content? I think everyone should pay lower taxes Susan, but guess what? I can't force the government to do that, so I deal with it. Do I wish the cement mixers that drive by my work didn't dump smelly water by my car? Yep, but I can't do anything about it so I deal with it.
So a 21yo college student stands up and says what almost everyone else in the conference is thinking but is too spineless to say, and this is cheering on a dictatorship?
Lay off the celery son, it's giving you hallucinations.
The AnonyBilby
We are watching the next greatest generation take hold. They have a lot to work for, their future and their children's future.
The AnonyBilby,
"The obstructionist Congress has shackled justice and delayed ambition for far too long. I am scared for my future. 2020 is too late to wait. We need an urgent path to a fair, ambitious and legally binding treaty.”
The last part is going to be difficult to do with the current "obstructionist" Congress. What was she thinking then? She has quite the arrogance to speak for the United States I looked but could not find her empowerment to do this. So she determined she had to do it and in her mind, the ends justify the means.
Not so crazy now is it. I see the natural progression of "the cause", hate and dismiss your "opponents", plead "the cause" is bigger than a government, and then eventually end up at implementing what "the cause" thinks is the right policy on moral grounds by bypassing existing governments.
If you (and her) believe we need new members of Congress, great! Every two years the ENTIRE House of Representatives and 1/3 of the Senate is up for election. You can peacably assemble and voice your opinion on who, from your district & state should occupy a 2 or 6 year term.
If this is not sufficient for you, then please read the US Constitution where it cleary details how the Constitution may be ammended.
You need to brush up on life and clues, you have one without the other and it is very telling.
Celery Eater
For the record, if another 21 year old college studnet stood up and made a similar "speech" denouncing the need for any treaties on Global Climate Change, I would have the same response, would you?
Celery Eater
Celery is nutritionally void and is mainly a workout for the jaw.
Sounds about right.
Want to make a change? Contact your local elected lobbyist.
Dr Jay? Re. this business of 'burdening' citizens-- I assume that includes burdening them with the subsidies, overt and covert, to coal, oil and gas companies, and especially the cost of pollution, including the increasingly obvious costs of CO2 emissions. Global warming (and sea acidification and other effects of our emissions)constitute a massive market failure, no different from the externalities of other forms of pollution except for its (massive) size and its temporal shift of the burden from present to future occupants of our planet. If you want to impose that risk on your children and theirs, you're a fool, and worse.
Bryson Brown
That girl, speaking out of turn in Durban, offered what is probably the last word we will be hearing about CO2 and climate change for awhile. Yawn ... (burp) Until the next cool junket.
Hardy Cross
For all of 2009, the Democrats had complete control of Congress. They had 60 votes in the Senate so cloture could be invoked on any Republican filibuster, and a large majority in the House. Where was climate change on the Democratic priority list? Not very high, apparently. You can't blame US inaction solely on the Republican party. Or to put it another way, in the extremely unlikely event that the Democrats pull off a Trifecta by regaining control of the House, increasing their majority in the Senate while re-electing Obama in 2012, don't expect that the Congress will be any less obstructive than it is now.
"I would have the same response, would you?"
Yes, I would wonder** why you imagine what such a person said was cheering on a dictatorship.
"She has quite the arrogance to speak for the United States"
Any citizen of a reasonably tolerant nation has the right to do speak on its behalf. Even you (much to the dismay of many others).
** for a vanishingly short time - I've got better things to do than wonder what you're hallucinating about today.
The AnonyBilby
DeWitt - given your trifecta, Congress would be much less obstructive than currently. Lots of small-bore efforts would pass. Whether we'd get capntrade is unclear, although I wouldn't rule it out after EPA gets rolling on the Clean Air Act much further than it has to date (possibly after getting sued by enviros).
Occupy is standing in solidarity with African delegates in the halls of the building.
http://www.350.org/en/about/blogs/breaking-hundreds-protest-inside-un-climate-talks-solidarity-africa-and-small-islands
Support your local moral outrage...
AnonyBilby,
Please try to accurately represent what I said. I said Eli was cheering on a PATH to dictatorships.
Oh so at any conference, meeting, say the UN, halls of Congress any citizen can stand up and make a speech?
My bad you are cheering on a path to anarchy, not dictatorship. My most humble apologies.
Celery Eater
1) Dem's didn't have 60 votes until Franken was sworn in on July 7, 2009. Ted Kennedy was dead a month later.
2) Dem's aren't clones. Barely attaining the required number doesn't mean they actually have 60 votes on any issue.
3) The House did actually pass a cap and trade bill....
blueshift
oh sigh. I am seeing more and more clever irony, and given the way this discussion went rapidly downhill with the peanut gallery of support for sadly dangerous policies (enabling more short-term perks for the 0.1% who don't even need it), I can see it's a good coping response. The attack machine is getting more and prolific as it is fed by the theft of the commons. Seems it's easier to destroy than to build.
"Dem's aren't clones"
Except when you want to say it is all the Republicans fault than you are certain to imply the Democrats are a block.
Susan,
Go add up the income of the .1%, apply i to the annual Federal Budget Deficit and let me know if it balances (it won't). Your ignorance is only exceeded by your shallowness and guilt.
Celery Eater
Cel, let us try the 1% shall we, and a US tax increase on the top tenth would not be a bad thing either. Given rates that prevailed in the 1990s that would bring the deficit into balance PDQ, who is also a Bach. OTOH the bitterness increase is not a good thing for your mental health, does wonders for our amusement tho
BTW PATH is a train to Jersey.
Susan,
I am CB (Cadbury's Bulldog -DOCTOR Cadbury to you), boldly taking his arguments to their logical conclusions for those without the academic credentials to clearly grasp his points. I myself dropped out of four prestigious schools, so I consider myself well qualified for this position.
and to clarify the good DOCTORS last post. There should be a VOLUNTARY tax. Rich liberals like Gates and Soros can pay the taxes for the Koch brothers if they are so upset about pollution. Why should rich polluters pay if they don't want to? If there are negative consequences to Global Warming, then the people who are going to suffer should just get rich first and then they can buy their way out of any problem.
But the liberals don't want THAT to happen. They want everyone EXCEPT the 1% to be poor, so that they can keep protesting against them.
CB
No free riders. No voluntary tax
Eli,
I posted a detailed response to you that posted for a few hours and now it is gone, where did it go?
Celery Eater
Basically what Eli deleted and did not want you all to see is in ordwer to balnce the federal budget through individual taxes you would have to raise the effective rate to over 90% for the top 3% of earners.
Don't believe me (I know you won't you are too tribal) go look it up with the 2009 IRS tax tables.
Eli begins the downward spiral of deleting comments that provide facts and figures that counter his "beliefs".
Lame Eli, very Lame.
I dare any of you to ask Eli if he deleted my comment. You won't you are too tribal.
Celery Eater
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