On climate change, the US Presidential election/democracy, and the legacy of human rights abuses

Hurricane Helene has led to some reflections on preparations for emergencies in the USA that are worth reading and thinking about. 

That should be done in light of the climate crisis and the decades of warnings we have been ignoring ... 

“It Was Unthinkable. Then It Happened”   https://www.the-sentinel-intelligence.com/p/it-was-unthinkable-then-it-happened   “In the aftermath of an historic hurricane.”      

“Hurricane Helene”   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hurricane_Helene&oldid=1248909535      “...   the significant impacts expected, including very high storm surge along the coast and hurricane-force gusts as far inland as Atlanta. Hurricane warnings also extended further inland due to Helene's fast motion. The storm also caused catastrophic rainfall-triggered flooding, particularly in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, and spawned numerous tornadoes. As of October 1, a total of 162 deaths have been attributed to Helene, making it the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the continental United States in fifty years, after Katrina in 2005.”      

“climate change and the climate crisis”   https://gnwmythrsglossary.blogspot.com/2021/12/climate-change-and-climate-crisis.html     

The climate crisis is an existential risk to the human and many other species. Quibbling over money, preparations/adaptations and reduction of emissions is amathiac, irresponsible, and in effect an act of evil - no matter what personality flaws lead to those acts. 

An article has been published which critiques the policies of the Democratic candidate for the US Presidential election, current Vice President Kamala Harris. Under normal circumstances, this is the sort of article that would be important - especially for a candidate who is the first from a minority group. 

However, these are not normal circumstances.

The USA is battling for its soul and the survival of its democracy, and the rest of the world will either suffer or celebrate the result and its consequences, as the only other candidate with a chance of being elected is a vile, violent and vindictive despot who would - by his own admission - end democracy in the USA, and do far worse for the minority groups discussed in that article than the current imperfect candidate (and the article does not even consider matter which I consider more significant problems). 

This is why hundreds of Republicans who have previously served as officials in Republican governments/presidencies in the USA are actively supporting Kamala Harris. 

The article was ill-judged, ill-timed, and I will not give it the oxygen of further publicity. 

What I will link to, however, is another article by Robert Reich, which addresses the Republican capture of key parts of the union movement in the USA: 

“The single most important thing to listen for in tonight's debate”   https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-teamsters-and-the-split-in-the   “The Roots of Trumpism, Part 11”     

Also from the same author: 

“Donald Trump is gaining on Kamala Harris in the polls. I have some theories why”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/01/trump-gaining-on-harris-polls-theories   “Trump, widely regarded as the sleaziest person to ever run for president, is leading or tied with Harris in crucial swing states”     

And on risks to democracy: 

“The Guardian view on Austria’s election: yet another wake-up call (Editorial)”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/01/the-guardian-view-on-austria-election-yet-another-wake-up-call     

Building on that theme, there is this, from Professor Timothy Snyder: 

“Trump's H_tl_rian Month”   https://snyder.substack.com/p/trumps-hitlerian-month   “A September to Remember”   This has an excellent critique of the problems with those who object to comparisons     

And next, today this was announced: 

“US justice department announces investigation into Tulsa race massacre”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/01/tulsa-race-massacre-doj-investigation   “Review of 1921 massacre comes months after Oklahoma supreme court dismissed lawsuit brought by two survivors”   These terrible events included an aerial bombardment ...     

For background, consider these links: 

• “1921 Tulsa Race Massacre”   https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/tulsa-race-massacre      

• “Remembering Tulsa”   https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tulsa-race-massacre-century-later-180977145/   “Marking the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre”      

• “Tulsa race massacre of 1921”   https://www.britannica.com/event/Tulsa-race-massacre-of-1921      

• “Tulsa race massacre”   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tulsa_race_massacre&oldid=1248852683      

It has taken over a century, but steps towards justice are slowly starting, which brings to mind the following, which was popularised by Dr Martin Luther King, but dates back to Theodore Parker, in the 1850s:

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”

Something all current human rights abusers should be mindful of ... including those organisations (such as governments) which will persist long enough to be held to account ... 

Those who should perhaps also be included in that are: 

“How The British Government Covered Up Evidence Of Atrocities [Long Shorts]”   https://youtu.be/RIMkeRycCNw   Note also   “Operation Legacy”   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Legacy&oldid=1235954639     

Another example of possible accountability is: 

“Rwandan ex-doctor goes on trial in France accused of genocide”   https://www.lemonde.fr/en/police-and-justice/article/2024/10/01/rwandan-ex-doctor-goes-on-trial-in-france-accused-of-genocide_6727863_105.html   “A new trial linked to the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda has opened in France as former doctor Eugene Rwamucyo will have to answer for his actions both during and before the 1994 massacres.”   (once charges have been laid, remember that the “innocent until proven guilty” principle applies)     

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

 

If they are of any use or interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post.  

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Note that, as with my main blog [see here], I am cutting back on aspects of my posts.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/