(I am writing this in response to the article being written about over in the Open Threads. It concerns an article in the AUSTRALIAN, 1/31, titled TSUNAMI U.S. FAULT. I wish I was not so computer illiterate that I can not just link you. Sorry.)
We probably cannot blame this tsunami on the Bush Administration, but it is obvious that there are some out there who believe they can. As an Anthropologist, perhaps I can explain this.
In the World's mind, our President has created the following paradigm:
The Earth's resources are being consumed faster than the Earth can recycle or replenish them. America is a pig, overusing our share, and every chance our President gets, he says, "F*k you, we are not changing!" Which makes the best solution, logically, for everyone on this planet, other than us, to destroy us!
Which makes it imperative that the Democratic Party try to save America from its own arrogance. REPUGS WILL HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE TEENYTREES HAVE PUT US ALL IN THE CROSSHAIRS. Bad for Americans. Bad for American business. But, from every other corner of this globe, it would seem to be GOOD RIDDANCE.
I have posted these numbers several times before but, they have not seemed to draw much comment. Let me try explaining them. After all, this ain't Math class.
1. The carrying capacity of humans on Earth is 9 billion.
2 The carrying capacity of humans on Earth, consuming energy like the avg. American is 2.1 billion.
3. The pop. of Earth today is more than 6.1 billion.
This means that the "Anerican Dream" absolutely cannot be exported to the world. There are already 4 billion residents on this planet that would have to die tomorrow before we could even think of bringing the surviving remnant up to American standards! Simply stated, it is thermodynamically impossible.
The rest of the world believes we are ripping them off We are selfish...and our election was like flipping them the bird.
One more number: We are using renewable resources at a rate 20% greater than they are being renewed. In other words: THERE IS NOT A LOT OF TIME TO SIT AND THINK ABOUT THIS WITHOUT ACTING.
This is a significant political issue. Though we might not be able to blame Bush for this tsunami, we can be relentless in pointing out that this administration's policies (trashing Kyoto, et al) promote the circumstances that will increase incidents of mass death instead of trying to ameliorate the potential for such tragedies. We can blame Bush for his insouciant (yeah, let's blame 'em for being too French!) air about the ecological disrepair of human habitats and their role in causing future tsunamis and other seismic events. (When the Greenland glacier melts, watch out!
I am in the middle of preparing one of my ARTpieces on this. They take longer to write but I hope to post it soon. This was going to be an up,date on that post, but instead, I am posting it as a prologue. The longer ARTpiece #5, tentatively titled, PLANET 101, the Bush Tsunami, will be coming soon. Look for it on a web diary coming to your neighborhood soon.