Here it is...

Can we move on now, please?

What Oil Spil...?

It was only a matter of time before the swarming, buzzing frenzy about the oil spill would slow, sputter out, and become only a faint murmur and a memory of what was once the most catastrophic corporate accident in our nations history. After weeks of basking in the spotlight of front-page articles, daily briefings, and consultations with Hollywood figures, alas... BP's oil spill has lost it's 15 minutes of fame. Sure, there are still scattered articles pertaining to the aftermath, but overall the media ship has sailed over the Deepwater Horizon. While BP's executives are likely wiping the sweat from their brow, thankful for the cooling of their fannies, the gulf coast's proverbial world remains upside-down, and unfortunately relief is a long ways away.

There are still massive amounts of non-degrading oil stewing in the gulf waters. According to researchers at the University of Georgia, 79% of the oil released by the massive spill has yet to be recovered, all of which poses a dire threat to local ecosystems, fishing industries, beaches, livelihoods, public health, etc... you name the aspect of peaceful living in the gulf, and more than likely the oil has disrupted it. And for an area of the country which seems to fall repeatedly on bad times, the impact could be devastating.

Many individuals living in the gulf are in need of assistance, from financial reimbursement for the loss of business, to emotional and social support for the damage to their homes and lifelines. In terms of mental health issues, BP has preemptively compensated gulf residents by providing $58 million to help treat those affected by the spill for stress, anxiety, and depression. However, the fund that BP set up as a voluntary trust for its oil spill victims was created with the clause that monies for the trust would be directly linked to BP's successful drilling endeavors in the gulf. Therefore, fickle BP would not be required to pay out a dime if the funds from gulf oil extraction were to somehow disappear- a fact that some awaiting payout might not be aware of.

Just because the oil spill situation is no longer a top news story in our mainstream media does not mean that this problem is going to go away any time soon. Even our president has warned us that the consequences of the spill are wide-reaching, and that the worst is far from over. But if you think that this disaster has taught our government a lesson about the dangers of desperate energy extraction, think again... after almost immediately overturning a moratorium on offshore drilling, the government is now considering lifting the moratorium on deep-water drilling imposed immediately after the spill as well. And if you think that BP would be more cautious in its endeavors to extract oil from the bottom of the ocean... wrong again! The company is now planning to commence deep-water oil drilling in Libya, a country with a limited action plan in the case of an offshore spill.

If the case of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill in Alaska 21 years ago has anything to teach us, its that the problems caused by massive oil spills are serious, and do not dissipate quickly. Residents living along the Prince William Sound are still experiencing environmental and social consequences of that terrible spill to this day, as gulf coast residents likely will experience decades from now, long after the noise around the event has quieted to a whisper.

Just in Time for World AIDS Day

Just in time for world AIDS day, a global day of action aimed at increasing awareness around the critical disease that continues to claim millions of lives each year, several advocacy organizations have issued Barack Obama a report card on his commitment to battling HIV transmissions and bolstering AIDS programs around the world. The U.S. president has earned a grade of a D+, hardly passing in his promises to combat the pervasive disease that affects so many people around the world, and making small strides in a positive direction. The grade was issued by the Global Access Project, Africa Action, the Treatment Action Group, and Global AIDS Alliance, and is based on the campaign promises that Obama had made prior to coming into office, taking into account all of the efforts he has put henceforth: the good, the bad, and the lackadaisical.

The main points of focus for Obama's performance assessment were global AIDS funding levels, scale-up of treatment, prevention efforts, and the expansion of global health efforts. Hopes had been built high prior to his presidency with a promise to double funding for AIDS programs around the world and to do the same for the number of HIV positive individuals receiving treatment, yet these goals have fallen to the wayside and his commitment to public health has wavered. And while there are some points of redemption in Obama's AIDS policy, particularly in his focus on prevention efforts and reproductive health, advocates around the world are questioning whether Obama may live up to earning his potential high marks.

In the face of rising treatment costs around the world, our president has chosen to flat-line spending on AIDS programming and research throughout the world, keeping the global funding levels set at what his predecessor had established. And although funds are being supplied for prevention efforts and care, critical treatment such as TB testing for all HIV positive individuals was not included. And because of a lack of proper funding, basic healthcare efforts such as doctors visits and medications for HIV are being stifled. By increasing access to antiretroviral medications so as to decrease individual infectiousness, and by facilitating access to healthcare clinics providing HIV-specific treatment and counseling, the Obama administration would have a significant impact not only on the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS around the world, but on the number of new transmissions each year. But according to his judges, Obama's lack of funding for these programs has "undermined his commitment to fund the U.S. fair share of the AIDS treatment burdern."

But our president's marks do improve in the realm of HIV prevention efforts, specifically as they are related to reproductive health and to substance use. In a monumental move, President Obama rescinded the ludicrous Bush-era Gag Rule within his first month in office. The Gag Rule was a global AIDS funding policy set up by the Bush Administration to prohibit the U.S. dollars from being used to bolster any reproductive health research or clinic that did not promote an abstinence-first paradigm. Obama should be congratulated for removing this measure which was completely out of touch with the real issues at hand, and his efforts to incorporate realistic reproductive health considerations into tackling HIV transmission reflect a highly refreshing perspective; especially in light of the World Health Organization's assertion this week that HIV is the #1 killer of women of reproductive age around the world.

And Obama is making large strides in the field of substance use as a primary contributor to HIV transmission, as well, having vowed to retract the federal measures which prohibited funding for needle-exchange programs. This matter hits close to home for Obama, as Washington, D.C. is one of the cities which has suffered most under this ban on funding programs which, in other cities like New York, have saved countless lives. D.C. is also one of the cities with the highest rates of HIV, with a staggering 3 to 5% of the population being identified as HIV positive. These issues are right at Barack Obama's backdoor, and his attention to them is critical.

But despite these various steps toward progress, President Obama has not yet fully fulfilled the U.S. pledge to expand its global health investments, contrary to the "Global Health Initiative" that was launched earlier this year in the White House. And while he had talked extensively about doubling the fiscal budget for AIDS-related spending, the levels of the Obama Administration remain constant with those of the Bush Administration, which essentially cripples the fight against global AIDS. And as Barack Obama had campaigned about setting the budget for AIDS research and prevention efforts, so far he has not. With hundreds of billions being spent on banks and on war, the proposed expanded budget for HIV would be just a tiny drop in the mighty American bucket. And with millions of people dying each year of this devastating disease, there simply is just no excuse for ignoring it.

Newsworthy

What was that about a $680 billion war bill and unlawful civilian deaths in Pakistan? Hmm, not too sure about those... but I do know that President Obama certainly played up to his heroic role as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient today by lifting a travel ban imposed on people living with HIV. It's about time we stopped treating sick people like criminals!

Good News..?

At first it would seem like a hoax: an exorbitant movement of great symbolic power that swells with a righteous sense of justice in the name of the people. Then it is deemed as sinister: yet another intrusion on the part of the government into matters that are technically considered private. Either way, it sparks controversy and debate, and a slight feeling of discomfort that leaves the mind to wonder what has really happened after all.

It was an assertion today made by the Obama administration that will call for pay cuts from 25 of the top-earning employees of recently bailed-out industries. These 25 individuals have been singled out for their paychecks, and for the extravagance that they have gained through the exploitation of loan borrowers, home owners, and other Americans just trying to get by.

The financial institutions have been making record profits, and posting record salaries and bonuses less than a year after our tax dollars bailed them out for the economy's sake. But putting billions into a localized, private pocket did not benefit us all, no matter how they might have tried to convince us that the trickle would fall.

And though a few tiffs have been launched about the government over-stepping its role in cutting executive pay, this is not an issue of technicality. It goes beyond large scale theorems of laissez-faire liberties and big government intrusions, to progress to a paradigm that is concerned with moral responsibility, social justice, and retribution for those whose wounds have not yet healed from predatory loans and mortgages, rising credit card rates, and continued obligatory debt.

There is an intuitive issue of fairness here. These executives whose pay is being cut have earned far more than they've needed to earn, and they have done it in part by breaking the backs of the working classes. There is such a thing as too much wealth, and these bullies have it. Perhaps it's about time that big brother steps in and defends his battered brothers and sisters. And although the move is largely allegorical and hardly resolves any of our immediate plights, it is something which resembles a victory of principle, and for that I'm glad.

Let him be.

Kevin Jennings is the newly appointed Assistant Deputy Secretary at the Department of Education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. He is also a teacher, an author, a human rights activist, and an openly gay man. He spent his formative years growing up in the strictly religious Baptist South, where he endured an adolescence of taunting, prejudice, and harassment because of who he was, and because people simply didn't understand. Although he is still somewhat bitter from his experiences (who wouldn't be?); Jennings rose above his negative past to become the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, an organization which preaches acceptance and understanding, as well as equal rights for all students. GLSEN has been making a difference in the lives of young people through grassroots outreach campaigns, research, and positive change in educational communities since the early 1990s. Because of his commitment to fairness and safety in schools, Jennings was appointed by President Barack Obama to his current position as "Safe Schools Czar" within the Education Department.

But the harassment has not stopped. Like environmental visionary Van Jones before him, Jennings is the newest target for right wing religious extremists and their slew of media henchmen. He has been labeled a "radical homosexual activist," and every word and action over the past 20 years of his career has come under severe scrutiny. On the conservative Christian website, humanevents.com, situated between a donation link for Sarah Palin's PAC (::shudder::) and a promotion of Newt Gingrich's weekly newsletter (it's free!), is an article titled "Kevin Jennings- Unsafe for America's Schools."

Their homophobic paranoia precedes them in this case, as they have diligently worked to convince themselves that Jennings is unsafe for our nations children. The Family Research council, who were at the forefront of Van Jone's smear campaign, have made the claim on their website that Jennings intends to make schools "safe for sexual predators," while the geniuses at human events are certain that Jennings wants to capture every sexually confused child and lock them away to a lifetime of gayhood.

Give me a break. This absurdity would be laughable if it weren't so disturbingly reminiscent of our general inability to see past the end of our own social noses. Jennings has stated nothing about his intent to make schools "gayer." He has simply pledged to reduce bullying caused by close-minded misunderstandings, and to promote education on Gay, Lesbian, and Straight identities so that our children don't live to become grown-up bullies like those at the FRC.

I beg the FRC, Rush Limbaugh, FoxNews, Human Events, all of these promoters of fear and mistrust... let the man be! Let's give him a chance to prove his worth as an effective protector of our children before we condemn him for his personal life.

And honestly, is it actually detrimental to teach our children about tolerance? Or would it lead to a more peaceful educational environment? Would an increased exposure to a controversial issue harm their delicate minds, or open their hearts to the reality of our beautifully diverse world?

A Message from Van Jones

Van Jones sent the following message out to friends and supporters on Tuesday, Sept 15:

Dear Friends:

My family and I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support that we have received over the past week or so. I resigned from the White House on Sept. 6, and I have remained silent since then- in keeping with my promise not to be a distraction during a key moment in the Obama Presidency.

Over the past few days, however, many people have been asking how they can help and what they can do.

The main thing is: please do everything you can to support President Obama and the green jobs movement. Winning real change is ultimately the best response to these kinds of smear campaigns.

I ask everyone to:

1. Support President Obama's efforts to fix our nation's health care, energy and education systems. His victory last fall did not represent the "finish line" in the fight to renew America; his election was just the "starting line." This autumn, it is time to make history again- with victories on health care and clean energy.

2. Sign up to support groups that are working for green jobs. As others seek to vilify or marginalize the movement for a clean energy economy, the leading groups deserve increased support. This is the year to ensure that the clean energy transformation creates jobs opportunities for everyone in America.

3. Spread the green jobs gospel. The ideas of the green jobs movement are grounded in fundamental American values- innovation, entrepreneurship, and equal opportunity. My true thoughts can be found in my book: The Green Collar Economy. Check it out from the library- or order a copy and share it with a friend. See for yourself why clean energy and green jobs are good for our country.

4. Stay connected and speak up for me via your favorite blogs (e.g. Huffington Post, Grist, Jack & Jill, etc.), on message boards and all of your favorite social networking platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Supporters have set up a couple of them, to help you stay engaged, including I Stand With Van Jones and I Love Van Jones.

In due course, I will be offering my perspective on what has happened- including correcting the record about false charges. In the meantime, I must get my family affairs in order and sort through numerous offers and options.

I want to be clear that I have nothing but love and admiration for President Obama and the entire administration. White House staffers are there to serve and support the President, not the other way around. At this critical moment in history, I could not in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. The White House needs all its hands on deck, fighting for the future. Of course, some supporters actually think I will be more effective on the "outside." Maybe so. But those ideas always remind me of that old canard about Winston Churchill. After he lost a hard-fought election, a friend told him: "Winston, this really is just a blessing in disguise." Churchill quipped: "Damned good disguise." I can certainly relate to that sentiment right now. :)

Nonetheless, we must keep moving forward. Let's continue our work to make an America as good as its promise. These are historic times. And we have a lot more history to make.

Sincerely,

Van Jones

...What About the Green Jobs?

This past weekend, human rights activist and environmental visionary Van Jones resigned from his post as President Obama's advisor on Green Jobs. This action came amidst controversy, after a campaign of slanderous smears and allegations against him by several right-wing "news" pundits. Unfortunately, some of Mr. Jones' progressive beliefs fell inexcusably outside of the norm for mainstream politics, and were therefore besieged by the rabid pundits of conservative media, who painted him as a villain while ensuring the end of his career as a white house advisor.

But this man is far from villainous. Before joining the Obama office in his unprecedented role, Mr. Jones was an active, inspirational voice and an environmental leader for many. He is the author of the bestselling book The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. It is a coherent breakdown of the complexities of our socio-economic system, as well as those involving our environmental effects and consequent policy. It addresses what Jones refers to as the "Green New Deal," an environmental program whose model is similar to that of FDR's post-depression restructuring, and places the government on the same page as the people, working sensibly to create reliable economies and stable jobs through the demand for all things "green." Besides founding and advocating for several human rights organizations, Van Jones was also listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people for 2009.


There is no doubt that Mr. Jones is a sound, forward-minded thinker who appreciates the demands as well as the barriers of our times, and understands the dynamics of action in the face of a looming ecological crisis. Yet the effect that his experience and knowledge would have had on Obama's handling of two of our nation's greatest threats will never be known, since past statements that he had made in an unofficial manner were so scrutinized and condemned by those of the right-wing punditry. They claimed that his views, which included a criticism of the Republican party and a call for truth about the attacks of September 11th, were proof that he was too partisan to be effective in the White House. As if no one in Washington has ever held a personal opinion, or sought out truth in the face of endless lies. They accused him unfairly in such a radically exaggerated measure that what followed was a resignation, not a resolution.


It is probably not surprising that the punditry took such vicious actions against Jones, considering that he is the founder of the organization Color of Change, which petitioned to have advertisers boycott Glenn Beck's Fox News show after Mr. Beck made appalling comments about president Obama being a racist. There was very personal fire taking place in this situation, and unfortunately the environmental policy of our country is being compromised in its name.


Our nation will continue to move forward, however, despite the ridiculous manic punditry frantically assailing us with negative falsities. Perhaps Mr. Jones no longer holds an official post, but as Ariana Huffington noted in her piece, Thank You, Glenn Beck!, he will continue to educate, inspire, and lead Americans as we search for new alternatives to the ecological crisis we find ourselves in. And a green collar economy still has every chance of being realized, along with the millions of jobs it will create for our struggling workforce, which is in desperate need of real change. It is absolutely in the interest of the American people, and is undeniably something that has gathered enormous attention in our popular culture. So the resignation of a potentially effective leader in the White House is meaningless, as the ideals and actions that he represents are still very prominent on the minds of the people in power ...us.

This is Great.

Say what you will about Greenpeace, but these guys know how to get a message across. A group of activists associated with the organization scaled Mount Rushmore yesterday in response to the messy failures that have been prevalent during G8 talks in Italy this week. They hung a banner next to the chiseled faced of Abraham Lincoln which read "America Honors Leaders, Not Politicians. Stop Global Warming."

They are not alone in reproaching the goings-on of the G8 conference, as leaders and environmental activists around the world have been extremely vocal in calling on the group to seriously address climate change by providing real tactics and incentives, instead of simply setting figures. They are also not the first to acknowledge our own president's apparent hesitance in tackling this most important global issue. Although president Obama has made some small strides towards achieving certain clean energy goals, like improving automobile mileage standards, there are still a few among us who remain skeptical. Many have criticized the newly passed clean energy legislation, the Waxman-Markey bill, as being loophole-ridden and too politically influenced, have questioned the president's integrity when it comes to integral issues such as mountaintop removal, and are becoming increasingly disillusioned overall with the messages of hope associated with climate change.

So, this statement by Greenpeace is spot-on for those of us who wish to encourage our president to remember his role in history. As my good friend Amy has pointed out, this first step is a milestone in American environmental policy, and if so much could change within only a few months of a new administration, imagine what could be done in four years. President Obama has an opportunity to be a great leader and facilitator of change, and it is important to hold him accountable to his campaign promises. I want to congratulate these twelve individuals, who were arrested immediately after their action on Mount Rushmore, for the simplistic message that makes so much sense.

If you want to read the activists' blog and find out more about greenpeace, click here.

What's so bad about Cuba?

So, Cuba is a country that is rich with a vivacious cultural tradition, a progressive social system, highly developed political theory and practice, hearty food, beautiful landscapes, and a very high-profile history. It's a place that lures students of a multitude of disciplines, boasts beaches that sparkle on famous Caribbean waters, and has some of the best damn cigars in the world. But we can't go there. Why not, you ask? Well, our constitutional rights as U.S. citizens have been compromised because of an exaggerated embargo policy that frankly has caused more ill for all American people than it has benefitted anyone. In the past 40 years we have seen the struggle of the Cuban people under harsh sanctions imposed by the U.S., ideological divides that have often resulted in conflict, and even the redefinition of what a family member is, as according to George Bush.

Now it seems like the tides are turning, ever so slowly, but in a new direction. The new U.S. administration is opening up restrictions that were previously placed on family travel to Cuba, and the OAS has recently admitted Cuba into the organization. Politicians are realizing now what one group has been saying for 40 years.

The Venceremos Brigade is a group of socially conscious individuals who have made it a point to defy the outrageous U.S. policy year after year by traveling to Cuba and engaging in community development endeavors and political activities with people there. They are making big moves this year, leaving on July 19th to mark their 40th anniversary of carrying out meaningful political and social activism. My good friend Diego Iniguez-Lopez has made the trip several times, and has been featured on New York One news program, as well as in a local news story which talks more in depth about the Brigade and all of the amazing work that they do year after year to bring a change to the world. Check out this great article and find out more here.

Keep fighting the good fight, guys :-)

Oh, and by the way... in terms of my last post, We could learn a thing or two from Cuba. check it out!

peace.