President's not that into you? | Weekly Top Ten

Week ending Friday April 15, 2011           Weekly Highlight: What if Your President's Just Not That Into You? by Bill McKibben [Today] in Washington, at the sprawling and wonderful Power Shift, a few of us are on a panel titled "What If Your President's Just Not That Into You?" Funny title, serious question. The first thing: those of us in the environmental movement aren't high school sophomores feeling jilted by their first crush. Most of us liked Obama a lot: I was among the first green leaders to join upon 'Environmentalists for Obama,' back when he seemed a longshot. It wasn't because I thought he would solve every problem; it's because I thought he'd make climate change one of the top two priorities of his presidency. And he thought so too: on the day in June of 2008 when he finally clinched the nomination he said that people would someday look back and say "this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." And it's not that we don't appreciate what he has done. He's been far better than George Bush (even if that is a little like saying 'I drink more beer than my ten-year-old niece.") We have higher gas mileage standards; the stimulus package funded plenty of green projects; at least some of the most egregious mountaintop removal mining practices are being regulated. All good. But when the political going got a little tough, Obama didn't. See the rest of the article here Spring Campaign Update: This from a reader recently, "Thank you for that tiny ember of sanity that we blow on so hopefully, and although I would be a lot happier if I just buried my head in the  sand...thanks for not letting me." Help us keep blowing on that ember of sanity, that glimmer of hope. It would be so much easier to bury our heads in the sand. Easier to go about our daily business of sleeping, eating, making a buck somehow, and watching mindless cable. But we are here to bring you the news the corporate media won't cover, and not only the honest analysis of what is happening, BUT to remind you that there are things we can do about it. We still need about $20,000 to meet our Spring Campaign budget and keep doing our work. Can you help us get there? Please contribute today. Every small donation takes us a step closer to the goal! Thank you to all who have already given. Our Weekly Most Read Views... Betsy Hartmann:Why Anti-Nuclear Belongs in All of Our Movements David Michael Green:And Now, for the Kill Glenn Greenwald: Obama's "Bad Negotiating" is Actually Shrewd Negotiating Robert Reich: Mr. President: Why Medicare Isn’t the Problem, It’s the Solution Michael T. Klare: The Planet Strikes Back Phil Rockstroh: Hiding From Shame, Addicted to Optimism: The Tyranny of Our Collective Comfort Zones Robert Reich:Why the Right-Wing Bullies Will Hold The Nation Hostage Again and Again Helen Caldicott: How Nuclear Apologists Mislead the World Over Radiation Michael Moore: This Tax Day, Make THEM Pay Bob Franken: Thrill is Gone; So is the Alternative Our Weekly Most Read Headlines... Rep. Cummings, Vermont Governor Shumlin Rip Into Scott Walker At Hearing Protesters Target BP Annual Meeting Tax Me, I'm Rich, Says Deep-Pocketed Group Radiation Detected In Drinking Water In 13 More US Cities, Cesium-137 In Vermont Milk American High-Tech Weapons Fail to Prevent Tragedy Mr. Serious: The Ryan Budget Plan and the Beltway Media House Progressives: End The Wars, Save The Economy Bradley Manning: Top US legal Scholars Voice Outrage at 'Torture' Budget Deal Leaves Liberals Disheartened Your Number is Up: Species Doomed by Mathematics Home About Us Donate Sign Up Archives Video Highlights... Democracy Now! Today's Live Stream Kucinich: Obama Admin Transferring Wealth to the Few Normon Solomon: "You Can't Really Trust the Media" US: Corporation vs People Ryan's Private Savings - Path to Prosperity er... Death Trap How Much Did YOU Pay for War This Year? Dean Baker: Budget Debate Dangerous Distraction from Job Creation Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. Our Mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 1997-2011 You are subscribed to Common Dreams as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to unsubscribe