Amerindia US Blog

US farmers fighting back against giant agrabusiness and animal factories – and winning.

How to move from a lost environment to a renewed environment, climate, and society. Save 20″ to see this worth every second video.
Willie Smits restores a rainforest

We have to seriously reduce, marginalize, eliminate the need for plastics, much of it packaging, and much else that is just junk or could be made of something else. Plastic can be recycled into some useful products, however, recycling in general just uses up more energy, and then we’re making more plastic and the cycle goes on. Until more and more of it shows up in our environment, as giant globs of plastic forming in our oceans and polluting our shores indicates.
Once the word was “Plastics!” (made famous by “The Graduate”). Now it should be “Plastics – Not!”
Plastics in our oceans and on our beaches

Regarding our comments on leadership in our last post: a Pew Poll shows that US citizen’s trust in their leadership in government and institutions “has plummeted to a near-historic low.” We do know that there are bright spots and good leaders, but unfortunately they are too few, and in a democracy, it is critical to have a full quorum of good leaders. We need leaders who see themselves as responsible to the people who elect them, and those who are immune to selling their votes behind closed doors.

We think our comments on lack of good leadership was timely, and is supported by this poll.
Pew Poll: Trust in Government His Near-Historic Low

The Queen of Amerindia

We have commented on many issues as US administrations have come and gone, and as the world of nations elbow their way into, or fall away from, the progress of nations into the contemporary world. But our comments quickly become dated, so we leave specifics and details for another time. Our comment for today is that we need, everywhere, more responsible, grown up leaders. We need leaders who see beyond their own gain, and instead work for a Sustainable Good that they can leave behind. We need this from all the princes, presidents, CEOs, and other leaders of our time.

We wonder why the promises of a healthy, civilized society do not materialize as promised. More is not better, false science betrays, cures can become an ill begotten cause, choice becomes confusion, complexity obscures, and money purchases opinion, understanding, and leadership. As the world seems to shrink, we struggle with world problems that continue to be bigger than we are. Economy, politics, agriculture, environment, water – on a world scale much is not well. Hunger, poverty, disease, human rights, war, inequality – band aid solutions, token attempts, and even some very good and well intentioned ideas too, are not enough to stem the march into problems we can identify. And there is an angst that we no longer have another place, another neighborhood, another country – another earth, that we can escape to.

We see a fundamental issue that many leaders are as a child, or adolescent. First a child feels only for himself, then hopefully grows to understand the rights, feelings, and needs of others. Then comes adolescence, full of energy and drive, but still full of self. And adolescence is known for taking risks, a sense of invulnerability, and often not making the connection with future consequences.

But we hear “How could I have known?”, “I must have been wrong [ for 30 years]“, “there were no such memos – we had no idea”, “I don’t remember”, “we actually didn’t understand what derivatives were”, “I don’t know where the money went”, “the research proved it was safe”, “the data was flawed”, “unsubstantiated fears”, “it’s safe for humans”, “it was pilot error”, “we have no idea where the contamination came from”, “it’s the fault of the media for making it public”, “it’s technically legal”, and on and on. This sounds like the infamous “the dog ate my homework.” In other words, I’m not responsible for what happened, even though I’m in charge, and I don’t expect there to be consequences. Adolescent thinking.

This is true now with unimaginable Greed. The thought that one can take any amount, endlessly, regardless of the methods, that no one will catch on, I can bully my way out if they do, that I can buy the important things, it will make me all powerful and popular [forever], and there will be no consequence I can’t get out of. Adolescent.

It would seem to us that much of our problems are created by those who have not achieved full maturity.

Companies and kings, leaders of all kinds, many cannot think what their actions will get them in the long term. They do not see that power and wealth, no matter what you think it gets you now, you will not have it always. It will not buy you trust and true friends; it may get you compliance but with fear, not respect; true loyalty is not for sale . You will get sick, you will get old. Whatever you took from this world, no thing will leave it with you.

We need leaders who can live not at the expense of others, who are not afraid of transparency, who are ready to be accountable, and understand that our value is a measure of what we give, not what we have taken. We need the people to be fully informed of the whole truth, and to be strong and wise enough to demand the rightful behavior of leaders who guide our life on this planet, and life for the next generation.

The Queen of Amerindia

The good news is that there is suddenly a plethora of green/diversity/world peace/social consciousness/health etc. groups out there, and they are able to connect through social networking. While we will have to wait for governments to catch up, social networking is becoming a way for those who are working for a better world to come together, to inform, and to influence.

Blogging was a good start, but it’s not the connection that is going on with Twitter, FaceBook, and other technical social connections. That’s why we’ve been doing a little less here, and have been working diligently on the social networking sites. See us on Twitter as AmerindiaUS, and see what we have as lists: http://twitter.com/AmerindiaUS/lists

The Queen of Amerindia

Kenyans attempted to keep out Monsanto genetically modified corn arriving from South Africa. Monsanto and all its Roundup genetically modified seed should be kept out of all Africa. This is not a food solution – it’s another situation of Monsanto taking over the food market and the chemicals that feed it (and feed it to people). These are bad crops that are more likely to fail and add to the hunger problem.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8609316.stm

The run for the US presidency is always on. We would guess it is on most potential candidate’s minds by the time he/she is in high school. For US presidential elections one must start with (1) looks (2) the right spouse to fit the job (3) a photogenic family (4) a huge cash box (5) connections.
The rest is all about creating the right image. Now that things are heating up after all the focus on the new Health Bill, eyes turn toward potential candidates for the ‘12 race facing Obama.

We are amused by Romney. He’s in the run, and we expect a lot from his hairdresser and whoever picks out his sweaters. But we hadn’t heard the one about his dog strapped to the roof of his car while going on vacation. It will be hard undoing the bad press on that one.
Potential Republican Contenders against Obama in ‘12

The Queen of Amerindia