Comments jhenn has made

  • I think there's little disagreement that the block to progress is in Congress, so let's get into that question that Dave poses of what's the best way to push them. The point that Bill and many others are making (see Greenpeace's banner hang on Mt. Rushmore for example) is that Obama needs to step up is public campaigning for a strong clean energy and climate bill. I agree that he's doing some work behind the scenes, but without the President's vocal leadership there is no way we'll get a climate bill that's anywhere close to what science says is necessary. Let's not forget what we're talking about here: a complete rewiring of the US economy that puts our country on a war time footing to simultaneously take on poverty and pollution. That's not something that Congress is capable of legislating. That kind of action takes leadership along with laws. And that's where Obama isn't doing his part. Contrast these two scenes. Scene one, Obama making a major speech on the levees of New Orleans to announce a new Clean Energy Jobs Corps designed to get America off fossil fuels and stop the climate crisis. Scene two, Obama sitting at a palace in Singapore guarded by barbed wire and issuing statements designed to undercut progress on an international climate treaty. That second scene happened on Monday, when Obama did more to deflate hopes for action at Copenhagen then any nay-saying Congressman could ever accomplished. But that first scene is what we desperately need. Obama's greatest moments have come when he's been put on the ropes (think Rev. Wright and the race speech in Philadelphia). It's not easy taking on someone we worked so hard for -- I also went door to door for Obama in New Hampshire, South Carolina, New Mexico, and Nevada -- but sometimes it's necessary. Here's one more vote for tough love.On Is Bill McKibben right to be angry with Obama? posted 1 week, 6 days ago 37 Responses

  • From Detroit to Oakland

    Excellent piece. Interesting to remember that King and his peers weren't the only part of the Civil Rights movement talking about gardens; the Black Panthers were (and still are) leading advocates for using food as a tool for community empowerment:

    http://www.salon.com/mwt/food/eat_drink/2007/08/01/black_ ...

    And while Tom focuses on the rural south, African-American communities in the urban north are also at the leading front of food justice. Whether in Detroit, where a friend said to me, "We're much more interested our city's ability to grow food than make cars," or in Oakland where People's Grocery is a continuous inspiration:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN2laxseU8EOn Reflections on community gardens and the legacy of MLK posted 10 months, 1 week ago 1 Response

  • From Detroit to Oakland

    Excellent piece. Interesting to remember that King and his peers weren't the only part of the Civil Rights movement talking about gardens; the Black Panthers were (and still are) leading advocates for using food as a tool for community empowerment:

    http://www.salon.com/mwt/food/eat_drink/2007/08/01/black_ ...

    And while Tom focuses on the rural south, African-American communities in the urban north are also at the leading front of food justice. Whether in Detroit, where a friend said to me, "We're much more interested our city's ability to grow food than make cars," or in Oakland where People's Grocery is a continuous inspiration:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN2laxseU8EOn Reflections on community gardens and the legacy of MLK posted 10 months, 1 week ago 3 Responses

  • Connecting Movements

    Just had a great meeting here in San Francisco with a new friend, Gordon, a force behind the youth efforts at Slow Food USA, who's setting up plans for a national day of "eat-ins" across the country.

    Jon and I from 350.org were sharing ideas from our time organizing Step It Up, strategies, and brainstorming how we can get the food movement and the climate movement (sisters in so many ways) more connected.

    Thanks for this great post which provides a lot of food for thought. Here's to strengthening connections over the months to come!

    From Kilimanjaro to the Great Barrier Reef - join 350.org's international day of action.

    On Coming together to work toward a sustainable food and farm future posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago 4 Responses

  • Just a distraction?

    The bigger the bureaucracy, the less that's done? It's useful to look at RGGI (the regional greenhouse gas initiative) that was put in place in the North East. While as a political move, RGGI was groundbreaking, moving the discussion about a federal cap and trade system forward, it has not worked as effectively as hoped.

    The Western states are already accomplishing a great deal individually. Would it be better for them to focus on efforts in their states - demonstrating, for example, the viability of a green jobs corps in California - and wait for a federal regulatory system? Or is this the right move?

    Either way, the new pact will only be a success if it doesn't distract from the real work that is being done on the ground.On Midwestern governors sign greenhouse-gas reduction pact posted 2 years ago 6 Responses

  • Are Regional Pacts a Distraction?

    The bigger the bureaucracy, the less that's done? It's useful to look at RGGI (the regional greenhouse gas initiative) that was put in place in the North East. While as a political move, RGGI was groundbreaking, moving the discussion about a federal cap and trade system forward, it has not worked as effectively as hoped.

    The Western states are already accomplishing a great deal individually. Would it be better for them to focus on efforts in their states - demonstrating, for example, the viability of a green jobs corps in California - and wait for a federal regulatory system? Or is this the right move?

    Either way, the new pact will only be a success if it doesn't distract from the real work that is being done on the ground.On Midwestern governors sign greenhouse-gas reduction pact posted 2 years ago 6 Responses

  • We've got your back, Bernie

    Sure, we'll never have the money the oil and gas lobby does in Washington - but we've got them beat in every state in America, and we're only growing.

    Take a look:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIpDwMusgGEOn The Lieberman-Warner bill is not strong enough to do the job posted 2 years ago 16 Responses