These 14 American Cities Have A ‘Target’ Of Banning Meat, Dairy, And Private Vehicles By 2030

welshTerrier2 · 2023-08-24T20:02:41+00:00

Of course it is!!

Regardless of labels, though, what should governments do if the science shows that meat and dairy are unsustainble and are major contributors to climate change?

welshTerrier2 · 2023-08-24T19:56:00+00:00

But hey, ya gotta go sometime, amirite?

Well, no, I don't think you are. The planet can support the global population IF we change our diets and live a sustainable lifestyle.

That lifestyle would not include meat and dairy and it would have to address how we currently do transportation. If we bury our heads in the sand and choose to be "free" to live as we please, we will not retain these liberties much longer whether it is imposed by tyranny or by climate change.

A short video on "global depletion": ( https://www.youtube.com/user/ComfortablyUnaware)

A longer version: ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHgbnnzL708&t=236s)

welshTerrier2 · 2023-08-24T19:25:57+00:00

The "standard American diet" (aka SAD) is killing us in many ways. 70% of the US population is either overweight or obese. The consequences to our health care systems, and our lives, are devastating. Heart disease and diabetes are out of control.

Add to this the destruction of soil, water, and air, especially in tropical rain forests, and the environmental impacts are not sustainable.

Add to this the incredible cruelty of slaughtering roughly 80 billion land animals a year and bringing fish stocks to the breaking point just because humans want to consume meat and fish when they aren't necessary for good health.

Something needs to happen to radically alter the status quo. I can already hear the whining of all the libertarians. "How dare those globalists take away my freedom!"

Well, if you want to talk about global corporate dominance and exploitation, how about taking a look at the damage the meat and dairy industries, you know Big Ag, are doing to the public health and to the environment?

I'm not at all familiar with this C40 project. I have no interest in condoning their specific program or their draconian methods. I also have no interest in any position that condones the status quo of today's meat and dairy industry.

Researchers I trust believe we could reduce major diseases (and their associated costs) by roughly 80% or more by switching to a plant-based diet. Long before we need to talk about bans on meat and dairy, we need to take back control of our government to serve the public interest instead of the interests of Big Ag. And once we've done that, perhaps we can start with something much "softer" like a public education campaign.

Protesting the methods of C40 without recognizing that we have a serious problem is, in my view, irresponsible. There's no question the realities of climate devastation are going to lead to government-imposed restrictions. Like them or not, some policies are going to become necessary. Knee-jerk libertarianism doesn't solve the underlying problem. If we're going to debate this, let's start there. What is the problem and how should it be addressed?

welshTerrier2 · 2023-08-20T16:07:18+00:00

We were taught in our earliest years that freedom of speech, a most cherished American value, meant that anyone had the right to stand on their soapbox in the public square and have their say. Most of us accepted that this right was not absolute. The classic limitation stated that you could not yell "fire" in a crowded theater. We also accepted, at least to some extent, that certain speech could be restricted if it was legitimately deemed to be "hate speech" or if it sought to incite violence.

So, fine ... almost all speech was to be tolerated with a narrow set of exclusions.

But then we introduce private ownership and America capitalism to the town square. "Public" forums such as youtube, twitter, instagram, etc permit "public" discourse but still allow private control over free speech. Therein lies the rub!

I would argue that any forum that permits the public to regularly participate is, by definition, a public forum and no private control over the public's speech should be permitted.

Introducing a profit motive should not change anything. Bribing users to self-limit their content is an affront to the spirit of free speech guaranteed by the Constitution. Such bribes should be illegal. "I will give you money" if you relinquish your freedom to speak out is not consistent with a democratic society and should not be tolerated.

Ultimately, it's clear that capitalism, a system that prioritizes private power over public interest, makes any semblance of democracy impossible.

welshTerrier2 · 2023-08-18T23:51:03+00:00

Lynn Miles – I’m Over You

Kim Richey – Those Words We Said

Bob Dylan – Positively Fourth Street

Bob Dylan – Ballad of a Thin Man

Reina del Cid – Don’t Think Twice

Eilen Jewell – Dusty Boxcar Wall

Kayla Luky – You Won't Find Me

Kim Richey – The Way It Never Was

John Prine - Caravan of Fools

These songs are all dedicated to Bobby L. Peters.

welshTerrier2 · 2023-08-12T01:35:15+00:00

Remarkable!!!

welshTerrier2 · 2023-08-11T23:05:59+00:00

Ahhhh ... a nice cheery tune to get the party rolling.

Willie Nelson - Still Not Dead

welshTerrier2 · 2023-08-11T23:00:20+00:00

In Memory of The Band's Robbie Robertson:

The Band - Old Time Religion

The Band - The Weight

The Band - Evangeline

The Band - It Makes No Difference

The Band - The Shape I'm In

welshTerrier2 · 2023-08-11T20:59:53+00:00

This reminded me of a great Barney Miller episode called "The Radical".

Here's a little snip: (https://www.youtube.com/embed/2sFaamWk6j0/?start=652&end=662)

welshTerrier2 · 2023-07-23T02:36:18+00:00

Give this version a listen ...

The Be Good Tanyas - Oh, Susanna

welshTerrier2 · 2023-07-22T01:16:53+00:00

From Woody Allen's "Everyone Says I Love You":

Hooray For Captain Spaulding in French

welshTerrier2 · 2023-07-21T23:08:30+00:00

Steve Goodman and Jethro Burns – Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes

Andrew Byrd – 50 Pieces

Jerry Garcia and David Grisman – There Ain’t No Bugs on Me

Loudon Wainright III – Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road

Monty Python – The Lumberjack Song

Eric Idle – Fuck Christmas

Sally Rogers and Howie Bursen – A Chat with Your Mother

Willie Nelson et al – Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die

Arlo Guthrie – The Motorcycle Song

Kimya Dawson – Five Years

Allan Sherman – Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah

The Chenille Sisters – Namedroppings

Cheryl Wheeler – Potato

John Prine – Dear Abby

Steve Goodman – Lincoln Park Pirates

Steve Goodman – Vegematic

Sluetown Strutters / Yes Ma'am - Squishin' Bees

And for bonus points redeemable at all participating dealers: What famous songwriter was a co-writer on the Cyrkle’s big hit song “Red Rubber Ball”? This was a TIL.

welshTerrier2 · 2023-07-20T18:06:49+00:00

Let me begin by saying that I abhor identity politics. We are in a class war and identity politics are very much a distraction. This is not to say, however, that identity issues that get raised have no merit. That goes way too far.

Here's where I draw the lines around affirmative action.

Take two public schools ... one in Richville and one in Poorville. The Richville school is 99% (or whatever) white; the Poorville school is 99% (or whatever) black. Richville is characterized by $10 million single-family homes; Poorville is characterized by low-quality apartment houses. Richville has millions in taxes to fund their public schools; Poorville does not. What does affirmative action mean in this context?

Does it mean that Poorville students should be guaranteed a certain number of slots in Fancy College even though their grades would not normally qualify for admission ? I say "no". That might sound like a "fair" policy to some but it doesn't address the underlying problem.

Does it mean, if we were trying to create equitable education between the two towns that you would restrict Richville to only holding classes two day per week? Again, no. Holding students, or anyone, back is not the type of affirmative action I would support.

But suppose we had the Feds step in to try to level the playing field? Suppose the Feds heavily subsidized teachers' salaries in Poorville to attract the best teachers? Suppose the Feds paid for major facility upgrades in Poorville? This is the kind of affirmative action I support.

Policies designed to lift people up, as long as they don't disadvantage others, should be the affirmative action model we pursue. You can't create a more equitable society by imposing inequity on anyone.

welshTerrier2 · 2023-07-12T19:45:02+00:00

I'm opposed to deliverism for two key reasons: 1. it's expensive and 2. the food always arrives cold.

But, all seriousness aside, according to a February, 2020 study by Yale University, 68,000 Americans will die each and every year without Medicare for All. That's more than 1/4-million dead Americans in a four-year Biden term. It's unconscionable. Biden doesn't have a clue and, sadly, RFK Jr. doesn't get this right either.

welshTerrier2 · 2023-07-11T23:53:41+00:00

You will not find any small change under the seat cushions; only the illusion of change.

welshTerrier2 · 2023-07-08T00:09:05+00:00

Bob Dylan – It’s All Over Now Baby Blue

Joni Mitchell – Urge for Going

Eilen Jewell – Dusty Boxcar Wall

Kayla Luky – You Won’t Find Me

Kim Richey – Those Words We Said

Arlo Guthrie – Don’t Think Twice

Steve Earle – Goodbye

Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn – There’s a Train Leaves Here This Morning

Ben Harper – Another Lonely Day

George Harrison – Isn’t It a Pity

John Hiatt – Adios to California

David Bromberg – Dark Hollow

Kate Wolf – You’re Not Standing Like You Used To

Kim Richey – The Way It Never Was

Lynn Miles – Over You

Dan Zanes and Nick Cave – Sweet Rosyanne

Chris Isaak – Graduation Day

Carl Perkins and Friends – Gone Gone Gone

Fairport Convention – Farewell Farewell

Groucho Marx – Hello I Must Be Going

Great topic ...

welshTerrier2 · 2023-07-07T17:55:44+00:00

The Lancet isn't the issue here. The Yale study is. The study makes a powerful argument for Medicare-For-All. It's not an argument "Big Pharma" would endorse and yet the study was published nonetheless. How do you explain that?

welshTerrier2 · 2023-07-07T17:16:31+00:00

Source:(https://www.democracynow.org/2020/2/19/lancet_report_medicare_for_all)

"In a new study (February, 2020), Yale scholars have found that **Medicare for All will save Americans more than $450 billion and prevent 68,000 deaths every year. The study in The Lancet — one of the oldest and most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals — found that Medicare for All, supported by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, will save money and is more cost-effective than “Medicare for All Who Want It."

Do the math!! With four years of Biden, that's more than 1/4 MILLION dead Americans (68,000 x 4). It's inhumane. It's unconscionable. It's the fucking Democrats who won't fight for the people.

And I'm pointing a finger (you know which one) at you, RFK Jr. Your Medicare-For-All who want it is bullshit! People are dying Mr. Kennedy. Change your position!

I'm with Cornel.

welshTerrier2 · 2023-06-29T17:43:46+00:00

More wiggle words from "I'm a free-market capitalist" RFK Jr.

I'm with Cornel West.

welshTerrier2 · 2023-06-28T15:54:25+00:00

The great myth is embodied in the term "defense" spending. There is nothing defensive about it. It is offensive in every sense of the word.

Why does the US deploy its military all over the world? Are those soldiers and the death weapons they wield protecting democracy for people all over the world? Hardly. The US and its military have toppled many democratically elected regimes. It has absolutely nothing to do with democracy.

What it does have to do with is resource exploitation whereby American corporations can steal the natural resources of foreign countries for their own greedy gains. If foreign governments don't cooperate, they are overthrown.

So, for starters, even before we examine the devastating impact of empire on resources available to the American people, it's important to fully understand the utter immorality of what the US military is doing overseas.

Domestically, as has happened with every empire going back thousands of years, empire and its perverse military excesses rot out the core of its home country. Everywhere you look, America is in deep decline.

Our roads and bridges and our entire transportation infrastructure is in deep decline. While we are busy stealing from other countries, our industries have all moved overseas because we lack an infrastructure that supports those industries. Corporate shareholders couldn't care less as long as the profits are there. Jobs, though, are gone and with them the once-proud American middle class. American education, once the best in the world, is no longer competitive with more people-oriented countries.

Empire has already destroyed America. It has collapsed but its momentum has thus far kept it from falling down much like a chicken that runs around after its head has been cut off.

These calls to "end the empire" are sweet. They're what needs to happen. But as long as there is corporate gold in them thar hills, the billionaire class will not relinquish its grip on power, the offensive military budget will continue to grow, and the political class that is bought and paid for will serve the empire rather than the people.

welshTerrier2 · 2023-06-24T22:30:12+00:00

Much appreciated, Penelope!!

welshTerrier2 · 2023-06-16T22:57:34+00:00

The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer in the City

Eilen Jewell - Too Hot to Sleep

Salamander Crossing - Desert Wind

welshTerrier2