Just when you thought George Bush couldn’t possibly isolate himself any more on global warming, he goes and hosts an embarrassing charade of a climate conference, bringing together 17 leading emitters in order to preach the virtues of voluntary actions. It was a shameless ploy, as even the mainstream media were quick to point out.
Thankfully, hundreds of protestors were on hand to call him out.
Folks from all over the DC region came together outside the State Department last Friday to remind Bush of the reality he so recklessly chooses to ignore; and I don’t just mean the reality of melting ice caps and threatened species, I also mean the reality that he’s out of touch with the American public. He doesn’t speak for us, pure and simple.
It was a great rally. There were speeches from local climate and social justice leaders such as Van Jones, Ted Glick, Jamie Henn and Mike Tidwell. Live music was provided by Luci Murphy. The media were there in force. A polar bear even showed up. Together, we sent Bush a strong message: that his criminal negligence on climate change is no longer acceptable.
Instead of useless voluntary measures, we were there to demand an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We were there to demand a new direction. Most of all, we came out to represent all citizens who know that nothing short of mandatory reductions is good enough.
