On October 16 1998, a magistrate signed a warrant for the arrest of Senator Augusto Pinochet and changed the course of history. The former Chilean head of state was arrested a few hours later, at the request of a Spanish prosecutor who charged him with a raft of international crimes, some dating back to the early 1970s. Philippe Sands, Guardian/UK, 10-16-08
By all accounts, the steady growth in the world economy - much of it driven by phenomenal economic expansion in China, India, and other nations - was producing a corresponding increase in demand for energy of all forms, especially greenhouse-gas emitting fossil fuels. ... The good news is that economic hard times will cause people to drive less, fly less, and otherwise consume less energy, thus lowering expectations for greenhouse-gas emissions. ... But there is a downside to all this as well. Most serious is the risk that venture capitalists will refrain from pouring big bucks into innovative energy projects. ... Governments could also have a hard time coming up with the funds to finance alternative energy projects. ... Michael Klare, Foreign Policy in Focus, 10-17-08
If We Fail to Establish Accountability & Sustainability, the Future is Grim not just Economically & Environmentally, But Spiritually & Psychologically
By Richard Power
One of the life or death deadlines is drawing near.
This is a time of great danger and great promise.
A crowd of 100,000 showed up at the Archway in St Louis, on the banks of the Mississippi, for Obama. (Click here to view some incredible photos.) Later, the same day a crowd of 75,000 showed up for him in Kansas City.
Will the USA choose reason or madness?
And if it chooses reason will it allow its choice to be stolen away as it was in 2000 and 2004?
And if it does not allow its choice to be stolen from it again, will we survive the reich-wing blowback that they are stirring up on the stump?
Meanwhile, whatever happens, there are more life or death deadlines just past this one.
For example, the planet as a whole must act -- significantly, unequivocally -- on the climate crisis in 2009.
The realistic odds of that are slim to none, and yet, there is no alternative.
And then there is another deadline, a spiritual test for the people of the USA, will we allow those who started a war on false pretenses and perpetrated torture in our name simply walk away and live out there lives without accountability in courts of law?
Politics is politics.
Even if Obama-Biden is sworn in, it is only collective that will force accountability for those who have so wronged the US Constitution, dishonored the US military and committed war crimes in our name.
Even if Obama-Biden is sworn on, it is only collective that will force a national drive to sustainability on the accelerated timeline that our dire circumstances demand.
It will, indeed, be a spiritual test, i.e., a test of conscience, and a psychological test, i.e., a test of clarity of mind.
"We, the people ..." had better surprise ourselves.
If we fail to establish accountability and sustainability, the future will be grim not just economically and environmentally, but also spiritually and psychologically.
Here are excerpts from two important pieces relevant to these issues, one by Philippe Sands on torture, one by Michael Klare on what the global economic crisis impacts the global climate crisis.
Writing in the Guardian, Philippe Sands explains the Pinochet Principle and its role in our near future --
On October 16 1998, a magistrate signed a warrant for the arrest of Senator Augusto Pinochet and changed the course of history. The former Chilean head of state was arrested a few hours later, at the request of a Spanish prosecutor who charged him with a raft of international crimes, some dating back to the early 1970s. Over the next 18 months, one dramatic development followed another. The House of Lords rendered three landmark judgments in the space of five months; home secretary Jack Straw defied expectations by giving a green light to the continuation of proceedings that could lead to Pinochet's removal to Madrid; Pinochet made a dramatic appearance in the dock at Belmarsh magistrate's court; and eventually Straw decided that Pinochet was too unhealthy to stand trial and he was returned to Chile in April 2000. For the rest of his life he was dogged by legal proceedings. ...
The legacy of the arrest warrant signed in Hampstead 10 years today, is the Pinochet principle, that no one is above the law. It may one day come to haunt the very people who sought to set it aside. If, that is, they ever dare to set foot outside the United States. Philippe Sands, 10 Years of the Pinochet Principle, Guardian/UK via Common Dreams, 10-16-08
Writing in Foreign Policy in Focus, Michael T. Klare explores on the possible impact of the deepening global economic crisis on the already dire climate crisis:
Will the crisis be good or bad for the environment, especially with respect to global warming? ...
By all accounts, the steady growth in the world economy - much of it driven by phenomenal economic expansion in China, India, and other nations - was producing a corresponding increase in demand for energy of all forms, especially greenhouse-gas emitting fossil fuels. ...
The good news is that economic hard times will cause people to drive less, fly less, and otherwise consume less energy, thus lowering expectations for greenhouse-gas emissions. ...
But there is a downside to all this as well. Most serious is the risk that venture capitalists will refrain from pouring big bucks into innovative energy projects. ...
Governments could also have a hard time coming up with the funds to finance alternative energy projects. ...
Indeed, leaders of some European Union countries are calling for a slowdown in efforts to curb emissions of greenhouse gases due to the burgeoning economic crisis ...
At some point, the price of gasoline will fall so low that many drivers will once again engage in the wasteful driving habits they may have given up when the price of gas soared over $3 per gallon. ...
It's unclear at this point whether the crisis will do more good or more harm for the environment. ... Many people are waiting and watching what happens in the global financial markets. Likewise, the verdict is still out on the ultimate impact of the crisis on the environment. Michael Klare, Foreign Policy in Focus via Common Dreams, 10-17-08
See Also
35 Years After the Coup, Salvador Allende, Who Died A Martyr for Democracy, Elected "Greatest Chilean in History" -- Tragically, USA Chose Reagan
Lurching Toward Economic Debacle in the North, Striding Toward Green Democracy in the South
Richard Power's Left-Handed Security: Overcoming Fear, Greed & Ignorance in This Era of Global Crisis is available now! Click here for more information.
For a directory of Words of Power Human Rights Updates, click here.
For the Words of Power Climate Crisis Updates Archive, click here.
For an archive of Words of Power posts on Campaign '08, click here.
Philippe Sands, Michael Klare, Words of Power, Torture, War Crimes, Climate Change, Sustainability
