Climate Change Denier

 At this time last year we were looking out over the Salmon Glacier, near Hyder, Alaska. You can see the shrinkage of this still mighty glacier by clicking on the photo. This year, the only hint of coolness was this polar bear mural at the corner of Downer and Robinson Streets in depressed Oroville, Ca. just steps from the office of our congressman Doug LaMalfa.

 LaMalfa ran for Congress with signs that said, "He's one of us," but none of us have had over 5 million dollars of farm subsidy payments since 1995 nor even considered gutting the Food Stamp Program for needy Americans. LaMalfa is one of us in that he is human, has children and lived nearby before he went off to Washington to join fellow tea baggers in the House of Representatives. His votes have been awful and I compiled a list of the ones promoting the fossil fuel industry and cutting funds for the E.P.A., sciences and renewable energy. My friend Joni, below, spoke out at the rally we attended today about Climate Change and our forests-- her talk was sobering but the rally was amazingly lacking in bitterness.

 We presented LaMalfa's staff with a Unicorn statue inscribed with a Climate Change Denier Award at the base. All the people there were quite united but when I reflect on the message in this girl's sign it really puts me into a pause. Children deserve a future. Yes. The course of evolution has been long and tinged with traumas but nothing so obviously short sighted and massive as the auto-die off our leaders are planning on their way to the bank.

 I stand with Gregory here. We must STOP GLOBAL Suicide. Mr. LaMalfa and Congress may be in denial and may be in their own little bubble-world but the rest of us are responsible enough to pop that bubble and guide their minds back to some semblance of reality. This amazing planet and all the species on it are depending on us.