[GPSCC-chat] Earth Day 2011

[Wes Rolley]

This year will be the 40th Earth Day.  This is troubling for me given 
that we seem to be losing the battle with those who really don't care.

In the budget skirmishes that are sure to fuel most of the political 
discussions in the first quarter... CA budget is a mess and the Tea 
Party types new to Congress want to make waves... one prime target is 
the "socialist" manipulation of society brought about the "environmental 
fascists".  At the Federal level, the major target will the the 
Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).  Efforts will be made to 
defund the EPA and some of the Tea Party types campaigned on the idea of 
eliminating the EPA entirely.

What happens on Earth Day 2011 will be all the more telling since the 
EPA seems to be the only hope of limiting greenhouse gas emissions.  
With the  current Senate rules, there will never be a vote on any new 
climate legislation.

For the first Earth Day, there was broad bi-partisan support in 
Congress.  The CoChairs of the First Earth Day were Sen. Gaylord Nelson 
(Dem from WI) and Representative Pete McCloskey (Republican from CA).  
Actually Pete's district was on the Peninsula and that made it very 
local for us.  Nelson has long since passed but McCloskey is still 
fighting that battle where he can, now most often in court rather than 
at the polls, though his return to electoral politics in 2006 gave many 
Republicans permission to vote against Richard Pombo.

With the increasing urgency of climate change and the need for action, I 
am suggesting the the Green Party SCC, along with our friends in San 
Mateo, take the lead in creating a major event for Earth Day 2011.  
Greens need to  take the lead in creating a new ecological 
consciousness.  We need to own the issue, not just to go along with some 
other organization that might be less interested in political results.

If not us, who?  If not now, when?