Bob Ragland


		A Friend of the Earth

		Introduction

This is a preface to the argument that we are in a precarious state and must act immediately. There is no time to lose waiting for others to act. I say precarious because we need to look at the entire scene and act simultaneously over a broad front. Time is running out; we need all nations to help.

The first item to be addressed is overflowing local and world population. It is this together with the ways in which we live that have overwhelmed Mother Earth’s ability to meet the excessive demands of the human population and made Earth’s economy to founder.

The second huge problem is the penchant of some of our leaders to assume that the reason we are rich and powerful is that God favors us and will continue to do so. Then they overextend the country as have many before us: See The Arrogance of Power by Senator J. Wm. Fulbright. Our early history is full of wars and violence; we have grown accustomed to it. Currently we are alienated from much of the rest of the world, multiplying enemies. We are broke.

The third huge problem is the faulty way we do farming. It inevitably will end in our demise unless we change our ways radically. Other nations have passed on for that reason.

The fourth huge problem is the way we treat others, other people, other animals, other plants, countries, the different, the inanimate land, rocks, etc. We have got to shape up and begin to love all those lives, life itself.

All of the above and more will automatically end in the death of most life on the planet. Our last election results called powerfully for massive change. But we threw money at the problem rather than thinking, reading, learning from our scientists, thinkers, etc. Our very numbers make it difficult to reach agreement. We need a call, a powerful call to respond to a huge emergency, put our noses to the grindstone, our shoulders to the wheel. We need to respond loyally, actively, realizing it is a matter of life or death, not just party politics.

Last but by no means of lesser importance than the foregoing is the necessity of a strong demand for a strong bill on energy and climate change being sent to the President and Commander-in-Chief to help get all other countries, especially China, India, and Brazil, to cooperate with us in strong support, for adequate response to that crisis at the upcoming meeting on climate change. Our resolve to get along with even less energy than erly may well help to blunt current support for more oil drilling, more corn, etc.

Now, hear the argument I have put together using the brightest scientific minds we have, an argument most of them will agree with or already do.

Encourage our President to think “out of the box,” get new advisors, not from the old business sector that led us into this mess, pushed us into it. Let him consult with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) other leaders and thinkers such as Wendell Berry, etc.

Time is of the essence.