Pledge to Live a Life that Will Protect our Environment for Generations to Come
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| Also listed in: Save Our Planet |
Here is the email that was sent to the list today. In it I asked Democrats to throw their support behind Al Gore's Live Earth Pledge:
Dear Democrat,
A hundred years from now, school children will read about Al Gore and his leadership to address global climate change. No one has worked harder or inspired more Americans to tackle the greatest threat the world has ever faced.
Now it's time to add your name to the history books.
Stand with Al and pledge to live a life that will protect our environment for generations to come: Link
Last Saturday, thousands of Democrats planted seeds for a cleaner planet at events across the country. We had a great weekend, rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty -- but there's even more we can do clean up the planet.
Here's the pledge that Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and I have all taken:
To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"
To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.
This pledge is an easy way to show that the political will exists to stop global warming -- no matter how hard President Bush tries to deny the problem or delay the solution.
I've signed it. Now it's your turn: Link
Despite the recent attention on global climate change, we're still fighting an uphill battle. Over the past few years, Republicans have done everything in their power to silence Al, the scientific community, and anyone else who tells the truth about what's happening. In 2004, one NASA scientist claimed that in "three decades in government, I have never seen anything approaching the degree to which information flow from scientists to the public has been screened and controlled as it is now."
But despite this opposition, we've won the debate. As Al Gore said during the recent Live Earth concerts, we're now presented with a choice: "Do we use this unprecedented opportunity to organize a global movement that will last beyond the concerts themselves? Or do we let the moment pass?"
It's time to answer Al's question with the grassroots organizing and commitment that powers the Democratic Party. Sign the pledge and then tell every Democrat you know to do the same: Link
Sincerely,
Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.


Ralph Nadar was here in Juneau tonight. He said something to the effect that "Juneau should really think to turn to solar energy." I told him, "Nice, if we can only get this rain to turn into sunshine." Maybe he didn't realize Juneau is a rain forest? He asked if we'd heard about the historical drought back in the southeast? We told him we're having historical rains and flooding in Alaska; global changes are effecting us all. About that time someone heckled him for standing underneath a building over-hang holding an umbrella, "Only a manly man would hold an umbrella..." I said, "Yeah, that's how we can tell a tourist." "Is that right?" We're awfully glad he came to visit and hope others will too.
We need everyone's voice and everyone's action to be accountable to our planet.
Thank you for all you do Governor H. Dean, MD.
Re: Kyoto - I think it was a bad move not to sign Kyoto. The rest of the World interpreted that refusal as a US unwillingness to cooperate in the effort to reduce CO2 emissions. It made us look very bad.
The US likes to lead on everything, rather than follow, but once in a while we have to go with the crowd.
If I'm remembering correctly, the current one does NOT impose the same standards on emerging Third World manufacturers. The reason is that their economies are not as strong as ours, and they can't afford to rebuild things as quickly as we can.
That said, the US is still the biggest consumer of energy in the world. China is running second, and will close the gap at some point as their factories increase, and ours get greener.
To my knowledge, this is the first time in American history that an entire State's legitimate ballots are left uncounted before the Democratic Convention. As you know, in such a tight political race, this may very well decide the next President of the United States.
After the hanging chads of 2000 in Florida, this tragic pattern of disenfranchisement adds disillusionment to the most fervent believers in the American Democratic system of government. The voters whom were not counted during the 2008 primary on 01-29-08 were of all races and ages, this is not a minority issue but an American Constitutional issue.
I am a registered Democratic voter in the State of Florida. My partner and I are interested in offering our services to represent and or strategize how we can make Florida Democratic votes count before the Democratic Convention. My partner is a Political Science consultant and I am an attorney in Florida and Texas. My partner worked on several major elections including the first Gov. Ann Richards successful campaign in Texas as Assistant Director.
It is un-American not to count votes and Mr. Obama has not requested that Florida votes be counted but Ms. Clinton has stood up for the right of ALL American voters to be heard.
I got a sticker, like most American's do, after voting in Florida. It says "MY VOTE COUNTED!". My vote has not been counted yet.
The voters in Florida have spoken. We should not be forced to vote again on the same issue to have our delegates seated.
Kenneth Tague, Esq.
Howard Kainer