Message from Right Livelihood Laureates and members of the World Future Council to COP 27

 If we as a species are to significantly address not only the climate problem, but other eco-socio-ethical existential threats as well, then governments must adopt these eight policies.

https://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Save-the-Planet-Statement.pdf

This is what it will take to avoid catastrophe.  Stop-gap measures and tinkering around the edges of the problem will not suffice.  So say those identified in the title of this essay.  They are correct.

All previous Climate Conferences have accomplished little to nothing regarding implementing real solutions to the Crisis.  Let's hope this one is different.  One of the hindrances to effective solutions continues to be the popular view of mainstream economics.  Its supporters appear to see it essentially as a secular religion.  As such, it is promoted and promulgated as faith-based, a "given".  Any challenges to it are treated as sacrilegious.

Governments must overcome that obstacle.  Science does not support such a view.  Mainstream economists in general are dead wrong in their belief that economics is larger than and separate from the natural world.  Reliance on linear mathematical equations and linear thinking has led them to such an erroneous conclusion.  Our Earth System is nonlinear.  As such, it has emergent properties either not accounted for or ignored by the bulk of today's economists and many business leaders in various industries.

Massive problems have arisen regarding our atmosphere, soil, water, wildlife, forests, prairies, the spread of disease (not only in humans, but also in other animal life and in plants, including crops), cities, and more.  Either directly or indirectly, neoclassical (AKA, neoliberal) economics and linear thinking largely are responsible for these problems.  [Over the last fifteen years, I've posted details of such causation throughout this blog and here:   https://ecologicalliberalism.blogspot.com/ .  Even more details are in my book, which I published in April.]

Hopefully, COP 27 will not drop the ball.  If they do, any further such conferences probably will be way too late.

...............

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

The Last Bastion

The last bastion against an errant government (not counting armed revolt) is jury nullification. Very early in our country's history, the role of jury nullification as a defense against oppression by the State was unquestioned. It remained so until the 1850s, a time during which many juries began not convicting in prosecutions under the Fugitive Slave Act. Judges, seeing a mighty demonstration of the power of juries, began to change the rules of the Court. The primary and most devastating change was that juries would no longer be permitted (by judges) to judge the law; they would be confined to judging only the facts of the case.

The new rules were (and still are) a blatant infringement on the rights of juries. That's not just my view...

"The jury has a right to judge both the law and the facts in controversy."
~ John Jay, First Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1789

"The jury has the right to determine both the law and the facts."
~ Samuel Chase, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, 1796
"The law itself is on trial quite as much as the cause which is to be decided."
~ Harlan F. Stone, 12th Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1941

Juries routinely are told by judges that jury members cannot judge the law, only the facts of the case. Not true. Numerous case decisions have upheld the right of any juror to nullify a "bad" law and vote to acquit. Example: "The jury has an unreviewable and unreversible power...to acquit in disregard of the instructions on the law given by the trial judge." U.S. v. Dougherty, 473 F 2nd 1113, 1139 (1972). Example: "...it is presumed that juries are the best judges of facts; it is, on the other hand, presumed that courts are the best judges of law. But still both objects are within your power of decision. You have a right to take upon yourselves to judge of both, and to determine law as well as the fact in controversy." [Emphasis added.] State of Georgia v. Brailsford, et.al. 3 U.S. 1 Dall. (1794).

So, why do jurors not know these things? The reason is simple: in

Sparf v. United States (1895), the Court decided that courts need not inform jurors of their de facto right of jury nullification even though the jurors' inherent right to judge the law remains unchallenged. All judges are aware of this. Rather than inform juries of all their rights, judges tend to intimidate jurors by telling them that they cannot judge the law.

All of this is crucial to individual sovereignty and freedom because governments practice Legislative Absolutism (a term coined by Justice Harlan in 1901), passing laws without any regard for constitutions (Federal and State). Other than bringing suit in a court of law, the aggrieved citizen has no legal and peaceful recourse except to rely on jury nullification. Bringing suit usually is very expensive and time-consuming. Unfortunately, relying on jury nullification depends upon having a fully informed citizenry, and jurors with courage and integrity...therefore, spread the word! We need fully informed juries.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

John Kerry Should "Man Up"

Very recently, John Kerry stated publicly that Edward Snowden should "man up", come back to the U.S., and face the charges against him.  I doubt it, but perhaps Secretary Kerry is unaware of the common knowledge that the U.S. Fed Gov't Justice System is almost completely broken.  It's overwhelmed, often corrupt, often vicious and unfair, and just about totally political.  It has very little to do with justice.  Furthermore, Mr. Kerry, making such a statement as a representative of the highest levels of our Gov't, displays the height of hypocrisy.

I suggest that Secretary Kerry man up and admit the following.
1.  The mass surveillance "Program" of the NSA not only violates the Constitution, but also any concept of common decency.
2.  "The Program" of the NSA is used for non-terrorist related activities, such as monitoring economic meetings of our allies.
3.  The so-called "FISA Court" is a travesty.  It's nothing but a rubber stamp for an out-of-control Executive Branch...no matter who is in the Oval Office.
4.  No law in this country supercedes the U.S. Constitution.  Politicians, including Mr. Kerry, need to cease citing the War Powers Act, FISA, the so-called PATRIOT Act, the NDAA, etc. as justifications for blatantly unconstitutional actions by the Feds.
5.  The political Game in the USA is completely rigged.
6.  The Fed Gov't has little to no interest in helping to bring about Peace in the Middle East.  [I covered the reasons why in a previous post.]
7.  The invasion of Iraq was perhaps the greatest war crime in recent history.  At the very least, it was utterly unconstitutional.  Anyone who can read and has an I.Q. of at least 100 knows that.
8.  Recently released Snowden documents reveal that the NSA trained operatives to "collect it all"--- all the digital data it could get on as many people as possible...terrorist suspect or not.
9.  At the highest levels, representatives of our Fed Gov't work for the Oligarchy, and it's NOT a "conspiracy"...it's right out in plain sight.
10.  No matter who is in office, the Executive Branch (as well as Congress) protects mega bankers from criminal prosecution.
11.  Obama's recent pronouncement at West Point that the U.S. Gov't will now "act unilaterally" when it sees fit most likely will result in future violations of International Law.  [This is somewhat akin to the Bush-Cheney-John Yoo-Wolfowitz concept of a "Unitary Presidency"...except that this is much worse.]
12.  No matter who is in office, Edward Bernays style Propaganda is used by the highest levels of the Fed Gov't to mold the public mind.
And finally, the Oligarchy---including its wholly owned subsidiary, the Fed Gov't---is beginning to worry because We the People often no longer buy into their load of crap.  People not corrupted by politics are beginning to organize around just causes and to peacefully resist the propaganda and soft despotism of the central government.

If anyone should man up, Mr. Kerry, it is you.

Partly just my opinion.  Happy Trails