The Siege

First Step – Taking Notice

Yeah, that’s right. “You’re just a student” is not only insulting to you, but more importantly, such sentiments betray an attitude, especially if coming from someone in a position of power, which can seriously undermine your rightful opportunities to fully participate in the college experience. You need to take note.

Depending on the situation, “You’re just a student” can really mean any and/or all of the following:

1) You’re just a child who should know his/her place, which is to politely and obediently comply with our commands.

2) I am unwilling to show you the respect that I would give to another adult.

3) You don’t really know anything, but we do.

4) Okay, maybe you know a few things, but not nearly as much as we do. Just keep quiet, listen and learn.

5) Let us adults handle the really important issues. Run along and play now.

6) You’ll have to ask our permission if you want to do that.

7) You’re unqualified to challenge us since we are the authorities and you certainly are not.

8) You are fragile and might break if we treat you like an adult.

9) We can easily manipulate you. You won’t even notice that we did it.

10) You are too immature to talk about certain things, like sex, for example.

11) We can make rules up on the spot. Who’s going to know the difference, you? Ha, ha, ha, ha…

12) Why don’t you just wait until you get out of school to ask those kinds of questions? Hmmm? Now go away.

13) We’re not really going to give you the tools to be fully-empowered now. Are you kidding? What, you think we want 30,000 students who know and assert their rights on our campus. As if!

There’s so much deception, confusion and nonsense spewed forth in the popular media which undermines the notion that global warming is a reality, it’s little wonder that many people remain unconvinced of its immediate threat. Such intentionally-sown confusion allows George W. Bush and those he services (that’s not you and me, by the way) to postpone the critical actions our government so desperately needs to take.

Public relations hacks working for the U.S. auto industry, oil and coal interests; compromised scientists who’ve sold out and will forever lack any credibility amongst their peers; congressmen, senators and presidents who operate by accepting legalized bribes and then paying off those debts by violating the public trust; and certain large corporate interests at odds with life on this planet are just some of those you can thank for the muddying of waters about facts regarding the ecological catastrophe quickly coming our way.

On the other hand, over in the rarefied (and under-reported) world of truth, there is virtually universal agreement amongst credible scientists that global warming is indeed occurring, and to an extent and with rapidness absolutely guaranteeing much more extreme planetary consequences unless we take serious action NOW!

The Union of Concerned Scientists, in an article titled “Global Warming Facts” (which includes many links for the sceptic and the seeker wishing to investigate further), include the following list of the “20 Hottest Years on Record:”

Notice a trend? And 2005 – hottest year on record.

Still not convinced? You’re right, there’s so much more to it. And the rebuttals, you’ve heard ‘em – these things are cyclical, it’s happened before, it undermines the troops, there’s no proof, it’s just progaganda from environmental extremists, the whole thing’s overblown, it’s a ruse by the homosexuals to distract good Christians from the gay-marriage issue, not everyone agrees, If your so smart, how come it’s not in the Bible?, it’s nothing new, Dubya will protect us, blah, blah, blah.

Well, do yourself (and the rest of the planet) a favor and go see the recently released “An Inconvenient Truth,” a film that will blow your mind and bring you up to speed. This documentary, featuring Al Gore delivering an impassioned, funny, fact-filled, and sobering presentation which he has shared thousands of times with audiences across the globe, will fill in all the blanks and put to rest the myths that keep this issue from being tackled in the political arena.

Become informed and help pressure the politicians to exercise their political will to take the necessary actions. We need to come together on this growing peril, and fast!