IT'S THE MELTING ICE

 

• I just finished a radio interview from Vancouver, Canada.  I mentioned that the Canadian government has decided to spend $35 billion to build more warships.  Our Global Network board member Tamara Lorincz in Halifax, Nova Scotia brought this to my attention.  Many of the warships will be built in her community.  She wrote, "It is the largest government procurement of any kind in Canadian history.  The warship contract is so corrosive and corruptive. The people of Nova Scotia have been duped and have allowed themselves to be duped.....The NDP and Labour have effectively left the peace movement in support of the warships."  I told her we face the same problem here with the Democrats.  They've rarely seen a weapons system that they don't support as military production is now virtually the only game in town.
• I started thinking more about why Canada would want to build these warships.  I checked the map again.  It's the Arctic Ocean and the melting ice due to climate change.  The oil corporations can now get at the oil below the surface and the U.S. is enlisting Canada, Norway, and other Arctic allies to get ready for the push-and-shove match with Russia over control of that region.  More evidence that the Pentagon/NATO is the resource extraction service of corporate globalization.
• I am working on my upcoming talks at the NATO Counter Summit (May 18-20) in Chicago and the Project Ploughshares event in Waterloo, Canada (May 24-25) called Securing the peaceful use of space for future generations. Got the first draft done and moving toward next steps.
• Got alot of work to do outside today.  Already planted some sunflowers, hung laundry, and next need to get back to stacking wood.  Lawn needs mowing after all the rain we've had and our old fashioned push mower doesn't work so well if the grass gets too high.  Fortunately good weather today.
• A short sports update:  After 14 losing seasons in a row my baseball team (Baltimore Orioles) are currently in first place with a 21-12 record.  Keeping my fingers crossed.