We’ve certainly had our share of rain, though it wasn’t as overwhelming as further west in Pennsylvania where a car was swept away in a flash flood or up north where rivers overflowed their banks. Flash floods are a frightening phenomenon: the rush of water sweeping everything in its path.
It seems pretty clear that the weather extremes are part of the price we are paying for ignoring the impact of society’s refusal to adjust its lifestyle and politics to the changing climate. Politicians, only concerned with the money they receive from the oil and gas lobby, just sit on their haunches, opposing any change.
Although individual states may act, little can be done without real national action. Biden is stymied by a Congress more concerned with its petty jostling abut than tackling this issue. One would think that the yahoo know-nothings who oppose real action would stop and wonder: why is it so hot? Why this massive flooding? This summer is a harbinger of what is to come unless we go after elected leaders who sit on their ivory beds of luxury funded by the fossil fuel industry.
Prayer for the Day
Fearful of the demands placed on our lives,
We cast shadows across your life giving power,
Wanting certainty, we are reluctant and timid,
Afraid of the sacrifice that may be called for us.
Forgive our weaknesses and open our eyes and minds,
So that we can change our priorities and lives.
In the name of the One who is the sign of strength,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The disasters that have hit the U.S. in recent years should spur government agencies and communities to prepare and plan for disasters through proactive steps such as developing emergency action plans.
- Hiba Baroud, Civil Engineering professor, Vanderbilt University
Koch Industries, the country’s second largest privately held company, spent about $11.3 million, more than any other oil and gas company. Half a dozen other fossil fuel corporations — including Occidental Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, and Chevron Corp spent another $44.3 millions on lobbying.
- Incyi Sayki/Jimmy Cloutier, Report on lobbying expenditures
Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches…
Amos 6:4