MEDIA ROOTS – Recently on Breaking the Set, Abby Martin had the opportunity to interview the Libertarian Party’s Presidential candidate, Governor Gary Johnson, the Green Party’s Presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein and the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s candidate for President, Peta Lindsay. Stein and Johnson are the primary “third-party” candidates in this year’s election, yet they have been completely shut out from the Presidential debates.

Dr. Stein made recent independent news headlines after being arrested outside the last presidential debates when attempting to enter without the proper “credentials.” More recently, Gov. Johnson is involved in a lawsuit he filed last week against the Commission on Presidential Debates for denying access to the final debate in Florida.

At this year’s Republic National Convention in Tampa, Media Roots also had the opportunity to catch up with Rocky Anderson, Presidential candidate for the Justice Party. He is emphatic that America must return to an era of “broad-based democracy” in order for the country to regain its former glory and provided three specific items that the federal government must do now to get back on track. Mr. Anderson also discusses the “mallification” of America, voter suppression, and the differences between himself and Dr. Ron Paul.

Peta Lindsay, the candidate of the Party for Socialism and Liberation Party, is originally from Washington DC and is now pursuing a masters in public education at USC. She suggests that America re-organize its society with socialist governance, and outlines her vision in the interview below.

Constitutionalist Party nominee and former Congressman Virgil Goode, appears to only have a significant following in the contested swing state of Virginia, where he served for twelve years first as a Democrat, then Independent, and finally as a Republican.

The two-party system that has been dominating the American political landscape for most of its history. It seems now that this facade is crumbling at an increasing rate with voters learning more about who else is running and for which values they stand. For the most part, the entire two-party 2012 Presidential race has been a scripted charade. However, history could be made as it may be the last of its kind for the political duopoly may not last to see another election season.

Oskar Mosco for Media Roots

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Dr. Jill Stein discusses the “Green New Deal” and breaking the “lesser of two evils” mentality

Gov. Gary Johnson discusses how to fix the two-tiered corporatocracy and his vision for America.

Peta Lindsay, PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation) talks about the socialist vision for America.

Former mayor of Salt Lake City, Rocky Anderson, discusses with Media Roots’ Adam Miezo

his idea for how to restore a democratic society in the United States.

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Flickr_JoshBerglund19

MEDIA ROOTS – Greenpeace specializes in environmental advocacy, striving daily to convince humanity to care for its planet. Recognizing Earth’s fragile state, the organization provides tangible solutions and affects positive change. Their tactics include lobbying, grassroots campaigns, and bold non-violent direct action. Greenpeace confronts multiple, interwoven environmental concerns, including climate change, deforestation, ocean degradation, toxic pollution, and nuclear weapons.

Recently, Greenpeace has focused on lobbying Brazilian politicians to accept responsibility for rampant deforestation and environmental injustice. After significant pressure from the organization, the public prosecutor of the Brazilian state of Para levied strict fines on abattoirs and retailers, which were linked to illicit ranches operating within his jurisdiction. These farms were functioning on illegally deforested land, selling cow meat and hide to international corporations like Wal-Mart, Nike, and Toyota. Facing fines totaling over $1 billion, the associated abattoirs and international retailers pledged to conduct future business with only registered, legal ranching establishments.

Sometimes Greenpeace must resort to innovative tactics in order to induce environmentally responsible behavior. Recently, they targeted Nestle’s KitKat bar, which contained palm oil derived from unsustainable sources, through a creatively morose internet campaign. As a result, Greenpeace goaded Nestle into halting purchases from their questionable Indonesian supplier. After pressuring corporate heavyweights like Nike, Wal-Mart, and Kraft, Greenpeace received judicious cooperation against illegal deforestation. Any respite from the pressure on all parties will lead to a resumption of illicit activities, inherent to the exploitative measures of international capitalism.

Despite its encouraging track record, there are plenty of reasons why Greenpeace must continue its lobbying efforts, grassroots tactics, and international campaigns. Primarily, corporate behemoths have only responded to Greenpeace’s requests because they’ve received substantial pressure from some socially-responsible consumers who demand strict environmental standards to be adopted along the corporate supply chain. Unfortunately, the average shopper has no desire to pay the increased prices resulting from expensive environmental standards. In response to the conflict between customer responsibility and consumer frugality, corporations continue to cut corners in favor of profit, potentially resorting to illegal strategies to achieve a more profitable bottom line.

Even if all necessary environmental standards are adhered to, corporations don’t consider the deleterious effect, which their mere presence has on local environments.  For example, timber corporations build roads into isolated habitats in order to extract timber. Yet these roads remain long after the logging companies depart. By connecting cities to forests in this manner, loggers contribute to an expedited drain of other natural resources, leading to the collapse of many fragile ecosystems. With scant concern for sustainable extraction techniques, irresponsible corporate clientele will continue to degrade our global habitat beyond repair, regardless of any demand for environmental justice.

One cannot help but sympathize with Greenpeace and admire their efforts of using creativity and audacity as weapons against our collective disregard of the environment. Al Jazeera World looks at Greenpeace’s humble beginnings and the courage it takes to stand up to those who deliberately ruin our one and only planet.

Christian Sorensen for Media Roots

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Al Jazeera World – Greenpeace: From Hippies to Lobbyists

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Photo by Flickr User Jesus Manzano

MEDIA ROOTS – The documentary Garbage Warrior follows Mike Reynolds, a pioneering architect with a heart of (recycled) gold.  Recognizing humanity’s collective stampede towards self-destruction, Mike works tirelessly to provide families in New Mexico with self-sufficient, sustainable housing.  His designs contrast starkly with the bland, conformist and unsustainable residential architecture present throughout the U.S. today by combining natural materials with local products to create residential masterpieces.  Each house provides its own electrical power, water, and sewage processing.  Furthermore, the construction process produces minimal waste, thrives on experimentation and is entirely flexible to the unique needs of each family.

Instead of embracing or rewarding Mike’s selfless vision to empower society, his local government throws roadblocks in his path.  Mike’s frustration dealing with government red tape raises an important question: when hindered by the U.S. government, do we break the rules, enjoy the benefits associated with such liberty, and hope the government doesn’t notice?  Or, do we accept regulatory oversight, allowing our liberty to be infringed upon, and waste time living with official approval?  These questions not only face eco-pioneers and locals striving to be sustainable, but also to the civil liberties violations associated with Washington’s War on Drugs, surveillance state, and general encroachment upon the Fourth Amendment.

Urgent societal issues of global resources come to the forefront in this documentary.  Eventually, our planet’s inhabitants will have to confront the dilemmas associated with peak oil, water scarcity, and climate change.  Our willful ignorance of these topics will only continue to render this planet uninhabitable for future generations.  If we all follow Mike’s lead, we’d be able to take care of take care of ourselves, our communities, and revive our only planet.

These issues should appeal to Republicans insistent on self-sufficiency and limited government, and Democrats insistent on environmental responsibility.  The distrust of the U.S. government, which is shared by members of the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street alike, is further impetus for taking care of our communities and ourselves.  Also, the empowerment associated with sustainable practices is addictive–self-reliance revives forgotten crafts and encourages innovative design.  As Mike advises us, we shouldn’t let society’s rulebook stop us from achieving self-sufficiency and from taking care of one another. 

Documentary – Garbage Warrior

Christian Sorensen for Media Roots

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Photo by Flickr User Lewis and Clark Community College

MEDIA ROOTS –  Many supporters of President Obama claim that he has had several accomplishments with US environmental policy. However, in stark contrast to these claims, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a video earlier this month highlighting the Obama’s administration current interpretations of “green jobs.” The video shows committee chairman Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and acting commissioner of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, John Galvin, discussing the loose interpretations of what can be considered a “green job.”

At the hearing, Commissioner Galvin confirmed the following forms of employment as green jobs:

*A gasoline attendant pumping gas for school buses

*Used record sales clerk

*Trash collectors

*Oil lobbyists when engaged in advocacy related to environmental issues

President Obama’s $800 billion stimulus program – indeed the largest wealth transfer in human history – was purported to have created 2.7 million green jobs, despite the fact that during his election campaign he promised to create 5 million new green jobs that would “pay well and can’t be outsourced.” In actuality, 79% of renewable energy grants went overseas with domestic renewable jobs now numbering a paltry 140,000.

Oskar Mosco

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Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) discussing “green jobs” with Commissioner John Galvin, US Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Photo provided by Flickr user MCS@flickr

MEDIA ROOTS — The ‘Fair Share of the Common Heritage’ is a philosophical economic principle that every sentient being—human and non-human—has a right to a fair share of the wealth derived from the earth’s natural resources and humankind’s accumulated cultural knowledge. 

This includes all of the planet’s natural resources that human beings need to survive, as well as the technological inventions that help to progress the evolutionary consciousness of our global society.

The main crisis facing “the Commons” is the corporate privatization of resources integral to life, such as water.

Some have heard of the phrase the ‘Tragedy of the Commons,’ a theory put forth by ecologist Garrett Hardin that describes how private property is a better way to ecological preservation. According to Hardin, humans are incentivized to act in their own self-interest and will ultimately compete, abuse and deplete a resource they share in common. However, Hardin’s concept was based on many theoretical assumptions. 

Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to win a Nobel prize in Economics, has poked holes in Hardin’s theory with her trailblazing global Commons research. Via the Guardian:

“Ostrom studied what makes collective action work in irrigation systems, pastures, forests and fisheries all over the world. Co-operation to manage key resources is not automatic, but neither is the “tragedy of the commons”. Respect for collective property rights is crucial to providing the necessary incentives for people to maintain resources.” Policies of nationalising or privatising the commons have too often eroded the incentives or authority of local users to manage their resources. Ostrom showed that giving communities scope to set their own rules (PDF), ones adapted to local conditions, is important. Outsiders’ technical and local knowledge plays a role, but people are more likely to monitor and enforce rules they have had a say in setting.”

Most importantly, we shouldn’t get entrapped in the barriers of language or be imprisoned to preconceived terminology when we consider the concept of the Commons. Like Ostrom’s research shows, a combination of ideologies are put into practice that differ from community to community to manage and share the Commons.

What do you think? Get the dialogue started.

Writing, Photography and Video by Abby Martin

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Abby Martin interviews Project Censored board members about the ‘Fair Share of the Common Heritage,’

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“We do not have this personal ownership, per se, of one thing over another or ownership isn’t used in a heirarchical capacity.” — Mickey Huff, Director, Project Censored. 

“The basic resources that we rely upon, but also things like DNA, those basic things that nature passes on from generation to generation that we have in common,” Kenn Burrows, Professor of Holistic Studies.

http://www.fairsharecommonheritage.org