Rescuing rich adventurers while migrants drown

Not many of us could afford to drop $250,000 on a boat ride to the bottom of the sea to gawk at the wreck of the Titanic. But last week, five rich guys did just that and, sadly, perished when their submersible imploded. Taxpayers shelled out over $6.5 million (according to one source) in an unsuccessful rescue mission. I have no problem with the rescue mission, but the estates of these dudes — three millionaires, two billionaires — oughta pick up the tab.

What I have a whole lot of trouble with is what happened, by comparison, off the coast of Greece last week. Over a hundred migrants are dead and hundreds more missing after a fishing boat transporting them capsized. According to a story in The Guardian, there is “rising evidence that European authorities knew the boat was in trouble but did not intervene.”

This quote from Abdul Karim, a Pakistani shopkeeper who lost a cousin and uncle on the boat, sums it up: “It’s sad that a submarine carrying five rich people was given much more consideration, coverage and importance than the migrants on the Greek boat.”

Already this year, over 2,000 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean. Continue Reading →

Joe Biden and the Oligarchy

It’s not that hard to understand why Biden will lose. In 21st century presidential elections, perceived outsider beats perceived insider. Every. Single. Time. The principle’s results are consistent. Al Gore. John Kerry. John McCain. Mitt Romney. Hillary Clinton. Perceived (or actual) insider has lost every presidential election since 2000. Continue Reading →

Hold Exxon accountable for climate change coverup

Dear Friends, A year ago today, I was arrested by my friends with the Iowa State Patrol because Governor Branstad refused to hear the stories of landowners I’d met during my 400-mile Continue Reading →