STOP THIS WAR NOW!

The world is boiling in heat waves and wildfires. At the same time a fratricidal war in Europe is tearing us apart! Two sides seem to be gearing up for endless war.

Can we change in time?

We are all on the Titanic. The trip has been wonderful. The music is good. The wine is excellent. Life is good.

Then in comes the ship’s steward. He says:

“I have important news from the captain. According to the latest data just received, we have got to change course – right now! If not, we are almost certainly headed for an iceberg.”

The reaction of the partying crowd:

“What is this all about? This is extreme language. Let’s look into this in the morning”.

Stop it now

 Biking tonight

            Passed through the University

                        One building caught my eye.

The biology building

            So tall and proud and sleek

                        A marvel of modern engineering

Many high-rise condos

            Along the peaceful canal

                        Where people pass their tranquil lives.

Then, a missile crashing into residences

            All is gone in a flash!

I am stunned

            Sick to my stomach,

                        Full of grief and sadness.

The shattering destruction of war

            Our fragile earth is being torn up by this madness

                        Dear God, deliver us from ourselves.

 

My mother was Finnish

Some have questioned my reference to Finland as a possible role model of what could happen in Ukraine. Let me provide you with a few more details.

Reflections on a rail/road trip

Recently my wife Fran and I made a trip out west to see our family – Dan and his family in Edmonton, Alberta and Suzanne and her family in Comox, BC. We went by train from Ottawa to Edmonton and then by car (yes, one of those fossil fuel dinosaurs) and a ferry to Comox.

The two sites visited could not have been more different. In Alberta we were in the fossil-fuelled heartland of Canada. In Comox BC we were in the agricultural, free-wheeling experimental zone of Canada. During our visit a growing climate crisis was raging in North America. Five hundred wildfires were burning in Canada sending waves of smoke everywhere, including down to the USA. A heat dome of up to 48 degrees Centigrade was occurring in Texas. The fossil fuel industry was charging ahead by plastifying everything they could.