Political Ideology Essay
Everyone knows: California is burning. From the Inland Empire to Cascadia, wild fires litter the Golden State. So far, more than 175,000 acres have been scorched and 40 homes destroyed. Fifty miles north of San Francisco, over 7,000 homes are threatened by wild fires. One fire, the Rocky Fire, is blazing its way through Northern California, having already forced 13,000 people from their homes. As a result, over 11,000 firefighters have been deployed to combat the statewide infernos.
Before I begin my reflections, I would like to make something very clear: I don't identify with any particular political ideology. Like Howard Zinn, I find value in various schools of thought: anarchist, libertarian, liberal, communist, socialist, deep green ecology, …show more content…
I have no interest in maintaining the state, nor do I view the state in a particularly positive light. In my thinking, there are simply functions the state can perform that other institutions and community organizations cannot. Of course it would be great to transcend or abolish the state, but those political projects are decades away from taking shape, if ever. For now, we're stuck with the …show more content…
For instance, if the American Left had the power to dismantle the American Empire, what would we do with its soldiers, gear and infrastructure? Without question, the military has the capacity, at least in terms of manpower, equipment and logistics, to prepare for extreme weather events and climate change. Remember, the US spends what the rest of the world spends, combined, on the Empire. As a result, the Empire has helicopters, trucks, amphibious vehicles, airplanes, satellites, and so on. Obviously, we require these components to endure and combat the horrors of climate change. Could we kill two birds with one stone? Could we dismantle the US Empire (something that would greatly contribute to combatting climate change), while simultaneously using the dismantling processes to better prepare and equip those who are willing to put their lives on the line to protect the general public from the ravages of extreme weather as a result of climate
Before I begin my reflections, I would like to make something very clear: I don't identify with any particular political ideology. Like Howard Zinn, I find value in various schools of thought: anarchist, libertarian, liberal, communist, socialist, deep green ecology, …show more content…
I have no interest in maintaining the state, nor do I view the state in a particularly positive light. In my thinking, there are simply functions the state can perform that other institutions and community organizations cannot. Of course it would be great to transcend or abolish the state, but those political projects are decades away from taking shape, if ever. For now, we're stuck with the …show more content…
For instance, if the American Left had the power to dismantle the American Empire, what would we do with its soldiers, gear and infrastructure? Without question, the military has the capacity, at least in terms of manpower, equipment and logistics, to prepare for extreme weather events and climate change. Remember, the US spends what the rest of the world spends, combined, on the Empire. As a result, the Empire has helicopters, trucks, amphibious vehicles, airplanes, satellites, and so on. Obviously, we require these components to endure and combat the horrors of climate change. Could we kill two birds with one stone? Could we dismantle the US Empire (something that would greatly contribute to combatting climate change), while simultaneously using the dismantling processes to better prepare and equip those who are willing to put their lives on the line to protect the general public from the ravages of extreme weather as a result of climate