At the town hall meeting in Oregon today, Senator Barack Obama addressed a number of important issues including that of deforestation. Like his goals to stop a senseless war, eliminate inane tax breaks, bolster funding for education, and other common sense ideas, Barack’s strategy for dealing with the environment sets him apart from many American political leaders.
Under President Bush, millions of acres of beautiful centuries-old forests are being lost. Forever. The destruction isn’t limited to the clear-cutting of trees. 
Any form of wildlife that depends on this land must either find someplace else to live or die off. It’s quite painful to consider.
The good news? Bush’s demolition practices were activated “administratively” rather than through legislation. This means they can be quickly halted once Barack is in office. Even more intriguing is the possibility of an American domestic agenda that is set by the American people rather than by special interest. This is conceivable because Barack has built a grass-roots constituency with financing sourced by hard-earned wages of ordinary people. Could it mean then, that he has extricated himself from serving the interests of traditional American capitalism? Maybe in some ways. But I’m trying to imagine what it might be like to have a president who is actually free from some of the nonsense of the past. Can Barack Obama carve out a new space in the political landscape?
The guy is human, of course, and prone to all kinds of mistakes. Yet he is also exceedingly compassionate. For example, you won’t find him demonizing people. He seems willing to extend respect to persons on the opposite side of a given argument. On the deforestation issue, he highlighted our tendency to discredit one group or the other. In heated discussions throughout the Northwest, you often hear references to “nut bar environmentalists” or “greedy timber companies.” In each case there is always an enemy combatant.
Barack has a different way of looking at things. He obviously values the principles of respect and unity that have been missing in our political discourse. For example, he took the time to critique the tendency of environmentalists to dismiss the timber companies as being “unenlightened.”
“… the federal government must listen to local communities,” he said. “There are some legitimate interests that are in conflict. There is a tension between the people who want to protect the environment and the legitimate concern of people who are working in these industries.” He said the goal should be sustainability of the environment AND industry. He emphasized the needs of employees and their families who, like everyone, have a strong desire to provide the best “for their children.” As a solution, Barack insists all stakeholders learn to sit down together and figure out what makes sense.
Imagine an America where there is a reasonable, respectful, sustainable approach to the stewardship of America’s natural resources.
The 21st century demands leaders who can think broadly and consider all factors before making important decisions. Barack is a man of uncommon talent in this area and I admire him for believing that together we have the capacity to produce profound change in America.
As our president, Barack will forge an agenda that favors neither the economically privileged nor the socially disadvantaged. And, importantly for the planet, Barack Obama will put the brakes on some reckless policies that are destroying our amazing natural resources.
Whhat? A kind politician?
As an aside… an interesting thing happened at the town hall meeting. A man accidentally knocked my cell phone out of my hand and it landed on a bench directly in front of Barack Obama as he was leaving the meeting. Having invested long months in a brutal campaign against his own teammate (Hillary Clinton!) I’m sure he was completely exhausted. This was the 47th state in the campaign and probably the one-millionth cell phone somebody had stuck in front of his face.
Yet, despite all this, and without hesitation, he stopped to pick up my iPhone and hand it back to me.
