The Newcastle News did a fair job with the article about the Position 6 race for the Newcastle City Council (September, 2013 issue). However, regarding my quote about little towns like Newcastle not having much of an impact in regards to the environment, that is clarified further below, and thereby gives the statement more context. What I may or may not have left out in the interview, by implication or otherwise, is that all of us together, in the universal sense, have a lot of impact. In other words, the power of incrementalism can do wonders!
- Mark Greene
[revised on 9/3/13]
As one of the two subjects of this article, my statement that Newcastle is not going to have much of an impact when it comes to environmental issues should be clarified. I only mean this from the governmental angle, because the big decisions about the quality of our environmental standards are going to be made in Washington, D.C., and not the Newcastle City Council, as it’s mainly Congress and the White House that will decide whether or not to make the appropriate regulations to ensure that the environment is not inextricably harmed, and to advance environmentally sound energy, national parks and international treaty and trade policies.
Of course, in the sense that the power of incremental steps is great, even little towns like Newcastle play a major part in the overall universal objective of sustaining a workable, peaceful, healthy and long lasting environment. “Doing our part” is very significant when everybody does their part, and to be frank, environmental decisions by governmental entities, writ large, have been harmful in many respects, as politicians are often too connected and tied in to narrow business interests through lobbyists and powerful CEO’s that are more concerned about their bottom line than the environment that sustains us all.
Regarding my opponent saying, in so many words, as quoted in this article, that he would fit in well with the Council, well, that is true, especially if you want a like-minded, “go along, get along” Council. A soliloquy of seven that strikes harmonious notes might not be the tonic that Newcastle needs in this era of urgency. However, if citizens want someone who will ruffle a few feathers (or a lot of feathers) to stake out principle-minded positions in the interests of the common good, then they might want to check out (my blog profile section).
- Mark Greene
Please vote for I-522 this November, YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW about whether of not the food you buy is genetically modified.
- Mark Greene
[revised on 9/3/13]
CLARIFICATION AND OTHER COMMENTS
As one of the two subjects of this article, my statement that Newcastle is not going to have much of an impact when it comes to environmental issues should be clarified. I only mean this from the governmental angle, because the big decisions about the quality of our environmental standards are going to be made in Washington, D.C., and not the Newcastle City Council, as it’s mainly Congress and the White House that will decide whether or not to make the appropriate regulations to ensure that the environment is not inextricably harmed, and to advance environmentally sound energy, national parks and international treaty and trade policies.
Of course, in the sense that the power of incremental steps is great, even little towns like Newcastle play a major part in the overall universal objective of sustaining a workable, peaceful, healthy and long lasting environment. “Doing our part” is very significant when everybody does their part, and to be frank, environmental decisions by governmental entities, writ large, have been harmful in many respects, as politicians are often too connected and tied in to narrow business interests through lobbyists and powerful CEO’s that are more concerned about their bottom line than the environment that sustains us all.
Regarding my opponent saying, in so many words, as quoted in this article, that he would fit in well with the Council, well, that is true, especially if you want a like-minded, “go along, get along” Council. A soliloquy of seven that strikes harmonious notes might not be the tonic that Newcastle needs in this era of urgency. However, if citizens want someone who will ruffle a few feathers (or a lot of feathers) to stake out principle-minded positions in the interests of the common good, then they might want to check out (my blog profile section).
- Mark Greene
Please vote for I-522 this November, YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW about whether of not the food you buy is genetically modified.
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