Fear, Politics, New Orleans, Global Warming and Seals

On this first day of this blog, it is gray in Maine and another storm has hit New Orleans. As I type, an administration spokesperson on CNN is telling the world that we are conquering terror by acting on fear, which I imagine means little to New Orleans, where conquering the wetlands has insured that the fear of global warming has become a fact of life.

If that’s not clear, I mean that Manifest Destiny set this nation forth to conquer all wildness, including coastal wetlands, in the pursuit of progress. Along the way, we generated massive energy from massive resources (long husbanded by Native Americans, whom we also conquered). That “productivity” resulted in what we now call global warming, which has raised sea level temperatures and along with coastal development/environmental fragmentation, created the welcome mat for Katrina in New Orleans. There.

Well, others who live with the consequences of remote decisions are the seals. Including the two who beached on my wharf Tuesday. I was busy taking care of my two elderly dogs, whom are both dying and didn’t know they were beached till this morning, when I spoke to my neighbor.

I haven’t yet gone down to see them but I already know, after staying two days, one left, the other is dead, according to my neighbors. Almost twenty years ago, when I first came, I never saw seal beachings. Then I saw the first one, a gray, about ten years ago. Another last year and now two more.

Speaking to scientists, including at the Marine Rescue Lifeline, I learned that they are seeing more viral mutations that may account for the poor health of these animals and account for the beachings. Probably the result of global wamring & sea temps. Perhaps the same effect as the fungal mutations that are rendering hundreds of frog species extinct world wide. All caused by climactic disruptions.

Meanwhile, on CNN, in security hearings, Democrats are complaining that they have not been informed of critical decisions from this administration. The dead seal, of course, doesn’t care. It didn’t read any reports on climate change, as the Pocantic Report published by the Pew Center, Nov. 2005, which concludes that openness and broad engagement must be tied together by political will, which other nations can effect.

What other nations exactly? Seal nation? Native American Nations? Iraq? Me? I imagine the living targets in Iraq might still care about whom knows what when and why. That connection between fear, war, global emissions, climate change, information and death is one to consider.

“Ghost Nets” was spiritually, about “escaping the trap of the familiar”. Fear is so familiar. It is warm and comforting in the surge of adrenalin, the drive towards others of our kind for comfort and protection. Now we have cities and oceans of FEAR. When the seal that is still alive left, did it feel fear? What was it’s relationship to the dead one? Mother? Friend? Child? Did it stay out of attachment tot he familiar? A science teacher will come get the dead one and dissect it and perhaps learn something about the cause of death. But in arguably my own human hubris, I think I already know. The seals of the Celtic islands were regarded as spiritual beings, "silkies". When the Gray beached and it was rescued, I sang to it to calm it while they loaded it for rehabilitation. It recovered but not enuf to release and eventually died that Spring, apparently too damaged by infections.

8:35 AM