This national day of remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country underscores the real and terrible costs of securing access to foreign oil. As we remember our heroes—men and women—fighting and dying in foreign wars, let us not forget that one of the gravest consequences of our energy policy can be measured, in part, through lives lost in military conflict.
The all-too-pressing disaster unfolding off the coast of Louisiana, still ongoing this Memorial Day, should remind us that reducing our carbon pollution by 80 percent from 1990 levels will save us not only in terms of the hundred million dollars in payments to Persian Gulf nations made daily to procure oil, but more importantly, it will save us in precious lives lost.
Let’s do our part this Memorial Day to honor the sacrifices made by our heroes by doing everything we can to secure a safer, cleaner energy future—one that will bring green jobs to our cities and our troops home, out of harms’ way.
P.S.:
This powerful Vote Vets ad emphasizes why 73 percent of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans support urgent action enacting climate legislation:
All the best to you and your family this Memorial Day weekend,
Robin Wilt
