Today's featured essay on Truthout by Dahr Jamail is about Alaskan climate change effects and how they are ignored by the conservative government and the media. http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/37042-the-front-lines-of-climate-disr...

While the effects are devastating, altering a way of life going thousands of years, only those affected are aware of the melting glaciers, crumbling mountainsides and disappearing sea ice. Most of the population of Alaska itself is blissfully unaware even as temperatures soar to record levels. And beyond Alaska where a presidential race is heating up, rising planet temperatures requiring drastic changes to our way of life to even mitigate destruction of our biosphere are largely in the background thanks to the media's benign/malign neglect.

Meanwhile in Alaska collapsing mountainsides sweep away villages and towns and an entire way of life. Flora and fauna are decimated, threatened with extinction. But those who make their money from fossil fuel extraction and burning will continue on their disastrous course because the media will continue to largely ignore what is happening other than "OMG. What a terrible, unavoidable tragedy." Our "leaders" of the two major parties are either cold to lukewarm to the subject. Bernie Sanders called for powerful action on climate change, but was finally sidelined by hook and by crook by the DNC. Only Jill Stein calls for strong action, but she'll get no help with her message even as Ellicot City, Maryland has been devastated by a flash flood.

The PTB will continue to rake in obscene profits rewarding a few at the top while leaving the consequences to be dealt with by the rest of us. No solutions will be called for in the press, by and large, even as we choose those who could make real effective policy, but will instead continue to work for the interests of the 1% over the 99%.

And we call ourselves an intelligent species!