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It has gone down in history as the “Order of Nero”, named after the brutal emperor who supposedly burned down Rome in 64. One of Adolf Hitler’s last decisions, issued on March 19, 1945, was to destroy the entire infrastructure. from Germany, to make it more difficult. by the enemy and punishing the German people who had betrayed him. A lot could be saved if his aides, including Armaments Minister Albert Speer, defied parts of the dictator’s orders, allowing for the arduous rebuilding of Germany after the war.
Hitler was not the first of the tyrants in history to see the flood after his defeat. Not the last one either. What the president of the United States is now trying to enforce is a sort of order from Nero to demolish all democracy, a devastation from which American society could take decades to recover.
Even in the longer term The damage may be caused by the decision, somewhat overshadowed by the ongoing coup attempt, made Monday by the Donald Trump administration. At the last minute, they are now moving forward with the process of offering the contracts for the drilling of oil and gas in a nature reserve in Alaska to the big oil, oil and gas companies that everyone knows must stay underground. The deal could go into effect until the day before Joe Biden is sworn in as the new president.
What is it about? Narcissistic insanity? A pathological urge to burn the earth after itself? Systematic desire for destruction?
What is it about? A pathological urge to burn the earth after itself? Narcissistic insanity? Systematic desire for destruction? It is more likely to be money. The cynical affair is another way for Trump to appease his allies in the powerful oil industry, who rightly applauds the decision. The agreement also shows how deeply involved the fossil fuel industry is in American politics. Anyone who thinks Joe Biden will emerge as a climate savior should consider that one of his early nominees in the climate field, Cedric Richmond, is closely associated with the fossil lobby and has often voted with Republicans in support of the climate industry. oil and gas.
Once again you have to remember the true nature of the fossil fuel industry. Recently, the oil company Shell launched a typical green paint campaign with a question on Twitter: “What are you willing to change to reduce emissions?” However, instead of the desired reactions of driving a smaller car and eating more veggie burgers, the response came from a British group of climate activists: “We are prepared to have it shut down before it kills more environmental activists who stand in the way. in the way of your plans to drill for oil. “
Sarcasm doesn’t come out of nowhere. This year marks 25 years since author and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was sentenced to death by hanging after protesting how Shell’s oil extraction poisoned and destroyed a large area of his native Nigeria. In recent years, at least ten environmental journalists have been murdered around the world and more than 50 abuses of press freedom have been committed related to climate and environmental issues, according to a report by Reporters Without Borders.
But what is hidden underground can also have a revolutionary political force in the opposite direction.
But what is hidden The underground can have a revolutionary political force also in the opposite direction. Right before the US presidential election. told presenter and announcer Latif Nasser the fascinating history of the land known as the “black belt” and that runs through the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and even South and North Carolina. Here, in every American presidential election since the 1970s, you can see how a border of blue Democratic constituencies differs in the predominantly red Republican South. In every election since the early 1970s, the same pattern is observed. Why?
The story begins during the chalk geological period, about a hundred million years ago. At that time, this region was the coast of the American continent. The area was covered in salty seawater rich in plankton, which when it died fell to the bottom and formed extremely fertile soil, ideal for growing cotton much later, when humans reached land. Human rights activist Booker T Washington sums up the rest of the story in one sentence: “The part of the country that had this fatty, dark and naturally nutritious soil was, of course, the part of the South where slaves were most profitable and, consequently, it was where most of them went. “
The enslaved remained and so did their descendants. And since they were granted the right to vote in the late 1960s, despite Republican attempts to keep black voters away from the polls with unfair electoral laws, they have voted Democrats.
“The history of the black belt is painful but profound,” writes Latif Nasser. The dead plankton gave rise to the life of the cotton plants, which in turn led to captivity for the enslaved people who harvested them, but also to a new freedom for the voters who came after them.
The dead plankton gave rise to the life of the cotton plants, which in turn led to the captivity of the enslaved people who harvested them.
In this way, it is easy to see how human history is connected with the conditions of geology and nature in a story of death and freedom, which again took center stage in the presidential elections this year, when the blue border of the votes in the Red South it became clearer than ever. Not least in Georgia, which has voted Republicans in eight of the last nine presidential elections, but this year was one of the states where Joe Biden managed to reverse.
This year’s elections also show how the history of the black belt goes further into the future. In Georgia, the most significant work was not done by Joe Biden himself, but by black women activists like Stacey Abrams, Nse Ufot and Latosha Brown, who sparked a historic mobilization of black women and first-time voters who played a crucial role in the outcome. of the elections.
In the end, it wasn’t the dead plankton that toppled Donald Trump and saved American democracy. They were free people.
Read more chronicles of Björn Wiman. Also subscribe to the newsletter Culture Week with Björn Wiman that arrives in your mailbox every Thursday.
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