This blog post is in response to a press release from the government of the Marshall Islands, which in turn responded to a story on CBS Breaking News. I'm somewhat dismayed that whoever wrote that press release reacted with such hostility. "Yellow journalism"? Excuse me, Mr President, but I've done more to attract attention to the plight of the Marshall Islands than anyone else all year. Where's my Marshallese medal?
It is telling that, when viewed on March 25, 2011, the page carrying the press release also carried an embedded video showing high tide in the Marshall Islands. It is clear the atoll nation is being swamped by rising sea levels and won't be around much longer.
The press release speaks of a 'beautiful and serene country', but that country is shrinking and vanishing, due to carbon dioxide emissions in industrialized countries and their dismal failure to do anything about them. However, to my knowledge, no Pacific nation has responded with anything but meek acquiesence to their unjust fate.
Having lived in the Pacific for 15 months, I am somewhat familiar with the history of the region and have often marvelled at the courage and determination of the peoples who settled the Pacific. Where is that courage now?
In the 19th century explorers and missionairies ravaged local cultures, in the 20th century American atomic tests showered the area with radiation, and in the 21st century the Pacific is being made to pay the price of billions of automobiles driven around in industrialized countries (mine included - I'm as guilty as anyone else in the developed world, and believe me, I'm so, so sorry).
The spectacle of the island nations in the Pacific being drowned due to rampant oil consumption in industrialized countries the way they are is extremely heartbreaking and painful to watch, like a nature documentary of chicks being devoured by a snake.
Sometimes I wish the Pacific Islanders had the presence of mind to take up terrorism or some other form of direct action to rectify one of the great injustices of modern times. At the very least, it would be nice of the Marshallese to drop their inferiority complex towards the US and their cringe-inducing desire to be recognized as a "civilized" country, since it is the activities of such civilized countries that is wreaking such havoc on their islands.
In any case, rather than threatening to sue me - incidentally, my name (Nick Oba, at your service) has been on the About page of CBS Breaking News since the inception of the site, and I resent being called a "faceless individual" as I most certainly have a face - the government of the Marshall Islands should perhaps consider suing all the industrialized nations of the world for the terrible injustice done to their country.
Now THAT would be a step in the right direction, and if my website turns out to have been the catalyst for such action, I'll be happy to have done at least one useful thing during my brief tenure on this increasingly soggy planet.
