Reverend Lennox Yearwood into the conversation, president of the Hip Hop Caucus, from Shreveport, Louisiana, originally, former Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign, also U.S. Air Force veteran. As the president hails the ending of the War in Afghanistan, something that you have protested against, as well as the War in Iraq, you are dealing with your home state, Louisiana, in a kind of other war, not to mention the Delta in the Delta, COVID in the Delta. Can you talk about what you’re learning about what’s happening and what needs to happen now, after Hurricane Ida?
We know who is causing these storms. We know who is causing the climate crisis. They’re right there in Louisiana with us: It’s the fossil fuel industry. So we’ve got to stop it. So, the reality right now is that from 16 years ago, from Katrina, to now, is that we need to move past fossil fuels. That’s it. It has to end right now. We have wildfires, droughts. We have hurricanes. We have folks who are displaced, who are hurting, because of this. And so, the time is right now to stop this madness. It’s time to stop this madness and move beyond fossil fuels. No more talk. No more negotiations. It’s time to move on.
You know, this storm was called Hurricane Ida. And for Chevron and BP and Exxon, it should be “Ida one that caused all this mess.” Yeah, “Ida one” — they the one that caused all this mess. And so, we’ve got to move on, Amy. This is ridiculous. And so, it’s time for us to get serious about this climate crisis. The time of playing games with politics, either Democrat or Republican, the time for playing games with this climate crisis is over. It’s time to put humanity first.
— source democracynow.org | Aug 31, 2021