This is a great deal to take on all at once, but such are the times in which we live.
The drop in oil prices has temporarily relieved the pressure to dig up fossil fuels as rapidly as high-risk technologies will allow. This pause in frenetic expansion should not be viewed as a crisis, but as a gift.
It has given us a rare moment to look at what we have become—and decide to change.
And so we call on all those seeking political office to seize this opportunity and embrace the urgent need for transformation. This is our sacred duty to those this country harmed in the past, to those suffering needlessly in the present, and to all who have a right to a bright and safe future.
Now is the time for boldness.
Now is the time to leap.
NOTES
N.B. Any quotes not otherwise sourced are from the author’s own reporting.
Epigraph
John Trudell: “I’m not looking to overthrow…”
Independent Television Service, “Trudell,” press release for documentary Trudell, ITVS.org, accessed April 24, 2017, https://itvs.org/?about/?pressroom/?pressrelease/?trudell.
Introduction
Kellyanne Conway: “shock to the system”
Kellyanne Conway, tweet, posted by @KellyannePolls, January 27, 2017, https://twitter.com/?KellyannePolls/?status/?825358733945475073.
Halina Bortnowska: “the difference between dog years and human years…”
Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2007), 217.
Donald Trump: “torture works”
Arlette Saenz, “President Trump Tells ABC News’ David Muir He ‘Absolutely’ Thinks Waterboarding Works,” ABC News online, January 25, 2017, http://abcnews.go.com/?Politics/?president-trump-tells-abc-news-david-muir-absolutely/?story?id=45045055.
Steve Bannon: “deconstruction of the administrative state…”
Philip Rucker, “Bannon: Trump Administration Is in Unending Battle for ‘Deconstruction of the Administrative State,’?” WashingtonPost.com, Februrary 23, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/?news/?powerpost/?wp/?2017/?02/?23/?bannon-trump-administration-is-in-unending-battle-for-deconstruction-of-the-administrative-state/??postshare=161487879490400&tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.7e3812cfb71c.
Lawsuit alleging “emolument” from foreign governments
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), “CREW Sues Trump Over Emoluments,” press release, January 22, 2017, https://www.citizensforethics.org/?pressrelease/?crew-sues-trump-emoluments/.
Donald Trump: “the feds” in Chicago
Donald Trump, tweet, posted by @realDonaldTrump, January 25, 2017, https://twitter.com/?realdonaldtrump/?status/?824080766288228352?lang=en.
César Aira: “Any change is a change in the topic”
Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2007).
UK’s Conservative government: become a tax haven for all of Europe
Adam Bienkov, “Theresa May ‘Stands Ready’ to Turn Britain into a Tax Haven after Brexit,” Business Insider, January 16, 2017, http://uk.businessinsider.com/?theresa-may-stands-ready-to-turn-britain-into-a-tax-haven-after-brexit-2017-1.
“Von Olaf Gersemann and Ileana Grabitz. FULL INTERVIEW: Philip Hammond Suggests Britain Could Become a ‘Tax Haven’ after Brexit,” Welt via Business Insider, January 16, 2017, http://uk.businessinsider.com/?philip-hammond-suggests-britain-could-become-a-tax-haven-after-brexit-2017-1.
“Brexit: George Osborne Says Tax Rises and Spending Cuts Needed,” BBC.com, June 23, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/?news/?uk-politics-eu-referendum-36647006.
Donald Rumsfeld: “Milton is the embodiment…”
Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2007), 138.
PART I – HOW WE GOT HERE: RISE OF THE SUPERBRANDS
Martin Luther King, Jr.: “We must rapidly begin…”
Martin Luther King, Jr., “Beyond Vietnam” (speech), April 4, 1967, transcript accessed at Stanford: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute website, accessed April 10, 2017, http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/?encyclopedia/?documentsentry/?doc_beyond_vietnam/.
CHAPTER 1
How Trump Won by Becoming the Ultimate Brand
Hillary Clinton: nearly 2.9 million more votes than Trump
Gregory Krieg, “It’s Official: Clinton Swamps Trump in Popular Vote,” CNN.com, February 22, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/?2016/?12/?21/?politics/?donaldtrump-hillary-clinton-popular-vote-final-count/.
“2016 Presidential General Election Results,” U.S. Election Atlas, accessed April 10, 2017, http://uselectionatlas.org/?RESULTS/.
Poll: hypothetical global votes in American election
WIN/Gallup International Association, “WIN/Gallup International’s Global Poll on the American Election,” WIN/Gallup online, September 4, 2016, http://www.wingia.com/?web/?files/?richeditor/?filemanager/?WINGIA_Global_Poll_on_US_Election_-_FINALIZED_Revised_Global_Press_Release.pdf.
Not A Transition, A Corporate Coup
Oxfam: eight men are worth as much as half the world
Oxfam International, “Just 8 Men Own Same Wealth as Half the World,” press release, January 16, 2017, https://www.oxfam.org/?en/?pressroom/?pressreleases/?2017-01-16/?just-8-men-own-same-wealth-half-world.
NBC News: Trump’s cabinet appointments combined net worth of $14.5 billion
Ben Popken, “Trump’s Cabinet Picks Have a Combined Wealth of $14.5B. How Did They All Make Their Money?” NBCNews.com, December 7, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/?business/?economy/?trump-s-cabinet-picks-have-combined-wealth-11b-how-did-n692681.
Carl Icahn: worth more than $15 billion
“Carl Icahn Profile,” Forbes.com, last modified April 12, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/?profile/?carl-icahn/.
Steve Mnuchin and foreclosures
Sean Coffey, California Reinvestment Coalition, personal correspondence with author or her research assistants, April 24, 2017: “tens of thousands of people were foreclosed on (or kicked out of their homes), with more than 15,000 of those foreclosures happening due to a reverse mortgage, a type of loan that can only be originated to seniors.”
Paul Kiel and Jesse Eisinger, “Trump’s Treasury Pick Excelled at Kicking Elderly People Out of Their Homes,” ProPublica.org, December 27, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/?article/?trump-treasury-pick-excelled-at-kicking-elderly-out-of-their-homes?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter.
Rex Tillerson and ExxonMobil career
ExxonMobil, “Rex Tillerson to Retire, Darren Woods Elected Chairman, CEO of ExxonMobil Corporation,” press release, December 14, 2016, http://news.exxonmobil.com/?pressrelease/?rex-tillerson-retire-darren-woods-elected-chairman-ceo-exxonmobil-corporation.
Exxon and hiding climate science
Amy Lieberman and Susanne Rust, “Big Oil Braced for Global Warming While It Fought Regulations,” LATimes.com, December 31, 2015, http://graphics.latimes.com/?oil-operations/.