Where have all the statesmen gone? And the scoop on this week’s eTown airing:

By Helen ~ February 1, 2012

Hello my eTown friends,

This week, it’s more from Lyle Lovett and Taj Mahal, in Part Two of our special ‘eTown’s Green Rocks at Red Rocks’ show, recorded live at the majestic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in the summer of 2010, in front of a enthusiastic packed house. I mentioned last week all the eco friendly practices we put in place for this event: biodiesel bus transportation, carpool incentives, recycling, zero waste zones, renewable energy use, informational booths, the famed eTown Eco Square and more. Despite the stormy skies, everyone is in fine form for this show; and the audience is totally on fire, sudden downpour or no!

In Part One last week, we featured chats with our musical guests and our E-Chievement Award winner. This week, we’ve got more up-close-and-personal interviews, with additional conversation between Lyle and Nick for you, plus Nick talks with former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter about the numerous ‘green’ initiatives he introduced and guided into law (Gov. Ritter was still in the end of his last term when he was originally interviewed for this particular show).

So join Nick and me and the whole eTown crew for more great music and conversation this week, in Part Two of ‘eTown’s Green Rocks at Red Rocks’ event, coming to you from the breathtaking Red Rocks Amphitheatre.  And get a little blast of ‘summer’ in the middle of all this winter!

Now, a question: Where the heck have all the statesmen (and women) gone? I mean, really. The Republican primary circus feels like viewing a shoddy reality show (and come to think of it, I guess that’s what it is, albeit a sad reality). Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum. What a bundle of chuckleheads. Do they think we are so stupid that we would swallow their claim that they actually care about the welfare of the average American?

And the spectacle of it all: the negative ads, the personal attacks, the lying and the flip flopping and the finger pointing and the downright vitriol. What is going on? Is this the best we can do? Have we reduced ourselves to a joke? Must we settle for this? Where are people of integrity, of honesty?

Isn’t there someone out there who operates from a true sense of service, who is willing to actually partake in honest debate and dialogue? Do they think we cannot see how deeply linked they all are with keeping the status quo? That it’s the big money interests who’re funding all this and who stand to benefit at great cost to the American people?

Let’s see, it took 8-10 years for the economy to tank, right? It’s been three years since, and the progress is evident, though painstakingly slow – but whose fault is that really? Anyone with a brain can see that very little has been accomplished because our elected representatives are not working together. I don’t see Congress doing the work they were elected to do; rather, one side wants to negate the other. Period. Make ‘em fail so WE can get back in power. Winning at all costs seems to be the order of the day – the country be damned. Maddening.

So again, I must ask: Where have all the statesmen gone? I would really like to know. And I bet you would too.

Till next week, I wish you well.

Helen

P.S. Check out our website www.etown.org for pics and updates about the progress on eTown Hall. Or join us on the eTown Facebook page or on mine.

Tags: eTown’s Green Rocks, Governor Bill Ritter, Governor John Hickenlooper, Lyle Lovett, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, taj mahal