Amazing speech from Uruguayan president

[RMorgan]

Hey folks,

Check out this speech from José Pepe Mujica, Uruguay´s president, at RIO +20.

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Cheers,

Raf.

Ps: This guy, I mean, president Mujica, donates 90% of his salary, lives in the same house for forty years and drives an old Volkswagen Beetle. He´s a very good man.

[Muzz]

Thanks RAf. Great speech. Bump.

[WhiteFeather]

Awesome! Great Speech Indeed. Wanishi Raf

The Venus Project offers a comprehensive plan for social reclamation in which human beings, technology and nature will be able to coexist in a long term, sustainable state of dynamic equilibrium
www.thevenusproject.com

Peace.Love.One

W.f.

[Firinn]

I see different text at the bottom, from another interparator I presume. Are there any Spanish:English speakers here who can comment on which is the most accurate English translation?

With Love
Firinn

[seko]

Raf, There is an existing thread posted by billyj

Excellent speech speaking truth.

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?46863-President-of-Uruguay-surprising-Rio-20-summit-speech

[Karunai]

which is the most accurate English translation?

Both are ok but I like more the yellow letters -I guess he/she had more time to work on the translation and rearrange some things- :)

[Marsila]

Mujica is a very good man, and this isn't an ignorant remark by 'poor people who don't know any better' as someone tried to say about these matters last year.

He gives hope that every once in a while, a real good person can come into power.

At one point last year, he even wanted to offer landless people from Paraguay and Bolivia and other none neighboring countries, to just move into land in Uruguay as long as they take care of it.

I know this was posted before, but it is worth listening to this guy over and over until it sinks in what he says!

[bogeyman]

It been a long time since I heard a leader and a politician talking so much common sense!!

[Arpheus]

Simply amazing if half the world had true leaders who shared the same ideals as this man we would be living in a completely different planet then we are today,this man is inspiring it and it gives me hope that someday in the near future more leaders will start to wake up and realize the things that he spoke of,thanks for sharing this Raf!!Thumbs up brother.

[sandy]

This is one sentient human being who is in the know and leading the way for his country and maybe even other rulers or politicians. I love the speech and the man :)

[lightseeker]

This speech was refreshing to listen to. The President of this little country is well grounded, if only there were more AWAKE and AWARE leaders like him. The planet would be changed in the blink of an eye, for the better.

[161803398]

Is the CIA leaving South America alone now while they focus their attention on Africa or will I soon hear that this guy is Communist, his people are having a revolution and he needs to taken out by NATO?

[Tony]

What a wonderful human, these are simply the right words.

[Firinn]

which is the most accurate English translation?

Both are ok but I like more the yellow letters -I guess he/she had more time to work on the translation and rearrange some things- :)

Thank you Karunai. I prefer the yellow text too.

[Watching from Cyprus]

Hey folks,

Check out this speech from José Pepe Mujica, Uruguay´s president, at RIO +20.

cCEgcd7G9Bg

Cheers,

Raf.

Ps: This guy, I mean, president Mujica, donates 90% of his salary, lives in the same house for forty years and drives an old Volkswagen Beetle. He´s a very good man.

That's it, we are moving to Uruguay ;-) Excellent, and thank you so much for posting this. I vote for Jose Pepe Mujica as president of the New Free World Order. Cancel all title deeds on the planet, and start with the British Royal's .

In Honesty and Love
Peter

[Jean-Luc]

Beautiful... and inspiring!

You know what? To this very date of existence of planet Earth as we know it, mankind has never had SO MUCH knowledge at hand, for the worse... but even more – as far as I see it – for the better.

Simple truth but often overlooked when you think of it and when you look at all the problems the world is facing. We collectively know so much more than just 12 or 24 months ago, don’t we? The next question is: what do we do with all that knowledge?

This recently gained (or in some cases regained) knowledge is not the sole fruit of maximization of profits, as the system likes to theorize about it in order to maintain the status-quo (or should I say the chaos-quo?). There are many other motors to hard work and creativity than mere competition. By the way the collective intelligence at work on this forum is a good indicator of this. :)

Even though a fair amount of basic competition did manage – and still does – to bring about many technological breakthroughs in our world, as it is intrinsically based on greed, it also brought a lot of illusions and its corollaries: pollution, health issues & social ravages.

More and more people realize it’s time to move towards more intelligent concepts of existence which, as M. Mujica puts it, maximize overall happiness (including that of plants and animals) instead of the dry and narrow-minded concept of profits. Time to grow! Even if... easier said than done.

Despite the gigantic environmental & social challenges in the world, we basically live in a world of unimaginable abundance... that “just” needs to be creatively and intelligently designed and shared. Ask any vegetable gardener: he will always be better off (and happier) by exchanging knowledge, seeds and plants with his fellow-gardeners than by working all on his own.

If you look at things this way, the same is true for many other things.

I believe some amazing non polluting new technologies – which are at odds with the very “DNA” of the system, i.e. maximizing profits – are just round the corner and could change the face of the world in relatively little time... IF we pay attention* and if we manage to overcome one the largest force on earth: conflicts of interests and inertia.

So: time to free ourselves from centuries of fear and scarcity-based model. Sleeves up!


(*Hopeful hint: among other breakthrough initiatives, The Keshe Foundation, in the fields of health, energy, water treatment, transportation, and more.)

[Molope]

I think i remember hearing on the news that this president told publicly that if the poor and homeless people in his country capital coudnt find a place where to sleep during the nights(Its winter there)He woud open the presidential palace gates and let them sleep there.Hes a true example of how some country leaders shoud be i wish we woud have him on Spain but here we only have liers.

[Mike Gorman]

I applaud the words of this humble, but wise Man; it is the slavery to perpetual acquisition that seals the fate of so many of us; attaining enough to eat, a decent level of shelter and personal transport-this should then be enough , that we can sustain this and not want more and more and more!
to re-focus the gaze of people to the substance of their lives, the quality of friendships and the love they have for their families-I do not mean to re-phrase this man's words, but this to me is an essence that if attained could be the actual secret of life..the open secret.

[wynderer]

this may be slightly off topic -- as a peace & freedom/justice activist for most of my life here in the USA , i have greatly admired the courage of my brothers & sisters 'south of the border' in their many battles for freedom & economic/political justice & , too often, the lives of their families & villages

i can't remember whose interview i heard this in -- maybe Richard Dolan? or Joseph Farrell? -- but someone said that the freedom-fighters in some South & Central American countries sometimes felt --maybe saw -- the souls of their fallen comrades fighting w/them, side by side

Power to the People

[Marsila]

]Is the CIA leaving South America alone now[/B] while they focus their attention on Africa or will I soon hear that this guy is Communist, his people are having a revolution and he needs to taken out by NATO?

LOL, don't I and all other South Americans just wish that!! no they'll never leave their 'backyard' alone. What happened in Paraguay a few months ago is proof of that.

Though I wish those 'presidents' or 'Presidentas' as in my country's case, over there learn from Mujica, and work with him, instead of what keeps happening every now and then...it is very rare someone that good becomes a president anywhere in the world.

[westhill]

It is hard to disagree with a leader concerned over the happiness of his people, but I heard some
facts that will impact this happiness if sustainability is actually his goal. All those cows and sheep.
It takes SO much more resources to farm animals than crops. Is he willing to disrupt his economy or
just other people's? And I'm not a fan of any group or meeting (RIO 20+) that supports Agenda 21.

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[ThePythonicCow]

All those cows and sheep. It takes SO much more resources to farm animals than crops.
Doesn't that depend on how hilly it is?


http://cpt.org/albums/At-Tuwani-harvesting-and-shepherding/19th_May_2008_Shepherds_in_the_South_Hebron_Hills_take_their_flocks_out_to_graze_every_day_Often_the y_are_attacked_by_settlers_or_chased_off_by_soldiers.sized.jpg

[Marsila]

All those cows and sheep.
It takes SO much more resources to farm animals than crops. Is he willing to disrupt his economy or
just other people's?


This is not true at all, as it depends on where it happens.

I'm from Argentina, Uruguay's neighbor, and last time i went back home, I saw for myself, how that is not true at all.

We have the Pampas, a massive grassland. When it was only gaucho's herding their cattle, the cows used to just be there and didn't even need to make an effort to feed off the land.

Now a big amount of that culture and farming, is gone to plant Soy beans instead.

yet a lot of the land that was used to grow these beans since a few years is damaged for good....the soil is no longer good to grow anything at all, but no one wants to admit it, or spread the word after seeing it for themselves. Monsanto makes a big profit from this, so not many people dare speak up. And they simply move to the still undamaged lands, and ruin them this way.

Also a lot of chemicals are used, and they pour straight into the rivers so even more pollution than was usual.

Most of those who benefited from this change from farming animals to that crop (which is used to feed factory animals in Europe and Asia....factory farming is what you may be worried about not the natural one) were those in the government so no comment there, and foreigners....the people of that area, were the most economically and socially damaged by this change.

And it gets worst, as even plum orchards/vines etc plants native to the area, all are removed for such crops as soybeans.

So no it is not true that farming plants uses less resources than farming animals. It depends on the area where it happens, and that is why even research where the fruits and vegetables i eat come from.

And Mujica is the one person and president who cares about EVERYONE not just his own people....see my comment about how he wanted to help landless people from some other South American countries, as he knew it was a big issue for them in their own countries.
Uruguay is just like that area of Argentina, a lot of grass lands, so for them it is actually more sustainable to farm animals.
hope this cleared up some things.

[wynderer]

better to plant trees to hold water, & to use permaculture to grow all food w/o relying on the flesh of animals [committed vegan/Animal Rights person speaking here] -- & for The People to gain control of HAARP weather modification tech, so all lands/peoples have enough water to sustain themselves this way

that said -- this thread is about a leader w/ vision & heart

[seko]

On top of that, El Presidente mas pobre (the poorest president)Sr. Mujica donates 90% of his salary.


El presidente explained he receives $12,500 a month but keeps only $1,250. The public servant told the newspaper, "I do fine with that amount; I have to do fine because there are many Uruguayans who live with much less."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/poorest-president-donates-90-salary-205125869.html

[christian]

All those cows and sheep. It takes SO much more resources to farm animals than crops.
Doesn't that depend on how hilly it is?

Or on the climate. In Mongolia it's been practiced since ages to feed almost exclusively off of your livestock that gazes on the endless pastures, where the soil is hardly allowing any agriculture, due to the very harsh climate. Every spring everybody hopes for quick and abundant rain, so that the pastures will grow grass quickly, so their livestock gets properly fat to make it through the next winter. Generally they have abundant food this way and no ecological problems, despite the fact that the whole country smells like sheep.

But on average it's a valid point, saying that having a vegetarian diet needs less resources and effort. And with new technologies existent and emerging, it surely will become more and more viable to have agriculture with greenhouses and food-towers even in the most desolate areas. I've been present during the slaughter of a sheep and it really turned my guts. I think I could do it, if I had to, but I'd rather choose not to.