Let’s Give Them a Better Deal
We may not be weathering the storm.
I love the tone of this statement about future generations. It was made by Republican Charles Howell III in a 2004 event hosted by the Center for the National Interest, broadcast by CSPAN. Howell III’s words and are to me both down-to-earth folksy and street-smart, straight-talk direct. Of all the statements and language I’ve heard, this phrase “LET’S GIVE THEM A BETTER DEAL” is perhaps the best when referring to future generations and our obligations to them.
In his address at the Middle East in Election 2004 forum, introduced as a committed environmentalist with interest in heritage issues, Howell III swam upstream from the topic at hand and said “I’m here today to represent the interests of my grandchildren, and their grandchildren, and their grandchildren, and their grandchildren. They will be here you know. My youngest grandson is five years old and I have one more on the way. His great grandson will welcome in the next century. I speak to you on his behalf. Our ancestors sowed the wind and we inherited the whirlwind…in our absence in these decisions we inherit the consequences…and the decisions that are made today in the White House will impact my great great grandchildren in some way. You get me gist. Our legacy with future generations promises to be just a rotten as the deal that we got.”
“We can lead people to respect the natural world and leave my great great great grandchildren a better chance for a better deal. When you tell or write about his event or some other, consider the impact on your descendants, they will be here. Consider the impact on your descendants, they will be here. They will be here 2000 years from now. You believe that don’t you? They were here 2000 years ago and they will be here 2000 years from now. To the extant that you don’t believe that, our descendants will pay a heavy price. Because if you don’t believe it you won’t act like you believe it. and you won’t give a damn about them, and that’s wrong.”
Howell III went on to talk about foreign policy and the Middle East with similar straight talk and suggested accountability. “If we continue to do what we’ve been doing, we’ll continue to get what we’ve been getting,” he quoted. “We must do what we must do for the interest of our descendants. We owe them a decent place to live, and decent folks with whom to live.”
“Drastic measures are required,” Howell III said in 2004.
Howell III founded the Trust for the Future which seeks to enhance the world as a legacy for unborn generations.
Perspective Today
Counter to Howell’s ethic, in my opinion, is the ludicrous and widespread partisan efforts to structurally block efforts to consider future generations in our society. Resistance to sustainability topics and structural obstacles being pursued include legal, educational, and public relations campaigns to shape opinions. In other words, come hell or high water, Republicans today are doing anything and everything to stop us from ‘giving them a better deal.’ Maybe the Summer of ’23 will help change minds and cause us to make better decisions for our descendants.
I’ll write more on partisan tactics to obstruct sustainability efforts.
With a nod to Charles Howell III, I adopt his straight talk: “Let’s give them a better deal.”
Middle East Issues and the Republican Platform
Presentation by Charles Howell III begins at 31:49
Retrieved June 27, 2022