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Environmental Advocates Are Cooling on Obama
John M. Broder, New York Times
There has been no more reliable cheerleader for President Obama’s energy and climate change policies than Daniel J. Weiss of the left-leaning Center for American Progress.
But Mr. Obama’s recent enthusiasm for nuclear power, including his budget proposal to triple federal loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors to $54 billion, was too much for Mr. Weiss.
The president’s embrace of nuclear power was disappointing, and the wrong way to go about winning Republican votes, he said, adding that Mr. Obama should not be endorsing such a costly and potentially catastrophic energy alternative “as bait just to get talks started with pro-nuke senators.”
The early optimism of environmental advocates that the policies of former President George W. Bush would be quickly swept away and replaced by a bright green future under Mr. Obama is for many environmentalists giving way to resignation, and in some cases, anger.
(17 February 2010)
Is the Tea Party the Alternative Energy Party?
Jeff Siegel, triplepundit
I have to be honest. I don’t know much about the Tea Party movement. But as someone who sees our two party system as offering little more than the illusion of a real and effective democracy, I applaud any group that stands up and forces the status quo to take notice.
In fact, after doing a little research, it seems to me that the Tea Party – based on their core beliefs – should actually be a very pro-alternative energy party.
You see, there’s little doubt that the Tea Party champions real fiscal responsibility. No more excessive taxes, a balanced budget and no excessive national debt. This is all great stuff, and you’ll get no argument out of me.
But if we take a look at where we are today, you will find that much of our economic burden can be traced back to our reliance on fossil fuels. Certainly the tax burden is real.
…Of course, many, including Tea Party supporters have championed increased domestic oil production as the solution to our oil supply problems.
But if the Tea Party is legitimately concerned about national security (which from what I’ve read, they clearly are), then I would think their support for domestic drilling (at least as far as it being the solution to our energy woes) would be very limited.
I’m not so naïve to believe that we can transition our energy economy without a continued reliance on domestic oil. But it cannot be looked at as anything more than a transitional vehicle. Because the truth is, domestic oil production can never meet our total consumption needs.
As far as domestic offshore oil is concerned (and this is where most of our domestic supplies can be found), the Energy Information Association tells us that we have about 59 billion barrels of “technically recoverable undiscovered” offshore oil. This is not proved reserves, by the way
…I would also make the case that the Tea Party movement should support an aggressive environmental agenda.
You see, I have noticed that Tea Party supporters are very vocal about the right to protect themselves and their families, often focusing on the importance of the 2nd amendment as a way to secure this right. Bottom line: You have every right to protect and defend yourself. And I certainly support that right every step of the way.
But just as I have the right to protect myself from a home invasion or a car jacking, don’t I also have the right to protect myself against those who are harming me and my family by poisoning our air and water?
Think about it. You can’t live without clean water. And if you want to see what toxic air can do to you, take a look at the average lifespan of a Beijing traffic cop, which is 43. It ain’t car accidents and lack of job fulfillment that are to blame. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to wade through the thick smog that blankets Beijing during rush hour, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
…Think about it…
With solar PV on the roof or a residential wind turbine in the backyard, you can produce clean energy and become completely independent of the grid. This ultimately provides economic independence as well as energy independence.
And with your own personal garden or greenhouse, you can grow your own fruits, vegetables and grains – thereby eliminating the reliance on heavily subsidized agriculture. And take it one step further by going organic. This eliminates the reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers – both of which require fossil fuel inputs to create. Fossil fuels that are, you guessed it – subsidized.
In theory, it does seem that the Tea Party’s call for fiscal responsibility, free markets, and personal liberty makes it a strong environmental and alternative energy champion….
(11 February 2010)
Asia-Produced Ozone Making its Way to U.S., Study Finds
Les Blumenthal, McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON – A new study further bolsters concerns that pollution blowing across the Pacific Ocean from China and other rapidly developing Asian nations may swamp efforts to clean up the air in the Western United States and make it difficult for states and cities to meet federal standards.
The study, based on 100,000 measurements over 25 years and a computer model tracking air-flow patterns, found that during the spring, ozone from Asia reaches Washington, Oregon, California and other states west of the Rocky Mountains.
(21 February 2010)
Only 21% Say U.S. Government Has Consent of the Governed
Rasmussen Reports
The founding document of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, states that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Today, however, just 21% of voters nationwide believe that the federal government enjoys the consent of the governed.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 61% disagree and say the government does not have the necessary consent. Eighteen percent (18%) of voters are not sure.
However, 63% of the Political Class think the government has the consent of the governed, but only six percent (6%) of those with Mainstream views agree.
Seventy-one percent (71%) of all voters now view the federal government as a special interest group, and 70% believe that the government and big business typically work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors.
That helps explain why 75% of voters are angry at the policies of the federal government, and 63% say it would be better for the country if most members of Congress are defeated this November. Just 27% believe their own representative in Congress is the best person for the job…
(18 February 2010)
related: Why Washington Is Tied Up in Knots
Unprepared and unplugged: Joe Stack and likely coming attractions
Carolyn Baker, Speaking Truth to Power
Most of us have heard it by now-software engineer torches his own house then crashes his private plane into an IRS office in Austin, Texas on February 18, 2010. Most descriptions of the event were careful not to call the event an act of domestic terrorism, but rather asked: Was Joe Stack a terrorist or a lone nut? And most mainstream media reports pointed out that Stack was not a Tea-Partier, but some progressive media accused him of behaving like one. Wrong questions, wrong answers. Once again, mainstream media reveals it pathetic depth-perception deficit.
As Rich Benjamin of Alternet notes, Joe Stack’s “suicide screed chafes and exposes a raw wound this country does not know what to do with.” Bingo.
In the same week as Stack’s rampage, an Ohio man so enraged about his home being foreclosed upon, even though he owes far less on it than it’s worth, bulldozed the house so that the bank would not be able to repossess it. Not unlike Stack, Terry Hoskins was trying to cope with business debts as well as a lawsuit, and vehemently demonstrated his rage toward banks for all the world to see.
…The corporate capitalist system had forced on American families a lifestyle that left them too busy and too strapped with debt-and of course, too hypnotically entranced with the proverbial “American dream”, to read the signals that were becoming more ominous by the day. Besides, in the pubescent ecstasy of the earning/spending/debt party, who wants to be annoyed with downers like becoming an adult and comprehending the facts and their consequences?
…Tragically, it’s the result of being uninformed and unprepared, and when the excrement hits the circular air mechanism, it results for the unprepared in becoming unplugged-like Joe Stack and Terry Hoskins.
…But how does one “prepare”, and what is preparation anyway?
In my experience, there are three aspects. The first concerns individual and family self-sufficiency which relates to things like learning to grow one’s own food, learning to store and preserve food, understanding and utilizing permaculture design principles in all aspects of life; deeply evaluating one’s living situation and assessing where the most sustainable living venue might be; completely extricating oneself from the debt/credit system; learning natural, holistic healing techniques and wild, edible plant foraging skills. These are only a few of the most basic forms of logistical preparation.
And please note, this is not about becoming a camo-clad survivalist with years of food and water stored underground and protected by an arsenal of weapons. In fact, the reality of our predicament is that the lone survivalist/”apocalypse man” is precariously at risk because survival demands cooperation and coordination.
Therefore, the second aspect of preparation relates to neighborhood and community cooperation, and I believe that the Transition Handbook and Transition movement worldwide offer the most practical, sensible, and feasible model for creating local resilience and self-sufficiency. Those who are skeptical of community preparation often argue that a burgeoning police state will not allow such communities to exist let alone thrive. What they tend to overlook are the realities of energy depletion and economic unraveling which are likely to seriously curtail the functioning of all levels of law enforcement worldwide.
Finally, but in my opinion, most fundamental, is emotional and spiritual preparation for the unprecedented changes which have already begun and which will continue and intensify for many decades to come. It is perhaps the best hedge against becoming “unplugged” in the face of mindboggling chaos and transition. For this reason I published in 2009 Sacred Demise: Walking The Spiritual Path of Industrial Civilization’s Collapse–a poetic manual of emotional and spiritual preparation for navigating the daunting challenges of our uncertain future….
(21 February 2010)
