Saving the World

Money is not Free Speech

2009-10-21T14:19:00.001-07:00

Money is not Free Speech

Why Aren't the Bankers in Prison?

2009-02-15T19:38:00.001-08:00

If I had my way those responsible for packaging sub-prime mortgages would be in prison up to and including the CEO's of the major banking conglomerates. We would also have confiscated their money to cover the cost of the stimulus package.

Picken's Plan vs. Gore's Plan

2008-08-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Picken's has developed a plan to use wind power for 20% of America's electrical energy freeing up natural gas to be used for transportation. (Natural gas burns cleaner than gasoline.)

I am going to take some time to compare/contrast it to the Al Gore plan. (But not in this post.)

I don't yet know whether one is better than the other or whether multiple competing plans are a good or bad thing. I guess we'll all find out together.

Offshore Drilling

2008-08-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

The following comes from Greenpeace:

Gas prices have been jumping over and under the $4 mark all summer, your grocery bills are soaring, and campaign ads are blasting you about the benefits of offshore drilling. So what's an average Joe or Jane supposed to believe? Will offshore drilling really make things better for you? What you're hearing on the news is pretty one-sided, and most reporters are talking about this issue like it makes perfect sense. Well, it doesn't. What can I say, sometimes dumb ideas get a lot of attention. That's exactly what's happening right now as President Bush has lifted the executive moratorium on offshore drilling, and Congress is being pushed to do the same. Let me take just a second to review the top 10 reasons offshore drilling is such a dumb idea:

10. Offshore oil drilling won't impact gas prices today, and it won't have a significant impact on gas prices in the future.

9. This is nothing more than a money grab by the oil companies - who are already making record-breaking profits.

8. We burn 25% of the world's oil here in the U.S., but we have only 3% of the world's oil reserves. So even if all offshore oil magically came to market today, the vast majority of our oil would continue to be imported, and we wouldn't see price relief at the pump.

7. The current moratorium was put in place decades ago to protect us from the danger of oil spills along our coastlines and beaches.

6. Burning fossil fuels like oil causes global warming, which causes stronger hurricanes, which will threaten the very offshore drilling rigs being proposed, which will contribute to even more global warming.

5. To avoid the worst impacts of global warming, we need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy within the next 10 years. The billions of dollars that would be spent on offshore oil drilling just postpones the inevitable transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

4. Oil exploration requires massive seismic testing - which threatens whales and dolphins.

3. Oil prices are set on the global oil market, so American oil is no cheaper than Saudi oil. We won't get a discount for oil drilled in the U.S.

2. We can't solve the world's energy problems with the same drilling that created them.

1. Renewable energy is available now, so it's time to walk away from fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future.

Take Action >> make sure Congress hears from YOU about offshore oil drilling.

Let's face it, there's really no good reason to drill offshore. More drilling is good for Big Oil, not for you and your family. We can't drill our way out of this mess - oil drilling is already at an all-time high and prices are still skyrocketing. As a matter of fact, even if we could tap into all of the energy stored in the Earth's reserves - coal, oil, and natural gas - it would equal the energy in just 20 days of sunshine. Tell Congress to look on the bright side to solve our energy crisis. It's time to invest in renewable energy and leave oil to the dinosaurs. It's time for an energy revolution.

Power to the people,
Melanie Duchin
Global Warming Campaigner

Renewable Electricity in 10 Years

2008-07-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

I was forwarded this link to a speech by Al Gore in which he sets forth a challenge to convert all our electricity to renewable sources in 10 years (http://wecansolveit.org). Seems like a worthy challenge to me.

Non-Smoking Update
I am still living my life as a non-smoker. This is not to say that I haven't had the occasional slip, but I've heard that you only have to quit one more time than you start.

Day Seventeen

2007-11-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

Today is my 17th day as a non smoker. So far the cravings have been bearable, but emotionally things are a little rocky.

I am driving over the pass today which will be challenging as I used to smoke a lot while driving. Wish me luck.

I'll keep you posted avid readers. Lol.

Operation Miracle in Action - Day 3

2007-10-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

Day 3 is going well so far. I found last night that emotional triggers are far stronger than habitual triggers. Still challenging, but I remain smoke free.

Operation Miracle in Action

2007-10-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday I am officially a non smoker. I am calling the process Operation Miracle in Action. Two days is the longest I've gone without a cigarette in 10 years. I was a smoker for 21 years. My smoking habit was old enough to drink legally. (That's my little smoking joke.)

This is all part of my environmental plan, but it took a while to set in motion.

In case you are wondering I am using Chantix in conjunction with EMDR to reduce the urge to smoke. So far it has worked phenomenally well. I have almost no physical withdrawal symptoms at this point. I am also following all the suggestions provided by the associated Get-Quit program. I have found that the challenge is surmountable.

Microloans

2007-09-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

I just made my first microloan through Kiva. I have been meaning to take a look at Kiva ever since I saw them profiled on Frontline. Apparently they have been profiled on a number of other shows and there is so much interest that they have to limit the amount that individuals can lend.

I believe in small business and in helping people to better their economic situations. The criteria I ended up using to choose the business was based on the individuals business as well as the Field Partners rating, delinquency rate, and time working with Kiva.

Deep Economy

2007-08-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a book by Bill McKibben called "Deep Economy." I think that it may be my favorite book on environmentalism thus far. It is basically a series of anecdotes about local solutions from all over the world. I highly recommend it.

I also like how I ran across it. I was at a Live Earth party and it was given to me to read and pass on which I have done.

Please Don't See "Evan Almighty"

2007-06-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is a repost of a friends bulletin from a peer community site:

Please don't see the new Steve Carell film, "Evan Almighty." The film made use of hundreds of exotic animals, including great apes, to produce “the most expensive comedy ever made.” The film’s animal supplier, Birds & Animals Unlimited, has been issued four official warnings by the USDA for chronic failure to comply with veterinary care requirements, failure to provide shelter from heat and sunlight, and failure to maintain enclosures to prevent escape. A few years ago, a child actor filed a lawsuit against Birds & Animals when he was bitten in the face by a chimpanzee.

Additionally, a chimpanzee named Cody who was used in the film was recently surrendered in settlement of a civil lawsuit alleging cruelty to animals. A primatologist who worked for Cody’s trainer for a year testified that the chimpanzees in his care were beaten regularly for training purposes.

It's no longer necessary to use living animals in films now that CGI technology is available... please boycott inherently cruel films such as Evan Almighty.

If you are interested in learning more about the reality faced by chimpanzees exploited in the entertainment industry please visit: http://www.chimpcollaboratory.org/index.htm

Thank you for standing up for those that can not speak for themselves!

Publicly Funded Elections

2007-06-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

If you would like to read the testimony on S. 1285, the "Fair Elections Now Act," to reform the finance of Senate elections and on the high cost of broadcasting campaign advertisements go to: http://rules.senate.gov/hearings/2007/062007hrg.htm.

Publicly Funded Elections, Public Airwaves

2007-06-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

A couple of issues that have come up today include public funding of elections and the public airwaves in regards to the internet.

There are some bills currently in congress associated with the public funding of elections. To find out more and what you can do to help reduce the influence of big money special interests on our political process go to: http://washclean.org/BillInCongress.htm.

The FCC is in the process of deciding how to parcel out chunks of the public airwaves for use with wireless internet. The fear is that large corporations who have invested in physical transmission lines will purchase the airwaves at auction and not allow them to be used. To find out more and how you can help go to: http://civic.moveon.org/airwaves/fccletter.html?id=10525-6717564-ZAvLXW&t=2.

Reverend Billy, Healthcare, State's Rights

2007-05-31T15:44:00.000-07:00

My significant other and I went to see Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping last night. There were four members of the choir and two members of the band. If you see them in New York the choir is much larger and they have a seven piece band. On the way to the performance they changed the name of the church to the Church of the First Amendment to coincide with the theme of the festival at which they were performing.

In a video the Church Director refers to the group as a "Radical Performance Community." I really like the message and the approach. It is nice to approach the issues that we are all facing with a little lighter touch. If you would like to find out more about this organization go to http://www.revbilly.com.

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I watched a news report last night on a town hall meeting in Selah, WA at which Senator Hastings spoke. I was discouraged that 80 percent of the discussion involved immigration reform. It is apparently an important issue to a lot of people, but I feel that it is a bit of a red herring. Immigration reform won't stop global warming. It won't reinvigorate a free press, place politicians in office that represent the will of the people, nor hold corporations accountable for their actions. It also won't bring our troops home.

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Michael Moore's latest movie is about national healthcare. The following comes from the Organic Consumers Association's newsletter:

WATCH MICHAEL MOORE'S INTERVIEW AND TAKE ACTION FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
If you've been reading OCA's Health Page you're aware of the sorry state of the nation's health care system. In 2000, the World Health Organization ranked our system (which is the most expensive in the world) 37th, just after war-torn and drug-ravaged Columbia. In the last seven years, with cuts in employee health benefits and miserly HMO coverage, things have only gotten worse. A 2007 report by the Commonwealth Fund ranks the US last among other rich countries in health care access, patient safety, efficiency, and equity, despite the fact that it spends twice as much on health care. This is the subject of Michael Moore's new documentary, "Sicko." The difference between the US and countries with better health outcomes? Universal health care.
Watch this short interview with Moore and take action for universal health care: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5423.cfm

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Here is some information regarding the further reduction of state's rights to the stranglehold of the federal government which also comes from the Organic Consumers Association:

MONSANTO & BIG FOOD ATTACK LOCAL RIGHTS TO REGULATE FOOD AND CROPS
Since 1998, the biotech industry and industrial food corporations have unsuccessfully tried to take away local and states' rights to ban or regulate genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and other controversial foods and crops. For example, OCA and other public interest groups successfully generated a mass outcry in 2006 that blocked the passage of the National Uniformity for Food Act. This highly unpopular bill would have nullified 200 food safety and food labeling laws across the U.S. Failing to suppress grassroots control over food safety laws and labels in the last session of Congress, industry has now called on their friends in the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry to slip a similar poison pill into an obscure section of the voluminous 2007-2012 Farm Bill. The provision would give the White House appointed Secretary of Agriculture the power to eliminate local or state food and farming laws, such as those in four California counties banning genetically engineered crops, and set an an ominous precedent undermining states' rights.
Tell Congress to repeal this provision before it becomes law: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5424.cfm

If you have been reading along you will recall that I am not to hip to GMOs.

Iraq Deployment Update

2007-05-29T12:53:00.001-07:00

In my last entry I discussed my concern with my youngest brother's possible deployment to Iraq. I have since found out that his agreement with the military is that he cannot be deployed until he has received two years of higher education. I sincerely hope that the military upholds its end of the agreement. We'll see how things play out.

If we can get a Democrat into the White House then maybe he won't have to go to Iraq. It is my understanding that Clinton has ties to big business so I am currently leaning towards Obama or Edwards. Go Doves!

Peace.

Iraq War Hits Home

2007-05-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

I found out yesterday that my father is being deployed to Iraq. He will be serving at the US embassy in Baghdad.

This will be the third war in which he was served. It will be the second war that he has served in during my lifetime.

He has been finishing up his service career in the Army Reserves. He is in his late fifties and left active duty because he was passed over for promotion. It is clear that the military is really hurting for warm bodies.

Fortunately he is a doctor now and not a grunt like he was during the Vietnam War.

I have difficulty understanding his continued association with the military as he became a war protestor after his return from Vietnam.

My youngest brother recently joined the National Guard. I also have difficulty understanding this decision. I was not consulted.

My pacifism was confirmed when my father and my best friend were deployed to the first Gulf War. My father is being deployed again and there is a good chance that my youngest brother will serve in this latest conflict.

It is a sad thing to have to accept the potential loss of loved ones in an unjust and illegal war which does not have the support of the American people or the military and in which I personally have no faith.

If we want to get our troops out of Iraq I believe that we will need to get a Democrat into the White House.

Peace.

MoveOn.org - Virtual Town Hall Meeting

2007-04-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday—April 10th—at 7:15pm Eastern, MoveOn is using the Internet to connect presidential candidates directly to the people.

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, and Joe Biden will answer questions from MoveOn.org's 3.2 million members in the first of three unprecedented virtual town hall meetings. The topic: Iraq.

Sign up for email reminder.

Attend a local house party to watch the Virtual Town Hall with others by going here:
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=80

Here is a one-page background document with more information:
http://pol.moveon.org/iraqtownhall/onepager.doc

Global Warming: Al Gore

2007-03-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

Today I sent the following email to family and friends:

Dear Family and Friends,

It is my understanding that global warming is a real issue caused by human related greenhouse gas emissions with potentially devastating consequences. I believe that it is time for the US to lead by example and implement regulations to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

In that light I am forwarding the following email that I received from Al Gore.

If you choose not to receive emails of this type please let me know.

Love,
T

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Al Gore"
Date: February 27, 2007 10:35:00 AM PST
Subject: Our Next Step
Reply-To: AlGore@algore.com

On March 21st, I'll hand-deliver your message to Washington when I testify at Congressional hearings on the climate crisis.

Can you commit to finding 10 friends to send a message to Congress demanding immediate action?

Ask them to visit:

http://algore.com/cards.html

Dear T,

When the producers of An Inconvenient Truth first approached me with the concept for the film, I was skeptical. Could we really take a slideshow about the climate crisis and turn it into a compelling movie? Davis Guggenheim’s Oscar win for best documentary and a second one for Melissa Etheridge’s beautiful song “I Need to Wake Up” was a testament to their ability, but it was also a testament to you.

It was you who packed the theaters and got your friends to go see this film, greatly increasing the audience. And then this past December, it was you who connected through MoveOn.org and AlGore.com to attend An Inconvenient Truth viewing parties. At those parties and in the weeks that followed, nearly 200,000 of you wrote to Congress, demanding that they address the climate crisis like the planetary emergency that it is.

Even though I have been a life-long movie fan, I didn’t really understand how big of an audience a movie could reach. And of course I never would have imagined in a million years that a movie that I was a part of would receive two Academy Awards—or one—or would have ever been made in the first place! As humbling as this moment is, An Inconvenient Truth will only succeed if it drives all of us to take action. That’s why I’m asking you to join me in the next stage of our fight. On March 21st, I'm going to hand-deliver the messages you signed when I testify at Congressional hearings on the climate crisis.

This is an incredible opportunity to demonstrate to Congress that we demand immediate action. And I need your help to really make this moment count. Can you commit to getting 10 friends to send their message to Congress through AlGore.com before March 21st? The more voices I can bring to Washington, the more powerful our message will be.

To get your friends involved, just forward them this note or direct them to:

http://algore.com/cards.html

There is no longer a debate about the fact that global warming is real. We're causing it. The consequences are serious, and could be headed towards catastrophe if we don’t fix it. And it's not too late. I don't want to imagine a future in which our children say, “What were our parents thinking?” “Why didn't they wake up when they had a chance?” And I know you don’t either.

The hundreds of thousands of you who signed messages to Congress showed me what's possible. Working together we can unite millions of people and build support for real action on a scale that has never been seen before.

Help me take the first step and fill up that hearing room with your signatures. That picture alone will send a powerful message.

Can you commit to getting ten more people to send messages to Congress demanding action to stop global warming?

http://algore.com/cards.html

I’m looking forward to working with you on this monumental task.

Thank you,
Al Gore

I believe that Al Gore received my email address through MoveOn.org. If you are not already a member I would recommend registering with MoveOn. They will keep you busy, but the issues with which they are involved tend to be pretty important.

Corporate Ethics, Publicly Funded Campaigns

2007-02-23T13:23:00.000-08:00

The sun is out and it's snowing which is unusual for Ellensburg, but beautiful nonetheless.

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Corporate Ethics
I have been thinking about the market economy lately and its checks and balances. In a true free market economy business is only regulated by consumer purchasing habits. There are some gray areas where this regulation breaks down. The classic example is in the case of monopolies which limit choice, innovation, and quality.

Another example I would give is in regards to energy dependence. Most Americans are dependent on petrochemically generated energy for heating, food production, transportation and livelihood. It is not realistic to think that we can all live off the grid at this point. Therefore most of us are not able, for economic reasons, to use our buying power to influence the shift to more holistic energy sources. This is where governmental regulation and public pressure come into play.

I am interested in helping to shift the ethical consciousness of the corporate community such that corporate ethics align with a humanistic morality in terms of human rights and the environment.

An organization that I believe does an excellent job in helping corporatocracies to make this moral shift is ran.org.

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Publicly Funded Campaigns
I sent the following email to my friends and family today:

Dear Family and Friends,

I have become concerned about the influence of big money on politics and public policy. This in turn has sparked my interest in publicly funded campaigns.

The show that keyed me in to the potential of publicly funded campaigns was an episode of NOW on PBS which may be viewed at: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/242/index.html.

If you are interested in learning more and perhaps becoming involved on a state level go to: http://washclean.org.

There is also a movement at the national level. To find out more go to: http://www.just6dollars.org.

Love,
T

If you are local to Ellensburg, WA I invite you to attend the Washington Public Campaigns presentation to the League of Women Voters on April 17th at 7 pm in the Hal Holmes Community Center: 209 N. Ruby Street, 962-7240.

The Net @ Risk

2007-02-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

I just caught an episode of Moyers On America called The Net @ Risk. There were a couple of interesting segments.

Internet Connection Speed
The first segment discussed how the US is now tenth in terms of connection speed to the internet. According to the information provided the telephone companies in return for reduced regulation and lower taxes agreed to upgrade to fiber optics across the nation. This means that for the price we are paying for a 3 MBps connection we should have a 45 MBps connection.

The phone companies were previously required to reinvest a significant portion of their returns in their infrastructure ensuring that the structure was maintained and updated. The model was based on public utilities. The deregulation allowed the companies to pocket the profits instead of reinvesting them.

The companies have not been held accountable or forced to keep their promises because, according to one interviewee, they are in bed with the commissioners who are supposed to be monitoring their activities.

To add insult to injury the telecommunications companies are suing municipalities that are trying to implement fiber optic networks for their citizens.

Net Neutrality
The second segment I found of interest discussed Net Neutrality. The internet service providers currently charge us for our internet connection. They would like to be able to charge a second fee to content providers. If the content providers pay the fees their content will download faster.

Previously the ISPs were regulated by a notion called "Common Carriage" which was enacted for interstate commerce and then applied to the communication services. The idea is that some services are so important and powerful that companies should not be allowed to favor some customers over others.

Early in railroad shipping the railroads would charge different rates to different clients for the same service. Railroad companies favored those clients in whom they were invested. This caused problems for towns that were not able to receive necessary goods and thus regulation was enacted.

The regulation was later applied to telegraph companies as they charged different rates to different wire services. The AP was favored and as a result is still the dominant wire service today. The system was also used to favor certain political candidates over others. Thus the Common Carriage regulations were applied to the communications industry.

The same regulations were initially applied to the internet, but internet service providers have been fighting successfully to have the regulations removed. This means that they can promote certain companies over others. They can provide exclusive high speed transmission to one company and deny it to another which in an internet dependent society effectively destroys the potential of the company that is not being favored.

Rick Karr said,

In 2002, the Federal Communications Commission decided that neutrality didn't apply to cable internet and in the summer of 2005, the FCC let phone companies off the hook, too. Suddenly, there were no more net neutrality rules. The FCC replaced them with suggested "principles" for an open Internet.

For more information on what you can do to restore internet neutrality go to: www.SaveTheInternet.com.

John Perkins

2007-01-26T19:10:00.000-08:00

I did want to mention, while I was thinking about it, that my comments on John Perkins, the author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, are only intended to be a review of the speech that I saw. I don't know how credible he or his story actually are. Nor do I know, of what he is sharing, how much is true how much of it is speculation.

Re: Disqualification?

2007-01-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

The dialogue continues:

Hi T,

Haven't watched the documentaries yet, but I will go rent Mr. Gore's video tonight. At the very least, I hear that it has good graphics and I just bought a new HD TV (well, used, but its new to me) so I will look forward to it.

I am in a different position than those that are being directly funded by oil companies but my point is that the oil companies have done me a lot of good. Note also that the opposition, the environmentalists, have done me a lot of bad. They destroyed the town that I lived in and, subsequently, the forests surrounding them with their doltish logging restrictions in the 70s. You know all those dramatic pictures of California forests burning, my home burning? That is not caused by global warming. That is caused by the fact that white fir (aka piss fir) grows like weeds, crowds out the bug and fire resistant Ponderosa pines, gets killed by bugs and becomes a tinder box. But can we cut down those shitty and unnatural (normally they would be destroyed by creeping ground fires) piss firs and let the high quality Ponderosas thrive? No, because the earth worshippers insist that they have souls and are more important than people. Bah.

I would say that personal development and progress is a spiritual process, Tory. Someone that lives 18 years is not going to make as much progress as someone that lives for 500 (oh yeah, did I tell you that I intend to live forever?). And think of it this way, pre-industrial revolution, out of the five of us brothers (Daniel, Conner, Sean, You, I) MAYBE one of us would have made it to adult hood...possibly two of us. But based on solid statistics from the time, not all of us would survive. Tell me, if it was your choice which two of us would you have die in early childhood?

Concentration of power: Yes, this is a problem, especially in places like Zimbabwe and North Korea, where power is concentrated in the hands of a single brutal dictator. It becomes less of a problem in places like the United States where concentration of power is primarly based on economic power...the power of persuasion as opposed to political power, the power of force. Don't get me wrong, I think that there is still too much concentration of power here. Look into the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913. It was done in the cover of night on Hyde island and gave 12 people the power to control your money (money being a representation of energy, btw). THAT is evil. I also really look forward to the time when I can have a cheap, nano-engineered solar array on the roof of my house so that I don't have to pay some government sponsored monopoly (that being the only way that a monopoly can ever exist, btw) way too much money for power. Here in Texas, I am glad to say that the monopolies have been broken up somewhat and there is some decent level of competetion to hold prices down, but I am all about more and more decentralization.

Yes, I would rather pay a little more for organic foods as well, and I often do so for health reasons. But I work with a woman with four young children, divorced from a philandering husband who can't be bothered to pay child support on time. Do you think that she can afford to pay 30% more for organics on a regular basis. I am sure that she would be concerned to hear about those poor people in India, but when it comes down to it, she would rather be able to feed her children. By the way, you talk about those 12,000 people with concern. Have you changed your attitude towarrds people since we last talked? Goodness, I do hope so. Can you then celebrate the fact that the population of the world has more than tripled and life spans have increased dramatically since the industrial revolution began?

As for morality, here is mine: That which supports human life is the good. That which destroys human life is the evil. You speak of the basics of meeting needs. This is important. I would argue that that the energy companies have helped with that tremendously and will prove to be a major bridge to the next revolution, the technology revolution, that is already in its advanced juvenile stage. Do you believe me when I suggest that it is likely that in the next 50 years, the human paradigm will shift from What do you need? to What do you want? Check out a book called "The Age of Spiritual Machines" you can read the chapter headings on Amazon...prepare for your mind to be blown.

As for the rules of competition and creation of wealth. In Atlas Shrugged, Francisco DeAntio says in his famous "Money Speech" that the thing that he most likes about Americans is that we are the first culture to use anything akin to the phrase "Make Money." The revolution there is that, throughout history people believed, and many still do, that wealth is a static thing...that there is only so much of it and in order for one man to have something, it must be strippped, usually by force, from another. This is simply untrue. Wealth is a growing thing and it is created every time a man conceives of an idea and then turns it into some usable framework. These computers that we are typing on are wealth. Did they exist, even as a thought, 500 years ago? The homes that give us shelter, the medicines that keep us well, the foods that keep us whole and, yes, the energy sources that underly it all, these are wealth and wealth is a thing that grows and expands...as long as humans are free to create it.

Note that it is the places with less freedom that have less wealth. North Korea and Zimbabwe being two extreme examples. India is an example of a place still fraught with beauracratic bunglers, but far more free than it was even five years ago. China is another good example. Ireland is a great example as well. In the early 1990s they got rid of anti-business socialist policies, cut taxes to the bones and said, "Come on in, we want jobs!" Now they are one of the wealthiest countries in the EU! Note that Iceland followed suit right around the turn of millenium. Both of these countries had basically been in depressions for the last 1000 years. Where do you think that they will be in 10 years from now? And when was the last time you heard of someone blowing up school children in Belfast? Right around 10 years ago, I think...what a coincidence.

>>When the majority are being harmed (when I say majority I include not only the human majority, but the flora and fauna as well) such that the minority can fiddle while Rome burns then it is time to affect a change.<<

Believe me, I am right with you when you say that it is time to effect a change. The question is, how do we do it? Do we enact destructive government regulations making it impossible for the energy companies, and as a result, anyone else to do business, as Al Gore advocates, or do we allow the natural progress of science develop new energy sources? Once again, I think that ten years from now, fossil fuels will be a non-issue. Well, maybe it will kick into high gear 10 years from now and be a non-issue in 20. Is that soon enough?

Now, here is my next question: Is that really what you are after? If it is, you are in luck because it is coming. But if you have bought into the Anti-human agenda that drives modern environmentalism (it ceased to be pro-environment many years ago) than you will continue to be frustrated. You remember our talk about the Singularity and Event Horizons? We have passed the first event horizon. There is no turning back now. Personally, I am very happy and that is because I have a comfortable understanding of it and a well-founded belief in the goodness of people. Really consider reading the books "The Age of Spiritual Machines" and "The Singularity is Near." I think that they are very important, if not the most important books that you can read regarding your business. I will look into "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" although I do have to tell you that I am much more interested in the future than the past.

Finally, altruism is a sham. I help people. For example, the woman with four children who I work with, I got her the job. Did I do it for altruistic, sacrificial reasons. Hell no. I did it for selfish reasons. I did it because I knew that she would do a good job and make me look good. I also did it because it felt good and right. Would I have done it if I thought that she would be a lazy tax on resources and make me look bad? No, I would not. I would never be an altruist.

OK. I have to run!

Love,

D

And my response:

Hi D,

It sounds like the forest you were talking about may have been mismanaged. Were the firs natural to the area?

You do touch on the philosophy that humans are above and somehow separate from the natural system upon which we depend for life. Personally I revere all life. And if we don't support natures biodiversity then the long term consequences for humanity are potentially disastrous.

It's true that the oil companies have made some things more convenient for a few people in the short term, but our awareness of the cost of a petroleum based society has grown. It is not sustainable in the long term (by long term I am not talking about 10 years, but the truly long term) for a couple of reasons. We are all aware that petroleum resources are finite, but more than that we have learned that the side effects of a petroleum based society are harmful in the short term (in terms of damage to the flora and fauna as well as human rights abuses) and have long term global ramifications of human suffering on a scale that has never before been experienced.

I am not a luddite and I apologize for allowing you to couch the argument in those terms, but I believe that we should take the time to carefully weigh the consequences and future ramifications of the actions we take and the products we create.

Economic power is political power. Armies don't fight for free and our government is currently beholden to the investment of special interests. Right now we are embroiled in an engagement that is rooted in economics (I had a history professor in high school whose contention was that all wars are rooted in economics). War is profitable. The documentary "Why We Fight" discusses the military industrial complex and how dependent all the states are on military contracts. The current administration has ties to the corporations that are making a lot of money off of many aspects of the current conflict.

The conflict currently goes against the will of the American people and if we weren't led into it by lies I don't believe it would ever have popular support. It does however make a lot of money for a few individuals. (I really wish that Daniel hadn't joined the National Guard.)

Corporations will not hesitate to use force, if they can get away with it, to forward their interests. I don't believe we see as much of it as we used to in America, but both overt and covert incidents of corporate violence still happen all over the world.

We have also externalized slavery and made it more economically feasible. Workers in developing nations (often children) work ridiculously long hours for subsistence or below subsistence wages and our corporations don't have to feed or house them. Many Americans have their needs and many of their wants fulfilled, but our current system is based on exeternalized slave labor.

I am curious about the Federal Reserve. You have studied more about economics than I have so if you want to provide me with more resources in terms of economic theory I am interested.

I feel for the woman who is raising four children. Fortunately we have some social systems in place that will at least keep Americans from starving to death.

One of the reasons I am a proponent women's education is that the more highly educated a woman is the longer she will wait to have children and the fewer children she will have. I am also an advocate of birth control. I have done pro-bono work for an organization promoting women's education in a number of developing nations. I also contribute money, goods, and services to organizations that I believe to be worthwhile.

However your mention of the single mother just reinforces my point. There are currently more people on the planet than we are willing or able to care for. The stated ideal of the Green Revolution was to alleviate the suffering of the starving masses. What actually happened was that it allowed the population to explode (while at the same time having negative impact on the environment and not alleviating starvation) and set the world up for even greater suffering as there are now significantly more people who we are unwilling or unable to support.

Although the 20,000 individuals who lost their lives in Bhopal is a significant number it is just one small example of corporate negligence. The list of tragedies created by corporate malfeasance is seemingly endless. You can turn on PBS late at night and see different shows documenting human and environmental injustices night after night. It is my contention that as a member of the privileged class with the time and resources to make a difference that I am honor bound to try to improve the quality of all life on this planet.

There are some traditional methods of controlling population: famine, disease, and war. There is also an unexplained wave of male infertility that may tie in to the population issue. As self aware, forward looking beings we have to ability to reduce population to manageable levels without the tragic suffering caused by famine, disease, and war.

You mischaracterize my position when you say that I am anti-human. I characterize myself as a humanist with the ultimate extension of humanism being environmentalism. The environment is a requirement for the support of human life. If we destroy the worlds natural resources in a pell mell rush to hedonism we are shooting ourselves in the foot (maybe in the head).

I would like to point out that the author John Perkins, who I mentioned in my last email, is sharing aspects of his personal history so that we can understand what is happening in the present.

My understanding of Objectivism is that it is a somewhat dated philosophy from the Modern movement. The idea being that only special individuals with unique characteristics should rise and lead whereas Postmodern thought is more along the lines that large groups of people affect change and that the leaders are not unique or special, but are merely fulfilling a role for the whole (that rhymes).

I caught a trial PBS show called "22nd Century" that may have been inspired by the Kurzweil book. The information was interesting, but the premise of the show (a debate between the ghost of Aldous Huxley and a woman from the future tied in to the World Wide Mind) was a little hard to take and the editing (fast cuts, weird choppy zooms, and hoaky background graphics) was terrible.

I read a bunch of reviews of the Kurzweil book, The Age of Spiritual Machines. The reviews were mixed although the consumer reviews averaged four out of five stars. I also read the table of contents which has chapter summaries. It sounds like an interesting book, but it is not available at my local library and the odds are against my buying it.

Love,
T

Disqualification? - Email Correspondence

2007-01-23T15:27:00.000-08:00

The following is an email from one of my brothers with whom I am corresponding:

Hey T,

Just sent you a couple of articles from Capitalism Magazine...my favorite resource, of course. Sorry it has taken me a while to respond to your last e-mail. I have been busy.

Unfortunately, I think that I have to disqualify myself from this debate entirely, according to your standards. You see, I have been very recently bought off by the energy companies. Actually, I have been receiving benefits from them my entire life! Even more so now that I am in Texas, of course.

You see, all of my life the energy companies have provided me with many of the things that I need to live. They fuel my transportation, they heat my homes, they fertilize the crops that provide me with foods (the vast majority of fertilizer is made from crude oil). Furthermore, they have enabled the scientific developments in areas such as medicine, computation and creation of new textiles and other advanced materials.

Without the energy companies, I could not even conceive of having a debate such as this! I would be far too busy eking out an existence--hunting for my food, fighting off predators and rival humans, tending a few meager crops and hauling putrid water from contested sources.

In fact, without the energy companies, I would very likely be dead by now! The average lifespan in pre-industrial Europe was 18 years. Maybe I would have made it to 25 and been an "elder" but I would probably have been killed off as soon as I was perceived as a non-contributing tax on slim resources. Of course, that all would depend upon me making it through my first five years--the vast majority of children did not back then.

So, according to you and Mr. Gore, I am not qualified for this debate because everything that I am, everything that I love and everything that I look forward to is made possible, directly or indirectly, by these energy companies that you demonize. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to the time when nano-engineered solar arrays completely replace our need for carbon based energy--that is about 10 years from now according to fairly reliable models. But the only reason that I look forward to that is it is CHEAPER. I will be able to devote the resources that I am currently, quite literally, burning to far more valuable pursuits.

Talk to you soon.

D

The following is my response:

Hi D,

It's nice to hear from you. I hope that you are doing well. Have you had a chance to check out any of the documentaries I recommended?

You are in a different position than those being directly funded to produce propaganda for the oil industry. You are not beholden to the oil companies in the same way. You are a customer not a client and there is a significant difference. I do understand that you are invested in the status quo as you enjoy the creature comforts and aspire to an upper class lifestyle.

The industrial revolution and organic chemistry have changed the way that we conduct our lives, but I don't believe that because a person only lives 18 or 30 years that their life is any less worthwhile, fulfilled, or meaningful. Many of the great heros of our age lived less than the average life span. I also find family farming to be a noble profession.

There are a couple of issues that I have with the concentration of power:
1. Traditionally the concentration of power leads to human rights and environmental abuses.
2. It makes it difficult to affect a change even when that change is clearly necessary.

You mentioned fertilizers in your email. An example of corporate negligence I would give is the Asarco fertilizer plant in Bopal, India. The management of the company did not feel it was cost effective to maintain the plant even though they were warned of potential calamity by on-sight engineers. The result was a leak that killed 20,000 Indians and crippled countless others.

I would rather pay a little more for organic foods than to have the blood of those people on my hands. This is just a small example, but if you do some research you will find that in the long run it is probably not a good idea to use chemical pesticides and fertilizers. They cannot be metabolized by animals, the run-off causes algae blooms, they deplete the soil in such a manner that once used they have to continue to be used and in larger quantities, etc.

Which brings us to morality. A french philosopher named Henri Louis Bergson wrote a book called The Two Sources of Morality and Religion, in which he discusses various levels of morality. The first level is the individual. One has to make sure that their basic needs for water, food, shelter, etc. are being met. The next level is the family, then the community, the state (nation), and finally the world. (By extension I would add all life.)

We have been given many gifts and privileges. Our basic needs have been more than adequately met. Therefore we are able (and I would argue that we are obligated) to focus our moral attention on those larger, all encompassing levels of morality.

I heard the former Treasury Secretary speak on Charley Rose last night and one of the things he mentioned was that a strong dollar means that in an exchange of goods Americans receive more than they give. Sounds like a swindle to me. The premise is (if you read between the lines) that in order for us to maintain a "high" standard of living we have to take advantage of others forcing them to have a lower standard of living. I think this is a fallacious premise. I much prefer the idea that we are all on the same side in this life and that we can all have our basic needs met without having to put each other down.

The former Treasury Secretary also spoke about the growing gulf between the upper and lower classes in America and the shrinking middle class. Haiti is a good example of what happens in a barbell economy. The land is devastated environmentally as the poor do whatever they can to meet their basic needs. The wealthy live in armed camps and cannot travel without body guards for fear of kidnapping. There has been a series of corrupt elected officials and dictatorships that have to be periodically removed by an organized group of armed dissidents. I fear that in the not too distant future we may be facing similar challenges.

I saw a video of John Perkins speaking at a Veterans for Peace convention. He wrote a book called Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. I haven't read the book, but I think that it would be right up your alley and he did cover the basic ideas in his speech. If you would like to read more of my thoughts on the speech go to Corporatocracy, Carbon Offsetting, Clean Elections.

One of the things that I did find interesting was his mention of the fact that CEO's are people. They have families and they care about the future of the planet, etc. However they often needed to be forced by pressure from the outside in order to make holistic changes. This is because they fear losing their lucrative positions. The CEOs need public pressure in order to show their share holders that changes are justified.

When the majority are being harmed (when I say majority I include not only the human majority, but the flora and fauna as well) such that the minority can fiddle while Rome burns then it is time to affect a change.

We spoke once about altruism. As I recall you mentioned that altruism requires suffering and therefore must promote suffering in order to be justified (this is a paraphrase from what I recollect). I think that idea has the facts reversed. Suffering exists. Altruism is a response to suffering. Therefore altruism exists because suffering exists.

We are all in this together. I want the same things for you that I want for myself as well as for everyone and everything else which is health and happiness.

I haven't had a chance to view all the links that you have forwarded, but I will as time permits.

Love,
T

Corporatocracy, Carbon Offsetting, Clean Elections

2007-01-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

Corporatocracy
Last night I watched a video of a speech by John Perkins who is the author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. He was speaking to the Veterans for Peace.

He was discussing the tactics that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in conjuction with multinational corporations and the US Government use to coerce developing nations. The goal being to exploit the natural resources of developing nations as well as to earn money for corporations by helping the developing nations to "modernize".

An individual like John Perkins would approach the leadership of a given country and offer them a loan from the World Bank to help "modernize". Private corporations such as Haliburton would then be hired to come in and build roads, ports, power plants, cities, etc.

John Perkins contends that the modernization was not of benefit to the average citizens of these countries as they are to poor to be connected to the power grid, too poor to have cars to drive on the roads, nor would they be likely to have boats that would benefit from the ports.

The loan money would actually end up in the pockets of the corporations doing the work without benefiting the people of these developing countries.

The loan amounts would be too large for the developing nation to ever be able to repay which gives what he calls the "corporatocracy" leverage. When the developing nation is unable to pay its debt it is asked to sell its resources to the "corporatocracy" for less than market value or vote a particular way in the UN, etc.

If the leader of the developing nation refuses to accept the loan then they are coerced with subtle threats of violence.

The next level of escalation is to send in what Perkins calls the "Jackals" which are CIA operatives used to assassinate the particular leader. He gives a list of leaders who have been assassinated or died under mysterious circumstances.

If the "Jackals" fail then the US military is mobilized, the recalcitrant government is removed and it is replaced with a government that is willing to deal.

It is his contention that 9/11 can be linked to these actions. Apparently US corporations through a deal with the Saudis built facilities near holy sites which enraged Osama Bin Laden and may have been the catalyst for the terrorist attacks.

Perkins also contends that the Iraq war is due to Saddam Hussein's unwillingness to accept the deal offered by the "corporatocracy" and the failure of the "Jackal's" assassination efforts.

Perkins is encouraging a holistic shift in corporate policy that gives greater value to the workers, greater environmental consciousness, and the end of exploitation and destruction of native cultures. He also believes that if we want to end terrorism we need to respect the cultures and religions of other peoples and to ensure that everyone in the world has a standard of living that precludes things like starvation.

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Carbon Offsetting
The Christmas present that my significant other gave to her extended family was to offset their carbon footprint. Her contribution was to carbonfund.org which also helped her determine how much to offset.

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Clean Elections
I think that publicly funded elections are a good starting point in terms of regaining control of the American democratic process.

We heard RFK Jr. speak a few weeks back and one of the things he mentioned is that in order for a democracy to work we need an informed populace which in turn requires a free press. In order to have a free press we need officials that are not beholden to special interests such that they can rework the regulations governing our broadcasters. (He mentioned the damage that the Reagan Administration did in terms of loosening broadcast regulations.)

If we want to reign in the power of the multinational corporations and hold them accountable then we need to free our government from the grip of their monetary influence.

Many of the issues I have researched tend to loop back to the issue of corporations running amok and being allowed to do so because of the influence they have on the varying governing bodies in the world.

For example, I am concerned about the safety of our food supply. There is a concerted effort to reduce organic standards (http://organicconsumers.org) and the panels that are intended to oversee the safety of our food supply are being stacked with industry insiders (this has been cited in the mainstream media as well as a number of independent documentaries I have viewed). We are also being sold Genetically Modified foods with no requirement for package labeling. And most recently we are being sold foods from cloned animals. The fact that there are no labeling requirements means that consumers are not being allowed to make an informed decision about their food purchases.

If consumers were allowed to make an informed decision about their food purchases I believe that the majority would choose not to purchase GMO or cloned food products. The companies producing these "foods" believe the same thing which is why they are fighting so hard to keep the products from being labeled.

Which brings us back to public officials being allowed to represent the will of the people and not the desires of special interests.

Here is the URL of the PBS show that originally sparked my interest in clean elections: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/242/index.html

Here is a link to an episode of Town Hall Seattle presenting A Public Forum: Clean Elections:
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=5070703

Publicly Funded Elections

2007-01-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

I can't recall if I have discussed publicly funded (clean) elections before. I caught a show on PBS a few months back that covered the issue. Versions of publicly funded elections exist in Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont.

The idea is that candidates have the option of running a publicly funded campaign. They will receive funds up to a set limit that will allow them to run against privately or other publicly funded candidates. The intent of "clean" elections is to reduce the amount of influence that special interest groups have on our public officials.

Here are a couple of links if you are interested in finding out more:
http://washclean.org
http://www.just6dollars.org

I contacted washclean.org as I am interested in joining or helping to organize my local chapter.

I am ready to take action. In order to resolve some of the serious issues that this generation is facing we are going to need public officials that are not beholden to special interests.

Entries from earth.toryj.com

2007-01-20T23:49:00.000-08:00

I have finished posting the entries from my original blog site. If you are interested in reading any of the older entries they may be found at http://earthsanity1.blogspot.com. Or in the sidebar there is a link called Saving the World - The Beginning under the heading The Early Entries.

For the early entries I have posted the original date next to the title. Some of the titles may have changed from the original.

Excerpts from Correspondence

2007-01-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

The following are a couple of excerpts from emails that I have sent to one of my brothers who has a slightly different viewpoint than my own.

Email excerpt number one:

There are also three movies I would like you to view. You may disagree with some of the information they provide, but I would ask that you watch them with an open mind and if you disagree to backtrack the sources to either verify or debunk them and in return I will do the same for any information you provide me.

The three movies are:
The Corporation
An Inconvenient Truth
Life Running Out of Control and/or The Future of Food

I think that Life Running Out of Control is the better choice, but The Future of Food is available through NetFlix which the former is not.

Email excerpt number two:

A Truncated Response to:
An Inconvenient Truth: An Inaccurate Depiction of the State of Global Warming Science
by Robert C. Balling Jr. (October 13, 2006)
(http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4806)

1) The Revele article sited is 14 years old.
2) I don’t know anything about declining atmospheric moisture.
3) Gore shows research covering 600,000 years not merely 1000 years.
4) Gore doesn’t discuss greater frequency of storms, but greater intensity.
5) Gore doesn’t claim that the sea has risen significantly yet, but that it has the potential to rise.
6) a) Gore admits that he was mistaken in not pushing to sign the Kyoto treaty.
6) b) It is the responsibility of the US to lead the world by example.

5 out of 6 points the article is making are either deceptive or inaccurate. Balling also appears to have received funding from oil and gas companies which makes his objectivity suspect. I would be hesitant to use this article as a refutation of global warming arguments.

"Balling is a declared 'global warming skeptic.' However, in Balling and Sen Roy (2005) he writes: 'There is substantial evidence that a non-solar control has become dominant in recent decades. The buildup of greenhouse gases and/or some other global-scale feedback, such as widespread changes in atmospheric water vapor, emerge as potential explanations for the recent residual warming found in all latitudinal bands.'" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Balling

"Balling has acknowledged that he had received $408,000 in research funding from the fossil fuel industry over the last decade (of which his University takes 50% for overhead). Contributors include ExxonMobil, the British Coal Corporation, Cyprus Minerals and OPEC." - http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_C._Balling

Robert C. Balling Jr. has received funding from ExxonMobil according to http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/personfactsheet.php?id=5

"Robert C. Balling, Jr. has received more than $400,000 from the coal and oil industries,” according to the Center for Media and Democracy. - http://www.answers.com/topic/robert-balling

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A Truncated Response to:
Wake up and Smell the Ammonia
by John A. Charles, Jr. (January 3, 2007)
http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4885

This author makes some valid points in terms of the significant impact that livestock production has in terms of greenhouse gases. It is one of the reasons that I am a vegetarian.

However the following is from an EPA report:
“Although transportation is a vital part of the economy and is essential for everyday activities, it is also a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2003, the transportation sector accounted for about 27 percent of total U.S. GHG emissions, up from 24.8 percent in 1990.” - http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420r06003summary.htm

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A Truncated Response to:
The Real Inconvenient Truth About Global Warming: Skeptics Have Valid Arguments
by Tom DeWeese (December 19, 2006)
http://capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4870

“The main source of such thinking seems to come from the Eden Institute, operating out of New York and with close ties to the UN. The official use of globally acceptable truth is best described in a letter to the Eden Institute from Robert Muller, Assistant Secretary General of the UN. He wrote, ‘I am referring to the need to establish a body of objective, globally acceptable information to serve as a foundation for global education…Its (Eden Project) formula for identifying universally acceptable objective data is truly unique. It achieves this distinction by establishing a global standard for inquiry.

Translation: We will decide what is truth and all new information or scientific discovery will be judged on whether it matches this ‘globally acceptable’ truth.”

I believe that Tom’s translation may be a little skewed. I think the keyword in the quote is objective. I would point out that the Bush administration has stacked the environmental and organic commissions with industry insiders as has been reported in the mainstream media as well as documentaries such as The Future of Food; that reports by government scientists have been censored (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/24/politics/main564873.shtml); and that NASA would attempt to silence their own experts (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/science/earth/29climate.html?ex=1296190800&en=28e236da0977ee7f&ei=5088)

“There are over 12,000 environmental groups in the country controlling over $20 billion in assets...”

The author seems to suggest that there is a money motive behind the attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but according to him the total funds that have been devoted by all the environmental groups to this issue is $20 billion. This is less than one years profit by one oil company.

If you want to look at money as a motivating factor then it seems the oil industry has a huge stake in maintaining the status quo.

Tom DeWeese has received funding from ExxonMobil according to http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/personfactsheet.php?id=1158

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I’ll take a look at some more of the articles, but I have a hunch that anyone writing for Capitalism Magazine is going to have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

Concentration of power has always been a dangerous thing and traditionally leads to human rights abuses, etc. The multi-national system of corporations that we are currently experiencing borders on fascism due to the amount of power that a few corporations wield. It is a corruption of the original intent of corporations which was to serve the public good by working on large scale projects.

By law a corporations main obligation is to earn profits for its shareholders. The shareholders may do good works with their profits, but the corporations themselves are not humanist because they can only promote good works if it serves the bottom line.

There are a couple of other documentaries that I would like to recommend. I find them fascinating on a number of levels. They are:

Why We Fight
Who Killed the Electric Car

There are also a couple of books that I have found to be worth reading:

The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability
by Paul Hawken

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
by William McDonough & Michael Braungart

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-12-12T00:50:00.000-08:00

If you haven't yet seen the Al Gore documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, then I would strongly encourage you to watch it.

Call for Change

2006-11-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Today is election day. It's a tight race and it's not too late to make a difference.

Click on the graphic to help make some calls and ensure a democratic change on this election day.

(Please feel free to leave a comment about your experience.)

Iraq War | World Bank, IMF, WTO

2006-10-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

The Ellensburg Film Festival is in full swing and I just caught an interesting double feature. The first movie was Falluja: Caught in the Crossfire and the second was Argentina: Hope in Hard Times.

The Iraq War
The first movie was about the devastation of Falluja caused by US troops. The city was decimated and now operates under marshall law in an effort to crush the insurgency. It was devastating.

One of the facts that the film brought up is that the average family in Falluja had six to eight children which means that the majority of the civilians killed or wounded and that the majority of the refugees are children. I am not a proponent of large families, but I am even less of a proponent of killing, maiming, and orphaning children.

I don't believe that the American presence in Iraq will ever have a positive outcome. The resentment against American troops runs deep.

Our top down theory of control has failed.

We should pull our troops out of Iraq and allow the people of the region to determine their own fate. The consequences of our actions will no doubt be terrible, but our continued presence is not stabilizing the region and is engendering a dangerous amount of resentment.

How then can we get our government to pull the troops out of Iraq?

I just received a phone call from moveon.org asking me to make phone calls encouraging individuals to vote in those areas where the Democrats have the potential of winning a seat in congress. I think I am going to take them up on their offer.

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World Bank, IMF, WTO
The second flick I caught was about the Argentine depression which apparently was caused by the Argentine government listening to the advice of the IMF and WTO.

The Argentine economy had been the sixth largest in the world with a flourishing middle class. The government supported and regulated industry.

Following the advice of the aforementioned organizations the government privatized many government services and reduced industry regulations. Government and industry borrowed heavily. The farming industry was encouraged to specialize and export. The end result was a depression, bank closures, 40% unemployment and starvation. There are now basically only rich and poor in Argentina with no middle class.

The former head of the World Bank, a nobel prize winning economist, is featured in the film. He states that current economic theory has failed in every emerging economy. I expect that he is no longer head of the World Bank because it was easier to get rid of him than to change a failed system.

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There are certain issues that we need to look at globally. For any issue that impacts your neighbor, your neighbor should be allowed input. Pollution and toxins including nukes as well as population are issues that impact us all. Other than that people should be allowed to resolve their issues locally.

The ideas of the WTO seem contrary to the long term survival of the human race. Massive imports and exports in no way diminish the global climate change of which we are in the midst.

Get Active - Internet Activism

2006-09-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I received some internet activism emails today from which I am posting excerpts. The first two excerpts are from Greenpeace:

Green my Apple, Steve
Here at Greenpeace, we love our Macs. And that's why we want them to be free of toxic chemicals that create poison e-waste. We've seen the kids in Asia who wade through mountains of discarded gadgets to recover bits of metal they can sell. In the process, they breathe dioxins from burning PVC plastic and are surrounded by lead and mercury pollution. That's not what Apple is all about. And we know just the people to make Apple change its ways: its customers. Love your Mac? Wish it came in green?

Let Apple know how much you want them to be green.

I am a long time Mac user so of course I responded by sending an email to Apple.

Here's another:

Hi, my name is Sini Harkki and I would like you to help me in Finland. I'm a student and in my spare time I work to save forests in Finland and around the world. I've been working with Greenpeace helping an undercover investigation team expose wood that's been illegally logged in Russia and imported into Finland.

We are trying to make the Finnish Government take responsibility for this problem, but they've been avoiding the issue. When we told our Government about this illegal logging scandal they said that they shouldn't get involved! Wood from Russia is made into many things, like paper, cardboard for packaging, plywood and furniture - and you might even be buying it.

You can help by sending a letter to Mr Mauri Pekkarinen, Finland's Minister of Trade and Industry, asking for laws to stop illegal timber being imported and sold in Europe.

I responded to this plea as well.

I also received a forward from a friend regarding voting machines:

Dear Friend,

Paperless electronic voting machines will be used once again
this fall, and already during the primaries they failed. In
Maryland crowds of legal voters were turned away from the polls
when the machines couldn't be started.

There's a simple safeguard -- have enough paper ballots on hand
so the election can go forward even if the machines let us down
again. Obvious, right? Senators Boxer (D-CA) and Dodd (D-CT)
have introduced a last-minute bill which would provide money to
any state that is willing to print up the paper ballots. It's
cheap, it's easy, and there's no reason not to do it. But time
is short.

Join with me and TrueMajority to tell your Senator to support
the emergency paper ballot bill.
http://action.truemajority.org/campaign/paper_ballot?rk=YdwuYVS1GX4nW

It seems like a no brainer that if people show up to vote that they should be allowed to vote.

Part of my personal environmental plan is internet activism. If you are not currently active I encourage you to become active. Never before has it been so easy for the middle class of America to take part in influencing national and world politics.

Philanthropy, SRI, Venezuela, Making a Difference

2006-09-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

I applaud billionare Richard Branson's recent promise to donate $3 billion of profits from his travel industries towards solving the global warming issue. I also applaud Bill Clinton's Global Initiative and the involvement of Bill Gates.

It's about time some power brokers stepped up in a public and financial way and started trying to right the wrongs that their companies have helped to perpetrate.

Even the Bush administration has promised $3 billion toward alternative energy research. Of course this seems like a paltry sum for an administration that is spending $85 billion a year on the war in Iraq.

For those of us who are not billionaires, but are striving for financial security, here is an article on Socially Responsible Investing:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_2415.cfm

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I have also been hearing a lot about Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. Apparently Venezuela is sitting on the greatest remaining oil reserves in the world.

After calling Bush "Satan" in front of the United Nations Chavez has pledged to double the amount of low cost heating oil that Venezuela will provide to the people of America who are less fortunate financially.

Oil moneys are also being used to finance free health care to the people of Venezuela who are less fortunate financially. The cost of gas in Venezuela is currently $0.20 per gallon.

Now I don't agree with low gas prices, but at least Chavez is trying to do something helpful with the oil profits as opposed to building palaces and mansions. (Don't get me wrong, I haven't done much research so he could be building palaces as well as helping people who are destitute.)

I am not a communist (although maybe I should be), but I do wish that our government were comprised of philanthropists instead of war profiteers.

I also think it is interesting that communism and democracy are not mutually exclusive ideals as we have been taught to believe.

Chavez's political adversaries have accused him of pandering in order to win the upcoming election. In that regards, helping people out just might work.

-----

I have a friend that visited recently and he fell back on the old argument that I am not making a difference with my avocation; that the fifteen people I am reaching makes my pursuit meaningless.

This is a variation on the defeatist arguments I have mentioned in previous posts.

The closer a person is to me the stronger the affect my lifestyle has upon them. They in turn influence the people to whom they are close. "And they tell two friends... and so on."

I have also contributed to and provided pro bono work to some charities over the last couple of years. In this way I am contributing a little to a lot of people.

The actual impact I am having is not quantifiable. It's chaos theory in action. I am just a little butterfly beating my wings. I am just a drop of water in the wave of progressive change.

And in the end whether or not my actions truly make a difference does not relieve me of my obligation to live my life in an ethical and morally upright manner. I believe in an all encompassing morality. I am a humanist and the ultimate extension of humanitarianism is environmentalism.

Peace out.

Democracy is Fragile

2006-09-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

Democracy is a fragile ideal. My heart goes out to the people of Thailand in this trying time. Apparently one must be diligent and hold ones government to task. I received the following from moveon.org:

Dear MoveOn member,

This week, the Senate is planning to quietly hold a vote that would pardon President Bush for breaking the law by illegally wiretapping innocent Americans without warrants. According to Senator Leahy, the bill would "...immunize officials who have violated federal law by authorizing such illegal activities."1

President Bush broke the law, and courts are starting to agree. Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter once said the program was illegal "on its face." But he has now caved to pressure from Vice President Cheney, and introduced legislation that marks a new low: the bill justifies everything the president did. Worse, it makes it legal to wiretap Americans, in secret, without warrants or oversight, whenever the administration wants to.2

So far, Democrats and some Republicans are holding strong against the bill, and there are good chances to stop it if enough of us speak up. Can you sign the petition opposing the Republican move to pardon President Bush for breaking the law?

http://pol.moveon.org/dontpardon/?id=8810-6717564-7qk_ZfzGKRLs2CTdgT03NA&t=2

Many legal experts agree that the president's program to wiretap Americans who have nothing to do with terrorism violates the law. President Bush already has the authority to wiretap suspected terrorists—and we support that. In fact, his administration can tap anyone it likes as long as it gets an OK from a court a few days later.

Congress should be trying to hold him accountable—that's their job. Instead, some Republicans are trying to let President Bush off the hook completely. In fact, the legislation would give the president even more unchecked power.

Here are some quick facts about the Cheney-Specter bill:
• It allows President Bush—and every president after him—to wiretap Americans indefinitely, in secret, without a warrant and without any oversight. 3
• It effectively pardons the president for any illegal behavior by forcing Congress to concede that he has the inherent authority to conduct the program4—something federal courts, numerous legal experts and many leading Republicans disagree with. 5
• It completely guts FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) which has protected the privacy of Americans against illegal wiretaps for close to 30 years.6
• It prevents any legal challenges from taking place in the public court system. Instead, it moves all cases to a secret court, where only Bush administration officials can argue it. 7
• It would help "immunize" any officials who broke the law in this program from being held accountable in the future. 8
Since the program was exposed in December of last year, we've learned that President Bush personally blocked a Justice Department investigation of the program, Vice President Cheney also personally intervened to stop telecom companies from testifying to Congress about it, and a federal court recently ruled the program unconstitutional.9 In an effort to protect himself from further consequences, the president is pressuring Congress to let him off the hook.

This is an important issue and it will help remind Americans, in an election year, what Republicans are all about—accumulating power for themselves, and trampling the system of checks and balances designed to stop that. Can you sign the petition today?

http://pol.moveon.org/dontpardon/?id=8810-6717564-7qk_ZfzGKRLs2CTdgT03NA&t=3

It's the Senate's job to act as a check on the president's power. If they can't do it, they shouldn't be in Washington.

Thanks for all you do,

–Nita, Eli, Jennifer, Wes and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Monday, September 18th, 2006

Sources:

1. "Today's Republican circus trick: Legislating in the Dark," Senator Leahy, provided by the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, September 13, 2006
http://www.bordc.org/threats/leahy91306.php

"NSA Whitewash Passes Judiciary Committee on Party-Line Vote," People for the American Way, September 13, 2006
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=22373

2. "NSA Whitewash Passes Judiciary Committee on Party-Line Vote," People for the American Way, September 13, 2006
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=22373

3. "Top 5 things Sen. Specter won't tell you about the Cheney-Specter bill," ACLU
http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SpecterTop5

4. ACLU Letter to the Senate Regarding Strong Opposition to the Substitute Version of S. 2453, the "National Security Surveillance Act of 2006" May 16, 2006
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nsaspying/25578leg20060516.html

**Note: The bill has changed slightly from when this letter was written, however the sections accepting the president's claim of inherent authority remains

5."Judge Rules Against Wiretaps," Washington Post, August 18, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2096&id=8810-6717564-7qk_ZfzGKRLs2CTdgT03NA&t=4

"On NSA Spying: A Letter to Congress," New York Review of Books, February 9, 2006
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/18650

McCain: Bush Does Not Have "The Legal Authority To Engage In These Warrantless Wiretaps," ThinkProgress, January 22, 2006
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/22/mccain-wiretaps-illegal/

6. "Top 5 things Sen. Specter won't tell you about the Cheney-Specter bill," ACLU
http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SpecterTop5

7. "NSA Bill Performs a Patriot Act," Wire News, September 13, 2006
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71778-1.html?tw=wn_story_page_next1

8. "Today's Republican circus trick: Legislating in the Dark," Senator Leahy, provided by the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, September 13, 2006
http://www.bordc.org/threats/leahy91306.php

9. ACLU Slams Senate Judiciary Committee Approval of NSA Spying Bills, ACLU, September 13, 2006
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nsaspying/26722prs20060913.html

Of course I signed the petition because I don't believe that any person should be above the law and in fact those in power should perhaps be held to a higher standard as they set the precedent for ethical behavior.

I fear that the grand experiment called Democracy has already failed in this country. The corporate lawyers may have done us in last century, but that does not relieve me of my responsibility to try and help restore the fundamentals of the ideal.

Israel, Lebanon & Iran

2006-08-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my political naivete. I avoided knowing about politics for as long as I possibly could and I am still in the process of getting up to speed.

The August 21, 2006 issue of the New Yorker does a much better job than I (although he reaches some of the same conclusions) of covering the Israel, Lebanon, Iran triangle in an article called "Watching Lebanon," by Seymour M. Hersh. He has much greater access than I do so I would encourage you to stroll down to your local library and take a look at the article.

Military/Economic Imperialism vs. Charity

2006-08-17T01:59:00.000-07:00

Military/Economic Imperialism
I hate to get into the politics of military and economic imperialism, but it seems to be intrinsically tied (in a negative way) to the deterioration of the environment.

At the beginning of the Iraq War I remember commenting to a reporter friend of mine that Iran would be next in line. I don't even recall why I felt this to be true. He emphatically denied the possibility, but I fear that he will soon have to eat his denial.

The reason I bring this up tonight is because of the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Hindsight being twenty-twenty I am willing to bet that the Hezbollah leaders regret kidnapping the Israeli soldiers. For an intelligent terrorist organization it seems to have been a fairly boneheaded move. The reason I credit them with intelligence is because they have been actively working towards legitimacy via humanitarian and political efforts in Lebanon. They need this legitimacy in order to be treated with by the international community (I may be overstating this. They may just be seeking credibility within Lebanon).

One of their spokesman stated that the reaction was unexpected as prisoner exchange is a precedented practice in that geopolitical arena. Why then such a strong reaction from Israel?

Although it is pure speculation on my part I would contend that the neoconservatives who currently seem to control the US government probably encouraged Israel to retaliate in such a way as to gain the attention of the international media.

I believe that one of short term goals of the neocons is to invade Iran. There has been much posturing as of late in regards to the development of the Iranian nuclear program. This is a hard sell after the failure of the neocons to produce evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

But according to the popular media Iran is supplying Hezbollah with arms (although far inferior to the arms that we supply to Israel), therefore Iran is ultimately responsible and I have heard the term "victor" in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

You may not want to believe it, but our government is notorious for backroom dealings (think Iran-Contra etc.) and Israel is beholden to us for one billion dollars a year (the figure I have heard, but have not tried to verify) as well as the means by which they defend and offend their country.

The neocons are not trying to hide their agenda (although their motives may be suspect). Check out The Project for the New American Century. I will not provide a link, but you can do a search for it on any search engine.

They clearly state that America must fight and win two major theater wars simultaneously. They don't state that America must be prepared to fight and win two major theater wars simultaneously, but that America must fight and win two major theater wars simultaneously. The two theaters are the Middle East and Asia. (Hence the posturing over the Iran nuclear threat and the North Korean nuclear threat.) Specifically look for a document in their archives called "Rebuilding America's Defenses" which is one of the scariest articles I have ever perused.

The aforementioned article also discusses the need to dominate the globe militarily. I have recently begun to fear that China is on the list too as they are the only nation that has the near potential to become a major super power as well as competing with us for oil.

I don't think you'll hear too much about the neocons agenda on corporate controlled news outlets, but if you want to watch a scary documentary check out Why We Fight which should be available at your local Safeway or on Netflix.

The neocons are a little ambiguous as to why we should dominate the world (think supervillains from James Bond), but the theory is that it has to do with making lots of money (for people who are already millionaires) via the military-industrial complex (i.e. Haliburton and Dick Cheney) at the cost of our safety and sense of security as well as the safety of innocents in the Middle East and Asia.

118,900 Iraqi civilians dead according to http://mindprod.com/politics/iraqbodycounts.html, but you can do your own research on that. These Iraqi civilians died so that a handful of rich Americans (probably some foreigners too) could become even richer. We are the world's villain. This nation has never been more hated or feared and it ain't cause the world's jealous. It's because we are killing people wholesale. The neocons have painted a huge target on America to fatten their own gluttonous coffers. We are all being victimized under the auspices of the freedom.

An all volunteer army means we are sending only our poor and under-educated to war. We are turning the ignorant of our country into killers. Those who haven't died and lost limbs and who really work at it may recover (with counseling) from the trauma of war in twenty years or so. This trauma will affect their children and probably their children's children etc.

14 or so years after Vietnam as my Dad was beating me I can remember him saying, "I've killed men, son!" My Mom burst in yelling, "If you want to kill someone then kill me." I believe that she misunderstood what he was saying. I believe that he was trying to share with me that whatever I had experienced that day that pushed me and then him over the edge was not as terrible as the act of taking another man's life. They were divorced within a couple of years.

I saw my Dad and my best friend, at the time, off to the original Gulf War. My friend returned with Gulf War Syndrome (they actually were never able to diagnose the illness that destroyed his liver) from which he will never recover.

Charity
On a lighter note, we went to a friends wedding recently and instead of purchasing a gift (they already have plenty of pots and pans) we made a donation to Proliteracy Worldwide (specifically Women in Literacy). It may be old hat to some of you to donate to charity as a gift, but this was the first time I had ever done so. They are both professors of literature so it seemed appropriate. They said it was one of their favorites of the gifts that they had received and I tell you what, the card was enough to bring a tear to a strong man's eye.

Composting, Charity, Carbon Portfolio Strategy

2006-07-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Barrel Composter
I got my hands on a barrel composter and we are working on our first batch of compost created from food waste.

The composter was sitting unused behind a house that my friend is renting. The landlord is another friend of mine's best friend from high school who now lives in another city. I had previously helped develop the landlords web site so I felt comfortable asking her if I could borrow the composter. Small towns, eh?

It's funny how easily some things fall into place.

Charity
I have tracked down a charity that I believe directly applies to the principles I have been espousing in regards to global population control.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

http://www.unfpa.org

A direct donation is not tax deductible as the organization is not based in the US. In order to make a tax deductible donation an American chapter has been organized at: http://www.americansforunfpa.org.

World Neighborhood Fund
I don't know that I ever mentioned the name and URL of the charity that I helped with some design work. It is the World Neighborhood Fund at http://worldneighborhoodfund.org. Many of their causes focus on educating and protecting women of which I am a strong proponent.

I helped them develop their logo and integrate it into their web site. I am pleased to report that the net result, according to their feedback, was an increase in donations.

Pearl Jam
I am happy to see that Pearl Jam is receiving national recognition for their Carbon Portfolio Strategy. http://www.pearljam.com/activism/carbon.php

I am a closet musician with occasional delusions of grandeur and have been trying to work out a similar strategy. I would love for my business to have net zero emissions.

Protect Internet Neutrality

2006-06-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

savetheinternet.com

The following quote comes from an email by moveon.org:

Snopes.com, which monitors various causes that circulate on the Internet, explained:

"Simply put, network neutrality means that no web site's traffic has precedence over any other's...Whether a user searches for recipes using Google, reads an article on snopes.com, or looks at a friend's MySpace profile, all of that data is treated equally and delivered from the originating web site to the user's web browser with the same priority. In recent months, however, some of the telephone and cable companies that control the telecommunications networks over which Internet data flows have floated the idea of creating the electronic equivalent of a paid carpool lane."

If companies like AT&T have their way, Web sites ranging from Google to eBay to MoveOn either pay protection money to get into the "fast lane" or risk opening slowly on your computer. We can't let the Internet—this incredible medium which has been such a revolutionary force for democratic participation, economic innovation, and free speech—become captive to large corporations.

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies

2006-05-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:

New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts
John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Global Dimming

2006-04-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

I caught a show on PBS (NOVA) the other night about global dimming (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sun). Apparently pollution causes clouds to be more dense which has a cooling effect that is actually masking the true degree of global warming. The reduction of air pollutants combined with an increase of CO2 emissions, which is the path we are currently, on is potentially disastrous in terms of global warming. The conservative estimates are a 10 degree Fahrenheit temperature increase over the next century. One scientist predicts a 20 degree Fahrenheit temperature increase over the next century.

The program also intimated that pollution from Europe and North America was responsible for the Ethiopian famine of the eighties. The summer monsoon for that part of the world is caused by warm ocean temperatures. Polluted clouds kept the ocean temperatures down which meant the monsoon didn't come for 10+ years or something like that. The drought and ensuing famine impacted 50 million people.

Global warming comes up in the news just about every day now. The projections for the impact of global warming include a famine that could effect billions of people. "Major funding for NOVA is provided by Google and BP."

The Consensus

2006-04-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a reply to the email correspondence from the last post:

...Okay, this is a summation of responses to date: We lost no matter what, apologize, and leave.

Can we offer them George as a sacrificial lamb...

Hard core. You know things have changed for the worse when you find yourself making the same stupid mistake again. Still I don't believe overstatement, or grand gesture are anything more than the fluff that sticks the gears, and slows the machine. I think if you're gonna lay an ultimatum on someone, you should be able to carry out the "or else".

Respectfully requesting a new petition please.
Peace,
L

The next email I received was a new petition from John Kerry. I thought the timing was excellent.

"Tell the truth. Fire the incompetents. Get out of Iraq. Have health care for all Americans. These are pretty simple messages, and they're worth fighting for today."

That's what I said yesterday when I appeared on "Meet the Press" to push our call for two deadlines and an exit from Iraq.

You and I both know it will take a massive citizen effort to force a President bogged down in this war to change his course - but doing so is our moral responsibility.

I urge you to join me today in calling for the withdrawal of American combat troops by the end of 2006 - and sooner than that if Iraqi politicians allow the civil war to grow and continue to delay, squabble and jockey for their own political turf while our brave soldiers sacrifice life and limb every day to create the conditions for democracy.

Sign our Out of Iraq in 2006 Petition Now

Fortunately, more and more people are stepping forward to join in our call to bring our troops home by the end of this year. Political leaders like Russ Feingold, Max Cleland, and Gary Hart have endorsed our plan -- and grassroots support for our call to action is growing.

Still, the President and his administration remain frozen in place, boxed in by George W. Bush's stubborn refusal to admit that he has America on the wrong course in Iraq. The President seems content to endlessly wait for various political factions in Iraq to get their act together.

That's totally unacceptable. And you and I have a moral responsibility to do everything in our power to make George W. Bush do what he likes to do the least - and that's confront reality head-on.

Sign our Out of Iraq in 2006 Petition Now

I'm not suggesting that this will be easy. The fact is, it would be far easier to challenge the President on other topics if all we were interested in is scoring political points.

But, no one in 2006 -- Democratic or Republican, liberal or conservative -- can refuse to step forward and offer clear ideas on Iraq. And, with 133,000 courageous American men and women putting their lives on the line for democracy in Iraq, it is essential for you and other members of our three-million person johnkerry.com community to take action.

I need you to join me in leading an all-out effort to turn this President's wrong-headed policy on Iraq around. And ask your friends and family to do the same by forwarding this email to them.

Sign our Out of Iraq in 2006 Petition Now

Our soldiers have done their jobs. They can't resolve political differences between Iraqis in an escalating civil war. It can't be done militarily; it can't be done from a Humvee or a helicopter. It can only be accomplished by a dramatic change of course, turning away from George W. Bush's aimless "stay for as long as it takes" approach. You and I have to try to make this administration change their approach before it's too late.

I urge you not to wait another day before signing onto this profoundly important fight for a better way.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

P.S. Late Saturday night I went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The Wall is a powerful reminder of our moral obligation to tell the truth. As you walk down the ramp, you find yourself literally engulfed as the Wall, tens of thousands of names etched on it, gets higher and higher.

There are far too many people whose names are on the Wall who died after leaders in Washington knew that our policy wasn't working. We need to get Iraq right for our soldiers today before we let history repeat itself.

I signed this petition as well.

Bring the Troops Home

2006-04-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post. I ended up on John Kerry's email list and received the following:

...Half the names on the Vietnam Memorial wall were added after America's leaders knew our strategy would not work. It was immoral then and it would be immoral now to engage in the same delusion. You and I have to do everything in our power to stop that from happening again.

Two weeks ago, President Bush said that the timing of complete withdrawal from Iraq "...will be decided by future presidents...."1 But this is our responsibility now, not the responsibility of future presidents or a future Congress.

I believe that American combat troops should come home from Iraq in 2006 - not the distant future as President Bush does. Furthermore, I believe we must set a May 15th deadline for the Iraqis to form an effective unity government. And, if the Iraqi politicians choose to ignore that deadline, then I believe things will only get worse and we will have no choice but to withdraw immediately.

It's not enough to express our convictions -- we need to back up our beliefs with concrete actions. Today I introduced a resolution into the Senate that will give members of both parties the chance to tell the president that our course in Iraq must change.

I am setting tough deadlines for action in Iraq, and you know as well as I do how fiercely the extreme right wing will attack us. So I'm asking you today to be a citizen co-sponsor of this important resolution. Show the White House and my Senate colleagues a groundswell of support.

Sign up today as a citizen co-sponsor of my Senate resolution

President Bush is willing to let American soldiers and their families wait endlessly, while risking life and limb, as some Iraqi politicians incite sectarianism to grow their personal power and private militias. But we are now in the third war in Iraq in as many years. The first was against Saddam Hussein and his alleged weapons of mass destruction. The second was against Jihadist terrorists who the Administration said it was better "to fight over there than here." Now we find our troops in the middle of an escalating civil war.

We will defeat Al Qaeda faster when we stop serving as their best recruitment tool. Unpinning our military from Iraq will allow us to prosecute the war against Al Qaeda more effectively -- both inside and outside Iraq. And regaining our global options will also strengthen our hand in addressing the Iranian nuclear threat.

For speaking the truth, the right wing and their surrogates will question our courage and commitment. They're going to question our patriotism.

Only one thing will overcome this onslaught and put our country on the right path: a truly massive and visible groundswell of support for this call to bring home the troops. America has prospered throughout its history because we have never allowed bad leaders to pursue bad ideas for very long. The Bush administration uses fear as a weapon against dissent. But you have the power to stand up to this new McCarthyism: show the depth and breadth of support for a timely withdrawal by co-sponsoring my Senate resolution now.

Sign up today as a citizen co-sponsor of my Senate resolution

We want democracy in Iraq, but it's now the job of Iraqis to build it. Our troops have performed gallantly and heroically. The best way to keep faith with them is to set deadlines for bringing our troops home and getting Iraq on its own two feet. That's the only way to give their sacrifice its best chance of resulting in success.

Thank you,

John Kerry

P.S. It's important that we show a huge groundswell of support. Please forward this email to friends, family, and co-workers who share our belief that we must get tough with the Iraqis and get our combat troops home.

1. White House press conference, March 21, 2006

Correspondence from a friend is how I ended up on the Kerry email list. The same friend sent me the following message:

...I had anticipated signing John Kerry's petition to withdraw troops from Iraq...but I read it and I don't agree. Why do polititians have to be so extreem? May 15 sounds a bit too soon to demand the Iraqi's get thier act together, after we took out their old government. We may as compassionate individuals see a need to help them get organized. Back when we had a budget, we would do that for countries we hadn't been pummelling with bombs, but those countries were functional as offshore labor for cheap...the jobs "Americans don't want anyway". Why do polititians have to be so extreem.
So I'm looking for input here: What should we do about Iraq? How do we ween the orphans we made? Anyone...

To which I replied:

...It seems like we need to be a little more pro-active in preventing this type of action. There will never be a "good" time to pull out of Iraq. We replaced a stable government with a civil war and I don't know that the presence of our troops is making the situation more stable. We screwed the pooch on this deal and we will never be able to remove our troops unless we just bite the bullet and bring them home.

There is no way we can win this war. Not on a humanitarian level and not on a PR level. There is no way at this point to avoid future loss of life. Do you think an apology will cut it? About all we can do is get the hell out, apologize, and throw blood money at the problem. (I signed the petition circulated by John Kerry.)...

What can you do?

Addendum: I don't think that John Kerry has an expectation that the Iraqi's will form a unity government by May 15th. I think the petition is a way of wearing the congress down until we can get congress to the point that it is ready to pull us out of this war.

Bubble Economy

2006-03-01T13:52:00.000-08:00

Is the global economy a bubble? I can see where it could be deleterious to the economy for people to believe that it is a bubble. A belief that the bubble is about to burst has the potential to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As a business person it’s in my interest to maintain a client’s belief that their goods and services, albeit superfluous, have monetary value. As it is in my interest to convince clients that my services are necessary and have value.

If we are thinking in terms of a future recession then what is the best course of action? Try to make as much as possible in one's chosen field while it is still lucrative? Invest in oil? Learn to grow food?

Wacky Weather

2006-02-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

The weather this winter has been wacky. No one with credentials is blaming global warming, but I have a hunch we may be in for wacky weather and early hurricane seasons for the foreseeable future.

The fruit trees in the Yakima Valley began budding a couple of weeks ago which is extremely early. It means that orchard heaters will have to run from now until spring in order to ensure that the frost doesn’t ruin this season’s crop.

I can see where a combination of Global Warming and Peak Oil may cause the cost of Washington fruit to soar.

Of course the organic apples which are readily available in “the Burg” actually come from New Zealand. I have no idea how the weather in New Zealand is behaving.

City Planning

2006-02-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

It is my second quarter as adjunct professor here at Central. The logistics alone can be a lot of work. This quarter I have the students putting together a tabloid newspaper section exploring the ramifications of the Comprehensive Growth and Development plan on which the city is currently working. It is of interest to me as it will determine the direction of growth for the City of Ellensburg.

There are four scenarios proposed by the consultants. Scenario #1 allows for large retail only in the downtown area. Scenario #2 does not allow for large retail. Scenario #3 allows for large retail development at the west interchange. Scenario #4 allows for large retail development at the south interchange.

I have attended a couple of meetings in regards to the city planning. The first of which was put on by a group called Citizens Against Sprawl. Citizens against sprawl is pushing for Scenario #1 and as far as I know is the only citizens group with an agenda in this debate. The reasoning of CAS is that growth is inevitable, but should be restricted to downtown.

The second meeting I attended was a city council study session. The study sessions allow for citizen questions and comments. As far as I can tell CAS members are attending the study sessions in order to influence the city council via questions and comments.

I tend to lean more towards Scenario #2 which is basically the same plan which was laid down in 1995 and limits the size of downtown retail outlets. I don’t think that big box stores anywhere in town are a great idea.

It begs the question of where and how do people shop. Is it better to have large retail downtown and save people from having to drive to Yakima or Seattle to do their shopping? What about peak oil? In the long term are big box stores going to survive peak oil? Will the goods become too expensive for consumers?

Chevron ran an ad in the latest issue of the New Yorker in which they alluded to the fact that we are past peak oil already. I don’t know that the current city council has taken this into consideration. I do know that all the scenarios are based on driving as the primary method of transportation.

(Scenarios #1, #2, and possibly #4 will work for me in regards to biking access from my current residence.)

There have also been allegations that the placement of the retail properties especially at the south interchange has been heavily influenced by private land owners. It seems that those with a financial interest are making sure they provide input.

We’ll let things play out and see what happens. I am curious to see what the students are able to put together. I am also curious to see which Scenario the city will choose and what the ramifications of that decision will be.

Alito

2006-01-31T10:18:00.000-08:00

According to the Daily Record Justice Alito was confirmed to the Supreme Court.

I did what I could (as did many others), but it appears the attempted filibuster was more of a vote of no confidence than an actual means of blocking Alito's confirmation.

Ahh, politics.

Support the Alito Filibuster & Global Warming Hits Home

2006-01-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

Support the Alito Filibuster
Sign the filibuster petition.
It looks like John Kerry is working on getting a filibuster going to block Judge Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court. I received an email from a friend,

Dear _____,

Yesterday, Senator Ted Kennedy and I told our colleagues that we supported a filibuster of Judge Alito's nomination for the Supreme Court. And we weren't alone. But the bottom line is that it takes more than two or three people to filibuster successfully. It's not "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." If you want to stop Judge Alito from becoming Justice Alito, use your own email list and organize. We can't just preach to our own choir. We need to prove to everyone - from our friends and neighbors to our fellow Senators - that the American people know Judge Alito will take our country in the wrong direction, and they expect something to be done about it.

So I'm asking you to join Senator Kennedy, me, and concerned citizens across America who are signing this petition to support a filibuster. If there was ever a time to forward an email on to friends and family, this is it. One way or another, we're going to find out in the next few days if Judge Alito is going to become Justice Alito. You know where I stand. The time to make your voice heard is now. So please sign this filibuster petition and get as many friends as you can to do the same.

If Judge Alito gets on the Supreme Court, it will be an incredible mistake for America. And remember, this is one mistake that we can never take back.

I voted against Justice Roberts, but I feel even more strongly about Judge Alito. Why? Rather than live up to the promise of "equal justice under the law," he has consistently made it harder for the most disadvantaged Americans to have their day in court. He routinely defers to excessive government power no matter how much government abuses that power. And, to this date, his only statement on record regarding a woman's right to privacy is that she doesn't have one.

There isn't a shred of doubt in my opposition to Judge Alito's nomination. I spent a lot of time over the last few years thinking about what kind of person deserves to sit on the highest court in the land, so I don't hesitate a minute in saying that Judge Alito is not that person. His entire legal career shows that, if confirmed, he will take America backward. People can say all they want that "elections have consequences." Trust me, I understand. But that doesn't mean we have to stay silent about Judge Alito's nomination.

President Bush had the opportunity to nominate someone who would unite the country in a time of extreme division. He chose not to do this, and that is his right. But we have every right -- in fact, we have a responsibility -- to fight against a radical ideological shift on the Supreme Court. This nomination was a sellout to the demands of the extreme right wing of the Republican Party. The president gave no thought to what the American people really wanted - or needed. So now that the president and Judge Alito have proven they won't stand up for the majority of Americans, we have to stand up. We have to speak out. That's the true meaning of "advice and consent."

Sincerely,

John Kerry

I went to the Web site and added my info to the following petition:

I fully support a filibuster against Judge Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court.

Judge Alito's nomination does not serve the best interests of our nation; it serves to appease extreme right wing elements of the Republican Party. His nomination is an incredible mistake for America, and only the United States Senate can put a stop to it.

I think it's time that the United States Senate confirmed once and for all that extreme ideology has no place on the highest court in the land. This is a critical fight for the future of our country. That's why I've taken the time to sign this petition. And I hope that's why the Senate will step up to the plate and do the right thing for America: support a filibuster against Samuel Alito.

Your name here

From moveon.org I received the following:

Please call Sens. Murray and Cantwell right now and ask them to join the filibuster against Samuel Alito.
Senator Patty Murray
Phone: 202-224-2621
District Offices:
Everett: 425-259-6515
Seattle: 206-553-5545
Spokane: 509-624-9515
Vancouver: 360-696-7797
Yakima: 509-453-7462

Senator Maria Cantwell
Phone: 202-224-3441
District Offices:
Everett: 425-303-0114
Richland: 509-946-8106
Seattle: 206-220-6400
Spokane: 509-353-2507
Tacoma: 253-572-2281
Vancouver: 360-696-7838

I was not able to get through to the area code 202 phone numbers. I was able to leave a voice message for Senator Murray at the Seattle number and a message with the Senator Cantwell's receptionist at her Seattle number.

We will see if it makes a difference.

Global Warming Hits Home
The following is the headline from the local promotional newspaper that the Daily Record has recently begun throwing on my driveway:

Fungus linked to global warming found at Snoqualmie Pass

Apparently the spread of the fungus is allowed by recent climate changes and it is wiping out amphibian species around the globe. "One third of the world's amphibian species are threatened."

They haven't found any living, adult, Pacific Tree Frogs at the Snoqualmie site since May.

Snoqualmie Pass is about 45 minutes, by car, from my house. I've mentioned previously that you can also take the walking tour at the Asahel Curtis exit and see that the tops of all the large trees have been killed by air pollution.

These examples are a little too close to home to make me feel comfortable.

Infinite War

2006-01-26T10:36:00.000-08:00

The abuse of executive power seems to be the topic of the moment. I caught George Bush on TV this morning and he took some heat from the press in regards to wire-tapping and human rights violations. It is a little scary that Judge Alito is probably going to be confirmed as the next US Supreme Court Justice as he supports a stronger executive branch.

Bush claims that he has done nothing illegal in regards to wire-tapping, but in the press conference he appeared to backtrack saying that the law in question is out of date. From The Boston Globe "Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which specifically requires the attorney general to obtain prior authorization from a judge, in a secret expedited proceeding, before engaging in domestic spying or wiretapping. Now, the president says that that law is ''insufficient" and ''outdated" to meet the current threats in the war on terror because it was passed nearly 30 years ago. The Constitution took effect in 1789 -- and it is still good law today."

I also get a little nervous when Bush talks about North Korea. Apparently talks have broken down because of counterfeiting and the President talked about the need to defend our currency. I worry that when the President says defend he actually means attack. I think he mentioned trade sanctions in regards to stopping the counterfeiting, but the rhetoric may be setting the stage for the next volley of the, "Infinite War."

If I get a vote I vote no on, "Infinite War."

The war on terrorism seems to have suffered a set-back as the Palestinian people have elected the Islamic Hamas to lead them. It's my understanding that the Hamas group was founded to drive the Jewish people out of Israel. This does not bode well for Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Be Like the Ant

2006-01-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in the last few posts that I have been reading Cradle to Cradle, by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. One of the authors is an architect and the other a chemist. They are exploring ways to retool manufacturing in order to eliminate waste and create products that can be returned to the earth.

One of the models they look at is the ant. Ants have a greater total biomass than humans, but instead of destroying their habitat they nourish the environment in which they exist. The authors’ premise is that humans should be able to do the same thing. They don’t address population as an issue because their goal is that humans live in a non-destructive manner. As long as all human action supports the biosphere than population should not be an issue.

It is exciting to read about some of the projects in which they are involved. One of the things they do when looking at the creation of a project is to pare away any toxic substance that might normally be used. By doing so up front they are able to simplify the ingredients and do not need to add chemicals to balance the toxins.

One of the products they retooled was a bath and body wash product. They started by asking (pg 146), “What kind of soap does the river (the Rhine) want?” They winnowed the list of ingredients down from an average of 22, many of which were toxic, to nine. The product ended up being cheaper to manufacture. They switched the packaging (pg 147), “…now in pure polypropylene packaging after Michael and the researchers found that antimony from the original PET bottles was leaching into the soap."

I wonder if antimony is leaching into our sodas and bottled water? Antimony being (pg 37), “…a toxic heavy metal known to cause cancer under certain circumstances."

Packaging is one of the issues that really interests me as the only solid waste I currently produce is food packaging. The authors offer a number of solutions in regards to packaging, but I don’t know that they touch on biodegradable packaging for liquids.

Biodegradable packaging also necessitates that we handle our garbage differently. We would need to compost or allow the packaging to biodegrade rather than throw it in landfills.

When one reads the book one begins to realize the scope of the manufacturing paradigm. To truly reach the authors’ goal one would need to backtrack. If we are creating soap we need to look at the processes that make the soap. Then the processes (machines) that make the machines to make the soap etc. We need to look at the methods of harvesting resources, shipping etc. In order to live like ants we need to retool the gathering of resources, production, and shipping for every manufacturing process. It’s a tall order, but I am glad that people have already gotten started on the project.

Cradle to Cradle is an interesting read and a step in the right direction. We are not yet ants, however, and therefore I believe that we do need to address our population. Until humans across the board are living in a restorative manner I believe that we should reduce our overall footprint.

It think it is interesting that the authors of Cradle to Cradle, like many of the authors I have been reading, take a moral stand as one of their angles. They discuss intergenerational tyranny among other things. Ethics is a fascinating area that I have only just begun to study.

Wastewater

2006-01-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

In regards to recovering wastewater the following comes from Cradle to Cradle page 126,

"In 1992 a a model waste treatment system developed by Michael and his colleagues was opened at Silva Jardin, in the province of Rio, Brazil. It was locally fabricated using clay pipes that carried wastewater from village residents to a large settling tank, then into an intricately connected series of small ponds full of an astonishing diversity of plants, microbes, snails, fish, and shrimp. The system was designed to recover nutrients along the way, producing clean, safe drinking water as a by-product. Farmers competed for access to this purified water and to the sludge’s valuable nitrogen, phosphorus, and trace materials as nutrients for farming."

This type of system requires a separation of biological and technological wastes.

Credible Resources

2006-01-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the comment from Lauren. It's nice to get feedback. Lauren's blog is at ardenteden.blogspot.com and well worth the read.

I was very interested in her post regarding the kilowatt game as this is one of the areas in my personal life that I would like to revisit. I am a little bit scared to count everything that I have plugged in at the moment.

Sustainable Girl had a post a while back regarding electricity consumption. In her post she included a link to Mr. Electricity who seems knowledgeable about the subject.

As I mentioned in previous posts I am currently reading Cradle to Cradle. I don’t know the page numbers off hand, but we arrived at an interesting point in regards to separating waste streams. If we are able to keep our waste water biological and non-toxic then we can use natural methods to purify the water (i.e. snails, lichen, etc.). I will find the page numbers and drop in a quote.

I’ve stated before that my number one global concern (and I am not alone in this) has to do with population. I have yet to find useful, credible resources on the internet that address this issue. If anyone knows of a useful, credible and/or comprehensive resource that I can check out then please let me know. Thanks.

It's Not Easy Being Green

2006-01-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

I saw a sticker on a bike the other day that said, "Fight terrorism, ride a bike." I am not a huge fan of stickers, but I appreciate the sentiment.

I recently took some heat over my methods. I can be belligerent in my views. I have heard a number of arguments as to why individuals should not attempt to change their worldview and/or lifestyles. Although my persuasion techniques are still being refined I see debate over my methods as a distraction from the true discourse. I do try and listen to the feedback, but feel that a critique of methods is also a diversion.

Another critique was that blogging is worthless. (Not a direct quote.) My response was that we should be engaged on every level (from the personal to the global) and at every possible moment in the restoration of the planet.

I can see where individuals can be a little put off by my spiel. I generally start with the fact that the western lifestyle is immoral. Commercialism requires selfish consumers. "You need this." Or, "you deserve this." We are conditioned to selfishness such that we will purchase the endless parade of consumer garbage presented to us.

It's ok to piss people off. I will continue to refine my technique, but the stakes are too high to quit.

What are the issues? How are you involved in the restorative process? Let me know. I may have overlooked something.

The world is big. "Go big or go home."

Women's Education

2006-01-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

It is my understanding that the higher a woman's level of education the longer she will postpone child rearing. If we take as a given that overpopulation is the number one issue facing the environment then it seems logical that one of our main focuses should be on women's education.

One of the reasons I have associated myself with the World Neighborhood Fund is that they will be working with Bahia Street which “breaks cycles of poverty, inequality and violence by providing high quality educational opportunities for economically-impoverished young women and girls in Brazil.”

This year the WNF will also be working with the dZi Foundation. “The dZi Foundation implements, supports, and funds projects to improve the basic quality of the lives of children, women, and men in mountain communities with a focus on education, health, culture, and welfare.”

And they will be working with Watoto wa Dunia “Watoto wa Dunia Educating and empowering women and children, reducing hunger, stopping AIDS, and developing leadership.”

Educating and empowering women is a worthy goal and may be the key to ending our ongoing ecological disaster.

Is Everything Squared Away?

2006-01-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

Did they fix the world while I was sleeping? Probably not I think there would have been a special report.

What do McDonough & Braungart have to say? They talk about eco-effectiveness, about working on the right products and services and systems. They mention that ants have a greater biomass than humans, but are a part of the cradle to cradle cycle of nature.

They talk about long term quality of life vs. short term convenience and profit.

They bring up the fact that all processes have side effects and that it is the responsibility of the eco-designer to consider the whole process.

They ask is it enough to make the right product with the wrong process?

And then they bring up the eco-roof which is composed of soil and flora. It resolves issues such as run-off and heat generation. I picture it like the canopy of the rain forest.

The ideas are not bad, but I think they are trying to answer the wrong question.

Happy New Year

2006-01-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

This blog continued from earth.toryj.com.

A new year and I am ready to dive back into the world of blogging. It’s easy to get distracted by busyness and work, but I continue to research and apply what I am discovering in regards to existing in a life friendly manner.

I have made some changes in my life over the last five or six months. I began researching the environment, started a blog, stopped driving, switched to an all organic diet, drastically reduced my consumption of material goods, turned down my water heater, switched to a handkerchief, began composting, taught a college class in which a major project was the creation of a Web site based on a worthy cause, tried to share my research/philosophy/understanding with as many people as possible, tried to stop direct mail from reaching me, stopped drinking colas, reduced my water usage, began doing pro-bono work for a nonprofit, stood in silent vigils protesting the Iraq war, joined with community members for discussions and a progressive film series, wrote my congresspersons regarding a number of vital issues, helped save (at least temporarily) the integrity of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, began frequenting my local library, added my voice to the choir etc.

Why?

We should be working on as many levels as possible (from the personal to the global) to help create a shift in paradigm. What’s the solution? How are we going to save the planet from the ecological disaster of which we are in the midst? Everybody should be devoting a considerable portion of their time to researching, learning, planning and living differently.

It’s not that this disaster is going to happen in the future. It’s going on now. Just turn on the news or late night PBS. The projections in regards to global warming, population, water tables, oceanic resources etc. are terrifying. America is not currently bearing the brunt of the four horseman, but it’s coming. A worldwide depression seems inevitable.

What then?

I believe that we should be working towards a reduced and stable world population and a reduced and stable global economy. There is a certain inevitability to the reduction in population, but we should be pro-active in our approach rather than allowing our numbers to be reduced via famine, plague, environmental toxicity and war.

The latest book I’ve started is Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, by William McDonough & Michael Braungart.

It begins with the normal gloom and doom. Specifically the toxicity of one’s personal environment. Basically we are surrounded by electronics, and plastics that emit toxins. I believe that they have chosen the personal health angle to try and break through the resistance many people have to change.

The book itself is a model of the cradle to cradle philosophy. It is composed of some magic synthetic. However, it still needs to be produced and shipped.

The ideas expressed in the book may be an aspect of a solution, but for the time being I think that we should look at consuming fewer material goods.

I was watching a show on concept cars the other day and one of the cars was based on the cradle to cradle principle. The plastics were made out of soy and the tires out of corn. There is not land to grow enough soy to feed all the cattle and still make cars for 6.5 billion people.

Not to mention that in Lester R. Brown’s book, Plan B: Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble, he mentions that every five cars in the US requires a football field of asphalt (pg 49).

An author for Harper’s talks about the contribution of our current farming techniques to global warming (I am sorry I can’t find the URL. If I can track it down I will update this entry). So it’s all well and good that we make everything out of natural components, but not only are our croplands in trouble, but they are actually contributing on a number of levels to the destruction of life on the planet.

I was just reviewing my notes on the Lester R. Brown book. They look something like:

aids epidemic pg 5 - aquifers, climate change, eroding soils, expanding deserts pg 6 - food first pg 7 - population doubles water use triples pg 10 - Gobi Desert China pg 13.

Chapter 2
Falling water tables - rivers don’t reach the sea pg 24 - Yellow River, Colorado, Nile - wars coming over water - countries import water as grain - farmers vs cities pg 35 - When will the bubble burst? - food shortages = destabilized governments

Chapter 3
1/3 of topsoil eroding faster than can be replenished pg 43 - dustbowl created when wind erosion out of control - agricultural expansion into marginal land - every five cars in US equals one football field of asphalt pg 49 - cropland 723 million hectares 1981 > 647 million in 2002 pg 53 - rainforest for soybeans pg 55

Lester Brown promised a solution, but I didn’t make it to the end before I had to return the book to the library. I am still planning to finish it. I’ll let you know how it ends.

So. How do we reduce global population in a humanitarian manner? And how do we reign in the devastation of our current economy? I am open to suggestions.

Blog Start

2006-01-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately due to abuse I have had to remove my original blog.