6 Comments so far

1. Poet February 20th, 2007 7:57 pm

   As Bob Dylan said in a different context,”you don’t need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”. As much as anything, this issue reminds me of feeling like I am living in an insane asylum where the patients have taken over. The patients in this case being the politicians of all persuasions who (with far too few exceptions)have sold out to the hydrocarbon lobby agreeing to do nothing in exchange for $upport with their reelection campaigns. Then there are the scholarly prostitutes for hire who lend their academic credentials to turn out contrarian evidence for the likes of Exxon-Mobile and industry trade associations.

   As a Floridian, I live in a beautiful place which is likely to not exist as is in not too many decades between floding and increased hurricanes. All so that quarterly profits for energy giants can continue to break records. Yechhh!

   One more year and 11 months to go before we can get rid of the looney tunes that now run the show.

2. PJD February 20th, 2007 9:56 pm

   We hear this talk of the draconian reductions on fossil-fuel use to prevent runaway global warming and our possible extinction.

   But as I am writing this, many thousands of employees in the coal, gas, oil, electric, motor vehicle, appliance, and countless other firms, perhaps many of you reading this, spend every working day on one goal. This goal is ever-increasing per-capita usage of fossil fuel as necessary for continued profit.

   Any economist would laugh out loud at any suggestion that fossil fuel usage be curtailed under our “free market” system. In preparation of their energy usage projections through mid-century, the corporations give absolutely zero consideration of the possibility of reductions, or even reductions in the rate of increase, of fossil fuel usage.

   Marx was right, but in way he could not have imagined. Capitalism is sowing the seeds of it’s destruction all right - but it will be taking all of humanity with it.

3. Robert Settgast February 21st, 2007 12:31 am

   GLOBAL WARMING REMISS
   It is remarkable that it took the Al Gore’s documentary “Inconvenient Truth”, and now the polar bear demise, to alert many to the impending dangers from global warming–which has been obvious to anyone who had made even minor efforts to be informed. The evidence linking carbon pollution to warming is as close to certain as science can be. Its causes, consequences, and mitigation requirements have been documented by the scientific community, many dedicated environmental organizations including The Union of Concerned Scientists, and chronicled in the press for years.

   The dangerous manipulation of essential scientific data used by this administration to conceal and derail corrective measures for this threat and other vital environmental reforms has also been apparent. Contrary to their assertions, measures to reduce greenhouse gases could only improve our economy by lessening our trade deficits, and improving our security by reducing our dependance on foreign oil. We could also regain some of our lost world respect that has resulted from our opposition Kyoto while arrogantly contributing disproportionally to carbon pollution. With our involvement, China & India could then be compelled to join the rest of the developed world.

   Often overlooked is the fact that the same measures needed to mitigate global warming would be necessary even if it were not an issue. Conservation, alternative energy development, anti- pollution refinements, etc are essential for other vital environmental reforms such as air and water quality, reductions in toxic waste generation, land preservation, etc.

   The environmental and social damage from our indifference to (and even denial of) carbon pollution and its effects can only worsen if we allow these destructive policies of this reckless and unlearned president and his financial supporters to continue.
   Robert Settgast
   San Rafael, CA
   rhsettgast@hotmail.com

4. Uncle Buck February 21st, 2007 7:20 am

   Blah, blah, blah. Americans drive to work, drive to get groceries, hair cuts, take the kids to soccer, load bikes onto their vehicles to go for a bike ride, drive to the movies, then get a beer. For vacations they drive or fly and rent cars to cruise wine trails, shop, or take in the scenery. If they have more money they drive motor-homes. They fire up the gas engines to mow grass, trim bushes, blow leaves, cut firewood, till gardens and edge their sidewalks. They order goods through the internet and a truck makes a delivery to their door. They drive to the local save-the-environment meeting. They buy wooded acres miles from town and hire bull dozers to clear it then build over-sized houses sheathed in glass to capture the view. Americans are all talk and Nature isn’t listening.

5. bnhitepivuru December 11th, 2007 9:46 pm

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6. bnhehikususy January 1st, 2008 6:56 am

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