Dear Senator Murray:
I read in today's New York Times that Liquefied Coal is rapidly gaining support in Congress, roughly in parallel to the amount of lobbying money the coal industry has been handing out in the other Washington.
Surely a bit of hyperbole is called for in this latest blatant money-for-legislation kabuki that is in direct conflict with what this country needs to do to prepare for an energy policy that both limits our dependencies on other countries while paving the way, so to speak, for reduced emissions to reverse the effects of global warming.
Everything I've read about energy policy suggests that there is no silver bullet technology that will magically allow the continuation of limitless suburban sprawl, SUV driving, and other touchstones of a certain vision of a free America. Americans must learn to be more energy efficient above and beyond all other goals in order to be less dependent on foreign oil, and to reduce the damage we are doing to our planet.
That being said, as I'm sure you already know, there are a wide variety of alternative, truly renewable energy technologies. Our state is a progressive state, and our city is a progressive city. I was able to tick a box and kick in $12/month to use wind power! I was out at the Gorge this Memorial Day weekend and I smiled when I saw all the windmills up on the ridge. It was beautiful.
Thomas Friedman has repeatedly pointed out that setting a floor on the price of oil at $40/barrel is one way to spark innovation and investment in alternative energies. Why should only the coal industry benefit from this legislative largess? Indeed, all forms of energy should be catalyzed by this progressive bit of price control. Our state in particular has a number of potential technologies, from my personal favorite, cellulosic ethanol, to wind power.
I write to urge you to vote against any legislation around subsidizing liquid coal -- an obvious pork barrel debacle that goes against science and stifles the free market while promoting the least cost-effective use of my tax dollars and guaranteeing increased pollution, not to mention the destruction to communities that coal mining causes. Most coal communities in Kentucky and West Virgina don't even want the jobs that the industry offers, because they now know first hand the price they will pay -- the complete destruction of their land and way of life. The only beneficiaries will be industry titans, those with the nosebleed seats in that don't even exist anymore in today's Bush-designed tax brackets.
Sincerely
30 May 2007
Lawmakers: going where the money is, not the brains
Liquefied Coal Gains Support as Pork of the Future
As usual and what should come as no surprise, legislators are auctioning off your future to the stupidest, least effecient, and most expensive "alternative" energy technology ever: liquid coal. Made famous by the Germans who used it in WWII when no one would sell them any oil. Likely to double green house gases. The coal industry wants a staggering array of long-term handouts from you and me, while they are busy telling shareholders about the trillions of dollars worth of assets they will be sitting on once taxpayers prop up their half-baked idea. My favorite is that they want the Air Force to be forced to buy 780 million gallons a year for 25 years. Once again proving that Republicans (and Democrats too when the pork is in their backyard) believe that "Free market" means my money is free for them to take. Guaranteed to increase global warming, while doing nothing to encourage conservation: that's America!
As usual and what should come as no surprise, legislators are auctioning off your future to the stupidest, least effecient, and most expensive "alternative" energy technology ever: liquid coal. Made famous by the Germans who used it in WWII when no one would sell them any oil. Likely to double green house gases. The coal industry wants a staggering array of long-term handouts from you and me, while they are busy telling shareholders about the trillions of dollars worth of assets they will be sitting on once taxpayers prop up their half-baked idea. My favorite is that they want the Air Force to be forced to buy 780 million gallons a year for 25 years. Once again proving that Republicans (and Democrats too when the pork is in their backyard) believe that "Free market" means my money is free for them to take. Guaranteed to increase global warming, while doing nothing to encourage conservation: that's America!
24 May 2007
$4 Gas, this time to NYTimes
To the Editor--
High gas prices are a necessity to drive this country forward towards two critical goals for our country's long-term survival: cutting our dependency on petro-dictatorships like Iran, and reducing the negative environmental impact that our inefficient lifestyles have on the planet. To the first point, anything that reduces America's appetite for the stuff that fuels the economies of hostile nations is a positive from a national security stand point. As Thomas Friedman has frequently pointed out, the sooner the economy of countries like Iran are damaged by reduced oil sales, the sooner the mullahs will have to give up their death grip on their government.
Secondly, Eisenhower's interstate highway system has been the chief enabler for the contemporary American penchant for the 6 mpg SUV and the cheaply constructed energy apocalypse that is the McMansion. Anything that creates "free market" pressure to disincentivize the incredible damage that this way of life entails -- from the diesel transport required to bring goods to the outer reaches of minority-free exubrbia, to the single-occupant SUVs I pass everyday on my bike ride to work (yes I am so pious) -- must be seen as a painful but positive step towards a more sustainable way of life.
I think that Americans know that change is coming with regards to our inefficient lifestyles, but they don't want to have to pony up when the time comes to pay for it. The irony of course is that the whole oil industry is massively subsidized world-wide by the American taxpayer, as we foot the bill required to pay for our military to keep the world safe for the free flow of oil from the dictators to us. The true price of gas has been estimated to be anywhere from $5 to $15 a gallon. We should be so lucky that it has been so cheap for so long. Happy biking.
High gas prices are a necessity to drive this country forward towards two critical goals for our country's long-term survival: cutting our dependency on petro-dictatorships like Iran, and reducing the negative environmental impact that our inefficient lifestyles have on the planet. To the first point, anything that reduces America's appetite for the stuff that fuels the economies of hostile nations is a positive from a national security stand point. As Thomas Friedman has frequently pointed out, the sooner the economy of countries like Iran are damaged by reduced oil sales, the sooner the mullahs will have to give up their death grip on their government.
Secondly, Eisenhower's interstate highway system has been the chief enabler for the contemporary American penchant for the 6 mpg SUV and the cheaply constructed energy apocalypse that is the McMansion. Anything that creates "free market" pressure to disincentivize the incredible damage that this way of life entails -- from the diesel transport required to bring goods to the outer reaches of minority-free exubrbia, to the single-occupant SUVs I pass everyday on my bike ride to work (yes I am so pious) -- must be seen as a painful but positive step towards a more sustainable way of life.
I think that Americans know that change is coming with regards to our inefficient lifestyles, but they don't want to have to pony up when the time comes to pay for it. The irony of course is that the whole oil industry is massively subsidized world-wide by the American taxpayer, as we foot the bill required to pay for our military to keep the world safe for the free flow of oil from the dictators to us. The true price of gas has been estimated to be anywhere from $5 to $15 a gallon. We should be so lucky that it has been so cheap for so long. Happy biking.
22 May 2007
Daily screed to MoveOn
In response to the hideous email I found from them in my mail box whining about $4/gallon gas:
I was surprised and saddened to see your latest screed berating oil companies for supposedly "gouging" consumers with expensive gas prices. No one held a gun to anyone's head and told people to live a life of conspicuous consumption that included senseless hours of precious life wasted in a single occupant vehicle on a tax payer financed highway that is destroying the earth, one mcmansion at a time. It is ridiculous to blame oil companies for americans being the fat lazy SUV drivers that they are, and while I am no fan of the oil industry, i'm even less of a fan of people who can't take responsibility for the lifestyle choices they make at the expense of the health of the rest of the world, and anything that disincentivizes driving is a positive in my book. Americans need to be pushed to get out of the cars and their alienated suburban way of life. My 3 mile bike ride to work is a part of my self-righteous and ever so pious decision to choose to live in a way that i don't need a car. As the wealthiest nation on earth, we should be more generous and not treat the destruction of the environment as our right, and try to waste time manipulating congress on such a short-sighted vote winning strategy. You have turned into a shameful organization of borg-like zealots. You no longer think for yourselves and are just looking for something to be mad about. And I will look down my nose and piously judge you for it.
I was surprised and saddened to see your latest screed berating oil companies for supposedly "gouging" consumers with expensive gas prices. No one held a gun to anyone's head and told people to live a life of conspicuous consumption that included senseless hours of precious life wasted in a single occupant vehicle on a tax payer financed highway that is destroying the earth, one mcmansion at a time. It is ridiculous to blame oil companies for americans being the fat lazy SUV drivers that they are, and while I am no fan of the oil industry, i'm even less of a fan of people who can't take responsibility for the lifestyle choices they make at the expense of the health of the rest of the world, and anything that disincentivizes driving is a positive in my book. Americans need to be pushed to get out of the cars and their alienated suburban way of life. My 3 mile bike ride to work is a part of my self-righteous and ever so pious decision to choose to live in a way that i don't need a car. As the wealthiest nation on earth, we should be more generous and not treat the destruction of the environment as our right, and try to waste time manipulating congress on such a short-sighted vote winning strategy. You have turned into a shameful organization of borg-like zealots. You no longer think for yourselves and are just looking for something to be mad about. And I will look down my nose and piously judge you for it.
14 May 2007
How to bring booze into a music festival
A plan to smuggle in some booze into the venue from a guy in my lab who did it last year, successfully. Here it is: Before leaving, go to a U-brew store and buy some self-sealing bottle caps. When you cross the border, buy a bottle of clear booze (e. g. vodka, white rum). Also buy a flat of small water bottles. Put your booze into the water bottles and screw on the self-sealing caps. Voila! Now you can put your booze in with your water and bring it in to the show without any hassle. The only draw-back is that you have to buy mix or drink warm straight booze...
Dating Advice
I see some of my friends dating people that aren't up to snuff. While the below conversation was about a girl, it certainly (probably even more often) applies to girls dating guys too. Check it:
me: i want to see you /w a chick kicking YOUR ASS to take it to the next -- in a way that inspires you
me: a girl that you're learning from
me: rather than girls who shit on the couch but are polite about wiping it up
me: get a girl that's already housebroken!
me: i want to see you /w a chick kicking YOUR ASS to take it to the next -- in a way that inspires you
me: a girl that you're learning from
me: rather than girls who shit on the couch but are polite about wiping it up
me: get a girl that's already housebroken!
09 May 2007
08 May 2007
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Letter to moveon.org
My concern with moveon.org as of late is that it has come to resemble the Tom DeLay school of politics -- the difference being that I agree with what action you would have people take. None the less, the format of the message, an over simplified "Do what we want you to or else," is no different than the Republican tactics since 1994.
To be more concrete, I think it is important not to just brow-beat Congress into bringing our troops home and mesh that desire with strategies to keep non-Republicans in office (a clearly necessary activity, however ugly), but to go more in-depth, to elevate the conversation. Iraq can be a lightning rod:
1. How did this country get to a point where we have a President who, along with his staff (Rummy, Condi, Cheney, Wolfie, Karl, etc) has repeatedly lied and not been impeached?
1a. I don't buy the "it's the media" argument answer to #1, though I enjoy reading Frank Rich's excoriation of the Washington press corps, whose feckless toadyism is only surpassed by the White House itself for its hubris. The American people are demanding that they get something for their money in Iraq. What can we do to engage the other half of eligible voters who were asleep at the wheel until they started to figure out that this war could go on forever?
2. What concrete steps will we take to de-escalate Iraq? What duty do we have if any to clean up the mess we leave behind? Given that we have no idea what will happen when and if we leave, what steps are being taken so that we can quickly and effectively respond to whatever catastrophes unfold?
2a. When will we start taking homeland security seriously, rather than rely on prayer and good luck that a major catastrophe hasn't been visited on us by our friends in the middle east?
2b. When will we ask the American people to sacrifice (seeing as how we are in a perpetual state of war), something politicians seem terrified of doing these days? Just as our children today are over indulged little brats, so does the elected official treat their constituent. Sacrifice in this case would mean the immediate cessation of all foreign oil purchases, period.
2c. Iraq has acted as a brilliant smokescreen obscuring all the many issues that are leading to our country's rapid fall from grace. When will these topics be discussed?
3. How will the Democratic party avoid becoming a power-obsessed monster more interested in cementing itself into power than governing?
Your emails are becoming more and more shrill and dogmatic and it worries me. While it's clear that the Republicans are the foot soldiers of Satan hmiself, what steps are being taken to avoid their mistakes?
To be more concrete, I think it is important not to just brow-beat Congress into bringing our troops home and mesh that desire with strategies to keep non-Republicans in office (a clearly necessary activity, however ugly), but to go more in-depth, to elevate the conversation. Iraq can be a lightning rod:
1. How did this country get to a point where we have a President who, along with his staff (Rummy, Condi, Cheney, Wolfie, Karl, etc) has repeatedly lied and not been impeached?
1a. I don't buy the "it's the media" argument answer to #1, though I enjoy reading Frank Rich's excoriation of the Washington press corps, whose feckless toadyism is only surpassed by the White House itself for its hubris. The American people are demanding that they get something for their money in Iraq. What can we do to engage the other half of eligible voters who were asleep at the wheel until they started to figure out that this war could go on forever?
2. What concrete steps will we take to de-escalate Iraq? What duty do we have if any to clean up the mess we leave behind? Given that we have no idea what will happen when and if we leave, what steps are being taken so that we can quickly and effectively respond to whatever catastrophes unfold?
2a. When will we start taking homeland security seriously, rather than rely on prayer and good luck that a major catastrophe hasn't been visited on us by our friends in the middle east?
2b. When will we ask the American people to sacrifice (seeing as how we are in a perpetual state of war), something politicians seem terrified of doing these days? Just as our children today are over indulged little brats, so does the elected official treat their constituent. Sacrifice in this case would mean the immediate cessation of all foreign oil purchases, period.
2c. Iraq has acted as a brilliant smokescreen obscuring all the many issues that are leading to our country's rapid fall from grace. When will these topics be discussed?
3. How will the Democratic party avoid becoming a power-obsessed monster more interested in cementing itself into power than governing?
Your emails are becoming more and more shrill and dogmatic and it worries me. While it's clear that the Republicans are the foot soldiers of Satan hmiself, what steps are being taken to avoid their mistakes?
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