A few random notes 3

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1. 

   caniscandida Posted 2:46 pm
   25 May 2007

   patriotism revisedPatriotism has all too often in the US connoted a moral exceptionalism and an arrogant air of superiority towards the peoples of other lands.  In that sense, at least, it is a very unattractive sentiment.
   Therefore, "Natural Patriotism" is a praiseworthy correction, as Emmett Duffy explains it: the sense of our responsibility as American citizens to take action against global warming and its effects, not because we believe ourselves to be separate and special, but quite the opposite, because we understand our intimate connectedness to the entire community of living, vulnerable creatures in this small World of ours.
   What, by the way, is an "RSS reader"?
   
   Chickens are our cousins!
   
   So are other sensitive animals!
   
   Enough is enough!
   
   No more factory farms!

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2. 

   Andrew Dessler Posted 3:16 pm
   25 May 2007

   RSS readerRSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.  A RSS reader checks blogs that you tell it to check and it lets you know when new entries appear on any of the blogs --- saves you from checking the blogs incessantly for new entries.  
   I use google reader, which is web-based, and can be found at reader.google.com.  I highly recommend it.
   
   

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3. 

   Natural Patriot Posted 4:59 am
   26 May 2007

   Patriotism revised (new and improved!)Hey Andy,
   Many thanks for the plug and link to The Natural Patriot.
   And thanks, Caniscandida, for the comments. Teddy Roosevelt probably said it best:
   "Conservation is a great moral issue, for it involves the patriotic duty of insuring the safety and continuance of the nation."
   and . . .
   "Conservation of our resources is the fundamental question before this nation, and that our first and greatest task is to set our house in order and begin to live within our means."
   And -- credit where it's due -- let's not forget Richard Nixon:
   "Environment' is not an abstract concern, or simply a matter of aesthetics, or of personal taste--although it can and should involve these as well. Man is shaped to a great extent by his surroundings. Our physical nature, our mental health, our culture and institutions, our opportunities for challenge and fulfillment, our very survival -- all of these are directly related to and affected by the environment in which we live. They depend upon the continued healthy functioning of the natural systems of the Earth."
   In addition to the Natural Patriot, heavyweights Environmental Defense and Tom Friedman of the NY Times are on the same page.  See, for example, Friedman's compelling article, The Power of Green.
   Arise Patriots!
   Emmett Duffy

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