Comments Norris has made

Don't Be Hating

My house is clean.  No roaches. No fauna. Hardwood floors.  Sweep them everyday.  I keep the dust down by dusting (I have a respirator). I welcome an EPA inspection.  And if I am found wanting, then MY BAD.

Although I inherited asthma from my father and my son has inherited it from me, we can keep our abodes as clean as we want but we cannot go outside in the summertime because of smog.

Where is the love EPA? I know you do not have the power to REALLY enforce the Clean Air Act.  I know that if you threaten building permits and road building, Congress will spank you.  So let the states continue to write their fictions (State Implementation Plans) while you blame the victim for the disease.  I notice you moved out of the Waterside Mall and it had air issues.  With an $8 billion per budget, maybe you should pay for some maid service for us instead of talking about the problems at so many conferences.

But I take responsibility for my asthma.  I just wish you would take real responsibility for our air.  Where is the love?

Norris McDonald

Sierra Club Bullied?

Mike,

I just find it hard to believe that this is an insurgency from the right.  Why is this virtually the only area where the Sierra Club gnashes its teeth.  Look at so many other areas where the monolith is in lock step.

If you are right, let's hope the marines in the Sierra Club will put down this uprising.

Norris McDonald

Cape Wind Shows Some Green Hypocrisy

When the rubber meets the road, greens do not give the holy grail of wind power its due.  Where is the outpouring of support for this groundbreaking project?  I testified at the environmental impact statement hearing sponsored by the Army Corp of Engineers back in the winter: www.aaenvironment.com/CapeWind.htm  

Where were the big time multimilliondollar groups?  Nowhere to be found.  The groups have put a little piece on some of their web sites but did not take the important time to go to that hearing and support this project.  Our little bitty African American Environmentalist Association supported the project for the same reason we support nuclear power.  It is emission free in terms of smog and global warming.

The full multibilliondollar might of the entire environmental movement should be behind this project. Maybe the prominent landowners along the ocean front have influenced this debate.  You know who I am talking about.  And this when some of these same people support a bioterror lab right in the Black section of downtown Boston.

And you wonder why we whine.  We are given much to whine about.

Norris McDonald

"Replenish the Earth and Subdue It"

Dave,

Your conclusions are logical.  We have to apply logical solutions to very complex problems or our way of living will not be sustainable.  America is a powerful economic engine.  Our cultural and racial diversity makes us inventive and strong.  Our moral compass will hopefully remain in a lofty place instead of a pagan place.

I do get frustrated with my environmental colleagues when they take flights of fancy and want to turn America into some kind of central planning, inner city highrises, everybody rides the bus, no electricity using commune.

Environmentalism is a religion for many young environmentalists who have not taken the time to examine other sources of information.  It is not hard to see why -- nature is a powerful creation that can take your breath away. Just standing alone in a forest can be a 'religious experience.'

Anyway, it is good to know that there are enviros out there with open minds willing to look at the information and let the conclusions fall where the facts take them.  

Norris McDonald

Stereotyping?

Jeff Hoffman (jdhlax) called me left-wing for pushing reparations.  He now calls me right-wing for being pro nuclear.  You might be confused, but I am not.

You also want America to stop growing.  Do you really believe that is a realistic notion?  The entire American capitalist economic system is based on growth.  Every sector, company and small business person expects growth.  Housing starts, car sales, commodities, etc.--It appears that you do not like the American system.On Umbra on nuclear energy posted 4 years, 7 months ago 45 Responses

Grist -- Do No Be Intimidated

Notice how you are getting heat just for bringing up nuclear power.  Why can't we have a rational discussion about this technology? Now you know how I feel.  Notice though that the critics never address the positives of nuclear power:  no sulfur dioxide emissions, no nitrogen oxide emissions, no carbon dioxide emissions, no methane emissions, no particulate emissions, no mercury emissions...you get the idea.  Why do they ignore these items.  They clearly are not insignificant.

Fortunately, the American public is smart and they will soon let anti-nuke obstructionist know that 2+2=4.On Umbra on nuclear energy posted 4 years, 7 months ago 45 Responses

Australia Is Not America

Electricity grows at a rate of at least 2% per year in the U.S.  We are a consuming nation.  We want every electrical gadget that our brilliant minds can come up with -- and they all plug in.

Telling us to go back to the cave with candles just will not work.  More PCs, more PlayStations, more flat screens, more plasma televisions...you get the idea.  

Thank God for America.  And thank God for the mouse...we can now click our way around the world 24-7.On Umbra on nuclear energy posted 4 years, 7 months ago 45 Responses

Didn't Al Gore Try Framing?

The Green Group retaining Lakoff to frame their thinking reminds me of when Al Gore was running for president and hired a consultant to tell him the type and color of clothes to wear.  He still lost the election.  As I remember, he was paying the consultant $10,000 per month until Donna Brazile trimmed it.  

As an environmental entrepreneur, I admire Lakoff's acumen, but shouldn't you already know who you are, what you stand for, where you're going and exactly why you're going there -- particularly when you have hundreds of millions of dollars?  Bill Clinton and George Bush won twice because they knew who they were and where they were going (Clinton most of the time).  

A narcissist can't find out who he is by asking the mirror.  Put the mirror down and look around.  What needs to be done is clearly apparent.  The hurdle is that they probably do not want to do it.  They just want to keep on doing the same things the same way they have been doing them for the past 30 years.  And why shouldn't they from their perspective?  They are K-Street fat and foundation-grant-happy.

But The Reapers are circling overhead.  They know that if the Green Group keeps looking in that mirror for answers, there could be be a feast real soon.

Norris McDonald

Jeff Hoffman Puts Animals Above Humans

Jeff dismisses the concerns of blacks because he 'cares more about non-humans than ANY humans.  That makes it okay to dismiss me and my concerns.  You are your own god.  So you probably think it is okay to marry the chicken in your backyard too?  You believe that chickens should own the back yard.  You and I are completely different.  I am just glad that you are not in charge.

I looked up hypocrite: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion.  You put on the appearance that 'playing the race card' was something bad.  As though you were above such.  You then turned right around and used the race card by listing your race card credentials.  Your hypocrisy is obvious.

You should look up the term racist.  To apply it to me is ridiculous.  None of my statements are racist and I am not a racist.  Your logic escapes me.  And I will raise race issues anytime I feel like it.

I did not ask non-humans to pay reparations.  The caribou flourished after the last oil pipeline was built in Alaska.  I am not asking your precious animals to pay -- I am promoting the notion that America benefited from slavery and should pay blacks for their free labor.  The oil from ANWR would do just that, without hurting your relatives.  A moose can't write a check.  And deer can't drill for oil.  Get a clue.  You might put the grass before humans but most of the rest of the nation does not. I do not look to people like you to redress past crimes.  You are only concerned about the rights of animals and plants.  ANWR is owned by the federal government.  I am not asking you or any of your other tree worshipers for anything.  The federal government should pay because it benefited from slavery.  The oil under Alaska is neutral.  It has no dog in this fight.  Instead of the oil companies paying royalties to the government, they would be paying it to interested blacks.  Oil companies would have to lease the land from the black landowners.  ARE YOU ALSO AGAINST OIL COMPANIES PAYING BLACKS for the rights to develop oil from lands privitized by the federal government for the reparations benefits of blacks? Now many or some blacks might choose to preserve the land and block develop.  But I would surely advise them not to seek council from you.  Again, I do not espect human logic from you because your logic lies with the animals.  Humans are just one more animal to you.  Thank God for the Red states.

As far as addressing your issues.  Later with you and your pagan deep ecology crowd.  We can do it for ourselves.  You will never be an ally.  Yet, your ilk are always coming around wanting us to work on your issues.  The Congressional Black Caucus should get a clue from people like you and reconsider their votes.  I hope you share your views with the Congressional Black Caucus.  Let's see how far you get.  Please contact them and let thme know your thinking.  And when YOUR votes come up, I sincerely hope that they remember how people like you feel about issues of importance to them.  

You asked, 'why should conservationists advocate for social issues like reparations, when those issues are not our priority and WE'RE ALREADY TOO BUSY TRYING TO ADVOCATE FOR THE EARTH. Informed environmentalists know that they can advocate for the Earth and advocate for environmental justice.  Reparations is environmental justice.  Unfortunately, people like you would work for reparations for horses before you would work for reparations for blacks.  That is the rub.  So you go on working on your priority issues and we will continue to work on ours.  The Reapers are right.

Norris McDonald

ANWR for Reparations

I would trade ANWR as a reparation to American blacks.  The land and oil leasing rights would probably pay for the hundreds of years of free labor.  Let's see -- 16 billion barrels at $57 a barrel...cha ching.

If not ANWR, then mineral rights or oil and gas rights on other federal lands--Rocky Mountains, offshore or anywhere.  I can hear the howls now from those more interested in protecting and helping the hoot owl than compensating blacks for slavery.  But don't get me whining.

Norris McDonald

Norris McDonald

Emily Is Not the Green Paper Work Hot Air Complex

Emily,

I was not referring to you. I was referring to the $6 billion per year inside the beltway, blue-state-foundation-funded BANANA NIMBY mainstream environmental movement.  

They do not cross the Anacostia River except to visit for an occasional protest that supports one of their issues.

Of course, there are strict limits to integration and I support freedom of association.  That is why I formed the African American Environmentalist Association 20 years ago. Again, in terms of the needs of the black community, Shellenberger and Nordhaus are right.
On Dramatizing the "death" of environmentalism doesn't help urban people of color, or anyone else posted 4 years, 8 months ago 21 Responses

Railroad Tracks

If mainstream environmentalism is not willing to cross the railroad track then rest in peace as far as I am concerned.  It is a one way street to the multibillionaire environmental movement.  It is a gated community with security guards.  It is a narcissist looking in a rear view mirror about to collide with the future.  It is a mixed up mixed metaphor teetering on the abyss of irrelevance.
 On Dramatizing the "death" of environmentalism doesn't help urban people of color, or anyone else posted 4 years, 8 months ago 21 Responses