Comments MillerOfReality has made
Yes, missing the (corporate-free) point (of view).
I want Obama to be the candidate. I do. He's the only one with a shot to inject some fresh air into things... but, alas, he's gone. Gone to the same interest groups as the rest. Did you see him (and Billary, and Edwards) bow their heads when Mike Gravel attacked them about where their money comes from (CNN-YouTube debates). This is the same unfortunate rhetoric Mr. Obama displayed in those debates (laughable calling them "debates").
It all actually sounds very nice and good. There's a lot of nice 18-months-til-the-election, starry-eyed speech here.
What don't "we" understand about the fact that cars got 35 miles per gallon... 40 years ago!?
What don't "we" understand that this should've been the minimum back in the Carter Administration?
Coal-to-Liquids? Hello Illinois coal lobby.
Nuclear power? How about "we have got to see if there are ways for us to store the radioactive material in a safe, environmentally sound way" for oxymoron of the year!
And running a close second in Lane 5 is "If the technology exists for us to use coal in a clean fashion..."!
Closing fast in Lane 7 is "I believe that relying on the ingenuity of the free market.." !
Read between these lines. It says "F*#k you, America, coal and oil companies rule!"
Ethanol? It's ALREADY a bust. Just do a google search... or read the latest issue of Rolling Stone mag (yes, even those hippy rock journos are 'in the know'!).
How about sense!? Where's the Peace Plan?
Where's the "By golly, Al Gore's right! We're in trouble and gotta do something now!"
I like the energy Obama still brings. He's fighting. He's saying a lot of the right things. But he's getting knocked around.
Yes, if only Dennis Kucinich was 20 points (and 6 inches) higher in the race... On An interview with Barack Obama about his presidential platform on energy and the environment posted 2 years, 4 months ago 28 Responses
Hello...? Anyone thinking outside the Hummer?
"The truth is (as much as I hate to admit it), we aren't ready to exist without coal. All we can do is use it in the least harmful manner possible. This is intelligent policy." -- from another comment here.
This seems to sum up the general direction of the 34 previous comments. And that's too bad because there are, oh, about 350 million ways around our poor, unsustainable coal and fossil fuel consumption (sorry, I'm no Census whiz, but this number's supposed to be the # of folks in the US now).
First, admittedly, there's gonna have to be a weaning process. First comes the Prius, then comes the shoe leather express. And that's where ya have ta go.
This is NOT a 'go live in a mud hut and eat grub worms' pronouncement, it's a sensible comment on the idea that people are somehow thinking we gotta find a way to use this coal effectively because there's no alternative.
Oh, but there is. No one's thinking 'outside the Hummer' cuz we've been FORCED to stay inside it.
That's right -- we all think it's our Manifest Destiny to live in a 7000 sq ft palace at the end of a cul de sac and drive our cars to the grocery store to pick up bananas that have been shipped from South America. (unfortunately, and realistically, this is a description of my sister)
This is the way America's been built since WW2 thanks to the big industries who promote this lifestyle.
Al Gore said in the latest Rolling Stone mag (June 28, 2007): "Changing the pattern that causes people to sit in traffic jams for an hour and a half every day is not a sacrifice, it's an enhancement. Changing the assumption that it's perfectly natural to take 4,000 pounds of metal with us everywhere we go doesn't have to be a sacrifice."
So, if you take a quick look around, you'll see that we're the #1 user of said fossil fuels because of this. Do Europeans have any LESS of a quality of life than us? NO. Do they consume a fraction of the energy? YES.
Why? Their cities and towns are more efficient. They obviously don't suffer for fine bread, cheese, and wine... but they simple walk out their front door to the corner to get it -- not drive 27 miles to Wal-Mart!
So to make the discussion of how to make coal "safe" and "friendly" utterly moot, think about:
- re-planning cities and towns (the way they were before the suburban movement).
- moving closer into a city (if you have a 45 minute commute)
- talking to your governments about better, more, and more efficient public transportation
- buying your organics locally at a farmer's market (and riding your bike there)
- and doing all the energy-efficient things you can do (switch to a renewable provider, watch your water use, etc).
Oh, so what about all these fine people who actually make money mining coal (not the white shirts, but the miners and families, etc) -- how about training them to help rebuild our rail systems and to install solar panels and to work on watersheds? That should keep them busy for a while. And no, this is no knock, I'm from Pittsburgh, PA, home of coal and Steelers.On The chair of the Select Committee on Global Warming weighs in posted 2 years, 5 months ago 40 Responses
- re-planning cities and towns (the way they were before the suburban movement).