Draft Gore!!!

I understand why Al Gore doesn’t want to run.  Someone who actually won the last election and wasn’t elected President probably lost all faith in the American political system.  Besides that, he probably feels that he can affect more change as a philanthopist than as a political leader.  That may have been true 4 years ago, but now enough people have taken up his cause that he can step down and do what America really needs him to do – repair our reputation with the rest of the world.  Hopefully those people who didn’t believe in Global Warming or Climate Change will give it a little more thought now that Gore has won the Nobel Prize.  The truth is, we need a leader.  Whether it’s Al Gore or someone else, we need someone who is respected by the American people and the world community at large.

3,822 US soldiers killed in Iraq.  28,171 US soldiers wounded in Iraq.

Do Something. ANYTHING.

I had an argument with my parents this week about the environment.  My parents don’t feel that it’s an important issue, even though they believe that Global Warming is happneing.  It’s not that they don’t know what they can do, or that they can’t afford to do everything they can.  They just don’t care.  I find that type of behavior appalling (and quite disheartening), especially in my own parents.  There is no reason why every one of us shouldn’t be doing SOMETHING to help the environment.  Instead, my parents leave the lights on in their house almost all the time, leave the air conditioning on when they’re not in the house, and put absolutely horrible things into their bodies.  They do have a Hybrid, but only because it saves money on gas.

If you’re not going to do anything to improve the environment, the LEAST you can do is try not to destroy it any further.   It’s not even all that inconvenient.  Here are 3 things that require very little change on your part:  Use compact florescent bulbs.  Take your own canvas bags to the supermarket rather than using paper or plastic.  Turn off or unplug electric devices you’re not using.

No Chinese Goods

Over 250,000 tires made in China have been recalled, which is just the latest in a serious of dangerous and impure products to come out of China recently.  We can’t cancel our trade agreements with them because (and this is just a theory) we owe them millions of dollars.  It’s possible that a condition of the loans we’re receiving is that we take goods from China not matter what’s in them.  Should we really be buying things from a country that has come to be known as “the Wild West” of manufacturing? 

We’re not the only ones who are having problems with Chinese goods.  Poisonous cough medicine was shipped to Panama, killing at least 119 people.  In light of recent events, Americans should be boycotting goods from China.  Besides the many human rights violations happening daily in China, there extremely harmful effects to the envirionment from having goods shipped halfway around the globe.  We don’t need many of the things we’re getting from China, and those we do need can be made right here (such as: apple juice, candy, dried garlic, cocoa butter, sausage casings, and dried berries).  The government contends that avoiding food products from China is nearly impossible, but that’s not true if you’re able to shop locally or you can afford to shop organically.  If you can’t, eat at your own risk.

 3,679 US soldiers killed in Iraq, 27,279 US soldiers wounded in Iraq

The Road to Nowhere*

We have a problem with our highways and bridges in America.  Many people attribute the problem to the wide range of weather that assaults our asphalt, but that wouldn’t be an issue if the roads were constructed correctly in the first place.  Most of our roads are built the same way, with no regard for the amount of traffic, the stability of the ground below, and the weight of the cars (SUV’s, or Hummers) driving on it, like the German engineers who, as always, have put a great deal of thought into the construction of the Autobahns.  *It is hubris to think that the United States has weather conditions that cannot be conquered when it has been done consistantly better many parts of the world.  The reasons that roads decay speaks more to our system of government than it does to our systems of weather.

Our roads, by comparison, are falling into the Mississippi river.  The roads that aren’t completely dissolving are being repaired so often that it’s impossible to drive across most states without running into construction.  *It is part of the American culture to accept that things break and our governments and unions know how to capitalize on that.  To find out why our roads aren’t being constructed properly in the first place, we first need to ask who benefits from the constant repairs on our highways.  Then we need to demand some ACTUAL road construction where all factors are considered BEFORE the path is paved.  Constant construction contributes to the emission of tons of carbon dioxide (through slowed traffic, the transport of materials, and environmentally unsound construction vehicals), the use of copious amounts of fuel, and the heating of constrction materials that are destructive to the environment.

*edited from the original

Thinking Green

I don’t believe in supporting the movie industry. I think it has sold out in a variety of ways, and I’m not going to get into them now. I haven’t gone to see it yet, but I feel I should support Evan Almighty for its work in creating a green set. Whatever your stance on Global Warming, it goes without saying that humans need to reduce their impact on the environment. I applaud Universal Studios, director Tom Shadyac, and The Conservation Fund for setting a new standard for making movies.

In the same general vein, Big Ideas for a Small Planet on the Sundance Channel has become one of my favorite series. It has given us a lot of great ideas for things we can do around the house and organizations we can get involved in to help reduce our carbon footprint.

And in totally off-the-wall environmental news, a lake in Chile has disappeared recently. It’s probably not due to Global Warming, though a rise in the suspected earthquakes may be connected to climate change.

War is never good for the environment, but it’s GREAT for overpopulation:
3,557 US Soldiers killed in Iraq
26,129 US Soldiers wounded in Iraq (at least we’ll have a use for some of those plastics)

National IMPEACHMENT Day

Today is National Impeachment Day. For those of you who disagree with the job President Bush has done and will continue to do, please call attention to the administrations impeachable offences today on your blog. If you can’t do that, put up a sign in your front yard, in your window, on your car, or write it on your forehead. Here are just some of the reasons why President Bush and Vice President Cheney should be impeached:

President Bush pressured the EPA to clear the area around Ground Zero so that construction crews and first responders would get to work earlier.

The Bush Administration has consistently denied the existence of Global Warming until recently, and has taken no steps to improve the condition of the planet.

President Bush and his Administration completely mishandled everything involved with Hurricane Katrina, including the evacuation, the housing of survivors, and the clean-up effort.

President Bush introduced and The Patriot Act, which puts no limits on what the government can do to form a case, arrest, and detain a US Citizen without telling them what they’re being accused of or allowing them access to a lawyer.

President Bush ordered the illegal wire-tapping of US Citizens.
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Presdident Bush allowed the torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghrab.

President Bush and his Administration initially lied to the American people about why we were going to war with Iraq, and has continued to lie about the purpose of the war, the management of the war, and what is happening to our soldiers.

And let’s not forget:
3,334 US Soldiers have died in Iraq
24,912 US Soldiers have been wounded in Iraq

Save the Planet!!!

Lawns may be nice, but they don’t absorb a lot of carbon dioxide. Plant a tree. A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. If you have children, plant one tree for every year they are alive and measure their growth each year. Plant them in a pubic park so that everyone can enjoy them. Tired of sitting in the sun to watch your children’s sporting events? Ask if you can plant trees on the sidelines of municipal fields. Donate a tree to your local civic association, school, or church. Plant roses in your front yard. Plant a garden in your back yard and save money on vegetables. If you live in a housing development, petition the Association to allow you to plant trees in public areas. Even better, build benches under them to promote community living. The Arbor Day Foundation will send you 10 trees for a $10 donation.

A Bright Idea

Whether you believe in Global Warming or not, you can still reduce your impact on the environment by following this tip from An Inconvenient Truth. Replacing just one regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb makes a difference in your electric bill as well as the amount of carbon dioxide your home emits. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. It might be a little more expensive in the short run, CFLs cost about $3.25 each, but you’ll quickly make up the cost on your electric bill. They use 60% less energy than a regular bulb and need to be replaced less often. You can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation, and they are available at some local and chain hardware stores. If every family in the U.S. changed JUST ONE bulb, we’d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! Imagine what we could do if we switched the bulbs in ALL of our lamps.

If you work in a place where you are comfortable doing so, talk to your boss about replacing the bulbs there, as well. Many people are interested in doing little things to help the environment but they feel overwhelmed or insignificant. Others just can’t be bothered to find out what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Take the initiative and let them know. Your grandchildren will thank you for it.

3,220 US Soldiers killed in Iraq
24,042 US Soldiers wounded in Iraq

Religion and the Environment

I realize that I’ve been hitting several subjects hard lately. Since 80% of the people in this country consider themselves Christian, I feel that it is important to take a hard look at what they believe and what makes some of them so unbending in these beliefs. More importantly, I feel it is important to study and discuss the effects these beliefs are having on political issues.

Religious leaders of all kinds have been rejecting scientific principles since the beginning of time, even though the scientist presenting them were often deeply religious themselves. The Spanish Inquisition was not the beginning, nor was it the end of persecution. Religious people all over the world have rejected the theory of Global Warming. Since the planet was made by God, and we in God’s image, many believe that we could not possibly do anything to destroy either. As Bud suggested, the concept of freewill nullifies that argument. We have the power to do good things and bad. What we have done collectively to destroy the planet is disrespectful to each other and to God. If the world is her creation, her gift to us, then everything we do to hurt it, even in the smallest sense, is like slapping her in the face.

Instead of ignoring that it’s happening, educate yourself and do something about it.

Global Warming is REAL

Al Gore is being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize due to his work educating world leaders and the American public about the dangers of Global Warming through his book and movie, both entitled An Inconvenient Truth. This came not long after the State of the Union Address in which the President briefly mentioned that he’s like Americans to reduce their fuel consumption by 20% in the next 10 years – a statement that local and national news networks all but ignored. No one, including the President mentioned the various ways to encourage conservation and discourage fuel consumption. Here are a few of my suggestions:

1. Provide tax breaks for people working within 10 miles of their home or those using public transportation. Of course, this would require updating the public transportation system, extending bus routes, and planning future communities in a way that allows the people living in them to travel no more than 10 miles to work, school, or shopping locations. Of course, it would be even better if everything we needed were within walking distance, but that would be too much to ask.

2. Require better gas mileage for all cars.

3. Tax SUV’s, Hummers, and trucks for personal use that require huge amounts of fuel. Offer tax breaks to those driving hybrids or cars using alternative fuels.

EDITED: Religious people all over the world have rejected the theory of Global Warming, including our President, who should be impeached for doing so. Since the planet was made by God, and we in God’s image, many believe that we could not possibly do anything to destroy either. Religious leaders of all kinds have been rejecting scientific principles since the beginning of time. As conscious citizens, it is our duty to convince them that the care of our planet and ourselves is not only in all of OUR best interests, but it is most likely what God would want us to do (if she exists). And, wouldn’t it stand to reason that if we ARE creatures of God and the Earth is her masterpiece, that we should take the best possible care of both?

So that Americans can continue consuming obscene amounts of fuel:
3,088 US Soldiers have been killed in Iraq (this figure DOES NOT include soldiers who were wounded in Iraq but died of their wounds outside of its borders)
23,114 US Soldiers have been wounded in Iraq