The Blue State

Open Letter To Congress: Reform Energy

What affects our environment, our national security, our economy and our health? Energy use.  For me, it is the top political and social issue because the need for reform seems blatantly obvious and undebatable by any honest, unbiased person. Which, by the way, I am - as I am not employed by or related to anyone would would benefit from massive energy reform, especially what I am begging for here in my letter which I've now sent to both of my US Senators and my US Congressman:

I believe that government investment in renewable energy is necessary and very sadly and very long overdue. I am writing to encourage you to bring Energy Reform to the forefront of our national attention during the 2008 election season and obviously well beyond that as well.  I am not a Democrat, however I cannot understand why your Party would not choose to completely own this issue.  If you did, I would consider becoming a Democrat.

Energy Reform has four critical advantages, some of which are rarely brought to the attention of the public:

• It would reduce our dependence on foreign energy, thereby eliminating much of our interests in the Middle East, thereby improving our national security problems.
• It would clean up our environment, thereby reducing many chronic health problems.
• It would create a new major sector in our economy.  If done right, the US could one day become an exporter of energy products. Imagine that?
• Obviously, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to man made Global Warming (something I would know very little about if I depended on only the Democratic Party to inform me).

I would like to see significant changes, such as:

• A phased in tax increase on the use of all non-renewable energies, while offsetting that tax with sharp tax rebates on the use of and development of renewable energy.
• Government car fleets becoming 100% hybrid, comprised of cars made by US companies. This would set an example for our communities and spur the development of hybrid technology in our country.  There can be no reason why government vehicles should not be hybrid.
• Government funded programs to provide solar energy to individual residences at prices comparable to regular electric and heat costs.  Over time, this would reduce the cost of solar energy to the point where all homes can use it.

I fear that the longer we continue to wait to take serious strides toward revamping our energy policy, the more costly, not less costly, it will be for US businesses and travelers.  Please let me know why any of these suggestions are either wrong or impractical.  If you cannot, I expect to see serious action very soon.

My hope is that if you agree with part or all of this, that you will send this to your Congressional Representatives as well. It's time we take action on issues that affect everyone and issues that can actually be solved. Don't let the 2008 campaign be about someone's stance on abortion is, or how religious they are, or how much they spend for a haircut. If we let this happen, we will again get the government we deserve.

Google's Goal: 100 Miles Per Gallon

Have you ever heard of google.com?  Well, it's this really cool web site that let's you find stuff online and ... alright, so you've heard of Google.  But have you ever heard of Google's philanthropic arm, google.org?

In the wake of the success that was Live Earth this weekend, it is worth noting that Google is at least one major US corporation that is not simply reacting to the challenge presented by global warming, but proactively pursuing solutions outside the scope of government intervention.  Along with improving global public health and fighting poverty around the world, google.org's area of focus is climate change.

Today, their main initiative to combat climate change is known as RechargeIT.  The program's goal is to reduce CO2 emissions, to reduce the use of oil, to increase the use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and to increase the use of vehicle to grid (V2G) technology.  Why hybrids?

Transportation related greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for roughly one third of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and at least 20% globally. In the US, over 60% of the transportation emissions result from gasoline consumption for personal vehicle use. We believe that plug-in hybrids capable of running on biofuels are the best near term option for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

Google currently has a small fleet of Toyota and Ford hybrids retrofitted with plug-in technology. This small fleet is used to collect data to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology. This data is published for all to see.  The best performing car is already achieving over 79 miles per gallon.  RechargeIT's goal is to grow a corporate fleet of around 100 vehicles and to have them all achieve 70-100 mpg.

The killer benefit of plug-in hybrids returns us to the term, V2G.  V2G allows the car owner to charge their car battery during off-peak energy use times of the day and to actually return energy back to the grid (for profit) during peak times when the grid most needs it.

It's really a thrill to see Google taking the lead in pursuing alternative and renewable energies.  After all, when was the last time you saw Google come up short on anything?

Not to Worry, It's Only 42 Thousand Gallons of Crude Oil

In my opinion here is another fine example of government officials BS'ing thepublic. Forty Two thousand gallons of crude oil is happily cruising down a rivertowards a lake that supplies drinking water. The officials say "they're notsure of the extent of contamination" and a spokeswoman for the Dept. of EnvironmentalQuality says "the spill isn't expected tohave an impact on the water-supply intakes located below the surface at thesouth end of the lake. She says oil tends to float on the surface of the water,so the quality of water taken from below the surface of the lake should not beaffected." Personally I don't think you can put forty two thousand gallonsOF water in a river and it not have an impact of some sort.

COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) - Forty-two thousandsgallons of thick crude oil are nearing an Oklahoma lake that supplies water fordrinking and recreation.

The oil spilled from the Coffeyville Resourcesrefinery in Kansas on Sunday into the Verdigris River. It has been floatingdownstream toward Oologah (OO'-luh-gah) Lake, about 30 miles northeast of Tulsa

Officials say a lot of the oil slick remainson the surface and is visible. They're not sure of the extent of contamination.

A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department ofEnvironmental Quality says the spill isn't expected to have an impact on thewater-supply intakes located below the surface at the south end of the lake. Shesays oil tends to float on the surface of the water, so the quality of watertaken from below the surface of the lake should not be affected. Thestory is here... (but this is all there is at this link.)

Then we can go down the list of all the things NOT to worry about:

 
• None of the oil reached Oklahoma's Lake Oologah, a source of drinking    water for Tulsa and other communities, Oklahoma environmental officials said    Wednesday.
 
• Some workers at the refinery and the fertilizer facility already are    returning to work. Others have been told to remain at home until contacted    by their supervisors to return.
 
• Lipinski says the company is working closely with city, state and federal    agencies engaged in mitigating the environmental impact of the loss and is    actively reaching out to those people affected.
 
• On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, was helping the    Coffeyville Police Department to conduct air quality tests for potential    hazards
 
• At least 1,000 people have been displaced from their homes throughout    southeast Kansas, says the Kansas adjutant general's department
 
• The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, KDHE, is distributing    tetanus vaccine to prevent the illness in people who have come in contact    with the floodwaters
 
• Health officials are warning residents to stay out of the flood waters due    to sewage, hazardous materials, and other contaminants. Individuals should    contact their nearest health department for a tetanus vaccine if they have    had a recent, significant injury or if they have entered the water and have    not had a tetanus vaccination in the past 10 years.
 
• The EPA advises people returning to property that may be contaminated with    oil and other contaminants to wear work boots, open doors and windows for    ventilation, and avoid taking oil-contaminated items to non-contaminated    locations. Read    this complete article here...

We all know accidents can happen, but when you look at the list of all the"agencies" working on this one, it is similar to Katrina's crack teamsof crack heads. And when fish, birds and other wildlife start popping up dead,or with more eyes and legs then they really need, then they will create afew more committees to investigate the new situation.

A few more emergencies like this and "we're in big troublemister"...ya see, all our federal funds are a little tied up right nowhelping democratize the world.

And besides, what's the worse that could happen? I ain't no tree hugger!

European winter the warmest since the year 1289

NewScientist.com is reporting that Europe's autumn-winter season last year was the continent's warmest in 700 years:

The last time Europeans saw similar temperatures to the autumn andwinter of 2006-07, they were eating strawberries at Christmas in 1289,according to Jürg Luterbacher at the University of Bern, Switzerland,and colleagues.

Still though, studies like this one do not stop so-called pundits such as The Village News from calling global warming "phony."

Maybe the conservative activists that choose to ignore the overwhelming majority of scientists should consider the worldwide economic impacts that temperature change will have.  Due to global warming, countries that rely so heavily on tourism -- Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain in particular -- could lose a chunk of the $100 million that they attract annually.

Also, 84% of businesses in the Bay Area support the California Global Warming Solutions Act, a bill that if passed would require the state to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by the year 2020.  Although the law passed last year with the support of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California needs a federal waiver in order to enforce it.  The EPA will make a decision by the end of the year.  But the very idea that a Republican governor would agree to take action illustrates how many of our leaders are beginning to grow up and face the scientific consensus.

Renovations to the Gores home

After listening to Sean Hannity's (among other's) constantattempts at smearing Al Gore and trying to get everyone in the phone bookto say he is a hypocrite, I can't express how pleased I was when AssociatedPress Writer Erik Schelzig interviewedAl Gore about his 'green' lifestyle and his TN home's "green-ness".This information has been out for a couple of week, but is a great"at-a-glance" reference and worthy of having on hand.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Al Gore, the environmental activist stung by criticismover his house's energy efficiency, said Friday that renovations are nearlycomplete to make it a model "green" home

"This plan has been in the works for a long time," the former vicepresident said in an interview with The Associated Press. "The only thingthat has changed is that we're more public about it because of the misleadingattack by a global-warming denier group."

Earlier this year, a conservative group criticized Gore, citing electricbills that were far more than the typical Nashville home. Utility records
showed the Gore family paid an average monthly electric bill of about $1,200last year for its 10,000-square-foot home.

Gore's renovation project, which he said has been in the works for months,seeks to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED,standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Once his upscale neighborhood changed zoning laws earlier this year, Gore wasable to place solar panels on his roof, and he's now preparing to
install a geothermal system that will, among other things, drastically reducethe cost of heating his pool.

Gore is also upgrading windows and ductwork, installing more energy-efficientlight bulbs and creating a rainwater collection system for
irrigation and water management

The home houses offices for Gore and his wife, Tipper, as well as acommercial kitchen for formal events.

Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, thegroup that initially criticized Gore, said the "renovations areobviously in direct response to our finding that he's a hypocrite on the issueof global warming." Read on...

WhenHannity tried to get Arnold Schwarzenegger to buy into his "Gore's a hypocrite"theory-smear on 'Hannity's America', the governor responded to Hannity's long winded sales pitch:

Thegovernor diplomatically brought it up himself. Schwarzenegger said focusing onhow much a public figure contributes to global warming is fair game. "But Idon't think you should crucify someone like that, because if he does so muchgood and inspiring people and changes millions and millions of people to drivewith clean cars and inspires millions of people to use less energy, less waterand all of those things but in the meantime maybe he drives the bigger car, Ithink it is some what of an unfair thing to go and attack him. Yes there is ahypocrisy, absolutely."

On a global warming note: In lastnight's 'BlueNightowl Clips' post, we featured a video titled 'TheMost Terrifying Video You'll Ever See', where a rather knowledgeable H.S.science teacher  simplifies the global warming issue using common sense,and in a very humble way. His 3 follow-up videos titled 'PatchingHoles' (1,2 & 3) are more than worthy of viewing.

A Day With Al

Al Gore is looking better to me everyday, and for that reason I decided todedicate a post to him...the country's pAL.

First lets take a look at Al's new book 'TheAssault on Reason'. The Guardian postedan edited extract from his book.

'A drive for global domination has put us in greater danger'- Moral authority, which is ourgreatest source of strength, has been recklessly put at risk by this willfulpresident

The pursuit of "dominance" in foreign policy led the Bushadministration to ignore the UN, to do serious damage to our most importantalliances, to violate international law, and to cultivate the hatred andcontempt of many in the rest of the world. The seductive appeal of exercisingunconstrained unilateral power led this president to interpret his powers underthe constitution in a way that brought to life the worst nightmare of thefounders. Any policy based on domination of the rest of the world not onlycreates enemies for the US and recruits for al-Qaida, but also undermines theinternational cooperation that is essential to defeating terrorists who wish toharm and intimidate America. Instead of "dominance", we should beseeking pre-eminence in a world where nations respect us and seek to follow ourleadership and adopt our values. Readon...

Time Online posted an excerptfrom 'The Assault on Reason'

Not long before our nation launched the invasion of Iraq, our longest-servingSenator, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, stood on the Senate floor and said:"This chamber is, for the most part, silent—ominously, dreadfully silent.There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the prosand cons of this particular war. There is nothing. We stand passively mute inthe United States Senate."

Why was the Senate silent?

In describing the empty chamber the way he did, Byrd invited a specificversion of the same general question millions of us have been asking: "Whydo reason, logic and truth seem to play a sharply diminished role in the wayAmerica now makes important decisions?" The persistent and sustainedreliance on falsehoods as the basis of policy, even in the face of massive andwell-understood evidence to the contrary, seems to many Americans to havereached levels that were previously unimaginable. Readon...

We constantly hear the broken record words of Sean Hannity trying to get anyoneand everyone to side with him that "Gore is a hypocrite" regardingGlobal Warming.

Joseph Palermo wrote on DavidBrook's Assault on Al Gore.

In today's New York Times, right-wing columnist and perennialyakking head, David (Bobo-in-Paradise) Brooks, trashes Al Gore's newbook, The Assault on Reason. Brooks labels Gore "a radicaltechnological determinist" because the former Vice President draws upon thescholarly work of Marshal McLuhan, Neil Postman, and others to conclude that theprinting press, radio, and television have had an enormous impact on ourpolitics. "Gore's imperviousness to reality is not the most strikingfeature of the book," sniffs Brooks, "it's the chilliness andsterility of his worldview."

Toward the end of his mushy-headed indictment of Gore, Brooks snivels:"Utterly at a loss when asked to talk about virtue and justice, [Gore andothers] try to shift attention to technology and methods of communication. Theyimagine that by altering machines they can alter the fundamentals of behavior,or at least avoid the dark thickets of human nature."

It's funny that someone like Brooks, who calls himself a"conservative" and an "intellectual" would be so downrighthostile to The Assault on Reason. After all, aren't people like Brookssupposed to admire the framers of the Constitution and other people who havecontributed to defining our nation's creed?...Readon...

It really doesn't matter if you like Gore or not, butit is difficult to disagree with his points of view both politically and environmentally.What once turned me off from Gore was his articulate, intelligent and almost condescendingattitude, is now something I embrace. He stayed the course and proved to us thathe really does care about the people, the country and the earth.

Gore Says Bush is an Un-American , Heretic

Al Gore 'The Assault On Reason' ~ Countdown w/Obermann Part1

Al Gore 'The Assault On Reason' ~ Countdown w/Obermann Part2

Al Gore ~ Religion/Founding Fathers - Larry King 5/22/2007

                   

Al's Home Page

Al's o8 Draft Campaign Page

Al's Inconvenient      Truth Page

Draft Gore Page

This post isn't a "The Blue State Supports Gore", this was solelyto condense a wealth of information in a single post about Al.. I am an Obama o8kinda guy, but would love a Gore/Obama ticket, and would like Richardson onGore's cabinet. If all goes well, perhaps an Obama 2012?

Post Rerun: Oh Those Pesky Bees

I thought this would be a worthy re-post and to piggy-back on Todd's Earth Day Message.

Back on April 4th The Blue State had a post relating to the bee issue Oh Those Pesky Bees. This is a real issue, and any non-believers should at least chip through that layer of doubt, and take a few minutes to look into this. Do not become discouraged at the first conservative site that says "Nut-job liberals now want us to believe the bees are dying"

                                                 For the non-believers ->

(Video) Earth Day Message from Bill Maher

A few days ago on HBO's Real Time, host Bill Maher discussed a specific environmental issue that the press had been ignoring until now.  It has to do with the decrease in bee population:

And there is more:

• 70% of all vegetables must be pollinated by domestic bees.  (AFP 4/6/07)
• There are 25% less professional bee hive colonies today than at the start of the 1980s. (AFP 4/6/07)
• Bee exports in 24 states, which include every region of the country, have recently reported unprecedented numbers of bees abandoning their hives.  For example, 35% of Florida's bee colonies have disappeared.  (St. Petersburg Times 3/3/07)

Governments Want IPCC Report Watered Down

Some governments are calling for the watering down of the report onthe impact of climate changes, and  is angering the scientists that workedon the report. Some of the scientists have vowed never to participate in theprocess again.

Scientistsunhappy with changes in climate report

Several governments had forced scaling down of the report prepared by thescientists for United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),which was released in Brussels on April 6.

Intense arguments had taken place before the agreement could be reached onthe report’s conclusions, in which many key sections were deleted. Scientistsconfronted government negotiators who they feared were watering down theirfindings. Several scientists objected to the editing of the final draft bygovernment negotiators but, in the end, agreed to the compromises.

Thereis some opposition to the threat of Global Warming (or climate change as theopposition refers to it as), but many of the "experts" are employed bythe large oil companies which would explain their "doubts". And Iwasn't surprised to see the U.S., China and Saudi Arabia objecting to some ofthe phrasing (rich countries topping the list of Co2 emissions).

The US, Chinaand Saudi Arabia raised many of the objections to the phrasing, often seeking totone down the certainty of some of the more dire projections. The reportprojected an increased risk of disappearance of up to 30 percent of species ifglobal temperatures rise 3.6 degrees above the average in the 1980s and 1990s.Areas in drought will become even drier, adding to the risks of hunger anddisease, it said.

While we're sitting in front of our TV's watching CSI Miami, global warminghas no effect on us, our government will fix the problem, and we even care lesswhen climate change will be more of a problem thousands of miles away. I thinkwe've all been guilty of dismissing disasters or tragedies when they're not inour neighborhoods, and don't think they will have an affect on us (butthey do).

This year’s series of reports by the IPCC were the first in six years fromthe prestigious body of 2,500 scientists, formed in 1988.

‘Food, water scarcity in India by 2050’

IPCC report says food and water scarcity loom large over India as globaltemperatures are rising due to emission of greenhouse gases, and its effectswill be visible by year 2050. IPCC head Dr R K Pachauri said the UN Panelprojects substantial decreases in the production of food grains in India andother Asian countries.

He said half a degree Celsius rise in winter temperatures would reduce wheatproduction by 0.45 metric tons per hectare.

India is completely unprepared for the effects of climate change that couldlead to widespread flooding and drought across the impoverished country, aresearcher said Tuesday. On a scale of 10, India’s preparedness is 0.5, warnedPachauri.

FYI on Concert to Combat Global Warming

This is an email I received  from Kalee Kreider, the CommunicationsDirector for Al & Tipper Gore. I have exchanged a few emails with her forsome info. I was looking for. It has some info that may interest some of you. (Iadded the highlight). I deleted the list of bands to shorten the post. If anyonewould like that info., leave a comment and I will email the list to you.

Hi all,
Below is the announcement I mentioned last week that was coming. Thought you
might have interest. Cheers, Kalee

STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 5 a.m. EDT April 10, 2007
CONTACT: Yusef K. Robb
(323) 384-1789 / press@liveearth.org

USA LIVE EARTH REVEALED
Tickets for the 7/7/07 Concert to Combat Global Warming Go On Sale 4/16

EDITORS: Video highlight package with B-roll of artists and concerts and
sound bites from Wall and Gore available. See satellite info below. Audio
release for radio also available. Contact Robb for MP3 file.

NEW YORK -- Organizers today announced sixteen of the headliners who will
perform at the U.S. leg of the 7-continent, 24-hour Live Earth concerts on
7/7/07.  The concert will be held at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Live
Earth Founder and Executive Producer Kevin Wall said. Tickets for the show
go on sale Monday, April 16 at 10 a.m. EDT.

³Capping Live Earth with a blockbuster show like this will ensure we meet
our challenge of building a mass audience to combat global warming,² Wall
said.  ³Live Earth will be a monumental event both in terms ofentertainment
and in turning the tide against global warming.²

The global concert on 7/7/07 will begin in Sydney and continue across all 7
continents, concluding with the U.S. show.

³We hope the energy created by Live Earth will jump start a massive public
education effort,² Live Earth Co-Chair Vice President Al Gore said. ³Live
Earth will help us reach a tipping point that¹s needed to move corporations
and governments to take decisive action to solve the climate crisis.²

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 16 and will be available
at livenation.com/liveearth or by calling Ticketmaster at (212) 307-7171.
All ticket information is available at LiveEarth.MSN.com.  All proceedswill
go to The Alliance for Climate Protection and other international NGOs.

Live Earth is a monumental music event that will bring together more than 2
billion people to combat the climate crisis.  Live Earth¹s 24 hours ofmusic
across 7 continents will deliver a call to action and the solutions needed
to answer the call.  Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-yearcampaign
led by The Alliance for Climate Protection to move individuals, corporations
and governments to take action.

Exclusive online media partner MSN is helping Live Earth reach people in
every corner of the globe.  The concerts will be streamed live on 7/7/07 at
LiveEarth.MSN.com. MSN¹s 39 localized web portals worldwide attract 465
million monthly users.  The concerts will be broadcast on the NBC in the
U.S. and on more than 120 networks around the world.

Wall also announced that smart car, Stonyfield Farm and Pepsi have joined
Live Earth as corporate partners.  In addition to working with Live Earthto
create corporate efforts to combat global warming, this growing list of
partners will help ensure a mass audience for Live Earth is reached.  These
efforts will be detailed at a later date.

Wall also announced today that Live Earth will stage concerts at Sydney¹s
Aussie Stadium; Rio de Janeiro¹s Copacabana Beach; Johannesburg¹s Cradle of
Human Kind; Tokyo¹s Tokyo Stadium and the Shanghai, TBD.

Live Earth is produced by Control Room, of which Kevin Wall is the CEO.
Control Room has produced and distributed more than 60 concerts since its
founding in 2005 featuring Beyoncé, Madonna, Green Day and the Rolling
Stones, among others.
Satellite info: 4:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. EDT; 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. EDT;
1:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. EDT. Coordinates for all feeds: Galaxy 26 Transponder
24 (C-Band); Downlink Frequency: 4180 H; Audio Subcarriers: 6.2/6.8;
Playout/Uplink facility: Ascent Media 212.599.1391.

Kalee D. Kreider
Communications Director
Office of the Hon. Al Gore and Mrs. Tipper Gore
2100 West End Avenue, Suite 620
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 327-2227
(615) 327-1323