Clean Coal and the Clause
Barack Obama Supports Developing Clean Coal Technology
copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org
You better watch out!
Better not cry!
Better not pout!
I'm telling you why,
Santa Claus is comin' to town.He's making a list
and checking it twice.
He's going to find out who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town.We better watch out. We better not cry. While Santa checks his list twice, so too might you and I. The ebony chunks Old Saint Nick might place in our stocking, contrary to what coal corporation sponsored commercials might claim, are not clean. Nor is this source of energy cheap. When used as a resource for power, this sedimentary rock is dirty, deadly, and digs deep into the pocketbooks, and personal lives, of those the industry touches. In America, that may be you and me.
- Millions of acres across 36 states have been dynamited, torn, and churned into bits by strip mining in the last 150 years.
- More than 60 percent of all coal mined in the United States today, in fact, comes from strip mines.
- In the "United States of Coal," Appalachia has become the poster child for strip mining's worst depravations, which come in the form of mountaintop removal.
- An estimated 750,000 to 1 million acres of hardwood forests, a thousand miles of waterways and more than 470 mountains and their surrounding communities -- an area the size of Delaware -- have been erased from the southeastern mountain range in the last two decades.
- Thousands of tons of explosives -- the equivalent of several Hiroshima atomic bombs -- are set off in Appalachian communities every year.
- More than 104,000 miners in America have died in coal mines since 1900.
- Twice as many have died from black lung disease.
- Dangerous pollutants, including mercury, filter into our air and water [through mining practices.]
- The injuries and deaths caused by overburdened coal trucks are innumerable.
- A recent report reveals that in the last six years the Mine Safety and Health Administration decided not to assess fines for more than 4,000 violations.
Source . . . Washington Post. Jeff Biggers is the author of "The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture and Enlightenment to America."
The man in the red suit, from his North Pole residence, feels the effect of Americans who have been naughty, not nice, to the planet. He wonders why, after all these centuries, citizens of the United States do not grasp the notion he has thought to teach for all these years. Coal is not a gift. The petroleum product is placed in the stockings of children who have been cruel, adults too. Old Saint Nick sighs for he sees that his message has been long lost.
Yes, tis true; just as people sing; Santa Claus is comin' to town. However, while his sleigh is weighted down with packages, his heart is heavy with woe. Will the reindeer soon be extinct? Might the air be too contaminated for his herd and him to breathe? Could it be children will no longer be snug in their beds. Might the visions that dance in little ones heads be horrific reminders of what has aired on the news. The ice shelves collapsed and seawaters rose.
As the 2008, Presidential election came to a close Mrs Claus told her husband, Santa, to hope. She said, on January 21, 2009, President Elect Obama's first full day in office, certainly, there would be a change. However, Saint Nick saw reason to think otherwise. He has listened to Barack Obama for quite some time. Mister Claus has looked at the soon-to-be Chief Executive's record, and he realizes there has been little for him to believe in.
Kriss Kringle is optimistic as he contemplates the recent energy appointments. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, who heads the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and proclaims to be on a "mission" to ensure the United States is "the world leader in alternative and renewable energy research, particularly the development of carbon-neutral sources of energy," was selected to be the next Energy Secretary.
Carol M. Browner, an Administrator from the Environmental Protection Agency under Bill Clinton, who worked vehemently for stringent air pollution standards, will direct a new White House position. She might be considered the Czar of Energy, Environmental, and Climate Policies.
Lisa P. Jackson, former head of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and a fervent advocate for green energy, has been asked to head the Obama Environmental Protection Agency. Nancy Sutley, a Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles for Energy and Environment, with a long record on environmental and natural resources policy, will Chair the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Santa says, that is all good. Yet, he still feels great concern. Can Barack Obama change his ways. Aware of the fact that Americans are comfortable with coal, will the President Elect continue to pacify the people who selected him to serve?
Mister Claus is less buoyant when he considers Congress, which has, for so long strengthened the hold the industry has on energy policies. Coal lobbyists, Kriss Kringle muses, are a powerful bunch. All of those who support the status quo, which includes the use of fossil fuels are as children coddled and content, even when given a gift of coal.
Hence, Santa is apprehensive. Will policies change? Climate certainly has. For decades, Mister Claus has pretended to be happy when in the presence of little ones. In public, he bellowed a blissful "Ho, ho, ho." However, when at home, alone with the Missus, the man in the red flannels and furs spoke of his truer trepidation. Santa, quotes, Stanford University biologist Terry Root; "We're out of time. Things are going extinct."
The once jolly man reads the gloomy reports in the press. He peruses the United States Enviornmental Protection Agency literature in his desire to verify the conclusions. Unlike the skies and seas, it seems clear. Climate change, he contends, is real.
"U.S. emissions have increased by 20 percent since 1992. China has more than doubled its carbon dioxide pollution in that time. World carbon dioxide emissions have grown faster than scientists' worst-case scenarios. Methane, the next most potent greenhouse gas, suddenly is on the rise again and scientists fear that vast amounts of the trapped gas will escape from thawing Arctic permafrost.
The amount of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere has already pushed past what some scientists say is the safe level."
Santa wonders of what the future might bring. Missus Claus again avows, there is reason to hope. However, Saint Nick reflects on what he thinks an apt comparison. A proud parent will ignore obvious impish behaviors. A mother or father will consider imprudent actions acceptable. Papa or Mama will tell themselves a child has potential. A devoted Mommy or Daddy will declare their progeny are decidedly different. He, or she, will be unlike any other offspring who might misbehave.
Caregivers will do as Barack Obama has done in the past, posit policies that while profound do not alter behaviors. Indeed, strategies that lack the substance that sustains a transition encourage greater mischief. Mister Claus cannot forget what remains on Barack Obama's webpage even after he announced a change in energy consultants; Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology
President Elect Obama has said we can grow clean coal expertise. Americans, reluctant to authentically change agree. Santa pleads, "Please!"
Days ago, is a moment of deep despair Kriss Kringle turned to the television. He endeavored to lose himself as Americans have, in thoughts of whimsy. Yet, as he tuned in, he is horrified to see what reminds him of the power of persuasion. Misinfomercials market; coal is clean. Little lumps of black carbon sing.
Frosty the Coal Man, is a jolly happy soul.
He's abundant here in America and he helps our economy roll.
Frosty the Coal Man, is getting cleaner every day.
He's affordable and adorable and helps workers keep their pay.
There must have been some magic in clean coal technology,
For when they looked for pollutants there was nearly none to see.
Santa grimaced and cringed. While he welcomed the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity decision to suspend the spirited campaign intended to convince Americans that coal is clean and good, Saint Nick surmised, the people and perchance the nation's newer Chief Executive will continue to ignore obvious, and intentionally invisible behavior.
Santa ponders; the past has long been prologue, regardless of what is experts, said to former Presidents and the one soon-to-be. Chief Executives were told just as Barack Obama is today. There is 'little time left to curb' the crisis. '[T]he world has just a few years to make deep cuts in emissions.' If few or no changes are made, worldwide people and creatures will perish.
Other Officers of the people postured as the President Elect did, after a conference with former Vice President Al Gore, winner of a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming. The President Elect stated, "The time for delay is over; the time for denial is over."
However, Kriss Kringle contends, this suggested commitment to transformation could be challenged and Santa Claus offers his arguments. He checked his list. He reviewed it twice. After a through assessment, Mister Claus is hesitant to believe that Barack Obama will be the clean, the green, change the globe needs.
Santa knows what records reveal. As a Senator, and as a Presidential candidate, Obama supported clean coal. The American people had been persuaded to depend on the fossil fuel. Congress was convinced coal was clean, cheap, and worth the investment. Indeed, Saint Nick knows, Congress loves coal. That, the man in the red suit says, as he mounts his sleigh, and heads for hills whose tops have been removed for coal excavation, is naughty not nice.
Overwhelmed with woe and wonder, as Old Saint Nick flew through the sky he pondered the many lumps of coal he had planned to deliver. He wondered. Might there be a better way to communicate his concern for behavior that is bad. Could he part the seas, pummel the terrain with snow, sleet, and hail? Might he move mountains, melt the frozen masses at the poles? Would wind gusts be the best way to warn the American people, Congress, coal corporation campaigners, and the President Elect? No, he concluded; Mother Nature tried each of these.
So Santa surmised, all he could do was to shout; "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, a Joyous Kwanzaa, a Cheery Ramadan to all, and to all, if you prolong a confidence in coal for power, this may be our last night."
Resources for coal; clean and dirty . . .
- American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.
- Dirty Coal. Natural Resources Defense Council.
- The Cost of Climate Change. Natural Resources Defense Council.
- Laid to Waste: The Dirty Secret of Combustion Waste from America's Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force. March 2000
- Dirty Air, Dirty Power: Mortality and Health Damage Due to Air Pollution from Power Plants. Clean Air Task Force. June 2004
- Global Warming. Natural Resources Defense Council.
- New Energy for America. BarackObama.com
- Clean Power or Dirty Coal? Editorial. The New York Times. February 10, 2008
- Union of Concerned Scientist.
- Obama left with little time to curb global warming, By Seth Borenstein. Associated Press. December 14, 2008
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions. United States Environmental Protection Agency.
- Why choose 19th Century pollution? Natural Resources Defense Council.
- Nobel Physicist Chosen To Be Energy Secretary, Browner, Two Others to Get Climate Posts. By Steven Mufson and Philip Rucker. Washington Post. Thursday, December 11, 2008; A01
- ACCCE Applauds Texas Public Utility Commission's Approval of Arkansas Clean Coal. Reuters. July 7, 2008
- Congress loves coal. The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA).
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on December 14, 2008 at 11:18 AM in Energy Enigma, Environment, Global Warming | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
My Hair; His Energy Policy
copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org
"Drill baby, drill," is the now ever-present and popular battle-cry for many Americans. From Presidential candidates to everyday people, those who wish to consume sweet light crude as they have for a more than a century remind me of my hair, and the current President's energy policy. I ponder the parallels and invite you to consider . . .
During a recent press conference, as I gazed upon the President of the United States, noticeably aged after years in the Oval Office, I thought of my hair and my history. His wavy gray locks are not as the strands that fall from my head. Nor did the diminutive curl that danced on his brow remind me of my own tresses. The style the Chief Executive donned did not resemble the permanent waves, pompadours, or ponytails I once wore. As George W. Bush spoke of his energy policy, I pondered. His approach to petroleum and power were as the methodology I embraced when I colored my hair.
For years, I addressed the truth of my tresses just as the President assesses the paradox of propulsion. In speech after speech, George W. Bush proposes, as he did on this occasion; America needs to end its addiction to oil. In the past, I proclaimed, I need to bring to a halt the habit of dying my hair. I, as President Bush, postured and yet, I did next to nothing to truly take me closer to my stated objective.
My progression towards a chemical free treatment of my hair was, as it seems Mister Bush's advancement is. I avoided more authentic change than I approached. My evolution was perhaps slowed by love. The tale of transformation began oh, so long ago.
Decades ago, I met a man who felt like family. Indeed, emotionally Eugene was part of my intimate circle. Gene did much with my Mom, Dad, brother, and I. As a pair, Eugene and I often ventured off together. We chatted on the telephone, spent time in each other's home. We were close. This fine fellow was influential in many aspects of my life. I respected his opinion. I valued his friendship. His wisdom often wowed me.
Thus, when my good friend Gene, who was also my hairdresser, told me the tint would brighten my face, I thought he must have reason to think this sage advice. At first, I protested. As insecure as I was about my appearance, I was confident that my natural hair color was perfect. Still, I considered the source. Therefore, I trusted the recommendation.
Possibly, George W. Bush could share a similar story. A loved one might have said, "Your future will be bright if you dabble in petroleum. extraction" "Build an oil well, my boy, and become a billionaire, or at least a multi-millionaire with substantial influence." "Taste the Texas Tea, and your life will be wondrous," could have been the claim Papa George Herbert or Momma Barbara uttered.
"Oil," family or friends may have opined, will improve the quality of the your existence. Perchance George felt as I did. He had no cause to distrust those he was close to. Indeed, relatives of the heir apparent could avow, with knowledge, to refine sweet crude would put money in a person's pocket. Black gold had helped to grow profits for the Bush brood for generations. As evidence, any of those related to George W. might have offered the family history.
Oil:. The Bushes’ ties to John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil go back 100 years, when Rockefeller made Buckeye Steel Castings wildly successful by convincing railroads that carried their oil to buy heavy equipment from Buckeye. George H. Walker helped refurbish the Soviet oil industry in the 1920s, and Prescott Bush acquired experience in the international oil business as a 22-year director of Dresser Industries. George H.W. Bush, in turn, worked for Dresser and ran his own offshore oil-drilling business, Zapata Offshore.
Frequently a boy child will follow a father's path. Fondness can fashion a future. On land and in the seas sweet light crude secured the Bush family's future. Young George W. Bush looked at evidence. His ancestral past, and his present circumstances even at an early age, helped establish a proven record. Investments in petroleum equate to prosperity. After a scant assessment, the youthful Bush likely decided, drill, drill, drill. That would be the life for him. Silver platters can be persuasive. The opinions of friends and family can also be extremely influential.
Through our personal acquaintance, Gene taught me to trust him and to have faith in his beliefs. Eugene had experience with hair dye. He felt the practice was safe, sane, and offered a sensational opportunity to liven up a face and an existence. Although initially hesitant, I concluded I would at least "try" what quickly became my habit. However, what I did not realize was once you begin on a path, it is a challenge to change course. Dark roots appeared in no time, as did my demand for more hair-dye.
George too may have approached his novel exploration cautiously. Many offspring resolve, they do not wish to be in the family business. The son of the senior Bush might have thought to play at this prospect until he found something better. However, George W. may have quickly discovered just as I did; it is easy to become hooked on a habit, newly acquired or tried and true.
When a career choice yields great wealth and greater opportunity, it is difficult to resist the temptation to continue on a prosperous path. Once the journey begins, an oilman such as George W. Bush realized, empty gas tanks require more fuel. Electrical equipment must be charged. The demand is endless. The people, such as the Bush band, who earn income from the supply, are happy to serve. Thus, the dissonance thrives.
The provider of power or the person caught in a mad pursuit for peroxide journeys deeper into an endless downward spiral. However, neither is aware of the consequences. Gene might not have considered that his chosen career shaded his truth. Nor did I ponder that a professional hair-styler has a singular perspective.
When first introduced to the idea of hair-dye, I pondered; who was the person who presented the proposition. However, I did not think of the veracity, or what later was so clear. Eugene was trained to trust in toxic dyes. When a person sees tinted hair all day, and into the evening, shades of stain on strands of hair seem sensible. The individual that takes the time to apply the colors, surely must think the work wise.
Perhaps, a young George W. Bush also concerned himself with the credibility of those who counseled him. He too found reason to have faith. The future President of the United States might not have pondered further. He may not have investigated the possible hazards associated with oil production or petroleum use. Often, when presented with a choice, we cannot imagine the infinite unknown possibilities, probabilities, or the perils.
My friend not only shaded my hair; his beliefs tainted my own. The hair on my head, and the thoughts in my gray matter were tinted. The Bush family may have colored the consciousness of the youthful George and persuaded a future President to forget what he could have known. Petroleum pollutes. Refined crude contaminates the air and seas. The fumes from Texas Tea in an engine cause temperatures on the terrain and in the troposphere to rise.
Granted, I understood how chemical treatments harmed my tresses and dulled the tint. Aware of the damage done beneath the surface of a follicle, I persuaded myself it was slight and worth the sacrifice. Possibly, the Bush family thought the same of their endeavors. Certainly, George W. Bush still does. He offers plans for renewable energy as he continues to pursue petroleum. Ah, the dynamics of a decision are vast and deep.
Only now, as the globe warms, the climate changes, and the weather whips people and their property into oblivion, does Mister Bush face the true cost of his earlier decision. Only recently did the President recognize the harmful influence of fossil fuels on the environment. Today, he finally acknowledges the immediate need for a commitment to cleaner energy. Just as I slowly understood, the damage chemicals did to my hair, George W. now touts his mindfulness. There is a problem. The planet is in peril.
As death and destruction beckon for attention, George sees as I did when I looked into the mirror. Life, or the look, was out of balance. The natural beauty was gone. The breaks were bad. Chemicals had stripped the surface . . . of the land or my locks.
However, while Mister Bush sees a need for transformation, it seems he is, as I was, reluctant to recognize the seriousness of the situation. His does not act decisively to change what has become his [and our nations'] practice.
President Bush advised Americans to ponder alterative renewable sources for power. This country's Commander touted; viable resolutions for our energy crisis are easily accessible. "Biodiesel refineries can produce fuel from soybeans, and vegetable oils, and recycled cooking grease, from waste materials." The President proposed Americans could invest in clean energy. Indeed, he exclaimed; we must go green. However, for Mister Bush an emerald endeavor is black as oil or golden as bullion. This oilman has reaped many a reward from America's addiction, as have we all. Convenience is but one benefit cheap energy bestows upon the United States public. Profits have been more profound, more colorful for Chief Executive Bush.
Possibly, for the President charcoal is a fine hue. "George," if I might speak in the familiar, seems to think as I once did. One shade can be substituted for another. Only the more transparent tones cause George W. Bush much angst. Who will or how might moguls who have invested lifetimes of worth, as this oil magnate has, harness, the sun, the wind, and water. Mister Bush is unable to imagine a future so different from the life he and his family have long known. Thus, he avoids the option he says he appreciates, just as I eschewed the thought of using no tint at all on my mane. The untried did not ring true.
Attempts to transform what has been an American tradition are preferred by this President (and perhaps, the public.) George W. Bush speaks of clean coal, as though there is such a substance. Coal is a recognizable source of energy; yet, not a renewable or alternative choice. Coal generates 54% of the electricity used in the United States. Whilst he ran for President, candidate Bush pledged that he would commit $2 billion over 10 years to advance clean coal technology. Indeed, as promised, the National Energy Policy and budget requests to Congress demonstrated the President's dedication to this cause.
Few fear what they do not wish to accept. The Chief Executive favors an element that is essentially filthy. The President might muse clean coal is the change. Yet, he ignores that the hard black sedimentary rock is a health hazard to all it serves. This "plentiful" element pollutes when it is mined, transported to the power plant, stored, and burned. This combustible material destroys life throughout the global community. Many species cannot survive as well as man believes he might when nature is out of balance.
Equilibrium is the gracious essence that helps us to thrive. I too sought to sustain symmetry. I pondered the many ways in which my mane might maintain its sheen and still be enhanced. I hoped to find energy in color. When confronted with the notion that a tint could damage my tresses, I also contemplated other options. Clean dye; that was my criteria.
I assessed what I thought would be safe. With a similar pious conviction, I concluded henna could perhaps be a practical possibility . . . that is if I wanted to enhance the natural hue of my hair. At the time, this substitute seemed sensible to me. I thought only of what I believed true, just as George W. Bush does today. Plants are pure, plentiful, and will provide what I need . . . or want, perchance.
I had not authentically considered the possible predicament a product could cause. At first blush, I was content with what seemed an ideal and equal opportunity. Then, later, after I acknowledged my error, I was easily satisfied with what I trusted to be an indigenous replacement.
Now, cognizant of the connection between my hair and his history, I wonder; what concerns did George W. Bush weigh. Did he study the consequences of his choices? Did he hear or think to heed any of the cautions? Might President Bush have ruminated on the probable ruin of the land and lives? Could he have predicted what might happen if we raped the land to gratify our need for energy?
One never knows what is in the heart or mind of another. Nonetheless, as I reflect upon times gone by in my own life, I trust the President did not imagine, and perchance, still, he has no idea of what he reaped and sowed. I surely did not.
For me, awareness arrived slowly. As I processed my hair, I did not have the opportunity to notice the subtle changes. I was too close to the situation. I could not see what I did not wish to acknowledge. I suspect George W. Bush [and Americans absorbed in what feels, oh, so fine] do not realize what harm unhealthy dependence causes.
To dye or to die. To drive vehicles powered with fossil fuels or to authentically preserve the planet, which is now in peril. These might be the questions George and I avoided, or only addressed half-heartedly.
When I thought tinted hair was desirable, each alternative possibility required me to treat my hair with color. Upon reflection, I realize I had not known to think of how the texture or tone of my mane might change if I ingested a more nutritious diet. That is another story for another time. Today, I wonder. Was George open enough to evaluate horizons he had yet to explore?
As I gazed upon the President speaking of energy, I could not help but think of how Mister Bush said we must work to improve technology. He confidently confirmed, we can wean ourselves away from fossil fuels. In his own words the President espoused , "(A)t the same time" we must find "oil and gas here at home." The mantra is very familiar. It was mine. I believe this rationalization is reflected in the adage 'You can have your cake and eat it too.'
Indeed, for a very long time, I indulged in similar silly logic. As the blonde stain grew out, I said, I could refresh the look and limit my use of artificial satin all at the same time. Oh, if only that was possible. As long as dye is applied, the harmful effects of the treatment will not fade away. The problem was, and is, whether we speak of fossil fuels or human hair, the more you invest in the unhealthy habits you claim to condemn the less likely it is that change will come.
Much to our detriment, individuals such as George and I are, and mankind is, comfortable with the familiar. Humans are content to engage as they have for so long, regardless of whether a practice nourishes the body, soul, or the planet.
People may plan for or posit a change. George W. Bush emphatically pronounced, "(N)ow is the time to get it done." He or I might suggest a slow move towards purity. However, as my hair taught me, as long as I [or we] do as we have done, nothing will be different.
As long as I stained my mane, there was more reason to stain my mane. As long as America satisfies its addiction to oil, there is more reason to continue to gratify the love of gasoline. When manufacturers build more machines reliant on petroleum, they encourage a greater dependence on fossil fuels. An obsession for oil is as a mania for a colored mane. Each, initially, captivates an individual and then controls the person.
Most of us learn to love what we later determine may be detrimental.
George W. Bush, just as many Americans seem to be, is as I was. The President is caught in a horrific, harmful, spiral, and yet comfortable with what he knows and does. While the cost, to the environment, and to personal pocketbooks, may encourage a desire for change, convenience and expediency are enormously more persuasive. Oh, how well, I know this to be true.
I was once victim to a viability that made sense. The President and the American people are caught up in the same conundrum. If he, or we, fails to eliminate our physical and psychological, dependence on oil now there may not be a later.
To transform our reality we need to recognize the delicate dance for what it is. Just as less dye was an unwise compromise for me, limited selective, additional drilling is a concession with consequences. Partial progression will not alter our habituation. It is time to stop! To rethink, reinvent, to re-power our plants and public opinion is to truly care for our selves and for generations to come.
Resources or Reflections on Refinery . . .
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on October 12, 2008 at 11:00 AM in Americana, Bush 43 Administration, Bush Dynasty, Emotional Decisions, Energy Enigma, Environment, Global Warming, Nature, Oil, Oil Companies , Policy, Price of Petroleum, Short-term Solutions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Petroleum and My Prayer
copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org
Dearest Mister George Walker Bush . . .
This morning as I sat in what I would wish to think of as my safe little sanctuary from danger, I watched you mount the stairs and ascend into Air Force One. The television announcer spoke of your impending trip to the Midwest. As one with family in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois, I was grateful for your travel. I am certain the people in these regions will be comforted by your presence. Most will feel they have reason to hope that you will offer help. I truly appreciate you "swift" response to their needs. I am gratified that you have decided to fly high above the flooded terrain, and perhaps spend a moment with an individual or two. Perchance, you will speak to my sister or my Dad.
As I observed the day's news break on screen, I perused the printed page and realized the American people may have another reason to thank you. The New York Times reported Bush Calls for End to Ban on Offshore Oil Drilling. I am confident those on dry land, still able to drive through the streets are pleased. Your grand gesture will gratify them, belatedly if at all. The United States House Committee on Natural Resources thinks the move will not improve circumstances. I sigh.
There is no reason to let little details such as well-researched assessment get in the way of the glorious work you do Mister Bush. As you well know, the public cares not what the future might bring. The people prefer to be catered to in the immediate. I know you understand this Mister President. You felt the repercussions of a delayed action. I remember your late response to Katrina, and even to the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center Towers.
Woe, to the politician who does not take measures to calm the citizens quickly. Mister Bush, I am consoled as I witness all you have learned. Indeed, today, you quieted fears and felt the people's pain. You did as is necessary.
In this nation, an elected official who bows to the will of his or her constituency will be judged well. After all, as you are aware Mister Bush, the people are the power. The populace casts a ballot at the poll. Even for those such as you, an individual who cannot hold the office of the President again, that is as long as the Constitution remains unchanged, legacies are the legends of history.
Mister Bush, I applaud your heroism, your ability to reach out and to touch the common folk. Yet, while I might admire the actions you took on this 19th day of June, I only wish that consolations would clean the mess you created.
I fear each of the events of the day is the result of earlier enactments. What occurred in the Midwest is as much that the world has seen recently. Granted Mister President, you only preside over a portion of a North American continent; nonetheless, what is in our air travels overseas. Water also journeys to shores far beyond our horizon.
Contaminants and toxins permissible in the United States will be found in the heavens above foreign soil. Oceans, far from our homeland, will contain elements hurled into American waterways.
I know you might muse Mister Bush, as you did for near a decade ago, humans have little effect on the environment. Ah, but President Bush, as you now relent, we do alter the balance of nature. Decisions you made in our name, accelerated the cycle of unwelcome warmth on a globe too fragile to fight off the effects of a fever.
You, Mister Bush may have learned the laws of motion in your studies. As Sir Isaac Newton discovered in an Earthly environment, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Perchance, as a Chief Executive and one who received a Master's degree in Business Administration, you are more familiar with a similar premise, economic in nature, "You scrub my back, and I will cleanse yours."
In the financial world, the policies you endorsed illustrate that you embrace this "theoretical" truth. I recall your first hundred days in the Oval Office. Much to the benefit of business buds, who supported your rise, you chose to initiate practices that filled your friends' purses. . . . and oh, yes, these very guidelines damaged the milieu. Ooops.
- Bush administration marks 100 days in office (04/29/01)
- EPA drops objections to Florida rule that undermines Clean Water Act protections (04/26/01)
- Gale Norton nominates William G. Myers III as solicitor for Department of the Interior (04/24/01)
- Yellowstone snowmobile ban goes into effect, but perhaps not for long (04/23/01)
- Bush seeks to relax requirements of Endangered Species Act (04/09/01)
- Bush administration delays hard-rock mining regulations that protect watersheds (03/21/01)
- Bush withdraws new arsenic-in-drinking-water standard (03/20/01)
- Bush appoints industry apologist as regulatory gatekeeper (03/06/01)
- EPA upholds Clinton decision to clean up diesel pollution (02/28/01)
- EPA delays, then upholds, new rule protecting wetlands (02/15/01)
- White House announces regulatory freeze (01/20/01)
Indeed, you were a busy man Mister Bush, just as you have been today, and throughout your terms. You entered the White House and released the latch on barn doors throughout the nation. Domesticated animals, Americans, did not rush out, for they had long felt as though they were not in harm's way. Centuries of relative calm encouraged citizens, beasts of few burdens, to believe they were sheltered from storms. However, once the portals were open, predators, or was it you Mister President, ran in.
Marauders came though back gateways, side entries, windows, and slats in the ceiling. Perhaps these too were but friends of the fellow we all know as George, you, Mister Bush.
Oh, Sir, you must know, corporations, intent on earnings, ignored the warnings of environmentalists. Scientists could not be heard above the hum of oil drills. The clang of change as it fell into deep pockets muffled the melodious mantra of the few concerned citizens. This circumstances Mister Bush caused the globe to warm. Now the water falls from the sky without end. Levees poorly maintained or engineered break.
My Dad hopes his sump pump will not fail. My sister prays that her home will remain on a hill. My best friend fears for his roof. A friend in Racine, Wisconsin I hope is well. No one has been able to reach him.
Mister Bush, when you first arrived in Washington District of Columbia you changed the fabric of the land. You did not steward the territory we each occupy. Economic favors flourished as did environmental hazards. The rich grew richer; the poor did not prosper. Those who had wealth garnered dividends. Those with few resources received less. Now, we all suffer.
Wind and water does not discriminate. Homes, bought and paid for wash away in a torrid tempest just as shacks do.
Oh my dear Mister Bush, you promised to be the Compassionate Conservative. If only you had chosen to be the Consummate Conservationist.
Each day Mother Nature cries out. She weeps and the terrain floods. Her heart breaks, and tectonic plates move. Cyclones are the swell of tears her eyes cannot hold. Mother Earth pounds us with hail; she means no harm. Her children, under the tutelage of an oil moneyed man are out of control. She knows not what to do to get their attention. She throws what she has at hand, and hopes, perhaps, her brood will stop the insanity.
Mister Bush, please I plead, do not pander, or patronize. My Dad does not need cheaper fuel. He is a patient man and willing to wait for alternatives that do not leave him soaked and sorrowful in the next five-hundred year flood, which may occur only a month from now.
My sister would be content, if she could tell he son with certainty, she will leave him a world better than the one she grew up in. Sensitive as she is, my sibling hopes to bequeath her grandchildren with a glorious existence. However, as you fly to her home with promises too late, and replete of a skewed reality, she fears a dependency on fossil fuels will never end.
She too, just as Daddy, does not concern herself with what cannot be salvaged. Each requests that we secure the future, clean the environment, and do not drill for more oil, offshore or anywhere.
Mister Bush, the time is now. For as much as any American would wish to believe they are safe in their now dry homes, as long as we continue to rape the few resources we have left, as long as we waste, and want more and more "conveniences" no one will be secure.
As you peruse the cities and crops destroyed by rains and runoff, you might realize climate change is evidence of what you sowed. No promises will repair broken hearts. No policies that allow for more petroleum usage will produce calm or clean seas. We now reap the rewards of gluttony and gratification. It is not a pretty picture.
Mister Bush, tomorrow does come. Our actions today will be the cause. The effects of your past performances are what you see today in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri . . . Let us no longer wash the back of a egocentric executive, at the expense of the environment. Instead, kiss my sister, hug my Dad, and if you can find my friend, lost in the tragedy, please tell him I love him.
Resources, No More Oil . . .
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on June 19, 2008 at 12:00 PM in Bush 43 Administration, Energy Enigma, Environment, Global Warming | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bush and His Billionaires Caused It. Let Them Pay ©
It is true; we as a nation and as a world have seen an increase in the number and intensity of cataclysmic storms. Tornados, droughts, hurricanes and other recent disasters have caused great calamity. We are mired in misfortune. However, we are working to pay for what we caused. We are closing the barn door behind us; our prides and joys are all long gone. We now, belatedly, prepare for what was our own ignorance. We elected George W. Bush, twice. Well actually,
. . . in 2000, Former Chief Justice William Rehnquist appointed or anointed this sly desperado. It was 36 days after his first Presidential run that George W. Bush was selected as our President.
See what the true winner, by many counts, is now doing. Al Gore presents his concern.
• An Inconvenient Truth
• The Trailer
• A Campaign Gore Can't Lose, By Richard Cohen. Washington Post. Tuesday, April 18, 2006; Page A19
Nevertheless, four years later, we as a people essentially elected this twit. What were we thinking, or more accurately, what were those that voted for him thinking? Many admittedly envisioned GW as the great protector. He sheltered us [US] from terrorists. However, no radical fanatic did more damage than he. Bush battered this nation and our Earth. He did so under the guise of a compassionate conservative. I myself prefer a caring individual, one that conserves.
However, supporters of this scoundrel did not. They knew that this unethical Emperor had worked to destroy our environment. Immediately after his initial inauguration, King George II changed our environmental standards. He chose to lessen the ecologically sound restrictions that had been previously placed on the books. The Blundering Bush allowed for more arsenic in water.
Then and now, Gas Guzzling GW refuses to admit that burning coal is a problem. He encourages it. Bush belies the belief that cars using Chevron with Techron have served to increase temperatures worldwide. He says that he wants to reduce this nations addiction to fossil fuels. Why, if it does not harm? Perhaps, he, his family, and familiars are planning to invest in renewable energy. It is possible, though I find the theory questionable. Actions do speak louder than words.
If we consider the emission regulations Bush supports, we know his true desires. Sports Utility Vehicle owners receive tax breaks under Bush. A Republican Congress and the King allow these “small trucks” to emit toxic gases. Recent changes in the laws that govern these monstrosities do little to better our surroundings.
Baby George Bush believes or pretends to that natural causes are the reason we have had 19 of the 20 hottest years since 1980. This man or monster takes no personal responsibility. However, those of us that care and have watched the climate change wonder.
We Americans, those that never marked our ballots for this buffoon, note the irrefutable connections. We acknowledge that this administration is not only friendly toward oil interests. They are these. George W. Bush and his majestic dynasty made their money by investing in petroleum. They still do, as do their friends.
Moguls and magnates from these flourishing fuel-pumping conglomerates were America’s energy commission. Scientists were banned. These industrialists and entrepreneurs created what now is policy. They have generated storms of infinite proportion. Global warming is their legacy; yet, they are unwilling to pay for it and we, the people, do not ask them to. We again, chose to mistakenly let this administration be.
State governments are struggling to break even. Insurance companies are refusing to issue policies for weather-related tragedies. >People, ah the people. Those that are directly affected by decisions of the Bush Band are barely surviving. Still, we speak of Catastrophe Funds. The public is relying on its own taxes to pay for the damage that nature and we did not create.
Why are we not asking those that caused this ruin to pay? They have Billions. The price of their pleasure increases as the common folks suffer. Is this the “justice” George W. speaks of?
If we are to authentically spread democracy, might we not begin at home? Here in the USA, let us adopt laws that protect and provide for all equally. Let us no longer supplement the suffering imposed by a self-serving administration. If we were to pass and enforce regulations that ended global warming, if we demanded repayment for the damage caused by a corrupt Cabinet, imagine what a world this would be.
Sources of possible interest . . .
• George W. Bush, et al., Petitioners v. Albert Gore, Jr., et al. Cornell Law School
• Extra funds may ease woes By Beatrice E. Garcia, MiamiHerald.com Tuesday, April 18, 2006
• President Bush Discusses Global Climate Change June 2001
• Bush energy plan includes coal-burning power plants CNN Inside Politics. May 17, 2001
• Bush-Cheney Energy Plan: Plunder, Pollute, Price-Gouge and Profiteer Public Citizen May 17, 2001
• Bush's Energy Policy Philadelphia Inquirer February 2, 2006
• Bush: Global warming is just hot air By Katharine Mieszkowski. Salon. September 10, 2004
• Global Warming Information Center
• Bush Family Values: War, Wealth, Oil by Kevin Phillips. The Los Angeles Times.Sunday, February 8, 2004
• Humans cause global warming, US admits, BBC News. Monday, 3 June, 2002
• The 2004 Presidential Election: Who Won The Popular Vote? By Jonathan D. Simon, J.D. and Ron P. Baiman, Ph.D. Free Press
• The crisis at hand: covering Fla. homes, By Beatrice E. Garcia, MiamiHerald.com Sunday, April 16, 2006
• Katrina Clean-Up By Susanna Schrobsdorff. Newsweek. September 1, 2005
• Post-Katrina Promises Unfulfilled By Spencer S. Hsu. Washington Post Saturday, January 28, 2006
• Hurricane FAQs Hurricane Insurance Information Center
• Coalition Seeks Catastrophe Insurance Funds in N.Y., Other States Insurance Journal. October 3, 2005
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on April 18, 2006 at 05:05 PM in Business, Catastrophe Funds, Compassionate Conservatives, Consumption and Conservation, Current Affairs, Energy Enigma, Environment, Global Warming, Katrina Evacuees, Oil, Powerful Polluters, Price of Petroleum | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Energy Enigma; Bush Consumption Advocate, Encourages Conservation ©
Each and every week, the Bush administration offers inconsistencies. This week a contradiction seems so strikingly absurd, I cannot ignore it. I feel compelled to comment on the recent change in the Bush energy policy.
In September 2002, the President of the United States spoke emphatically of energy concerns. He spoke of consumption and the importance of this. At the time Baby Bush said, “Congress also must understand they've got to pass an energy bill. You see, an energy bill will be good for jobs. An energy bill will be good for national security. We need an energy bill that encourages consumption [sic].”
Now, he advocates the contrary, or so it seems.
In recent days, the President has been out on the stump. He is encouraging Americans to use mass transit. The King told citizenry to get out of their cars, their Sports Utility Vehicles, their light trucks, and Hummers. Junior asked the public to take the bus, the subway, or possibly, car pool. He even suggested staying at home. The Bush Boy is pleading with an anxious public; please do not travel. Imagine that.
Under Bush, one was able to buy a Hummer and deduct the cost from their tax returns. Now, the same man that proposed giving tax cuts to those that buy the greatest of gas-guzzlers is asking very same consumers to leave their vehicles behind.
Leave the idyllic image of consumerism? Was it not Bush that preached buy, buy, buy, even after the 9/11 catastrophe? It was. He and his subordinate, or is it his superior, had said, in the United States consumption for the sake of consumption is the only palatable way of life!
Years earlier, in 2001, Vice President Dick Cheney expressed his belief, "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it cannot be the basis of a sound energy policy." The President agreed wholeheartedly.
In that same year, former White House Press Secretary Air Fleisher was asked of the President’s perspective on energy. The press wanted to know was reducing energy consumption the plan. They asked and Fleisher, replied, “That's a big no. The president believes that it's [consuming is] an American way of life." Yet, now it is not? Why not?
I will leave that question stand. Feel free to cogitate aloud and in writing. Please share your thoughts. Mine may be too cynical to express.
Might I just offer these thoughts for your consideration? Petroleum has long been the source of Bush prosperity. The family fortune was found in oil. One might wonder would the Baby truly want its use to decline.
The Bush/Cheney energy policy, from the first, exploited the American desire to consume. Fulfilling whims advances profits for each of these [former] business moguls. Their friends benefit as well. Are these magnets really ready, willing, or able to curb their greed? I think not.
The axiom states, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Perhaps, we are witnessing that need is the parent of re-invention?
The President seems to be re-formulating his policy when he asks us not to use fuel. However, he is not. Mr. Bush actually postulates that a lack of power is only a temporary setback. He portends Katrina and Rita caused for the current crisis; however, once the effects of these storms pass, all will be well. Yet, I wonder. Did the Bush energy policy contribute to global warming, and thus create Katrina and Rita. Might there be a truer calamity coming?
Possibly, for Bush and the Band, power is not the problem; it is the solution. They will feel fulfilled when they have it; therefore, they seek it. Gas gauges may not be a consideration at all; polls numbers may be the authentic indicator. When we reflect upon the President’s use of fuel, and the reason for it, we know this to be true.
I wish to share an incongruity to this recent paradox. While Bush is bolstering conservation, he is expending ample energy. He is devoting his time and the nation’s fuel to his own personal cause. King George II is using an enormous amount of petroleum as he promotes his numbers in the polls. Reuters Alternet writes on this, Bush burns up fuel when he travels.
For your entertainment, I offer these references.
• To Conserve Gas, President Calls for Less Driving, By David Leonhardt, Jad Mouawad and David E. Sanger, New York Times.
• President Bush Calls on Congress to Act on Nation's Priorities, The White House
• Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer, The White House
• Bush Family Values, By Elizabeth Drew, The Nation
• Bush-Cheney Energy Strategy: Procuring the Rest of the World’s Oil, By Michael Klare
• Samuel Bodman, Secretary of Energy Discusses the effects of Katrina and Rita
• CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Sept. 16-18, 2005
• Bush burns up fuel when he travels, Reuters Alternet
Posted by Betsy L. Angert on September 27, 2005 at 11:38 PM in Bush 43 Administration, Consumption and Conservation, Current Affairs, Energy Enigma, Oil | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
