Ken SchreinerCommon Sense 2007 (Apologies to Thomas Paine)
Even President Bush now believes that climate change is a problem. It officially joins resource depletion, pollution and overpopulation as unsustainable trends that must be dealt with immediately. The problem is Bush and our state and federal elected representatives don’t have solutions they are willing to fight for. Heck, the Democrats won’t stop the war in Iraq even though they could and said they would. Forget about global warming.
Here in Utah, most of our political leaders are oblivious or hostile to the notion that humans must change at all to save ourselves, despite the overwhelming body of evidence indicating so. With the notable exceptions of Governor Huntsman and Rep. Jim Matheson, Utah’s legislative majority and congressional delegation choose to live in a fantasy world where coal and oil are inexhaustable, pollution and climate change are non-existent, America is transcendent and unerring, and babies come from cabbage patches. For them and those who actually believe what they say, I submit:
Things are changing. Changing so fast you’re missing them. The conventional wisdom is switching from the Carlyle Group, Robert Murray and Exxon-Mobil to Natural Capitalism, Deep Economy and the Last Child in the Woods. Venture capitalists are not investing in coal and oil but renewable energy, non-polluting technologies and companies, products and services. War is out. Justice is in. Competition is out. Cooperation is in. You are out. We are in.
Look around you. Breathe the air. Drive I-15 or the Beltway. Remember Crandall Canyon. This is the real world- not the illusory one you’re defending. Is this what your children want? Ask them. I and millions of others are declaring our independence from your obsolete and dangerous regressions. We will take care of ourselves regardless of how much money you take from us and how much you owe the fat cats who keep you in office. If you prefer to watch the rest of us instead of compromising your principles or betraying your campaign contributors, go ahead. Just, please, shut up and get out of the way. We have a lot of work to do.
Now a word from our sponsor. Declare your energy independence. Take the Utah Solar Tour, Saturday October 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Click on http://utsolar.org
September 29th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Is it really a good idea to always bring up the latest mine disaster to promote solar energy? First, mine safety is where the Bush administration dropped the ball, this country is dependent on coal no matter who is in charge. Second, it looks like you’re trying to exploit people’s feelings about the disaster.
Otherwise, I’m with you. Not ready to install solar at home yet, but maybe in a few years.
September 29th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
If we Americans weren’t so desperate for coal, there’d be a few more dads around right now to support their families. Call it whatever you want. It’s the truth. If that’s exploitation, then I’m guilty.
September 29th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Richard: do you think it’s a good idea to show flag-draped coffins to promote ending a war? Seriously. Bush and every military family think that’s exploitation. What’s your opinion on that?
September 29th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Ken– Here are my answers.
1) If coal mining is excluded, the mining industry isn’t particularly dangerous. Even when coal mining is included in the statistics, there are more fatalities per 100,000 workers among taxi drivers, for example, or farmers. I’ve worked for Kennecott, my wife has worked for Barrick also. Those companies really put safety first, and so should all the coal mining companies. The scandal is that mine owners like Bob Murray are allowed to get away with running unsafe mines. With the technology available today, there is no excuse.
2) Traditionally, the media always did show us flag-draped coffins and even dead and wounded Americans on the battlefield. You should watch the new Ken Burns series, “The War,” or any documentary on Vietnam for examples. Only the Bush administration has taken steps to conceal these realities. It’s not a video game, it’s not politics. War is a very serious business, people always die on a daily basis. When the U.S. Congress votes for another war, I hope they do so with full knowledge of the consequences.
September 29th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Thomas Paine.
Though he wrote “Common Sense”, he did not live it, by his end he was basically a rather unwashed drunkard, though his thoughts were great.
Almost lost his head in the French Revolution, supported the wrong horses at the wrong time, he was saved by intervention by Jefferson, and some other Americans, I believe
First the imbecile won’t show the coffins, now he will. First he claims that global warming doesn’t exist, now it does. He has to do something to help any Republicans chances.
Would that he could read to small children, “My Pet Goat”, that saga of Jeff Gannon?, I’ll bet bush knows how wide his stance is.
God it is going to be fun to be alive in the next 15 years as the truth all comes out.
September 30th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Richard: Valid points. The environment is serious business too. It affects more people than war. My cause is more about better air and water (FYI: mining is still the most serious polluter of water), taking advantage of new economic opportunities and encouraging energy independence than mine safety. Our increasingly desperate need for coal and oil, more than creating dangerous work conditions, are distracting Utah and America from the urgent need to develop cleaner and healthier energy sources. But don’t believe me if you choose. Listen to the world’s business leaders and venture capitalists who are telling us that with their dollars. BTW: the flag PV panels in the pic are not available.
Mo: I can’t apologize for Thomas Paine’s well-documented indiscretions. I’m sure they all made sense to him. Some historians argue Paine was driven insane after being ignored by the other founding fathers who took all the credit for the Revolution’s success. Either way, the insanity defense must give Bush/Cheney Inc. comfort as they hypocritize their way into the history if not the law books.
September 30th, 2007 at 10:31 am
FYI: most dangerous jobs. Interesting stats- mining not in the top ten.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061115/news_lz1n15list.html
September 30th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Ken– I was wondering if those cool-looking flag panels were Photoshopped. Not that I would buy them that way– I can be patriotic without a giant flag. One of my neighbors has a flagpole with both an American and a U.S. Army flag, that’s enough flag waving for one street!
I am with you 100 percent on the idea the environment is serious business (witness the Indian Ocean tsunami victims, or more to the point, Katrina/Rita victims). Pollution is taking a big toll too, mostly in the developing countries. All that relatively cheap coal (and until recently, oil) tends to discourage less-polluting energy sources. If Congress had its act together, we would be taxing it to boost alternate energy and pollution control technology. It’s a big subject, and I am looking forward to learning more from you.
September 30th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
I good size nuclear plant will make 400 megawatts, the two giant coal burners on the Swell, 3200 combined. Apparently a coal burner will release more radioactive material than any properly run and maintained nuclear plant.
I figure we could get the plants, as they would be security risks that the terrorists could attack, and the administration, and the entire elite, need this as an excuse to continue the unending war of terror into the far future, and remove more of our civil rights. At least we’ll have electricity, though i doubt it will be priced any cheaper.
An English company has built some kind of water heater, that puts out twice the energy out in as a thermal output from electricity, I am trying to find the article, it has just been made, is patented, and involves the use of catalysts, that are currently a proprietary “secret”.
October 1st, 2007 at 10:00 am
Richard: Yes, the panels were Photoshopped. But I got the picture from a real setup in Cedar City. I developed the concept as the cover of the brochure for the 2007 Solar Tour. One person saw it and asked how they could order the panels. I didn’t think it was THAT good.
Glenn: Great idea. Let’s paint a bulls-eye on Utah: not for terrorists but for more federal meddling. We should be more scared of Bush than bin Laden. Let’s bring back the MX missle while we’re at it. Too bad building smaller, cheaper, more easily secured nuke plants isn’t economically feasible. Terrorism has become nuclear’s bugaboo. Don’t forget the mercury coal plants put out too. I’ll take nuclear if we have to choose.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:10 pm
I have logged and commercial fished, the stats don’t tell the real story. Fishing #s are generated by boat sinkings, generally caused by negligence of boat owners, not really job activty related, much like the airplane stats. If you go down, you generally die.
Logging stats are driven by the “job”. By far, day to day, to a worker, logging is far more dangerous as an activity than anything else. Unlike fishing it is a 40 hr a week, 50 weeks a yr, “job”. Very crazy. I won’t do it, too many uncontrolled variables.
Once again, it must be difficult to accept the “authority” as truth, instead of truth being considered the authority.