Letters to the Editor
mysticmom
Published Letters: 75 Editor's Choice: 8
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I agree with a few things in this article, but...
[Read the article: Turn down that thermostat, permanently]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There is a gaping hole in its logic.
First, though, let me say that I fully agree that global warming is not going to be stopped, period. China and India are building a new coal plant every week, and even Europe is building coal plants. Meanwhile the carbon-sequestration pipe dream just died here in the U.S. because it was way overbudget before it even really got started. So receding coastlines will be a fact of life (assuming the climate scientists are right, which I tend to think they probably are, but you never really know).
But the major flaw in the logic of this article is simple: we here in the U.S. DO still have cheap, abundant energy available to us. It's called coal, and while we may not have enough to export to other countries, we have enough to last us a few hundred years. That ought to be enough time to build up enough solar arrays, wind farms, tidal plants, and of course nuclear fusion generators (the clean and renewable kind of nuclear energy) to supply our energy needs once the coal runs out. Pebble-bed fission also holds promise.
Energy costs will surely go up, but if the situation gets anywhere near as dire as the article suggests (and I agree that it probably will), we'll simply slap a massive tariff on coal exports and build more coal plants. Problem solved, for us at least. Meanwhile, as someone else said, algal biodiesel will provide us with the transport fuel of the future, along with electric drive (but not hydrogen, which is wasteful and expensive and will never work). There will be pain, and likely war, and perhaps a severe economic shock here (Depression: the Sequel, coming soon to a superpower near you!), but I highly doubt that the U.S. will become a second-rate power.
So yes, be aware of where you use energy and how to conserve it, because it's going to get a lot more expensive soon. Get ready to convert to diesel (in anticipation of algal biodiesel, which will soon be cheaper than regular diesel) or electric. In the meantime, learn to hypermile, which means NOT ACCELERATING TOWARD RED LIGHTS, among other things. Move the power strip into which you plug your TV and its peripherals so that you can flip the switch and cut off their power drain ('cause they use power even when they're off). Remember to unplug those phone chargers. Turn your computer off at night. Walk or bike to the store around the corner, and anywhere else you can get to without fossil fuels. Get rid of that garage door opener. Run on the street, not a treadmill. Whenever possible, take the train instead of driving or flying. Get used to stairs; elevators may soon be considered a frivolous luxury. Turn off the lights when you aren't in the room. Use fans rather than AC. Wear a sweater rather than turn up the heat. Make improvements to your home to improve energy efficiency. Buy/build a solar cooker. Open the fridge as little as possible.
But this is really a pretty positive development, because we're a rather wasteful society at the moment. An economic incentive to conserve should be looked at as an opportunity to start making better use of resources.
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We can't even build the INFRASTRUCTURE...
[Read the article: Another failing reconstruction project in Iraq]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...but people think we'll be able to establish DEMOCRACY? And in a country where two factions not only want but insist that their particular religious views, which oppose each other, be advanced by the government, and the third faction wants nothing to do with these religious dictates?
The only solution I see is the one no one ever mentions: chop the country up into three pieces.
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I'm not one for conspiracies, but...
[Read the article: What happened to the D.C. Madam?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Didn't she have a "little black book" that listed all her clients, that she was planning to release? Where is this book now? Shouldn't they have found it in her house? Wouldn't she have put it somewhere easily accessible prior to killing herself?
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I agree that the rule is BS
[Read the article: Thanks for the heroism ... now get out!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I do sympathize. This is blatant discrimination, and it's utter bullshit for any number of reasons. But you might not want to complain too loudly just yet. Speaking as a draft-age male (this is my mother's account), I sure wouldn't mind a free pass out of combat duty if there was a draft. Which there will be if McCain is elected, I guarantee it--we won't have enough soldiers to deal with Iran and North Korea without one.