Wake Up, America; Oil Is NOT the Answer

The recent negative ad campaigns run by McCain in Colorado (and I assume the rest of the United States) point out that Obama would prefer to keep "relying on foreign oil" rather than drill in Alaska and off the shore of California. They say that as if it's a bad thing, and people are buying into the idea because the McCain camp is emphasizing "foreign oil." The thing that should be stressed about the whole "oil argument" should be getting away from oil altogether. Obama doesn't feel we need to drill in Alaska and California (thank god), because he's willing to look at realistic and viable alternative energy sources for the near future.

We don't need more oil, people.

The problem is that until oil is completely unaffordable, no one will realistically start considering the alternatives. "Putting off until tomorrow" has become the American way! Until it's so bad that it actually causes people's lives to be disrupted (in a more drastic way than choosing a closer family vacation spot), the average American will not demand the change (regarding energy) that we so badly need.

Until people really can't fill up at the pump, nothing will change.

Yes gas is four times what it was ten years ago, but it's still not stopping people from buying and driving cars that only get 25 miles to the gallon (as if that's a great and efficient number) or less.

Another crazy thing to consider, and I don't understand why every single American isn't OUTRAGED by this, is that last week Exxon hit an all time profit high. They are making, get this, $90,000 a minute! (as reported this morning by The New York Times) For the second quarter, income rose 14%, to $11.68 billion.

The richest regime in the world is not going to let their empire dwindle and fade; they are going to do everything in their power to make America believe that we can't live without oil. They are going to fight for continued dependence upon the thing that is making them incredibly rich. Their massive amounts of money give them immense power, enough power to successfully deceive an entire nation! And the people are allowing it by buying into this incredibly nonsensical idea that we can't live without oil.

The people of the United States are being duped into the idea that it would be better to continue to find and use oil, all the while making a very few very rich, instead of simply moving to another (renewable) source (and *bonus* doing what's better for the planet in the process).

Why can't people see that even if we "got more oil," it's only postponing a major, major problem? It's still going to run out. Whether it's us or our kids, somebody's got to address the situation, and it's incredibly disappointing that the majority is willing to pawn this HUGE problem off on our children.

Even more disappointing is that there's a giant constituent out there (hopefully not the majority) that is willing to say, "Yes, this is how we believe and this is how we want the country run, by rich men who are willing to pawn these, admittedly rectifiable, major problems off on our children so we can have one more decade to rape the earth and be "rich."

Sadder still is that a large portion of those people think they are doing "what God wants" by voting for this regime... but that's another story.

It's Starting: McCain Shows Signs of Senility (or Stupidity?)

As McCain continues to try and convince America that Obama is inexperienced and ignorant when it comes to Iraq and foreign affairs, he proves in a live interview (sort of --and this part is even more appalling) that he is in fact the one who cannot recall, or does not know the time line of the Iraq war.

More appalling (and important, I suppose) is that CBS actually changed their interview with McCain and omitted his erroneous statements regarding the Iraq war.

As reported by MSNBC (edited for YouTube by the JedReport):



ps Is anyone else as sick as I am of McCain running on an energy platform?! Razing the forest and drilling in Alaska and off the coast of California is not an energy plan, it's a continuation of the Bush administration's rape of the ecosystem for personal gain and profit. Who is buying this crap?! (I know who they are, I am just baffled and angered by their ability to ignore reality).

IMPORTANT: Proper disposal of Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFB's)

You've probably been hearing a lot about compact fluorescent bulbs (CFB's) lately. However, I bet you haven't heard a whole lot about these little wonders requiring special disposal.

Understand: I'm not nay-saying CFB's. I think they're great. They last a lot longer and consume waaaaaaay less electricity than regular incandescent bulbs while producing the same amount of light. In fact, I've switched out every bulb in my home, including my exterior lights (well... not the bulbs in the oven or the fridge).

But like most things that are good for our planet, compact fluorescent bulbs do require a tiny bit of effort on our part.

CFB's, like those big fluorescent tubes hanging in high school cafeterias and your grandpa's wood shop, contain a small amount of mercury (about 5 milligrams in a CFB, more in a 4 foot long fluorescent tube). While CFB's are safe to use in your home, care should be taken --especially by bulb-changing babies and pregger moms (if the glass tube breaks, the mercury is released).

The EPA reports that sales of CFB's doubled in 2007 to nearly 20% of the light bulb market. That's 290 million bulbs sold in 2007. That's a boatload (quite literally) of mercury, folks. Five milligrams of mercury adds up extremely quickly to gallons of mercury as all of America switches out every bulb in their homes (20 bulbs or so per household) and begin tossing the spent bulbs in the kitchen trash.

That trash goes to a landfill, and the mercury leeches into ground water and finds its way to the oceans. You may have heard about a recent study done in NYC where sushi grade Tuna was sampled from area sushi restaurants and found to have unacceptable levels of mercury.

"Sushi from 5 of the 20 places had mercury levels so high that the Food and Drug Administration could take legal action to remove the fish from the market. The sushi was bought by The New York Times in October."

-The New York Times

Even if you don't like sushi, the fact is that CFB's contain mercury, and care should be taken in their disposal.

I was pleased to find this site, http://Earth911.org, which allows you to simply type in your zip code to find the nearest household hazardous material disposal site/service. I suggest using it to find out where you should take your spent CFB's. You don't need to run out to your hazardous waste location every time a bulb burns out; simply keep them in a small box until it's full and then make a trip (some disposal services, like ours here in Colorado, will even come to your home once a year for free).

Other suggestions from the Seattle Times:

"You can also check Earth911.org, which locates disposal options by ZIP code; call the U.S. Environmental Recycling Hotline at 877-327-8491; or contact your local waste-management agency for community guidelines. Additional information is available at Lamprecycle.org. Ikea takes back used CFLs, and other retailers are considering it."

Please let your friends and neighbors know that saving electricity is a great thing, but that they need to dispose of those bulbs properly! DIGG this post and e-mail it to your friends and family.

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