Keith Addison wrote:
<snip>Do you mean this one? http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg62541.html Re: [Biofuel] Torture and/or Nuking Iran -- was Re: Poll in favor of NukWhy some Americans want to join the Biofuel list and how it's changed. <snip> I don't think that's one. There is a lot of wisdom that gets bantered back and forth in this group, and sometimes I lose track of who said what. I think you were writing to Todd about the subliminal nature of media control. I've been listening more for underlying assumptions in the press coverage, and I'm hearing it all the time now. (Blame is better to give than receive . . .) Most recent desafinado reason for wanting to join the list, or for doing biofuels generally, is what Bush said about America's oil addiction and freeing the US from its dependence on foreign oil. It seems to encapsulate all the previous disconnects about terrorists and Arabs and so on. Quite often when they write to us they tell us things like this: "Just like you, we are dedicated to building a better future for our country..." That tickles me, though I suppose I am dedicated to that, along with the other 191 countries, or at least the people who live in them, and the rest of the planet too. This is where the insulation of living in a very large and heavily populated nation serves as a disadvantage. Many Americans have never traveled extensively or lived outside of the United States, and the further inland I go, the more prevalent this "sheltering from the rest of the world" becomes. In addition, as we've discussed before, the myths of US benevolence and goodness are quite pervasive among my fellow citizens. The degree to which this is true becomes evident when discussing "why THEY hate us". I've often encountered a zeal that far surpasses religious fervor when talking about the problems with US foreign policy. Yours is a far more international and inclusive perspective. As an American, I like to think people can solve their own problems within their own communities and outsiders should stay OUT, unless these outsiders have been specifically asked for help, as in the case with a natural disaster. When this idea gets extended to the national borders the natural tendency to distinguish between US and THEM leads to this very strange, childlike polarization we see among some of the people who've posted here in the past. They're not too good at getting things right. Look at this one, just received:Hello Kieth and Midori, I am contacting you to ask you to help us spread the word about alternative fuels. My name is David Bernstein and I am the technical advisor for <>http://www.beyondfossilfuel.com/. We have just launched our new site and are looking for some industry leading sites to help announce its launch. Beyond Fossil Fuel is a site dedicated to spreading the word about alternative fuels/energy such as ethanol, biodiesel, hydrogen and more. We will be following all changes in the landscape of fuel and energy and try to provide the best resources for those looking to learn more. Is there anyway you could link to our site or help announce beyondfossilfuel.com's launch? Just like you, we are dedicated to building a better future for our country and spreading the word is a great place to start. Thank you, David Bernstein Technical Advisor http://www.beyondfossilfuel.com/ It's sad, isn't it? I mean, the guy can't even spell your name correctly, yet he thinks he's got the "solution" to "turning away from the dependence on foreign fossil fuel by developing our own energy sources". I read through the site and found NOTHING about conservation and lifestyle adjustments, nothing about addressing food miles, sustainable agriculture, gardening and other activities that would REALLY make a difference. It seems geared toward elementary students who view the world as if one energy resource can be directly substituted for another. This kind of simplistic thinking solves NOTHING. I recall a conversation with a certain family member who wanted to buy a gasoline generator during the California electricity crunch, believing this would "solve" the problem. No amount of rational arguing could persuade this person to understand that mere substitution doesn't address the underlying issue that we use WAY more energy than is necessary. We're waiting for Toyota to deliver our new hybrid-electric Camry. Our family members aren't saying a whole lot about this, but I can tell by tone of voice and facial _expression_ that they think I'm crazy to buy an "expensive, untested technology". (It's no more expensive than the V6 model, and for the "around town" driving that now characterizes our driving--since I gave up my "career" position and now work out of my home--the hybrid electric seems most suitable.) The reason nobody says anything to me about this centers on the fact that there isn't a single, fact-based argument that can prevail against my reasoning for buying a more fuel efficient vehicle. (I don't really want to buy a car at all, but ours has to be replaced and I'm willing to risk a bit of ribbing over my vehicle choice if it means I can use less gasoline. Further, once the warranty is up, there will be nothing preventing me from learning how to extend the battery operated range. Toyota isn't crushing their Prius hybrids, so once it's mine, I can do whatever I want! After the experience of my supercharger project, I have a certain degree of confidence that I CAN switch this car to pure electric.) We started this process by eliminating our long commutes, which was the easiest and least expensive thing to do. We work locally, and make less money, but we've found we actually need less money to survive. Despite the serious increase in fuel prices, we're actually paying a LOT less to Chevron than we did before I quit my job. And while it's stressful to deal with the "roller coaster ride" of when money comes in and when it doesn't, I feel WAY healthier than I did two years ago. You know what you'll find - independence from foreign oil. And unspoken support for destroying Alaska's North Slope, northern Alberta and exploiting the intermontaine shale oil, no doubt! <snip biodiesel misinformation> How would I go about helping him? "Start here"? He might not be entirely beyond help, Keith. There's a link to the Union of Concerned Scientists' web page calling for Congress to take action on the CAFE standards. That's a small step, but at least it's a step! Not very unusual. I suppose that's how they go about doing Bush and God and Arabs and so on too, it's the missing 29%, they're still missing even when you find them. They probably even believe Bush has some intention of wheening the US off foreign oil. They're not part of the answer, they're part of the problem. Exactly! What do you think I should tell the Technical Advisor? Shut up? :-) I've become grumpy about this because I'm tired of the complaining. Nobody listened to me back in the 1970's when I FIRST started talking about this, and now, thirty years later, they're STILL not listening! I'm trying to live an example for my neighbors, and slowly they're becoming less skeptical of subversive things like my garden. There are a LOT of full-sized trucks for sale around here. We're sticking with the 4 banger Ranger, thank you, and if I can pull it off, my truck will be running on wood gas, butanol, or SOMETHING renewable within the next few years. A friend of mine is building a Megasquirt computer for the truck, which will allow me to precisely tailor the injection and spark advance for whatever fuel I want to burn. I might even be able to figure out how to do supplemental hydrogen injection . . . (Woo hoo! Crank the boost and off we go!) Probably I shouldn't tell him anything, the usual experience is that there's no reply that won't make him angry. If I don't reply he'll probably just conclude we're obviously not patriots and we haven't got any manners either so we're no loss. Even if you tried to set him straight you might have that problem. I think it's because many of them aren't getting their news and views from FoxTV, they're getting it direct from an ultra-rightwing "Christian" pulpit, and if FoxTV doesn't agree with what God just told them then it didn't happen. I don't know quite who that is in their pulpit but God doesn't do all that hate stuff. What car would Jesus drive? A donkey. There's only one instance mentioned of him riding a donkey. This reminds me of a story I heard many years ago: A certain boy reached the age of 16 and wanted his driver's license. He approached his father, who gave him two conditions: 1. Acheive a "B" average on the next report card. 2. Cut your hair. The boy exerted effort in his studies and proudly came home with an outstanding report card. "Can I get my driver's license now?" he inquired. "Son, you haven't cut your hair," the father responded. To this, the boy had a ready answer. "Well dad, I've done some research, and I've learned that Jesus had long hair. I want to follow his example." The father smiled. "An excellent choice, son. You'll find that if you research this further, Jesus WALKED everywhere he went!" robert luis rabello "The Edge of Justice" Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Ranger Supercharger Project Page http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ |
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