Some good news this time

NRDC announced a victory against the ongoing insanity and typical short term ideologies of Dubja and the gang this week. What follows is a quote from an email sent to NRDC supporters this past week:

"NRDC Member, I am thrilled to report a major victory in our long courtroom battle to block one of the Bush administration's most dangerous attacks on the environment: a proposed massive rock mining project in Florida's fragile Everglades. Four years ago, the administration issued permits for the first phase of this gargantuan scheme that would have bulldozed and dynamited 30 square miles of the world's most famous wetland ecosystem in order to produce a billion tons of limestone rock for use in roads and parking lots. The resulting 80-foot deep pits -- so big they'd be visible from outer space -- would have destroyed vital Everglades habitat for a variety of rare plants and animals, including the endangered wood stork. The pits also threatened to poison the drinking water of millions of Miami-Dade County residents by allowing dangerous micro-organisms to infiltrate local wells. Thanks to your financial support, NRDC went to federal court and charged the Bush administration with violating the Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws. Last week, that court ruled in our favor and delivered a stunning setback to the administration and its mining allies. In his ruling, the judge chastised the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for rushing to issue the permits at the mining industry's behest, ignoring clear evidence of environmental dangers, while misrepresenting the facts and disregarding the law. This is a tremendous victory for our natural heritage and it belongs in large part to NRDC Members like you. Not only did you fund this case, but you sent thousands of messages to Bush administration officials protesting their harmful mining scheme. That powerful outcry helped raise awareness in Florida of the serious environmental risks of this project. I want to thank you for all of your donations and efforts in this important campaign to save one of America's greatest natural treasures. Together, we have sent this White House a message loud and clear that we will not stand for the corporate-sponsored destruction of our last wild places. And, with your help, we are going to prevail in more battles to come. Sincerely yours, Frances Beinecke President Natural Resources Defense Council"

This is great news for once. But is is a small victory in the enormous battle to protect our fragile earth and home. Here are 2 examples................

This week's Newsweek (April 3, 2006) has an article about Global Warming. If this was my primary source of data I would come away thinking that Global Warming is just another scam by liberals to stop me from having fun. It again continues the myth that the scientific community is I quote "widely divided" on the matter suggesting that there is no scientific basis for arguments supporting Global Warming and it's dire consequences. This is pure propaganda from the Dubja anti-environment engine (driven by Oil of course). We need to support the few that are speaking out and doing their level best to raise awareness and find a spot above the clamor and politics to focus on what is right for our precious earth instead.

A related issue is the alarming downward trend in Energy R&D spending by both Public and Private sectors. In an article published in the March 2006 edition of IEEE-USA Today's Engineer is a chart showing that Public expenditure peaked at just over $8B around 1980 and has dropped off to just over $1B in 2004. Both the Democrats and Republicans have quietly been cutting back on Energy related R&D. What are these folks thinking. (Oh, sorry I forgot, when you keep getting those big checks from big Oil your mind stops working)! To their credit private sources have remained steady around $3.6B over the past 2 decades, dropping off in the 1990's and now showing slight signs of improvement, but still below previous levels. So the Dubja gang is not putting it's money where it's mouth is when he says we must stop our oil addiction. If we are not spending time and resources to find alternatives and options to reduce energy wastage and the world wide (almost) increasing use of oil we will not cure the addition. Depending how long we get to live, some of us will see the cold turkey cure for the addiction in the future, when the oil runs dry and we have not prepared adequately for the inevitable eventuality.