Stupid Rules: Can't Film or Make Sand Castles in Public Parks! [and, what the public shouldn't know]

This situation provides an interesting point of discussion about the role of government. What should the government do before, during, and after a disaster like the 206-million-gallon leak in the Gulf.  Seriously, should the government regulate and supervise certain economic actities? How is the public good being served? Assuming the government works in the interst of the public.





The video above demonstrates that government can have silly rules--like not filming or digging a few inches of sand in national parks, or that special & narrow interests have prevailed. It could be incompetence too. Why shouldn't the public know how well BP is cleaning up the spill on our beaches? And, shouldn't our government want to be transparent about such things?

We Have to Go Far Quickly. LIVE EARTH Events Raise Awareness For a Better Environment.

Did you watch any of the Live Earth events? Did they make you think or plan to take any action regarding the environment? It is about the environment--beyond global warming--and what kind of house we'll leave to our kids, the future generations. Sadly, the loudmouths and lowest-common-denominator agitators here in the US, have already labeled this latest effort a failure. Why is it that these conservatives don't like conservation? Why don't they like sensible acts that individually and through our governments can do to make a better place to live in?

The Earth's climate is always in flux, we know this. There's been a global warming trend, much in acceleration in the last couple decades. This is what the scientific consensus is telling us; and that humans are responsible for this warming trend. The Earth would be doing whatever it would be doing by itself, but it doesn't take a genius to see that, since the industrial revolution, humans have been dumping huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere by burning coal, oil, etc. This does have an impact. Not a good one. We see its adverse effects in the quality of the air, in the polluted lands and waters. It's this simple. Isn't it? Now, why shouldn't we do something to help ourselves?

These Live Earth events are meant to raise awareness and prompt governments & private institutions to make more environmentally friendly policies. The good news is that everyone can do simple things without any sacrifices. Simple things, like, recycling, turning off lights & electric devices when not in use, use less gasoline, use less energy, pollute less, plant more trees, preserve forests, replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs, and so forth.

This issue shouldn't be another case of applied ignorance and indifference.

Two Republican Governors Say EPA's Policy "borders on malfeasance." [ed. note: EPA implements Bush's (anti) environmental policy]

"It's bad enough that the federal government has yet to take the threat of global warming seriously, but it borders on malfeasance for it to block the efforts of states such as California and Connecticut that are trying to protect the public's health and welfare."

Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA) and Jodi Rell (CT)

This article is worth reading, because it shows the current administration's views on global warming and EPA's bad policies that adversely affect our health and that of our children. It's time we elect leaders who examine the scientific evidence and act in the interest of the commonwealth, not big business or with religious fanaticism. Stem cell research, for example, holds great promise for unlocking secrets to a better life for millions of people, but it's been blocked by the ignorant and the fanatics.

Property rights should not be a greater priority than human rights. It's time we have a national debate whether education, health care, clean & safe environment are rights or privileges. It's a matter of priorities, isn't it? We've already spend more some $450 billion--with a projected total cost of over a trillion--and have lost more lives than on 9/11 in order to invade & occupy Iraq. And, we did this while our government gave tax cuts--most of them going to the wealthy.

Enough with this stupidity already. We citizens must pay closer attention to what the politicians are saying and, yes, how smart they are! Especially, when it comes to matters of science, we cannot afford to elect the ignorant and anyone with views fit for the Dark Ages. Their decisions matter because they affect our lives and change the direction of our country--and the world, since the US is a global leader.

Those who hold an anti-science & pro-ignorance mind should never hold public office. It's dangerous!

Welcome Spring & the Change of the Seasons. Just a Reminder Though: Our Lonely Planet is the Only Home We've Got!

Ah, Spring, it has arrived in the northern hemisphere! It’s eternal, they say. I say, it’s also internal; it depends on the outlook. Anyway, we have seasons because of the Earth’s 23.5º tilt. Life, as we know it, emerged because our planet happens to be in the right distance from a main sequence star! It took several billion years for Earth to become the planet we all recognize today; and it will be more-or-less the same for a couple billion years more, until our sun passes from its present middle age to old age when it’ll become cranky enough to destroy all life on Earth.

So, what’s the outlook for our lonely blue dot in a hostile solar system? Let's put some things into perspective. Our planet has been around for over 4 billion years. Most of this time, it was inhospitable to life as we know it today. A couple billion years ago, some blue-green algae—also known as cyanobacteria—began to produce their own “pollution” and helped create the atmosphere we’re familiar with today. Lucky for us, a few celestial renegades hit Earth, some of them really hard, and they changed life, including the extinction of the dinosaurs and the eventual rise of the mammals (like us).

Yes, many species can adapt to the conditions, some better than others. Nevertheless, most, including humans, can exist within a very tiny band of temperatures. The absolute zero (0 Kelvin) is -273 C, or -460 F. The hottest known temperatures are in the millions. In other words, we live in a fragile ecosystem, in a hostile universe, and we’re stuck here for the foreseeable future.

Some Common Sense is Needed

Since the industrial revolution, humans have been dumping huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The oceans have been absorbing as well resulting in increased acidity, which influences sea life, currents, temperature, etc. This is not a natural product, not part of any cycle. To me it’s a no-brainer. The smog over cities, the acid rain are all man-made. I’ve seen the effects of acid rain that has destroyed forests and has polluted lakes and streams, right here in my backyard—my beloved Adirondack park where I visit often.

If 98 doctors told you that you had to stop smoking because you could die of lung cancer (among other terrible diseases smoking promotes), and 2 doctors, who work for the tobacco companies, told you smoking is harmless, what would you do? Would you stop smoking, even err on the side of caution? Or, would you ask the 98 doctors to tell you exactly when you’d die and if they were absolutely certain you’d die because of smoking?

There is a consensus in the scientific community about global warming and that humans are responsible for it. Whatever natural cycle of ice-hot ages takes place, we humans are able to kick the pendulum so hard into one direction that we can break this normal cycle with catastrophic consequences.

Stupidity Can Be Deadly

For all of our advances in science and education, it’s amazing how many stupid people we have in positions of power. I do like a good debate, because I want to find the truth. It’s important for me to know. The more serious the issue, the greater the need to know. So, let’s have a rational debate about the environment, but we can’t waist our time with stupidity. Science is one thing only—the best tool we’ve got to understand the world around us. Not every idea, every claim has equal weight. It’d be a waste of time to debate the views of the Flat Earth Society for example. And, their views can not be brought into the classroom as an ..alternative scientific theory. [Similarly with other fictional theories of creationism, intelligent design, etc. There’s room for such “theories” in places like this.]

Al Gore testified in Congress about climate change, but I doubt he reached most Republicans there. Do you know that only 13% of Congressional Republicans agree with the scientists about a man-made global warming? Of course, you know that several past members of the Bush administration, NASA scientists and so many others have admitted to distorting or were pressured to distort evidence regarding global warming. No surprises here. It’s worth listening to what Gore had to say. This man makes sense to me.

“20 of the 21 hottest years ever measured in the human record have been in the last 25 years. The 10 hottest have been since 1990. The hottest was 2005. The hottest in the United States of America was 2006. The hottest winter ever measured globally was December of last year.”

Al Gore, 3/21/07 in his Congressional testimony

Need for Information & Action

Go out, take a nice breath of clean, crisp air and appreciate what we've got. Much of humanity isn't as lucky. The majority of people in the 21st century doesn’t have access to clean water! The environmental problems won’t always be confined only to the underdeveloped world. Bad climate affects everyone. Remember that our lonely planet is the only home we’ve got. Our children and future generations will also live here.

Don’t you think we should seek the truth about climate change and do something about it? At least 100 new people per second (3/20-3/21), over 550,00 (as of this moment), have signed Gore's petition that accompanied his testimony to the US Congress. We need more activists, we need more action. Politics is local and global. Vote, engage, participate, be vigilant.

photo credit: GP