Double standards abound in our society. Its strange how one negative connotation can be accepted and another can not.
For example, driving to work today a newer SUV with a woman driver ahead of me had two bumper stickers on the window that were terribly derogatory to our current President, an elected republican. I did what I am sure most conservatives do; swallowed any indignation, shake my head and pull ahead.
I have a feeling that if I had a defaming quote against any liberal person or socialist cause or just a simple Fish logo, I would be flipped off or yelled at when stopped at lights. Pretty sure I would have a busted window or be keyed if I was parked in a lot for a day with a big sticker proclaiming my dislike with something.
I remember hearing about some of this occurring during the last presidential election, not just to vehicles but to conservative offices.
Its okay to wear a Che Guevara tee shirt or a communist hammer and sickle shirt but wear a shirt with a cross or proclaiming my support of a religion or partisan cause and I'd be derided. I have been derided in the past for wearing my vintage Ollie (North) for President shirt. In hind site it was probably naive but nevertheless.
As the election looms closer, the amount of bumper stickers will increase, no doubt. I will continue to shake my head, smile and say, "God Bless", treating them just like I do when people cut sharply in front of me in traffic.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Thursday, December 20, 2007
35 mph is the standard
Congress passed a bill this week and President Bush has agreed to sign it, which starts to bring America into alignment with whats right instead of a-lining their pockets with lobbiests. The bill stats that the average mpg of American brand automobiles must be 35 mpg by 2020 along with several other increases in levels of sustainable, renewable energy sources used by the public.
I personally think it should be sooner than 2020 but overall, its a step in the right direction. I recently reviewed a report in a magazine for the mpg's of the most popular auto's sold and doing a comparison by foreign or domestic brand, foreign vehicles average significantly higher than American though not at the 35 mpg standard either. I believe the American standard in the report was 17 mpg with only two non-hybrid vehicles being over 20 mpg.
Detractors claim the boost in mpg will increase the cost of vehicles by about $7,000 and could be the end of the muscle car.
First, anyone who thinks car prices couldn't go up $7,000 naturally between now and 2020 is an idiot. Look at the increase in car prices in just the last ten years. Now project forward a dozen. Plus most people buy cars on what they can afford to pay each month and what gives them status not the overall cost of the item. For example, a Prius, the uber-enviro car can cost up over $50,000 and most hybrids are mid-$30,000.
Second, much like the oil crunch of the 1970's that brought us the Mustang 2, muscles cars will probably take a hit. But the key word in the legislation is 'average'. Dodge could easily push their new vehicles into the 35 mpg zone and then hybrid their current models out and still cover a few 9 mpg hemi's.
Plus, look at what you drive today. Could you possibly imagine driving the same car you did twelve years ago? Of course not. And your car today is probably more reliable with better emission control, its progress. You can't project your today vehicle on 2020 standards either. Heck in 2020 I'll be fifty and would love to have a 'space age' car that does it all for me.
Or a rocket pack. I always wanted to own a rocket pack. Think they'll have those by then?
I personally think it should be sooner than 2020 but overall, its a step in the right direction. I recently reviewed a report in a magazine for the mpg's of the most popular auto's sold and doing a comparison by foreign or domestic brand, foreign vehicles average significantly higher than American though not at the 35 mpg standard either. I believe the American standard in the report was 17 mpg with only two non-hybrid vehicles being over 20 mpg.
Detractors claim the boost in mpg will increase the cost of vehicles by about $7,000 and could be the end of the muscle car.
First, anyone who thinks car prices couldn't go up $7,000 naturally between now and 2020 is an idiot. Look at the increase in car prices in just the last ten years. Now project forward a dozen. Plus most people buy cars on what they can afford to pay each month and what gives them status not the overall cost of the item. For example, a Prius, the uber-enviro car can cost up over $50,000 and most hybrids are mid-$30,000.
Second, much like the oil crunch of the 1970's that brought us the Mustang 2, muscles cars will probably take a hit. But the key word in the legislation is 'average'. Dodge could easily push their new vehicles into the 35 mpg zone and then hybrid their current models out and still cover a few 9 mpg hemi's.
Plus, look at what you drive today. Could you possibly imagine driving the same car you did twelve years ago? Of course not. And your car today is probably more reliable with better emission control, its progress. You can't project your today vehicle on 2020 standards either. Heck in 2020 I'll be fifty and would love to have a 'space age' car that does it all for me.
Or a rocket pack. I always wanted to own a rocket pack. Think they'll have those by then?
Friday, December 7, 2007
Santa lite
A prominent London newspaper has announced that Santa will not be allowed in some malls because he is a fatty. Santa needs to go on a diet. Gadzooks.
Do you really think children look at Santa with the same critical eye as they do Aunt Jane? Santa has been round like a bowl full of jelly for hundreds of years. Meanwhile the same youth watched Aunt Jane gain 80 pounds over the course of five years.
Yes the human race has an extreme problem with eating to much and not exercising enough. That being said, Santa is an icon known for his size. And by the way, according to the official historical records, (that being Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer), Santa has to be force fed in the last few days to gain the 'Santa' weight, which would mean once Christmas is over he loses the weight, which is more than can be said for Aunt Jane.
This is another case of aging baby boomers putting their adult contraptions on children. Santa is a pure spirit, not some overeating diabetic relative.
Transpose this with Halloween where 50 is the new 12. The reason teenage girls can only find costumes prefixed with 'Hot', 'slutty' or 'naughty' is because Halloween is no longer a night for children its a night for adults to think they are still children.
Whats next neutering the Easter Bunny?
Do you really think children look at Santa with the same critical eye as they do Aunt Jane? Santa has been round like a bowl full of jelly for hundreds of years. Meanwhile the same youth watched Aunt Jane gain 80 pounds over the course of five years.
Yes the human race has an extreme problem with eating to much and not exercising enough. That being said, Santa is an icon known for his size. And by the way, according to the official historical records, (that being Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer), Santa has to be force fed in the last few days to gain the 'Santa' weight, which would mean once Christmas is over he loses the weight, which is more than can be said for Aunt Jane.
This is another case of aging baby boomers putting their adult contraptions on children. Santa is a pure spirit, not some overeating diabetic relative.
Transpose this with Halloween where 50 is the new 12. The reason teenage girls can only find costumes prefixed with 'Hot', 'slutty' or 'naughty' is because Halloween is no longer a night for children its a night for adults to think they are still children.
Whats next neutering the Easter Bunny?
Thursday, December 6, 2007
How do you have a treaty with yourself?
A senate committee today voted to send a resolution to the full senate to reduce greenhouse emissions with credit incentives for those that cut and credit penalties for those that don't. Those most affected by this decision are utility, manufacturing and transportation businesses. Which in the end means the consumer and user. Thats you and me.
A vote most along party lines to progress the bill was claimed to help the children. Senator Barbara Boxer claims, "We are facing a crisis that will hit our children and our grandchildren the hardest if we do not act now. Not to act would be wrong, cowardly, and irresponsible."
Oh its going to hit our children alright. Higher taxes and consumption costs. The bill seeks to force companies to reduce greenhouse gases or carbon dioxide emissions much like the much ballyhooed Kyoto Protocols which have done absolutely nothing for those that elected to follow it since the mid 90's.
This time its just us. The good ole' US of A. The thought amongst the mostly liberal backing of this plan is that by America taking steps to control global warming other industrial states like China and India will follow suite. This is highly unlikely since China is a communist state only concerned about its own internal interests and India while a democracy is more concerned about becoming the China-alternative to leadership in Asia.
If this bill is ratified, it would surely increase the taxes the average American family would be required to pay. A Washington Times Article on November 11th, estimated that the burden for these caps would be about five trillion dollars over 40 years with no evidence of appreciable change in global warming patterns.
Sure that is a bit of alarmist mentality. Scaring people into radical conclusions seems to be the norm these days.
A vote most along party lines to progress the bill was claimed to help the children. Senator Barbara Boxer claims, "We are facing a crisis that will hit our children and our grandchildren the hardest if we do not act now. Not to act would be wrong, cowardly, and irresponsible."
Oh its going to hit our children alright. Higher taxes and consumption costs. The bill seeks to force companies to reduce greenhouse gases or carbon dioxide emissions much like the much ballyhooed Kyoto Protocols which have done absolutely nothing for those that elected to follow it since the mid 90's.
This time its just us. The good ole' US of A. The thought amongst the mostly liberal backing of this plan is that by America taking steps to control global warming other industrial states like China and India will follow suite. This is highly unlikely since China is a communist state only concerned about its own internal interests and India while a democracy is more concerned about becoming the China-alternative to leadership in Asia.
If this bill is ratified, it would surely increase the taxes the average American family would be required to pay. A Washington Times Article on November 11th, estimated that the burden for these caps would be about five trillion dollars over 40 years with no evidence of appreciable change in global warming patterns.
Sure that is a bit of alarmist mentality. Scaring people into radical conclusions seems to be the norm these days.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Turn out that lightbut keep your tv on
Sunday football has drunk the environmental kool aid. Over the last weekend while NBC (owned by General Electric) was doing a pre-game show, they turned off the lights in the commentary booth and began describing its mission statement of doing its part to help global warming.
So, what NBC is essentially saying is, "Watch your big screen plasma in the dark." I thought I wasn't supposed to watch tv in the dark. Isn't it supposed to ruin my eyes? I know I was told not to sit to close to television sets because that would ruin my eyes. Thats why I traded in my knob operated 13 inch black and white rabbit eared tv for my 60" HD DLP Flat screen with 1080i.
What's a fan to do?
What if I already converted my lighting to the horrendous glow of energy saving bulbs? Do I still need to turn them off even though I am only running 15 watts for a 100 watt bulb? Isn't it enough that I have to subject myself to the awful output of color by these bulbs? Conversely my wife tells me she would rather sit in a dark room with the tv off as along as she didn't have to watch or listen to football on Sundays.
Interesting.
I suppose the logical conclusion to this, using the main steam media model of, "tell a lie long enough and it becomes truth," global warming is going to shift all football games to morning and afternoons and only on days that are sunny and in stadiums that have retractable roofs or no roofs at all. "It's better for our environment to to not have stadium lights on during a night game," is the logical reason.
In the end, the NFL could care less about global warming. In fact most cold weather teams look forward to late season games in their home (cold air) stadiums because its a detriment to the visitors. The NFL cares about cash. The ones who get hurt are not the fans who are in a kajillion watt lit stadium getting their information from a billion watt speaker system and a jumbo tron, its us 'little' people who have to put up dorks trying to save a species one light bulb at a time.
BTW, do you think I have to take the bulb out of my microwave too? Microwaved pizza just doesn't taste the same unless I can see the cheese melting just right?
So, what NBC is essentially saying is, "Watch your big screen plasma in the dark." I thought I wasn't supposed to watch tv in the dark. Isn't it supposed to ruin my eyes? I know I was told not to sit to close to television sets because that would ruin my eyes. Thats why I traded in my knob operated 13 inch black and white rabbit eared tv for my 60" HD DLP Flat screen with 1080i.
What's a fan to do?
What if I already converted my lighting to the horrendous glow of energy saving bulbs? Do I still need to turn them off even though I am only running 15 watts for a 100 watt bulb? Isn't it enough that I have to subject myself to the awful output of color by these bulbs? Conversely my wife tells me she would rather sit in a dark room with the tv off as along as she didn't have to watch or listen to football on Sundays.
Interesting.
I suppose the logical conclusion to this, using the main steam media model of, "tell a lie long enough and it becomes truth," global warming is going to shift all football games to morning and afternoons and only on days that are sunny and in stadiums that have retractable roofs or no roofs at all. "It's better for our environment to to not have stadium lights on during a night game," is the logical reason.
In the end, the NFL could care less about global warming. In fact most cold weather teams look forward to late season games in their home (cold air) stadiums because its a detriment to the visitors. The NFL cares about cash. The ones who get hurt are not the fans who are in a kajillion watt lit stadium getting their information from a billion watt speaker system and a jumbo tron, its us 'little' people who have to put up dorks trying to save a species one light bulb at a time.
BTW, do you think I have to take the bulb out of my microwave too? Microwaved pizza just doesn't taste the same unless I can see the cheese melting just right?
Monday, October 8, 2007
Conservatism vs. Consumerism
I have a ceiling fan hanging in the middle of my family room. It has a light kit underneath, nothing special about that. The photo is a representation of it, not the actual unit.
Over the course of a last week two of the three lights stopped working. In a matter of good conscious I decided to replace all three with CFL energy efficient bulbs. Again.
The first time I did this a year ago, yes before Al Gore's movie, the color emitted from them was a ghastly yellow green. Our family attempted to get used to the lighting but after a few days it was apparent we would rather sit in the dark than turn on the lights. Maybe thats how we are supposed to save money?
So they went away.
Sunday I replaced all the lights in the ceiling fan with CFL's. The lights this time are a perfect white light. I simply matched up the converted wattage of the CFL's to the normal bulbs but ended up with a much brighter room and a serious contrast to the lightening in the rest of the downstairs. Not to be deterred we decided next week we will buy more environmentally friendly bulbs at $3.88 a piece at a lower wattage to tone down the family room and move the brighter lights to the outside lights.
New problem.
Since Sunday I couldn't figure out why my tv remote was taking so many 'clicks' to react to a command. When I replaced the lights I also upgraded some wires on my entertainment systems' components. I figured I moved the cable box out of alignment with our seating. So I moved my arm up and down and stretched it left and right and sat in different spots always aiming the remote at the cable box. I changed the battery's. In all cases after several clicks the command would be accepted to change the volume or channel or whatever.
The next day, after a long day of work, sitting in front of my gigantic flat screen DLP HD tv, in my ultra bright family room, I started to get frustrated flipping between programs. And when I get frustrated I get inspired. So I asked my wife who was walking by to flick off the lights.
Immediately the tv began accepting my commands. Could it be?
Yes! After a few minutes of flicking the lights on and off and quite a few "Oh My Goshes", it was confirmed that three 100 watt CFL bulbs 8 feet up can disrupt the commands sent from a tv remote to a cable box, a distance of about ten feet apart.
There's some moral decision here. First, I could stop watching television in a well lit room out of frustration of pushing a button five times for one command. Two, I could go out to the garage and tap the stockpile evil incandescent bulbs and zone out stress free in beautiful soft white light.
Yeah. I know. The garage.
This week was the 515th anniversary of Columbus reaching the New World. I have a feeling that well before we even get to the 200th anniversary of Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb he will be subjected to the same outrage. Thomas Edison the destructor of the environment for creating the light bulb! Well I say how dare people tell me I have to use energy efficient light bulbs when that means I waste energy switching channels. Where is the savings in that?
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Seasons over
Tonto National Park is closing Canyon Lake later this month to work on the dam that sits on its western shores. The water level will drop about 50 feet. I love this lake and swim in it twice a week from essentially Valentines Day through Thanksgiving. Most people would kill for open water swimming for that long each year. Of course at the beginning and end of the seasons we are in full wet suits and neoprene caps and gloves.
On the last swim of the year, usually the weekend before or after Thanksgiving, those of us brave enough to last the 50 degree water hold a small BBQ on the beach. This year however with the lake closing in September we decided to hold the event this weekend.
What does this have to do with being a green conservative?
In thinking about my year up at Canyon Lake, since February, I have pulled out at least 200 pounds of others peoples trash. That is a lot of beer bottles, cans, caps, boxes, batteries, broken glass, fishing containers, diapers, napkins, wipes, plastic bags, used utensils and deflated inflatable pool toys. Mostly beer containers though.
Littering frustrates me. Its such a lack of respect to not pack out your own garbage, especially when the person or group is not tidy in how they spend their time there to begin with. It would be great to just have to pack out already bagged trash, but when it's just strewn about with no care or thought it really chaps me.
I still hope to go up to Canyon Lake the rest of the year, if for no other reason than to do some running and cycling among the deserted highway in solitude. I'd like to see what the landscape looks like under all the hundreds of miles of swimming I have done there.
The Tonto Park Rangers are woefully understaffed in maintaining the cleanliness of the parks around the lake. It's to bad really. Every time I am there, I see them working hard at just keeping the trash cans empty and the bathrooms maintained. They do what they can with the litter and am sure they are on top of it much better than I give them credit for. I have run through the beach area's on early mornings after holiday weekends and it is smelly and atrocious.
So long Canyon Lake swimming. Till next year.
On the last swim of the year, usually the weekend before or after Thanksgiving, those of us brave enough to last the 50 degree water hold a small BBQ on the beach. This year however with the lake closing in September we decided to hold the event this weekend.
What does this have to do with being a green conservative?
In thinking about my year up at Canyon Lake, since February, I have pulled out at least 200 pounds of others peoples trash. That is a lot of beer bottles, cans, caps, boxes, batteries, broken glass, fishing containers, diapers, napkins, wipes, plastic bags, used utensils and deflated inflatable pool toys. Mostly beer containers though.
Littering frustrates me. Its such a lack of respect to not pack out your own garbage, especially when the person or group is not tidy in how they spend their time there to begin with. It would be great to just have to pack out already bagged trash, but when it's just strewn about with no care or thought it really chaps me.
I still hope to go up to Canyon Lake the rest of the year, if for no other reason than to do some running and cycling among the deserted highway in solitude. I'd like to see what the landscape looks like under all the hundreds of miles of swimming I have done there.
The Tonto Park Rangers are woefully understaffed in maintaining the cleanliness of the parks around the lake. It's to bad really. Every time I am there, I see them working hard at just keeping the trash cans empty and the bathrooms maintained. They do what they can with the litter and am sure they are on top of it much better than I give them credit for. I have run through the beach area's on early mornings after holiday weekends and it is smelly and atrocious.
So long Canyon Lake swimming. Till next year.
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