Renewable Energy Is a Profoundly Patriotic Idea
Since the birth of the union, appealing to patriotism has proven a powerful weapon in convincing Americans to do a variety of things, from enlisting in the military, to casting votes for certain candidates and initiatives, to buying products made within the country’s borders. And, to be sure, the same appeal can be made to promote renewable energy.
Until recently, when U.S. domestic production of crude started to rise, a fantastic argument for renewables was that it represented offsetting borrowing in the neighborhood of $1 billion a day from foreign governments that truly hated our guts. Though that situation is not as dire today, there are a number of ways in which moving away from oil will improve national security, one of which is that it will render Putin/Russia a much less powerful force for death and destruction.
Of course, this implies that the reader forget that Putin is a butcher, counted among the most brutal and sociopathically evil people who every walked the Earth; that reality is blurred by his bromance with the current President of the United States, but it’s true nonetheless.
Craig,
What is it with some American’s and Russia ?
Do you still hanker after the Cold War, or blame the Russians for abandoning the dream of Marxist-Leninist Communism ?
” Putin is a butcher, counted among the most brutal and sociopathically evil people who every walked the Earth”
The above statement is a great example of hyperbole !
It’s wrong on so many levels. Historically on a global scale, or even within the context of Russia, Vladimir Putin doesn’t come near that description.
It’s true Vladimir Putin doesn’t behave with the decorum of the Swiss or other leaders of long established democracies, but then he’s not the leader of a modern democracy.
When Putin became leader of Russia, he found himself leader of a vast, chaotic nation, without clear borders, disparate peoples of widely different aspirations and ancient hatreds. The collapse of the USSR, which had been the old Russian empire, and the vassal Warsaw pact allies, had left a dysfunctional Russian state, that had lost almost half it’s former territory.
What was left of Russia no longer worked. A vast land which had only ever known brutal political power. The economic, legal and even physical infrastructure were all largely useless or obsolete. Political,commercial and even social life had descended to internecine gang warfare.
Even the military was demoralized, unreliable and ineffective. Under his predecessor the new Russia had drifted into chaos and abject economic collapse. Most frightening was the new Russian government couldn’t guarantee control over the former USSR’s vast nuclear arsenal.
For all his faults, Vladimir Putin has made dramatic and remarkable improvements.
1) Improve security and stability for the average Russian.
2) He’s brought the Russian military back into a smaller but disciplined force.
3) improved and commenced rebuilding Russia’s chaotic infrastructure.
3) Prevented further civil war and settled border disputes in a retrained manner. (Maybe not to the west’s understanding or approval, but retrained within the Russian context).
4) Held on to power and strengthened Russian political institutions.
5) Rebuilt and managed Russia’s economy to a degree thought impossible a decade ago.
6) Regained control of the nuclear arsenal
Vladimir Putin is surrounded by murderous, corrupt and ambitious political allies, his enemies are numerous and many would if given the chance plunge Russia in to war.
Perhaps just staying alive is his greatest accomplishment.
His efforts to modernize Russia are seldom recognized in the West. Most of his critics can’t even begin to comprehend the problems or environment in which he is forced to function.
Even a simple reform like a law to prevent family violence, saw massive opposition among his allies, eight reported assassination attempts against his life and a threatened coup.
The Parliament rejected this simple reform, but after a long stand off, Putin managed to keep the law, even if the light penalties imposed by parliament lessen it’s effectiveness.
( Russia has never had a law against wife beating)
These are hardly the actions of a sociopathic dictator !
Putin has introduced the first environmental laws to a nation with the most polluted sites on earth. These laws took great skill and courage to get passed, and will be even more difficult to enforce.
The US President and Secretary of State should be very concerned to ensure good relations with President Putin. He maybe a tough and nationalistic Russian, but at least he’s a leader capable of keeping his word.
There is no acceptable alternative.
The issue of Russian interference with the US election as a counter-balance to what Russia sees as undue PRC influence, may be annoying, but then again it appears remarkably amateurish.
It’s also a little hypocritical for the US to get so upset. After all, US and US agencies have been meddling in other nations political affairs (friend, foe and even ally) for the over 70 years !
In a long line of examples is the admission by President Obama’s Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland,that since the the US ‘invested’ $5billion dollars to help secure Ukraine’s ‘democratic future’ the US was entitled to a say in who should be the Ukraine’s government.