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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s a good reason why neither you nor I could make it in politics: Neither of us would have the chutzpa to call for a “united Texas” in the year 2022.

There is nothing about Texas that is remotely unitable.  Half the state calls for the proliferation of assault rifles, bans on abortion in every circumstance, an electric grid that freezes or roasts its citizens to death to make utility investors wealthier, and whatever atrocities at the southern border that are most effective in keeping the vermin from Central America out, regardless of what both domestic and international law may say on the matter.

The other half are connected to education and everything that it brings with it: compassion, intelligence, and an appreciation for rule of law.

Beto O’Rourke is a good human being, but it’s hard to envy him here. A “united Texas” is a sick joke, and he knows it.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Uncategorized

Freedoms of speech and the press are complicated matters.  Where do these freedoms take us vis-a-vis fraud, child pornography, incitement to violence, and violation of intellectual property law?

For my money, the U.S. Supreme Court has done a pretty admirable job in dealing with this over the years.

The folks who wish to keep The Grapes of Wrath and Catch-22 out of the hands of young readers, simply because these books cause our kids to think “impure” thoughts about American capitalism and imperialism, however, have a far more difficult challenge in front of them, at least in any country I’d like to call home.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

If and when we make contact with extraterrestrial intelligence, we need to expect huge differences between the evolution of their civilization and that of our own.

The meme here brings up an interesting idea: What if we the people demanded to be led by  people of science (vs. rhetoric and love of power).

Well, a few changes come top of  mind:

• High priority on education with rich curricula delivered by well-paid teachers; everyone who wants a college degree gets one

• Common sense laws, e.g., gun legislation, that protect us from harm

• No religious-based wars and other forms of hostility based on those concepts

• No laws restricting personal choices that are based on religion, e.g., abortion

• A political and economic system that eliminates poverty

• A pristine and stable environment

• Full sustainability, based on the deployment of every relevant piece of technology

• Vigorous R&D re: future technologies to help us all lead better, healthier, and longer lives

Sound like utopia?  To me it does.

Now, might there be dishonest and corrupt scientists, who would favor some approaches over others for personal gain?

Potentially.

But think about that for a minute, and compare that possibility to what we have now:  a political scene that features Team Trump’s attempt to overthrow the most powerful country, and the most potent democracy, on Earth.

Here’s a good comparison about worrying about a little problem while ignoring a greater one.  The caption: “Oh my God, we’re out of gin.”

 

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Clever.

In all fairness, the GOP in Lincoln’s and T. Roosevelt’s time was the mirror image of what it came to be in the 1930s.

Setting that aside, the devolution that we’ve seen since Eisenhower has been as remarkable as it’s been tragic.

Also, keep in mind that “Molton” drew this cartoon in 2015; think of how far these people have fallen since.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Why exactly is it that we’re doing such a poor job defending our environment?

This was too profound for me not to post; it’s a unique idea worth consideration.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

FWIW, this is what I’ve concluded over the past decade or so, during which I’ve been reading and writing on the subject.

Capitalism, which means ignoring the needs of others, is the antimatter of climate change solutions, as well as any other changes for the public good.

At this point in human history, literally everything we must do to have any chance whatsoever to establish a civilization that will survive the next 50 to 100 years is going to come at a cost to the world’s wealthiest people.

The migration from fossil fuels, the rethinking of our land use policies, sustainable fishing and agriculture, the electrification of everything, etc. all cost more than what we have in place now, and thus will require public funding if they are to come to fruition.  That means taxes on corporations and billionaires.

But guess what? Corporations and billionaires own our lawmaking processes, and they will spend as much as they need to to keep all this money flowing in, thus preventing the changes that would have otherwise saved us.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

As reported by none other than Fox News, a group of prominent conservatives has published a 69-page report to the effect that the 2020 presidential election was “lost, not stolen.”

It begins:

As part of his post-election attempts to retain the presidency, Donald Trump and his supporters filed 64 cases containing 187 counts in the six key battleground states, in addition to utilizing some of the recount and contest procedures available to them under state law. The former president maintains to this day that the 2020 election was stolen and the results fraudulent. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

A friend sent me the recipes shown here, which reminded me of a conversation I used to have with my arch-conservative mom.

She’s a very well-educated and well-read woman, a Bryn Mawr grad and gracious, refined country clubber, hailing from the Philadelphia region, but, as I pointed out, she has the same political sensibilities as the people who eat raccoon.

Seems incongruous.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

A reader asked for my thoughts on this article that predicts a coming shortage of copper, an element that is vital to the sucess of “electrifying everything.”

I hate to sound so cavalier, but random reports on apparent shortages don’t scare me. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Needless to say, Ralph Nadar is far closer to the action in Washington than I’ll ever be, but I have to say that I disagree, for the reason expressed in the chart below.

Democrats tend not to do things like attempting the overthrow of the United States government.

Note: These numbers are from mid-2020, long before November, the election tampering, the Big Lie, and the insurrection.  By the times it’s over, we’ll have to build new prisons to house all these felons.

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