Deporting Refugees Who Face Death Is Wrong
Here, two Jewish people protest deportation in 1936.
Reminds me of what happens every day on the U.S. southern border.
Tagged with: Deporting Refugees
The United States Needs to Lead the World in the Cleantech Revolution
Here we are, coming up on 12 years since the launch of 2GreenEnergy, and we’re finally starting to see things happen that we predicted “way back when.”
In particular, I wish I had a dollar for every time I made the point that Joe Biden is making here, i.e., that cleantech is destined to be the definitive industry in the 21st Century, and that a failure on the part of the United States to lead the world in this revolution will hasten the nation’s decline into irrelevance on the global stage.
I sympathize with the progressives in Congress who have been continually frustrated by the fierce opposition, funded by the fossil fuel giants. Obama himself told a relatively small group of journalists shortly before he left office, “You’ll never know how hard I tried to push our country forward with respect to decarbonization. Though I made a few strides forward, I failed to achieve even a fraction of what I set out to do.”
Having said all this, perhaps things are moving. “Build Back Better” will be a huge shot in the arm.
Tagged with: a failure on the part of the United States to lead the world in this revolution will hasten the nation's decline into irrelevance on the global stage, Build Back Better, cleantech is destined to be the definitive industry in the 21st Century, decarbonization, launch of 2GreenEnergy, progressives in Congress have been continually frustrated by the fierce opposition funded by the fossil fuel giants
School’s Not for Everyone, But …..
I’ll be the first to admit that K – 12 (elementary and high school) is not right for everyone, and that certainly includes people with IQs in the 190 – 215 range. Those who have been given great intellectual power are going to find, like Einstein apparently did, that school is mind-numbingly tedious and regimented.
From here, some people extrapolate that all school does is destroy creativity and crank out conformists who don’t have the horsepower (or the interest) to question authority and think for themselves.
Most people, however, look back on their school days with an understanding that this is where they learned to read and write, and to wrap their wits around math and science, as well as the humanities.
In other words, school is the institution that, without which, America would be completely dominated by people like the guy here.
Tagged with: question authority
Why Can’t Elon Musk Play Fair?
That Elon Musk is calling for end of government EV subsidies seems wrong on at least two counts:
Tesla got where it is on the back of huge help from the U.S. government, and
subsidizing a social good (or taxing a social evil) is a proven way to affect society in a positive way.
We’re all impressed with Musk’s accomplishments, but we sure wish he were more focused on decarbonizing the transportation and energy sector and less on making his next $100 billion.
We also wish he could be less blatantly abusive of his employees’ rights.
Tagged with: Why Can't Elon Musk Play Fair
Progressives Aren’t Great Organizers
The title of this post may be misleading; progressives do get involved with the issues of the day.
The problem is that there are dozens of ways to be a progressive, because there are so many causes to support: climate action, human rights, policy based on science, getting money out of politics, quality education, universal healthcare, equal justice for all, and the list goes on.
By comparison, conservatives organize easily, since they do so around a singular notion, i.e., the opposition of everything progressives want. If it benefits the common person, now or in generations to come, it’s off the list.
So simple.
Design Engineering Breakthrough Has Limits
Here’s the story of how a young man won an award in design engineering for his unique process that turns kombucha waste into synthetic wood. I have no problem with this, except for the claim that this could curb deforestation.
Collectively, Americans alone use about 100 million tons of wood annually. That’s 10 – 15 billion cubic feet.
How much kombucha waste gets discarded each year?
To be honest, I don’t know. But give me a break.
Tagged with: synthetic wood
Kindness as Religion
What’s the difference between saying “My religion is kindness” and “I don’t have a religion; I’m a human being with a good heart?”
He then goes on to encourage all of humankind to be the same.
It’s a life accomplishment that’s hard to beat.
Tagged with: Kindness as Religion
Oh Holy Night
“Sing it.”
I just did, to the phrasing of the piece, as linked here.
This was written when Christians still believed in the teachings of Christ.
Tagged with: teachings of Christ
Nothing Says “Christmas” Like Assault Rifles in the Hands of Little Children
A reader notes: Perhaps I’m just out of sync with the times, but I fail to understand the connection between high powered weapons and Christmas.
Ha! Yes, I’m afraid you are indeed out of sync with the times. There is an entire population of Evangelical Christians whose tastes include weapons of war in the hands of little kids, opposition to science, white supremacy, and Donald Trump.
There are more than one million people who live in the district that elected Lauren Boebert to represent them in Congress. That’s hatred and ignorance on a galactic scale.
The “Natural World” No Longer Exists
The author here makes an excellent point.
There are 140 different synthetic chemicals in our bodies, and there are PCBs in the arctic.
There is no more “natural world.”
