Bush Environmental Record

[tkhayes 348]

http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/default.asp

Now that Bush has committed to "Spending his political capital", I expect we can see a further devstation of the environment and rebuttal of any measures that were previously in place, all in the name of energy and big business.

Even if you voted for Bush, I am sure you can find an issue (or two) in which NRDC is involved - an issue that is is important to you. I encourage everyone to take the time to sign up and send letters thru NRDC to help prevent some of the environmental issues that are already becoming a reality in this country (and in other countries too)

see the actions that you can do something about at:
http://www.nrdc.org/action/default.asp

TK

[MC208B 0]

Since you've been skydiving for 23 years, I assume that you must have been alive and can recall the early 70's.

The enviroment was in terrible shape back then. Tons of power plants burning high sulphur coal. Tons of chemical plants and oil refineries spewing shit unchecked into the air and water.

I worked as a deckhand on the inland rivers back then. The upper Illinois river (known to boat crews as the shit ditch) was vey toxic. Many times we were prohibited from smoking because if we tossed a match in the water, it might ignite.

Even further back in the 20th century things were much worse.

So, I wouldn't worry too much about Bush and the enviroment. There are a shitload of stupid regulations in place to keep things clean

[smiles 0]

Part of a post I enjoyed reading from chat@cspa

Quote

...........
Y'know, if one thinks about it for about a nanosecond one can figure out for ones self that it has been constantly getting warmer and colder - pretty much like it is doing right now - for the previous 1.75 million years of the Pleistocene... and it's been doing so without any human help whatsoever. From there the obvious deduction is that humans are, at one time, entirely too arrogant and entirely too insecure if they can think for a second that they have any more influence over global warming OR cooling than a gerbil might.

Of course we are doing SOMETHING to the Earth, but humans are nowhere near capable of affecting global warming or cooling to any great extent by their day to day activities - unless, of course, you count creating a nuclear winter which isn't actually one of our normal day to day activities and which isn't going to happen anyway.

No, humans can't REALLY do global warming but what humans can, and are, doing is making this planet incapable of supporting life. Then again, since they're not making it inhospitable for ALL life, just human life (ok, and most other mammals), I guess it's not really that big a deal, eh? so we can classify any human actions more as of a sort of short term and self limiting inconvenience in the life of the Earth, like a zit, than a problem.

What you will see after humans have done their absolute worst to pooched the place and have killed themselves off as a species is that Earth will simply do its recycle thing and in a short 750,000 years or so the sum total of human existence will be nothing more than a thin black, and slightly smelly, line in the coral reefs and soil strata. I find it cool to think that, some time in the future, some sentient life form - not human - will be looking at core samples of that sort of thing under a microscope and say to itself, "Whoa!! What the heck caused THAT!”

As I say, no big deal, and our remains should skootch down nicely and become a dandy non-renewable energy source. Especially the methane that's left over from skydivers eating bad food at boogies.

I would bet that for some of you out there the big statement bubbling to the surface right now goes something like: "Never! Humans will rally gallantly and do the 'right thing' and repair the damage we've done so far and continue to exist to the very ends of time itself!!"

Ok, keeping in mind that saving this particular version of the environment is a matter of extreme indifference to the Earth itself and that humans ARE the ones that are going to have to do it, I will reply to that statement before you say it.
No. Sorry. They won't.

While the inevitable valiant and useless attempts to change how humans live and consume their environment and thus become a sustainable part OF their environment will be made towards the end (oh... wait... I'm talking about right now, aren't I), we cannot stop ourselves from being ourselves. It is our nature.

We are the Borg.
Nature as we found it is irrelevant.
We will consume it's biological distinctiveness to maintain our existence regardless of the cost and what remains will be adapted to service us.
Resistance is futile.

Errol

SMiles

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Or see this book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060746874/qid=1100510935/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-6141979-4128708?v=glance&s=books&n=507846


The Earth, in the long run, will be fine. Even if we destroy it and the changes we make kill off humanity, the Earth will rebound eventually. We just won't be around to see it. The focus of envitonmentalism shouldn't be about saving the Earth - it should be about saving humanity by treating the Earth better. If you were to personalize it, more people would listen.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[nacmacfeegle 0]

"In a dramatic reversal of its previous position, the White House this week conceded that emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases were the only likely explanation for global warming.
Citing the "best possible scientific information," an administration official, James Mahoney, delivered a report to Congress that essentially reversed the previous White House position set out by George Bush, who had refused to link carbon dioxide emissions to climate change. "

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0827-02.htm>

I posted this a while ago, now is the time to get your boss to keep his pre-election promises.

--------------------

He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[tkhayes 348]

that might work, but saving humanity also should involve putting a decent effort into saving everything else as well. If we destroy half the species of the earth trying to save ourselves, that sounds like Christian fundamentalism to me.

Yes, the Earth will be fine, but why should 5000 years of mankind be the cause of 100,000 years of recovery for the rest of the world?

[tkhayes 348]

Fat chance Bush will do anything for the environment until it starts to affect 'business'.

He has a war to fight and as long as he can keep the USA people living in mortal fear of something, he can do whatever he wants.

This is NOT part of his agenda, I am sure, hence the reason for my original post. Groups like the NRDC seem to have some pull. They selectively pick their targets and fights - are not all-encompassing all-or-nothing like Greenpeace used to be and therefore I think a little more respectible.

Donate today to help them and start writing letters thru their website

[feuergnom 29]

"Whoa!! What the heck caused THAT!”
***

why do i suddenly have a gary larson cartoon in my mind?

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666