The “conservative” Republicans won’t do it.
Neither will the “conservationist”-environ-
mentalist Democrats. [see WashPost,
“GOP looks for Plan B on Gas,” May 3,
2006; NYT editiorial “Foolisness on fuel,
May 3, 2006] Not one politician currently
in office (and planning to run again) is telling
the American public:
“We all must use significantly less
energy to solve our Nation’s energy
crisis.”
“pbsPoliticsPumpG” PBS News Hour
politics and the pump
Yesterday evening on The PBS News Hour, Jim
Lehrer didn’t even bother to ask about reducing demand
and energy consumption, in a lengthy interview with Sen.
Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
(“Politics and the Pump: Solving Gas Prices,” May 2, 2006).
All that the Senators seemed to care about was winning
political points with voters — with their stated goal of ob-
taining and maintaining the supply to meet our national
demand for oil and gas.
Frankly, I expected much more from Sen. Cantwell, and
went to her website, to see if she might have more to say
on the topic there. Sadly, there was nothing about reducing
energy consumption — as opposed to reducing our need for
foreign sources of energy. In an April 6, 2006, Press Release,
I found her joining a call last month for a National Energy Sum-
mit. That press release ends by proclaiming:
“Cantwell is the chair of the Senate Democrats’ Energy
Independence 2020 national campaign working to break
America’s overdependence on foreign oil, protect working
families from skyrocketing energy costs, stop unfair market
manipulation by energy companies, and invest in reliable
sources of affordable fuel.”
As I said above, not a word about the need to conserve. No
courage to call for changes in our lifestyles that are the only
true hope for meeting the Nation’s “energy challenge.” (see
our prior post, Open Letter to Gas-Whiners, April 26, 2006;
and see gas pain?, which points out the instant, significant
savings from merely driving more slowly on highways)
“pbsPoliticsPumpN”
Key West heat–
the kitchen staff’s
chained bicycles
crossing the bridge —
the shadow of a gull
I never see
long before daybreak
the local rooster
starts warming up
Making change
the conductor
shifts his toothpick
slow conversation
a passing bus fills
the diner window
Distant tail lights
in the dark
nostalgia
“crossing the bridge” – The Heron’s Nest (Sept. 2002)
“slow conversation” – A New Resonance 2 (2001)
“making change” – the loose thread: RMA 2001; Modern Haiku XXXII:1
“Distant tail lights” – from Haiku Spirit
“Key West heat” – Frogpond XXII:3 (1999)
May 3, 2006
pump pandering: no one mentions using less energy
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