Topical Juice

We already know that carbon emissions from coal-generated power is a major contributor to global warming. And the most recent occurances of mine cave-ins in Utah and China are neither new nor rare instances. Coal mining is a dangerous occupation, but generally speaking we only hear about how dangerous it is when a mine collapses, trapping and often killing the miners who were underground when a collapse occurs.

People work at these dangerous jobs because we humans, in every developed nation around the globe, have a nearly insatiable need for energy. To light our homes at night, run our air conditioners (in a hot climate) or heat our homes (in a cold climate), to power our computers, microwaves, toaster ovens, etc., etc., etc..

But we have alternatives - wind power, hydro-electric (water), bio fuels, solar power. We simply need to start telling our Utility companies, and our elected representatives, that we want better funding into using these alternative energy sources. Instead of spending millions of dollars to rescue trapped miners, let’s shut down the coal mines and put that money into installing more Wind Turbines, and better tax credits for homeowners who install solar panels.

Of course we all need to do our part to reduce our own energy consumption as well - there’s great information everywhere these days about changing out your old lightbulbs for new energy efficient CFL bulbs, fixing your leaky faucets, turning down the hot water heater, and many more suggestions - check out PowerScoreCard.org and DoSomething.org.

While you’re at it, you might consider a Hamster Powered Paper Shredder. Maybe if we can find a way to put more Hamsters to work, we can eliminate coal mining altogether. I know what you’re thinking - “all those miners would have to find other jobs!”. Yep, you’re right. Safer jobs hopefully.

It’s not bad enough that we’re losing precious American lives daily in a war that started out as a personal vendetta by Bush(W) to prove to Bush(Sr.) that he could take out the man his daddy didn’t, now our Department of Defense is allowing an evangelical extremist group that poses as an “entertainment troupe” to turn the war in Iraq into a religious crusade?!?

This Article posted at The Nation, about plans by Operation Stand Up (OSU) “to mail copies of the controversial apocalyptic video game, Left Behind: Eternal Forces to soldiers serving in Iraq” and quotes the group as saying “”We feel the forces of heaven have encouraged us to perform multiple crusades that will sweep through this war torn region,” OSU declares on its website about its planned trip to Iraq. “We’ll hold the only religious crusade of its size in the dangerous land of Iraq.” I won’t even give the fools at OSU the courtesy of a link to their site but I’m sure it won’t be hard to find with all the press they are getting, if you’re interested in reading more of their narrow-minded malarkey.

Every American who loves our Constitution and the principles of freedom of religion that it was founded upon should be up in arms over this - and writing their State Representatives, Senators, Congressmen (and Congresswomen) and anyone who will listen and put a halt to this nonsense. There’s a reason that we are supposed to have a separation of Church and State, which is to keep any single religious organization from controlling the representation of all citizens, who may or may not agree with that organization’s particular point of view.

Not everyone in this country is a Christian, and even many who are won’t want our nation’s military used in what could appear to be a religious crusade in a region that is already highly unstable, and where we have few allies and many enemies. Even if the majority of our soldiers don’t share these “entertainment gifts” with the locals in Iraq, our country will still most assuredly be perceived as proselytizing, which is highly offensive to most Muslims. A move like OSU is planning can only bring more danger, not just to our soldiers over there, but here at home as well, as the resulting escalated anger of religious extremists in Muslim countries gets focused in our direction.

Hurry up and colonize the Moon, will ya’ NASA?? Then we can send all the extremists from every religion up there and just let them duke it out. The rest of us reasonable, open-minded folks can stay here and solve the climate crisis.