Gun and Violence Control - We're all in this together

Sorting out complex thoughts on the horrifying recent gun violence. Robert Kuttner has a great blog on HuffPost, here's my favorite excerpt:

After the Virginia Tech massacre, my friend Drew Westen proposed the following commercial, to be spoken by a rural Democratic elected official, such as a Jim Webb or a Jon Tester: The speaker is holding an AK-47 in one hand and a hunting rifle in the other. He looks directly into the camera and says: This is a hunting rifle. I've had one since I was a teenager. Every law-abiding American has a right to one of these. This is an assault weapon. It's used to kill people. If you want to use one of those, you should volunteer and join the armed services. If you think it should be used on deer, you shouldn't have one. Any questions?

My personal thoughts go to how society deals with people with psychological problems. There is often focus on institutionalizing them, and/or jailing them. Working with children and adults with disabilities, it's been shown that giving people pets like a dog can make a big difference. What about community garden programs? Time spent with animals or gardening has worked wonders for ex-convicts, disturbed military veterans and others. This is a relevant topic for the Rumsfeld Invaders blog. The concept behind the creation of Rumsfeld Invaders was a video game that could make politics appealing to young men who were obssessed with video games. Instead of wasting countless hours playing mindless violent video games, let's wake up to the real world around us, and get involved in something real that has real implications on people's quality of life. Although Space Invaders is a simplistic "shooter" video game, my perception is that most kids these days who play the 3D first person stuff would laugh at it. You know, Atari 2600, "8-bit", "not violent enough". That's OK, it's a spoof, and the goal is to get people who would otherwise be turned off by politics (young people) to check it out, learn something, and then change their ways. I think too much violent video games is bad for the individuals playing them, and for society because those people could be productive and help society fix its problems instead of being cooped up indoors shooting things. President Obama brought up some big questions in his speech in Newtown CT, "Why are we here?" "What is our first task? and how do we know if we're succeeding?" (not exact quotes but you know what I mean). Those questions can lead to answers of sustainability and caring community. Lakoff said it well at HuffPost too:

Democracy, as the president has said, begins with the people taking care of one another responsibly, importantly through government as an instrument of freedom. That how we get our public schools, our roads, our sewers, our patent office, our scientific research, our energy, communication and transportation systems, our food safety, our protectors, and all the rest that we need to be free in our private lives. It is a truth: the private depends on the public. We, all together, constitute the public.

Lakoff finishes by saying, "The president set just the right tone. We're in this together." (I added the link, pretty sweet.) On another subject, an alpha female wolf was killed outside Yellowstone. Terrible. A good idea to avoid such future tragedies is for the Department of Interior to distribute tranquilizer guns to all the ranchers around Yellowstone for free with the phone number to call, and the DOI will come pick up the tranquilized wolves and take them back to the park. This is a better idea than my first reaction when I heard the news...

Exxon hates your children

Letter to President re: "Fiscal Cliff"

Dear Mr. President, Congratulations on your re-election. I truly hope you can prioritize the many issues that your supporters hope you will address including: climate change (my preferred policy choice is "Cap & Dividend"), immigration, equal rights, reproductive rights, and campaign finance reform (revoking "corporate personhood"). Of immediate interest is the "fiscal cliff." I urge you to read the blog posts of William K Black, who posts on Huffington Post. His description of the fiscal cliff and the terrible cost of austerity can help clarify what you need to do. The first step is to go over the "cliff," which is not really a cliff. Then, change economics advisors to reflect a less Wall Street-centric approach. Your supporters, the ones who re-elected you, are not the 1%, so please recalibrate your economic team to reflect the 99%. Finally, prioritize stimulus over austerity. The Federal Reserve's QE4 could be citizen's dividends. Just send checks to people. Also, please convene a monetary reform study group that could harness the power of money creation to achieve many of the goals you have while circumventing the false scarcity imposed by the current system. Thank you, and best wishes for a productive and "forward" moving 4 more years. Sincerely, Yours truly

So funny I forgot to laugh

This group ran a Romney vs. Sandy ad about Romney's climate joke at the RNC.

Send the bill for Hurricane Sandy to Exxon

Who is responsible for all those greenhouse gases that have caused sea level rise, increased extreme weather events, and culminated in Hurricane Sandy this past week? Yes, it's the fossil fuel industry, which drills, imports, and sells the stuff, and then purchases elected officials to not do anything about its side effects (such as climate change). Send the bill for damages to the fossil fuel industry, and then distribute the proceeds to the victims on a per capita basis (with some taken off the top for local government agencies etc).

What the Candidates Should Have Said

Here's a good article about what the Presidential candidates should have said about climate change. Instead, they said nothing, and now they look foolish because Hurricane Sandy is stepping in and saying something. Here are a few good quotes from the article: “Thank you, Jim/Candy/Bob, very much for asking about where we stand on the issue of climate change...Our lives and prosperity depend upon a stable climate...There are some who would like to see American’s dependence on fossil fuels continue, benefitting the few at the cost to many. They are pouring money into misinformation campaigns run by think tanks and front groups that are designed to distort media coverage, undermine education efforts and attack the credibility of those working on the issue...It’s time our oil and gas sector shifts into leadership mode, rather than trying to line the pockets of decision makers in Washington DC. Americans are tired of feeling guilty when they go to fill up their car because they know burning gas is part of the problem but they don’t know why they can’t have the solution of an electric car or a high-speed train ride to work...Climate disruption is a national security issue—an unstable climate will inevitably result in unstable political situations that can jeopardize our energy supply, cause mass migration of peoples, and brew increased conflict and terrorism...Climate disruption cannot be a partisan issue...That is why I pledge, if I am elected, to make addressing climate disruption my administration’s top priority."

Dear Federal Reserve: Buy only MBS's that have been refinanced or loan modified, and provide a Citizen's line of credit

A quote from William Greider on a modest example of what the Fed could do to help revive the housing sector.

[The Federal Reserve]could announce its intention to buy only new mortgage-backed securities that have been subjected to the process of refinancing and modification to establish positive equity and more realistic valuations. The mere announcement would cast a cloud over the existing stock of GSE mortgages and probably trigger a wave of market-driven mortgage adjustments. The Fed, in effect, would not only provide a model for debt write-downs generally but help create the market for them. The Fed’s presence would assure people the process does not threaten the banking system. For distressed homeowners, it would amount to redistribution of income and wealth—sharing the costs of the financial catastrophe among other players instead of dumping all the pain on borrowers. Unilateral action would send a cleansing shock wave through the political system.

Greider relates another interesting idea from Miles Kimball, an economics professor at the University of Michigan: A government created “federal credit card.”

..."send one to every adult in the nation, enabling each person to borrow $2,000 at a very low interest rate (my comment: why not zero interest?) and not pay back any of the money until after the economy has fully recovered (my comment: or ever?) . The provocative kicker in Kimball’s proposal is that the Federal Reserve would itself provide the financing, not Congress or the president through the federal budget. And he argues that the central bank can do this with its unique power to create money. A federal line of credit, Kimball suggests, could become a new, fast-acting channel for economic stimulus—more potent than the usual methods like tax rebates, and far less costly. That’s because consumers would not get any benefit from this government assistance unless they use the card—that is, borrow and spend—and do so before the government’s offer expires. After all, this is exactly what the economy needs. Why give the money in tax breaks for banks or businesses, which may not use it for the intended purpose? Why not deliver the aid to consumers, who will? Kimball argues that this novel approach could deliver a strong, quick jolt to the stagnant economy, $400 billion or more. Yet it would add very little to the federal budget deficit, because the Federal Reserve operates under its own, independent balance sheet. Further, it’s not free money but a temporary loan, like the trillions in short-term loans the Federal Reserve gave the banking system at the height of the crisis. The low-priced credit would immediately help pressed families scrambling to pay the rent, young people without jobs and especially the desperately poor, who are “unbanked” and victimized by predatory lenders charging usurious interest rates for “payday” loans. “A big advantage of national lines of credit,” Kimball explained, “is that, once triggered, the details of spending are worked out through the household decision-making process, which is relatively nimble compared to corporate and government decision-making processes.” The banking industry would go nuts, of course. Its lobbyists would rail against unfair competition (just as many citizens complained about the unfairness of the bank bailouts). But the homely truth about capitalism is that it cannot function without a constant cycle of new borrowing and debt. Despite popular moralistic aphorisms (“neither a borrower nor a lender be”), the capitalist process requires that someone is always lending and someone else is always borrowing. If risk-averse creditors refuse to lend and struggling consumers or businesses are prevented from borrowing, only the federal government has the power to intervene and get the money moving again. If the government does not step up, stagnation endures. A federal credit card sounds far too radical for the conservative central bank. But it actually offers a viable solution to the Fed’s stymied monetary policy. Professor Kimball has already introduced it to Federal Reserve governors themselves, at a private conference for “academic consultants” who advise the central bank. None of the governors commented one way or the other afterward, and it is highly unlikely Kimball’s idea will be tried. It would probably require Congressional blessing, and Congress is hobbled by do-nothing paralysis. Nevertheless, policy advocates and citizens should push Fed governors and politicians to explore the concept seriously. Kimball’s account of his proposal, “Getting the Biggest Bang for the Buck in Fiscal Policy,” can be found at his blog, supplysideliberal.com.

A People's Agenda from 1995

A People's Agenda by Hiralal Desarda, March 28, 1995: I. Disband World Bank, IMF and the Bretton Woods systems and stop so called structural adjustment programs forth with. II. Repudiate all debt; halt repatriation of profits, revoke all economic sanctions against all nations and end discrimination on the basis of Race, Religion, Gender and other inequalities. III. Suspend the hydrocarbon based energy model and invest in alternative bio-solar energy systems and renewable technologies which are environmentally sound, sustainable and socially just. IV. Prohibit MNC's from running businesses in countries other than their own and hand over their present assets to local agencies of the people. V. Promote alternative lifestyles of consumption, production and transport. This meat-eating, tobacco smoking, alcohol guzzling, private automobile addicted and energy intensive gadget dependant life pattern of the present day dominant industrial and urban society must be radically reduced in a very conscious and rapid manner for our planet and peoples to survive. VI. Work for values of family and sexual morality and restraint. VII. Respect for all life forms, unity of life and harmony with nature. In short, total nonviolence should be the basis of all human and social activity.

Weathergirl goes rogue

Part 1 Part 2

Steady State Economy graphic

New Location for Rumsfeld Invaders Game

Dear Rumsfeld Invaders players, Here is the new location of the Rumsfeld Invaders game: http://www.firebrandforges.com/rumsfeld/rumsfeldinvaders/rumsfeldinvaders.htm Update your bookmarks, and have fun! For those of you who hadn't heard, Rumsfeld Invaders is a fun video game based on the Atari 2600's famous Space Invaders. There are 2 versions of Rumsfeld Invaders at the link above: one in Flash (click "New Game" above middle) and one in Visual Basic (click the link above left to download or play the Updated Version). Kick Rumsfeld Butt! Background (for those of you who are new to the idea of a Rumsfeld video game): About Rumsfeld: Rumsfeld, the former US Secretary of Defense, waged war. He preferred bombs over diplomacy, and killing over humanitarian aid. He re-started the Cold War and revived Reagan's defunct "Star Wars" missile program. Rumsfeld pulled out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty with Russia (the basis for international disarmament). Military spending was at least $342 billion in 2002. Spending on renewable energy was only $377 million (1/1000th as much). Rumsfeld, and those like him, pose a clear and present danger to the United States, our national security, the survival of our species and a million others, and peace-loving people around the world. We must pre-empt Rumsfeld's type of mental illness before it destroys us. It is up to you to stop him.

The Stench and Gilligan 2012

What seems to be a semi-satire (weird, but maybe plausible) by Roger Simon on Politico posits new nicknames for Romney and Ryan: The Stench and Gilligan. Who is going to run with this and make a logo like the Romney campaigns and sell t-shirts and bumper stickers with "The Stench - Gilligan 2012"? Hilarious!

The quote I'd like to hear from Obama

At the RNC, Romney said: "Obama promised to slow sea level rise & heal the planet. I'm promising to help you & your family". At the DNC, I'd like to hear Obama say: "I will help you and your family by slowing sea level rise and healing the planet. Anything else will harm you and your family. And I plan to make this issue an important part of my campaign between now and November, and when elected, I will take immediate action to stop climate change domestically and internationally." He doesn't need to mention Cap & Dividend or Carbon Share or per capita equity explicitly (yet).

California GHG emitters map

A few weeks ago I posted the link to the US EPA's map of GHG emitters. Now the CalEPA (CARB) has posted their version that works off Google Maps. California GHG emitters map I heard the Google Earth version is even better.

Louis CK asks if Rumsfeld is a lizard

Louis CK interviews Donald Rumsfeld About half way in, he asks Rumsfeld if he is a lizard that eats human flesh. It's been awhile since this blog has featured something about Rumsfeld.

Paul Ryan Keywords

Here are some Paul Ryan Keywords, taken from a few rants online: Ayn Rand besotted policy wonk Driver of the Oscar Mayer wienermobile Would-be Dismantler of the last vestiges of the New Deal and Great Society on behalf of obscenely rich malefactors (i.e. Romney and the 1%) Spokesperson for raw ruthlessness and egoistic wealth "Free market" theologist Opportunistic panderer (in the context of the paradox of being a Catholic objectivist, and embracing any excuse for right wing social engineering)

Tea Partiers Need to Listen to Actual Facts and Issues

Back in the Dubya/Rumsfeld years, I always thought that invading Iraq was their pre-determined outcome, and that they justified it with whatever convenient excuse they could find. The strategy for the Decider was decide first, then backfill with facts that fit. Facts that don't fit the strategy have to be attacked and discredited, so that's the Valerie Plame Wilson story, and when that doesn't work, say there are actually no weapons of mass destruction, then you immediately change the message of the right wing echo chamber and pretend you never said there were WMDs and that you don't know what that person is talking about. Now its the Obama years, and health care is this strange obssession for the Tea Party. Most of whom don't understand what the health care debate is about, and they say things like socialist guvmint is taking away my medicare, but they don't realize that medicare is a government program to begin with. They also mainly think that Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya, which is false. Are the Tea Partiers just manipulated masses like in Dostoyevsky's book "The Possessed" aka "Demons"? Have they been manipulated by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh to repeat what they hear mindlessly? We as educated liberals can't stop watching, like a car crash, like Sarah Palin, like WWE wrestling, like a horrible Kardashian show (oh, Bristol Palin has a show now, that is a combination of several car crashes, yikes). My take is that they have built up ideological frameworks over a certain amount of time. And what they hear, they try to fit into what they already know. When Obama was elected in 2008, they projected him onto the entire Federal Government, and so when they hear health care, they think Muslim from Kenya, and that's bad for America. So repeal Muslim from Kenya. Not that they've ever met any actual Muslims from Kenya, or even know where Kenya is on a map. It's just a racist image they have and it has nothing to do with the actual health care or insurance issue. Anything that Obama says or supports is seen the same way by these people. And Muslim Kenyans are probably very nice people, and diverse too, sort of like Christian Canadians, or any other religious and national groupings. Tea Partiers need to stop being racist and scared of diversity, and worried that their little fragile world view is going tocome crashing down when a small bit of reality intrudes. Calm down, it's OK. My message to them is, "Turn off the talk radio, listen to facts and issues, and stop thinking of the whole government as a Muslim Kenyan."

Wake Up Freak Out

I thought this was a pretty good animation, especially regarding tipping points and the type of social change we need (not just lightbulbs).

Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.

Maybe these guys will make a sequel that discusses Cap & Share.

Panetta shows he's no Rumsfeld

Here's a link to a speech from Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, given in Washington D.C., Wednesday, May 02, 2012. Excerpts below: "As someone who grew up in Monterey, California, which as many of you know is world famous for its beautiful coastline and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, I’ve had a life-long interest in protecting our nation’s precious resources... ...the area of climate change has a dramatic impact on national security: rising sea levels, to severe droughts, to the melting of the polar caps, to more frequent and devastating natural disasters all raise demand for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. ... a better, cleaner, and safer world for the future, in order to ensure that our children have that better life." I like to hear stuff like that, especially from the Secretary of Defense, someone who actually has billions of dollars at his disposal.

Elegy for Kucinich and His Next Step: Promoting Dividends?

Kucinich is ahead of the curve. He was redistricted out of his Congressional seat, so he'll be looking for a new job or hobby. The conspiracy theorists might point out that Kucinich had just started tackling the Federal Reserve with his National Employment Emergency Defense Act, HR 2990 , aka the NEED Act.

What I liked about the NEED Act (no, its not the melodramatic name or cheesy acronym) is the Universal Citizens Dividends:

“. . . the Secretary [of the Treasury], in cooperation with the Monetary Authority, shall make recommendations to the Congress for payment of a Citizens Dividend as a tax-free grant to all United States citizens residing in the United States"

I'd like to see climate dividends help us solve the problem of climate change, but any sort of Commons Dividend works for me.

Whitney rewind

And now, a brief break from politics and climate change for some 80's pop music nostalgia. I'm known in certain circles for having destroyed Whitney's "I will always love you" in a karoke sound booth at Great America amusement park in 1993, but you know, these songs, well, let's just have fun reminiscing for a few minutes...


"I wanna dance with somebody"
So much pastel, the 80's, such a happy time...


"So emotional"
Totally visualizing 80's dances and aerobics workouts.


"Greatest Love of All"
Also brutalized by decades of bad karaoke, and so easy to lampoon.
"I believe the children are our future..."
But the naivete is sort of precious.
And bad karaoke is so good sometimes.
Makes me want to go karaoke it up somewhere.
Peace. And don't do drugs kids.

Search GHG emitters

Here's a link to the EPA's new searchable database of GHG emitters.

Nerd out!