Nathan_T's Blog

Sure enough, right after Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work raising awareness of global warming and enviromental pollution people started coming out and saying what a mockery it made of the prize. Seriously? Is caring about future generations really a left or right issue?

I fear that while the rest of the industrialized world work at making air cleaner, water safer and try to lessen the impact that global warming could have we here in America are going to continue arguing about whether it's even happening and question why we should be the leaders in reducing the causes, even though we were the ones who have contributed more to world pollution than any other country.

It's not even only about warming, it's about safe living. We breathe far worse substances than our ancestors did 25 years ago, within a few decades most fish will be unsafe to eat due to mercury contamination. That is if we don't over-harvest the ocean to the brink of collapse as we're doing now.

 Perhaps the worst thing that could come from a warming world would be famine, disease, lack of water and the wars that will follow suit. We fight now for safety from other humans. Soon enough we might be fighting our neighbors for a drink of water.
 

President Bush is sharpening his Veto Quill yet again. This time he wants the "Protect America Act" to give retroactive immunity to telecoms that have helped the intelligence community to spy on it's own people. The bill in the House leaves that portion out. I think the only thing his version of the bill protects is his hide and the megacorps who funded his campaigns.

Look, this bill fundamentally gives the government the green light to spy on anyone of us. "Sure," you say,"but I have nothing to hide!" It's not that they want to spy on you, but get you used to the fact that you may be monitored at any time. A frog put in a pan of water will not notice the heat until he is dead as it's too gradual to be apparent.

One of our founding fathers knew what would happen in this country in time, Thomas Jefferson:

"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual. "

"Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny."

"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."

Looks like Texas had $1.5 billion left over from last year. So their giving businesses tax credits this year. I'm all for that if it helps the mom and pops but somehow I doubt they fit into that scheme.

 
I guess our state must have crime way down, splendid education, clean air and water... and the roads? Best in the world!

I have absolutely no problem with TxDOT doing a survey of drivers to find out information they may need to help traffic problems but I think they crossed the line. They hired a company who hid cameras in orange traffic barrels that discreetly took random pictures of people's license plates. These were then used to send a survey to the driver to ask things like where were they going, how many people lived with them... I'm not one to get paranoid but how far are we going to take this surveillance society? I'm still annoyed that my picture gets taken at every toll plaza even though my TxTag has enough money in it. Why do they need that?

 At least it looks like most of the drivers didn't find it amusing. only a handful of 150,000 surveys were returned.
 

I know much has been written, recorded, debated and discussed about global warming. I can't say exactly what's behind it, but as a gardener I have noticed a substantial shift in the climate as it affects plant life. I read an article that the powers that be recently shifted the USDA plant zones a little farther northward. Down here in south Austin we used to be on the warmer side of the line between zones 8a and 8b. Now we're on the edge of zone 9. I now grow plants in my backyard that I never would have thought would make it here. I have bananas, citrus, guava and hibiscus thriving in my yard while my peaches, figs and oaks look less healthy every day.

 Are there any other gardeners out there noticing this shift? And what should we do in order to keep Austin green if the plants can't handle the changes?
 

In the infinite wisdom of our DOJ, they have decided for us that the FCC does not need to regulate the internet in order stop ISP's(ATT, Verizon, Comcast, et al) from charging customers more to allow them faster access to certain sites or access at all. After all nothing says Justice like having to pay more to Google a word instead of Ask it. Tpo quote a filing from the DOJ, the net neutrality laws would "prevent, rather than promote, optimal investment and innovation in the Internet, with significant negative effects for the economy and consumers." They should have just left off the word "consumer" since that's what they were really going for.

Reminds me of my brief stint as a Home Depot employee(my old company got bought out by them). One thing that was written on every piece of  official paper was "To increase shareholder value." I should point out it didn't also say "To increase employee living standards."

Can you imagine a world where that becomes the standard? You wouldn't be able to buy your brand of beer at various events, your favorite soda at a restaurant, your... oh wait a minute....lost there I guess.

Screw it, let's get it over with since everyone will make a stink about it but still pay the extra $10 a month to get faster access to YouTube. After all, people didn't have any problems forking out $600 for their Iphone which iss about 3 steps down on the technology scale from the PDA phone I've had for 6 months.