Kheris' Living Room

kheris @ 8:51pm: test
test

motherskadi @ 6:18am: Of Monks and Gitmo
An article by Sister Joan, reminding us of our responsibility to each other. And I had no clue that there was teensy little island off Ireland that was a monastery in the 9th century. Amazing!

motherskadi @ 9:15pm: Much Ado About
What? What?!

David Hicks, the alleged Australian al-Qaida terrorist, will finally go home and serve 9 months of a 7 year sentence. We held on to this guy for 5 years, and claimed he was a threat to us and to the world, and this is what we wind up with after a military tribunal?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Let me be clear, I think it's long past time to close Gitmo and shut down that entire operation. It flies in the face of the notions of justice that Americans have long cherished. It exists as a legal fig leaf for an Administration that could best be described as The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, or would The Keystone Kops fit better?

Of course he gives up all rights to claiming he was badly treated:

The plea agreement for Hicks, a 31-year-old Muslim convert, faces requires that he drop any claims of mistreatment by the U.S. government since he was captured in Afghanistan and taken to Guantanamo Bay five years ago, said the judge, Marine Corps Col. Ralph Kohlmann. {emphasis mine}

And just so you know how dangerous he is:

Appearing at the U.S. military's war crimes tribunal court at Guantanamo on Friday, Hicks acknowledged that he trained with al-Qaida in Afghanistan and fought with its forces against U.S. allies in Afghanistan in late 2001 for two hours and then sold his gun to raise cab fare and tried to flee to Pakistan.

Boy, some world class terrorist he turns out to be. Two hours of fighting and you get 5 years in a foreign slammer with no family contact. Sounds ever so Third Worldish to me. But this is America and we hardly ever make mistakes that we'll own up to. Let that be a lesson to all those terrorist wannabes. WE are America and no one messes with us!

19 months of Bushie lunacy to go. I hope I can hold out that long.

motherskadi @ 5:16pm: Multiculturalism? Or Political Correctness Gone Wild?
I came across this article in Der Spiegel courtesy of Rogers Park Bench, a fellow blogger in my community. He is disturbed by what he sees as multiculturalism run amok in Germany. Having read the article in full, I am equally disturbed by the judge's actions and wonder why the plaintiff's attorney had to go public in order to get any action.

Europe is the heart of Western Civilization and has been hard at work trying to balance its core values with those of newcomers who are largely Muslim. Sharia Law is an Islamic creation that is rooted in the Koran. Secular law is focused on values that transcend religious text, usually. In this case the judge applied the Koran to the case. Was that appropriate? It no longer happens here with the Bible, despite much moaning about the secularization of society. I think this particular judge, I hope not the entire German judiciary, needs to get her legal reasoning in order before she's allowed to hear any more cases.

motherskadi @ 6:25am: Truth and Consequences
I came across a Washington Post article (free subscription) about Jim Zumbo, former hunting editor for Outdoor Life. Mr. Zumbo was coyote hunting and posted a blog entry about assault rifles that stated the following:

"Excuse me, maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity," Zumbo wrote in his blog on the Outdoor Life Web site. The Feb. 16 posting has since been taken down. "As hunters, we don't need to be lumped into the group of people who terrorize the world with them. . . . I'll go so far as to call them 'terrorist' rifles."

Needless to say, Mr. Zumbo is now out of a job, no longer a spokesman for Remington, and basically crushed by the knee jerk reaction of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its membership. The NRA says its members aren't terrorists and don't like being called terrorists. I'll buy that. But Mr. Zumbo didn't call them terrorists, he labeled the weapon a terrorist weapon and questioned why any hunter would use one to go hunting.

The NRA leadership has never impressed me as being more than a bunch of loudmouth gun owners who don't understand the difference between legitimate gun ownership and use, and illegitimate. Assault weapons are not made for hunting anything other than people. Like it or not, that is a fact. Why any legitimate hunter would want to use one in the field is beyond me. It is a damn shame that Mr. Zumbo has been, in effect, crucified for telling the truth.

It also speaks ill of the NRA members who squawked about this. Squawk away folks, but all that tells me is that you prefer that emotional charge you get from having a big, bad, rifle in your hands. Enjoy yourselves and stay away from me.

motherskadi @ 3:28pm: How About
One of these instead?!

Buddy can you spare a dime? I need to save up my pennies!!!

motherskadi @ 11:29am: Fly the Road
I want one of these! I promise to be good!!! Really!!!

motherskadi @ 7:30pm: Letter to the Congresswoman
I received a mailing from my Congresswoman, proposing that we achieve Energy Independence via the usual suspects. I wasn't having any of it. Here is my response;

Dear Congresswoman

I am in receipt of your January mailing, which covered many issues, and was truly disappointed by the apparent lack of knowledge displayed by you regarding the topic of Energy Independence. Had you bothered, or rather had your staff bothered, to check the facts, you would have known that energy independence is a myth. The US Senate's Energy and Natural Resources committee received that very message on 1/11/07 at a 2 hour hearing featuring expert witnesses from DOE's Energy Information Administration and the International Energy Agency.

In addition, had anyone bothered to do the math regarding the viability of biofuels as a fossil fuel alternative, s/he would have known the following:

"The entire 2004 U.S. corn and soybean crop, converted to biomass fuels, could replace about 10.41 billion gallons of petroleum (7.6 billion as ethanol and 2.81 billion as biodiesel). Petroleum is measured in 42-gallon barrels; the 10.41 billion gallon biofuel total would be equivalent to 248 million barrels of petroleum. The U.S. consumed about 7.49 billion barrels of petroleum in 2004, or about 20.5 million barrels a day. This means that the total biofuel potential of the record 2004 U.S. corn and soybean harvests would offset about 12 days of U.S. petroleum consumption, or about 3.3% of our total yearly petroleum consumption. Given that most of the U.S. corn and soybean crop is already committed to other uses, this analysis indicates that biomass-based fuels will have a negligible role in reducing U.S. petroleum consumption, which in turn underscores that replacing petroleum in the U.S. economy will be a monumental challenge."

Foregoing from The Energy Bulletin. US consumption continues to grow.

Oil is a finite resource and is rapidly depleting as we become more efficient in retrieving what is in the ground. Dr. Robert Hirsch has written, at the request of DOE, a report on the risks and mitigation of Peak Oil, which was published in Feb. 2005. The challenge is serious, and the time left to act is slipping away. At the Senate hearing, it was noted that crude oil would peak in about 10 years. The US economy utilizes 77% of the oil we consume as liquid transportation fuels, so the impact of a permanently declining supply of oil is nothing to sneeze at and requires thoughtful alternatives, as Dr. Hirsch points out in his report.

I would suggest you avail yourself of the expertise of Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md), as he is the leader of the Peak Oil Caucus and is familiar with Dr. Hirsch's work . So far as I know, he is the only Congressman who has taken up the mantle of leadership on this issue. I urge you to join with him in finding real solutions, however painful they may be, rather than propagating mythology over facts, and proposing feel-good options targeted to maximizing votes rather than maximizing the welfare of your constituents. We deserve better from you.

Sincerely

I feel so much better now!

motherskadi @ 1:11pm: Wanna Scare Yourself?
Read this.

The Europeans have figured out that Russia is not necessarily a reliable partner in terms of energy supplies, and America is about to get its head handed to it when Mexico's Cantarell field crashes and burns this year (already forecast by the Mexicans themselves). For those who don't know, America's chief oil suppliers are Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, in that order! For a brief moment the Europeans got a reminder that oil is not guaranteed, and the Americans will be reminded very soon that cheap oil is not a constitutional right.

The above article, if you can wade through the charts and graphs, provides the documentary evidence for the claims in the comments following as to why Peak Oil is nearly upon us. Right now, the forecast is that oil production will Peak, at its highest level, sometime in 2009. Are they right? Time will tell. However it is important to note that after Peak occurs the remaining oil will continue to be pumped, it just won't come out in the vast quantities we are accustomed to, nor will it be as cheap as it has been. The ongoing increase in world population, coupled with the rising demand in India and China, is going to strain the ability of all countries to get the oil they need. Those countries that haven't moved to other sources, whether renewable or nuclear, are going to be in a world of hurt. America among them. I said some time ago we were doomed. I still feel that way.

motherskadi @ 1:55pm: Chest Thumping?
Cross your fingers and light a candle in hopes that this report merely reflects chest thumping on the part of the Israelis.

motherskadi @ 12:18pm: A UK Voice
From The Independent, a commentary on peak oil that reinforces the points that new finds will only delay the inevitable, a crash mitigation program may be necessary, and credits Dick Cheney with recognizing an oncoming peak as long as 7 years ago. One wonders however, given the temporizing about our "addiction to oil", whether our government intends to operate in Heinberg's Last Man Standing mode. I have seen nothing so far from the Federal government, let alone local, that indicates any energy being focused on changing our economic paradigm.

kheris @ 7:47pm: What About the Poor?
Back from the holidays and of course I come up with a link to a commentary about the impact on the poor if higher taxes and fees are imposed on gasoline, automobiles, etc.

Warren Brown's most relevant comment to consider:

Yes, higher gasoline and related taxes will hurt them, certainly in the short term, and most definitely if Congress does nothing to increase the minimum wage.

But if there is no interventionist policy to weaken our overdependence on oil and if there are fuel shortages as a result, what do you think will happen to the poor then?

It's a "pay me now or pay me later" scenario that he proposes, which is likely to be the reality. What then do we do? Simply spouting about a preferential option for the poor is not going to cut it. Especially if we wind up in Heinberg's Last Man Standing scenario from PowerDown. I fear that much of America, despite our general willingness to help in a crisis, will be too overwhelmed to deal with fuel shortages. Are we willing to change our own lives and hold our leaders accountable for leading us forward rather than pandering to our baser instincts for votes? Do you really believe that the current Congress is serious about change, or simply "same game - different players"?

Stay tuned for 2008.

kheris @ 7:37pm: Playing Around
Busy playing with the community site and making some minor tweaks.

motherskadi @ 9:58am: Don't Trust DOE/EIA
Regarding oil predictions. This article from Energy Bulletin reviews 2001 predictions for the future from the Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA). The government's predictions are so much happy talk, and nothing else. The reality has proven to be much less cheerful. Another reason to ponder just how close peak may really be.

motherskadi @ 5:14am: The Hirsch Report
This link takes you to The Hirsch Report (Adobe Reader required) written by Robert Hirsch of SAIC. It is a well researched, and very sobering, analysis of peak oil and three possible scenarios of the impact if mitigation is not in place. The report was written for the Department of Energy.

In essence, the report styles itself as an analysis of the risks and the mitigations that can be taken. Although the body of the report sidesteps the question of 'when', the Appendix does include a statement that 2016 is a likely date based on avaible data. It recognizes that the data may be faulty, given the political realities underlying some the reporting done by oil producing countries.

For those of you without Adobe, an HTML version.

motherskadi @ 8:05pm: Where Did That Organ Come From?
The Falun Gong protest every so often at Federal Plaza. Today they were handing out mini-pamphlets regarding the use of Falun Gong prisoners for organ transplants. They don't survive these operations as usually all of the transplantable organs are targets for harvesting. This is a serious matter and the subject of an investigation that may, or may not, accomplish anything.

I had heard that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia trafficked in organs, although it occurred very much under the table and immigrants were often targeted by well off Saudis. This news from China is very sad if true. The pamphlet alleges that China is home to "organ tourists", which raises the expected issues about the ethics of the Chinese leadership. According to the pamphlet, the National Kidney Foundation and the British Transplantation Society, along with Congressman Dana Rohrbacher and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, have spoken against the practice.

If you know anything about this, do speak up.

motherskadi @ 7:12pm: To Peak or Not To Peak
The Energy Bulletin has a story regarding today's announcement by the Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) regarding what they see as the "peak oil myth." Worth reading, especially if you follow some of the links. The responses by Congressman Udall (D) and Bartlett (R) are encouraging.

motherskadi @ 7:09pm: President Stands His Ground
Here's all 42 minutes of the President's news conference. Among other things he announces the resignation of Rumsfeld, and he knew over the weekend what he was going to do but wouldn't say anything because it could influence the campaign. Good reason. He thought the Republicans were going to do fine in the election, but the decision on Rumsfeld was a done deal. He also acknowledges that he has to work with the Democrats. And he clearly sees the war on terror going on long after he is gone. He uses the Cold War as the analogy.

motherskadi @ 6:50pm: A perspective on torture
By William Schulz, formerly of Amnesty International, and a Unitarian minister. Not what you'd expect and a challenge to us all.

motherskadi @ 5:53pm: Chickens do come home to roost
Well folks, it looks like the dollar is in trouble and this may, or may not, be the start of something VERY VERY BAD for us. We'll see if the doom and gloom pans out, but it is worth considering if we can get past the conspiracy theory aspects of the article.

motherskadi @ 2:03pm: A Sign of the Times?
Widespread blackouts in Europe due to heavy demand for electricity. Yesterday. Peak oil may not be here yet, but blackouts may become more numerous when peak oil passes. Here's one opportunity to do something on a personal or community basis. It may be symbolic for now, but it can become more than that if we all work at getting folks engaged.

motherskadi @ 1:35pm: It's not just Peak Oil
that's a problem. I was reading posts elsewhere by individuals who seem to think that so long as mankind can build it or do it, we should. Global warming is an environmentalist hoax and we should just take advantage of the opportunities it may present. Perhaps we should, or perhaps we need to think first and act second. Too often it's the other way around, think of Love Canal and other toxic sites.

motherskadi @ 7:37pm: We Are Doomed
And that's the truth folks. Our gas guzzling world economy is going to grind to a halt in our lifetime if our fearless leaders don't get a grip on reality, as opposed to our wallets.

Peak oil is apparently just around the corner, and it's impact will be global. To read more about it go to The Oil Drum and read their articles and the many blogs. These aren't crackpots. LJ users may want to sign up for peak_oil and follow that community.

Depending on who you listen to global oil production may have peaked already, and has entered the downside of the bubble, or we'll have oil for the foreseeable future. The thing is, there are too many oil-savvy people who are predicting problems, and soon. Matt Simmons is one of the leading experts on peak oil, and held in sufficient esteem to be invited to a DoD confab on energy conservation (Adobe Reader required). He's thinking the peak is here, or nearly here. Best information is that 2014 may be the moment it occurs.

I have done some serious reading over the past few days on this issue, and it is a sobering thought to realize that the last car I may ever own was my Saturn SC. Buying another car is not a sensible idea. Running off to live with the Amish, who don't use electricity or cars, might be a better idea. Even more sobering are the implications for the world as the citizens of developed countries realize their lifestyle will grind to a halt. I wonder how many of the iPod generation will know how to cook a dinner using something other than a microwave? How many more will send their children to war for 'black gold'?

One piece of humor, black humor actually, is that Larouche has been predicting imminent global financial and economic collapse. He may be proved right, but for all of the wrong reasons because he isn't even on this train. Peak oil will generate the collapse, not some cabal of global financiers controlled by the Queen of England.

motherskadi @ 10:39pm: Carl Osgood has responded. I have countered via email and a comment on the specific post, although I don't expect it to be published.

( If you have read this far, perhaps you are willing to read a little farther )

motherskadi @ 12:44pm: Facing The Facts
I am sure there are some readers who have at least a passing familiarity with perennial Presidential candidate Lyndon Larouche. He is currently 80+ years old (I have read 84) and continues to lead a group that can best be described as a cult. They have an outpost here in Chicago, although Leesburg, Va. is the HQ. Larouche is a self styled economist, but Greenspan he isn't. He also claims to be a Democrat, although the party has worked hard to distance itself from him. At least the mainstream anyway.

I had forgotten all about Larouche until he surfaced as the political mentor of Robert Beltran, a former Star Trek: Voyager, which I am a big fan of. Beltran has declared himself a supporter of Larouche and has been investing his time with the organization since 2001. Consequently, at motherskadi I have been indulging in the snark & wank often associated with fandom (and politics for that matter). One wag at Factnet has suggested Beltran is the new Dick Gregory for Larouche, although DG bailed out on the organization fairly quickly. So why all this exposition here?

( ETA 5:07 PM because I got an answer from the party I reference in the post, and I just plain wanted to save space on the front. So click on this for the full story )