Header image alt text

SOLARFLAREBLOG

The Path to a More Sustainable Life

Aug 10

2

YADA YADA YADA

Posted by Mac on August 2, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Huh, I didn't know rain forests were the problem, did you?

One of my colleagues from the UO Sustainability Leadership Program, John Vareldzis, had some rather pointed dialogue on his FaceBook page recently that I’d like to share with readers.  This is John’s response to some commentary by an uneducated “global warming and climate change is all crap” guy with a head full of Rush Limbaugh sound bites.  In his rambling and rather psychotic rant against symbols and people he hates such as Al Gore, stupid lefties, yada-yada-yada … he even attacked rain forests because “if you really want to stop 96% of all greenhouse gases cut down the rain forest which is the biggest contributor in water vapor.”  Rather entertaining in a weird way, kinda like watching a dog fight, but also scary in that these people are living in the same place we all are. 

I appreciated John’s response and thought it deserved a reprint which he agreed to allow on solarflareblog.com.  Thanks, John V, for not letting this BS go unchallenged.

Here is the text:

“Thanks Woody, I think I understood what you were saying. I am not interested in Al Gore, he is who he is. I do, however, want to promote better stewardship of the earth’s resources. When I get the funds, I will sell my gas car and buy an all-electric vehicle and I will promote the transformation of our energy generation from Carbon based fuels to renewables.

It will not happen all at once but it will happen eventually, I believe there is still innovation and continuous improvement left in enough people to make it happen.

Yes I do live in a large house and do have impact to the earth. The important thing is we need to practice (as a global community) consumption that is non-polluting and that is 100% recyclable at a rate that the earth’s systems can keep up with. Carbon based fuels are not renewable and do have an effect. Chopping down trees because they cause water vapor is stupid and you know it. Water vapor is part of the natural cycle of nature and if you are saying that there are more clouds now than before, that fact is an indicator that there is temperature change occurring.

I congratulate you if you have created a recyclable house and you have older cars … good for you. By the way, there are (in round numbers) 800 million cars on the planet right now and that does not include trucks, trains, boats and planes as well as coal fire power plants and you sit there and tell me that the emissions from all those sources does not affect the environment in some fashion? You have your head in the sand my friend. Try running the engine of your most efficient vehicle (with you or your family sitting in it and the windows open) in a closed garage for a couple of hours and tell me how you all feel … if you survive. I do not mean to be callous, but our current way of producing and using energy is NOT sustainable to any form of life. Look at just the methods we employ to get our energy today: coal mines that pose great danger to life and limb and drilling of oil that not only can cause fatal harm but also massive environmental damage to boot.

Frankly, I would rather be a tree hugging liberal (if that is what you want to call me) and be wrong about the environment than someone like you who does nothing to innovate and improve how we live and be wrong … which do you think has a higher risk for the next generation??  Answer that out loud with your kids sitting right next to you.”

Apr 10

2

What gift can we give on Earth Day?

Posted by Mac on April 2, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Rants, Raves & Musings • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Mother Earth - What gift do we give the old gal on Earth Day?

I remember the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.  That date is important because it marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement.  On that first day approximately 20 million Americans participated and I recall watching the event unfold on television.  I remember my parents saying the Earth Day sponsors and all the event attendees were nothing but a bunch of commies, hippies, and environmentalists.   That comment bothered me because I was thinking ‘what’s wrong with wanting a more livable planet?’  I wondered why these people were considered losers in the eyes of my parents and the established media?

Conservatives of that time were all about anti-communism.  The Cold War had them all riled up and they saw communists literally everywhere.  Since April 22, 1970 was the 100th birthday of Russia’s Vladimir Lenin, the FBI and others suspected the chosen date was not a coincidence, but a communist trick of some sort.  Back in the day an environmentalist was in the same class as a communist, or a subversive element, who were enemies of the state.  Weird huh?!   Wikipedia has a quote from a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (you know, a real American ;-) about the Earth Day event, saying “subversive elements plan to make American children live in an environment that is good for them.”   

Well, thank god for that!  I’m glad someone was looking out for our children while these real Americans went about their daily lives on a binge of excessive consumerism and neglect. 

Earth Day in the US was NOT conceived by radicals, hippies, or communists, it was actually conceived by Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin) after a trip he took to Santa Barbara to look at the oil spill in 1969.  Our family lived in Ventura (30 miles south of Santa Barbara) at the time and we were all horrified by this environmental catastrophe.  Senator Nelson, a leading environmentalist of his day, was also horrified so he proposed a national “teach-in” on the environment to be observed by every university campus in the United States.  Millions answered the call and this became known as Earth Day.   

Man, we’ve come a long way since.  Earth Day has gone Global and it is now reportedly celebrated by 500 million people in 175 countries.  And it has become corporate too.  No communists involved I assure you.  I recently received two separate invitations to participate in the upcoming Earth Day celebration sponsored by – and for – the 1500 employees of Wells Fargo Bank here in the Portland metro area.  This Wells Fargo Earth Day event is scheduled at their Beaverton Processing Center and it runs from 10am – 2pm.  I’ll be joining Markus Stoffel, Solar Oregon Exec Director, along with hundreds of other concerned and enlightened citizens and I’ll be representing Solar Oregon and the Solarize SW Portland. 

Later in the evening, at Jackson Middle School in Southwest Portland, I’ll be conducting my first ever Solar Workshop for the Solarize SW Portland program.  I hope everyone reading my blog who lives in the area will stop by and hear what is going on with solar energy.  This will be my very first time to present at a solar workshop (the beginning of many I hope), so please be gentle.

I’m so happy to be doing these things on Earth Day!   So, this is my gift for the planet, what’s yours?

Mar 10

17

Facing His Demons

Posted by Mac on March 17, 2010
Posted in Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , | 6 Comments

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I’d like to dedicate this blog to my only son, Dylan Charles McDowell.  Thought I’d mix it up and post something Dylan wrote for his PCC English class.  He has Celtic blood running through his veins, so it seems rather appropriate on this day.

His assignment was to write a short essay on the subject “I used to Wear” … that’s all the students had to go by.  You can imagine how many papers started, “I used to like Abercrombie & Fitch and now I wear Sean John Jeans.”   Dylan said when he read his essay out loud, there was a hush over the room, and no one wanted to follow after him.  Like his namesake, poet Dylan Thomas, my son is a tormented soul and a very good writer.  He is having a difficult time right now and I want to share his struggle with others so they can see a bit of what I see in the lad.  

 Intro to Expository Writing – Winter Term

By Dylan McDowell

1/06/2010

 I Used to Wear

Corduroys, khaki shorts and small wrinkled tees plagued my past.  I wore only what my mother bought and draped around my body, probably through an age beyond necessity.  In those days I cared not what my peers thought of my clothes, but more so how they perceived my personality.  Therefore, I used to wear masks.  Masks that were certain to shade my persons.  Facades to falsely define myself as confident, cocky and even arrogant.  These became my demons.   I’ve sheltered my true self with these demons for so long, I now have trouble distinguishing the man from the mask.

The mask I used most frequently during childhood is one I like to call the pity poor me victims mask.  I was never to blame for my own faults.  I became a natural at minimizing my actions as well as rationalizing them in my head.  Excuses were endless, explanations thoroughly drawn out covering every angle, hindering the human nature of accepting responsibility for my own actions.  At the end of the day, I’m left only with my true self along with the consequences.  I placed blame on the world for my own personal shortcomings or troubles. 

Today is the day I choose to retire this mask!

I acquired a tough guy mask along the way as well.  I like to think of it as my battle helmet.  Who was I at war with?  I couldn’t tell you, but a safe guess would be those whom are closest to me.  The irony is that I’m not tough at all.  Inside I’m as gentle as can be, a cream puff if you will.  In all actuality, the only person who should be afraid is me, because the one I hurt the hardest and most often is myself.  Do I have to pretend to be someone I’m not?   The time has come to put this front to rest. 

I used to wear a clown’s mask.

Ahhh … the infamous clown mask. Did I absolutely have to be the funny guy in order for my young peers to like me?  For them to enjoy my company … did I have to be the class clown?  Don’t get me wrong, humor is essential in life.  The problem lies where I use it to bury my feelings.  Putting myself or others down just to get a laugh doesn’t seem useful to anyone when I look back.  It’s just another defect in character.  Perhaps you’re beginning to tell I have some flaws that I struggle with on a daily basis. 

I used to wear ridiculous ideas. 

I used to wear undeveloped theories as if they were factual.  Maybe today I will be happy being my own, goofy self, instead of trying so hard to be the alpha funny guy of my generation.  I no longer will hide behind this particular mask either.

I used to wear my emotions on my sleeve.  In fact, I continue to do so.  Perhaps the time has come to let go of this, my false pride.

It seems that I’m finally outgrowing my old clothes.  A new wardrobe is in order, one in which my face is the center of attention, not the mask.   Or perhaps I should go back to having my mom dress me in the mornings because I used to wear just clothes and no fronts.  Becoming aware of the many personalities I’ve displayed over the years is a definite step in the right direction. 

I used to wear confusion and chaos, but now I dress like a man!!!

Dylan McDowell - circa 2005

Mar 10

10

A (waste) stream runs through it

Posted by Mac on March 10, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

 

Sociologists, marketing pros, police detectives, and identity thieves will all tell you that if you want to know something about someone – simply look into their trash can.  It can reveal a multitude of things about the inhabitants.  Indeed, our trash tells everything about us.

Many years ago I wrote a screenplay called “Mercy Street” where the antagonist(s) were street people who were not actually humans.  They were beings from another planet, roaming freely in our cities disguised as vagrants, while they processed our waste in order to study our civilization.  Humans don’t much care what happens to something once we “use” it, especially true here in America.  Our over-consuming ways have been well documented and we’ve rightly earned the “ throw-away society” label that has been pinned on us.  Done with something … throw it away.  What’s the problem? 

Today I think we know the answer to that question and the impacts are just now being realized.

We didn’t call them landfills in my youth, they were called trash dumps, or just The Dump, but to me and my siblings they were wondrous places of opportunity.  We grew up in a poor Irish-American family and we didn’t have much to speak of so any opportunity to get some stuff was a good one.  This may sound crazy but back then going to the dump was a real treat for us kids.  I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage “one person’s trash is another’s treasure” well that was certainly true in our case.

We didn’t have pick up trash service, so one Saturday afternoon a month Dad would fill his truck with our crap, drive it to the nearest dump and make our contribution to the trash heap.  His truck would be loaded beyond anything allowed on the streets today and I remember pitching in to help him load because I wanted to earn the right to go along.  Dad’s truck had a single bench seat so only two others could accompany him to the dump.  The competition was fierce.  Those left behind complained loudly that they weren’t chosen, and those of us lucky enough to tag along felt like royalty.

After we added our load to the pile, Dad would give us a few minutes to run through the rubble and pick out whatever we wanted to bring home.   He vetoed some things naturally, but I recall finding some cool stuff like: GI Joe doll parts, a Red Flyer wagon (missing wheels), balls, comic books, a pogo stick, and all sorts of broken toys that I thought I could fix.  (I never could fix anything so I’m sure this crap ended up right back at the dump.)  When we returned home after our junket, we’d proudly and tauntingly display our souvenirs to those who were left behind.  Ah, those were the days.

The dump smelled bad, but it didn’t seem to bother us none.  While I can’t describe it in words other than – a rotting stench – I can still recall that peculiar smell whenever I reflect back.  Of course, we didn’t think about toxic poisoning, or any other related health hazards, but I’m not sure why our parents weren’t concerned?  Ignorance, I suppose.  They did make us wash our hands after every visit however. 

The reason I’m telling you this is because our landfills have become the scene of the crime if you want to investigate what we humans have been doing to our planet.  Technology and eWaste has made it only that much worse than the days we used it as our playground.  Today we know landfills are barometers of our stewardship … and let’s just say  evidence shows we haven’t been doing a very good job.  I mean this in a global sense as things are worse in China, India, and places in the third world, but right here in our own backyard we got a big problem.  It’s a problem we all shared in making and the solution(s) will require a shared responsibility as well.

In the context of this subject, I have a dilemma.  We’ve been doing some remodeling and we need to dispose of some old dry wall, insulation, ceiling tiles, and the junk that nobody wants or needs.  We donated what we could to the Re-Build Center in Portland, but this other stuff is destined for the landfill.  My plan is to get one of those large roll-off containers from Waste Management and fill it up with this junk plus the other garbage I’ve been holding onto for this very event.  Fill it we will, but I’d like for this to be the last time we do this kind of thing.  It won’t be easy as we expect to live awhile longer and we’ve got a lot of stuff aging right along with us.

So, how do we plan on reducing our contribution to the local landfill you ask?  Well, here are the basics of our plan going forward.  I intend to blog about each of these categories over the course of the next several months in order to share our experience and take score in our activities.  I hope some of you will do the same.  Like I said, we share a responsibility.

  • Awareness and education
  • Recycle & eCycle
  • Compost
  • Reuse – Repurpose
  • Maintain (what we have)
  • Share

Mar 10

5

Baby Boomer Boomerang

Posted by Mac on March 5, 2010
Posted in Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , , , , , | 5 Comments

I wonder if anyone else watched the Tom Brokaw Reports television special on CNBC called “Boomer$!” last night?   I certainly did.  Although there’s been a trillion books, movies, articles, studies, reports, etc…  done about the Baby Boomer Generation, I was still interested to see how my generation would be portrayed.  Why?  Because this story is really about ME and the odds are, about YOU too, dear reader.

Robert Deihl and I with our mothers on graduation day

 As Boomers we represent the largest demographic group in American history.  There are approx 78 million of us in America and we have spread across the cultural landscape like no other.  For most of our five-six decade existence, we’ve had things our way.  Life was our oyster.  No doubt that we’ve had a significant impact on society, on the entire planet, for both good and for bad.

From vacuum tubes to YouTube, we have lived in the age of advanced and ever-accelerating technology.

Tom Brokaw, whom I’ve followed since he was a young anchorman at a local LA news station, wrote the book about our parent’s generation.  He referred to them as The Greatest Generation.  Now he’s turned his focus on us – their children.  He pointed out that although we’ve contributed to ideas and technology, many citizens consider Boomers a self-centered lot that has driven our country to the brink.

Yes, we’ve been responsible for the largest expansion of economic wealth the world has ever seen, but the long-term consequences of this activity may prove to be dire.  As Brokaw said, “the bill has come due” on our excessive, credit-loving ways, and the final verdict will be whatever happens next.  Yeah, that’s what concerns me.  It should concern you also.

It is no secret that we (Boomers) became the richest and greatest consumers the world has ever known.  Brokaw said about us, “… now they’re at a stage in their lives (50-60s) during this economic downturn, when a lot of the assumptions they grew up with, that they assumed would be there forever, have not just been challenged, but have been turned on their head”.  Amen, brother.

Simply put, we are the victims of our own success.

In the past twenty years, many Boomers have had it easy and we’ve gotten relatively wealthy, certainly as compared to our forefathers, and we’ve shown our wealth by building/buying McMansions and gas guzzling cars.  Our houses represent our lifestyle more than shelter and our cars are more a symbol of status than transportation.  The idealism and social activism of the 1960s somehow shifted to materialism and capitalism and that economic motor has driven the world ever since.  We had the power and boy did we use it!   We’ve certainly had our day in the sun.  (For many of us that has resulted in melanoma, but I digress.)

With some pride I point to our generation’s contribution to ideas and technology that is unsurpassed.

We changed the world.  Just not how the Woodstock generation figured it.

The people Brokaw interviewed in this report are well known figures, not only to Americans but to just about any person in the world today.  The list was impressive:  Steve Jobs; Bill Gates; Tom Hanks; and even “Boomer-in-Chief” Bill Clinton.  They all cited our contributions and defended our legacy.  Spokesperson Tom Hanks made the point that Baby Boomers are not selfish at all and are always looking at ways to give back. This view is supported by an Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2009 Trends Report that states “this Boomer bulge of mega-consumers, who leverage two trillion dollars in spending power, believe they have a responsibility to make the world a better place.”  At least seventy percent do (according to this report).  Gee, I hope I’m counted within this seventy percent and not the other thirty percent which (I guess) don’t give a shit?!

When Brokaw interviewed the average Joe or Jane Boomer, the tenor seemed much different.  In fact I got a little depressed listening to my peers talk about where they are at this stage in life.  Many of the interviewees are now unemployed and nervous about the future.   This economic storm has blown down their straw houses and they’re not as optimistic as they once were.  Brokaw said there are over four million unemployed Baby Boomers in America today and they are facing the “double whammy of no jobs and no health insurance”.  He said, “… the health care crisis really is an economic crisis. These new retirees will strain the country’s economy by living longer and they are not the healthiest of people.”  So, yeah, we got that going for us too.

Almost daily I talk with Boomers who are struggling.  Many of them are Sandwich People which means they’re not only taking care of themselves but also their own children and their aging parents.  I hear a lot of personal stories about someone’s child moving back home mostly due to the current economic conditions and lack of opportunities.  Add aging and ailing parents to the mix … and that empty nest ain’t empty any longer, and probably won’t be for awhile.

One may ask, if the previous (greatest) generation were so wonderful then what happened to their children?  Are Boomers the result of bad parenting?  Not likely, says Brokaw.  Events like Vietnam, Watergate, Woodstock, Civil & Equal Rights movements, Anti-war movement/social protests and the long Cold War, all shaped our values and expectations.  The times were our influence and we also influenced our times in ways our parents and grandparents couldn’t even imagine.

Me (hat) and old buddy, Robert, in Santa Barbara, CA - circa 1978

Human nature is that each generation wants to outdo the last … especially motivated was my own Woodstock Generation.  We wanted to change the world in a different way than our parents and we certainly did.  But this begs the question … where will this leave our children?  Continuous over-consumption and neglect of our fragile life raft (Earth) will doom us all, so I don’t believe our children will want to compete with us in that way.

The silver lining in all of this is that Baby Boomers now seem to be reevaluating their lives and resetting their expectations.  I know I am.  I know many my age are doing the same thing – reexamining their values and undergoing life transformations – in many shapes and forms.  We are changing our values and thinking about our legacy and this is leading to a renewed activism in America.  This is a positive thing, my friends!

If we all (especially those of us unemployed) VOLUNTEER for one cause that we really care about, and work to produce the results we desire, not only will we lift ourselves up , but we will lift our entire nation out of this economic and social crisis.  Call me whatever, but I truly believe this.  That action is a part of what made the Greatest Generation great … they did it in their time and we should do no less.  So, let’s leave the comfortable confines of our McMansions and big screen TVs and show the world that we are still the best and the brightest generation ever.

We may be down, but we sure aren’t out.

For my part … I’ve got a laundry list of things my family and I will take on as we strive to live a more sustainable existence.  I’m taking on the cause for clean and renewable energy and I’m volunteering for Solar Oregon, Portland Green Team, Solarize SW Portland, etc… and I hope you find your causes too.

Brokaw’s report really had no ending.  He waxed on a bit about our past, but we’re still here having an impact, a major-league global impact, and the final chapter is yet to be written.

Let’s write it together.

Feb 10

28

The “Toyota Way”

Posted by Mac on February 28, 2010
Posted in Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , , , | 2 Comments

I thought I’d never see the day, but there it was in a full page ad in the Sunday Oregonian (and god knows how many other newspapers.)  In huge and straightforward type are the printed words …

“Our Pledge To Toyota Drivers.”

It seems Toyota is getting serious.  I gotta hand it to them, after months of perceived inactivity (and possible shushing of the depth of the known safety problems), they are now coming straight at this thing.  

Yeah, they’re getting all “Tylenol” on us. 

I won’t spoil it, if you should want to read it, but the key points are:

  1. Quality, Quality, Blah, Blah, Blah
  2. Safety
  3. We Promise

True be told, I haven’t been following this situation as closely as I should considering there are two Toyotas in the family.  Noriko is keeping up though.  There are massive recalls in Japan.  She reads Japanese internet sites daily and tells me that people in Japan are shocked by these events.  In some case, this is a blow to their national pride.  Noriko can’t even look me in the eye.  She, like many of her Japanese cohorts, has always looked up to Toyota with pride and satisfaction.  To do things the “Toyota Way” was a very good thing.  There was no debate that Toyota made the best cars in the world.

The first big purchase Noriko and I made together as husband and wife was our Toyota 4Runner.  We love it.  Our dogs love it.  Home Depot really loves it.  I’d say we are loyal Toyota customers.  As such, I suppose we should expect some respect from the company. 

Hey, they said they appreciated our support! 

In Japan, when someone makes a mistake, they bow and humbly apologize.  They look down in shame as they beg for forgiveness.  They are, in fact, actually shamed, and you kinda feel sorry for ‘em.  They apologize, take their lumps, and move on.  This ad was signed by Jim Lentz, who is President & COO of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.  Lentz didn’t exactly apologize.  He reassured.  He explained.  He said he appreciates our loyalty.   He didn’t apologize for anything.  I’m not saying he owes us one, I’m just accustomed to seeing a “We’re Sorry” in such ads. 

Timing is everything, so the timing of the televised Winter Olympics was a golden opportunity for Toyota to get their message out.  Out they did.  Tonight, during the closing of the Vancouver Olympics, Toyota ran a series of commercials telling us they’re on top of things and oh, they appreciate our support.  They are so appreciative – they want to thank us – so they’re offering 0% financing on all vehicles in stock at your local Toyota dealer.  

Well, doesn’t that make us all feel better?!   Gee, thanks, I guess.

If you wanna know more … go to www.Toyota.com to get their entire side of story.

Feb 10

26

Is Facebook the new Town Hall?

Posted by Mac on February 26, 2010
Posted in Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Facebook offers a global soapbox, so let’s use it.  Facebook offers many of us a place to communicate, and a lot of this communication is awareness (and education) of all issues, including my own favorite topics – sustainability and solar energy. 

I think Facebook is the new Town Hall folks! 

Remember … that’s the place where people used to gather to do things like see old friends, share pictures, discuss and share ideas.  People went to town hall meetings to discuss the issues that confronted them.  This involved providing education of the topic at hand – which in turn – stimulated discussion.  Technology has transformed the way we communicate. These postings/comments are representative of those old-school discussions.  Yes, people today do seem less cordial when making their point or expressing themselves, but old-schoolers did their share of mud-slinging when the conversation got a little heated. 

Facebook affords opportunity to reach a varied and engaged community.   I relish the comments no matter the POV because as long as we’re talking about solar – it’s all good.  Using this medium to advocate and educate for things we believe in will enable us to get better connected in today’s virtual neighborhood.   That’s my two cents.

Whatdoyouthink?

Feb 10

15

Another one bites the dust

Posted by Mac on February 15, 2010
Posted in Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Beside the ubiquitous Winter Olympic coverage there are two big stories of the day worthy of a post. 

First and foremost, I guess we can all rest easy now – Paula Abdul is coming back to TV.  Yeah, it’s splashed all over the internet.  Like Douglas MacArthur, she has returned!   My question is this … was she gone?   Huh?!  When did she leave?  Doesn’t one have to leave in order to come back?  I’m curiously ambivalent.

The other big story probably won’t be noticed by as many people (a sad commentary), but I betcha President Obama, and his home boy Harry Reid, both paid heed.  U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, centrist Democrat from Indiana, announced today he has decided not to seek a third term in Congress.  Someone cue the musical theme  “and another one bites the dust…”  

Hey, this wasn’t a guy in trouble of losing his seat in the upcoming election.  This was a family seat.  Bayh’s father, Birch, held that same seat for three terms in the Senate.  Although Indiana is viewed by Pols as a Republican-leaning state, Bayh figured he’d be re-elected and had reportedly raised $13 million for his campaign.  Now, his decision gives the Republicants another chance to pick up a Senate seat and this certainly can’t make the Demos very happy.

So, why is Sen. Bayh calling it quits? 

He said it was because it is time for him to “contribute to society in another way.”   In Washington speak this is short-hand for I can’t stand working in Congress one minute longer! 

Recently there’s been a slew of Democratic “possibles” that have passed on the opportunity to serve in Congress.  Joe Biden’s own kid said “no way” to any of that bullshit.  The departure of Bayh continues a recent exodus from Congress from both political parties, but Bayh’s reason seemed more substantial than just a politician who can’t face angry voters in November.

Bayh attributed his decision to the bitter partisan divides that have dominated Congress in recent years.

At his Indianapolis news conference Bayh said, “To put it in words I think most people can understand, I love working for the people of Indiana.  I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives, but I do not love Congress.  After all these years, my passion for service to our fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so by serving in Congress has waned.”

Okay sir, we got it, you’re sick of the place.  So are we all quite frankly. 

I think it’s time for people with a conscious to stand up and speak out about how parallelizing partisan politics has become.  The never- ending chess game is not only tiresome for voters, but now for the players too.  Some may think it took courage to do what Bayh is doing, but I think what would be even more courages if some well-established Republican senator follows suit and makes the same decision – for the same reason – and makes the very same statement.   Both sides would benefit, both sides would suffer.  However, it will show everyone this isn’t working for either side and certainly not for the American people.  It may start to shake things loose and any crack in the status quo will be a good thing.

Problem is … the work of the people will suffer in the process as well.  We need the kind of people who’ll tell the truth about Washington there to represent us.  We need good people to stand up while they’re still in Congress and make real changes while on the public payroll.  Is it that impossible?   Many will answer yes.

I wouldn’t be an optimist if I didn’t believe that things can change for the better if enough legislators, who feel the same way Sen. Bayh feels, will pledge to work together for the common good of our country.  That’s a novel idea, to work on our problems instead of worrying about whether their political party or personal lobbyist is served.  Is it too much to hope for that as a nation we can move forward with some common purpose and dignity? 

All the while the Democratic Donkey and Republican Elephant dance their passive-aggressive dance in the moonlight and fight ever on.

Jan 10

1

Greeting the new decade

Posted by Mac on January 1, 2010
Posted in Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: | No Comments yet, please leave one

So, it is a few minutes after midnight on January 1, 2010.  YIPPEEEE, a new decade has begun and I for one am grateful.   I hope this post finds you/your’s safe, warm, healthy, and happy on this first day of a promising new decade. 

Hey, did anyone watch  Dick Clark on the Dick Clark’s New Years Eve show on TV last night? 

You know, the annual countdown in NYC Times Square now co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest.  A creative Hollywood concept … the pairing of Old Dick with No Dick to help ring in our new year.  What a country!  Clark must’ve had a stroke or something the poor bastard.  OMG … he was more robotic and plastic than Max Headroom.  I swear I saw something sticking to the side of his mouth that made his lips move.  It was bizarre, the guy couldn’t remember that 13 follows 14 in the countdown. 

I can’t believe TV execs and major advertisers would’ve agreed to dragging Clark’s carcass out for another countdown if they had seen it first.  Seacrest must have hid Clark in his closet and had botox and collagen injected into his 80 year old face.  It was a sad specticle and distracted me from the moment at hand.

His tan was perfect, of course.

On a more serious note … I tend to agree with numerious pundits who have declared the 00’s a horrendous decade.  I guess It’s really not that hard of an argument to make.  A recent Time article entitled, “Goodbye to the Decade from Hell” pointed out a number of reasons why this past decade was so rough.  http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1942834,00.html. 

For me, the Bush presidency was a particularly long and painful sentence to endure.  It didn’t help that Bush’s term was bookended by 9/11 on one end, and the economic meltdown/global recession on the other, with two long and difficult wars connecting the two.  In many ways, our country went on a long downward spiral and we haven’t course corrected yet.  Today, however, I’m thinking progressively and optimistically for the first time since the nineties.  I embrace the new year and wish to tag these next ten years as the “Sustainability Decade”.   I hope this will go down in history as the time America re-rights itself and reclaims the global & economic leadership its had for over a  hundred years. 

Welcome 2010! 

nikon 2 004

McDowell family walks on an Oregon beach … and towards the future.

Dec 09

8

Congress Tackles a Serious Issue

Posted by Mac on December 8, 2009
Posted in Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , | No Comments yet, please leave one

On TV news tonight I learned that a congressional sub-committee is seriously deliberating one of the greatest issues of our time.  The congresspersons say they’re really gonna tackle this issue and make a significant change in the order of things.  The gentleman from Texas looked particularly committed.  

Yeah, I realize Obama is in Copenhagen “talking” about Climate Change, but that wasn’t it.  I also heard some noise about Health Care and how everyone is all worked up about it, but that’s not even in the same league.  Those things are minor in comparison to the pure passion that surrounds college football in America.  Yes, I’m referring to US Congress now looking into changing NCAA Football’s current BCS structure into a real bona fide PLAYOFF system.   Finally!  

This is what college football has needed for years.  The NCAA powers that be, including major conference/bowl alliances, television, and even university purists (who don’t like the idea of looking anything like the NFL and all that it represents), have not supported a playoff system for a number of reasons.  Mainly they support the status quo to protect the money.  We’re talking millions and millions of dollars here.  Hmmm, maybe this is why Congress gives a rip?!

This action creates some hope for the little guy.  Football fans of Boise State, Cincinnati or TCU know what I’m talking about.  They’re undefeated this year and are all very good teams, but they’ll never break into the big boys club until there is field equality.  To be the national champ you should have to prove it on the field.  Championships shouldn’t be decided by opinions and computers. 

Just ask my favorite team, the Oregon Ducks, who were shunned by the BCS in 2001. The Ducks would’ve gone to the Rose Bowl that season, but it was the host game for the BCS championship and they weren’t invited.  They ended up in the Fiesta Bowl and beat a good Colorado team by a bunch.  The only better Fiesta Bowl I’ve seen is Boise State’s win over Oklahoma in 2007. In my humble opinion, both of these winning teams should’ve had the opportunity to play the Number 1 ranked team for the national championship.  I’m sure the 2008 Utah football team will agree. 

Just think … this congressional action might fill those empty days between end of conference play and the bowl games.  It seems interminable, doesn’t it?   Oh, this fills me with hope.

Time for change… you betcha!  It’s not like the BCS is a long standing, time honored tradition, but do we believe that congress is ready to take on NCAA Football? (which I contend is our real national pastime.)  Look at what they did with MLB.  Wasn’t that worth all the time and money spent.  Haven’t we all suffered enough?

The larger question is this … doesn’t congress have anything else with higher priority to deal with?  Some attention to the current economic crisis would be nice.  How about the unemployment situation?   I know a whole lot of good people who’re looking for work.  People are suffering.  Aren’t we still at war?  Health Care; Energy; Carbon Cap ‘n Trade; Swine Flu epidemic; Growing deficit; Tiger Woods scandal?  Just about anything ranks ahead of this “problem” I should think, but that’s just me. 

Still, have to admit I can’t wait to hear the filibuster from the State of Florida congregation.  

GOOOOOOOOOOOOO Ducks!!!

Rose Bowl (2009-2010): Oregon vs. Ohio State …. GO DUCKS!!

Next Page »