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POPSCap and Trade Equals Fraud and Tax In a cap and trade system, the government deems a certain level of pollution acceptable as long as the polluter pays a tax. That's like saying that it's acceptable for someone to throw trash on your lawn so long as he has bought a government permit. Even worse, he can throw even more trash on your lawn if he buys additional permits from someone who refrains from throwing trash on your lawn. In effect, cap and trade legalizes pollution. True environmentalists -- those of us who are concerned about things such as clean air and water -- should oppose schemes like H.R. 2454. H.R. 2454 is not designed to clean up the environment. It is designed to generate more revenue for the government and to give the government more power over the economy, our lives, and our freedom. And it does so at the expense of the environment.
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POPSA Call for Change, Real Change
We debate to determine the best solution. But if the debate is motivated by party-politics, the actual purpose for debate is negated. We don’t need a pretty face to report our news. We need the most articulate, intelligent, and proficient individual. We don’t need hate and the party-line to be constantly propagated by the radio waves. We need the facts, the truth, and the solution. We don’t need ignorance and insults to populate the internet. We need reason, principle, and intelligence to be king. Suggestions on how to be a catalyst for change: Turn off the television, end your cable subscription. Unsubscribe from your daily newspaper. Call talk radio and express your views. Write a letter to the editor. Don’t let yourself be defined as “progressive,” “Conservative,” “Republican,” or “Democrat.” Recognize that men are in many ways existential. Vote according to principle and reason. Not based on party. Live what you believe. Believe what you live. Read. Research. Rememb
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POPSProtesters Descend on Chevron for Climate Justice “Chevron has the opportunity to do the right thing,” said Mayor of Richmond, Gayle McLaughlin. “They just need to agree to capping the crude at the level they currently refine. We want them to put Richmond’s residents to work modernizing and replacing the 80 year old boilers, which sadly they chose to remove from the project several months ago. ” “We want Chevron to build a cleaner and safer refinery,” said Ana Orozco of Communities for A Better Environment. ”We want the union jobs to continue to build a refinery that is cleaner and safer for our community. Our community has been put at risk for too long.” Of course Chevron would greet the peaceful protesters with a heavy police presence. Chevron has the mindset that they have the power to do anything they want without regard to how they poison people and the environment. They are championed by governments around the world who value money over the conditions of people’s lives. Chevron: agent of Corprafascism.
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POPSDocumentary on Intensive Pig Farming Faces Legal Threat Each cancellation emboldens Smithfield to keep fighting to keep it from the public. Residents near the factories could come forward and either validate or discredit the film. Since Smithfield is fighting this so arduously, there is probably some truth to what the documentary is trying to get out to us. The funny thing, those of us who have followed CAFO’s already now how damaging they are to our environment. So why is Smithfield fighting so hard to keep it from us? They think the general public is too easily swayed by whatever someone puts in front of them. They don’t give the public credit for thinking for themselves. The thing Smithfield needs to learn is that the internet can spread the truth without any of their lawyers interfering. Facts about CAFO’s: http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/ra05/mlc3_05.html http://michigan.sierraclub.org/issues/greatlakes/articles/cafofacts.html http://www.kmidkiff.com/listen/2009-02-04-eco-emo.html
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POPSGoa Cursed by its Mineral Wealth The circle will not be broken. This situation has happened many times throughout human history. Tourist find an idyllic vacation spot and then learn, when they peel back the shiny false front, that their paradise is being ruined by mining interests. There is no real balance between enjoying the environment for the intrinsic beauty it offers and exploiting it for the temporary and fleeting profit that often leaves it in ruins.
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POPSThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the size of France I know this is an old story, but like the plastic and trash we keep throwing away, it just won’t go away. Measurements show there is six times more plastic than plankton in this area. Plastic does not biodegrade; no microbe has yet evolved that can feed on it. Prolonged exposure to sunlight causes polymer chains to break down into smaller and smaller pieces, a process accelerated by physical friction, such as being blown across a beach or rolled by waves. Worldwide, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, plastic is killing a million seabirds a year, and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles. Bottle caps, pocket combs, cigarette lighters, tampon applicators, cottonbud shafts, toothbrushes, toys, syringes and plastic shopping bags are routinely found in the stomachs of dead seabirds and turtles. Every single molecule of plastic that has ever been manufactured is still somewhere in the environment, and some 100 million tons of it are floating in the oceans.
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POPSGreenwash of the Week: BP-Not Exactly Beyond Petroleum Don’t be fooled by any corporation rebranding themselves as environmentally friendly. An oil company in particular cannot possibly be ecologically sound. Dig deeper to find out how they damage the environment, especially overseas. Don’t allow them to think that we are stupid enough to believe whatever they tell us. As long as BP operates dirty facilities such as the Texas City refinery, the company’s sunburst logo, its purported earth-friendly values and its claim of going beyond petroleum will be nothing more than blatant greenwashing. If they have to spend money to get us to believe something about themselves then that should be a red flag that they are misrepresenting themselves. That old adage about lawyers fits in real well here: How do you know when a lawyer (corporation) is lying? When they open their mouths.
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