the Last Gas Station

Special Dispatch: Dr. King is Bigger than Money

   
                                              

Bigger than Money Robert Run                I was working on a video for this special dispatch, but I just could not get things quite to the standard I felt they needed to be to address such an occasion, so I decided to write something instead. Most of what I put on this blog has to do with the energy debacle, and I do approach the subject from a conscious perspective, in a way that takes into account the net positive effect that readily available energy has on our evolution. I address the issues of consciousness and objectivity in my videos and writings here, so there is plenty of room here for Dr. King.        It's a Holiday for some people, a Federal Holiday. A three day weekend. Why not a National Holiday? Is it because of money, work, profits? Dr. King is bigger than money. The events surrounding Dr. King's life are certainly significant enough. This is the man who held our Constitution up to our faces so we could see it. Then he dared to live it. His life was taken by a killer because he made a decision to snatch back the rights he was born with but was deprived of. I'm not sure how people call him a martyr. A martyr is someone who gives their life. The Dr's. life was taken through murder. I think we are missing something if we try to create the impression that he was not trying to live his life. I doubt that he died willingly. If I'm splitting hairs, then so be it. For me the term "martyr" dismisses from our minds the gravity of his efforts. I get the impression that he was very much interested in living fully, and with self determination.                Self determination is the operative term. The movement behind King was a conscious decision of self determination. The lesson runs deep for all people, and it needs to be understood as such. It was an evolutionary moment., and don't assume that term means that the people rising up were not "evolved" before they stood up. It was evolutionary because people who were observing and fighting against the inevitable were the ones who were being challenged to evolve. Dr. King and all those people embodied a document that their enemies had sworn to uphold, but they had yet to read it. The Civil Rights Movement reclaimed what was their birthright in the first place. What they did was take us all one evolutionary stage closer to the day that there is just           one law that applies to all people.                 So, here comes King with a speech about a dream, and even though for 400 years his people had been deprived of their birthrights, he expresses the inclusion of the children of his captors in his dream. I was born in 1964, grandchild of immigrants, and when I read the phrases about all the children playing together, I feel so grateful and special to be included in that dream. I simply cannot imagine living my life in a way that won't help to bring that dream into fruition. It is a superior dream to the one in the Constitution, and the grace that this man had to want to see his dream included in the Constitution written by his captors never ceases to move me. There are far too many people who have not learned this lesson. There are far too  many people suffering for the ignorance of others.  I have been hearing the I have a Dream speech my whole life. It lays out the framework for a far better world. I have been reading the Constitution since I was a boy. While their are flashes of brilliance, and plenty of contradictions, it allows for it's own adjustment. The framers gave themselves an "out".                 When the framers wrote the Constitution, they actively lessened the value of other groups of people under their "law", and they actively deprived groups of people from rights that they had previously. No doubt they told everyone that the fledgling nation was in a state of emergency, and that it was important that they keep things under their control. All people are born equal. When we are forced to live without rights, it is not because we are not worthy of them, or because we have not earned them, it is because we are being deprived of them, there is some kind of circumstance or injustice that is separating us from what is ours. Whether it is a culture of people, whether it is a spouse, or an abused child, this is the case.                 Still, some people have more rights than other people. This has been the way that our world has operated as far back as we can tell. Some people have to follow rules that others do not, even if these rules are not in writing, and some people do as they please, regardless of the harm their actions do to others, and they cry that their rights are being infringed on if they are told to back off. These are very confused, and unfortunately very powerful people.                 What about the laws? Well, what about them? They are written by the people who enforce them, and they are enforced arbitrarily, based on the needs of those who write them. The day can come that there is just one law that applies to all people. Imagine that kind of world. You must assume that there are a lot of people that would love to see a world like that. Conversely, there are a lot of people who would be opposed to seeing a world like that, because it would mean that they would have to be honest and earn their living rather than use force and deception to steal it from others. How the world would change if there was just one law that all the people had to respect, or bear the responsibility of disrespecting it, even if they are members of government, or police forces.                 The movement behind King made a lot of plans, they took the steps they needed to take in order to get their rights added to the Constitution. These were acts of consciousness. They decided that they were going to have their rights, they planned how they were going to do it, and then they executed           their plan. These are great lessons for all people, not just as individuals, but for our society as a whole. How do we want to be? Who are we going to be? How will we be remembered? The actions that they took during that time created the conditions that have allowed for the improvements in our relationships for subsequent generations, and it allows us to prepare for the society in which there is just one law that applies to all people.                 In times like these, it is great to have a Holiday that allows us to reflect on these things. We need a National three day weekend of reflection. How ironic that the Holiday is only given to the people it applies to, (with pay) and not the rest of us. We ought to do something about that, that's the way I feel about it. I'm not working on King Day, I'm having a National Holiday, but then, nobody wants to go to the gas station anymore anyway.  Evolution is a Decision. ~RR~

The Affects of Government on Energy: STRIKE THE HOTLAWS, A Tribute to John and Yoko for the New Year

Robert Run discusses the role of government in the energy debacle. Who creates the solutions and what are the impediments?

What are Hotlaws?

I talk about the two political parties and how their ego battles are killing us, at a certain point I get them mixed up and refer to one when I mean the other. I thought about going back and editing it, but then I realized that it really doesn't matter!

"Total freedom for everyone is the goal, then we would have a Utopia" ~ Yoko Ono ~

"People are frightened of freedom" ~ John Lennon ~

• New Technology allows you to add the POWERHOUSE ENERGY SAVER device to your home electrical circuitry and begin saving money immediately. Click Here.

• New Technology allows you to supplement your gasoline, use New Technology and improve your mileage. There is a way to do this using WATER VAPOR Click Here 

• Read Senate Bill 1959: Congress has passed, now Senate considers bill to criminalize blogs, books, speech and even THOUGHTS that are critical of government. It is called "the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Act, and other uses". IT'S THE "OTHER USES" WE NEED TO WORRY ABOUT. Don't let the name fool you! read the bill! Because the lawmakers will probably not read it before they pass it! CLICK HERE

• Robert Run's Videos

• Writing and Rationale

Here is a poll for your interest and amusement. Yes it is a bit sarcastic, but sometimes honesty bites a little bit, now don't it? This is a re visitation from an earlier poll, but I had so much fun the first time that I wanted to do it again.

This time you can choose two answers, and one can be your own, and don't be afraid to make a comment in the comment section! The "other" selection does not display your comments.

Have at it!

You can track the poll results by subscribing to this here feed:

The Onslaught of Propaganda Commercials Continue Regarding Things Like "Clean Burning Coal" and "Safe, Clean, Nuclear Power"

Here is the Article

"Nuclear Energy Industry: Sooo 20th Century"

by Kenny Bruno, Special to CorpWatch
June 7th, 2001

She's cute, she's wholesome, she's All-American. With scooter, headphones and helmet, she's wired and sooo contemporary. And this highly likeable kid is saying, into her cell phone, that nuclear power is "so important to America's energy future."

Our Summer Greenwash Award goes to the Nuclear Energy Institute, for the ad "Clean Air is Sooo 21st Century."

For choosing an adolescent girl -- someone more susceptible than average to the harmful effects of radiation (and advertising) -- to represent the renewed aspirations of the nuclear energy industry, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) wins the CorpWatch Summer (Blackout) Greenwash Award.

NEI is no newcomer to greenwash. In 1991, the organization, then known as the US Council for Energy Awareness, ran an ad saying, "Trees aren't the only plants that are good for the atmosphere." That ad pictures a lovely lake, trees and blue skies, co-existing harmoniously with the characteristic dome of a nuke. The copy includes blanket statements like nuclear plants "don't pollute the air," " reduce certain airborne pollutants more 19,000 tons every day," and "produce no greenhouse gases."

In 1999, Public Citizen and Nuclear Information Research Service filed a petition to the Federal Trade Commission alleging that NEI environmental ads with similar claims were false and misleading. The FTC agreed that the ad was inaccurate, but also ruled that it was political, not commercial speech, and therefore protected.

The 2001 version (21st Century nuclear greenwash) brings in the human factor in the form of the modern girl. It assumes we all agree, including the nuclear industry of course, that clean air is a must. And that plenty of energy is likewise a must. And then comes the great news for the girl: there need be no trade-off between environment and consumerism. Nukes can see to that.

The attempt to rehabilitate the image of nuclear power is understandable, since not a single nuke has been ordered in the US since 1973. To overcome opposition, the industry will have to overcome not only economic obstacles but its own reputation as the quintessentially scary technology. Several recent events have given the industry what they see as an opportunity to make a comeback.

First, the energy shortage in California is causing a certain amount of panic among electricity consumers. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that 59% of Californians now favor additional nuclear power capacity. The previous poll showed Californians opposed nukes 2 to 1. Nuclear's popularity is rising even though the energy shortage is a short-term problem due in large part to price-gouging by energy corporations. Meanwhile, any nuclear plants would take so many years to come on line they would not solve the current problems.

Second, concern about global warming has become more widespread (although it hasn't reached the Bush White House). The production of nuclear power does not produce carbon dioxide, it is true. And certainly, we at the CorpWatch Greenwash Awards are as concerned as anyone about reducing CO2 emissions. But nuclear power is not the most efficient way to do it, and may not help at all.

Energy efficiency and renewables, such as solar and wind, are cheaper than nukes. Each cent spent on a nuclear kilowatt could have bought two kilowatts worth of efficiency. Because of that kind of lost opportunity cost, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, buying nuclear power will actually make climate change worse than if the cheapest renewable options were bought instead. In addition, when you include CO2 generated in the production of nuclear fuel, during mining of uranium for example, nukes emit about 4 times as much as renewable energy sources.

Finally, high energy prices make nuclear's exorbitant price tag a little less steep, relatively speaking. But even The Economist magazine editors, who believe that "on the whole, nuclear power plants (at least in the western world) are today safe and well-run," says the claims of "dramatically improved economics" are "dubious." The Economist asks "why in the world such a mature, well-capitalized industry should receive subsidies," and predicts that "as subsidies are withdrawn, that possibility [of building new nuclear plants] will become ever less likely."

Subsidies are where the industry's parallel strategy of lobbying comes in. No industry worth its uranium 238 would leave it all just to greenwash ads, which are for placating the general public. The real work is in influencing the politicians. And so it was, as the New York Times reported on May 23rd, that seven nuclear executives met in March with George W. Bush's political advisor Karl Rove and Dick Cheney's energy task force director Andrew Lundquist. Just a few days later the Vice President said on CNBC that "if you want to do something about carbon dioxide emissions then you ought to build nuclear power plants..." (This from a man known more for ridiculing proponents of conservation than for concern about climate change.) And voila, nuclear energy appears as part of the mix in the Vice President's energy plan. He even supports the biggest subsidy of all, the Price-Anderson Act, which limits liability in case of nuclear accident.

The industry is ecstatic. Listen to nuclear mogul Christian Poindexter, Chairman of the Constellation Energy Group who attended that meeting with Rove and Lundquist. "In my wildest dreams when I was over at the White House in March, I couldn't imagine them [the White House] getting so behind us."

But perhaps Poindexter and friends should calm down. Three Mile Island and Chernobyl killed nuclear power, but economics will prevent its re-birth. Despite US taxpayer subsidies of over $1 trillion over 50 years, nobody is ordering nukes. Cost overruns average 2-3 times estimates. The Rocky Mountain Institute calls nuclear power the "greatest commercial failure of any enterprise in the industrial history of the world."

Even if nukes could compete economically, what of their affect on our friend in the ad, the wired girl, and on her planet? Children are more susceptible to the effects of radiation than adults, since their cells are still dividing. Furthermore, woman of childbearing age, or girls still developing reproductive capability, bear a second burden: the danger to their future offspring. Somehow that girl doesn't seem anxious to embrace a higher risk of cancer for herself or birth defects for her children.

Even low-level radiation -- the kind routinely permitted for nuclear power plants -- damages tissues, cells, DNA and other vital molecules -- causing programmed cell death (apoptosis), genetic mutations, cancers, leukemia, birth defects, and reproductive, immune and endocrine system disorders. Though there have been no major accidents at US reactors since Three Mile Island, more than 90 percent of the country's reactors have violated government safety regulations during the last three years, according to Public Citizen.

And accidents did not end with Chernobyl. In 1999, two workers were killed by radiation exposure at an experimental fuel-reprocessing plant in Japan. Also in 1999, British Nuclear Fuels was caught falsifying records relating to shipments of spent fuel to Japan. There's still no safe way to dispose of high-level radioactive waste, and the US still hasn't sited a permanent storage facility. The situation in Europe is no better.

The tag line, "Clean air is sooo 21st Century" makes nuclear power seem like the technology of the future. But what kind of industry would continue to generate waste that remains dangerously radioactive for a hundred thousand years? A 20th century industry, of course.

And nuclear power is sooo 20th century.

Thanks to John Deever of the Institute for Social Action and Renewal (ISAR) for nominating this ad for a Greenwash Award. (Source: Corpwatch)

Don't forget to take the Wickedly Honest Poll in the post below this article, leave a comment if you want, and read the General Petition for New Energy, sign it, and please help out with a donation if you can. I'm preparing some great stuff and I really need just a little jingle jangle.

Inaugural Post

Greetings everyone, welcome to the inaugural LGS post. Thanks to the people who have been here for me while I put things together. Things are still getting put together, I still have a couple more book categories to set up, I am still adding friends to the Last Regulars section, and I'm also managing the General Petition for New-Energy. If you have not read that petition, please do, I think you'll agree it is an important effort. It is really the inspiration for this blog, and also for NEXDemand and all that is growing from that. There is a lot happening. You know, I have to keep myself busy between customers. I'm not the kind of guy who wants to wait around for something to do. I make my own breaks.

I think when it comes right down to it, you can get to the point of what all this is about in the understanding that we can solve any problem we create. We have to draw from our creativity. There was a time when that really meant something. You know, all the stories you've heard about the great inventors who changed our lives? Well, there are new ones out there now, and they need to be appreciated, and brought into the forefront of our attention.

You'll find a lot of great info here, and plenty of things to keep you busy and hopefully entertained as we figure out what we are going to do about keeping our future open to travel, and plenty of power. There will be more and more added as we go along. So I hope you'll subscribe to the feed, too.

I'm like you, I am an expert on the subject of fuel and power. If you are an American  you are part of the Energy Establishment. In the US, we use about 24% of all the energy produced in the world, and we are merely 5% of the population. Wow! If that's not an establishment, I don't know what is, right! Hmmm, what're we gonna do, huh?

Well, If there is anyone who can figure it out, we can. Most of the major advancements in energy and travel have come from our country. We had a little thing called the Industrial Revolution, and it changed everything about the way we look at the world and our place in it. So now, we are experiencing the effects of our actions, and we are going to have to apply the creativity that brought our new way of life to solving the same problems that are the by-products of that creation.

Think of the computer you are using right now. Just ten years ago a computer with such performance would have cost 10 times as much, and it would be at least 5 times bigger. That is the way technology and innovation works when we let it. So that's what we have to do.

We've gotten a little soft and pudgy over the years as we've enjoyed the fruits of the efforts of our predecessors. The cost of fuel is going to take care of that isn't it? Food prices go up when fuel costs go up so we eat less, because it costs more to get it to you. We'll have to walk more, we'll be riding bikes; SEE!!! We're getting better already! Next thing you know you'll be developing the next brilliant innovation to get us out of this mess! Good for you! I wonder who it's going to be, don't you? Who is going to come up with the next breakthrough that helps us get through this?

Look, I'm not going to babble on any longer. If you want to know more about what's going on just go look around, and don't worry, the dog doesn't bite.  Other than that subscribe to the blog, because there will be more added on a regular basis, and there will be a weekly video from my workbench by 8pm CST every Friday night. So, don't be a stranger.

Have a great time.

Your Devoted Attendant,

Robert Run

Read and Share

Sign the General Petition for New Energy: Click Here
(international)

Leave some of your own tips and experiences in the Comment Section
Tips from me*, and from around the internet:

    * Keep your car properly tuned up to improve gas mileage by about 4 percent.
    * Improve mileage by up to 40 percent by replacing a faulty oxygen sensor.
    * Keep tires properly inflated to improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent and to extend the life and ensure the safety of your tires.
    * Use the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil to improve your gas mileage by another 1-2 percent. Select motor oil with “Energy Conserving” on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.
    * Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged or dirty air filter can improve your car’s gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, and a clean filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine.
    * Ride a bike! Bikes Rock! They are sexy, riding is exhilarating, and you meet cool people because people who ride bikes rock!
    * Curtail aggressive driving. Speeding, rapid acceleration, and rapid braking all waste gas – and curb mileage by as much as 33 percent at highway speeds, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Nix jack-rabbit starts, opting instead for slow acceleration from a dead stop.
    * In addition, speeding wastes gas – and your money. Each mile per hour you drive over 60 mph is like paying an extra 10 cents per gallon, according to DOE.
    * Get a $2,000 federal tax deduction this year when you purchase a hybrid-electric car. Next year, the deduction drops to $500.
    * When renting a car, ask for a model that gets better fuel economy. Also, remember to fill up the tank before returning the car to the rental company, which always charges much higher gas prices – and sometimes an extra gas surcharge.
    * Avoid idling, which gets 0 mph. Cars with larger engines typically waste even more gas at idling than cars with smaller engines. Turn off your engine at red lights, and even in really bad parking lot traffic jams. 
    * Combine your errands into one trip and plan your routes carefully to drive fewer miles and use less fuel.
    * If available, use your vehicle’s overdrive gear when appropriate to reduce engine speed, save gas, and decrease engine wear.
    * Use cruise control to help cut fuel consumption by maintaining a steady speed during highway driving.
    * If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets better gas mileage whenever possible.
    * Protect your health and your pocketbook by walking to your destination whenever possible. You’ll lose weight, lower stress, save gas and money, and reduce pollution.
    * Pack lightly when traveling, and avoid carrying items on your vehicle’s roof. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk cuts a typical car’s fuel economy 1-2 percent.
    * Carpool and use public transportation whenever possible. And consider telecommuting if your employer allows it.

(*Robert Run is not a Mechanic, but he practically grew up in a garage)

              

GET FREE FROM HIGH ENERGY COSTS Connect a Powerhouse Energy Saver to your home circuitry to save money CLICK HERE Add HHO gas to your fuel mixture. Increase mileage & improve emissons. Simple process CLICK HERE

Sign the General Petition for New Energy: Click Here
(international)

-

What are Hotlaws?

Hotlaws are laws that make it difficult or impossible for you to use or apply clean energy, for instance wind and solar power. Also, did you know that in some regions there is only one electric company, and effectively, anyone who wants to do anything to improve their lives regarding energy has to ask them permission? And then wait for them to get around to approving the process? Very often, there is Municipal red tape that also slows this process down, these are also Hotlaws.

While it is difficult to get everyone to find agreement when it comes to finding new laws to pass, there are some existing laws that clearly need to be rescinded. This is a good place to start on the road to agreement.

What are the Hotlaws in your area? Leave a comment about some of the difficulties you've experienced attempting to apply new-energy technologies.