The Religious Right and Abu Ghraib

The religious right must be feeling torn. Evangelicals alone are about
enough to give a majority to Bush, according to the PBS Frontline episode
"The Jesus Factor." Well-intentioned, perhaps, but intolerant of other
religions, from what I gather, some evangelicals must now be wondering if
they are following a false prophet. By dismissing the Geneva Conventions,
the Bush administration, I believe, created the conditions for the prisoner
abuse scandal and all its evils.

I'm reminded of Matthew 7:13. "Heaven can be entered only through the narrow
gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for the
multitudes who choose its easy way."

Nader would get our troops out of Iraq sooner

Sounds like Nader would get our troops out of Iraq sooner than Kerry would. Whether this would be better for the people of Iraq I'm not sure, but I'm confident Nader would make the exit as painless as possible for all involved.

Nader has already called for a responsible exit strategy, while Kerry has not detailed his yet, as noted at http://www.votenader.org/why_ralph/index.php?cid=69 after Nader's meeting with Kerry.

On "Meet the Press" Sunday, Hillary Clinton appeared with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and called for more U.S troops in Iraq. This has progressives worried that the draft might be reinstated.

Bushisms

Just finished "Bushisms, The Deluxe Election Edition" by Jacob Weisberg. Here are some of my favorites:

"I'm the master of low expectations."

"I think war is a dangerous place."

"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"

"It's your money. You paid for it."

"We need an energy bill that encourages consumption."

"Security is the essential roadblock to achieving the road map to peace."

"We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold our nation hostile..."

"Not over my dead body will they raise your taxes."

"Our priorities is our faith."

"I know how hard it is to put food on your family."

Ethanol and Strategic Oil Drawdown Not the Answer

Here's a letter I sent to Ed Schultz who hosts a liberal talk radio show. I generally like his show, his voice sounds just like Rush Limbaugh's but he is left-wing, rather than right-wing. His show comes on after the O'Franken factor here in the Twin Cities. I generally like Franken's show, also, by the way, even though he is Democrat.

(To Ed Schultz:)
I’m glad to hear you’re excited about ending our dependence on oil, but I’m sorry to tell you that ethanol is not the answer. Unfortunately, it takes about a gallon of ethanol to make a gallon of ethanol, because you need fuel to power the tractors to grow the corn.

In his book "The Party’s Over," Richard Heinberg states that it would it would take nearly all of the continental US to grow the grain to fuel our cars, leaving nothing left for housing or food.

Also, I disagree with the Democrats’ plan to draw down the strategic petroleum reserve just to shave a few cents off the price of gas. I’m afraid the Republicans are right on this one. Considering that the world’s oil supplies are about half gone, the price of gas should be a heck of a lot more, not less.

I’m planning to vote for Greens locally and Ralph Nader for President. We need smarter, more responsible solutions to these crucial problems.