And how I learned to lose David Suzuki.
At the Roundtable.
29 Replies to “SWTE: Paradise Paved”
Even though I could never follow her lead, I can respect an environmentalist like Janine Gibson simply because she ‘Walks the Walk’; in fact I can respect any environmentalist that suggests moderate change that they have already completed. Using low energy lightbulbs, better furnaces, insulating your home and driving a more fuel efficient care are all reasonable alternatives for the average person.
What annoys me more than anything else is the SUV driving, heavy industry loving, Koyoto hypocrites who believe that the oil industry (mainly the Albertain based oil industry) should be punished because of their lifestyle.
Ever notice nobody ever talks about acid rain anymore?
David Suzuki spent way too much time in his lab with his fruit flies in years gone by.
I sometimes wonder if the hordes of “experts” who predicted airplanes would fall from the sky in the 2000 Y2K computer scam simply shifted over to Maurice Strong’s environmentalist Kyoto “global warming” cabal to keep their fertile minds busy.
Suzuki and most of the environmentalists joined the “jet set greens ” years ago. there’s money in
them there crisis.
Im guessing that Suzuki resides in Vancouver , the most urbanized centre in Canada. Hardly walks the walk.
The fifth day of a five day forecast is only accurate 20% of the time but Suzuki can tell us what the weather will be like a 100 years from now!
now let us beg…
….’Oh Great One, please come down from the mountain and tell us some more’…
Very well written Kate.
Every day I shake my head at such extremists. They run around waving their hand is the air spouting doomsday scenarios. While they generate some support though all the fear and smear, I’ve learned to tune anything out that is remotely extremist. (Quit smoking commercials for example annoy me to no end, almost to the point that I want to take up the habit just to annoy them…almost.)
Gormley had one of the founders of Greenpeace on the other day (no longer officially affiliated with the leadership of the group). he was expousing the virtues of incorporating nuclear power into a green plan to reduce reliance on coal. It marked the first time I have ever listened to 2 scentences from someone that had a past or present association with the group.
Unfortunately more often than not it is the people that run around claiming the sky is falling that get the most attention.
love your site. the thing that always makes me wonder is a few years ago there was a huge hole in the ozone, then our atmosphere was trapping to much poison gas ie co2 yea right, would not all these evil gasses escape out the big hole not in the suzuki/ strong world because there is no hedge funds to slide these evil gasses through for the usual liberal 30% skim. this election is all about kyoto people save your self and your children millions. SEND MARTIN PACKING
If there is anyone that is truly “scary” with a “hidden agenda” it’s David Suzuki.
I’ve wracked my brain but can’t figure out what SWTE stands for. Will somebody resolve my quandry? Thanks.
Staying with the election, still with the election, or something like that makes sense to me, though I do not know for sure either.
A true conservative (not a neocon- whatever that really means) should, by nature want to conserve, preserve and strengthen the environment. Kyoto does not do that. The Conservative plan will make gains in protecting the environment. I agree with much of what the Green / NDP party has to say about the environmental dangers we face. I just do not agree with their economic policies, or more often than not their social policies. Most significantly I think their methods of creating change will never be supported by the masses, so unless they plan to impose a green dictatorship the environmental lefties will weaken the chances of any real change.
The conservative movement should embrace the need for changes in the way we live on this planet, but we need to show that positive changes will only come when it is in the enlightened self-interest of the citizen to do so. Only by means of the free market economy and the inventiveness of our scientists will our serious problems be solved. Tax incentives, combined with research investments will pay huge dividends for the future. For example, the Conservatives could announce a multi billion dollar investment into the CERN fusion power project. It is a global effort and we should be in on the creation of this limitless clean energy source. (One power plant could supply all the power needs of the NAFTA partners.) Tax breaks for those who buy high efficiency furnaces, solar panels and fuel efficient cars will do more than all the documents the Lieberals have signed. Oh yeah, those are tax breaks and those are bad!
We can take away this lefty agenda and like most conservatives, actually DO SOMETHING!
SWTE: Sleeping With The Enemy, I believe. A reference Kate made when she first started on the CBC Roundtable. Previous to that Kate didn’t seem to have too much good to say about PRAVDA, err Mother Corp.
If I’m wrong it is still a good guess…
Yup, TC is right, except that the reference is to the CBC”s habit of demonizing conservatives. Hence, signing on to blog for them is “sleeping with the enemy”
A lot of those “farmers who have successfully cropped land for over a century” around here are giving up their land to renters (or letting it grow up in weeds) and going to work on the rigs. Gibson is exploring a different way of making a living in this area. If she needed a dairy barn, and power for it, I expect she would find a way to have a reliable backup. I’ve heard someone scoffing about the power line in to my parents farmhouse, which was at one time powered by a wind turbine. Well, dig a little deeper folks. The turbine got struck by lightning (just like utility power poles often do), and could have been repaired, but there was a new experimental turbine in the works, so the old one got left unrepaired, and a temporary power line was put in. Then the federal research funding for the new turbine got yanked, so that project was never finished either, and the power line became permanent. But the solar heating system for the house continues to keep their bills very low; the new ground-source heating system that replaced the wood stove as backup is efficient and convenient. It’s not all bad news.
On one side: the doomsday cultists;
on the other side, the technological optimists; and in the middle, taking flak that they don’t deserve: thoughtful folks with initiative.
Thanks for giving Gibson some attention, and thank you to all those who give her credit.
Poor Maurice Strong, he sees his attempt to swindle millions out of cdns thru Kyoto going down the drain. Better yet, if we stay with this stupid program, I suggest that a fund be set up, so these extremists can put their money where their mouth is. Donate millions to pay for the credits we have to buy. Only those thinking this program will really make a change must donate. If they don’t put up enough funds, we will seize and sell their assets to make up the difference. Start collecting the names of all those thinking this is a good idea so we intelligent cdns know who to go after for money. So far, all liberal voters, NDP voters and Bloc voters, and especially all green voters. Also, their party should be held liable. David S. please send a check. M. Strong, start off with the 998,000. you got.
Then the federal research funding for the new turbine got yanked, so that project was never finished either…
You mean the Liberals did something right? Unbelievable.
Laura, they’re not doing it because the land is no longer productive. They’re doing it as a result of market forces. Modern farming is so damned productive they’re forcing each other out of business.
Do you know how much power it takes to run a milk parlor -twice a day, the computerized feed system, and the refrigeration tank for milk?
Tha’ts the point I was trying to make – the “self sustaining” way of life is perfectly fine – so long as those millions who now dwell in cities are prepared to starve to death.
Um, I don’t recall exact dates, but no, I think that was Mulroney…
And I can’t say that using the devil’s platform to present one’s own platform is ever a good idea.
Just gives them a ready made treasure trove of “scary Conservative quotes” to draw from.
Market forces shaped by massive subsidies. In the talk about improving farm support programs, I haven’t heard anyone talking about what happens when the WTO deadline for the elimination of farm subsidies comes around.
High production dependent on fossil-fuel-based inputs (fertilizers, pesticides – not just tractor fuel). It’s great while it lasts, but we’re all counting on some kind of breakthrough, or the millions in the cities are going to starve to death anyway.
If some people implement the efficiencies and lifestyle changes that are feasible, there’s more non-renewables left over to feed fertilizer plants and run milk parlours. What’s wrong with that?
I love ethanol,… I want to bring that up in any environmental debate.
I burn diesel im my tractors, combines, etc. Fossil fuel energy also goes into the production of said machinery, and into transportation of my inputs and products.
In fact about 4 calories worth of energy (mostly fossil fuels) in North America goes into the production of 1 calorie of food energy in the form of grains.
Even with the use of barcerias (many of them GM for those who love the environ and hate everything GM). How do you quadurple the energy in the pant material used to make ethanol.
I think there is a single plant in lethbridge that comes close. everywhere else ethanol costs significantly more to produce (taking into account the energy needed to produce the inputs) than you can get out up it in using it as a fossil fuels substitute.
Biodiesel is better, but I cannot see how anyone interested in the environment can support ethanol until teh technology becomes more developed.
Barcs
Ethanol is just a farm subsidy, it would be less harmful to the environment if farmers were given money to not grow crops for ethanol production. There must be a better way.
Kate, I thought about it some more. I see the objection: being “off-the-grid” sounds extremist, like a protest against the grid itself. I don’t think it’s always intended that way, though. There are some practical reasons for being off-grid, if you have the option. Such as: not having to pay installation and base rates for grid power; locating your home farther from existing lines without prohibitive costs; avoiding linear disturbance in sensitive areas (although in most cases you’re still going to need a road); avoiding power surges from their system into yours or vice versa. I don’t know what Gibson’s reasons were.
A GREAT ENVIRONMENTALIST STORY that has been in my head for 20-25 years.
Paul Watson (Greenpeace)was in the Ft.St.John area on his first “save the wolf” campaign. He was walking the bush between Dawson Creek and Ft Nelson to draw attention to the plight ,albeit only about 100 ft off the Alaska highway.
He met with some local ranchers near Ft. St.John and was explaining to them that they wanted to stop the wolf kill and he was not making much progress.
One of the female protesters/environmentalists offered a compromise solution, she suggested that if they castrated the wolves they would be less aggressive.
One of the local ranchers said “Look Lady, they ain’t f”king our cattle, they’re killing them ”
David Suzuki is just an old environmental Kamikaze.
He is a part of the “state fo fear” gang who make their living extorting money from corporations and governments on the premise that ‘they’ can find the right way for us to live in harmony with nature. It’s a scam, but it’s provided him with rockin’ career in show biz.
I believe that stalin had a saying about suzuki types, useful idiots. If there was anyone in this liberal govt. that had a brain let alone a functioning one they would offer a 25 million prize for 100 mile to the gallon pickup trucks and clean coal technology etc. instead they jump into maurices sordid bed and design a scam to fleece untold billions and fools like E.Jack U.Layton and his ilk prop this theiving govt. up instead of exposing this scam well hopefully tuesday morning this nightmare will be over.
I don’t know why but Canada’s most advanced Clean Coal power plant was put online in Alberta in 2005 with almost no publicity or recognition. It’s a Transalta/Epcor venture that has the CO2 output of a Gas fired Cogen plant. Clean coal is already here and the single generator puts out 450 Megawatts. Genesee #3 is near Edmonton and may be the beginning of a great future for clean coal power. Depends on how the State of Fear pans out.
Bill D
“Ever notice nobody ever talks about acid rain anymore?”
Matt, that’s because you don’t work with stone, or give a rat’s patootie about everything that’s disappearing because of it. St. Victor’s Petroglyphs here in SK have taken a hit because of it, and one day will be gone because we in Canada seem to value pollution and profit over protection and possibilities.
Even though I could never follow her lead, I can respect an environmentalist like Janine Gibson simply because she ‘Walks the Walk’; in fact I can respect any environmentalist that suggests moderate change that they have already completed. Using low energy lightbulbs, better furnaces, insulating your home and driving a more fuel efficient care are all reasonable alternatives for the average person.
What annoys me more than anything else is the SUV driving, heavy industry loving, Koyoto hypocrites who believe that the oil industry (mainly the Albertain based oil industry) should be punished because of their lifestyle.
Ever notice nobody ever talks about acid rain anymore?
David Suzuki spent way too much time in his lab with his fruit flies in years gone by.
I sometimes wonder if the hordes of “experts” who predicted airplanes would fall from the sky in the 2000 Y2K computer scam simply shifted over to Maurice Strong’s environmentalist Kyoto “global warming” cabal to keep their fertile minds busy.
Suzuki and most of the environmentalists joined the “jet set greens ” years ago. there’s money in
them there crisis.
Im guessing that Suzuki resides in Vancouver , the most urbanized centre in Canada. Hardly walks the walk.
The fifth day of a five day forecast is only accurate 20% of the time but Suzuki can tell us what the weather will be like a 100 years from now!
now let us beg…
….’Oh Great One, please come down from the mountain and tell us some more’…
Very well written Kate.
Every day I shake my head at such extremists. They run around waving their hand is the air spouting doomsday scenarios. While they generate some support though all the fear and smear, I’ve learned to tune anything out that is remotely extremist. (Quit smoking commercials for example annoy me to no end, almost to the point that I want to take up the habit just to annoy them…almost.)
Gormley had one of the founders of Greenpeace on the other day (no longer officially affiliated with the leadership of the group). he was expousing the virtues of incorporating nuclear power into a green plan to reduce reliance on coal. It marked the first time I have ever listened to 2 scentences from someone that had a past or present association with the group.
Unfortunately more often than not it is the people that run around claiming the sky is falling that get the most attention.
love your site. the thing that always makes me wonder is a few years ago there was a huge hole in the ozone, then our atmosphere was trapping to much poison gas ie co2 yea right, would not all these evil gasses escape out the big hole not in the suzuki/ strong world because there is no hedge funds to slide these evil gasses through for the usual liberal 30% skim. this election is all about kyoto people save your self and your children millions. SEND MARTIN PACKING
If there is anyone that is truly “scary” with a “hidden agenda” it’s David Suzuki.
I’ve wracked my brain but can’t figure out what SWTE stands for. Will somebody resolve my quandry? Thanks.
Staying with the election, still with the election, or something like that makes sense to me, though I do not know for sure either.
A true conservative (not a neocon- whatever that really means) should, by nature want to conserve, preserve and strengthen the environment. Kyoto does not do that. The Conservative plan will make gains in protecting the environment. I agree with much of what the Green / NDP party has to say about the environmental dangers we face. I just do not agree with their economic policies, or more often than not their social policies. Most significantly I think their methods of creating change will never be supported by the masses, so unless they plan to impose a green dictatorship the environmental lefties will weaken the chances of any real change.
The conservative movement should embrace the need for changes in the way we live on this planet, but we need to show that positive changes will only come when it is in the enlightened self-interest of the citizen to do so. Only by means of the free market economy and the inventiveness of our scientists will our serious problems be solved. Tax incentives, combined with research investments will pay huge dividends for the future. For example, the Conservatives could announce a multi billion dollar investment into the CERN fusion power project. It is a global effort and we should be in on the creation of this limitless clean energy source. (One power plant could supply all the power needs of the NAFTA partners.) Tax breaks for those who buy high efficiency furnaces, solar panels and fuel efficient cars will do more than all the documents the Lieberals have signed. Oh yeah, those are tax breaks and those are bad!
We can take away this lefty agenda and like most conservatives, actually DO SOMETHING!
SWTE: Sleeping With The Enemy, I believe. A reference Kate made when she first started on the CBC Roundtable. Previous to that Kate didn’t seem to have too much good to say about PRAVDA, err Mother Corp.
If I’m wrong it is still a good guess…
Yup, TC is right, except that the reference is to the CBC”s habit of demonizing conservatives. Hence, signing on to blog for them is “sleeping with the enemy”
A lot of those “farmers who have successfully cropped land for over a century” around here are giving up their land to renters (or letting it grow up in weeds) and going to work on the rigs. Gibson is exploring a different way of making a living in this area. If she needed a dairy barn, and power for it, I expect she would find a way to have a reliable backup. I’ve heard someone scoffing about the power line in to my parents farmhouse, which was at one time powered by a wind turbine. Well, dig a little deeper folks. The turbine got struck by lightning (just like utility power poles often do), and could have been repaired, but there was a new experimental turbine in the works, so the old one got left unrepaired, and a temporary power line was put in. Then the federal research funding for the new turbine got yanked, so that project was never finished either, and the power line became permanent. But the solar heating system for the house continues to keep their bills very low; the new ground-source heating system that replaced the wood stove as backup is efficient and convenient. It’s not all bad news.
On one side: the doomsday cultists;
on the other side, the technological optimists; and in the middle, taking flak that they don’t deserve: thoughtful folks with initiative.
Thanks for giving Gibson some attention, and thank you to all those who give her credit.
Poor Maurice Strong, he sees his attempt to swindle millions out of cdns thru Kyoto going down the drain. Better yet, if we stay with this stupid program, I suggest that a fund be set up, so these extremists can put their money where their mouth is. Donate millions to pay for the credits we have to buy. Only those thinking this program will really make a change must donate. If they don’t put up enough funds, we will seize and sell their assets to make up the difference. Start collecting the names of all those thinking this is a good idea so we intelligent cdns know who to go after for money. So far, all liberal voters, NDP voters and Bloc voters, and especially all green voters. Also, their party should be held liable. David S. please send a check. M. Strong, start off with the 998,000. you got.
Then the federal research funding for the new turbine got yanked, so that project was never finished either…
You mean the Liberals did something right? Unbelievable.
Laura, they’re not doing it because the land is no longer productive. They’re doing it as a result of market forces. Modern farming is so damned productive they’re forcing each other out of business.
Do you know how much power it takes to run a milk parlor -twice a day, the computerized feed system, and the refrigeration tank for milk?
Tha’ts the point I was trying to make – the “self sustaining” way of life is perfectly fine – so long as those millions who now dwell in cities are prepared to starve to death.
Um, I don’t recall exact dates, but no, I think that was Mulroney…
And I can’t say that using the devil’s platform to present one’s own platform is ever a good idea.
Just gives them a ready made treasure trove of “scary Conservative quotes” to draw from.
Market forces shaped by massive subsidies. In the talk about improving farm support programs, I haven’t heard anyone talking about what happens when the WTO deadline for the elimination of farm subsidies comes around.
High production dependent on fossil-fuel-based inputs (fertilizers, pesticides – not just tractor fuel). It’s great while it lasts, but we’re all counting on some kind of breakthrough, or the millions in the cities are going to starve to death anyway.
If some people implement the efficiencies and lifestyle changes that are feasible, there’s more non-renewables left over to feed fertilizer plants and run milk parlours. What’s wrong with that?
I love ethanol,… I want to bring that up in any environmental debate.
I burn diesel im my tractors, combines, etc. Fossil fuel energy also goes into the production of said machinery, and into transportation of my inputs and products.
In fact about 4 calories worth of energy (mostly fossil fuels) in North America goes into the production of 1 calorie of food energy in the form of grains.
Even with the use of barcerias (many of them GM for those who love the environ and hate everything GM). How do you quadurple the energy in the pant material used to make ethanol.
I think there is a single plant in lethbridge that comes close. everywhere else ethanol costs significantly more to produce (taking into account the energy needed to produce the inputs) than you can get out up it in using it as a fossil fuels substitute.
Biodiesel is better, but I cannot see how anyone interested in the environment can support ethanol until teh technology becomes more developed.
Barcs
Ethanol is just a farm subsidy, it would be less harmful to the environment if farmers were given money to not grow crops for ethanol production. There must be a better way.
Kate, I thought about it some more. I see the objection: being “off-the-grid” sounds extremist, like a protest against the grid itself. I don’t think it’s always intended that way, though. There are some practical reasons for being off-grid, if you have the option. Such as: not having to pay installation and base rates for grid power; locating your home farther from existing lines without prohibitive costs; avoiding linear disturbance in sensitive areas (although in most cases you’re still going to need a road); avoiding power surges from their system into yours or vice versa. I don’t know what Gibson’s reasons were.
A GREAT ENVIRONMENTALIST STORY that has been in my head for 20-25 years.
Paul Watson (Greenpeace)was in the Ft.St.John area on his first “save the wolf” campaign. He was walking the bush between Dawson Creek and Ft Nelson to draw attention to the plight ,albeit only about 100 ft off the Alaska highway.
He met with some local ranchers near Ft. St.John and was explaining to them that they wanted to stop the wolf kill and he was not making much progress.
One of the female protesters/environmentalists offered a compromise solution, she suggested that if they castrated the wolves they would be less aggressive.
One of the local ranchers said “Look Lady, they ain’t f”king our cattle, they’re killing them ”
David Suzuki is just an old environmental Kamikaze.
He is a part of the “state fo fear” gang who make their living extorting money from corporations and governments on the premise that ‘they’ can find the right way for us to live in harmony with nature. It’s a scam, but it’s provided him with rockin’ career in show biz.
I believe that stalin had a saying about suzuki types, useful idiots. If there was anyone in this liberal govt. that had a brain let alone a functioning one they would offer a 25 million prize for 100 mile to the gallon pickup trucks and clean coal technology etc. instead they jump into maurices sordid bed and design a scam to fleece untold billions and fools like E.Jack U.Layton and his ilk prop this theiving govt. up instead of exposing this scam well hopefully tuesday morning this nightmare will be over.
I don’t know why but Canada’s most advanced Clean Coal power plant was put online in Alberta in 2005 with almost no publicity or recognition. It’s a Transalta/Epcor venture that has the CO2 output of a Gas fired Cogen plant. Clean coal is already here and the single generator puts out 450 Megawatts. Genesee #3 is near Edmonton and may be the beginning of a great future for clean coal power. Depends on how the State of Fear pans out.
Bill D
“Ever notice nobody ever talks about acid rain anymore?”
Matt, that’s because you don’t work with stone, or give a rat’s patootie about everything that’s disappearing because of it. St. Victor’s Petroglyphs here in SK have taken a hit because of it, and one day will be gone because we in Canada seem to value pollution and profit over protection and possibilities.