“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”—Thomas Edison nn“All that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combated, and suppressed.” — Nikola Tesla
MAGA Neanderthals continue to tout fossil fuels over clean energy, the next but not last wave of the future. As the above quotes indicate, advancement requires trial and error along with criticism from traditionalists who prefer to look backward instead of forward.
In the 19th century, whale oil challenged candles as the main source for lighting homes until kerosene, a petroleum byproduct, surpassed both. Thousands of jobs in the whaling industry were lost, and many New England towns lost their mainstay occupation as progress doomed the careers of Captain Ahabs and Ishmaels while pods of Moby Dicks avoided extinction.
However, kerosene’s use would be short-lived. Like candles and whale oil, kerosene lamps could start a fire Edison noted this danger in promoting his DC electricity as a safer alternative. His pupil and later competitor, Nikola Tesla, said the same about his AC electricity. Both relied mainly on coal burning plants for power. And both attacked each other over safety, with Edison going so far as to electrocute animals with Tesla’s AC to sway his argument. In the court of public opinion, Edison’s General Electric triumphed. Tesla sold out to Westinghouse and died destitute.
Both Edison and Tesla left their mark on science and history. Now their source of power is being replaced by wind, solar, and hydro as the world strives to reduce carbon emissions and lower global warming. Countries that take the lead in this effort will prosper. The rest will be left behind.
Nobody knows this better than China. Still heavily reliant on coal fired plants, The Dragon plans to retire most by midcentury. China now leads the world in renewable energy, with triple the output of #2 USA. They also lead in production of EVs (electric vehicles).
Make no mistake. China is rooting that politics will “trump” science here and allow the Dragon to dominate the future. MAGAs, whose side are you on?
ED ENGLER, Sebring, Fla.
The film, “Oppenheimer,” now playing in theaters, is more than a Hollywood movie. It’s a chance to stimulate honest discussion in our country about the existential threat to humanity posed by nuclear weapons. Recent scientific studies have determined that just a small fraction of the world’s 13,000+ nuclear weapons were detonated, billions of people could perish. A large-scale nuclear conflict between the US and Russia could kill three-fourths of the world’s people. Let’s hold our leaders accountable and not forget that in 2022 the White House issued a joint statement from the US, Russia and China “that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” [Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races]
Learn more what YOU can do to prevent nuclear war at preventnuclearwar.org
KATHLEEN WELCH, PhD, MPH, Phoenixville, Pa.
So, let us now strive to understand Trumpism so that we may defeat it. To begin with, it is now abundantly clear and beyond cavil, that the two main undercurrents which propel Donald Trump and his movement are Christian Nationalism and White Supremacy. There is no other rational explanation for how so many could excuse his numerous crimes and misdemeanors, nor any other way we can understand why they overlook his faults and continue to exalt, elevate and defend him. Yes, there are the opportunists and entrepreneurs who are looking for an angle. But the real power of Trumpism comes from his base, who refuse to see their vague theocratic notions or their dudgeon on the loss of privilege as wrong. Trumpism can only be defeated when honest discussions begin. A step in the right direction would be to televise all the Trump trials.
STEVEN ROSENZWEIG, Brooklyn, N.Y.
On May 26, Wisconsin Dairy Alliance (WDA) and Venture Dairy Coop (VDC) filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). WDA and VDC are challenging the agency’s authority to require Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to obtain permits to dispose of their manure.
If WDA and VDC were to win this lawsuit, the only line of defense for the 1.4 million Wisconsinites who use private wells for their drinking water would be for the large factory farms to self regulate themselves, a prospect that could result in hundreds of thousands of gallons of liquid manure spills going unreported.
This lawsuit seeks to strip what little environmental protection authority that the DNR still holds over CAFOs or factory farms in the state. Most townships and counties, including Crawford County, are largely unprotected beyond the DNR authority which WDA and VDC are wanting to remove.
For this reason, I urge those who care for their right to free, clean drinking water to bring this issue to their local government entities. Townships and Counties are able to provide their own protection by placing ordinances regulating how CAFOs may operate within their jurisdiction without adding costs of regulation and setting aside disaster mitigation funds. Without these ordinances, our rural communities may have to rely on the polluters to regulate themselves.
JOSEPH CHILDS, Scott Township, Wis.
Ted Rall’s column [Democrats and Republicans ‘stole’ over 35 million votes from Greens and Libertarians in 2020, 8/15/23 TPP] regarding the role of third parties has one glaring omission: with ranked choice voting multiple parties can meaningfully participate without the “spoiler” effect. Maine and Alaska and many municipalities use ranked choice voting. We need to continue to educate voters to the advantages and keep pushing to implement RCV, as well as the national Popular Vote Compact devised by Jamie Raskin, the only realistic work-around for the electoral college.
ROBIN VAN LIEW, Holden, Mass.
I’m reading Letters to the Editor in your 8/1/23 issue, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is Not ‘Anti-Vax’?” David Raisman of Brooklyn, NY was logical and open minded in his letter. The “Editor replies” was anything but. It revealed his personal opinion and even went as far as to scare us: “Progressive voters should steer clear of RFK Jr.”
In this same issue, “Robert Kennedy Jr. is a Flawed Heretic” by Katrina Vanden Heuvel had some interesting observations by her: “Robert Kennedy Jr. called for this country to end its forever wars, and choose a “radically different path” towards peace, restraint abroad and rebuilding at home”. Also “Kennedy spoke more like a teacher than a politician, offering logic rather than rhetorical flourish”.
Being a long time subscriber to The Progressive Populist I want to hear different issues so I can learn and make informed choices. I feel the Editor should support our right to choose and he would be wise to have Robert F. Kennedy Jr write an article for The Progressive Populist!
JEFFREY EVENSEN, Rougemont, N.C.
Editor replies: Mr. Raisman asked if we were judging Kennedy by his own words and writing when we accused Kennedy of being anti-vax. We answered, and readers are free to draw their own conclusions.
Re: “The Roberts Court: Something rotten under the robes,” by Jamie Stiehm (8/1/23 TPP) nnJustice Gorsuch explains that the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of a Christian woman who refused to design a wedding website for a gay couple was based on First Amendment grounds, and only addressed “expressive original design”– but not other work.
Well, to begin with, what work could be more expressive, for example, than creating an architectural landscape?
Under the Court’s ruling, a landscaping architect can now lawfully refuse to design a garden for a same=sex couple. Hair stylists and even barbers can now also refuse to serve gays because theirs is a profession in the category of “expressive original design.”
Thus, the day is near when all professions, trades and even menial labor will be designated as “expressive original work,” only to discriminate against gays and trans-sexual folks.
And with the law’s convoluted logic, legal minds will soon transform (by decree) plumbers, brick layers, and other trades in the category of expressive original designers.
Consider a window washer: He can say that his window washing is original and uniquely expressive. He doesn’t simply wash windows. No, he washes them artistically. Thus, he has the constitutional right to refuse to wash windows for gays.
How frightful that four Supreme Court religious bigots are using their power to push America back to the Dark Ages.
DAVID QUINTERO, Monrovia, Calif.
The 8/1/23 issue of The Progressive Populist is the best issue of your paper I have ever read. Every article was excellent!
I wish every one of your writers would run for president. At least [The Progressive Populist] should be mandatory reading for the president!
ANTHONY TOMASHESKI, Texarkana, Texas
Editor replies: We’re pleased you noticed, and we’ll try to get even better. As for all our writers running for president, we have mixed emotions. But if someone wants to take up the challenge of getting Joe Biden to read TPP, more power to you!
From The Progressive Populist, September 1, 2023
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