Posted September 22, 2003

Energy Policy and Iraq.

President Bush proclaims an old, dirty coal fired power plant in Michigan as a 'clear direction for energy production in this nation. Bush Lauds Mich. Power Plant As Model of Clean Air Policy (Washington Post)

Meanwhile, on the same day that retired general Wesley Clark declares himself a candidate for president, Mr. Bush proclaims, "We have no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th attacks." Bush Disavows Hussein-Sept. 11 Link (Washington Post) (Recall that the retired general had publicly stated that on 9/11 he received a call from the White House advising him to link the attacks that day with Saddam Hussein.)

Interestingly I originally had a link to the Bush 9/11 story going to Foxnews.com however Fox took it down and a subsequent search reveals nada.

What does it all mean? As the "Solar Power Candidate" please allow me to connect the dots. Let's see, there appears to be 87 billion of them, and they are all heading down the drain..............................................................................................o

But what an opportunity for a governor of California. How could Senor Davis miss such a golden moment to lead California out of the darkness, and into the light by massively investing in solar electric panels (photovoltaics), and placing them on all appropriate government buildings? And in turn aspire to the presidency as the boldest leader this nation has seen in decades.

But don't take it from me, a simple denture technician..... instead here are some Excerpts, below, from James Rannels, Director, Office of Solar Energy Technologies: Culled from the introduction to The National Photovoltaics Plan 2000-2004. (Click on the link to see the .pdf NationalPhotovoltaicsPlan2000-2004)

Excerpts from James Rannels (quiet please.)

"In the PV (photovoltaics) community there is a sense of excitement and challenge -- the same feeling members of the Apollo program must have felt at the start of the moon race......The challenge we face in this century is to enable PV to go as far as any other energy technology here on Earth by making the scientific and technological advances that will put PV on every rooftop and in every corner of the globe."

"When John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to put a man on the moon within a decade, the scientists who would lead the effort had little more than a mission from their President to guide them.......Out mission is also bold and inspiring -- to offer the world a cost-effective, reliable technology that turns sunlight into energy with no pollution, wherever it is needed."

"As the century rolls on, we will see PV systems grace millions of America homes. We'll see a proliferation of PV systems built onto the rooftops of factories and businesses, or integrated directly into the skin of houses, skyscrapers, and commercial buildings to provide supplemental or stand-alone power. And we'll see the emergence of "PV" farms that range in size from a few acres to square miles of PV systems, to provide electricity for entire communities or for entire regions of the nation."

"We'll also witness the growing impact that PV will have in developing countries, home to the 40 percent of the world's population that has no access to electricity. Modules on the rooftops of houses and huts will provide power for pumping for drinking and irrigation. Moderate-size systems will supply entire villages with power to run lights, communication, and small industry, and will supply health clinics with power for operations and for refrigerating medicines. Photovoltaics and satellite communications will open remote villages to world commerce, education, and virtual medicine. All of this will happen without building power lines or telephone poles."

So what's the holdup? The National Photovoltaics Program Plan 2000-2004 was published in 1999. Clearly we are not realizing our solar power potential because our government refuses to invest the money necessary to accelerate to the next level. Meanwhile Japan and Germany are pulling ahead, and once again, just like 30 years ago, after the infamous OPEC oil embargo, the U.S. will be pulling up the rear.

Tuesday, September 9, 2003

The following statement from Ivan Hall is in answer to a question presented by www.glovesoff.org on-line candidates forum.

The question: Could each of you (briefly) give your interpretation of the underlying causes of California's economic crisis and explain how your campaign is seen as a response to the crisis?

Dear Editor:

California's economy, the nation's economy, and indeed the world's economy, in my view, all suffer from a common ailment: Stagnation.

The discovery, and integration of oil into the economy accelerated world wide economic growth. However, the advent of the oil economy hastened the end of traditional decentralized economies. Consequently, over the past 100 years money and power have once again become highly centralized.

The base for the existing power struggle is largely centered around the oil producing countries in the middle east. As third world economies attempt to gain momentum thru the shift in manufacturing to them, from first world economies, world wide demand for oil increases. Meanwhile the U.S. continues to massively build up its fixed military assets in the middle east, e.g. in Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq in order to convince ourselves that "we are in control of the oil supply."

We are truly at a critical juncture in human history. Will we continue the inexorable march towards more war, calamity, and chaos, or will Californians seize this unique opportunity in history, to vote into office the one candidate who first, and foremost preaches the need for California to massively invest in renewable energy, specifically, solar power?

The fossil fuel/ nuclear power pathway is ultimately a dead end street. Nonetheless, the energy conglomerates continue to invest heavily in extracting a resource from the bowels of the Earth, combusting it, and then spewing the harmful chemical constituents into the air for all life to breathe.

Meanwhile, the nascent solar and wind turbine industries set poised, bearing forth after 30 years of technological development, with the most advanced mechanisms ever available to human society, in capturing renewable energy from the sun and wind.

It is time to start the fire. It is time for humanity to rise up and demand government's massive infrastructure investment in solar, and wind power. California is the key. We can seize this moment to direct tax money away from purchasing fossil fuel power negotiated at rip off rates during the height of our power crisis, and instead, invest heavily in solar power.

Consider, that essentially every new industry that comes into existence is dependent upon government first massively investing, in the infrastructure needed, to facilitate that industry's existence.

For example, without government's investment in roads, and highways, there would not be modern automobile, oil, and steel industries. Without government's investment in building and operating airports, there would not be airlines, and airplane manufacturing industries. Without government's investment in dredging harbors and building modern seaports there would not be a modern shipping industry, nor the capacity for worldwide economic trade at today's massive scale.

Government's investment is the crucial foundation at seemingly every turn, that facilitated the transformation of society from steam and coal towards oil.

Thus it is logical, and necessary that California once again take charge, and lead the United States in a massive program of solarizing our economy. The first step is a multi-billion dollar investment to place solar panels, and other modern solar collector technology on all appropriate government buildings. This massive purchase order will dramatically reduce the cost for existing solar technology. The ramifications are prescient.

And as we near the 30 year anniversary of the OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, oil embargo of 1973-4.......we must unite across all political spectrums, to defeat the hugely entrenched special interests of the oil conglomerates, in order to democratically, and dramatically move forward in a bold new direction, which will do more to benefit the needs of humanity of all income classes than any one single ideology.

Thank you for the opportunity to share.

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