This past weekend I got to head up to Duluth, MN with my in laws. We canoed, grilled out, and hiked the surrounding wilderness of Gooseberry Falls. It was a great time. I’ve never seen my dog so happy to swim before. That’s a big deal too; she’s a big Husky with a thick coat. Getting wet is an investment for her, and she’s pretty conservative in deciding if the water is worth it. On the opposite side of the risk-spectrum is my little sister-in-law and nieces. I don’t know how their metabolisms can manage to produce that much energy. Even after a full day of running around the trails and climbing waterfalls, these girls would still have the energy to wait out their parents at the campfire each night, daring their superiors to send them to bed. Its weekends like this that remind me why I love living in Minnesota so much, so close to my family, and so close to the wild.
Soon the senate and congress will return from their summer break. I don’t think many will have had any sort of “vacation” like my past weekend. We’ve all seen the angry mobs at the town-hall meetings. It seems like both sides of the health care debate know no rest. That’s too bad. People need retreat from their work, especially when stress is running high.
So as I watch the cell-phone videos of these town-hall confrontations (I’m addicted to these videos) I can’t help but notice that energy policy hasn’t received the same, shall we say “spirited debate” as healthcare reform. I’ve seen videos in which people in the back ground are holding up signs stating that climate change is a myth, and yelling out “No Cap and Auction!” But still, this is nothing compared to the debate over health care. The energy policy debate seems to be more of an uncomfortable disagreement in these recordings. I wish I had studied psychology in college. I honestly don’t know if this is good or bad for the energy production and consumption reform our country so desperately needs right now.
Kathy Castor’s Town Hall Erupts In Tampa Florida, Aug. 6th, 2009
When I recognized this difference between the two debates, I was at first optimistic. Maybe both sides of the debate are starting to reach a perfect compromise, which I’ve always heard, leaves both sides disappointed. How great would that be? Of course this feeling only last 10 seconds, then I remembered who was organizing these town-halls. And good for FreedomWorks, they’re pushing the debate. I just wish they weren’t accepting money from the healthcare industry. But this strategy makes sense. Invest heavily in a small number town hall meetings to push the anti-reform message, and watch that message multiply via media coverage and talking heads.
It seems the American Petroleum Institute is following the healthcare industry’s footsteps. An internal memo was recently obtained Greenpeace from a protected source. The memo (download pdf here) is supposedly from the desk of the Institute’s President, Jack Gerard. The memo asks API members to recruit all their contacts (employees, families, vendors, etc.) to attend “Energy Rallies” in key districts nationwide. The memo reveals that API has already retained “a highly experienced events management company that has produced successful rallies for presidential campaigns, corporations and interest groups.” Gerard sums up the reasoning to hold these event by stating:
“The objective of these rallies is to put a human face on the impacts of unsound energy policy and to aim a loud message at those states’ U.S. Senators to avoid the mistakes embodied in the House climate bill and the Obama Administration’s tax increases on our industry. Senate Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid reportedly has pushed back consideration of climate legislation to late September to allow Senators time to get their constituents’ views during the August recess. It’s important that our views be heard.”
Now I’m excited to see people come to town halls and hold rallies in effort to voice their opinions. But when API is contracting the organizing force of these events, producing flyers and materials for these events, and basically writing the script for these events, it no longer looks like democracy in action to me. It seems to be manipulation of individuals through their employers.
Well, I have not seen any fruit of API’s organizing thus far. I’m kind of excited to see if anything really floats up from these efforts into the national media outlets.
Even if these efforts died in the memo’s discovery, I don’t think our federal lawmakers will be getting a good rest from their stressful jobs anytime soon. So I’ll just leave this post with a prayer request for my readers. Please pray with me that the angry, hurt, and disenfranchised people of our nation are healed by Christ, and given a clear mind which seeks for cooperation rather than polarization. Pray that our political leaders are comforted in these stressful times. Pray that God blesses them with good judgment in their upcoming decisions on energy policy as well as healthcare reform. Pray for the leaders of API, their membership, and their employees. It’s scary for them too right now. Lastly, pray for all of creation, that the Lord helps us as stewards in protecting and tending this beautiful earth.
Don Bosch says:
To your last thought - Amen...
Interesting comparison. People get frustrated when they get taxed more and understood less.
Was enjoying this same discussion over a cold adult beverage last night with a few friends. The group had strong feelings across the political spectrum. We didn't agree on a solution but unanimously clinked our bottles to one thing: We'd go along with D.C.'s healthcare solution if everyone in government - without exception - had to live with the same system. We also admitted that that wouldn't happen.
A vocal minority (and a smaller vocal minority of Christians) are strongly in favor of immediate action on climate change. When D.C./Hollywood types pushing for AGW legislation quit flying to Bermuda in their private jets, maybe that number will grow. If that doesn't happen, especially if the economy continues to slide south, the "energy rallies" will make healthcare rallies look like Little League.
Grant Kjos says:
On your discussion over an adult beverage... amen. That's not going to happen anytime soon. Personally I would love to see the single payer system adopted here in the US, but yeah... not gonna happen anytime soon. Primarily because such a system would take much more time and resoucres than we are willing to invest at this time. Secondly, the misinformation of single payer systems towers over the public option myths. Oh well, if people were able to retain their faith in God's providence during the black plague, I can deal with a sub-par healthcare system for a while. It's just sad seeing people suffer simply for the sake of profit. The body of Christ will know no rest.... hallelujah!
On your second point- Hypocrisy will never be eradicated from public or private lives... Hmmm... I guess that's something to keep in mind on your first point as well.
Moving on though... I really wonder if these "energy rallies" will be bigger than the healthcare rallies. In the case of anit-healthcare reform- A lot of the capitol and organizing is being supplied by the healthcare industry itself (probably not the majority of these events, but deffinently a large number of the targeted key events). This is simply defense from the industry. They see the public option as being something that will take away from their oligopoly (is that right word for this industry?). It would seem they simply want to maintain the status quo- that or mandate the status quo on all citizens (like in mass.).
In the case of the oil industry, we do see leadership coming out of BP and Exxon to push us towards more renewables and lower GHG emissions. Many of these companies already work in cap and trade environments (US east coast, and EU for example, or the midwest acid rain programs). and seem to be willing to expand this practice, they simply want to ensure they can maximize profit by obtaining free carbon credits, and tax exemptions. It'll be interesting to say the least. Thank Don!