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Michaels turns on the energy light Trackside commentary 9/15/03 Last time around, I allowed how those who think that society can exist without a constant supply of energy must "want to curse the darkness, freeze in a cave, and have a life-span measured in years, not decades." Environmental sciences professor Patrick Michaels, University of Virginia, provided the flip side of freezing-in-a-cave in an August 20 Fox News Channel article - dying from the heat because politicians and ecofascists make energy, and therefore, air conditioning, unaffordable. Cities become "heat islands" created by the retention of heat in paving and buildings and the concentrated human activity. In a very unscientific example, I have seen the temperature creep up a degree or two on my truck's thermometer as I drive in to Topeka on a steamy hot day, and then drop back down, as I leave the city. Michaels' studies on mortality versus temperature in American cities have shown that there is a threshold temperature at which daily mortality jumps, but as the years have passed, the threshold temperature has increased to the point of a non-factor. Citing Philadelphia data, the threshold temperature was in the mid-80s in the 1960s, in the low 90s in the 1970s, in the mid 90s in the 1980s, and by the 1990s, there was no measured temperature at which deaths rose. Did survival of the fittest change the gene pool in Philadelphia? Of course not, Americans adapted by installing air conditioning - they could, because energy was available and affordable. Michaels points out that the large heat-related death toll in Europe this summer, at temperatures normal for many U.S. cities, could be directly related to the high cost of energy in Europe - air conditioning is beyond the means of most people. Why? Because politicians have bought into the Kyoto Protocol/global-warming scam, taxing energy out of the means of John Q. Public. Michaels closed by stating that self-imposed energy restrictions to comply with Kyoto will do nothing to impact temperature, but will sentence thousands more to death, "creating an invisible blackout of lifesaving air conditioning." The human-hating ecofascists must be ecstatic. Charles Wursta of the Environmental Defense Fund said about the millions of deaths from disease attributed to the world-wide ban on DDT: "This is as good a way to get rid of them as any." It does not take a stretch of imagination to hear him making the same comment about people dying in Europe because a technological advance has been denied them. Denying the use of technology to save property and lives, is a standard ecofascist strategy. The Western Environmental Law Center, representing a group of Clerks called Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, has filed notice that it is going to sue the federal government to stop the use of aerially-applied fire retardants and stop the use of bulldozers to create firebreaks in national forests. Why? Because both practices threaten endangered species. Once again, the folly - and unintended consequences - of the Endangered Species Act is being demonstrated. Critters trump people. The Pacific Legal Foundation is fighting the law suit, but the real questions are: When will Congress get the gumption to repeal the ESA? When will Congress rein in these attacks on the Constitution, and the human race? This actually turns out to be the most difficult TRACKSIDE I have written. Hard to believe, but we have been roaming the rails around the country for over ten years. Surgery scheduled for September 30, forced by developing health concerns, makes it prudent to take it to a siding, drop the fire, clean the grates, drain the boiler, oil around, and lock up the cab. This will be the last TRACKSIDE for a while - God willing, I hope I can lift safeties again, if not weekly, at least as the mood strikes. I want to thank the editors and web masters who have carried TRACKSIDE. I want to thank all those who have been faithful readers and all those who have commented, one way or the other. The expressions of support I have received over the years are a major reason TRACKSIDE has been on schedule as long as it has been. The battle to restore our country to its constitutional greatness against the powers of darkness who seek its ruin is not over, nor is it lost. Never forget in the midst of the political battles that they are important, but meaningless, without the consecration of our country to our Lord Jesus Christ and bending our knees to God's will. As said by more than one Saint, work and pray. See you Trackside. |