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Climate change is moot.  If we halt air and water pollution (using the zero emission standard of such treehugging radicals as DuPont), end our dependence on foreign fuels (through systemic efficiency coupled with cogeneration and renewables), and create new energy jobs here at home, then we can save ourselves.  The planet can take of itself.

For instance, the Home Energy Efficiency Team of Cambridge, MA  began doing monthly weatherization barnraisings in the summer of 2008. Today they are in contact with about 20 other communities in MA, RI, and NY which are doing something similar and there are other groups in MA, NH, ME, CA that are doing solar barnraisings.

Just for a change, we should spend some of the time and media real estate on a few of the ready solutions like that (weatherization, insulation, efficiency, renewables) instead of the phony debate about global warming, global weirding (a term Friedman got from Hunter Lovins, I believe), and climate change we have been indulging in for years.  I don’t care if you believe in anthropogenic climate change or not.  If you insulate your band joist and attic hatch or install a setback thermostat, you’re going to save money and energy and reduce greenhouse gases and other pollutants whether you trust the science or consider it a liberal conspiracy.

Continue reading Climate Change Is Moot
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I’ve posted on this subject previously, but this is so critical–and it crystallizes so perfectly the absolutely insane freaking gap between rich and poor in Boston–that I can’t refrain. City Life Vida Urbana held a series of demonstrations over the weekend in an attempt to get big-time Boston hotelier/restarateur Paul Roiff to end his own attempt to evict residents from 22 Princeton St in East Boston. They hit his hotel on Beacon St on Thursday night; on Friday night, we, we gathered in front of his fancy-ass restaurant Teatro, next to Loews on the Common; and on Saturday night we’ were at at Mistral on Columbus Ave in the South End.

Why?

evictees

(Oh, about that hotel of his: rates START at $295–but include a “complimentary overnight shoe shine.” A burger’s a bit pricey at $16, but a bottle of Heidsieck Monopole, ‘Gout Americain’ is a bargain at $14,000. Yeah, you read that right).

To hell with that. And to hell too with the paid infiltrators who showed up–and who were pretty quickly chased away (you’ll see some of their signage in the clip–the tenants are not “refusing to pay,” nor are they demanding to be “paid to leave.” Never underestimate the lows to which our high-rollin’ “betters” will stoop to discredit the very best among us).

Here’s a slideshow from the Friday and Saturday night demonstrations.

And a short video:

And an excerpt from a note from from CLVU:

Continue reading No Nos Moverán

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I’ve posted on this subject previously, but this is so critical–and it crystallizes so perfectly the absolutely fucking insane gap between rich and poor in Boston–that I can’t refrain. City Life Vita Urbana held another in a series of demonstrations last night in an attempt to get big-time Boston hotelier/restarateur Paul Roiff to end his own attempt to evict residents from 22 Princeton St in East Boston. They hit his hotel on Beacon St Friday night; last night, we gathered in front of his fancy-ass restaurant Teatro, next to Loews on the Common; tonight we’ll be at Mistral on Columbus Ave in the South End.

(Oh, about that hotel of his: rates START at $295–but include a “complimentary overnight shoe shine.” A burger’s a bit pricey at $16, but a bottle of Heidsieck Monopole, ‘Gout Americain’ is a bargain at $14,000. Yeah, you read that right).

Fuck that. PLEASE JOIN US TONIGHT!!!!!!!

[Here’s a slideshow from last night ]

Short video:

And an update just in from CLVU:

Continue reading No Nos Moverán

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I’ve posted on this subject previously, but this is so critical–and it crystallizes so perfectly the absolutely fucking insane gap between rich and poor in Boston–that I can’t refrain. City Life Vita Urbana held another in a series of demonstrations last night in an attempt to get big-time Boston hotelier/restarateur Paul Roiff to end his own attempt to evict residents from 22 Princeton St in East Boston. They hit his hotel on Beacon St Friday night; last night, we gathered in front of his fancy-ass restaurant Teatro, next to Loews on the Common; tonight we’ll be at Mistral on Columbus Ave in the South End.

(Oh, about that hotel of his: rates START at $295–but include a “complimentary overnight shoe shine.” A burger’s a bit pricey at $16, but a bottle of Heidsieck Monopole, ‘Gout Americain’ is a bargain at $14,000. Yeah, you read that right).

Fuck that. PLEASE JOIN US TONIGHT!!!!!!!

[Here’s a slideshow from last night ]

Short video:

And an update just in from CLVU:

Continue reading No Nos Moverán

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I’ve posted on this subject previously, but this is so critical–and it crystallizes so perfectly the absolutely fucking insane gap between rich and poor in Boston–that I can’t refrain. City Life Vita Urbana held another in a series of demonstrations last night in an attempt to get big-time Boston hotelier/restarateur Paul Roiff to end his own attempt to evict residents from 22 Princeton St in East Boston. They hit his hotel on Beacon St Friday night; last night, we gathered in front of his fancy-ass restaurant Teatro, next to Loews on the Common; tonight we’ll be at Mistral on Columbus Ave in the South End.

(Oh, about that hotel of his: rates START at $295–but include a “complimentary overnight shoe shine.” A burger’s a bit pricey at $16, but a bottle of Heidsieck Monopole, ‘Gout Americain’ is a bargain at $14,000. Yeah, you read that right).

Fuck that. PLEASE JOIN US TONIGHT!!!!!!!

[Here’s a slideshow from last night ]

Short video:

And an update just in from CLVU:

Continue reading No Nos Moverán

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Yesterday afternoon, former Republican Congressman and 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr had the audacity to say, “Waterboarding is torture.”  The reason it took audacity is that he was at CPAC, the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.  He was promptly booed.

Instead of adhering to the Constitution or the Geneva Conventions, conservative ideological leaders and Republican leaders have decided to shoot for political expediency, stubbornness, and sadism.

Continue reading Bob Barr booed at CPAC for saying ‘waterboarding is torture’
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     Over the past several years, we’ve come to a place in our national political debate where a handful of issues have dominated the conversation over and over. Of these, there is one that most intrigues me: which party can lay true claim to upholding that most important of pillars of our culture: true American values. Republicans time and time again cry out about how they embody these values, how their brethren are that most patriotic of citizen, as American as apple pie, baseball, and the 4th of July. Democrats, for their part, barely ever enter the fray to claim that they hold American values dear, and instead spend most of their time attacking Republicans. I’d like to put forth that neither of these parties best represents the American values we hold so dear. Instead, I truly believe it is the Green Party that most closely matches the ideals and aspirations of the American people.

Continue reading Green Values Are American Values

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This piece was written as part of GreenChange Blog Action Day.  Learn more here.

I’m not going to pull any punches here.  I detest the two party system.  I believe that it undermines representative government.  It makes our government more responsive to corporations than to citizens.  It decreases the chances of progress and it results in many good ideas being shut out of the national political debate.

The limits imposed on this nation by the two party system are slowly leading to its demise.  Partisan gridlock in Washington, outright corruption, the absurd difficulty of kicking out incumbents, corporate control of Washington, and the infamous backwardness of many local governments (among many things) are all symptoms of this same disease.  And I do not use that language lightly.

Continue reading Thinking beyond the two party system
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