#81 May/June 2006
The Washington Free Press Washington's Independent Journal of News, Ideas & Culture
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TOP STORIES

Misguided Medication
Federally sponsored research now indicates it's dangerous to many people, but fluoridation still gets the nod from WA officials
by Doug Collins
see related articles in HEALTH section

Drug-free zones fail to protect youth, worsen racial disparity
Key failures of drug-free zones

Movement to change ineffective laws finds growing support in WA and other states
two articles from the Justice Policy Institute
cartoon by John Jonik "War on Pot"

Vote-By-Mail: Expensive & Easier to Manipulate
opinion by Richard Borkowski
see related article in ELECTIONS section

FREE THOUGHTS

READER MAIL
Next stop, bus improvements; Bush on way out
cartoon by Tristan Hobson "State of Denial"
cartoon by David Logan "Republican Balloon"

Searching for Common Ground
by Todd Huffman, MD

ELECTIONS

Voter's Absentee Ballots Not Counted--Twice in Two Months!
by Doug Collins

Court Strikes Down WA Ex-con Poll Tax
from the ACLU of WA
cartoon by David Logan "Give me your tired..."

CONTACTS/ACTIVISM

NORTHWEST NEIGHBORS
contact list of subscribers who like to talk with you

DO SOMETHING! CALENDAR
Northwest activist events

WAR

Spying in Seattle
Surveillance and retaliation for the U.S. Navy
by Glen Milner

Questions in Iraq
opinion by Joseph Sonntag

Bush Seeks Funds for Laser Space Weapon
from Global Network

HEALTH

National Academy of Sciences: Fluoridation Can Be Unhealthy
No Milligrams are Good Milligrams

Oregon newspaper helps expose the risks
two articles by Robert Carton, PhD
cartoon by John Jonik "Parasito Insurance"

Fluoridation and Cancer
It's been known for a long time
from NY State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation

Toxic Flame Retardants Still Unregulated in WA
from WA Toxics Coalition

TRANSPORTATION

Wanna Faster Bus Ride?
Driver champions transit change
by Andrew Jeromsky

More Causes of Slow Busses
by Doug Collins

BOB'S RANDOM LEGAL WISDOM by Bob Anderton
WA Bike Laws: They may be different from what you think

ENVIRONMENT

UW Plagued by Biosafety Problems
from Labwatch Seattle

TRASH TALK by Dave & Lillian Brummet
Growing Green Kids
Extend the Life of Books & Magazines

RIGHT BRAIN

Tires
short story by Vincent Spada

"When Not in Victory"
"The Patient"

two poems by Raymond Cavanaugh

About Family:
"Uncle Teddy Pekrul"
"Family Portrait 1920"
"We Three"

three poems by Robert Pavlik

POLITICS

MEDIA BEAT by Norman Solomon
The Lobby and the Bulldozer: Mearsheimer, Walt, and Corrie

BOOK NOTICE: "What Democracy Looks Like"
New book argues that 1999 Seattle WTO protests were a cultural turning point
from the publisher

The Puzzle of Jack Abramoff and Quid Pro Quo
The basic problem with US politics is that it's a pyramid scheme
by Steven Hill

The Prius Strategy:
How to Displace Iraqi Oil with Energy Efficiency

(c) Roger Lippman
April 16, 2006

For calculations, sources, and alternative scenarios, click here (Excel spreadsheet).

The problem: a war that has cost $250 billion (so far), with no plausible explanation except to gain control of Iraq's oil. Another large appropriation is now in Congress. Our representatives will support it until there is a large outcry against continuing to fund this war.

What if we didn't need the oil?

How many new 45 MPG Toyota Priuses would it take to displace the oil we used to get from Iraq?

Government policy should encourage people to junk their gas hogs in exchange for a new, high-efficiency car.

Doodling on the back of the proverbial envelope, I came up with some useful answers. The numbers are approximate, but to the extent that they err, it is on the conservative side.

According to a recently-published study, the war is projected to cost $1 trillion before it is over.

How about getting out of Iraq now, taking $250 billion of the savings to displace Iraq's oil, and using an equivalent amount for hurricane recovery?

Then, we can get to work on energy efficiency investments that will help avoid the temptation for the next war for oil, and avoid contributing to global warming, which appears to be making hurricanes more devastating.

Added benefits (not included in the figuring above):

  •  No one dies for oil.

  •  Annually avoids 58 million tons of carbon dioxide, a cause of global warming.

  •  Creates jobs building new, efficient cars.

  •  We dont make half the world mad at us, breed more terrorism, or spend untold billions more on counter-terrorism.

But: What's in it for Halliburton & friends?

----------------------------------

See also: Dubya Wins a Nobel Prize - a sustainable energy fantasy.


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