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posted July 24, 2009
Send your letters of personal opinion to the WA Free Press, PMB #178, 1463 E Republican St, Seattle 98112, or WAfreepress@gmail.com. Please include full name and phone for verification. Short is sweet!
Reader Mail
No surprise that Russia, China spurn Kyoto
Regarding “Cashing in
on Earth’s Cycles, Part 2” [wafreepress.org/97/issue97.
China of course holds the same position. China’s “communist” system, thoroughly capitalist at the core, had made the Chinese economy dependent on the rapid industrialization of the unindustrialized world. Of course they now take a position against effective action that might slow down that industrialization.
So holding up Russia and China as examples of countries that dismiss the need to control global warming, as if that were a profound example of scientific disagreement, is a little silly. More likely it is an example of two countries choosing narrow self interest over policies that would benefit the environment. One might as well point out that for the last eight years, the leading economy in the world, and its top spokesperson, George Bush, debunked and denied the need for action to control climate change. (My gosh, if three countries without ulterior motives, Russia, China and the US, all deny the need for action to control climate change, they must have a point... ha ha.)
Concerning the suggestion that the current warming trend is all part of a cycle, it’s true that glaciers have a pattern of advancing and receding long before human activities could have impacted the climate; the question is whether human activities are a significant new factor in the current, profoundly rapid retreat and resulting, observable rise in sea levels. (And the industrial revolution’s been going strong since the 1700s, so a short showing low ice levels in the 1930s is of questionable significance).
As for Enron supporting the Kyoto protocol, it’s interesting, but so what? Undoubtedly some of the energy companies that may have played a role in creating the current crisis would be happy to find ways to profit again from attempted solutions to it. That’s how capitalism works. It doesn’t negate the need for those solutions.
Nils
Osmar
Editor’s reply: I interpreted the analysis of the Chinese and Russian stances as indicating the authors’ opinion of the likely futility of the Kyoto agreement, whether or not those countries’ scientific claims are true. However, I can see how you interpreted it otherwise.
On the issue
of the receding of glaciers, I have to agree with the authors. Although
the industrial revolution may have started in the 1700s, global carbon
emissions as a result of industry were miniscule up until say the 1920s,
and even then were a small fraction of what they are today. However,
the biggest decreases in glaciers have been in the years from about
1860 to about 1980. Since then, the rate of glacial decrease seems to
have slowed, and some glaciers actually appear to be rebounding despite
the fact that carbon emissions continue to increase [see my own article
on this topic at www.wafreepress.org/85/
Medical marijuana and faked illness
Since there seems to be
a growing number of states that are debating the pros and cons of legalizing
the use of marijuana for medical purposes [see related article Mar/Apr
2009 “How Marijuana Became Illegal,” <wafreepress.org/97/issue97.
MURRIETA, Calif., March 31, 2009 – Thirteen states have legalized the medical use of marijuana with a doctor’s approval, a development that has led to the rapid growth of cannabis dispensaries from coast to coast.
But one prominent drug treatment center in Southern California is finding that the recipients of medical marijuana cards are not just elderly people with terminal illnesses, but young people in their 20s who are faking back pain and other ailments in an effort to legally obtain the drug.
“Young people are finding they can easily trick doctors into giving them medical marijuana cards by claiming they are suffering from back pain and other ailments whose existence is difficult to prove,” said Jerrod Menz, president of A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center Inc., a Murrieta, Calif.-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.
Jeff Crider
Media Relations
A
Better Tomorrow Treatment Center Inc.
Editor’s reply:
I must admit, the media release you excerpted made me chuckle. This
scenario seems to suggest the benefits of full legalization rather than
the detriments of medical legalization. These kids obviously will get
marijuana one way or another, but they wish to do it legally.
Best kept secret about home inspections
Approximately six years
ago, Washington home inspectors were being advised that there was no
need to report mold as there was no structural concerns. This advice
was coming from a wood scientist who had ties to the wood products industry
[see related article “Is It Safe To Buy A Home In WA?” Jan/Feb 2007
www.wafreepress.org/85/
Now it looks like mold reporting will be allowed in preinspection agreements. This protects the consumer, who can write in that he wants visible mold assessed, and the inspector, who can then refuse to do the job if the consumer requires it.
The consumer can hire a dual mold/home inspector or just a plain old home inspector who has always felt comfortable reporting the presence of visible mold. Good news for both sides. No one will be forced to go beyond his capabilities and the consumer can hire someone who meets his needs. What a novel idea.
Teresa McCormick