Perry Bradford-Wilson, Storyteller

“...in my opinion, there never was a good War, or a bad Peace. What vast additions to the Conveniences and Comforts of Living might Mankind have acquired, if the Money spent in Wars had been employed in Works of public utility!”
— Benjamin Franklin, 1783

The monthly operating cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is about $16 billion.  Roughly every American household is spending $138 per month on the current operating costs of the wars.  The Bush administration budget request for 2008 was $196 billion for both wars, with $159 billion going to Iraq.  (See http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/apr/01/iraq-war-100-month/ )  If the United States were 100% energy-independent would we even be involved in these wars?  If we spent just one year's war expense on developing solar, wind, or other renewabe energy resources we might be free of foreign oil dependency right now.  Energy policy IS foreign policy, economic policy, environmental policy.  It is the key to everything.

A good comparison of the candidates' Energy policies is currently available at CNN.com (see link below.)  Senator Obama's plan is clearly the better plan, as Sentaor McCain's merely keeps the status quo.  The only place Obama's plan seems to underserve is in "Cars & driving", where he seems to support flex-fuel vehicles and renewable biofuels over electric vehicles.  Fuels are commodities, and as long as we continue to rely on them we will continue to pay large amounts for our energy.  Electricity can be generated a many different ways.  In the future residences may be outfitted with solar panels, windmills, and other electricity generating devices so that once the equipment is paid for our energy will be essentially free.  Imagine never having to pay a dime for fuel ever again.  We must concentrate on electricity and leave the big corporations who want to keep selling us high priced combustible fuels behind.

McCain's plan pretty much focuses on drilling and making more and more money for Exxon, Chevron and Shell. However there is one interesting item which has been well publicized.  He is proposing a $300 million award for "the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars."  Granted, $300 million is probably a drop in the bucket when it comes to battery research and development, but so was the Ansari X Prize for the development of a private space craft, and yet it worked.  These sorts of "prizes" capture the public imagination.  Certainly Obama isn't going to jump on this bandwagon right now, as he would be accused on copying his opponent, but after inauguration it might be an interesting way to reach out to his defeated Republican opponent in a show of nonpartisan unity.  "Senator McCain, about that $300 million battery award you suggested..."

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.energy.html

As a follow-up to my last post;  My family's goal is to achieve "off-the-grid" energy independence.  Between solar panels, windmill power generation, and a variety of surprisingly affordable ways to generate our own electricity at our home, we hope to be free of the power company grid in less than seven years.  We already use rechargeable batteries for our mobile devices.  If we are able to purchase an all-electric plug-in vehicle then we could become virtually energy independent, since even the power our car used would be self-generated.

Imagine if just 25% of Americans achieved this.  Not only might the reduced carbon output put a dent in global warming, but the political and economic impact on the United States would be enormous.

The current energy crisis has energized the populace and made this kind of transition politically possible.  Senator Obama, if you are listening, this is our opportunity.

One issue I would like to see Senator Obama address is the subject of electric vehicles.  Many in government seem to tout the idea of hydrogen fuel cells, which seems to me just another excuse to create a marketable commodity - hydrogen.  We have the technology *right now* to move beyond energy as a commodity and allow Americans to be completely free of outside energy domination.

Plug-In Electric vehicles would require no "fuel" whatsoever, only electrical charging.  And electricity can be generated in many many ways.  As techonology improves most Americans could install solar panels on their roofs and outbuildings, put high-productivity windmills in their backyards, and use other carbon-free methods to generate their OWN electricity for both their homes and their vehicles, paying NO ONE for the commodity.  Our economy would remain strong as the dollars spent would move to solar panel production, windmill production, etc.   The United States is uniquely poised to capture this industry and bring all of those energy dollars back home.

Only through our citizens' self-generation of electricity can America achieve true energy independence.  As long as energy is still a commodity that is bought and sold the people who control the commodity will have the rest of us under their control.

For those of you new to the mybarackobama.com site and also the folks I have invited to read my ObamaBlog:  There are some good places on the web to get the straight facts to keep our candidate from being Swift Boated by the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy".  Try Obama's own  http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome/ for rumor-correction.  Another good site is http://snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp .  Use these facts when debating your misguided friends.

Thanks!

Everyone running for public office has their own Universal Health Care plan.  Meanwhile the best solution to the American health care crisis is already sitting on desks throughout Washington, DC:  H.R. 676.  (See http://www.house.gov/conyers/news_hr676.shtml ).  The easiest way to cut all of the excessive costs out of health care is to cut out the completely unnecessary middleman:  The Health Insurance Companies.  If all of the money Americans spent on health care was actually SPENT on health care instead of draining away to the back pockets of insurance companies there would be more than enough money to take care of everyone.  It's clear why no candidate will support H.R. 676 prior to the election, however... the money machine of the Health Insurance Industry would gear up and destroy any candidate who supported it.  Let us hope that, once in office as President, Senator Obama can resist the money and attacks by the greedy (and again, unnecessary) Insurance Industry and back H.R. 676.

Although I am not an especially religious person myself (I do have my own personal spiritual beliefs) I have always been at a loss to understand how The Right coopted Christianity, given how the teachings of Jesus and the platform of the Republican Party are completely at odds.  The following is for Christian or Evangelical voters who still don't know who they are going to vote for, and why they have to vote for Obama.

(Quotes from jesusisaliberal.org)

Webster's dictionary defines a Liberal as one who is open minded, not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional or established forms or ways.  Jesus was a pluralist Liberal who taught that one need not conform to strict and orthodox views of God, religion, and life.  He rejected greed, violence, the glorification of power, the amassing of wealth without social balance, and the personal judging of others, their lifestyles and beliefs.

Over and over again, He taught us to believe in and live a spiritual and ethical life based in our essential, inherent goodness.  What Jesus promoted was succinct set of spiritual principals and a way of life based upon the of love, compassion, tolerance, and a strong belief in the importance in giving and of generosity to those in need.

Biblical Quotes Supporting the Belief that Jesus Is A Liberal

Peacemaking, not War Making: Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. [Matthew 5:9]  Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. [Matthew 5:39]  I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite-fully use you, and persecute you; [Matthew 5:44]

The Death Penalty: Thou shalt not kill [Matthew 5:21]

Crime and Punishment: If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her. [John 8:7]  Do not judge, lest you too be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. [Matthew 7:1 & 2.]  

Justice: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  [Matthew 5:6] Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy [Matthew 5:7]  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  [Matthew 6:15]

Corporate Greed and the Religion of Wealth: In the temple courts [Jesus] found men selling cattle, sheep and doves and other sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. [John 2:14 & 15.] Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. [Luke 12.15.]  Truly, I say unto you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 19:23] You cannot serve both God and Money. [Matthew 6:24.]

Paying Taxes & Separation of Church & State: Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.  [Matthew 22:21] 

Community:  Love your neighbor as yourself. .[Matthew 22:39]  So in everything, do to others as you would have them do to you.[Matthew 7:12.]  If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. [Matthew 19:21] 

Equality & Social Programs: But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. [Luke 14:13 &14.] 

Public Prayer & Displays of Faith: And when thou pray, thou shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.  But thou, when thou pray, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret…
[Matthew 6:6 & 7]

Strict Enforcement of Religious Laws: If any of you has a son or a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?  [Matthew 12:11] The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. [Mark 2:27.]

Individuality & Personal Spiritual Experience: Ye are the light of the world. [Matthew 5:14]