Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: T L Comiskey who wrote (72108)	7/3/2006 4:01:48 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 361119

A Good Read......... investorshub.com

To: T L Comiskey who wrote (72108)	7/3/2006 4:13:24 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 361119

Tie a green ribbon for Independence Day July 2, 2006 By LISA RENSTROM Independence Day is a time to celebrate our past, our values and the accomplishments of our nation. We honor both the American spirit and our history of overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges generation after generation through ingenuity, fortitude and sheer force of will. This Fourth of July, however, my mind is focused on the future and how we can tap the potential of these good old-fashioned American values to implement smart energy solutions. Because I believe on the anniversary of America's birth, this is the most patriotic action we can take and that if we love our country and the men and women who defend it, reducing our nation's dangerous dependence on oil must be among our highest priorities. The Department of Defense recently invited me, along with 47 other "civilian opinion leaders" to visit Pentagon's Central Command headquarters in Florida and our bases in the Persian Gulf. It was an eye opening experience, and not only because I was shuttled around on a black hawk helicopter, shot M16s and met generals and troops from every division who lead with intelligence and integrity. What became very clear to me was just how much our nation's security is wrapped up in our energy policy. Oil money is destabilizing the Middle East, threatening America's security at home and abroad. Our oil dependence affects our military priorities in other ways as well, starting with our need to guard strategic oil supplies and oil lines. I had the honor of speaking with Gen. John Abizaid, who oversees our nation's military operation for the 25-country region that includes Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. I acknowledged that our armed forces are providing the leadership to protect the oil supply but also asked who would provide the leadership to promote energy solutions that would reduce our demand for oil — something that would help ease this tremendous burden now placed upon the shoulders of our men and women in uniform. He agreed that America needs to reduce its demand for oil, but that it was not in his, nor the military's, duty to do so. Gen. Abizaid is right, reducing our dependence on oil is not the military's job. It is our job. It is every American consumer, parent, teacher, business owner and voters job and our patriotic duty. Toward that end, the Sierra Club is developing a national energy policy that will identify the suite of options — short-term, transitional and long-term — aimed at developing the next generation of clean and efficient energy technologies. We are inviting our friends and neighbors to weigh-in, to share their concerns and ideas, to travel with us this summer toward a common sense, practical independent energy plan for our country's future. But there is no need to wait. This Independence Day is the perfect chance to stop wasting the energy that in one form or another puts our troops in harms way. If public transportation is an option, use it. Flex your power as a consumer to buy energy efficient appliances, light bulbs and other products. Get an energy audit of your home to find out how you can save electricity and money, or even plug into wind or solar power. If you can afford it, consider swapping your current car, truck or SUV for a fuel-efficient hybrid. Finally, write your elected officials. Tell them to make our local, state and federal government part of the smart energy solution, by investing in renewable technologies and by boosting programs that make our homes, cars and businesses more efficient. So let's celebrate this Fourth of July by being part of the solution. It's time to tie a green ribbon around the oak tree to remind us of our heroes in uniform and our own role in making a smart energy future, a reality. Lisa Renstrom is the president of the Sierra Club, the nation's oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization. timesargus.com AID=/20060702/NEWS/607020311/1014/FEATURES05