{"id":32720,"date":"2011-10-11T16:57:59","date_gmt":"2011-10-11T22:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=32720"},"modified":"2011-10-11T16:58:05","modified_gmt":"2011-10-11T22:58:05","slug":"smash-capitalism-liberate-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2011\/10\/smash-capitalism-liberate-the-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"Smash capitalism, liberate the planet"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_32721\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignright\" style=\"max-width: 120px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-32721\" title=\"Noon, Marita\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Noon-Marita.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"120\" height=\"160\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marita Noon<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Occupy Wall Street is a chaotic collection of people with conflicting messages. According to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/10\/06\/business\/a-manifesto-for-wall-street-protesters.html\" target=\"_blank\">New York Times<\/a>, they represent \u201cA feeling of mass injustice.\u201d They want to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>make banks safer, and let them fail.<\/li>\n<li>name and shame fat-cat salarymen.<\/li>\n<li>free legislators from special interests.<\/li>\n<li>change the United States\u2019 two-party system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/infocus\/2011\/09\/occupy-wall-street\/100159\/\" target=\"_blank\">sign<\/a> seems to cancel out another. Some, like \u201cEnd the Fed,\u201d could be seen at a Ron Paul or Tea Party rally. Some, like \u201cunf*#@ the world,\u201d are vague. Others, like,\u00a0\u201cSmash Capitalism, Liberate the Planet,\u201d represent an underlying mindset.<\/p>\n<p>It would be easy to write them off as a group of kooks who will go away after they have had their 10 minutes of fame. However, what began as an apparent grassroots movement may have been hijacked. Commenting on Occupy Wall Street, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=5vxnJ5u9R0A\" target=\"_blank\">Nancy Pelosi<\/a> said \u201cGod bless them.\u201d According to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/ezra-klein\/post\/congressional-democrats-embrace-occupy-wall-street\/2011\/10\/05\/gIQAEvNIOL_blog.html\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post<\/a>, \u201cProminent House Democrats are embracing the Occupy Wall Street protests,\u201d and <a href=\"http:\/\/articles.cnn.com\/2011-10-05\/politics\/politics_occupy-wall-street_1_protests-in-other-cities-protestors-demonstrations?_s=PM:POLITICS\" target=\"_blank\">CNN<\/a> reports that labor unions have pledged their support:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWall Street protests swelled Wednesday to their largest numbers yet, after local unions pledged support to a third week of demonstrations against income inequality, corporate greed, corruption and a list of other social ills.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/video\/2011\/10\/06\/rush_limbaugh_obama_setting_up_country_for_riots.html\" target=\"_blank\">Rush Limbaugh<\/a> believes George Soros money is behind the protests.<\/p>\n<h3>What if\u2026<\/h3>\n<p>What if they do not go away? What if they were to get their way?<\/p>\n<p>Because they don\u2019t have a unified message, it is difficult to predict what kind of utopia the effort would produce, but we can make some educated guesses that I suggest need to be incorporated into the news cycle and private conversations.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>It is clear that \u201ccorporations\u201d are the villains \u2014 broadly represented by \u201ccapitalism,\u201d specifically \u201cbanks.\u201d Somehow, they believe that if we could \u201cSmash Capitalism,\u201d we would \u201cLiberate the Planet.\u201d If I were a newscaster amongst the demonstrators camping out in Zuccotti Park, I\u2019d ask them, \u201cDo you think the world would be a better place if corporate America was in charge or if environmentalists were in charge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I can picture the on-camera scene. A demonstrator dressed like a \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/photos\/-rage-against-wall-street-power-clogs-sidewalks-1316463530-slideshow\/demonstrator-dressed-corporate-zombie-takes-part-occupy-wall-photo-185244008.html#crsl=%252Fphotos%252F-rage-against-wall-street-power-clogs-sidewalks-1316463530-slideshow%252Fdemonstrator-dressed-corporate-zombie-takes-part-occupy-wall-photo-185244008.html\" target=\"_blank\">corporate zombie<\/a>\u201d would scoff at the very question. \u201cEnvironmentalists!\u201d would be the quick response.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/occupywallstreet.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">OccupyWallStreet.org<\/a> states that there is no official list of demands, yet a list of 13 \u201cdemands\u201d remains on their website \u2014 posted by \u201cAnonymous.\u201d Number five is: \u201cBegin a fast track process to bring the fossil-fuel economy to an end while at the same bringing the alternative-energy economy up to energy demand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There is widespread belief that oil, gas and coal \u2014 all fossil fuels \u2014 are at the base of much of the world\u2019s ills. Demand seven includes \u201cdecommissioning of all of America\u2019s nuclear power plants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So what would the world look like if just these energy-related demands could come true with the wave of a magic wand, if the environmentalists were in charge?<\/p>\n<p>The foundation of my new book, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imprbooks.com\/shop\/pc\/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=158&amp;idproduct=2095\" target=\"_blank\">Energy Freedom<\/a>, is an in-depth study of environmental groups\u2019 websites\u2019 goals as they relate to energy. In short, they want to \u201ckill,\u201d \u201cblock\u201d and \u201cdeny.\u201d The only thing they want to expand is moratoriums.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a sampling of what could happen to four major aspects of American life if the environmentalists were in charge.<\/p>\n<h3>Transportation<\/h3>\n<p>Most Americans have the freedom to come and go in their individual cars as they choose. A 2006 <a href=\"http:\/\/pewresearch.org\/pubs\/323\/luxury-or-necessity\" target=\"_blank\">survey<\/a> found that 91 percent of Americans consider their cars to be a necessity, not a luxury. Yet environmental extremists are actively working to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/globalwarming\/cap2.0\/bargain.asp\" target=\"_blank\">stop or prevent drilling<\/a> for oil and gas. They also aim to shut down coal-fueled power plants and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/en\/campaigns\/nuclear\/\" target=\"_blank\">oppose nuclear<\/a> energy. With a reduced capacity for electricity and transportation, our lifestyle, as we know it, ceases to exist.<\/p>\n<h3>Modern conveniences<\/h3>\n<p>The same survey found that most Americans consider things like microwaves, air conditioning and heating, computers, and cell phones to be a necessity. However, in a limited-fuel, environmentally controlled society, these items would have to go. They all require electricity \u2014 as do electric cars. Additionally, each of these \u201cnecessities\u201d is made from plastic and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.naturalgas.org\/overview\/uses_industry.asp\" target=\"_blank\">plastic is typically made from hydrocarbons<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Health<\/h3>\n<p>Like modern conveniences, our health is heavily dependent on both energy and <a href=\"http:\/\/plasticsmakeitpossible.com\/category\/plastics-in-your-life\/health-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\">plastics<\/a>. If you have been in a doctor\u2019s office or hospital lately, you know that even taking your temperature requires electricity and plastics. Today\u2019s extreme regulations could have an adverse impact on our health.<\/p>\n<h3>Housing<\/h3>\n<p>Without abundant electricity to purify water and pump it into your home and remove and process waste matter, you couldn\u2019t live there. You\u2019d need to move to a location near a fresh water source. Additionally, many environmental groups want to block the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernwatersheds.org\/watmess\/watmess_2004\/spring_2004.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">cutting of trees<\/a> \u2014 making the construction of new homes near a potential fresh water source virtually impossible.<\/p>\n<h3>We need exploration and innovation<\/h3>\n<p>We all want clean air, fresh water, and a safe food supply, but stopping, opposing, denying and blocking are not the ways to get it.<\/p>\n<p>Huge strides have been made since the dawn of the industrial revolution. Despite increases in the typical activities that produce pollution, America is much cleaner now than it was 20 years ago. Since 1970, our population has increased and our energy consumption has gone up. We drive more miles each year. At the same time, our American ingenuity has been at work generating an increase in our Gross National Product. If you listen to Occupy Wall Street, you\u2019d assume that pollution has also increased. However, the truth is that, despite this growth, our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.epa.gov\/air\/airtrends\/2006\/emissions_summary_2005.html\" target=\"_blank\">aggregate emissions<\/a> are approximately half of what they were.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Economides, author of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Energy-Climate-Wars-politicians-undermining\/dp\/1441153071\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318006723&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\">Energy and Climate Wars<\/a> says, \u201cThe U.S. is certainly one of the cleanest, more environmentally responsible nations in the world. Virtually no European country can boast cleaner waters, more pristine rural landscapes or air quality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We need exploration and innovation in America. We need to tap into energy sources currently \u2014 or in the process of being made \u2014 off limits in America by the Endangered Species Act or by plans to lock up resources under the guise of a national monument. When you think about it, energy makes America great \u2014 and we do it in a manner cleaner and safer than anywhere else on the planet.<\/p>\n<p><em>Marita Noon is the executive director for <a href=\"http:\/\/energymakesamericagreat.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Energy Makes America Great Inc<\/a>. and the companion educational organization, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.responsiblenergy.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Citizens\u2019 Alliance for Responsible Energy<\/a> (CARE). Together they work to educate the public and influence policy makers regarding energy, its role in freedom, and the American way of life. Combining energy, news, politics, and, the environment through public events, speaking engagements, and media, the organizations\u2019 combined efforts serve as America\u2019s voice for energy. Marita\u2019s 20th book, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imprbooks.com\/shop\/pc\/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=158&amp;idproduct=2095\" target=\"_blank\">Energy Freedom<\/a>, has just been released.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What if Occupy Wall Street does not go away? What if they were to get their way? Because they don\u2019t have a unified message, it is difficult to predict what kind of utopia the effort would produce, but we can make some educated guesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192,16],"tags":[119,222,116],"class_list":["post-32720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","category-guest-columns","tag-energy-policy","tag-occupy-movement","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2414"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32720\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}