America's Energy Crisis

I am so frustrated right now. In the late '70's, when the US had the opportunity to break free of foreign oil, we completely blew the chance, paving the way to 9/11 and war in the mid-east. I just finished reading an article in the NY Times, comparing the current oil spill to Moby Dick. A very interesting story, great analogy. But at the end, the writer refers to the fact that this is the moment for us to move ahead with green energy initiatives, and then says "...but, do Americans really want to pay more for oil?" Or something like that. Well, of COURSE Americans would like to pay more for energy if it means green energy that won't destroy the environment, home-grown jobs that will give them the ability, once more, to live a middle-class life, and domestic production that will get our troops home from a win-less war. DUH!!! Just read the letters to the NY Daily News. I think News readers are probably pretty typical New Yorkers. Letter after letter saying what I just wrote-get us out of the oil business, out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and stop purchasing our energy from foreign nations. Bring our initiatives to bear to fix the problem and move ahead on renewable, home-grown energy. I think Obama really missed the mark last night by not setting out a clear strategy for accomplishing that. We really can't afford this way of life any more. This is the moment. If we don't seize it, we probably deserve what we get.

Glee

And now I have a new guilty pleasure-Glee! It helps that I always loved musical theater. I think an entire generation-namely, my kids-missed musical theater. Too bad-it's an awful lot of fun. And apparently I'm NOT out of step on this one-can it be? Can I show I like a whole lot survive? Stay tuned (to Fox) to find out!

On second thought

Reading that last post, it did occur to me that it may just be the dearth of what I consider good programming that prevents me from watching more tv. After all, I watch the Lehrer News Hour when I have the time, and I pretty much never miss Masterpiece Mystery. So I find the time (usually) if it's something I am really interested in. I found the time for Pushing Daisies and Life on Mars. Putting you thoughts to paper (so to speak) can be very enlightening.

Me and Ali McGraw

I remember watching Ali McGraw being interviewed on some talk show when she had just been hired for Dallas (I think it was Dallas, it was one of those prime-time soaps). I have never forgotten her saying that she didn't watch TV, had never seen the show, and envied those who had time to watch tv, because she never seemed to. She went on to talk about her visit to China or some such far-away place, and I thought, yeah, sure, she's real jealous of all of us staying home watching our TV while she's traveling to far-off lands. But, as time went on and my life became busier, I began to see that perhaps she was not being disingenuous. And the other day I did a mental checklist of how much television I watch every week, and realized that it wasn't very much. Certainly not when compared to how much I watched when I was in my late teen and early twenties. At least I think I watched more then. And I certainly do wish I had more time-but to read books, not watch tv. There have been many letters to the NY Daily News from people complaining that since the switch to digital tv they do not get as many channels as they did prior to the switch. My response is, if they are still getting 7 channels, and can't find anything decent to watch, they probably should find something else to do. But that's just me. I think if I lived alone the tv would gather dust, in more ways than one. Whew-good thing nobody reads this blog.

The Annoyed Librarian Blog

I just came across this blog, and liked it so much I have to post it on my blog, even though nobody actually reads my blog. It's weird how the blogosphere works-you think you're writing for an audience, even if you don't actually have one.

I recently read Life, Inc., and am currently reading Cheap. These books are capable of completely depressing any American-actually, I suppose, with globalization, pretty much anyone. I've been feeling more and more lately that the financial deck is stacked against the average American, and these books don't help. Years ago, when credit cards became widely available, the conventional wisdom was that you bought today, instead of saving as people did before they had easy credit, and paid off with inflated dollars. You were being financially savvy. The problem was that in so many cases, people didn't pay the bill on the first go-round, so then they were paying interest on the loan. Instead of being smart, they were just saps. The de-regulation of the banking industry, the outsourcing of jobs-the list of contributing factors is just too long. In Cheap the author asserts that a retiring CEO of Walmart made more in his bi-weekly paycheck than his average employee made in their entire career working for Walmart. That is injustice on such a scale it makes my head want to explode. You can blame people for shopping at Walmart, but for many people that's the affordable place to shop. For myself, I am re-dedicated to attempting to shop locally and buy American. I know it can't be done all the time, but I am going to make a sincere effort. The results will, I hope, be fodder for future posts.

Lone wolf

Well, I realized the other night, during a conversation over the dinner table, that most of my swimming against the cultural tide has to do with television shows. It's not music, or plays, or even books, to a large extent, that has me at odds with most of the American population-it's just TV. Can I really sustain a blog on such a small platform? I don't think so.
So, farewell blogosphere. At least until I find myself really howling out there, alone, in the wilderness.