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| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| Lileks: Save the Earth: shut down Vegas, baby! |
| 2008-07-01 |
| I can’t resist this, since it’s from Harry Reid, the Senator from the Great State of Nevada: “The one thing we fail to talk about is those costs that you don't see on the bottom line. That is coal makes us sick, oil makes us sick; it's global warming. It's ruining our country, it’s ruining our world. We’ve got to stop using fossil fuel.” This made me realize that we really must change our ways, since we’re obviously not going to get any more power from coal or oil, because we’re sick and ruined. Not completely ruined; the process of ruining is ongoing, but ruined we will be. And so we should stop using fossil fuels. Not reduce, but STOP. Thus spake our leaders. There’s only one sensible response: we have to shut down Las Vegas. Yes, I know, they get their power from hydro, but juice is fungible; the power that goes to light up Vegas could be used to take oil-fired plants off the grid. Closing down Vegas would reduce Nevada’s carbon footprint in other ways: a quarter of all tourists come from California, and I’d wager they drive. (Or drive to wager.) Thirty-six million visit Vegas each year – at least three million people a month arrive and depart from the airport on pollution-spewing fossil-fuel consuming planes. There is no practical reason for Vegas to exist. Surely this is a luxury we can do without; surely Nevada can find other sources of revenue to fund the government. If Las Vegas does not voluntarily cease operations, I call upon the Senate to either ban flights entirely, or impose a luxury surcharge equal to 110% of the ticket price, because Las Vegas and the waste it represents is ruining the world. The world can’t wait for Vegas to crumble on its own. To be fair, Sen. Reid is in favor of renewable sources of energy, and even had a conference on the matter. In Vegas. His arguments? Devlishly subtle. Once again, just to be clear: when it comes to producing energy, I am opposed to nothing except doing nothing. Do something with everything. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #7 Amazing how deep Lileks touches us all. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-07-01 19:24 |
| #6 As for shutting down LAS VEGAS > HMMMMMM, wid many Netters opining that the antagonisms bwtn Dubya + Moud going into 2008 closely resembles JFK + CASTRO vv CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS, DARE "SHUTTING DOWN LAS VEGAS" {Reno?] BE THE NEW "BAY OF PIGS"/OPERATION MONGOOSE - WHOM GETS TO BE "RFK" PROSECUTING THE MAFIOSI THAT ALLEGEDLY HELPED GET JFK ELECTED??? IMO its very possible the US Mafia may had been willing to overlook or even forgive JFK [+ RFK?]for RFK's prosecutions iff they had gotten Cuba back. OTOH SCENARIO > WOT + many Commie + Leftist Groups reportedly colluding wid Radical Islamist Groups > IS IT POSSIBLE WAS JFK [+ RFK] ACTUALLY KILLED FOR TRYING TO ATTACK CUBA, NOT FOR RFK'S PROSECUTIONS OF MAFIOSI NOR FOR THE FAILURE OF THE BAY OF PIGS???? WHat would've been gained or lost, and by whom!? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-07-01 19:13 |
| #5 Lest we fergit, FOX + CNN > AL GORE intro speech for BARACK OBAMA > IIRC, "THIS 2008 ELEX WILL NOT ONLY DECIDE THE FATE OF AMERICA, BUT ALSO THE FATE OF THE ENTIRE WORLD" [destinies?], or words to that effect. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-07-01 18:56 |
| #4 What BLM decision? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-07-01 15:20 |
| #3 The BLM decision was idiotic. Reid is right in this instance. |
| Posted by: penguin 2008-07-01 15:16 |
| #2 Looks to me like this could be spun as "Harry supports nukes" |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2008-07-01 14:44 |
| #1 This sounds like a great political bumper sticker: "Stop driving your car! You're making Harry Reid SICK!" |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-07-01 09:07 |