Reflection

45 years ago, I was merely six months old when Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. Today in the span of only half a lifetime I shall bare witness to the nomination acceptance speech of the first African-American major party nominee for President of the United States. I don’t want to get overly sappy or emotional here, but I am already choked up as I write this. I own that I have been a bit hard on Barack Obama, but I know he has such potential in redirecting this country, if he doesn’t allow himself to become caught up in this cult of personality thing. I am in incredible awe of being able to watch this transpire in a relatively short, if overdue period of time. Barack, unlike past presidential candidates, shoulders the entire burden of civil rights history and descends the direct path from Africa. Obama is not a son of privilege or nepotism; and only through his hard work as a student and by using his unique gifts was he able to launch himself into elite institutions. At these universities he eventually came into contact with this nations privileged sons and daughters. An outsider attending an insiders game. He had no powerful family connections (unless you consider his Father having studied at Harvard for a brief time) and his ascension has thus been self-generated. So, today on the 45th anniversary of Dr.King’s historic speech I hope that this finds all of you reflective, grateful and celebrating this incredible moment.


Still No Energy Policy- The Denver Pleasuredome, at least the televised version, hasn’t demonstrated or devoted any real noticeable time to energy policy and cleaner technologies. Mark Warner speaking of cell phones isn’t exactly forward thinking technology-speak. Biden and WJC rehashed a lot of old Demo policies and issues. I found their speeches dated and old school. Both could have been told to steer clear of the topic, in anticipation of tonight’s address by Al Gore. My hopes are that Gore’s speech will become the highlight of the convention. Certainly, Gore will at the very least make the case for a cohesive energy policy and future green technologies. Trust me, Viva Gore!

Green Roofs- Congratulations to New York Governor David Paterson who approved tax abatements for developers and builders that install green roofs. These roofs are constructed of vegetation and rocks that absorb rainwater; they can therefore insulate buildings and extend the lives of roofs. Additionally, the since rainwater is absorbed it limits the amount of runoff that would eventually drain into the Hudson or East Rivers. A roof’s longevity can be easily doubled using this technique. Click here to read more regarding this incentive in the NY Times.

Cali Oil Rigs- It’s been nice to hear such a prominent California citizen as Nancy Pelosi back-peddle on offshore oil drilling. Since Pelosi has this newfound enthusiasm I suggest the California coastline becomes dotted with oil derricks. Maybe San Francisco Bay is the perfect spot to test a pilot program. It seems the good commissioners in Santa Barbara County also voted this week 3-2 to encourage lifting the ban on offshore drilling on their coastline. As usual the short term, quick fix solution is always the path elected officials chose to take. I hope all my friends in California enjoy returning to being nothing but a huge oil refinery as in the days of Standard Oil.