Letter to Dan Lungren

Dear Debra:

Per your instructions, I will outline my purpose for meeting with Congressman Lungren.First of all, I had the good fortune of bumping into Congressman Lungren in front of the Bel Air Market a couple of weeks ago. We talked a little bit about clean energy but under those circumstances, it was difficult to have a meaningful discussion. I would like to meet with Congressman Lungren to discuss 2 issues of critical importance: the impacts of climate change, our reliance on fossil fuels and what should be done about it.I do
not know whether or not Congressman Lungren accepts the theory that the climate is changing and humans are the primary cause of these changes. There is an accumulating body of evidence supporting anthropogenic climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was created by the World Meteorological Organization has stated unequivocally in its most recent assessment that Human activities ... "are modifying the concentration of atmospheric constituents ... that absorb or scatter radiant energy. ... [M]ost of the observed warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations." The statements by the IPCC are supported by every major scientific organization in the U.S., including the National Academy of Sciences, The American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). All have issued statements in recent years concluding that the evidence for human modification of climate is compelling.In short, there is no longer any meaningful debate occurring among scientists about whether
climate change is happening and whether humans are the cause. That issue has been settled. A small group of skeptics remain who have offered other theories such as water vapor, natural variation, sunspots,etc. None of the competing theories have withstood scientific scrutiny.

Most of these other explanations tend to focus on one aspect of the climate change model or
extract limited pieces of data, also known as cherry-picking to bolster their arguments. If Congressman Lungren is interested in learning more about the scientific basis behind climate change theory, I urge him to contact Dr. James Hansen of the Nasa Goddard Institute of Space Studies. Dr. Hansen is the leading climatologist on global warming and has been researching this problem for over 20 years. I am sure he would be delighted to discuss the issue with Congressman Lungren. Dr. Hansen can be reached at (212) 678-5500.
The impacts of climate change are already evident on a global scale. Mountain glaciers are receding and the polar ice caps are melting. A massive ice sheet 100 square miles and 600 feet thick in size recently broke off of the coast of Greenland. 2010 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record. Coral reefs around the world are under stress due to the acidification of the ocean from increasing Co2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Unusually hot weather gripped Russia this year, drying out acres of farmland and raising wheat prices around the world.

There is no secret as to what is causing the increase in Co2 in the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels since the beginning of the industrial revolution have released millions of tons of Co2 and much of the Co2 that was burned at the beginning of the 20th century is still in the air today. Dr. Hansen has identified a list of what he refers to as positive feed backs, which are observable consequences of Co2 increases that are responsible for accelerating the warming of the planet. According to Dr. Hansen, the earth’s climate is approaching a critical tipping point, where it may be too late to do anything. Once again, I urge Congressman Lungren to speak directly to Dr. Hansen so he can understand this problem in more depth.

To summarize:

1. The earth is getting warmer due to the increase in Co2 in the atmosphere.
2. Humans are responsible for the increase in Co2 due to the burning of fossil fuels.
3. The consequences of a warmer earth are now observable and accelerating.

The only question left is what to do about it. Clearly, we cannot extract and consume every last bit of fossil fuel left underground before we seek out alternatives. The consequences of burning additional fossil fuels, especially coal would be disastrous from both an economic and environmental perspective. I completely understand the concerns of many in Congress and perhaps Congressman Lungren who fear that any attempt to begin a transition to a clean energy economy would cost thousands of jobs. However, those costs must be weighed against the cost of not doing anything. On July 27, 2010 a panel of experts and officials from the Dept of Defense gathered to discuss the issue of clean energy. The Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus stated that it is a matter of national security to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and his statements were echoed by other officials at the meeting including Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman at theDept of Energy. According to Deputy Secretary Poneman, the status quo is unsustainable. He goes on to say that, "The security and prosperity of the United States are directly tied to energy." A May, 2009 report from the Center for Naval Analysis called our national energy posture a serious and urgent threat to national security.

From everything that I have presented above, the only logical solution is to phase out fossil fuel use in this country and build an alternative clean energy infrastructure. The purpose of my meeting with Congressman Lungren is to give him a blueprint for accomplishing this goal. I promise not to take up too much of his time. I only ask that he hear me out on this.

Sincerely,
David Brotman

Return Comcast Cable Box

Since we can watch lots of stuff directly from the computer, we decided to end the Chinese package with expanded cable. This meant I had to return the cable box to the Comcast store on Truxel across from the Walmart in North Natomas. Total distance is approximately 24 miles. The weather was cooperating. In fact it was slightly nippy. Fall has finally arrived in Sacramento after a brief Indian summer last week. I left at about 10 minutes to 10 in the morning after taking Fluffy for a short walk. I don’t like to stop and the reason is that my muscles start to stiffen up. So I simply slow down for some Gatorade every once in a while which worked out fine. I arrived at the shopping center about 12 noon and before I parked my bike, I checked to see if the Indian fast food place was still there since it tasted so good last time. I was dismayed to find the space empty with a for lease sign. Jeez, that was only about 1.5 months ago that I ate there. Oh well. I locked my bike and opened the door to the Comcast store. It was crowded with a long line of people returning equipment and paying their bills. I had to wait about 1/2 hour but fortunately there was a big screen TV to pass the time. Business completed, it was time to choose a place to eat. I went over to unlock my bike and suddenly heard, "Hey, you in the shades, what time is it?" A well-dressed homeless man had looked up from reading some type of textbook and I told him, "It is 12:23. " He smiled and then said, "Bless you man, bless you." I just nodded. I could have said bless you too, but I am not a blessing you this or that type of person.
Okay back to the issue at hand. Food. Del Taco was out of the question and so was Arby’s. Their sandwiches are loaded with way too much salt. How about that Gordita’s Burrito on Truxel and El Camino? Yes, I remember that place. It was a decent place with good, clean food. I arrived at the corner and looked for the restaurant sign. It was gone but it did say Taqueria Mezcal. Okay, that’s close enough. I parked in front of La Bou next door, walked in and ordered a chicken burrito and a small drink. That burrito tasted so good. What a difference from that crap I ate at El Forastero. It was large and had beans, fresh chicken and I think some rice as well. I have come not to expect lettuce and tomato in burritos. But they did have salsa and it was fresh and appetizing, especially the green salsa. I piled green and red salsa onto my burrito and wolfed it down while dripping salsa and sauce on my plate. I was enjoying myself so much, I forgot about the time. Oh, shit! I had to be back in Gold River by 3 PM to pick up Pumpkin and it was already after 1. Travel time on the bike trail is usually never less than 1.5 hours and that was going downhill. Going back is all uphill. I had to get going. I jumped on my bike and headed back as fast as my sleepy legs would crank those pedals. My legs were sore and the burrito was weighing me down. No wonder sports experts do not recommend eating big meals before working out. I am sure there was a battle going on inside me to see where the blood would go - to my stomach or to my legs. I tried to put the pain and soreness out of my mind and focused on getting a rhythm. I am always amazed at how fast other cyclists ride on that path. I was pumping hard and I was probably averaging 12 mph which was not too shabby considering I had already traveled over 25 miles. But they were passing me by like I was standing still and no one looked like they were exerting much effort either. I didn’t want to look at the time on my cellphone and just pushed as hard as I could. I didn’t want Pumpkin standing outside waiting for me. Finally, I arrived on Roaring Camp Drive just as the school bell rang in the distance. Wow, what timing! I just made it. I parked my bike under a tree where I usually meet her and 2 minutes later saw her dragging her backpack on the sidewalk. That was close!Total adventure time - 5 hours. Distance traveled - 48 miles.

Remembering David Waldman

Yesterday we visited Gilda and the rest of the Waldmans at her house to remember and celebrate the life of David Waldman who passed away on September 20th. It was great to see Eric, Suene, Ian and the kids, Ridley and Jude. I spent half my childhood at the Waldman’s, going up every year to spend the summer with Ian and Eric. I had a lot of fun times there, playing up at the circle and getting a little too wild every now and then with Eric and Ian. I was always fascinated with David’s skills as a carpenter and his ability to remodel the house in Kensington mostly by himself. I eagerly helped him whenever he needed help, not only to gain a little insight into how to build a house but also because he had a funny sense of humor. Some of my most memorable times were listening to him rant about the Republicans in Washington at the dinner table. His language was usually colorful and his observations were always insightful. I am going to miss him a lot.For anyone who was unable to attend the event yesterday, I have reproduced a short biography written by Gilda about David and their long marriage together.

Ami Bera/Dan Lungren Cosmic Collision

I have always been involved with politics. I guess it runs in my family. I am not going to go into detail about how politics have influenced my family in negative ways. Instead I am only going to mention that I never have and never will vote Republican, at least not in this lifetime. The Republican agenda runs counter to pretty much everything I stand for. Given the poor state of the economy, one might think that jobs are at the top of my list of priorities. And although getting more business is important to me, equally important are the accelerating effects of global warming. The science is unambiguous and definitive that humans are the cause of global warming and that the effects will be catastrophic if nothing is done very quickly to move away from fossil fuels. With an anemic economy and illegal immigration dominating the news, convincing people that global warming is not only real but is beginning to affect us in the form of higher food prices, loss of fresh water, rising sea levels, ocean acidification and dying coral reefs, to name a few, is a hard sell. The scary part is that some scientists are beginning to mention the possibility that we are close to reaching a tipping point, or in layman’s terms, the point of no return where nothing we do will be able to overcome the positive feed backs that are accelerating rising temperatures across the globe.


In fact, I feel so strongly about this issue, that I gave up my car on 8/11/09. It has been a challenge doing without a car but now that I have adjusted my lifestyle, I have never felt better. Yes, we still have a car but I rarely drive it unless I need to buy 5 gallon bottles of water or something else that just won’t fit in a backpack. And this brings me to why I am writing about Ami Bera and Dan Lungren. Dan Lungren represents the 3rd district which includes Gold River. He is a very conservative Republican and it puzzles me why the Sacramento Bee is endorsing him for reelection. A couple of months ago, I got a call from someone working for Ami Bera. Who is Ami Bera? He is the latest Democratic challenger to try and unseat Lungren in this year’s midterm election. I decided to help out with the limited time I have available to try and get Ami Bera elected. A couple of weeks ago, I did some phone bank work at the Ami Bera’s headquarters in Carmichael and just this past Friday, I did some more limited phone bank work remotely from home. Yesterday, which was Saturday, Eric drove up from Sherman Oaks to join us in attending a celebration of David Waldman’s life. They arrived in the late afternoon and we didn’t feel like going out so I offered to head over to Bel Air Market to pick up some Chinese food from the deli. I threw my backpack on and jumped on my bike for the 5 minute ride over. The service at the deli was quick. 1 quart of fried rice, 1 quart of chow mein and 12 potstickers seemed like just enough for dinner. I carried the food back to my bike and loaded everything in my backpack. After unlocking the bike from the pole it was tethered to, I looked up and noticed a tall, curly haired man wearing a t-shirt and shorts who looked a little disheveled. I stared at him as he pulled a couple of shopping bags out of a shopping cart. "He looks very familiar," I thought to myself. Could it be? Is that who I think it is? He looked exactly like Dan Lungren. That’s impossible. Wait a sec. I remember reading someplace that he actually lives in Gold River but spends most of his time in Washington, D.C. So it must be him. Although I agree with nothing he supports, I do write to him from time to time, doing my best to try and convince him that something needs to be done about global warming. I decided to take a chance. "Dan Lungren, is that you?", I asked tentatively. He wheeled around, smiled and nodded. I walked over and introduced myself and told him that I was the one who has been sending him emails about clean energy. How would he react to that? "I do get a lot of emails but my staff goes through every one", he replied. He started talking about some company in Rancho Cordova named Clean Energy Systems that is involved in extracting more oil from the old oilfields in Bakersfield and sequestering carbon at the same time. Boy, if that is his idea of clean energy, I have a much bigger challenge ahead of me than I thought. In any case, it seems strange and somewhat coincidental that the day after I do some phone banking for Ami Bera, I run into Dan Lungren, the incumbent who Ami Bera is running against.

Ami Bera Phone Bank

Today was my first experience doing phone banking. Calling up strangers and asking them to vote is not my forte but life is about doing things that are uncomfortable. Otherwise, we stagnate. I checked the bike route to Carmichael and it said 5.9 miles which seemed impossible but I decided to follow the instructions in the route given. Left home at 9:20 AM, went under the Sunrise bridge and crossed over to the north side of the American River. The instructions said right on Bannister. I had no idea where Bannister was and when I crossed over there appeared to be only one street exit from the river access point. Hmm, okay I might as well go up this one, I decided. It was steep but fortunately no cars. There was no street sign to confirm whether I was on the right street until I got to the top of the hill and by then there was no way I was turning around. It ended up being Pennsylvania Ave, exiting to Fair Oaks Blvd near Bob’s Cycles. I was not about to head down Fair Oaks Blvd despite there being a bike lane. No way, not with cars going 50 mph. I found a street I think was called New York Ave. and decided to give it a go, hoping it would not be a dead end. I was pleasantly surprised to be riding through a well paved, bucolic neighborhood with rolling hills, empty fields and lots of trees. This was nice. Stop sign brought me to Winding Way. Not much traffic here so I decided to go east on Winding Way. That turned out to be a good decision. Winding Way has a nice wide bike lane and there aren’t many cars to contend with. I turned right on San Juan and then left on Winding Way again. This was great. Hardly any cars. A little roughly maintained - a few trees poking out into the street but that was easy to navigate through. I thought Manzanita was much farther away than it was because in less than 10 minutes, I had arrived. The address was 4132 Manzanita, Carmichael and I was at 4701. Not knowing which way the numbers were going, I turned right, passing by some jardineros struggling to remove a tree from in front of a gas station. This area has some historical significance because there is a mongolian bbq place across the street which was the very first restaurant we ever ate at after arriving in Sacramento. And it is still there! Okay, wrong direction because the numbers were increasing. I reversed direction and headed down Manzanita. The old Crestview bowling alley, now boarded up and abandoned had a sign that read "We will miss you." A few more blocks and I arrived at my destination which was the Sacramento headquarters of Ami Bera For Congress, tucked away in a small strip mall. Dripping with sweat as usual, I opened the door and was greeted by a young woman who asked me to sign in. Her name was Sarah and she got me setup at one of the computers. Good thing I brought my cell phone because I was going to need it. She explained the procedure - all I had to do was read from a script on the screen, enter the disposition and move on to the next name. The purpose here was to call people to remind them to fill out their vote by mail application and then to vote for Ami Bera who is running against Dan Lungren in my district. The first few calls were a little awkward as I got used to reading the script but after a while it started to come easy. I wasn’t phased by people hanging up on me and no one was rude though a few reminded me that they had already been contacted 3 or 4 times. I am sure I would not have been happy to receive this type of call if it was the 3rd or 4th time for me. I got a rhythm going and made it to around 50 calls. By that time, it was 12 and time to go. I bid farewell and they begged me to come back next week. I didn’t commit but told them I would check my calendar. Next stop was either Dollar Tree or 99 Cent store. Fortunately, there was a Dollar Tree nearby and I loaded up on soap, toothpaste and some other miscellaneous items. I continued down Fair Oaks because Manzanita turns into Fair Oaks and was pleasantly surprised to see a Big Lots store. This was cool because I have been looking for one and the one on Folsom closed. Bought some socks and maple syrup and a mouse pad for 80 cents.My backpack was now around 20 pounds so I decided time to go home. The ride back was enjoyable. Fair Oaks and Carmichael are beautiful areas. I passed by some horse pastures, large estates where I couldn’t even see the houses, they were so well hidden. No traffic and lots of trees. Heading back I found Bannister Ave which was where I was supposed to turn. It said river access so I gladly turned off of Fair Oaks Blvd just before it turned into a roller coaster. Trail led me back to where I originally went up and then I made it home. Total adventure time was 4 hours.

We Love Oil!

President Obama, don’t you understand? We Americans don’t want clean energy. We want dirty energy! We demand our right to breathe unburned hydrocarbons on a cool winter day. We proudly proclaim our support for the freedom to inhale diesel particulate matter deep into our lungs.

Yes, we stand here and salute the red, the white, the blue and the brown  haze that hangs over our cities like a warm, soothing bowl of pea soup.  Our children deserve all the best we have to give them, like asthma, cardiac disease and lung cancer. Oil is our lifeblood even if it eventually becomes our deathblood. Let us show the world that we are proud Americans, proud to go in reverse and experience the joys of living in an oil based economy for generations and generations thereafter. Let freedom ring and oil gush. Amen!