Bixhoma Sunrise
(Disclaimer: this blog mainly addresses the auto and transportation industry, but the concepts apply to those in the energy industry (coal and electric power) as well)
I get it, I really do. People want to save the planet, clean up the ozone, cease pollution and save the whales. It's a noble cause, for sure, but at what price? At what point should we interrupt the natural ebb and flow of industry to push for completely green solutions? I don't disagree that they need to occur, but thanks to demands by environmentalists, lobbyists, and congress, we are pushing this agenda way too hard and way too quickly. I agree, let's make it happen, but let's make it happen on a timeline that doesn't do more harm than good.
Industry and technology is an ever-growing beast, developing new solutions to old problems everyday, and incorporating and retrofitting those solutions so that today's industry can produce tomorrow's standards. That's natural, that's healthy. Creating the microwave didn't do away with the stove...it just gave another, more efficient option to cook. Engineering working-class sedans in the 70's didn't do away with the raw muscle of the big block motors of the 60's, it simply created a more economical option..and from there it snowballed, so that now, 40 years later, we have the option to buy a big-motored sports car, a tiny electric smart car, or any number of options in between. Developing the smart car didn't put Detroit muscle out of business, it simply threw another option into the free market.
But that's changing, and its not change I can believe in. There's nothing negative about pressuring auto makers to meet a higher MPG rating - but there is something negative about REQUIRING it. And there's something VERY negative about requiring it on a very quick timeline. The government (and EPA) is essentially forcing companies to abandon their business models for the sake of achieving government compliance, and in doing so, they are putting a bullet through the very heart of the free-market economy. By striving to "protect" the environment they are ripping the seems out of industries that have naturally developed for almost 100 years. The auto industry will no longer be allowed to develop "newer, cooler" technology to impress customers, it will be forced to engineer vehicles that meet the standards of Uncle Sam, and in doing so quality and design will suffer. The art of automobile engineering is a thing of the past, as we push quantity (of gas mileage) over quality (of vehicle). Of course it will get 80mpg - but it's made of plastic, has 15 horsepower and weighs the same as a Radio Flyer wagon. And it looks as ugly as, well, a Prius, or a Smart Car, or any number of hideous looking machines that are starting to come out now. But that problem would only be a small problem if it stopped there....unfortunately it doesn't. That problem is about to become a disaster.
In an effort to "save the planet," the government, lobbyists, and environmentalists are pushing for more than just the murder of free-market American ingenuity, they are also pushing for the destruction of millions of American jobs. I mentioned before that industry has a natural ebb and flow - it progresses on its own and builds on its foundation. When the air conditioner was invented for vehicles, they didn't stop installing windows that rolled down, they just added the technology. That's changing though. With the pushing of "green energy" the powers that be are hoping to shut down the use of "dirty energy." This dirty energy however, is responsible for 9 million US jobs around the country. It would be one thing if we could just slowly incorporate clean energy into our economy, but there will be nothing slow about it. The goverment has created immediate deadlines requiring astronomical changes in technology. These speedy requirements will not simply allow engineers to develop new technology to retrofit, they require all new companies, machinery, and employees - essentially a whole new face of the industry. The advocates tout that use of clean energy will create thousands of jobs, and that's true, but they fail to mention the MILLIONS of people that will be out of work - people that have grown up, lived and worked in this industry their whole lives. You think the unemployment rate is bad now? Just you wait - its going to get worse if this agenda is pushed through. You see, these new clean energy requirements can't be met by everyone in the auto industry, so companies will fall. New ones will be created with the sole purpose of green energy, sure, but only a fraction of those put out of work by this agenda will recover.
So, I ask, is the speedy push of green energy worth the cost that it will require? Will the millions of jobs lost be justified by less pollution? Or, would it be wiser (although, I'll admit, far less "hip") to encourage the industry to create and incorporate clean energy the way it has for 70 years - slowly, with purpose, and without destroying an industry that is one of America's economic backbones? You decide.
What's point of voting? I mean seriously?
I'm sorry, but I'm a bit pissed off right now. You see, here in Oklahoma, we recently had a prop passed that blocks the consideration of Islamic (Sharia) law in regards to court cases. What does that mean? Well, here's a actual example:
A few years ago, an Islamic man and his wife were having marital problems. The woman did not want to sleep with her husband, so he forcibly raped her, several times on various occasions. Finally, the woman went to the police and asked for a restraining order against her husband. When the case was taken to the state court, the judge denied the restraining order, saying that regardless of United States law, Islamic law allowed the man to have sex with his wife whenever he wanted, whether she wanted it or not, and thus, since the man was a muslim and he held Islamic law, the man shouldn't be stopped for doing what his religion allows.
COMPLETE BULLSHIT, but it actually happened. So, here in Oklahoma, we decided that this wasn't right, and that federal and state law should be what is considered in court cases. Since Islam is the only religion to have laws like this, Oklahoma put a measure on the ballot proposing that in our state, someone cannot use Islamic law (Sharia law) as a defense for breaking the law of the land. The measure was overwhelmingly passed by 70% of our state's voters.
Now, cue the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who contested the law with a Federal court on the grounds that this does not allow people to practice religious freedom. And what does the federal judge do? He BLOCKS the Oklahoma law, effectively saying that the laws of the federal government and the states are not the laws you have to abide by as long as you live within your religious law.
So, I repeat, what is the point of voting? If one idiot can block the wishes of an overwhelming majority of citizens, then why the hell do we vote in the first place? Do we really have a say? Apparently not.
CNN has the story here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/11/08/oklahoma.islamic.law/index.html?iref=allsearch
Something is deeply disturbing about this......
Editor’s Note: In light of the recent controversial CNBC program that deemed Remington Model 700 rifles unsafe, we asked Rifles Editor and Gun Nut blogger David E. Petzal to view the broadcast and offer his thoughts in this extended post. Petzal, a 54-year shooter, NRA Certified Rifle Instructor, former Army Drill Sergeant, and one the country’s foremost gun authorities, had this to say:
On October 20, CNBC ran a program entitled “Remington Under Fire: A CNBC Investigation.” Claimed to be the result of 10 months’ of investigation by CNBC, it was narrated by a Senior Correspondent named Scott Cohn. The focus of the program was the trigger designed in the late 1940s for the Remington 721 (the predecessor to the 700) by Remington engineer Mike Walker. According to CNBC, the trigger was known to be defective almost from its inception; its design allegedly allows the rifle to be fired without the trigger being pulled. This has resulted, the program claimed, in thousands of complaints caused by accidental firings, as well as injuries and deaths.
Those are the bare bones. As I expected, “Remington Under Fire” was a hatchet job. The verdict is guilty from the get-go. No one from Remington would come on the program, nor would anyone from Cerberus, Remington’s parent company. This is not because they have something to hide, but because they know that if they appear on a program like this they will be made to look like liars or fools or both. If you’d like an example, consult any of the “documentaries” made by the lovely and talented Michael Moore.
Scott Cohn’s program exhibits an unsubtle mix of ignorance of the subject as well as serious journalistic deficiencies. First is the attitude toward guns as a whole. There were references to “safe” guns. Memo to Mr. Cohn: There is no such thing as a safe gun. Guns are inherently dangerous, and unless you handle them with care the results can be tragic. Everyone shown on the program who was killed or wounded by a 700 suffered because either they themselves or someone else pointed a 700 at them.
This is poignantly illustrated by the death of Gus Barber, a Montana boy who was shot by his mother Barbara in 2000. Mrs. Barber was unloading a 700 whose muzzle was pointed at a horse trailer. On the far side of the trailer was her son. The rifle went off; the bullet passed through the trailer; Gus Barber died. This was a terrible tragedy, and I am very sorry for the unbearable pain the Barbers suffered.
Rich Barber, Gus’ father, believes his son was killed because the rifle went off accidentally. In fact, Gus Barber died because a rifle was pointed at him. If the rifle had been pointed in a safe direction, all the Barbers would have gotten was a bad scare.
This kind of tragedy can happen to anyone, with any gun, if he or she ignores the prime directive of safe gun handling, put best by Jeff Cooper:
“Do not cover with the muzzle of a gun anything you do not wish to destroy.”
The CNBC program has a scene showing a Portland, Maine police sniper setting off a 700 by simply tapping the bolt. Incredibly, Mr. Cohn asks no questions at all about the rifle. Any journalist with even a modicum of gun knowledge would have dragged the department’s armorer on camera and asked this one simple question:
“Have you modified the trigger on this rifle?”
There is an interview with a West Coast range officer who states that 700s fire accidentally with such frequency that these incidents are called “Remington moments.” This is yet another example of more journalistic ignorance. If the rifles are so unreliable, why did Cohn not ask the gentlemen why they are allowed on the range?
In the course of the entire program, only one shooter is allowed camera time to say what a great gun the 700 is. One. There are 5 million Model 700s out there. Surely more than one person must like them. Could he possibly have found two people to say nice things?
It is mentioned that Remington has just been awarded a contract to build 3,000 more Model 700 sniper rifles, but that the Marines have had problems with accidental firing. I guess it was too much trouble to have someone explain that the 700 has been in continual service as a sniper rifle for more than 40 years, and that is has served with distinction under some of the most adverse conditions imaginable. Otherwise, why would the U.S. Government be buying 3,000 more? Are the Marines and the Army crazy?
Here’s what I can tell you about the Model 700 with the original, Walker-designed trigger (the new 700 trigger, the X-mark Pro, is a different design).
• I got my first 700, actually a Model 725, in .222, in 1960. There has never been a time since then when I have not owned at least one 700. I’ve never had an accidental firing with any of them, nor have I seen one, and we are talking hundreds of rifles and tens of thousands of rounds over 50 years.
• I’ve seen one 700 that should not have been handled. It was an ADL in 6mm that was made in the late 1960s. Its owner allowed a shooter who supposedly knew how to do so, to work on the trigger. He botched the job.
•And there we come to the crux of the matter. If the original 700 trigger has a fault, it is that it can be fooled with by anyone who has a small screwdriver. The adjustments are delicate, and if you don’t know how (or know enough) to keep sufficient engagement between the sear and the trigger connector, the rifle can slam fire, or fire when it’s dropped, or fire when the safety is flipped off. The same thing happens when you set the trigger pull lower than 3 pounds; it is not designed to function below that level, and there are some fools who love to take it down to 2 or 2 ½.
Right now I have an old 700 with a Walker trigger that has had over 5,000 rounds put through it with never a problem. But give me 5 minutes and a jeweler’s screwdriver and I can make it dangerous.
Enough. I eagerly await Mr. Cohn’s next program. I’m hoping it will be on why the public has so little confidence in news reporting.
Editor's Note: For Remington’s response to CNBC, please visit www.remington700.tv
This what happens when you mix crappy journalism with lack of knowledge of their topic. Thank you Field and Stream for being the one to stand up for facts.
For those of you who follow us closely, or even those that occasionally stalk us on Facebook, you might have caught wind of the fact that for a couple of years Courtney and I have been eagerly awaiting a good opportunity to leave the state of California for a much slower and hopefully more fulfilling life somewhere else. For the last few years we’ve researched tons of places and always settled back on the fact that we would probably end up in Texas. As it turns out, we were a little off.
Courtney and I both love the places that we work, and one of the hardest things to deal with when considering a move was going to be leaving our jobs. Court has really excelled in her position as a marketing manager for a local architecture firm, and my employment at the Outdoor Channel has allowed me to constructively channel my obsession of hunting while getting work done. We knew that we couldn’t move unless one of us had a great job lined up, preferably in the field’s we’ve come to love…which is, again, why Texas has always seemed to be a great option for us.
Well, a few weeks ago my Director came to me with an offer. A position had opened up out of state that he wanted me to consider. Before he even told me where it was he said, “It’s only 4 hours from Texas!” Turns out, its in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Now, the only time I’ve ever been through Oklahoma I’ve driven down the I-40, which takes you through endless grasslands with nothing but Oklahoma City to break up the monotony between borders. It’s a pretty state, for about 15 minutes. Then it gets old really quick. I was not very excited, but my Director told me to do some research and see what we thought. Upon looking into Tulsa I was VERY pleasantly surprised. It's not at all like the area of Oklahoma I was familiar with! It’s in the northern part of the state in what the locals call “Green Country.” It’s close to the Ozarks, filled with lakes for me to duck hunt and Courtney to water-ski. There’s green rolling hills, a big metro area (looks like an LA skyline) and some fantastic rural properties that will allow for a much slower pace of life while still being only 25 minutes from the big city. There’s 4 seasons, no smog, and a cost of living that will allow us to work to live, not live to work. I still wasn’t hooked on the idea, but I approached Courtney about it with a “say the word and we won’t even consider it” attitude. She was a little shell-shocked, but took it in stride and we began two weeks of heavy research, talks, prayer and weighing of pros and cons. At the end of the two weeks, we sat on the couch one night and said to each other “What feels right?” We both agreed…we were supposed to go. We gave each other carte blanche to call the whole thing off if anything in the process didn’t feel right, but everything started falling into place. My work was going to assist us with the move, give me a better position, and keep me as a coveted Outdoor Channel employee rather than change my employment status, and all of this they volunteered before I even told them that it was my criteria!
We first told Court’s family, which took it very well. We were able to tell her parents, grandparents and aunts/uncles all at the same time and we were blown away by the amount of support we got. Then we told my family, expecting a huge resistance, but instead got tearful support and affirmations that “this was the time to do it.” We were shocked at how supportive our families were, and it only gave us more assurance that we are making the right decision. We then told some of our closest friends, who were 100% supportive yet still, obviously sad. My next big hurtle was to tell our landlord and request out of our lease. Even he was willing to work with us. Lastly, Court's company was supportive as well, offering references and thanking her for all the work she's accomplished for them.
Every turn we’ve taken we’ve been met with great support, which is a huge sign to us that we’re on the right path. Obviously there are going to be some HUGE challenges. We have no family or friends in the area, we have no home church, we don’t even know what suburb to live in…the list goes on. We’re doing a lot of research, taking a few trips, and piecing our information together day by day. As we get closer to our move date (September 30th) we’re getting more and more excited. We’re confident we can figure things out and make a great life for ourselves out there. It’s going to be COMPLETELY different than what we’re used to, but in a way, that is SO good. We’ve wanted a change, and boy is it comin'!
So that’s the update from Parsons-land. We’re going to be starting a blog as many of our friends who’ve moved have done, and updating it regularly for all of you to follow along with. We’re also going to be having a going away party that we will send out email and Facebook invitations to.
You’ve all been such a huge part of our lives over the last several years, and while we will be far away, rest assured we’ll be stalking you on Facebook, alerting you when we’re in town, and keeping in touch in any way we can. Thank you all for your friendships, please know that we care about you deeply and that leaving our family and friends is by far the hardest part of this. Can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Nick and Courtney Parsons
PS - Below are some pictures of Tulsa. Some I took, some from online. Hopefully you'll get a little glimpse into where we'll be!
