Letters 251-260

Sat 7 Dec 2013

Letter #251

Dear President Obama,

Nelson Mandela died on Thursday and there have been many excellent articles about this giant of a man. I particularly liked the opinion piece by Charles Blow that highlighted the confluence of traits for which Mandela is so revered. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/07/opinion/a-lesson-before-dying.html?_r=0

He had the courage of his convictions and he fought on for what is right despite the US and many others considering the ANC a terrorist organization. There are many heroes we admire from Greek tragedies to John Wayne movies – but most of them seek to maintain a system of values – and many are overtaken by a changing world.

What makes Mandela so special is that he combined his bravery with his imagination of a better world to promote real and sustained change. As Charles Blow writes: “Those who can’t imagine change reveal the deficits of their imaginations, not the difficulty of change.”

And the third of Mandela’s strengths is the one that we should perhaps admire the most, and that is his grace, his ability to forgive and to foster long term reconciliation. It is this trait that moves human societies beyond tribalism, beyond revenge, beyond the corrosive divisions of me/you, winner/loser, my good religion/ all other bad religions, my right answer / your wrong answer.

So I graciously voice my respect for your fight for social and economic justice for all. Those are indeed worthy causes. But if climate change causes millions of mostly poor people to die because we took too long to change our ways, that is certainly not justice. So please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline – as an important and visible step to speed up our change to renewable energy. Stop the pipeline while you also continue to try to increase economic opportunities for all.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Admirer of Nelson Mandela

Sat 7 Dec 2013

Letter #252

(second letter today)

Dear President Obama,

I wrote yesterday about Nelson Mandela, his courage, his persistence, his ability to imagine a better world, and his graciousness and efforts at reconciliation that I hope will continue to inspire people for generations to come. In writing that letter, I reflected back on my first 3 letters to you last March in which I recommended that you observe keenly, reason soundly, and imagine vividly. That advice from Charles Eliot still rings true and I’m glad to have started my letters from those wise words. But upon reflection, Mandela did all of that and more. Eliot’s advice can be followed by anyone, anywhere, even all alone. But graciousness, and reconciliation are social acts that move people forward past trauma, past hatred, past tribalism. To combat climate change we are going to have to put aside our differences and act mostly together. Mandela showed us the path, showed us that our social strengths make us even more powerful than our individual ones. So as the leader of this great society, I ask you to please stop the Keystone Pipeline because leadership is about acting for the greater good – about nudging societies to do what is better for all – about promoting beneficial change. Please pick up that pen. It may be more important that you think.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Let’s Promote Beneficial Change

Sun 8 Dec 2013

Letter #253

Dear President Obama,

Three small stories in the paper yesterday caught my eye: A severe ice storm caused much damage in Texas just days after temperatures were in the 80s. 4 people died of the cold in San Jose CA where colder than usual weather suddenly hit (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/07/us/california-cold-is-blamed-in-four-deaths-in-bay-area.html). Pilot whales off the Florida coast are headed back to shallow waters where 11 of their group died a few days ago. They are presumed ill since they cannot survive in shallow waters. Changes that are sudden and unexpected in weather can cause great harm. And who knows what changes to the oceans are contributing to the fatal whale behavior. The climate is more and more disrupted – the patterns of decades and centuries are suddenly changing. We ignore these signs at our peril. And these climate disruptions are probably small compared to what we will experience 10 years from now as the CO2 emissions rise even further and the planet warms. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. We need to urgently lessen carbon emissions. Fossil fuels need to stay in the ground. Our climate is in danger and sending us warning signals – we need to observe these signs keenly and act quickly and decisively to prevent further harm.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Beached Pilot Whales is a Warning

Sun 8 Dec 2013

Letter #254
(second letter today)

Dear President Obama,

I was happy to read the other day that the 5 major oil companies and another 20 or so big corporations are making long term plans based on paying a $60 per ton carbon tax. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/business/energy-environment/large-companies-prepared-to-pay-price-on-carbon.html?pagewanted=all This will make it easier to start such a tax – which is long overdue. But I’ve also got to say that if they are planning for $60 per ton, then the tax should probably be $120 per ton! These are some of the most profitable business in the country that have made their profits by not paying the true cost of the environmental damage they have caused. Let’s quickly implement a carbon tax and let’s set the bar high to make up for all the years of artificially “cheap” oil and gas. These fossil fuels are NOT CHEAP! They cause enormous climate disruptions and will continue to do so for decades after we stop burning them! Set a $60 per ton carbon tax that automatically doubles to $120 per ton 4 years later! Now there’s a good idea. And meanwhile stop the Keystone XL Pipeline to show you are serious about combatting climate change.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Set Carbon Tax at $120 per ton

Monday 9 Dec 2013

Letter #255

Dear President Obama,

You are on your way to Nelson Mandela’s funeral. Perhaps you will read this when you return. I take an international perspective today to comment on Walmart dropping plans for huge expansion in India. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/10/business/international/wal-mart-puts-india-plan-on-hold.html I’m thrilled that they are pulling out. Although much of the article took WalMart’s perspective that India was a country with an inept government and spotty infrastructure, I was happy to read that India requires foreign retailers to buy 30% of products from local small and midsize businesses. This is an excellent policy for India and the world. Use resources locally! And India is a huge country with much diversity – all the better to maintain a thriving economy while buying locally. So hat’s off to India! Meanwhile back here in the US, please think globally and act locally to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline! Another big corporation wanting to make a profit from shipping a bad product (tar sands oil) overseas to sell. Tar sands oil is dirty and should be left in the ground. It is shameful to assist Canada in selling their pollutants in Asia. So stop that pipeline now! Please!

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Admire India

Tuesday 10 Dec 2013

Letter #256

Dear President Obama,

I was happy to see the largest internet and technology companies publish an open letter yesterday urging the US government to reform and rein in the NSA data collection activities. The full set of their principles is at ReformGovernmentSurveillance.com. It is very important that people’s right to speech and privacy be protected. The national panic after 9/11 led to the adoption of dangerous surveillance policies. Who can consider the United States the best of free societies in the world when we go around collecting every bit of phone and internet chatter that we possibly can? It must stop. And while Congress fights over this and other issues, and accomplishes little, you can act decisively to help avert catastrophic climate change. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Stop it today. Pick up that pen!

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Support Reform of Surveillance Practices

Wed 11 Dec 2013

Letter #257

Dear President Obama,

I was happy to read that Shell is NOT going to build an enormous gas-to-liquid plant in Louisiana and I certainly hope that starts a slow-down in the oil-to-gas business. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/business/energy-environment/citing-cost-concerns-shell-will-not-build-gulf-coast-plant.html 

Shell already has 2 huge similar plants – one in Malaysia, the other in Quatar. Maybe this shows that they expect less of a market for fossil fuels in the US! I hope so! We need to start quickly reducing our use of fossil fuels. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline! Stop it today! Show Shell and others that the US is serious about combatting climate change. Hopefully Shell has understood that there is growing public opposition to Big Oil pollution: pipeline leaks, groundwater contamination, carbon emissions! These all harm the environment and can be avoided if we move quickly to renewables! Thank you for listening to the rising groundswell of public opposition. Thank you for stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, No More Gas to Liquid Plants

Thursday 12 Dec 2013

Letter #258

Dear President Obama,

I’m delighted the the FDA is finally restricting antibiotic use in livestock by banning their use to promote growth and requiring farmers to get prescriptions for them. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/health/fda-to-phase-out-use-of-some-antibiotics-in-animals-raised-for-meat.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Yes there are still loopholes, but at least it is a step in the right direction. I am only sad that the FDA is giving farmers 3 years more before the new regulation is supposed to be in effect. That’s 3 years too many. But at least it shows that this issue is becoming widely known and considered important! Using too many antibiotics is unsafe and it is also unsafe to continue to use fossil fuels because of the carbon they emit and the danger to the entire planet’s climate! Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline -stop it now – show the world that you understand how important it is to quickly curb greenhouse gas emissions. We can’t wait 3 more years to get moving on reducing carbon emissions – we need to start NOW!

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Let’s only use what we need

17 Dec 2013

Letter #259

Dear President Obama,

400 years go an artist sat and sketched in Rome and made a beautiful ink drawing with wash on paper. We can look at the drawing in the Louvre. It survived the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. As I look at this postcard today I wonder what the climate and weather will be like in even 50 years and how quickly we are willing to make big changes to preserve a type of life we just assumed would go on and on.

With good leadership we can avoid the worst – I hope – so please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline TODAY. Show that you understand how serious climate change is.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Love Old Ink Drawings

Wed 18 Dec 2013

Letter #260 

Dear President Obama,

There was an interesting article last week about increased earthquake activity in Oklahoma and how it may be related to injection wells for waste water from oil and gas drilling. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/13/science/earth/as-quakes-shake-oklahoma-scientists-eye-oil-and-gas-industry.html?pagewanted=all 

We may have “reached a tipping point.” Indeed! Oklahoma has gone from an average of 50 small earthquakes a year to 2600! That’s a huge and rapid increase, in just a few years. We really need to take this as a warning and slow down the runaway oil industry. They cause all sorts of damage to the environment and great concern for long term damage. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Show that you want to slow down carbon emissions! Please stop it today and send a strong message.

Thank you.

Susan J. Ringler, Too Many Oklahoma Earthquakes