Saturday 17 Jan 2015
Letter #491
Dear President Obama,
I was very pleased to read two recent articles about James Risen and the federal prosecutors who wanted him to testify and reveal a source of his for Chapter 9 of his book on Iran and the CIA.
Because Mr. Risen stood his ground and repeated that threat of sanctions would NOT make him reveal his sources, Mr. Holder instructed his underlings NOT to supoena Mr. Risen. The government backed down because it looks bad to send reporters to jail for doing their job – even if that job is revealing nasty government secrets about excessive force by the CIA and others in the name of the “war on terror.” Thank you for finally letting Mr. Risen get on with his life! Now can Mr. Snowden come home too? These men are heroes – shedding light on ugly government practices. I am embarrassed so much public money has been spent hounding these men. Make sure you spend an equal amount on RENEWABLE ENERGY! Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline right now! Dirty government, dirty oil. Let’s clean it all up and concentrate on cutting carbon emissions and developing wind and solar energy QUICKLY. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Glad James Risen WON
Monday 19 Jan 2015
Letter #492
Dear President Obama,
I was happy to read about California laying hens being allowed more room to spread their wings.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/opinion/mark-bittman-hens-unbound.html
It’s been a long time coming – the law was passed in 2008 and is finally in effect. It is especially great because about a third of the eggs sold in CA are raised out of state – and they must comply TOO. So once again, CA is on the forefront of a national trend. We can do this. Egg prices will go up a little but that is OK. They are pretty low now. Since we know that CA is a trend-setter, PLEASE take courage and spread your wings embracing not only less factory farming, but much stricter environmental laws. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline right now. Be a trend-setter. Spread your wings. If we don’t move quickly to stop carbon pollution right NOW, your grandchildren will be trapped in a much more hostile climate, with way fewer options than we have. It is SO important for you to act boldly on climate change. Please spread your wings. Do it NOW! Stop KXL. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Let’s Spread our Wings
Monday 19 Jan 2015
Letter #493 (2nd letter today)
Dear President Obama,
I loved the article about Las Cruces, New Mexico where the city government approved a tent city for homeless people on empty city land.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/us/in-new-mexico-tent-city-a-glimmer-of-hope.html
A range of social services set up outposts nearby and the homeless who first came for a meal, or medical help, began to trust the volunteers and social workers. This actually brought homeless people into housing that they would not otherwise have accepted. With a sense of vision, a city moved away from zoning laws that criminalized homelessness to ones that decriminalize and establish TRUST! This is how we build community and diminish tribalism! We are all on this planet together and must work together to combat climate disruption. You can be a transformative force on the path to a low carbon future. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. That small change to business-as-usual can be a transformative moment for the fight to limit climate damage. A small transformative moment can have a far greater RIPPLE effect. Ban KXL now! Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Admire Las Cruces, NM
Tuesday 20 Jan 2015
Letter #494
Dear President Obama,
I was saddened in November to read that the Northern Shrimp harvest was cancelled for the second year in a row!
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/15/us/waters-warm-in-gulf-of-maine-and-cod-catch-ebbs.html
I wrote you last year about shutting down that fishing season in letter #249. Now there are so few shrimp they’ve cancelled again! We’ve been over-fishing in the Gulf of Maine for decades and now all we can do is wait and hope things will get better! Dream on! We have been too rapacious of the ocean’s bounty for decades if not longer. Fish baby fish! Drill baby drill! Is that all we know how to do? When will we wake up? In the search for boundless wealth we are quickly hitting limits. Our current practices are not SUSTAINABLE. We are heading for all sorts of climate and ecosystem disasters. So yes, let’s fish less, but also let’s put way less carbon into the air! The carbon is warming the planet, warming the oceans, causing far too rapid changes that play havoc with shrimp and ultimately US. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Stop it NOW! Shrimp may be small but climate change has HUGE consequences. We really need to change our ways. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Shrimp Season Cancelled Again
Friday 30 Jan 2015
Letter #495
Dear President Obama,
This is a beautiful vertical garden on a museum wall here in PARIS. This lush scene is to remind you how fertile and hospitable Planet Earth is to us and to remind you we MUST NOT heat up the climate too much with Greenhouse Gases from fossil fuel.
Please Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline. Right Now. You must veto that awful bill. Keep our climate from overheating. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, at Musée Branly, Paris
Monday 16 Feb 2015
Letter #496
Dear President Obama,
I have fallen quite behind. I was distracted by a wonderful two weeks in France, but although I did not write much, I thought about you and about climate change. I was impressed with how much the French have invested, and continue to invest in public transit. All over Paris, 3 parking spaces have been replaced with 5 small electric cars with free plug-in charging. You can use them hourly for errands and they are frequently used! It’s a great additional transit mode that I would love to see here in Cambridge in addition to ZipCar. I was also impressed with bus and trolley signage in Paris and Bordeaux, telling you when the next bus is coming. Here only rich people with smart phones can get that info! Not very democratic. Signs help everyone and improve access. They encourage social justice and lessen the impact of income inequality. Please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline today. Overheating the planet adds to social injustice – the longer we put off cutting back on fossil fuels, the more poor people will suffer. We really need to HURRY UP and get serious about reducing GH gases! Let’s speed up our investment in public transit instead. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Bring Good Signs to Bus Stops
Monday 16 Feb 2015
Letter #497 (2nd letter today)
Dear President Obama,
Well I missed 3 snow storms while in France, but came back for another and more snow is forecast for tomorrow.
Boston has had over 7 feet of snow in just over 3 weeks and NONE has melted because it is so cold. New Hampshire, where people usually go to play in the snow, has had only half as much: only 3 to 4 feet. This is not just bad weather, this is climate DISRUPTION. We’ve gotten more snow in 3 to 4 weeks than Boston got in a whole season in 97 of the past 100 years! The jet stream has gotten bent far south and is stuck there and warmer ocean temperatures have produced more snow. I fear what sort of flooding we’ll get when this melts!
Can you not see the URGENCY? We have got to rapidly reduce our carbon emissions. If we stopped burning oil and gas today, our planet will continue to warm for 20 MORE YEARS. We can’t wait any longer. The time for decisive action is now! Please please stop the Keystone XL Pipeline today. Right Now. The economic devastation from climate disruption will rapidly mount. Let’s get out in front of this problem instead of just following behind with a broom. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Shoveling Snow in Boston
Tuesday 17 Feb 2015
Letter #498
Dear President Obama,
It is so easy to fall behind in my letters to you. But ironically I still have so many things to say! I was very pleased to read that John Kiriakou was released from prison to house arrest.
He was a CIA officer who wrote a book instrumental in exposing US torture and was prosecuted for leaking classified information. We need more ethical people like Mr. Kiriakou. I am ashamed at America’s use of torture and fervently hope it won’t happen again. As we enter a period of ever-faster climate change, more and more conflicts will occur in resource-stressed parts of the world. The best way to reduce these conflicts is to leave fossil fuels in the ground and quickly adopt renewable energy sources. Please Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline NOW as a first step towards quickly cutting carbon emissions. We cannot just carry on as if climate change is not a HUGE THREAT. The Pentagon itself recognizes that climate change will bring much political turmoil to the world. Let’s not make it worse. The faster we get off fossil fuels, the less extremism we will need to counter. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Honoring John Kiriakou
Wednesday 18 Feb 2015
Letter #499
Dear President Obama,
Oh my! Sao Paolo is running quickly out of water.
The causes are many: mismanagement, pollution, and a sever drought. Some are saying deforestation reduces the forest’s capacity to release humidity, thus exacerbating the drought. The Governor of Sao Paolo state says climate change has arrived to stay! Sao Paolo is a mega-city of 20 million – Brazil’s largest and wealthiest city – in a country known for abundant water! But how can the city stay wealthy withot water? The cost of climate change is huge – the price tag for lessening it relatively small. Please Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline TODAY. Cheap oil and gas are NOT cheap. Paying an extra penny for renewable energy that does not worsen carbon pollution is money well-spent. We need to get past the rhetoric of conflicting industries and short-term corporate profits and really do what is right for our children and grandchildren. There has already been too much delay. How many more severe droughts and floods does it take until we act? Sao Paolo’s water problems are a lesson for us all. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Severe Drought in Sao Paolo
Thursday 19 Feb 2015
Letter #500
Dear President Obama,
Warren Buffett sold off all of his Exxon stock last quarter.
https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/hedge-funds-offer-peek-at-their-holdings/
That’s $4 Billion. It was part of a large energy sector sell-off – – so energy is now only 1.4% of his portfolio. Hmmmm. Buffett is a smart guy – this sounds a lot like divesting from fossil fuels – without calling it that! I am heartened by this and other developments in the divestment movement. In November a group of Harvard students sued the University for failing to divest, accusing Harvard of “mismanagement of charitable funds” and “ intentional investment in abnormally dangerous activities.”
Looks like Buffett judges fossil fuel stocks as too high-risk! Harvard’s President Faust claims that dropping fossil fuel stocks is neither “warranted or wise” but maybe it’s time to reconsider that. Call it divestment or dumping – as more investors exit the fossil fuel giants, their stocks will sink. Please nudge along the trend! Please Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline Right NOW! Send another signal that the heyday of fossil fuels is OVER. Dumping Exxon is de facto divestment and actions speak louder than words. Thank you.
Susan J. Ringler, Love De Facto Divestment
