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LNG & PEAK OIL
by chuck niclaughlin
If one were to attempt to define an “ideal” alternative to
oil, among its characteristics would be ample supply, availability,
renewability, and versatility. It would be clean, energy-dense,
have a high energy return on energy invested, and have an
existing infrastructure to exploit its use. How does natural gas
measure up to these desired characteristics?
Given: It is cleaner burning, has limited availability, is
versatile — internal combustion engines can be converted to
run on it, it is used to generate electricity and to create nitrogen
fertilizers. It is energy-dense, has a high energy return on energy
invested and the infrastructure is in place. However, natural gas
is not renewable and its availability beyond a decade is highly
suspect, in that our present annual usage exceeds 13% of our
proven reserves!
Why do you think it was necessary for our government to
preempt local jurisdiction regarding proposed LNG port sites? It
was necessary because there are only three LNG ports in the
United States, our internal production of natural gas has declined
considerably, Mexico has stopped exporting it to the U.S., and
continued increases of imports from Canada are needed to feed
our ever-increasing demand. Since pipelines conveying gas from
Alaska or Canada have been deemed impractical, it must be
transported by ship. And therein is a major problem! To be ship
ped, natural gas must be cooled to minus 260 degrees Faren-
heit and necessitating LNG tankers in which to convey it and
LNG ports to off-load and store it — a situation posing extremely
dangerous threats to the exposed population, environment and
economy!
While the Middle East possesses in excess a third of the
world's natural gas reserves, most of it has beeri contracted to
supply the needs of Europe and the Far East and nearly all the
fleet of LNG tankers is committed to supply Taiwan, Korea and
Japan via long-term contracts. So the likelihood of supplies from
the Middle East appears unrealistic in the near term.
In view of the fact that natural gas extraction in the
Northern Hemisphere is on the decline and that proven reserves
available to the U S. will be exhausted possibly in a decade even
if demand remains at present levels, is it a reasonable course
of action for the U S. to commit immense capital expenditures to
expand an infrastructure that will soon be obsolete? Why foolish
ly promote natural gas as an intermediate fuel when safe and
renewable alternatives are more promising and realistic?
Before an LNG port is sited somewhere on the Columbia
River (at least four are under consideration), the local Port
Commissioners and the citizenry should ponder the question
of what will happen to the huge and costly facilities once natural
gas availability is exhausted? Will it not be the case that the site
will be abandoned to decay, the local economy disrupted, the
environment blighted and any costs of "decommissioning” and
cleanup will be borne by the citizens of Oregon?
To any person seriously studying the issues involved,
the situation is clear. Peak Oil is upon us. Peak Natural Gas will
soon follow and our political, financial, and business leaders, as
well as the news media, haven't the guts or desire to level with
the American people as to the serious structural and economic
problems that are occurring because of our insatiable and unsus
tainable appetite for oil. The press for LNG is but a fig to conceal
the naked reality of the imminent end of our 100+ year petroleum
binge and the vision of the Port of Astoria Commissioners is too
myopic to see it!
Chuck McLaughlin lives in Wheeler. He has been a
contributor to the NCTE, and wrote this article for the Autumn
2005 issue of CAW (Community Action in Writing), which is
published in Manzanita. Submissions of articles, art, poetry,
photography or letters to CAW can be made to P.O. Box 582,
Manzanita, Oregon 97130, or email to artmis&nehalemtel. net.
CAW's website is www.nehalembay.org
GO DEMOCRACY
BY MONICA TAYLOR
Clint Curtis is a whistleblower. Clint Curtis is a life-long
Republican from Florida. He is now a conserrrrrrrrrvative Demo-
crat(ic) person He is a computer software programmer who
worked for Yang Enterprises of Florida. I heard him speak in
Portland, Oregon.
Clint told over 300 people that In 2000, Tom Feeney (R),
the Speaker of the House of Florida, asked him to write a “vote
flipping computer program." Tom Feeney prefaced his request by
saying that it was feared the Democrats’ people would scam the
election with such a program and the Republicans wanted to be
able to detect this.
A vote flipping program is an election computer software
program that can manipulate the total vote count in an election.
For example, in the real election Kerry gets 52%, Bush 48%, —
flip at the very end of the day, suddenly the computer says Bush
52% and Kerry 48%. You have heard of Identity Theft. Well, this
is big scale vote theft This is voting fraud and high treason.
Tom Feeney, in addition to being Florida Speaker of the
House, was also the general counsel, registered lobbyist and
corporate attorney for Yang Enterprises, Inc., for whom Clint
Curtis worked.
So Clint Curtis wrote the program that night, and wrote
the method of detecting a vote flipping program. He turned both
into Yang Enterprises. Then, after he delivered the goods, the
president of the company said she didn’t understand, this pro
gram was not to protect against voting fraud — it was to control
the vote in south Florida
Clint feared there was a misuse of his 24-line program.
He first reported up the line to Florida's Attorney General, the FBI
and CIA with sworn statements. Later he was interviewed by Ray
Lemme, the Inspector General for the Florida Department of
Transportation. Ray Lemme investigated to the top levels of
government and he reported to Curtis that the whole story would
be out in two weeks.
Ray Lemme was found dead a few days later on July 1,
2003, in Georgia, where he mysteriously “committed suicide."
The photographs of the scene do not match the police report.
Georgia is a neighboring state where suicides are not autopsied.
In Florida, all suicides have to be autopsied, Curtis explained.
Obviously, this computer election software is a touchy
subject to some. And this is not just about Florida, or about the
Republican Party, for many Republicans ultimately believe in
democracy, as you will see.
Clint Curtis made sworn testimony on a lie detector test,
which is public record, per Brad Friedman, his interviewer, an
investigative reporter. This presentation was video-taped and is
available (503-325-0029).
Clint Curtis shared his 24-line code for flipping an elect
ion. I have also written two simple equations in two unknowns,
which can be programmed into a computer and linked to time
and date, and could scam an election. This shows how easy it
is to tamper with corporately owned, secret election software
(DREs) without a paper ballot. And it reveals the hidden dangers
of the corporatization of the American election system.
This is not just about Florida: 22-30% of the votes in the
last national election were counted on these stupid machines.
Clint Curtis fears for our constitutional democracy. Each of us
should well fear for our democracy and for all the freedoms of
daily life that we treasure, which a true democracy with accurate
and honest elections protects.
Citizens have been empowered by our constitutional
democracy. It is the citizens’ right to vote and to protect and
“police” our election system to ensure fair elections. It is not the
right or duty of government, corporation, military or Supreme
Court to interfere with the American electoral process. Even the
people in New Guinea and the rest of the world know that our
recent national elections have been scammed.
Paper ballots with a chain of custody are required to
have a secret vote with an accurate public count. Recount and
audit then have validity to check against tampering. Techno
wizardry without a paper ballot has no validity.
The American people — Democrats, Republicans, etc.
— are strong, intelligent, intuitive and courageous. In the past
they revolted against British rule because of “taxation without
representation.” They believed then as we do now that true
democratic election is the only way to control a runaway govern
ment.
The federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) dangles
$9 billion in front of states to entice them to purchase these touch
screen election software systems without a paper ballot. Some
companies with corporatized software include Diebold, Sequoia,
Triad, VoteHere.
The good news is that HAVA does not require states to
purchase this equipment. Oregon refuses to order them in spite
of the enticing money.
Oregon’s vote by mail system, though it has iom e weak
nesses that are being remedied, is basically quite sound. Also,
Tennessee has recently indicted numerous top government
officials for fraud connected to election computer systems, and
some of its citizens are trying to expel the ballotless DREs from
their state. With backing, lawyer Paul Lehto is suing Sequoia
in Washington for rotten software. John Washburn, a software
expert, is taking election software companies to task for not
complying with legal requirements. Citizens are obviously
concerned about what is happening to the election process.
The states of America must not spend $9 billion of tax
payer money to scam our own elections. We must reject the
election computer software systems that do not produce paper
ballots, verified by each voter, and deposited in secure ballot
boxes with a chain of custody. Corporatization of the American
election system is lethal to democracy. Are we on the brink of a
coup?
Monica Taylor is a registered nurse and lives in Astoria.
Investigative reporter Brad Friedman can be reached at his blog
site, www.bradblog.com If anyone wishes to start their own blog,
just Google www.blogging.com and they will walk you through it.
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