Liberals are NOT the Root of all Evil

Amid all the bad news being reported (record deficit by our current administration; more bombings: Iraq, India, Turkey, etc.; job losses; rising costs; the list goes on and on) is the story about the gunman who killed two people and wounded seven others in a church in Knoxville, TN, because – among other things – he hated liberals and the liberal stance. I find it very interesting that there have been many stories over the years of this type and they are, as far as I can remember, always a conservative shooting a liberal. Remember all those bombings and shootings related to abortion clinics?

What’s wrong with being liberal? Are they anti-society? Are they out to take control of the world? Do they secretly worship the devil? I’ve looked around at a number of Web sites (and a selection of books) and find an unbelievable amount of hysteria and inflammatory remarks about the dreaded liberals. However, real life is not written in just black or white. Everything is some shade of gray. Unfortunately the popular press, the news media, and a great many others want to cast everyone and everything as “us vs. them” – and “them” is always evil.

Do you know where you stand on conservative vs. liberal? If you select several people at random and talk with them you are bound to find out that they have a number of views that are conservative and a number of views that are liberal. Where do you stand? If you are curious, take this Political Quiz to see where on the sliding scale of liberal vs. conservative you stand. You might be surprised.

I also came across another site, the Student News Daily, with a lengthy table listing the differences between liberal and conservative. Personally, I’ve always thought of myself as a liberal (open minded; willing to listen; willing to tolerate other’s views and differences; belief that abortion should be left up to a woman and her family, not the government; pro-environmental protection; pro-science; belief that a huge government is not the best government; among other things). I would hope that this does not make me a target for someone toting a gun just because they disagree with me. Everyone is an individual and if we shoot everyone that doesn’t agree with us there will be no humans left alive on this planet. Oh, for the record, my quiz score puts me only slightly to the liberal side.

What happened to common sense? Is it just me, or is the human race going crazy? Where is compassion, understanding, patience? Current events are scaring the heck out of me. I don’t know whether to go outside and scream at the top of my lungs or build an underground bunker and hide till it’s all over.

Water Wars

There’s an old saying: “You never miss the water till the well runs dry.” Much of the world lives on less than 4 gallons of water a day. Here in the U.S. we use approximately 100 gallons of water per person per day. For statistical information and other excellent information about this issue please visit the World Water Council. I must admit I am shocked by how much we in the U.S. use. Check out this site for the statistics.

Have you heard about Orme, a town in Tennessee, that only has running water for three hours per day? Check out this news story. And it's not just there: South Florida could be next because of low river levels. Check out this news story.

It is way past time we started to treat this life-giving resource with respect. Here’s some ways you can reduce the amount of water you use EVERY day:

• Don’t let water drip from a faucet. A dripping faucet can waste 20 gallons per day. I’m not just talking about in your own home either: if you are in a public bathroom and a tap is dripping or running all you have to do is turn it off.
• Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth. Guys, don’t run the water while you are shaving – just fill the sink bowl with about an inch of water to use to rinse your razor.
• Run the dishwasher or washing machine only when full. If you need to replace either of those appliances, look for the Energy Star label. Not only will you save electricity, but water too. Consider a front loading washing machine, they wash your clothes better, and use less water and soap in the process.
• Take shorter showers. Depending upon the type of shower head you have you are using between 5 to 10 gallons of water a minute.
• If the yard doesn’t need watering, don’t water it. Once or twice a week should be more than enough.
• If you have older, high water usage toilets take a plastic water bottle and fill it with water or sand. Place that in the tank of the toilet to reduce the amount of water you use every time you flush. When you can, replace the old toilets with low water use toilets. They work just as well and use much less water.
• Here are some excellent sites for many more suggestions: Water Conservation Tips, 100 Water Saving Tips, 25 Ways to Save Water at Home
  

What are the alternatives? Remember New Orleans after Katrina? Now imagine it has been weeks since you’ve had running water, you’re thirsty, dirty, your family needs fresh water. What would you do? Here’s a story from the BBC on the looming water crisis.

Yes, these are hard truths. But we all need to work NOW to prevent water wars from tearing humanity apart. Every gallon of water that we save is a gallon that does not get removed from our shrinking water supply.

One final statistic for you: 97.5% of all the water on Earth is salt water, which leaves only 2.5% as fresh water. Here’s where I got this information.