good news/bad news

Which do you like to get first, the good news or the bad news? Okay, we'll start with the bad:

Panel Rejects Nuclear Industry Claim, Affirms Radiation Link to Cancer said an AP headline Thursday.

The preponderance of scientific evidence shows that even very low doses of radiation pose a risk of cancer or other health problems and there is no threshold below which exposure can be viewed as harmless, a panel of prominent scientists concluded Wednesday.

Apparently there were proponents in the nuclear industry who "argued that there is a threshold of very low level radiation where exposure is not harmful, or possibly even beneficial."

I was shocked to discover this one! Why should I be surprised? Anyway, while the news is bad, at least the National Academy of Sciences panel is "likely to significantly influence what radiation levels government agencies will allow..."

And now for the good news: Congressman Bartlett's website announced that he

...met with President George W. Bush at the White House on June 29 for an extensive discussion about peak oil--the end of cheap oil. Congressman Bartlett
declined to discuss or characterize any of his private conversation with the
President, but said that he was very happy about the meeting.

I must confess I am very cynical about our leadership, but at least Bartlett is getting a hearing. And he is very clear about what he thinks we need to do:

"American needs a national energy policy and a program on a scale of the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II to prevent or mitigate the consequences of global peak oil. To avoid a really bumpy ride, what we need to do is dramatically reduce our consumption. The cheapest oil is oil we don't use. Second, we need to invest in greater energy efficiency. Third, we have to invest our limited resources of time and current energy sources to make rapid advances in the development of alternative, renewable sources of energy."

My question is how much does Bush already know? Its hard for me believeive he is not aware, which leads me to question where his loyalties lie. But perhaps he is ignorant.

In my own life I have found that 90% of the people I bring it up to have never heard of it. We need to continue to concentrate on getting the word out. Every small mention will do good, even if the listener doesn't seem responsive to it. Persuasion takes place with repeated messages. All those advertising dollars are spent with a reason. Follow their lead. Give peak oil a 15 second spot in your day.