Today in 1988, the New York Times front page headline said “Global Warming Has Begun.” Today today, Americans blame, rationalize, and justify, but pollute more than ever. They blame CEOs, companies, and politicians, denying and suppressing that they pay them to do what they do. We can stop if we choose to. It would mean valuing other people’s suffering over our convenience.

Pollution destroys life, liberty, and property. Depletion violates the principle of leaving enough as good in common for others. Basic principles of how people can live together include protecting life, liberty, and property and leaving enough as good in common for others are among the most basic and necessary. The language looks like it comes from Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, and their Enlightenment peers. I would say their Enlightendigenous peers[…] Keep reading →

Thomas Jefferson owning slaves, including his own children, wasn’t an abstract immoral act. He hurt people. He took away their freedom and hurt them. It isn’t a “purity test” to say that by owning slaves he hurt people. When people act like living more sustainably is a “purity test” I see two possible causes. The generous one, which I find implausible in today’s world, is that people don’t know polluting[…] Keep reading →

The title says it all. Here are pictures of more junkies shooting up in broad daylight in the park. Sorry the exposure isn’t brighter for the people but I was trying not to draw attention to myself. I was in the park charging and trying to work. There were half a dozen people in the group shortly before I took these pictures. If you magnify the second image you can[…] Keep reading →

My building neighbors often have deliveries to their doors, which I presume happens all over New York City. Here are some recent deliveries, first, I think, coffee, pastry, and other doof: Next, unnecessary sundries: I know plenty of people who marvel at how convenient modernity has made life. I wouldn’t be surprised if I looked enough into my past if I found I liked the prospect of not having to[…] Keep reading →

It’s tragic what people throw away in our culture that rewards and values disposability. Across the street from my building I saw this apple tree being thrown away. It looks nearly dead, maybe past gone, but there are some hints of green if I look. I don’t know who bought it, but why bother watering a tree when you can just throw it away and buy a new one, right?[…] Keep reading →

The paragraph and three questions below appeared in a recent post about learning from people whose ideas and views I don’t know enough to agree or disagree with. After writing them, I thought they deserved their own post. Part of why I’m posting and practicing these things is how clear disagreements become when one seeks to understand everyone independently of taking a side. Have you heard of the trend to[…] Keep reading →

Juneberries are just going out of season. I love their taste. I love the process of picking and eating them. I don’t know their nutritional value, but I understand that purple in the plant kingdom usually means lots of antioxidants and that berries in general are very healthy. [EDIT: I got lucky and found a couple pages on juneberry nutrition and it turns out they rank near the top of[…] Keep reading →

Reading Mark’s recent piece We’ll Never Have an Energy Transition in Manhattan Institute’s City Journal prompted me to write my recent post, When they say “transition fuel,” they mean “more polluting and depleting,” not less pollution or depletion. Read them both and you’ll see he inspired what I wrote and he wrote a lot more, with more research and editing. I recommend reading it and listening to his podcast episode there, but[…] Keep reading →