Spotted Owls Don't Live in Mukilteo, Silly

So it's T-13 days until I donate all this hair. It took about 2 years to grow out all of the sun, color, and swimming damage, and I decided my birthday would be the best day to give it away. Some lucky little girl is going to get a wig full of thick, curls, and I'll quit accidentally pulling my hair in random ways.

In sad community news, the Everett Symphony played its last concert at the Everett Civic Auditorium last night, and said goodbye to Dr. Cobbs after over 30 years. I thought I was a good trumpet player until Dr. Cobbs placed me at 2nd trumpet in the Youth Symphony, but he turned us all into musicians. Unfortunately, I had to work last night and missed the concert.

The Symphony said they are going to restructure, and come back in the next 2 years at a different venue, and with new musician contracts. That just means it will be in a smaller venue, and a lot of the good musicians who expect to be paid well will leave. And, of course, no Dr. Cobbs to lead. They didn't mention the fate of the Youth Symphony either.

Speaking of the Youth Symphony, my visit to Kamiak HS (where we used to practice) last week was very entertaining. Aside from the many times I was hushed in the visitor's balcony during a US Senate session, I had only gone to one public meeting in my life. The Paine Field Public Hearing was an absolute hoot, and not boring at all, like I expected.

Over 500 people showed up, and the mediator actually threatened to kick all of us out 6 times while I was there. Of course, I was absolutely silent after the old fellow sitting next to me told me not to mention to anyone else that I was from Arlington. Apparently, the Mukilteo residents think that commercial service should be added to the rinky-dink Arlington airport instead of Paine Field where they already have a full 747 capable runway. I was polite though, and didn't laugh everytime I heard someone say the service should be added to Arlington, but NIMBY's don't think with common sense.

I do have to say that the way the FAA and the airport ran the process was very arcaeic. First of all, they hired a firm from Oklahoma to do the EIS, which even the thought of an Okie pisses off PNW yuppies. They sat on the stage and looked down at the public commenters, and at times, I swear some of them were texting instead of listening. The firm's presentation was very one-sided, and even though I understand they are trying to move the process along quickly, I'm afraid that having every conclusion as, "no significant impact," when there are obvious schools, parks and stores in the airport vacintity, is just asking for a fight.

One guy did crack me up, though. He tried to claim that he recorded the hoot of a spotted owl in the half-acre wooded plot behind his home. In Mukilteo? On a half-acre without old growth? Hahahahahahahahahaha. Sorry, that's what I felt like doing in the middle of his 3 minute comment. Some people don't realize how much they can hurt their cause when they try to use science they don't understand.

After his endangered species claim, the crowd erupted in applause and shouts, and was one of the many times the moderator threatened to clear the room. What I don't understand is why they are fighting the wrong battle. Everyone knows that the county can't stop the service because it's against Federal Law to ban commercial flights from an airport deemed essential by the FAA. Why aren't these residents demanding pollution fees from Horizon and Allegient? Why are they not fighting for quieter jet technology, and cleaner fuels? Don't stall growth - demand smart growth, and we just may get somewhere.

Another One (Less) Catches the Bus

According to Lewis Black's show, blogging is the Root of All Evil, but I'm putting in my two cents anyway. I am a member of the Environmental Defense Fund, and today's email from them contained some stats that will surprise many people. For instance, in May of 2007, a barrel of oil was $75 and in May of 2008 it was at $131. Now that's not news to anyone, but this might be. In 2007, a record number of trips were taken by Americans on our public transportation system – 10.3 billion, and Americans drove 9.6 billion miles less in 2008 than 2007. Now here's what hurts – 46% of the American population has NO access to public transportation, and municipalities all over America have cut back their public transportation by 20% this year because the price of gas is putting too high of a strain on their budgets.

Being a citizen of Snohomish County in Washington, I guess I was oblivious to these stats. We live 25 miles outside the nearest "city" of 20,000 people, and there is bus service all day up and down our highway. The county began switching to green thinking way back when I worked for the Parks Department. Back then they were shifting all county vehicles to recycled motor oil, and looking into a new technology called BioDiesel. Almost fifteen years later, the county runs all of its busses and most other diesel vehicles on BioDiesel that it makes itself. This past spring, I had a representative from the county Works Department come up to our school for our community science night. She made BioDiesel on site!! Now I understand that I am lucky to live in a county with such great insight, but this is really the way municipalities need to go. States need to form their own Energy Plans and stop waiting for the Federal Government to tell us what to do.

After all, we are a Republic of states which means that states are supposed to be governing themselves and relying on the Federal Government for international issues, banking issues and interstate commerce. I know I sound like a Republican, but we have forgotten our local roots. There are many citizens in local communities that get together and garden or clean the highways, but there are no town hall meetings anymore, and city council, county council and school district meetings are vacant until some morality issue pops up like a sex shop zoning or a controversial book in the library. It was only forty years ago when a Democrat stood up and inspired Americans to get involved in their part of our Republic. Remember? "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Have we forgotten what this means?

It means you get involved. The next time your utility commissioner goes up for re-election, vote for the person who has a new energy plan. The same old same old will cause us bankruptcy. Call your utility department and ask them about their Alternative Energy plans, or start a citizens drive to encourage them to come up with one. Call your county executive and ask about the future of public transportation in your district. Write to your local paper and encourage others to help your community come up with viable energy plans.

On another note, people have asked me about why Obama is not sweeping the polls. While McCain's new attack ads are comparing Obama to Paris Hilton, McCain is also using his press corps to his advantage. Obama, I'm afraid is making a mistake by only using his press corps to look like a rock star and to defend himself against McCain's attacks. Now I know that the Obama campaign wants to portray him as "above" that kind of campaigning, but get real guys. This is America where many Americans have an attention span of about 8 seconds, and do not go on to research what they have heard.

Obama needs to stand up, use his press corps and start pointing out the very apparent problems in our very broke country. He needs to attack McCain and loosen up a little, or he is going to come off as too arrogant for the regular American to vote for. He came up the Democrat ladder, "fired up and ready to go," but I think someone doused the fire.

Why Can't We Be Friends?

I was a Carter baby, and was raised in the faux-happy America of Ronald Reagan. I know now that times were rough, hence why a pharmacist's kid wore hand-me-downs from her cousin, but I didn't realize it at the time. Why? One great thing Ronnie did was give us all a good sense of community. Of course, it was aided by the remnants of the WWII era organizations such as the Lions, Jaycees, bowling leagues (flashback Poly Sci).

We don't have that anymore in America. In fact, I've noticed we have very much regressed. In our local po-dunk paper, people are explaining how they go slower when you don't travel the legal distance behind them. In Minnesota, cops are giving citizens radar guns and training them how to use them, and in Tallahasse, FL a 23 year old girl is dead because the police set her up on a cocaine/gun sting when all she was guilty of was having a couple of baggies of pot.

But these people are breaking the law you say. Yes, but it is not up to the citizens to maintain local law enforcement. In fact, the city councils and police departments should be encouraging citizens to get along with one another. How about community days to clean up a park, or feed the homeless, or give kids something to do after school? They should not be encouraging citizen vs. citizen. What kind of America does that bring us?

When I finish school, no matter what government office I end up working for, I want to devote my volunteer time to encouraging community events, hopefully involving alternative energy choices. This is craziness people. And to conclude, a quote from Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"