by Smitty
This would have been cool back in the day of innovation and capitalism. These foolish Germans are working on something that could have led to that flying car that Glenn Reynolds is always on about. Apparently these Germans had not read their Bradbury. They don’t know that it is ‘unfair’ for some people to be smart and make the slackers feel bad things about their slackerhood. I’ll bet these Germans haven’t listened to Rush, either. (Aside: is it funny or sad that these music industry moochers want to label Rush a ‘Progressive’ act?)
However, we’re now in the inverted Era of Progress, where by ‘progress’ we really mean ‘regress’:
Emphasis mine:
October 28, 2011 — The White Salmon River in Washington state is flowing again as the nearly 100-year-old Condit Dam was disabled with explosives Wednesday. The reservoir draining took about 2 hours. Further demolition is scheduled in 2012. The event is a significant milestone for river restoration and dam removal nationwide.
It doesn’t sound like these guys are doing an improvement project. Rather, its the Noble Savage Myth playing out. While I don’t believe that these Progressives should be repressed in any way, we must, I repeat, must, expose them for the nutjobs they are and ensure that they don’t completely wreck Western Civilization in their pursuit of folly.
via Engaget
Update: Overpopulation myths.
I got a few million acres of ruined farmland out here in central CA says we gotta repress them as much as we can.
with all due respect (and I am a conservationist NOT an “environmentalist”) not all dams are a benefit-plus, and they age and outlive their usefulness, too.
It may have been needed to be removed but all that erosion all at once was pretty horrific.
Granted, Darleen, but the groups who pushed for the removal of the Condit Dam are the same groups who want ALL dams removed. Regardless of their age and usefulness. They view this one as a first step. Or a foot in the door.
So perhaps Smitty is harsh about the Condit Dam in particular, but given the habit of environmentalists of pushing and poking until they get their way, he’s spot on about their belief in the “Noble Savage Myth”.
In this case, it’s control of the water. Water is life. Deny humans access to water, and humans either suffer or move on. Removing dams can be viewed as denying access; violence over water rights were common during the early days of colonizing the American West.
For a more extreme example…..look at how many acres of California farmland have been rendered useless because river water is being used for the Delta Smelt.
Same strategy, different tactics.
And let’s not fail to point out that the loss of hydroelectric power will cause energy prices, necessarily, to skyrocket, to paraphrase #OccupyResoluteDesk
Don’t forget flood control. When that mountain snow melts and the rivers begin to flood life along the rivers can get very very difficult. Roads and bridges wash away. Towns get flooded.
Personally California should be divided into two separate states. Northern California should retain the name “California” while Southern California should be renamed “Jackassonia”.
Or maybe Freedonia as a nod to the Marx Brothers.
Many of these people are insane some institutionalization may be required.
The age of powerless is upon us. Nukes need to be relicensed. Mostly they are being dismantled. None are being built.
Power dams were also licensed. Their time is running out, they will be breached,not relicensed. This will be reckoned as progress.
RAH (my favorite squid) had some quote about this that Insty always runs.
On the grand scale of things, Condit Dam was puny, in comparison to the nearby Dalles (2,038 MW) and Bonneville (1,092.9 MW) lock & dams on the Columbia. The rated generating capacity of Condit Dam was a mere 14.7 megawatts.
That doesn’t seem like much, but there are many others of a similar size in the Pacific Northwest, taking advantage of available river flows. It adds up very quickly.
There has been, for many years, a strong (and vocal) movement to restore the Columbia and Snake Rivers to their original conditions, much like the White Salmon River. And in spite of the economic consequences. Please note that the Condit Dam was shut down because the costs of meeting environmental regulations rendered the dam uneconomic to operate. I am not aware of any technical reason that would justify its breaching.
So, viewed microscopically, the removal of the Condit Dam makes sense for the White River.
Viewed from a higher elevation, the removal of the Condit Dam is likely one more step for the environmental goal of restoring the Pacific Northwest rivers to “pristine” condition.
I hope those greenies can get by without their creature comforts, given how environmentalists keep on chipping away at the power infrastructure here in the Yew Ess of Eh.
Sorry — “White Salmon River” is what I meant. Meh!
Heinlein was a gem of an American.
SoCal should be “Jackassonia”? Since when did San Francisco become a part of Southern California??
Googling the quote I was thinking of brought me to this:
There are hidden contradictions in the minds of people who “love Nature” while deploring the “artificialities” with which “Man has spoiled ‘Nature.'” The obvious contradiction lies in their choice of words, which imply that Man and his artifacts are not part of “Nature” — but beavers and their dams are. But the contradictions go deeper than this prima-facie absurdity. In declaring his love for a beaver dam (erected by beavers for beavers’ purposes) and his hatred for dams erected by men (for the purposes of men) the Naturist reveals his hatred for his own race — i.e., his own self-hatred.
In the case of “Naturists” such self-hatred is understandable; they are such a sorry lot. But hatred is too strong an emotion to feel toward them; pity and contempt are the most they rate.
“The White Salmon River in Washington state is flowing again…” This quote says it all, really. I wonder if these near-sighted over-educated idiots really believe that the river wasn’t flowing the day before… or that there will now be an increased daily flow of what is now left of the river.
Couple of years ago they increased the release of the water through the Columbia River Dam system. Not incrementally… they did it in big ‘flushes’… they were trying to flush the fish out to Sea, I kid you not. Now they learn that doing so releases dissolved nitrogen into the water, and the fish suffocate. Danm near sterilized the downstream stretch of the river.
“In the case of “Naturists” such self-hatred is understandable;” which shows good sense, I hate them too. (paraphrasing somebody)
But…but…SCIENCE!
There have been several cases of “saving” various darters, a tiny fish which plays no significant role in the food chain or the ecology. If it ever did, that purpose is long gone and forgotten. Some argue about the designations, claiming that the environmentalists are claiming sub-species as separate species and the government just accepts the claim without serious inquiry. Also, new populations of darters are always being found in wilderness rivers and streams.
The Endangered Species Act is just out of control. It should be amended to what people thought they were getting: protection of larger or cuter animals, but no pests, rodents, or insects. And no fish too small to eat.
We’ve almost destroyed much of the Central Valley of California with the water deprivation, turning what was almost a Garden of Eden into a desert rivaling the left’s intellectual foundations.
But dammitall, they were doing it for the chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiildren.
Some institutionalization may be required.
Stacy,
I’m not entirely sure we’re not too late to save Western Civilization…the decadence of the “entitlement class” demanding ever more services…free from the Gov’t has wiped out the Greeks…and we’re not far behind them. Europe is on the brink of economic and societal collapse…and so are we. To wit: the “Occupy Wall Street movement”.
These nuts are demanding forgiveness of student loans because they were either too lazy or too stupid to actually follow a course of study that would prepare them to earn a living…additionally they’re also demanding well paying jobs simply because they went to college…they have no acceptance of their own responsibility in matters…the “gov’t” will fix it…
This entire mindset is held by 50% of the population of this country. We will not be able to continue on our current course…and the crash will be ugly. What we’ve been witnessing these past 2 1/2 years are the opening stanzas of the 2nd American Revolution…only this time, they people who actually pay the freight in this country are the ones following the “rules”…while Liberals are willing to commit violent acts to force their agenda upon the rest of us.
If you look at the the French Revolution, the revolts of 1848, the French Commune and the October Revolution of 1917…none of those ended well…I don’t think ours will either.
Rich Vail
Pikesville, Maryland
We’d make it like Danzig between the World Wars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danzig#The_inter-war_years.2C_and_World_War_II
Victor Davis Hanson has written some good stuff on this, being a farmer himself in that area.
Perhaps it is time to ‘dissolve the Political Bands which have connected’ us with the 50%?
That is perhaps, extreme, but a revolution is no longer out of the question if our political class continues to act irresponsibly as they have been for the last 70 years. GOP leadership must stop “going along to get along” right now…
SoCal begins at Gay Bay.
Contempt, yes. Pity? Absolutely not.
Sadly, I don’t think the Establishment GOP will.