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Asher Asks…Episode
2 by Reed Asher I feel that the most important
issue facing all of us today is climate change. The urgency of this problem
has prompted me to try to bring a broader awareness of the issue to my
community by stressing what individuals like you and I can do. I have begun a project of interviewing
people in my community about how they are dealing with this issue in their
own lives. I will be asking them this
series of questions and recording their responses. 1)
How
long would you say you have been concerned about Climate Change? 2)
When
did you realize you could personally become part of the solution? 3)
What
sources of information have influenced your views on this issue? 4)
Is
this an issue that you discuss with family and friends? (often, occasionally,
or not at all) 5)
What
have you done to reduce your family’s carbon footprint? Mariah
and John Warren, fellow Yoga students at Yogascape. 1) Mariah was involved in an environmental action club in High school in the 90’s, and
John says that he has been interested in the issue for-at most, ten years, is
growing more concerned now, but is not an alarmist. 2) Both agree that the media has
been a strong influence-newspapers, magazines, internet (global march) and Al
Gore. 3) They have discussed recycling
mostly 4) Currently, they use compact
Electric bulbs, and turn them off when not in use. They drive cars with
higher MPG, they recycle everything they can, and use all natural cleaning products,
natural cat litter and much it They limit their use of air conditioners,
invest in wind energy, and use milk paint, and properly dispose
of all hazardous waste. They have planted native plants, shade trees, and use
energy star appliances. 5) They plan to purchase Hybrid cars, travel
less, carpool, and
offset travel fuel. They will buy locally, and use alternative fuels. From Episode 1 Kathleen
Hardeman is a Pawling resident. She is a licensed message therapist and a
ceramic artist. 1) “I remember reading about the
growing hole in the Ozone layer in 1990, and the awareness of the problems of
our dependence on mid-east oil with those long lines at gas stations in the
70’s. Also, the solar power movement
started during the Carter administration.” 2) “About 20 years ago, say 1985 or
7, I adopted a philosophy of living as lightly on the earth as possible. I felt that I had to take personal
responsibility for the impact I made on the environment. 3) Some of the Magazines I
subscribe to are The Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, NRDC, The Nation,
Natural History, and Diet for a Small Planet.
I do not own a television. I read
a lot.” 4) “Often.
I have had many arguments with my father, and some of my friends. I
can only talk about my concerns so much because they think I take it too
far. Keith (my domestic partner) and I
discuss the issues a lot.” 5)
“We
keep our heat low and wear lots of layers in the winter (62 degrees max.). We
recycle all we can, and buy recycled paper products. We compost our kitchen waste to use on our
vegetable garden. Keith drives a low
mileage car, and we use fluorescent light bulbs. We conserve hot water as much as possible,
and only run the washer when it is full. We are vegetarians, and buy as much
local produce as possible”.  All Politics
Are Local: After many years
of work with children and parents as a school counselor, family and child therapist
I have decided the parenting we experience as children significantly
influences our adult political lives. Parenting is intimate relationship,
which teaches our children about power, decision-making, responsibility and
courage. Most
of our parents used either autocratic or democratic parenting styles. Parents who employ a democratic parenting
style view the use of power in relationships differently than autocratic
parents. Democratic parents treat
their children as equals in dignity and respect while accepting,
understanding and accounting for their child’s developmental differences.
These parents believe that while no child should be hurt by an adult,
children may feel and/or act hurt when parents say, “No, you cannot play with
matches, or use drugs.” Democratic
parents set limits and boundaries and follow through with firm and fair
consequences, which are logically related to the child’s misbehavior. These parents empower their child, respect
their child’s right to choose and help their child learn about power as they
experience the consequences their misbehavior. As these children grow toward adult life,
they learn to accept more power and exercise more choice. They
become more involved, encouraged, confident and responsible adult decision-makers. Parents
who employ an autocratic parenting style use power to control and/or punish
their child. Autocratic parents do not
view their child as equals in dignity and respect, but rather view themselves
as the final authority who makes, then informs their child or adolescent of
their decision. While these parents
are not abusive, they may view spanking or slapping their child as a
justifiable form punishment. The
punishment is often arbitrary, logically unrelated to the misbehavior and
without opportunity for reconciliation.
Children in autocratic and punitive homes learn that someone more
powerful can control the less powerful and make decisions for them. As young adults they are often described by
adults as ‘irresponsible’, when in fact, they are as ‘responsible’ as the
adults in their lives allowed them to be. Absent the necessary childhood
opportunities to learn about personal power, choice and responsibility, these
children often enter adult life feeling discouraged, unconfident in decisions
and ambivalent about their choices. As
parents we might ask ourselves: “What is my child learning from me about
power, fairness, negotiation, decision making and responsibility?” “What is my child learning about politics
from me?” If you are interested in
learning more about Democratic Parent Skills ask their school counselor or
local counseling center. Frank Main
(1985), Perfect Parenting and other Myths along with Dinkmeyer, D., Carlson, J. (1999), The Parents
Handbook: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting are two the best
resources for parents. Mike
Gilles, Ed.D., N.C.C., L.P.C. ANOTHER PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT FOR
PAPER BALLOTS Too few people attended the
presentation by Theresa Hommel at As
a fellow longtime computer programmer, I understand and agree with Ms. Hommel that any computerized voting machine is too
complex, and is too error-prone and unverifiable. But where I posit only an opinion, Ms. Hommel has spent the last two years documenting
hers. Her website, www.wheresthepaper.org is an
incredibly ambitious work, with a “Fraudulent Voting Machine” demo, and more
documents, links, historical performance data on voting machines,
and studies of implementation costs and associated operating expenses than
you’ll have time to read. I
strongly urge you to give the site a visit.
Ms. Hommel understands that the ballot box
is the people’s most direct and important connection to government. It must be simple, verifiable, and
independent. It must give citizens
confidence that their votes are being honestly and accurately recorded, and
not force them to have blind faith that a computer programmer has done his
work accurately and honestly. Again,
let me point you to the website www.wheresthepaper.org. Good Places to
Express Your Opinion Senator Vincent Leibell III Assemblyman
Greg Ball
David Kelly and Bob Clearwater Republican
Board of Elections Commissioner
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On This Page Another Persuasive Argument for Paper Ballots nnnnnnnnnnn "A Constitution of Government once
changed from Freedom, can never be restored. nnnnnnnnnnn |
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