Books you're reading.

For starters, you seemed a bit upset with the facts concerning Conservatives, so much so that you called them one-sided, partisan, ill-informed and baseless claims against liberals. Now tell me you're a Conservative whose just trying to yank my chain.

 

I just finished Timothy Mitchell's Carbon Democracy.


[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Democracy-Political-Power-Age/dp/1844677451"]Amazon.com: Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil (9781844677450): Timothy Mitchell: Books[/ame]


It was good in general, but the part I found most interesting was the argument he makes, which links the connection a country has to carbon during it's "development" to the development of their political culture. The basic argument is this. That development, industrialization, or whatever you want to call it, requires an enormous amount of energy. That energy was and continues to be provided almost entirely by carbon sources of energy, mainly coal and oil. Mitchell's basic argument is that development in the 19th and early 20th century centered around coal, engendered a more vibrant democratic political culture.

The reasoning is that, coal required manual labor to dig it out of the ground and was heavy and therefore difficult to transport. This reality, mixed with the fact that the developing nations Europe and North America relied almost entirely on coal to fuel their developing economies, gave the workers connected to the coal industry enormous power. It meant that coal miners, as well as rail workers fundamental in the shipment coal, and other linked laborers gained an enormous amount of power. If they struck, they could shut an economy down. Since coal was heavy, and technology wasn't as advanced, shipping the coal from other places was economically unfeasible. This reality led to many European countries and the US, to grant huge democratic concessions during that period. They also granted workers rights and other similar protections. It was the power those workers had over a fundamental source of energy for the entire industrial economy which led to vibrant democracy.

In contrast, oil has a very different reality. It is removed using pressure and machinery, and not manual labor and It is easier to ship, therefore making one oil well much less important. So if the workers of an oil well struck, they would be incapable of obtaining the concessions they wanted. Even if an entire countries worth of oil laborers struck, oil could be shipped from other countries. This lack of power shaped the political reality of the oil producing states of the middle east. They are nations with highly developed economies, but not highly developed democratic political traditions.


I don't know that I did the argument justice entirely, but I find it to be very compelling.

On the contrary, his main thesis which is that our carbon dependent world economy has provided us a lifestyle which is unsustainable without carbon energy sources, and when those energy sources run out(which is sure to happen), the global economy will be faced with a crisis. I personally find that less compelling. Despite the obstruction of some far from thoughtful people on the right and by the oil and coal industry, we will eventually face up to the reality that we need to find alternative sources of energy, and some bright minds will do it. That may be optimistic, but I feel it is an optimism grounded in reality.

 

Anxious to get Mark Levin's, Ameritopia. Heard it's great.

Right now, I'm reading, "John A. Quitman, Old South Crusader"
It's a non-fiction historical account and is interesting.

JP5

 

I just picked up Founders by Ray Raphael today. Sounded like a good read and wanted to check it out...

"The Founding Fathers were great men, but the American Revolution, according to John Adams, "was in the minds and hearts of the people." In Founders, historian Ray Raphael shines the spotlight on some of the unsung heroes of the Revolution--men and women you won't read about in most history books. These fresh views and visions offer a new perspective on a familiar story, and are crucial for understanding the full sweep of the founding era.

Among the array of impressive individuals you'll meet are:

Joseph Plumb Martin, a mere private in Washington's army, present during most of the war's most famous battles and events, all captured faithfully in his engaging diary.

Thomas Young, a doctor turned rebel who particpated in the Boston Tea Party and spread revolutionary ideas throughout the Northeast.

Mercy Otis Warren, playwright, historian, and fervent political activist, known as the "Conscience of the American Revolution."

Robert Morris, a wealthy merchant who almost single-handedly funded the Revolutionary War effort and was one of only two men to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution.

Timothy Bigelow, a common blacksmith, who participated in one of the earliest overthrows of British authority--the year before the Lexington and Concord.

 

I am reading two books.

One is a novel about Native Americans.

One is an autobiography about a holocaust survivor.


They were both survivors of genocide.

 

I am reading two books.

One is a novel about Native Americans.

One is an autobiography about a holocaust survivor.


They were both survivors of genocide.

 

I read "Go Set A Watchman" in one day. I like this Harper Lee novel.