Rocks: Crawling Out From Under

As BushCo put their energy plans on the table, we should start to see many new rationalizations surface for public display. Instead of ideas, which normally constitute a plan, I prefer to call them rationalizations, because I predict they will serve only to keep the status quo in place, albeit with a different spin or framing. I have a feeling that many of the "ideas" have either (1) hibernated since the 70's ready for reconstitution or (2) gestated and then hatched in the fervent right wing think tanks and Top Secret! energy task force meetings. I heard one directly out of the mouth of stiff of staff Andrew Card today on Meet the Press concerning new energy technology:

A. Card: Scientists tell us we have to worry about safety...

What this means, I can't determine with certainty, but I know that it plays on one of the chief ploys of the current administration: FEAR.

I suppose one can guess that this canard plays to outlandish worries such as that of the Hindenburg exploding (i.e. the hydrogen economy), but most likely Card refers to the potential influx of Smart Cars from Europe, and the possibility of whole families getting squashed under the wheels of competing Humvees on American highways.

However silly these talking points may come out, the fact that they finally have started to populate the airwaves holds out some hope. The right wing echo chamber of the blogosphere can no longer avoid talking about energy depletion issues (see here and here for this apparent void). Big Gav has posted on this topic:

Energy Bulletin has also noted that there has been some interest recently from fascist style politicians in the UK in the peak oil idea - although up until now it has seemed as if freepers are afraid of peak oil in the US - the right wing blogosphere never seems to mention it (I guess the market takes care of all environmental and resource scarcity issues, so they don't need to be considered).

I gave BG some grief on his classifying his thoughts as non-conventional (he said "weird" ala Hunter S. Thompson) compared to his typical blog fare, but I believe this stuff needs exposing. Putting our thoughts out there alongside the administrations' will cause the mundane right to present their own fair & balanced point of view.

But do read Big Gav's tour de force litany. And watch the weird critters scurry around as the various factions start kicking the rocks.

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Update: Official transcript of Card's canard:

MR. RUSSERT: Two things that have been suggested: Once again, have the 55-mile-an-hour speed limit uniform across the country; and, two, increase by federal mandate the miles per gallon for automobiles. Would the president support those two initiatives?

MR. CARD: Well, as you know, the president has provided for an increase of so-called corporate average fuel economy standards for sport utility vehicles, minivans and light-duty trucks. And that was done by action on the part of our regulators with the president's direction. Fuel standards for automobiles are set by Congress. We actually think that a comprehensive energy bill that recognizes the advancements in technology is the best way to go forward, and the president favors development of hydrogen-fueled vehicles. He'd like to see more of these hybrid vehicles in our marketplace. But he wants the market to work. He recognizes that the scientists tell us that we have to be very concerned about safety and the economists tell us we have to be very concerned about our economy. So the National Academy of Sciences said, when we consider fuel economy standards, we also have to take a look at the ramifications for safety and for jobs and our economy.