Bits of news

It's been a few days since I wrote a blog post. This one may be a little disjointed, because I don't really have a topic, just a bunch of separate bits of news.

Last week, John Edwards visited California and gave a talk at Google that was really interesting. I liked the format quite a bit. It was more like a conversation than an interview, and he stayed around to answer a lot of questions. The discussion was heavy on foreign policy, which I think was good, because those Silicon Valley firms tend to have a lot of international workers. The video is over an hour, but you can view it below:



In other recent news, Edwards unveiled his plan for relief from rising gas prices. You know this is on the minds of a lot of people!

Gasoline prices are now near an all-time record high. Edwards believes immediate action is necessary to offer families relief from rising gas prices. In order to help struggling families, Edwards will call for an immediate investigation into the causes of higher gasoline prices, including the anticompetitive structure of the oil industry, and for stronger enforcement of laws to ensure free and open competition.

Today, he will call on President Bush, Congress, and state leaders to:

• Investigate the anticompetitive actions of the oil industry. Edwards will call for an independent Justice Department investigation into the consolidation of the oil industry, the causes of higher gas prices and remedies to the problem.
• Reverse Enron-era deregulation of energy markets by restoring basic transparency and oversight, such as requiring public reporting of large trades, to help identify and deter market manipulation.
• End taxpayer subsidies for oil companies and reinvest the savings in affordable, clean and renewable energy.
• Require oil companies to invest in clean, reliable refineries. Edwards will call on states to enforce Clean Air Act standards to require oil companies to modernize their refineries, making them cleaner and more reliable.
  

Edwards believes the United States needs to break its addiction to oil. America's dependence on oil not only leaves families vulnerable, but it compromises our national security and contributes to the crisis of global warming. Edwards has proposed a plan to fundamentally transform our cars and trucks as part of his plan to cap global warming pollution and cut it by 80 percent by 2050. He believes that we can cut oil imports by 7.5 million barrels a day by 2025 – nearly a third of the oil projected to be used in 2025 – and get us on a path to be virtually petroleum-free within a generation.

Of course, the importance of all of this pales in comparisonto the earthshaking news that you can get John's mom Bobbie's pecan pie recipe, just by contributing $6.10 to the Edwards campaign! I think he just won the election right there! I know my mom will think so. Why $6.10? John's birthday is coming up, and it's on June 10.

Well, I'm excited, because on Monday I get to go see Edwards open a can of whoopin' on the alleged front runners. He will be participating in a presidential forum hosted by Sojourners, along with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Sojourners is a liberal Christian organization that focuses a lot on poverty, so I would think they are kindred spirits with John. The event will be broadcast on CNN.

My goal while attending this forum will be to not stick out like a sore thumb. I'm not a religious person. (My candidate is, but not in a scary right wing way.) It will be like visiting a whole different culture. How exciting!