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More on selective libertarianism

I stand by the sentiment expressed here, but acknowledge that Jerry Taylor was entirely the wrong target. (Something I'll acknowledge at greater length in a post I have brewing about libertarianism, energy, and environmental policy. Every time I try to write it it metastasizes to a length more appropriate to epic poetry. Concision, alert readers will have noticed, is not my forte. So ... stay tuned.)

Consider, for instance, the following two responses to the just-passed energy bill.

Wangari on a tightrope

The Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai is walking a tightrope on evictions of poor squatters from Kenya's few remaining forests. Over 50,000 have recently been forced out of the woods, often with little explanation and guns at their backs.

Maathai, who won the peace prize for protecting Kenya's forests from the plundering cronies of then-President Moi, now serves as deputy minister of environment in the very government doing the evicting. Read here where she supports the necessity of the expulsions to save what little remains of Kenya's forests, while condemning the way it is being done.

Grist coverage of her winning the Nobel Peace Prize is here.

Senate passes energy bill

The senate just passed the energy bill 74-26. You'll eventually be able to see the roll call votes here.

Prior to the final vote, Sen. Feingold offered a budget point of order. That failed 71-29.

To modify another biblical verse: Ana wept.

Frist brings science back into the mix

In potentially good news for science fans everywhere, Sen. Bill Frist has stepped up to support stem-cell research. The money quote on this one: "It's not just a matter of faith, it's a matter of science," (Dr.) Frist said.

All hail the new Age of Reason?

A Slip of the Tungsten

Supposedly eco-safe ammo may actually contaminate soil “Green bullets” created to be environmentally safe — though not safe, presumably, for their targets — may not be so eco after all. […]

Stricken of the Sea

Fish diversity declines in the deep ocean There are fewer and fewer species of big fish in the deep sea, putting overall ocean health in danger. Scientists have known for […]

Shuffling the Deck

New nominees for top spots at EPA worry enviros The Senate last night confirmed President Bush’s pick for the No. 2 slot at EPA — Marcus Peacock, most recently a […]

Development in NYC

Way back in June (seems so long ago, doesn't it?) I posed the question of what constitutes a city. People frequently cite the statistic that half the world's population will soon live in cities, but those 3.4 billion people will not be living in anything close to downtown Manhattan. The definition of "urban" under which the majority of the planet's people live in urban areas is more inclusive than what people usually think of as a city -- the mega-cities like New York or London.

Considering this, I picture the view looking west from Manhattan. The first time I saw it, it hardly looked like a major city at all, just abnormally dense suburbia. While it does have the efficient mass transportation net characteristic of many cities, Brooklyn is lacking in density.

It ain’t pretty

The energy bill passed through the House today, and is expected to pass the Senate by a wide margin on Friday.

The nation's editorial boards have not taken kindly to this bill. The folks at Campaign for America's Future sent around a sampling of responses, which I've included below the fold. I've added some links. If you have links to other op-ed reactions, leave them in comments.

The CAFTA vote

Don't miss Sam Rosenfeld's post on last night's CAFTA vote. It enough to turn the stomach. See also tpmcafe for a discussion thread and this intriguing mention of possible House voting shenanigans.

Over at redstate, of course, they're pleased as punch.

Also, as I forgot to mention last time: We ran a great op-ed on CAFTA back in June.