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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

California Dying, Not Dreaming - 2

Dr. Chu a.k.a. Dr. Who?
Regular readers know that Dredd Blog, every once in awhile, reflects back on history by viewing the history of Dredd Blog posts.

To show that things we discuss are not of the Kardashian species, things momentary, things only in the commercial moment.

No commercials, just the reality we continue to live in even though it is not a likable reality for those with their eyes wide open.

The post we are going to re-post today was first posted on Dredd Blog on this date, in 2009, five years ago.

That story from five long years ago is not some dim ink-on-paper that will fade with time and become irrelevant to our reality, no, Dredd Blog ink gets more and more bold as time goes on:
Cities and institutions across California are resorting to exceptional measures to deal with a worsening drought, from mandatory water restrictions in beachside Santa Cruz to voluntary cutbacks in Los Angeles.

Santa Cruz, which relies on rainfall rather than mountain runoff or imported water, won’t permit residents to drain and refill swimming pools or hot tubs and has barred restaurants from serving water unless specifically requested.

The Metropolitan Water District, the Los Angeles-based utility for 19 million people in Southern California, is asking customers to voluntarily reduce water use by 20 percent. Hearst Castle, one of the state’s top tourist attractions, is getting about one-sixth of its usual water from mountain springs and is diverting resources from its outdoor swimming pools to irrigate 137 acres of gardens and grounds.

“People do know about this and are becoming convinced that there’s a statewide crisis,” said Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. “The biggest thing with calling it ‘mandatory’ is that it sounds worse than ‘voluntary.’ The people of California are well down that path already.”

About two-thirds of California is gripped by “severe” or “exceptional” drought, the most severe conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website. Nine percent of the state -- all in the San Joaquin Valley -- is considered exceptionally dry, according to the website, which is updated weekly. It’s the state’s most severe drought since at least 1977, according to Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District.
(Bloomberg, now! today!). Anyway, here is the post from today's date on Dredd Blog --five years ago:


Nobel laureate, and now Secretary of Energy, pulls no punches:
California's farms and vineyards could vanish by the end of the century, and its major cities could be in jeopardy, if Americans do not act to slow the advance of global warming ...
(LA Times, emphasis added). A Secretary of Energy that calls it like he sees it. He is not afraid to deal with "global warming is the greatest hoax ever" republican senators.

Do we need to be reminded that if we were to make a list including California as if it were a nation, along with actual nations, it would be in the top ten economies of the world in that list?

California is in dire straights to say the least. Some ask is California bankrupt? Now Dr. Chu says it is in danger of loosing its sources of income while others point out California's water crisis.

It is an emergency, and it is our problem. To be sure, as goes California so goes the United States, because it is the most populous state with the largest economy (compared to the other states).

If California is in that much trouble while the republicans in the congress manoeuvre to take the glory of these disasters instead of the blame and shame like they should, we may not recover as a nation.


Remember that post from five years ago when everyone in the blind establishment celebrates our dying civilization with a new oil pipeline to nowhere, like the Keystone.

And remember that five years from now the truth will still be the same.

The California water "pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles."


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