Autiello: Will True Christianity Please Stand Up?
Nick Autiello, Contributor
The notion that homosexuality is a sin and un-Christian is one that is less than a hundred years old. It is wrong, and has no basis in scriptural or historical reality.
SASSO: The Coming New Year
James Sasso, Associate Editor
As the tumultuous 2011 comes down to its final day, this column could contain an obnoxious summary of the year’s extraordinary events. Rather than once again discussing the protests around the world, the death of Osama Bin Laden, Fukushima, America’s political ineptitude, Europe’s demise or the increasingly frightful weather patterns, here I attempt to predict what 2012 holds in store.
SASSO: Kicking the Can
James Sasso, Associate Editor
For one of the first times in his tenure as Speaker, John Boehner has made a statement with which every American, Republican or Democrat, should fully agree; the two-month Senate bipartisan extension of the payroll tax cut fails to fix the nation’s problems sufficiently. Providing a short-term band-aid to a long-term dilemma contradicts what a responsible government should accomplish, but fits the pattern of contemporary American politicking.
CIOCCI: A Foolish Consistency
Mitt Romney is guilty of serial hypocrisy, Newt Gingrich is guilty of being a public intellectual constantly scrutinized by the media and others, and Ron Paul never ceases to remind me about one of my favorite quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
AKMAN: Jon Huntsman’s Meaningless Campaign
Josh Akman, Columnist
Jon Huntsman did not participate in the CNN Debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. Short of his family and small (and getting smaller) campaign staff, no one really noticed. In a bizarre and counterproductive effort to impress New Hampshire voters Huntsman skipped the debate to protest Nevada moving its caucus ahead of New Hampshire’s, which has always been the nation’s first primary. It’s bizarre because no one else skipped the debate. It’s counterproductive because right now, Jon Huntsman is polling 6% in New Hampshire.
SASSO: The 99% Rising
James Sasso
Associate Editor
For the past month a movement has grown out of Zuccoti Park in New York with the potential to grab at the very heart of America’s problems. “We are the 99%” is not simply a catchy phrase used by frustrated jobless Americans , but a commentary on the disgraceful economic inequality that has arisen in the United States since the 1970s.
SASSO: Is President Obama Green?
James Sasso, Associate Editor
One of the most frequently lofted criticisms aimed at President Obama is that he has retreated from his promises of remaking the infrastructure of America to create a greener future. While many of the President’s promises made while on the campaign trail have not come to fruition (something which I half blame on the absurdly effective oppositionist strategy of Republicans and half on Obama’s desire to remain above the partisan fray), the lack of major environmental initiatives by Obama’s administration has left many of his young, ecofriendly supporters wondering why the environment is pushed continually to the side of important issues…Obama’s grand green vision, sadly, has proved to be more hope than change.
McNAMARA: “Peak Oil” and the Pre-Election Shuffle
We can no longer stand for individuals who are just talking about renewable energy sources—we need action. Especially since many environmentalists believe that we have reached “peak oil,” the point at which the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline.
MCNAMARA: Don’t Trust the Label
Lindsay McNamara, Environmentalist
In a heavily green washed society, we must look past the initial solution towards a solution that is truly beneficial for all involved. Just because something claims to be “natural” on the label doesn’t mean it’s good for our planet’s future.
MCNAMARA: Stormwater Runoff Management for Greener Communities and Cleaner Water
Lindsay McNamara, Environmentalist
In the last couple months there have been recording-setting amounts of precipitation across the U.S. Stormwater, however, cannot be absorbed back into the earth through parking lots, paved streets, and building rooftops. Cities and municipalities can adopt a few “green infrastructure” measures to improve the effectiveness of stormwater management and reduce ecological impact.
MCNAMARA: Brownfield Redevelopment — A Win-Win for the Economy and the Environment
Lindsay McNamara, Environmental Correspondent
Brownfield redevelopment — the development of contaminated, abandoned industrial sites — provides not only environmental benefits but economic benefits as well. Some of the country’s poorest, formerly-industrial areas like Pittsburgh and Camden, NJ stand to reap major social, economic, and environmental benefits from Brownfields redevelopment.
MCNAMARA: Cap and Trade to Conserve and Protect
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
It is time to create a unified U.S. cap and trade program so that our carbon footprint decreases as much as it needs to. The longer it takes to implement a cohesive cap and trade program, the more drastic the cuts would have to be to make up for lost time and the subsequent amounts of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.
MCNAMARA: GREENER U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE, LOWER EMISSIONS
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
Lindsay responds to the ULI’s 2010 infrastructure report in The Politicizer’s second installment of our three-part series on U.S. infrastructure. Lindsay makes an argument for efficient and high-tech transportation as a way to put the U.S. back in the fast lane.
MCNAMARA: Agribusiness Unable to Cultivate Ethics
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
We must reexamine our approach to agriculture in the United States. We brag that we have come so far; we have progressed and doubled our food production. But by contaminating our air and our water for our grandchildren and destroying the rural farming tradition, are we progressing? Or are we regressing to a point where only ethics need to be cultivated?
MARIN: Another Inconvenient Truth
Paul Marin, Columnist
In 2006, Al Gore’s Nobel prize winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth brought the threat of climate change to the forefront of the world’s political attention. Unfortunately, the magnitude of climate change’s danger has led many to ignore the fact that in combating greenhouse gas emissions, we may risk substituting climate change with other equally damaging problems.
MCNAMARA: Wanted — Decade-Defining Environmental Policy
The United States has a long history of progressive environmental policy, under Republican and Democratic presidents alike. But we have fallen behind, and it is time for Congress to pass new, stronger environmental regulations that set the tone for the rest of the world.
MCNAMARA: Born to Conserve?
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
On the heels of Matthew Lifson’s article, “Our Political Genes,” environmentalist Lindsay McNamara questions whether environmental stewardship is an inborn trait or if it can be cultivated through education and economic incentives.
MCNAMARA: Innovative, Eco-Friendly Ideas Offer Hope to Environmentalists
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
Concerned stewards of our planet are coming up with ingenious and creative ideas and policies to help save our Earth. Lindsay McNamara runs down her Top 5 favorite “green” products.
MCNAMARA: Sprawled Out
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
New Jersey had more acres of subdivisions and shopping malls than of upland forests. The future looks bleak for environmentalists and plant and animals species alike, with nowhere to call home after the developers roll through, no relief from the pump and no natural habitats to enjoy and appreciate the wilderness. This notion leaves us sprawled out looking for answers.
MCNAMARA: Young Conservationists Vital to a Greener America
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
Programs like Cool the Earth, which encourages elementary school students to make simple changes to stop climate change, are vital to educating the next generation about environmental sustainability, responsible consumption, and respect for the nature.
MCNAMARA: Got Water?
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
Considering the amount of water that the United States goes through on a daily basis, it’s not surprising America’s carbon footprint is embarrassingly large. Unforuntately, we likely won’t understand the value of water until the well has one dry — a day that might be coming sooner than you think.