Evolution and the GOP.

Conservationist Conservative

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Alternate Forms of Energy

By now, unless you watch no television, don't listen to radio or surf the web, you have heard of T. Boone Pickens and his alternative energy plan. His plan consist of creating a large field of wind turbines and distributing their energy back into the power grid. Several states allow and some even demand that power companies purchase excess energy.

Other applications like solar and wave energy are less effective and haven't met the necessary efficiencies that will lend large efforts such as the Pickens Plan.

With the massive exodus of US capital to the Middle East in payment for the millions of barrels of oil purchased per day, we must question our means of producing effective and efficient energy. Perhaps there is a greater cost to be paid by not investing in renewable forms of energy than the loss of capital.

A reduced carbon footprint cannot hurt our environment. Here's the link to Pickens Plan, check it out for yourself. Report back if you have some time.

Rhetoric: Harmful or Helpful

The "Art" of reading and writing persuasively is called rhetoric. It may seem a bit odd that fiery rhetoric, we often hear in political debates or on the daily news shows, is very similar to the Greeks and their goal of persuasion. However just because it's old doesn't mean it's good, you may note the major failure in the Greek world ( think Alexander the Great).

Rhetoric hopes to fashion an argument that is persuasive, not always honest. If we tell a story and cover a single perspective, we get a flat image that lacks depth. It is very difficult to make worthy decisions based on this type of information. More over, rhetorical discussions often ignore scientific evidence and speak more deeply to the soul of man. These are discussions of passion.

One may ask if rhetorical arguments are even worth while these days. The answer would be a resounding yes! Just remember to listen to more than one side of an argument. This will add the depth that a single view blurs. Check out Cicero and The Murder Trials. Great examples of a superior orator and rhetorician.