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6A Daily News – Tuesday, January 7, 2014 Opinion A little light reading DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. 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How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Although Edison did not invent the first electric light bulb he did invent the first commercially practical incandescent lamp. Many earlier inventors previously devised incandescent lamps but these earlier bulbs had such flaws as an extremely short life, high expense to produce, and high current draw, making them difficult to apply on a large scale commercially. So in 1878, Edison formed the Edison Electric Light Company in New York City with several financiers, including J. P. Morgan and the members of the Vanderbilt family. Edison made the first public demonstration of his incandescent light bulb on December 31, 1879, in Menlo Park California. Now on the 135th anniversary of this demonstration the incandescent light goes out, at least insofar as it is no longer legal to manufacture 40 or 60 watt incandescent lamps in the United States. What has them impractical is related to Mr. Edison's statement at the time of his first demonstration that "We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles." Although electricity rates are still sufficiently low for incandescent lamps to provide light more cost-effectively (and safely) than candles the availability of more efficient lighting sources and the environmental impacts associated with producing the necessary electricity have become prohibitive to justify continued use of this inefficient lighting technology. Many Americans argue with varying levels of success that they should be able to purchase whatever they want such as assault rifles, controlled substances, consensual sex, and yes even inefficient incandescent lamps. It is true that incandescent lamps offer nostalgic and aesthetic benefits that are difficult to quantify, but their drawbacks are easily determined. Consider the results of a recent three part study conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy that quantifies the energy required and environmen- tal impacts of lamp use, manufacturing, trans- facturing and use energy efficiency gains. Also of note, particularly for port, and disposal. According to the commercial applications, is the analysis the most energy intensive labor associated with lamp replaceaspect is lamp use, constituting over ment. In the average lifetime of pre90% of life cycle energy consumpsent LED lamps, one would need to tion. The manufacturing and transreplace CF lamps twice, and incanport phases follow while the energy descent lamps a whopping 21 times, associated with lamp transportation something to consider if one must is less than 1% for all lamp types. climb a ladder to replace the lamps. The analysis concluded that LED There are also significant burdens and compact fluorescent (CF) lamps of with removing the heat associatare similar in their life cycle energy ed with incandescent light inefficonsumption with the difference primarily due to manufacturing energy Richard ciency in areas that require air conditioning or refrigeration. Finally requirements. During their lifetimes, considering the number of fires LED and CF lamps consume 3890 caused by inappropriately placed and 3950 megajoules per million incandescent lamps it is hard to lumen-hours of light production defend their continued production respectively while incandescent despite one's nostalgic or aesthetic bulbs require 15,100 megajoules, desires. some 380% more electricity. Along Such a ban would not be neceswith this electrical intensity comes the production of greenhouse gas that is proven sary if all the impacts of energy use were to contribute to global warming, climate quantified and paid for at the time of purchase change, glacial melting, and higher sea levels. to provide consumers with the incentive to When multiplied by the millions of lamps cur- make better lighting choices. But such is not rently in use in America the energy savings the case in most of America today where conassociated with phasing out incandescent sumers consider only the first cost of their lamps are huge, some 2,700 terawatt hours in purchases and heavily discount future operatthe next 20 years, which at 2010 prices comes ing and maintenance costs, not to mention to $250 billion in savings and offsets nearly unquantified impacts of greenhouse gas production and other environmental damage. It is two billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. The environmental impacts of incandes- for these reasons that I feel compelled to procent lamp energy use are markedly more sig- vide you with a little light reading. nificant than CF and LED lamps because of Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research comparatively low efficiency. The CF lamp is slightly more harmful than the 2012 LED engineer specializing in energy efficiency and lamp against all but one criterion – hazardous renewable energy. He has travelled extensively waste sent to the landfill. The energy and and now makes his home in Los Molinos, environmental impact of manufacturing the where he is striving to manifest a sustainable aluminum heat sinks used in LEDs causes and spiritual lifestyle and operate a barbecue this but future generation of LEDs may ame- equipment and supply business. He can be liorate these impacts with even greater manu- reached at living-green@att.net. Mazzucchi Positive Point Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 150 Amber Grove Drive, Ste. 154, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; Email: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Right and wrong blurred; ship of fools The Tea Party Patriots will resume weekly meetings with a demonstration of TCSD K-9 abilities at tonight's meeting, 6 p.m. at the Westside Grange. Come for the dogs—stay for the camaraderie. There are good and bad policies, laws and judgments—moral and ethical good, bad and evil. There's certainly legal and illegal; most people try to do what's right and avoid what's wrong. All indisputable, right? But interpretation leaves disagreement. Does consensus or the largest numbers of advocates settle such questions? "Everything is blurred on what's right and what's wrong," Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson said. "Sin becomes fine." Reject the concept of "sin" preventing entry into "the kingdom of God," but you'll still say some things are "wrong," "bad" or "immoral." With no rules, can you get away with anything? Sadly, some follow such a personal philosophy. More sadly, some mock and ridicule those who believe that immorality, bad ethics, evil actions and sin are wrong and condemnable. I'll get to Robertson's comments on race but indulge my curiosity over the bible passage he paraphrased: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Phil did not equate homosexuality with bestiality, say vile things about, nor say that he hates homosexuals—nor does he misquote Corinthians. Those stating otherwise are simply being dishonest. Anyone could read what he said and look up the passages at "biblehub.com" so there's no excuse for simply parroting the "false witness" of Christian-hating leftists. Since the passages are from letters that Paul wrote to Christians at Corinth, they are actually admonishments to those already converted, about what the faith demanded for their entry into God's kingdom. They're not intended to apply to those not devoted to living the life Christ prescribed. As Phil explained, God ultimately judges each soul righteously; Christians must accept in humility that none of us can know whom God will accept or reject. Wrote Paul: "…you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." (Does anyone think such practices really improve society?) Further emphasizing the admonishment, Paul went on: "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." Christians are no better than non-Christians unless they live by Paul's words; non-Christians owe no devotion to Paul's words but rather to whatever moral, legal and ethical framework they've chosen. Unless…but who needs eternal life, anyway? Would you be surprised to know that Duck Commander Phil Robertson never stated, nor suggested, "that African-Americans were happier under Jim Crow laws"? That's yet another bit of fabrication and word twisting by haters-of-white-Christian-red- necks. Here's what he said, start to grow up in a two-parent household, to have an employed father finish (per GQ interview): guiding them to matu"I never, with my eyes, rity, to avoid pregnansaw the mistreatment of cy, single parenthood, any black person. Not gangs, drugs and once. Where we lived was crime—than those all farmers. The blacks born in Obama's worked for the farmers. I America. The sociohoed cotton with them. logical data are I'm with the blacks, unequivocal. Jim because we're white trash. Crow laws hurt the We're going across the lives of black Amerifield… They're singing cans in the South. Illeand happy. I never heard gitimacy and dysfuncone of them, one black tional single-parent person, say, 'I tell you Don homes currently ruin what: these doggone of many milwhite people'—not a Polson the lives urban blacks, lions of word! … Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: The way as well as whites and Latinos. Were they happy? They So, 1) the global were godly; they were I see it warming ship of fools happy; no one was found only ice—not singing the blues." That, dear readers, is an warming, 2) global warming ships irrefutable statement of his person- of fools abandoned their Septemal observations and memories. I ber excursion to the NW Pasnever personally observed any sage—"coldest season with the mistreatment of blacks, although I most ice … since 2000," 3) this is know there were "colored" foun- among the coldest, snowiest wintains and bathrooms in the south. ters ever—following one of the Objectively, I knew enough of the "Ten Coldest Years In US Histocivil rights abuses to take trips ry" with the "lowest number of from the North to the Deep South, 100 degree days in 100 years," 4) and work to elect a black mayor "lowest tornado total in several in Gary, Indiana (a segregated decades," 5) lowest wildfires in Northern city). Black friends I ten years, 6) "longest period (8 had in grade school (who were years) since the Civil War Era segregated just outside Canastota, with no major hurricane strike. NY—the supposedly non-racist Proves something, right? Go read North) and high school, never articles at the "global warming" told me of mistreatment. Did any tab at DonPolson.blogspot.com— white readers personally observe get informed. racist treatment of blacks? Don Polson has called Red Bluff Maybe. Children born to African- home since 1988. He can be by e-mail at American parents in the Eisen- reached hower 1950s were more likely to donplsn@yahoo.com.