Obama goes after cars again, but gives freedom-lovers another chance to express their disgust with czarist democracy

Great news.

The Obama administration has come up with a new way for freedom-loving Americans to express their anger, rage and disgust with the Obama administration.

It might even inspire freedom-lovers to buy a new car.

But wait. Perhaps it's a trap. Maybe the administration's hidden purpose is to persuade Americans to buy new cars so as to end the administration's feckless and hopeless efforts to revive the economy. As everyone knows, this is the Economy of NO - the NO standing for Neuter Obama by not buying anything or investing in anything.

In any case, the Obamaites are going to change the fuel economy labels placed on the windows of new cars and trucks so that consumers can "make the best economic and environmental decisions when buying a new car," according to CNS News.com.

The new labels are supposed to give consumers "simple, straightforward energy and environmental comparisons," including information about air pollutants emitted by the vehicle. On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation proposed two new label designs for public comment.

One of the labels features a letter grade, ranging from A+ to D, to describe the vehicle's overall fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions performance. It also estimates how many grams of carbon dioxide the vehicle emits per mile.

The second proposed label shows how many miles the vehicle will get for each gallon of gas, and it lists the vehicle's annual fuel costs. This label uses a bar graph to show how the vehicle rates on a scale of carbon dioxide tailpipe emissions. A second bar graph shows how the vehicle's tailpipe emissions contribute to local and regional air pollution.

“We are asking the American people to tell us what they need to make the best economic and environmental decisions when buying a new car,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “New fuel economy labels will keep pace with the new generation of fuel efficient cars and trucks rolling off the line, and provide simple, straightforward updates to inform consumers about their choices in a rapidly changing market. We want to help buyers find vehicles that meet their needs, keep the air clean and save them money at the pump.”

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 specifically directs the EPA and DOT to rate vehicles according to fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming pollutants.

For electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, energy use would be expressed by translating electricity consumption into a miles-per-gallon equivalent.

The EPA and DOT are proposing that the new label give information only on vehicle tailpipe emissions. Upstream emissions, which are associated with electricity generation or refining fuel, would not be displayed on the label.

The public comment period will run for 60 days. The EPA and DOT say they hope to have the new label finalized in time to appear on many 2012 model-year vehicles.

How timely. As Obama stands for renomination and reelection, his administration will be reminding voters of the president's dedication to controlling their choices and lives as thoroughly as possible.

Here's how to strike back. Buy gas guzzlers whose purchase prices will have been driven down by Obama's incessant campaign against free enterprise and free choice. Tell his czars to go to hell. Then, as the economy recovers on the strength of a national protest movement launched by the sane against elites, sell the gas guzzlers at a profit and buy whatever the hell you want.

Saintly Al Gore has an odd new sugar daddy - Dow

Al Gore, the self-styled squeakiest-clean and deepest-green politician in American history, has some explaining to do this weekend. His environmental organisation has taken money to raise awareness about the need for clean water from a controversial chemicals company involved in the aftermath of one of the world's worst pollution disasters.

Dow Chemical, the US firm which now owns the leaking pesticides factory responsible for thousands of deaths in Bhopal, India, is sponsoring Life Earth events in 150 cities today. The event aims to raise money for clean water programmes. Research by environmental organisations has found dangerous levels of highly toxic chemicals in rivers, lakes and other water supplies close to several other factories owned by Dow and its subsidiaries in countries including the United States, Brazil and South Africa.

Dow's factories at its global headquarters in Midland, Michigan, have been accused of contaminating the region, including the Tittabawassee River floodplains, with high levels of dioxin – one of the "dirty dozen" most dangerous chemicals. In 2007, the highest level of dioxin contamination ever measured by the US Environmental Protection Agency was found in the Michigan Saginaw River. Residents are advised to avoid contact with river sediments and not to eat locally caught fish.

London supercomputer used to predict climate change turns out to be leading British polluter

From London's Daily Mail

"The Met Office has caused a storm of controversy after it was revealed their £30 million supercomputer designed to predict climate change is one of Britain's worst polluters.

The massive machine - the UK's most powerful computer with a whopping 15 million megabytes of memory - was installed in the Met Office's headquarters in Exeter, Devon.

It is capable of 1,000 billion calculations every second to feed data to 400 scientists and uses 1.2 megawatts of energy to run - enough to power more than 1,000 homes.

The machine was hailed as the 'future of weather prediction' with the ability to produce more accurate forecasts and produce climate change modelling.
However the Met Office's HQ has now been named as one of the worst buildings in Britain for pollution - responsible for more than 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

It says 75 per cent of its carbon footprint is produced by the super computer meaning the machine is officially one of the country's least green machines."