Backyard barbecue craziness:
This is an excellent example of how the right-wing gets people to follow its primrose path to support the suicidal anti-human budgets and policies proposed by the Republicans and their corporate masters.
Photo From the Kickoff Barbecue at Boston University's School of Physics Students
This is an excellent example of how the right-wing gets people to follow its primrose path to support the suicidal anti-human budgets and policies proposed by the Republicans and their corporate masters.
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| Photo From the Kickoff Barbecue at Boston University's School of Physics Students |
If you want to know why good, solid basically decent middle class people (who are not rich) support Republicans, you need go no further than barbecue craziness.
Remember Nero fiddling while Rome burned? Well, the Republicans are barbecuing while the Antarctica ice shelf falls apart and causes the oceans to rise 20 feet.
"Obama's EPA is at it again!", they say.
The barbecue controversy is based on grants, small grants, $15,000 grants, that the Environmental Protection Agency ("Obama's EPA", as it is called in many rightie media outlets) made last October to STUDENTS to study various environmental issues and solutions.
Even though the grant was awarded, as I mentioned, last October, it has blazed through the right wing blogosphere over the past few days based on a Republican state senator from Missouri misrepresenting the issue, I would assume, to get some name recognition. (You can click on that link if you want to know who he is as I'm not going to give him any name recognition.)
The barbecue controversy is based on grants, small grants, $15,000 grants, that the Environmental Protection Agency ("Obama's EPA", as it is called in many rightie media outlets) made last October to STUDENTS to study various environmental issues and solutions.
Even though the grant was awarded, as I mentioned, last October, it has blazed through the right wing blogosphere over the past few days based on a Republican state senator from Missouri misrepresenting the issue, I would assume, to get some name recognition. (You can click on that link if you want to know who he is as I'm not going to give him any name recognition.)
What are people who lean Democratic concerned about?
Now, most people who lean Democratic have not heard of this barbecue insanity. Most people who lean Democratic are more concerned about the new Republican budget which budgets huge numbers for defense and cuts for everything else, like Medicare and health care. Most people who lean Democratic are more concerned about climate change (yeah, there really is climate change!) that is contributing to the disastrous drought in California and the disintegration of the glaciers in Antarctica, disintegration that might cause a rise in the oceans of 10 to 20 feet over the next few decades and wipe out the homes of millions of Americans. Those are among the things that most people who lean Democratic are concerned about.
Now, most people who lean Democratic have not heard of this barbecue insanity. Most people who lean Democratic are more concerned about the new Republican budget which budgets huge numbers for defense and cuts for everything else, like Medicare and health care. Most people who lean Democratic are more concerned about climate change (yeah, there really is climate change!) that is contributing to the disastrous drought in California and the disintegration of the glaciers in Antarctica, disintegration that might cause a rise in the oceans of 10 to 20 feet over the next few decades and wipe out the homes of millions of Americans. Those are among the things that most people who lean Democratic are concerned about.
"Government Intrusion! Obama's going to send the Backyard Barbecue Police!"
But to Republicans and their sponsors..well, the barbecue controversy trumps all and it is an example of more "government intrusion". ("The government is out of control!", claim the righties.) Basically, Republicans claim that the government is going to do something it is not going to do, they get people to dislike government MORE based on this lie, then they get more support in their campaign, in this instance, to get rid of the EPA or other government regulations that we need.
But to Republicans and their sponsors..well, the barbecue controversy trumps all and it is an example of more "government intrusion". ("The government is out of control!", claim the righties.) Basically, Republicans claim that the government is going to do something it is not going to do, they get people to dislike government MORE based on this lie, then they get more support in their campaign, in this instance, to get rid of the EPA or other government regulations that we need.
Barbecue Brouhaha
So here is what the brouhaha about barbecuing is REALLY about from the EPA's own website:
So here is what the brouhaha about barbecuing is REALLY about from the EPA's own website:
Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a total of about $45,000 in grants to three student teams at the University of California, Riverside, to design an innovative way to generate power, to develop a lawn mower, and to develop a backyard barbeque that will emit less air pollution. The students competed for grants by submitting research proposals to develop sustainable, alternative methods that address environmental challenges as part of EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) program.
“These students are coming up with cutting-edge solutions for the most challenging environmental issues facing California, and the world,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Each year, the projects created by student teams surpass our expectations.”
Despite this screaming headline at Yahoo--
there is nothing in the EPA announcement about regulating backyard barbecues. There is nothing in the EPA announcement about forcing changes in propane grills.EPA considering regulations on backyard BBQ grills?--
There is nothing in the EPA announcement about a backyard barbecue police in the offing. (Attention: Sarcasm ahead.) Since the righties would love to get rid of all "illegals", this could be a compromise: Backyard police who check everybody's barbecues at the same time they ask for papers and round up illegals. Would the righties like that proposal? Backyard barbecuing oversight teamed with a plan to round up the illegals? I'm being snarky: I had to make that clear because I'm sure someone out there would think I was really proposing Backyard Brigades, and some might actually give up their rights to barbecue while breathing in mass quantities of smoky cow if it meant cleaning up those "illegals".
Back to the EPA:
These three projects will each receive $15,000 grants. Yikes, fifteen grand. The right wing followers are complaining to the heavens about the $15,000 for this study, but they won't say a peep about proposals to cut Medicare that may cost them hundreds and thousands of dollars over their lifetimes. And most of these righties seem to have no problem with the government spending billions and trillions of "their tax dollars" on unending wars and unneeded pork for the defense industry. But fifteen grand for research for the EPA? Just more "government waste."
The Details
Just a final paragraph from the EPA site that describes this $15,000 project in detail:
Technology for the Reduction of Particulate Matter Emissions for Residential Propane BBQs
The design will reduce fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions with a two-step process, minimizing the amount of grease that is volatilized via direct contact with an open flame, and secondary treatment to filter or catalyze particulate matter created during the cooking process. The primary approach is a preventative method that will remove the majority of grease drippings from the possibility of unwanted flare ups. A slotted and corrugated tray is inserted immediately prior to meat flipping, and removed immediately after. This short contact time prevents the tray from over-heating and volatilizing the collected grease. This collected grease will then drip off into a collection tray. The project hopes to limit the overall air pollution PM emissions from barbecuing and to alleviate some of the acute health hazards that a barbecue pit master can experience from inhalation.Notice that the word "regulation" is not used one time.
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