Ryan Junell has given me permission to reprint a very thoughtful email he sent me earlier today.

I think it comes down to POWER and energy and fuel for our lifestyles.
I think if we want things to change we need to consider alternative, independent, sustainable fuel resources. we also need to tune into government and policy. and most importantly – we must REGISTER TO VOTE and ACTUALLY
SHOW UP TO VOTE. there’s a statewide election coming up on november
5th along with a few dozen local propositions. voting is EASY and
IMPORTANT. here’s the sf url for local stuff. there’s a link at the
bottom where you can register to vote online. do it.
http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/election

From: ryan junell
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 12:15:29 -0700
To: xxxx
Subject: who votes
AN ORIGINAL EMAIL WRITTEN BY RYAN JUNELL (and not a forward, whoa!)
—
in a democrat controlled senate (50 dems/49 reps/1 ind)
and a republican controlled house (208 dems/223 reps/1 ind/3 vacancies)
nancy listened and voted “no” to bush war-powers.
barbara listened and voted “no” to bush war-powers.
diane feinstein did NOT listen and voted “yes” to bush war-powers.
and together, the house and senate passed the resolution granting
bush powers to wage war on iraq, enabling a preemptive attack without
approval from the united nations and/or the security council.
—
MOST house and senate democrats voted FOR war with iraq. middle
america doesn’t seem to mind war so much. but our california democrat
senator voted FOR bush and war with iraq.
call feinstein’s office and tell her how you feel about her vote.
read her press release on the issue on her website and see WHY she
voted the way she did. her office received THOUSANDS of responses
about the issue which she chose to ignore when casting her vote
this morning. she sits on the senate “intelligence” committee, but
that doesn’t necessarily signify any sort of meaningful intelligence.

http://www.senate.gov/~feinstein/Releases02/r-iraq10.htm
—
my understanding of all of this is that we as americans are complicit
in a lifestyle and civilization that requires our dependence on finite
resources (OIL and GAS), both foreign and domestic. our values of
consumption and depletion know no bounds. we as a nation continue to
morally and ethically CHALLENGE OURSELVES in this world to preserve
our unsustainable, dependent civilization. I think it comes down to
POWER and energy and fuel for our lifestyles. I think if we want
things to change we need to consider alternative, independent,
sustainable fuel resources. we also need to tune into government and
policy. and most importantly – we must REGISTER TO VOTE and ACTUALLY
SHOW UP TO VOTE. there’s a statewide election coming up on november
5th along with a few dozen local propositions. voting is EASY and
IMPORTANT. here’s the sf url for local stuff. there’s a link at the
bottom where you can register to vote online. do it.
http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/election
oh well,
ryan junell
Senator Barbara Boxer (dem)
DC Phone: 202-224-3553
Local Phone: 415-403-0100
Senator Dianne Feinstein (dem)
DC Phone: 202-224-3841
Local Phone: 619-231-9712
Representative Nancy Pelosi (dem)
DC Phone: 202-225-4965
Local Phone: 415-556-4862