GranolaBox

Like many constituents, I raised a suspicious eyebrow when I read reports about Congressman Randy Kuhl’s recent trip to Brazil. I thought, like many of his opponents, that this was a junket, or Congressional pleasure cruise. But, thanks to the good ole’ internet, a recent e-mail from the Randster himself has put my suspicous mind to rest. Here’s what the home office had to say…

“When Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) approached me about joining him and seven other bipartisan congressional members on a fact-finding trip to Brazil, I weighed my options heavily. I could visit a country that is the only country in the world to achieve energy independence from foreign oil and meet with Brazil’s leaders to strengthen the strategic relationship between two of the largest democracies in the world. Or I could let the energy crisis continue and hope someone else fixes it and pretend that our partners in Latin American countries are irrelevant. I chose the first option and last week I had the opportunity to visit Brazil to increase my understanding of how alternative energy can succeed.”
It was a fact-finding trip…see?!

Let’s hope we can take Rep. Kuhl at his word. Some evidence suggests he can. He DID vote yes on the Clean Energy Bill that only puts us light years behind the Kyoto protocols, instead of many light years like we were before.

Maybe given all he’s learned about energy independence, in the future he won’t vote down measures like the really meaningful predecessor to the Clean Energy Bill, the “Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation Bill.” Maybe he’ll break ranks with the President and teach him a thing or two about energy independence since he studied it so assiduously in Brazil.

There was also a rumor, apparently unsubstantiated, that Mr. Kuhl had taken a trip to Iraq. That would be unnecessary though, if he learned all says he did about energy independence. I’m sure by now he understands that energy independence through imperialism is the wrong way to go, and that energy independence through meaningful exploration of alternative fuels is the right way to go.

I can sleep well tonight, knowing our nation’s energy future is in the hands of a newly enlightened Congressman. A Congressman who, no doubt, worked his ass off for us down there in Brazil.

I won’t have nightmares about blood for oil…. but maybe I’ll have dreams about Randy Kuhl wandering unarmed on the streets of Baghdad.

Technorati Tags: Congressman Randy Kuhl’s, Clean Energy Bill, Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation, alternative fuels

Filed under: General Observations on December 27th, 2007