CA energy crisis from Texas

Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001
From: Douglas Korthof
Subject: Phony "energy crisis" exposed

http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20010211/t000012614.html

LA Times story on the connections of Bush and the head of Enron. We already know that the Oil Lobby was the biggest contributor to Bush-2k, and they contributed many of their supporters to the Bush administration -- such as Evans.

".... particular concern to some Californians, Bush repeatedly has refused to intervene more aggressively in the state's electricity crisis--even as Enron and its subsidiaries have profited handsomely from soaring energy prices..."

But you look at that "crisis", and some might say it is merely an attempt to "payback" California for overwhelmingly voting for Gore. The only thing that has changed since last year is that a business block -- a sort of "Trust" -- has managed to buy up all the electric generating plant -- and not just in California. Who ever heard of Dynergy, Reliant, Calpine, Enron, Southern Co., AES, prior to their gaining control of the means of electric production? And T. Boone Pickens, who bought up all the Natural Gas leases via "Mesa Petroleum", might have some hand in this too.

Over the last decade, California's energy usage has grown at 11%, roughly half the national average. That's because we've been losing factories and foundries, aerospace and other plants to other states. Those are the big, big users of electricity.

So why should the "crisis" strike just as the election is giving control of the Government to Bush and the Oilies? Logically, any "crisis" should hit in the Summer, when demand exceeds 40,000 megawatts, a quarter more than now.

The bogus excuse is "all those computers...". Well, look at them. The highest rating is 500 watts, and they draw about 150. If every person in California had a computer, and left it on ALL the time, that would be only 375 watts for each of the 12m households-- less than 4 light bulbs, less than refrigerators by far, less probably than we use on hair dryers. Each traffic intersection has, on average, 17 signals -- one of those lights is on at all times. Not to mention street lighting. So really, computers are small, non-critical users of electricity. Think Air Conditioners, those are the heavy users, and that does not happen until summer.

But why should everyone suddenly parrot this ridiculous notion, that "computers" or "silicon valley" are suddenly maxing us out? The answer, of course, is that the newspapers print it, and no one examines it. Somewhere, some high-tone PR firm belted out a press release, and all the media bought it.

No, the "crisis" seems engineered in Houston, TX, where most of these weird-named companies are headquartered.

Think about how the Republicans hounded Clinton for 8 years on the amorphous "whitewater" investigation, which wound up looking at Bill's dirty underwear. No criminal charges or activity were ever proved, yet the persecution, including jailing the unfortunate Susan McDougal for 18 months in LEG IRONS, with no reading material, on Taxpayer money.

Where is the Special Prosecutor who will investigate Bush's ties to the Oilies, and the multi-billion dollar rip-off of California's surplus?

That is a real, substantial issue, not the bogus bushit they tried to get on Clinton.

Who will investigate this bombshell story?

/Doug


[PG&E]