When Green Becomes Black.
Looking back on the month of May, my area experienced a 20 inch snow dump – no surprise there, it's Colorado. But also during the month, we experienced a couple of those pesky power blackouts – you know those events when you really gain an appreciation for electricity. At this juncture, we really can't slam the electric company – due to their efficiencies, they've always kept these events to a minimum and of a relatively short duration. The current blackouts are usually caused by acts of God, i.e., strong winds or rainstorms so no one is really at fault – but stay tuned…
Summer is around the corner and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation has warned that two-thirds of the U.S. could experience blackouts this summer. And rather than acts of God, welcome to the “green energy transition." Some readers must've lived in areas during droughts causing water shortages and the mandated on-and-off days of lawn watering. Most people can do without a green lawn, but it will get tedious when power companies resort to scheduled a.k.a. rolling blackouts.
Rolling blackouts mean power is cut to one part of a service area for a specified amount of time. When the power is restored, the power is then cut to another part of the service area for a specified amount of time. That process continues until regulators believe power equipment can again handle the demand without being overloaded. How long the outages last depend on the shortfall in power supply.
Joe Biden said recently, "And when it comes to the gas prices, we're going through an incredible transition that is taking place that, God willing, when it's over, we'll be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over." So as we go through his “incredible transition” to electrification, and leaving God out of it, maybe he or someone in his administration would explain how they plan to overcome the current shortfalls of the power grid while increasing its demands. Of course, if it only exacerbates the problem, they’ll probably blame it on God.
Enough said.
Anthony C. Powers
Dad
No fanfare, no parades, no headlines, no processionals. It seemed no one noticed what happened. One of the greatest men that ever lived was gone and comparatively few seemed to notice. He was born into a poverty few today will ever experience but never accepted or pursued a handout from anyone. Born in rural Iowa into a home with a wood stove for heat and an outhouse. True to his work ethic, he worked hard and realized the American dream.
He served in the 2nd world war and the Korean war. He was sent to a faraway country to fight for a people group he had never seen but with whom he soon became very acquainted. In fact, later in his life he started a local church for Koreans in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
While in Korea he was asked to be part of some of the first racially integrated groups of soldiers and was glad to participate. He treated all men equally, knowing that content of character was the defining trait. He was a family man. Preferring death by fatigue to shirking his responsibility to his eight children. A man of immense honor and sense of duty. Never known to go back on or be perceived to go back on his word.
In his lifetime he served people of all types, helping them through the joy and pain of this life. Visiting those who were hurting at home and in the hospital was a mainstay throughout his life. In his latter years, he visited care facilities, visiting and singing with those who needed comfort and friendship. This great man accomplished more than most even dream. Never throwing heavy coins to make a loud clanking sound so all would know he had contributed, but working without fanfare, parades, headlines or processionals, giving all, knowing people needed help. In the same way, he left this earth knowing his rewards for a good and faithful life were not issued on this earth but by the loving God he served.
This greatest of all men . . . I knew him only as Dad.
Rob Hendricks
Letters must contain appropriate language and focus on issues rather than individuals, must be signed and no longer than 350 words in length. Limit two letters per month per writer. The View editorial staff reserves the right not to publish any letter deemed offensive, or malicious. Submit letters to: editor@greenhornvalleyview.com