Another Boneheaded Move by Bob McDonnell

Virginia's Republican Governor Bob McDonnell plans to raise the speed limits on 680 miles of rural roads across the state from 65 mph to 70 mph.

This anti-American decision will increase our dependence on foreign oil and make us less safe. Way to go Bobbie! During the 1970s oil crisis it was considered a patriotic duty to slow down and consume less fuel. And it was another Republican who called on Americans to sacrifice. From the website Answers.com:

"To conserve gasoline and oil, President Richard M. Nixon reduced the speed limit on national highways to fifty-five miles per hour and encouraged people to carpool and to lower their house thermostats."

Reducing the speed limit not only combats terrorism by reducing our dependence on the oil cartels, but also reduces harmful carbon emissions and saves drivers an average of 12% on gas.

But McDonnell would rather score cheap political points than take a stand and do the right thing by lowering the speed limits. Shame on McDonnell for this wrongheaded decision.

Rally To Restore Sanity: The Best Signs

Some of the smartest and most creative signs I've ever seen were displayed by the hundreds of thousands ralliers who gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on Saturday for Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert's much-hyped Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Keep Fear Alive.

It was inspiring to see so many people come out for a day of music, comedy and an impassioned plea by a serious Stewart at the end of the event for civility and, well, sanity in these economically uncertain and politically polarized times.

Hopefully all the young people at the rally will go out and vote on November 2nd to keep America moving forward.

Please consider giving a donation to the official non-profit for the Rally to Restore Sanity -- The Trust for the National Mall, which works to restore and improve America's long-neglected front lawn. Please click here for the link to donate.

And here are the pictures:

D.C. Celebrates Science and Sustainability

This past weekend our Nation's Capital transformed into a clean energy utopia as the inaugural USA Science and Engineering Festival brought the best and the brightest to the Mall and the annual Green Festival took place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center -- the largest sustainability event in the country.

Here are pictures I took from the two events.

USA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FESTIVAL

AT&T's clean energy cell phone charging station was a popular draw. A small wind turbine and solar panels provided the power to juice up hundreds of phones.

An engineering model of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft that NASA will use to haul cargo to and from the International Space Station after the Space Shuttle retires, and that will one day carry astronauts. Dragon is set to make its inaugural flight this year.

These remote control robots were popular with the kids.

More pictures:

D.C. GREEN FESTIVAL

Greenpeace always finds a way to get your attention. The Koch Brothers are helping to finance Prop. 23 -- a ballot measure this November that would suspend California's global warming law -- AB 32.

Ford was a major sponsor of the event and they showcased their new green fleet of vehicles, including an all-electric Ford Focus that will have a range of 80 to 100 miles on a single charge and be available to consumers at some point in 2011. Also on display was the Ford plug-in hybrid Escape that will use electricity for the first 30 miles or so before blending gas and electricity as required. The Escape is capable of 120 miles per gallon.