Monday, January 4, 2010

Kerosene and Me



Carbon friendly
(by R.P.Edwards)

Windmills
They make me ill
Solar Cells
Don’t ring my bell
Going Green
Is not my scene
For one thing…weak
And much too lean
But fossil fuels
I think they’re cool!
Just right
For the giant’s tool
To fire!
And Forge!
And mold our space!
Till nukes on line
Can take their place
But until then
Let’s dig and drill
There’s power aplenty
Beneath the hill
It’s there to use
And use…we must
For winds and weather…
You cannot trust

Darn cold.  Less than ten degrees.  I threw on the coat and scooted outside to retrieve the blue jug…the kerosene.

Backtrack to 2006, December.  An ice storm hit and power was out.  Not just for us…but for thousands!  Yep, we were in a pickle.  Sure, the old gas stove in the basement (a Kenmore from way back) could still be lit with a match, but the furnace was out.  And, naturally, electric space heaters were dead on arrival.  So…since this wasn’t your standard “off and on” power outage (For us, days.  For others…much longer.) my wife scoured the area for a kerosene heater.  She found one (a bit pricey, and the kerosene…outrageous!) lugged it home, and in no time it was merrily glowing in the corner.  Yes…we were mindful of the hazards, and kept an eye on it.  But that little workhorse kept us well above the freezing mark for the duration.  Funny, I remember when the power came back on.  We were sitting at the table and the Christmas lights started to twinkle.

Listen, I’m a fan of fossil fuels.  Sure, they’re dirty, but they helped build a nation and they currently keep this super power steaming.  Alternative sources of energy?  Sure, go ahead.  But that fleet that defends you; those jets that cover you; those tanks that take it in the teeth for you…they all eat the stuff.  And, the Lord has provided us with plenty.  My state alone could power this giant for a long, long time.  Long enough to build more nukes, maybe turn on hydrogen, maybe make fusion possible.  Yeah, I think it’s there for a reason.  And maybe my divine connection…makes it even more odious to the green machine.

So, I got the juice, and the kerosene heater is ready to go.  It’s waiting in my basement hideaway.  Waiting to be the useful servant it's always been.

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