Neil Young Sparks an Electric Car Revolution

Neil Young has never been shy about his love of Big Old American Cars. There on his album covers, in his garage, and he's even written songs about them. . But you always had to wonder how that jibbed with his outspoken environmental views. Wonder no longer. Young has recently been touting a new venture known as LincVolt. The media bait of the project is the transformation of Neil's 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Convertible into a zero emission eclectic car and it's subsequent cross country road trip.


But what's really going on here is that Young is attempting to breathe life into the languishing electric car movement. On videos and blog postings on the site, Young extols the virtues of plug-in self-charging electric cars (SCEVs) vs. the other "green options" currently being explored. Primarily the ability to develop a car that is large enough to be comfortable, yet is still able to travel long distances without re-fueling. The values section of the Mission Statement puts it this way:

We want to build a zero emissions automobile that eliminates roadside re-fueling entirely, a safe powerful automobile that is comfortable and economic on both long trips and the commute to work, an automobile that can generate power to the home when it is parked, potentially creating an income stream for the owner.

It is essentially the holy grail of green vehicles for this country. A car that is good for the environment yet does not infringe on American driving sensibilities. The site is loaded with great videos of the the build, and will soon allow you to track the road trip. Neil is hardly a silent partner in the project. He contributes articles, files video updates and plans on driving most of the trip. In my mind, this is a perfect example of how artists can cash in on their celebrity to change the world. It should be an interesting project to follow.

I'm Proud to Have a President That's Better Than Me

You know, there has been a lot of talk in the last few elections about people choosing a president based on the person they’d most like to have a beer with. That sentiment shot to a whole new level with the reaction of a certain sector of the electorate to the nomination of Sarah Palin for the GOP ticket. Suddenly it went from “someone I’d like to have a beer with” to “someone just like me”. This attitude has always baffled me. I always expected the President of the United States to be an exceptional person. Someone who would emit an air of intelligence and leadership that was palpable when they entered the room. Certainly someone more impressive than me! Not that I’m an idiot, but I’m sure not presidential material. And that’s why once again, I was impressed by our President Elect’s reaction to the on-going election post mortem. In the past few days he has proven to be that exceptional type of person who is uniquely qualified to be the leader of the free world.

This week President Elect Obama (still fun to sat that isn’t it?) has made it clear that he would be happy to have Joe Leiberman stay in a position of power within the Senate. I have to admit, if it was up to me I’d say throw Joe to the curb. Not because of his endorsement of John McCain, but for his nasty attacks on Barack Obama at the Republican convention and later during the campaign. The Democrats are not likely to get a 60-person filibuster-proof caucus, and regardless of where Lieberman ends up he is going to vote with Democrats on the majority of issues. To allow him to retain his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee, controlling the discourse and oversight on one of the issues where he differs greatly from many of the democratic base, seems wrong. I say punish him for his disloyalty! But Barack Obama is smarter and more rational than I am. He intends bury the hatchet and move forward. In the end it is probably what’s best for the country, but I doubt there are many of us who can honestly say they would do the same thing in his position.

Reconciling with former allies is one thing. But what about opponents who did everything they could to attack your character when they couldn’t handle debating the issues. Every since her dog sled pulled up to the campaign trail, Sarah Palin made it her mission to tear down Barack Obama with personal attacks. She claimed he palled around with terrorists, questioned his patriotism and stood ideally by as crowds hurled all sorts of nasty insults at her rallies. Yet our new President is even willing to forgive this type of mud-slinging according to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett. Yesterday on CNN, Jarett responding to Palin’s comment that she would be honored “to assist and support our new president and the new administration” not with scoff as I might, but with open arms. Now in reality it is hard to imagine a situation where they would call on the Alaskan Governor for help, but the fact that they remain open-minded is admirable.

Let’s face it, this election managed to bring out the best and the worst in the American population. In the end bitterness and fear lost to optimism and hope. As we move this country forward, isn’t it refreshing to have a President that leads by example? A leader that challenges us to look beyond out petty difference and to embrace the dreams we share. That is a change we’ve needed for decades. THAT is change we can believe in.