Striking Fear Into the Hearts of Terrorists

From The New York Times

Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer miles in May compared with the same period last year. As Bob Ostertag over at The Huffington Post notes, this happened

Without any political leadership whatsoever. Without any increase in funding for our pathetic public transportation system. Without a national mobilization. Without a coordinated grassroots effort. Without a system for carpooling. Without employer encouragement. Without anyone patting them on them on the back and thanking them for finally thinking of their children and their children's children and their children's children's...

Gas went up to $4 a gallon and Americans cut out nearly 10 billion miles of driving in one month.

That could have happened anytime in the last 20 years.

This is real, measurable, verified data that shows that we can solve the climate crisis. No disagreement between Republicans and Democrats. No slimy attack ads. No political hacks trying to hide away the data.

How many miles do you think we could save if gas went to $5 a gallon? 20 billion miles a month? What if we had $5 a gallon gas, and a coordinated national program kick-start massive investment in public transportation, shift work schedules to support carpooling, and provide financial assistance to those hit hardest financially? How many billions of miles would we save?

It's wonderful news. Really. Just don't think too much about the fact that after 40 years of environmental activism, our biggest step forward comes from an inadvertent rise in the price of oil that our politicians on both sides of the aisle are working to avert.

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