a few weeks ago, I wrote Arnold Schwarzenegger a letter in response to his call for environmentalists to make their cause more sexy. I wasn’t expecting a response, but I got this email today. I assume it is some kind of form response, but he didn’t address a single thing I mentioned in my letter.

Thank you for your email. I appreciate hearing from constituents who are concerned about protecting California’s environment.

California is known around the world for its incredible beaches, magnificent natural parks and beautiful sky. Our state has been a leader in protecting and managing these resources for the past half century. I want you to know that I am committed to ensuring that all natural resources are protected and maintained so that Californians can continue to enjoy these treasures.

Since coming into office, I have created an ocean protection plan to protect our coastline against offshore drilling and improve the water quality of our ocean. In addition, I established the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, which is the largest conservancy in California, preserving and protecting 25 million acres in the Sierra Nevada range. To further protect California’s environment, I will continue to support the Clean Air Act to help reduce the amount of air pollution in our state. And because some of the biggest contributors to air pollution are the vehicles on the road, I created the “Breathe Easier” campaign to buy the dirtiest old cars and scrap them, allowing motorists to purchase cleaner cars instead.

Our future is in biofuels and hydrogen, not polluting petroleum fuels. That’s why I created the California Hydrogen Highway, and we now have dozens of hydrogen fueling stations across the state and many hydrogen cars and buses on the road. I also have supported the development of solar and wind technologies to promote clean and safe sources of energy.

Again, thank you for writing to me. It is heartening to know that Californians care about the future of our Golden State.

Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger

btw, I live in AZ, not California. I even made that clear in my letter. Oh well. Thanks Arnold, everything’s great now.

The May issue of The Noise just hit the streets but after getting harassed on the street already today, I wanted to let everybody know that my column is not in this month’s issue. I opted out this time around because it’s the end of the semester and I’m busy beyond belief. (Even though I still found time to ride to Sedona on Friday….). I’ll have something for June.

For the record, though, the May issue is great.

On Friday, I rode my bike from Flagstaff to Sedona. It’s like a 25 to 30 mile ride. It only took about an hour and a half. I took 89, which means I was able to ride down the switchbacks 2k feet. It was SWEEEET. There is no bike lane, so a lot of people think it’s really dangerous, but to be honest, I felt safer on the switch backs then anywhere else. I was able to go just as fast, if not faster than the cars that have to slow to 15 mph on many of the turns.

What I never realized when I drove that stretch of highway in the past is how incredibly up and down 89 is from Flag to the top of the switchbacks. There isn’t much of a bike lane there either. I pretty much hugged the white line and, fortunately, the cars that passed gave me plenty of room. That was great. For some reason there was a lot of nats on the road; I’m not sure why there were so many, but they certainly didn’t taste very good. Though I had driven past it many times before, I pulled over to that scenic view just before the switchbacks for the first time. I got yelled at for riding my bike on the pedestrian paths that go from lookout to lookout. The view was incredible though.

A lot of the drivers going back up the switchbacks smiled at me because it had to be obvious that I was having a great time. It was pretty windy, but overall, I couldn’t have asked for better weather. The road from the bottom of the switchbacks into town was great as well. There weren’t many cars on the road and riding alongside Oak Creek was fantastic. It’s very green along the river right now. The deciduous trees down there have a head start on the ones here. It was also great to ride through the falling puffs of cottonwood seeds.

I met my family in town. My grandmother passed away earlier last week and the funeral was on the morning that I road down there. I was too busy to go to the funeral, but I road my bike to spend the rest of the day with the fam. I threw my bike in my brother’s rental car and he drove me back up that evening. So no…I’m not hardcore enough yet to ride up the switchbacks.

MEXICO CITY

A measure legalizing first-trimester abortions in Mexico City was published into law Thursday, and City Health Secretary Manuel Mondragon said the procedure would be legal starting today for women nearing the 12-week limit.

Women whose pregnancies are less advanced must wait until the law’s regulations are published, a move that is expected next week.

Obviously a petition is not going to end sexual violence, but this is going out to Congressmen as they are dictating foreign policy on this issue. It takes 3 and a half seconds to fill out and if it results in a policy change, this would be a crucial step forward in terms of a shift in priorities. Again, a petition is not enough….no matter what issue we’re talking about. It will take everybody, each recognizing the importance of the other’s work. It will certainly take a lot more than relying on governments.

You Can Take Action Now!

The International Rescue Committee and the Women’s Commission for Refugee
Women and Children need your help in our long-standing fight against
violence against women and girls.

There is a new Congress in Washington. It is time to remind our elected
representatives that violence against women and girls must end now – and
that we need them to do something about it urgently.

At this time, I’ll remind you that I’m not a democrat

We need you to sign a petition that the IRC and Women’s Commission
will present to Congress this spring demanding that the fight against sexual
violence become a top legislative and funding priority.

Take action now to make your voice heard – and join our fight to end
violence against women and girls.