Grass Roots in the Desert

When I first decided to go to Las Vegas for YearlyKos, I thought I would just tag along with my husband, who was representing Progress Now. I figured I'd do some shopping, maybe some sightseeing, and definitely some rockhounding along the drive there and back. When I saw a number of science related discussions popping up on the YearlyKos schedule, I changed my mind, and registered. (Ok, so, I still plan to do a bit of the tourist bit, too.) Now, I'm so glad that I did.

So far, this has been an incredible experience. Most of the people I've talked to have been bright and enthusiastic, thinking critically about the impact of blogging on the future of science and politics. (A few have made me bite my tongue, as well, but they've been few and far between.) I got my first taste at the science bloggers caucus, which seemed to be the most serious and productive caucus at the convention. I arrived a bit late, having just driven in from Denver, and was sorry that I missed anything. The topics seemed to bounce between climate change and evolution, both drawing passionate opinions and unique perspectives. There were a few party-poopers--an environmentalist who reminded me of a tupperware salesman and a woman who seemed offended that anyone should bring up the subject of religion--but all in all, it was a room overflowing with intelligent folks advocating science. Beats shopping any day, if you ask me.

The highlight so far was the science panel discussion with Chris Moody, PZ Myers, Wendy Northcutt, and General Wesley Clark. Everyone seems to be referring to the discussion as "Clark's panel," but I think the others made the show. Chris was inspiring and entertaining and PZ (while short on time) was quite informative and surprisingly serious. Wendy, who is the brainchild behind the Darwin Awards didn't get much of a chance to speak, but I had a chance to talk to her before the next panel began. She was a lively character (sharing my fondness for big floppy hats) and very down-to-earth. I just hope my trouble-seeking son doesn't end up winning her award. There must be better ways to run into her.

After the science panel discussion, I went to a discussion on renewable energy, sponsored by Energize America. Here, a politician did steal the spotlight--Governor of New Mexico, Bil Richardson made a surprise appearance to talk about options for hanging on to our dear fossil fuels. The part that caught my interest was his mention of a plan to build a bullet train from El Paso to Denver. My response: hell yes! He then suggested that rather than telling the public that they need to conserve, or else, we need to make it a massive popular movement. "We need an Apollo-like Man-on-the-Moon mission," he said. That's the sort of thinking I'd like to see more of, in the White House.

Author Mark Sumner (who blogs as devilstower on kos) was another impressive speaker at the renewable energy discussion. I noticed his salient points at the caucus the night before, and it was a pleasure to hear him speak on the panel. He really seemed to drive home the point that a grassroots effort towards sustainable energy may be our most effective tool in reducing our dependencies on fossil fuels. I ran into him after the panel ended, and discussed the need to use fossil fuels for the manufacture of products such as plastic. (I told him that I don't want to be 80 and not be able to get my prosthetic hip because we burned up all the materials in our cars years before.) He drew an excellent comparison to the rainforests--if we use up the resources we have down there for simple wood use, we may be losing out on potential sources of cures for disease. This is an argument I've heard many times, of course, but it surprised me how similar the two issues are.

It is the little things, like that, that make me think a convention full of progressive bloggers is a powerful idea. So far, I've had a great time. I hope to do it again next year, especially if they include even more science discussions. Of course, it isn't over yet--there are more discussions scheduled for tomorrow, and tonight, there is a party being thrown by Mark Warner on the top of the Stratosphere tower. Of course, after hearing Richardson's inspirational talk, Warner will have to do more than offer free booze and thrill rides to win my support. (I'll still let him try!)