To Read and to Watch

Movie Time: Watch them on YouTube:

Are You Being Told the Truth About Plastic Bags?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdQUzxp9Mfw 
It is the counter point of Pacific Garbage Patch. It calls out the good-people-in-green-capes who perpetuate myths and misinformation.

From  Tree To Paper. How Paper Is Made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmgMdDH14sE

How Is It Made Plastic Bag:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CfL5xl2N1Q 

How Plastic Bags Get Recycled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6hzhKmw4EY

Todd Myers' presentation of Eco-Fads at Seattle Rotary Club on 3/7/12:
http://vimeo.com/38131740

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Now, some readings. You should read through the first 4.


By Hoover Institute; Generate ideas for a free society, Stanford University - Pros & Cons ton Plastic Bag Bans:
AB158 / SB405 Spotlight on CA Statewide Plastic Bag Bans

By KQED - Are Plastic Bag Bans Actually Helping the Environment?
https://www.kqed.org/news/11461251

By University Oregon, Chemistry professor David Tyler answers the age-old Question, “paper or plastic?”
http://cascade.uoregon.edu/fall2012/expert/expert-article/

The Heartland Institute, IL has posted this 2011 study by UK Environment Agency:
Title: Plastic Bag Fears Based on Misquoted Study
https://www.heartland.org/news-opinion/news/plastic-bag-fears-based-on-misquoted-study

Article comparing paper bags vs. plastic bags with numbers:
http://www.nashvillewrapscommunity.com/blog/2008/04/paper-bags-versus-plastic-bags-real-numbers/

Article by Reasons.com; Free Minds and Free Markets -
Plastic Bags are GOOD for you

By Library of Economic Liberty -
Slaying the Myths of Plastic Bags

Article on Wall Street Journal: Should Cities Ban Plastic Bags? Presenting pros and cons from both sides:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444165804578006832478712400.html

Todd Myers, Director for Environment, Washington Policy Center, WA - White paper on Eco-Fads: How The Trendy Environmentalism is Harming the Environment
http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/library/docLib/eco-fads-introduction.pdf

And Todd Myers' 2011 Book: Eco-Fads: How the Rise of Trendy Environmentalism is Harming the Environment

Bagtheban.com is a coalition of plastic bag companies. It has many great articles and researches -- if you are into more hard data / facts. Well, the bag-bans supporters will simply brush it off. But, may I ask, "Is it only the prosecutors who are allowed to speak? Can the defendants presents their case?"

The web site; SavethePlasticBag.com no longer exist. It was by Stephen Joseph; the legal counsel of plastic industry, which make him an easy target.
It used to contain many very well written articles, supported by hard facts / actual researches and results, coupled by videos documenting the effort. They scientifically refute many of the myths & misrepresentations about plastic bags. Plastic bags are NOT hard plastic, just remember.

The medias feed us info they want us to see. It is NOT the whole story. You can read these books to understand what is going on:
- The Silencing: how the left is killing free speech by Kirsten Powers.
- The Intimidation Game: how the left is silencing free speech by Kimberley Strassel.
- Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth by Sharyl Attkisson.

NYC is considering plastic bags ban and fee

http://plasticbaglaws.org/legislation/state-laws/
This week, 8/20/13, NYC is considering plastic bags ban and bag fee, sponsored by Brooklyn Council Member Brad Lander and Lower Manhattan Council Member Margaret Chin. They need 26 votes to pass the bill, and is aiming to pass before year end. It now has 9 Council Members on board.

Help me write to NYC Council Members to not follow California's silliness.

New York City Council:
http://council.nyc.gov/html/home/home.shtml
http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml

According to this article:
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/08/8533033/return-new-york-city-plastic-bag-fee
NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn is the person who decides which bill comes to the floor to be debated. Write to her also:
http://council.nyc.gov/d3/html/members/contact.shtml

Plastic bags ban and bag fee are bad for:

businesses -- bagging customers' purchases is the least customer services retailers should provide, especially when it comes to discretionary shopping which is for pleasure. If it is no fun anymore, why should we shop? All stores can close. We can all go home!

environment -- paper bags come from trees. From logging, debarking, chopping and dicing wood, add water to make pulp, squeeze water out and flatten to make paper, the whole process creates more greenhouse effect. Global warming is our greatest environment threat. So why is paper better? Save a tree! Use a plastic bag!

residents -- many of us use plastic bags for trash and for pet waste. And we use paper bags for recycle. Without these thin plastic bags, we will have to buy much thicker and bigger trash bags. Why are the later better? And why should we pay for paper bags so that we can recycle?

NYC should have better sense of sensibilities.

I like this counter point:
NYC has Heftier Concerns Than Plastic Bags
http://hamodia.com/2013/08/25/nyc-has-heftier-concerns-than-plastic-bags/

New Yorkers, show the world you can think with your brains and see with your eyes!
Don't just blindly follow Californians -- the loud ones have gone cuckoo for being too loud and too sure of themselves.

Read my 8/13 blog: To Read & To Watch and you will know why the ban is bad for the environment.

If you want to follow the progress of the activist group pushing the ban, this is the link:
http://plasticbaglaws.org/

Resources On Fighting Back - Organizations In This Fight

These are the organizations that are fighting the plastic bag bans:

Save the Plastic Bag, by Stephen Joseph, the legal counsel of the plastic industry:
SaveThePlasticBag.com
Many very well written articles here supported with scientific researches and video clips which refute many popular myths & misrepresentation. 

His 6 minutes movie; the counter part to the movie Pacific Garbage Patch:
http://www.plasticbagmovie.com/

bag the bans!
http://www.bagtheban.com/news
Many well written blogs here from a variety of sources / individuals who provide insightful perspective in plastic!
Email: info@bagtheban.com

http://www.bagtheban.com/take-action
On this link you can sign the petitions to 10 cities at different states.
Let us all get together and fight back!
We must fight to take back our cities, our counties, and our lives!
It has a huge collections of studies; scientific studies and videos.

Fight the Plastic Bag Ban (based in Ventura, So Cal):
fighttheplasticbagban@gmail.com
http://fighttheplasticbagban.com/downloads/
Click on the follow button near the bottom of the page.  That way you can be notified by email anytime something is posted.  They have written many papers which took hundreds of hours of research.  Their articles are written around different perspectives of the bag ban issues.  

Save Our Choice (based in Seattle, WA):
http://saveourchoice.wordpress.com/
Craig Keller on 8/30/13 turned in 3400+ signatures to Issaquah, WA to repeal the bag ban.
By the end of Sept'13, he has successfully drove 4 repeal petition in Seattle, Shoreline, and 2 times in Issaquah. 

Stop The Bag Ban (based in Campbell) tells us what we can do:
http://stopthebagban.com/What-you-can-do.php
Surprisingly I have done everything that is listed. We are on the same page.
In Sept'13 They are collecting signature to repeal the bans in Campbell and Los Gatos. 
Click on Home Page to download and sign the petition. Spread the words. Get all registered voters to sign.
You can help with time and money, too.

Save Our Bags (based in San Jose):
http://saveourbags.com/index.php

No Durango Bag Tax (based in Durango, CO)
http://www.nodurangobagtax.com/
info@nodurangobagtax.com
Kristen and her friends have successful repealed the ban early Nov'13. What a power website it is! It maximizes the power of social media and fund raising.

Diana Diamond, Mercury News - Lockstep March to Ban Plastic Bags

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_22537184/lockstep-march-ban-plastic-bags?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

The above article is titled: Lockstep march to ban plastic bags by Diana Diamond, on Mercury News 2/6/13
She is a columnist with Daily News. Her email is: diana@dianadiamond.com

I can’t agree more with Diana Diamond. This is what our brains are for – to think, to seek information and to understand. This is why our eyes for – to see what is and is not out there. We are not to follow blindly just because “everybody” says so. Who is "everybody"?

So many city councils in SF Peninsula have blindly adopted the plastic bag bans and bag fees.  They have brought great detriment to their business communities and residents. I sure can’t help to not shop for food and basic necessities. But when it come to discretionary spending, I just shut my wallet and don’t even wander into the stores. A council member wrote to me that I should be able “to plan to shop better in future.” Really? Do you plan when to have sex? Do you bring your recycle bag to bag away your fancy clothes? What is the fun of it? If it is no fun, why do I spend my precious money so that the city can get a share of the sales tax? So I asked people to boycott shopping at towns and cities that have adopted the ban. Shopping used to be my most favorite past-time. I was so turned off that it no longer is.

I am disappointed by the City Councils and Board of Supervisors for following blindly, for fueling these eco-fads, just to gain some easy political scores. Just when you think that "Oh. Well. 10c is 10c." Do you know that effective 10/1/13, S.F. will impose the same law on all restaurant take-out food? Can you imaging bringing your recycle bag to bag away your take-out food? And effective 7/1/2014, this 10c will go up to 25c.

You can read the ordinance here:
http://sfgsa.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=8151


S.F. Supervisors John Avalos and David Campos were so proud that S.F. will have the most extensive ban that covers restaurants effective 10/1/13. They even called for a statewide ban. Too bad they don't own a business or restaurant. Now David Campos is now running for CA Assembly office. Can we put him in State office? And if it is such a great law, why are non-profits and governmental agencies exempted? They should be the first ones that jump on the bandwagon. It is injustice so blatantly practiced with no repercussion. Less government is what we need. We need to put more business-friendly leaders in city and state offices.

Real scientists vow to the unbiased principle. Real scientists do not advocate and will not become activists. Those who advocates -- are not real scientists.

http://cawrecycles.org/blog/recycling_news

According the the website above, on the week of 8/19/13, El Cerrito is set to vote on the plastic bag ban and bag fee. Help me write to the council members to vote No.

City Council of El Cerrito:

http://www.el-cerrito.org/index.aspx?nid=113

Los Gatos has recently adopted the ban. Stopthebagban.com is now driving a referendum to force the city to retract it. They need to turn in 10% voters signatures by 10/7/13. Please spread the words. Sign the petition on their website now.

We can not afford to let the greenies dominate the media outlet. We must talk back. Even though it feels like a drop of water into the big ocean, keep faith that the ripple will spread. There are many other cities and states that need our help.

Stay away from the coastal cities and SF Peninsula. Spend your vacation in inland gold countries and north instead. Say good bye to Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, Carmel, Monterey, all the cities in the Peninsula which include San Jose, Palo Alto and L.A. Say Hello to Emeryville, Nevada City / Grass Valley, Murphy, Sausalito, Sonoma and Petaluma. All these are charming towns. Humboldt and Calaveras are beautiful with giant redwood trees. While you switch plan, do write to the city councils (Google “city council of xxx city”) why you are not going there – for you want to support other cities that have better senses. They deserved your money.

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http://cawrecycles.org/issues/plastic_campaign/plastic_bags/local

The above link; California Against Waste provides good updates on the progress of ban and fees in cities throughout California.