Veterans' Day (Armistice Day/Remembrance Day)
Since this is one of the few occasions when I get to observe November 11 as a holiday, I'll keep today's blog brief.

Yesterday I read that the Cape Wind project off Nantucket (see my blog of March 17 and a related posting on May 6) has passed a significant milestone, with the issuance of an apparently positive environmental impact report by the Army Corps of Engineers. The report will remain in draft form during a 60-day period for public comment.

No one should expect this to be the last word on the subject, as numerous opponents--including some influential public figures--are lined up to block the project. And perhaps, as opponents insist, it should be blocked, for aesthetic reasons; perhaps this is a case of wind power being good, but not good everywhere. However, if that is so, then exactly which other backyard (or viewscape) should defer to the public's need for more energy to run our lifestyles? Opposition without meaningful alternatives looks an awful lot like cynical self-interest.