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It was political theater. She was wearing a purple-tinged sheet that covered her head and her entire body. She had cut out two holes so that she could see. The sign around her neck read "Feel safer now? " "The message is that they've gone too far, " Ms. Riley said. "So Big Pharma can take over, give us all vaccinations and make us all stupid and sit home on our couch and comply. There's an underlying agenda that most people don't see. " She was not worried about getting infected despite her age, which makes her more vulnerable to the virus. "I take care of my body and exercise, " she said. "I'm not the least bit worried. " Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting from New York.
In addition to the "You Can't Close America" rally in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, modest demonstrations took place in the capitals of Nevada, Indiana and Maryland. Video transcript transcript Texas Protesters Condemn Stay-at-Home Orders Demonstrators outside the State Capitol in Austin violated social-distancing orders to call for the reopening of the state and country. U. S. A.! U. A.! We don't need their permission! We don't need the police's permission! God set America free, in Jesus' name! Let us work! Let us work! Let us work! Open Texas now! Open Texas now! We rise up! Demonstrators outside the State Capitol in Austin violated social-distancing orders to call for the reopening of the state and country. Credit Credit... Callaghan O'Hare/Reuters April 18, 2020 AUSTIN, Texas — Dave Litrell stood at a socially un-distant length from his fellow protesters on Saturday. Some shook hands. Others hugged. More than a hundred people rubbed elbows and shoulders, their signs and flags touching, many with their faces unmasked.
Mr. Litrell, 46, held his 6-year-old daughter as those surrounding him chanted to reopen the American economy outside the State Capitol building in downtown Austin. "I don't fear a potential pathogen, " he said of the fast-spreading coronavirus that had compelled most governors to shut down their states, including the closing of nonessential businesses. "I think there's potential pathogens around us all the time, and for the most part, we're healthy. " Mr. Litrell, wearing a MAGA-style red cap reading "Make Austin Weird Again, " is a bartender in Texas' capital city. At least he used to be. The restaurant where Mr. Litrell works has cut his shift to five hours a week, from 35. He started getting unemployment. The pandemic has caused an overreaction of fear and an overreach of government power, Mr. Litrell said, and that is what brought him to the demonstration. "It's sad how easily, with the snap of a finger, they'll just shut down society, and it's even more sad that most of the people just acquiesce, " he said.
Polls show that most Americans support restrictions meant to combat the virus. But the modest crowd at the "You Can't Close America" rally was proudly defiant of the local and state stay-at-home orders they were violating simply by assembling. Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order states that all Texans shall "minimize social gatherings, " and city and county officials in Austin have required people to wear face coverings in public. A few of the demonstrators wore masks, but most did not. Not Mr. Litrell. And not Jax Weaver, 33, an out-of-work Austin photographer who went to the protest with her 7-year-old daughter. "I'm not worried about catching the virus, " Ms. Weaver said. "If we did catch the virus, I feel that we're healthy enough to fight it. And I think it would help us build immunity. " Image Credit... Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The rally rode a wave of similar protests at statehouses and in city streets this past week, with people also gathering on Saturday in Indianapolis; Carson City, Nev. ; Annapolis, Md.
Natural gas is mostly made up of methane, a climate pollutant whose contribution to climate change is 85 percent greater than carbon dioxide, city staff said in a report, " the Chronicle reported. But the federal government and natural gas producers paint a different picture of the energy source. "Based on the U. S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) annual survey of electric generators, natural gas-fired generators accounted for 43 percent of operating U. electricity generating capacity in 2019, " the website reported on Oct. 16, 2020. "These natural gas-fired generators provided 39 percent of electricity generation in 2019, more than any other source. Most of the natural gas-fired capacity added in recent decades uses combined-cycle technology, which surpassed coal-fired generators in 2018 to become the technology with the most electricity generating capacity in the United States. " According to Citizens Energy Group, a natural gas company that has operated as a Public Charitable Trust in Indianapolis, Indiana, since 1887, the benefits of natural gas are clear: Natural gas, the cleanest fossil fuel, is a highly efficient form of energy.
Natural gas's advantages over other fuels include the following: • FACT: It's dependable: You never have to worry about weather, delivery schedules or running out. • FACT: Houses with natural gas services are not affected by the severe weather or mechanical disruptions that cause most residential electric power outages • FACT: The nation's most critical buildings all rely on natural gas: the Pentagon, the White House and the Capitol building all use natural gas as a heating source. • FACT: Natural gas can be counted on as a primary fuel as well as the most reliable backup to renewable energies* (natural gas is there when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine). • Alternative/renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, meet only 6% of our nation's energy needs. It's safe: • FACT: North America's continental natural gas pipeline system is the safest mode of energy transportation in the world today • FACT: The natural gas industry spends over $7 billion a year to ensure natural gas is delivered safely and reliably to your home.
; and Brookfield, Wis. As some governors expressed interest in reopening their states, some prominent local conservatives turned to Facebook groups and other social media to set up protests. Eric Moutsos, a former Salt Lake City police officer, organized a protest in his city for Saturday evening. "Thank you government officials for your recommendations, but we're going back to work, " Mr. Moutsos said. The protest in Austin, whose Capitol steps are a frequent background for demonstrations, was small compared to past rallies there, with dozens of people assembling on a chilly and overcast day. At times, it was a cacophony of conservative anger and frustration. There were Trump signs, flags, caps and T-shirts. There were loud chants of "Let us work! Let us work! " but also "Fire Fauci! Fire Fauci! " — a reference to Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation's leading expert on infectious diseases. People shouted conspiracy theories about the coronavirus. Alex Jones, the founder of the website Infowars, described the spread of the virus as a "Chi-Comm globalist bioweapons attack, " a reference to the Chinese Communist Party.
It's clean: • FACT: Natural gas emits 45 percent less carbon dioxide than electricity generated from coal • FACT: Natural gas emits 30 percent less carbon dioxide than fuel oil A final reading of the Oakland legislation is slated for December 15, according to the Chronicle. Follow Penny Starr on Twitter or send news tips to
In Oakland, a city in the state of California that has been plagued with a failing power infrastructure, the city council voted unanimously earlier this week to ban natural gas from all future constructed residential and commercial buildings. Developers can apply for a waiver to avoid complying with the ban based on "technology feasibility reasons, " and existing buildings, additions to existing buildings and some other buildings are not affected by the legislation. "Oakland's national leadership to build cleaner, safer, and healthier cities for all families continues with this historic transition to all-electric buildings, " Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf in a statement. The San Francisco Chronicl e reported on the ban on the most plentiful source of domestically-produced electric energy in the United States: The vote comes more than a year after Berkeley became the first city in California to pass a natural gas ban — a move that is being challenged in the courts. Since Berkeley's measure, nearly 40 cities have joined the effort with similar restrictions, including San Francisco, San Jose and Windsor.
It was the first protest Ms. Adkins had ever attended. The day before, the governor had announced his plan to reopen Texas, but Ms. Adkins was disappointed that Mr. Abbott was taking a gradual approach. He said he was reopening the state's parks on Monday but would require all visitors to wear face coverings. "It's a park, " Ms. Adkins said. "Viruses don't float through the air. You're not going to catch it walking in a park, so there's a lot of misinformation. " Ms. Adkins and others were convinced that the government and the news media were lying to the public about the dangers of the virus, or at least were exaggerating the risks. Standing together in a crowd, mask-free and well within the six-foot social-distancing zone, was a physical manifestation of their anger and suspicion. They denied they were being reckless, and viewed the shutting down of society as a kind of hysteria, regardless of the numbers of infections and fatalities being reported. Sandra Riley, 77, a retired real estate agent who lives in Austin, was one of the most covered-up protesters on the steps of the Capitol, but her outfit had nothing to do with safety.