Representative Patrick McHenry made a name for himself in 2007 as seriously Energy Dumb in his truthiness attack on the Energy Bill as focused on bicycles as the solution path. Amid the $billions of spending (and tax benefits) under consideration, the insightful McHenry focused on $1 million per year in spending on bicycles as somehow representing "the" Democratic solution path to America’s energy challenges. While McHenry did use a true fact (yes, there was $1 million in funding), his commentary was neither truthful nor speaking truth, since it tried to represent this extremely small portion of the bill as central and somehow quite significant. (If he had used more accurate words like "less than 1/100 of 1 percent of funding", would his demagoguery perhaps been undermined?)

Well, Energy Dumb McHenry showed his idiocy in the past month with his words and actions in Iraq. And, sadly, the idiocy goes well past questions of energy.

Thoughtless about Energy
Last year’s energy bill, amid literally $10s of billions of subsidies and expenditures, had a small amount of money headed toward bicycle programs. Evidently, any amount was too much for Energy Dumb McHenry.

A major component of the Democrats’ energy legislation and the Democrats’ answer to our energy crisis is, hold on, wait one minute, wait one minute, it is promoting the use of the bicycle.

Major. Yes. Truly central in the face of trying to get $billions into, for example, renewable energy programs, energy efficiency standards for appliances with very large implications, increasing the CAFE standard, etc …

Oh, I cannot make this stuff up. Yes, the American people have heard this. Their answer to our fuel crisis, the crisis at the pumps, is: Ride a bike.

Yes, you demagogue, you can make it up. Nowhere was there a statement that "ride a bike" was "their answer" as if it is was a Silver Bullet that would solve everything out there.

Democrats believe that using taxpayer funds in this bill to the tune of $1 million a year should be devoted to the principle of: "Save energy, ride a bike.”

"$1 million a year …" Stop the presses! What an outrage!

Some might argue that depending on bicycles to solve our energy crisis is naive, perhaps ridiculous.

First, clearly you.

Second, you are the "naive … ridiculous" one for refusing to see the need for working multiple solution paths, for leveraging everything to deal with the challenges of Peak Oil and Global Warming (oops, probably two elements of reality that McHenry rejects …).

Some might even say Congress should use this energy legislation to create new energy, bring new nuclear power plants on line, use clean coal technology, energy exploration, but no, no. They want to tell the American people, stop driving, ride a bike. This is absolutely amazing.

Apparently, the Democrats believe that the miracle on two wheels that we know as a bicycle will end our dependence on foreign oil. I cannot make this stuff up. It is absolutely amazing.

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the Democrats, promoting 19th century solutions to 21st century problems. If you don’t like it, ride a bike. If you don’t like the price at the pumps, ride a bike.

Stay tuned for the next big idea for the Democrats: Improving energy efficiency by the horse and buggy."

Honestly, I couldn’t make this up if I tried …

Now, bicycles are not the solution to the globe’s problems. A unicycle won’t solve Global Warming. A two-wheeler won’t solve Peak Oil. A tandem won’t end poverty. Not even a tricycle will guarantee world peace. On the other hand, bicycles are a viable part (a piece) of a solution path toward navigativing the perfect storm of Peak Oil and Global Warming.

Consider this:

Promoting cycling as a means of transportation is more than "just a good thing to do." The potential environmental, economic, and social benefits are quite large.

• Bicycle commuting saved the United States 17 million barrels of oil in 1990. If the recommendations of the 1980 Department of Transportation report "Bicycle Transportation for Energy Conservation" had been implemented, as many as 200 million barrels of oil would have been conserved during the 1980’s. That’s enough oil to keep the entire United States driving to work for a month at the cost of millions of dollars in imported oil.
• Bicycling is a realistic solution to today’s pollution problems. Every new car complying with every federal emission standard, emits over 100 pounds of pollutants every year. Just switching from a car to bicycle can save up to 2gms. of hydrocarbons, 20 gms. of carbon monoxide, and 1.6 gms. of nitrogen oxides for every mile traveled.

No, bikes won’t solve our problems, but they could help. We could have bike programs in cities for literally no cost that would bring many advantages to the city, from reducing traffic, reducing pollution, improving social health, etc … Just imagine, every avoided barrels of oil: $100 that stays inside our borders to help our economy rather than those dollars going to …

And, there are many real benefits of biking that extend from economics (for nation and individual), health, pollution, and simply for the joy of it. Joy, however, can’t be part of the Energy Bill, according to Energy Dumb Patrick, unless you are a Fossil Fool lobbyist.

The low-down on Patrick
To understand the Patrick that his citizens know and love, one might be best served through a visit to Pat Go Bye-Bye, "a journal of the despicably poor representation in Congress for North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District by world-class hypocrite Patrick McHenry." Patrick

• voted against S-CHIP.
• Supports predatory lenders.

To be honest, the site is filled with rich material outlining what a buffoon "represents" the North Carolina 10th District. Filling its space, at the moment, is a focus on another element of Patrick "Dumb" McHenry, one that is gaining his some unwanted, but much merited fame.

McHenry isn’t just Energy Dumb …

When the alert guard of the facility refused McHenry entrance to a Green Zone gym, what was McHenry’s reaction? Did this patriotic Republican, who so respects the military and fervently believes in the Iraq quagmire, praise the guard for being alert and doing his duty? Not exactly … In McHenry’s own words,

We spent the night in the Green Zone, in the poolhouse of one of Saddam’s palaces. A little weird, I got to be honest with you. But I felt safe. And so in the morning, I got up early — not that I make this a great habit — but I went to the gym because I just couldn’t sleep and everything else. Well, sure enough, the guard wouldn’t let me in. Said I didn’t have the correct credentials.

It’s 5:00 in the morning. I haven’t had sleep. I was not very happy with this two-bit security guard. So you know, I said, “I want to see your supervisor.” Thirty minutes later, the supervisor wasn’t happy with me, they escort me back to my room. It happens. I guess I didn’t need to work out anyway.

"Two-bit security guard …" Yup, love those people serving in Iraq, don’t we Patrick? (By the way, might we wonder why patriotic 32-year old Patrick isn’t in uniform?) That he was foolish enough to post this material suggests that McHenry isn’t simply Energy Dumb, not just S-CHIP Dumb, not just Banking Dumb, but simply Dumb.

Thanks to Brandon Friedman over at VetVoice, we know this isn’t the end of McHenry’s Dumb & Dumber in Iraq travelogue.

McHenry’s faux pas in Iraq went beyond insults into recklessness. Last week, on his official website, McHenry posted a video that clearly violates operational security (OPSEC) considerations, putting into public information about where insurgent weapons struck inside the Green Zone. While a stretch to connect the dots, it does bear mentioning that

Unfortunately, only two days after the bellicose, yet clueless, Congressman McHenry posted the video, more rockets rained down on the Green Zone–this time killing two U.S. soldiers and wounding 17 in the most damaging attack on U.S. forces in the Green Zone since last year.

McHenry removed the video from his website and youtube without explanation or apology. And, it turns out that this might have come due to a Pentagon instruction following Brandon’s highlighting of the issue.

What does it all mean, Alfie?

In the past, McHenry has called for investigations of leaks about national security issues. "We have an obligation to ensure the offenders are held accountable." As someone else noted, "The irony is rich." In this case, Patrick, we clearly know who the offender is. Will you join your House colleagues in censoring him?

With the Green Zone seemingly ever more at risk, will the House act to censor McHenry for his thoughtless endangerment of the Green Zone’s security?

NOTE: The NC-10 Democratic Nominee Fund has been added to the Energy Smart vs Energy Dumb ActBlue page. In honor of Energy, Economic, OPSEC, and Plain Dumb Patrick, consider dropping in to provide a few cents to help Simply Dumb Patrick contemplate the Halls of Congress from back home.

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3. US Contractors Held in Iraqi Jail for Green Zone Murder
4. NY-23: Hoffman Tells $1,761 Clean Energy Lie, Completely Botches it
5. How Can We Negotiate in Good Faith with the Iranians When We Play Dumb About Israel’s Nukes?