Berserkley Bans Fireplaces

NewsMax ^ | December 28, 2001 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[MeekOneGOP]

NewsMax.com

 

Friday, Dec. 28, 2001

Berserkley Bans Fireplaces

The communist outpost of Berserkley, Calif., infamous for its anti-choice stances on flag displays, freedom of the press, capital punishment, the fight against terrorism, ad nauseum, has now declared war on fireplaces.

The city council has banned log-burning fireplaces in new buildings and - the most tragic news of the year for the crackpot college town's snooty sybarites - even attacked those trendy wood-fired pizza ovens spewing the foul fumes of vegan arugula foccaccio.

Jami Caseber, a self-described environmental activist who pushed the ordinance, calls it merely "the first step to controlling or curtailing residential wood burning."

He wanted to crack down on fireplaces already built, but the new law was a compromise with "conservatives," an epithet used in Berserkely to describe non-leftists.

Michael Gersick, a lobbyist for fireplace makers, said his industry clients would support emission limits for fireplaces. "All we really want is a standard to meet," he told the Los Angeles Times.

The fireplace ban, rather than raising "awareness," is a lesson in foolish policy, said Gersick, who lives in the area. "I love the tempest and tumult of Berkeley. But God help you if you want to act responsibly and expect Berkeley to confront a public policy issue using facts."

[caisson71]

Is Berkeley east or west of the San Andreas Fault?

[Rebelbase]

My brother over in Yadkin Co. Heats his house with a wood stove in the basement. It stays toasty warm when its below 32 outside.

[R. Scott]

"Jami Caseber, a self-described environmental activist who pushed the ordinance…"

Darn! I can't keep up with the environuts. I thought they were pushing for everyone to use renewable resources. Now we're supposed to use heat from oil, coal and the atom!

[caisson71]

I like your idea. A live fire practice bombing range for the "Daisey Cutter" or maybe the "Mother of Daisey Cutters".

[Howie66]

Your last sentence re: "a topic best not discussed in the Bay area" is what I find to be so infuriating about these socialist/liberal elitists. They are so frigging scantimonious about being "open minded", yet will shout you down in the most vitriolic manner if you dare to take a point of view that is not entirely in lock-step with their own position. Not a day passes that I find my contempt and loathing growing in leaps and bounds for these individuals.

[EggsAckley]

My friend's gas-log unit doesn't throw any heat, or very little. Maybe it's defective or maybe it's just
a cheesy model. Not sure. But I will talk to her about it. Glad to hear about yours. Food for thought.

[Zon]

Jami Caseber, a self-described environmental activist [zealot] who pushed the ordinance, calls it merely "the first step to controlling or curtailing residential wood burning."

Anxiety: That uncontrollable urge to choke the living shi*t out of someone that desperately deserves it!  ;-)

[steveegg]

You see; we're not supposed to keep up with them (of course, since we're so far ahead, the term doesn't really apply). We're supposed to fall back to life circa 1736, complete with a royal soverign to rule over us (of course, one Clintoon won't survive the change; it's pick-em) and make every last decision in our lives.

To which, I say, "Mucho bovine flatulence and excrement."

[Ignatz]

Can anyone post an email addy for any of the brain-dead mentioned in this article? How about the local editorial page? I think an email blitz is just what these people need!

[antienvironmentalist]

Some gas logs throw heat, others are designer units. I am a distributer so I have some knowledge in the area. I also make much more money off gas fp's then wood, so let them ban wood all they want, it only helps me. (I'm afraid if they find this out they will try to ban gas fp's too, as it helps out the capitlist) I'm gonna try to design a fp that runs on hippies next.:)

[steveegg]

All you have to do is enlarge it some and put in a charcoal filter to wipe out the smell.

[antienvironmentalist]

That sounds good. I think it would have to be a real big filter, or catylitic coverter, or you will get high off of their toxic lung content.

[InvisibleChurch]

You can't make this stuff up. Ooh hot!

[Ditto]

This is funny. Back in the 70s and 80s, I heated my house with wood for a number of years. All the greenies at the time were heavily promoting wood-burning as an alternative to electricity, gas and oil, since wood is a renewable resource.

I remember that too, and remember the acid smoke in the air when I took the dog for a walk on a cold winter night.

I hadn't smelled that oder since the 1950s when growing up in Pittsburgh the acid smoke from all the coal furnaces in the houses burnt my nose on the way to school in the mornings. A suburban neighboorhood with lots of wood burning fireplaces smelled the same to me.

It amazed me that the Greenies pushed wood burners, but they did. I never put one in my house --- too damn dirty and too much work. But now that fireplaces are in, the Greenies want them out. Typical.

[USNBandit]

(psst ... they have smoke-free bars in Amherst, Mass, so don't give Berserkley any ideas.)

Psst....California passed no smoking laws in their restaurants and bars a couple years ago.

[AlaskaErik]

Heil Jami C. enviro-fascist! (psst ... they have smoke-free bars in Amherst, Mass, so don't give Berserkley any ideas.)

It's my understanding that smoking in bars is illegal in all of CA...even in a regular everyday nothing else but a bar bar.

[Restorer]

I think the big reason they pushed woodburners is that they were "alternative." Greenies and granolas are almost automatically in favor of anything that is different from standard American wasy of doing things. Another classic example is the whole herbal tea thing, as compared to "evil" coffee and regular tea. I was never able to get any of them to explain to me why tea didn't qualify as an herb.

[bimmer]

So, I can't keep up with all the left-wing lunacy on the planet, and I gotta be corrected by two of you. Bullies!

[Indiana Girl]

Beautiful thoughts. I love our woodburning potbelly stove...wouldn't trade it for anything. The scent of the wood smoke drifting in the night air is a treasure.