The Atheist's Pulpit

Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? Is it over 2 years old? Does it work? Ours didn’t.

Two weeks ago, our 26-years-old oven acted weird: it would not come on. We turned it off and on to no avail several times. We left it off for a while and the next time it came on. Weird. Over the next couple of weeks, the oven worked, but the burners started sputtering oddly.

In that same period, Merri experienced some lethargy. Luke also exhibited some lethargy. Lethargy is harder to notice in me. On Saturday, we both felt some nausea and both napped for two hours unexpectedly.

Tonight, Merri called the gas company. Art came out at 8pm and detected over 350ppm CO at the oven vent (fatal under an hour); over 40ppm several rooms away from the kitchen. Merri saved our lives. Our old oven is red-tagged and our 35-years-old gas meter replaced.

Yeah, it’s obvious what was wrong: the oven was venting carbon monoxide. Yes, we’re lucky to be alive. Yes, we should have acted sooner. I’m writing to say how easy it is to stall, waiting for more evidence, even when the evidence is obvious compressed into two short paragraphs.

And note: we had a carbon monoxide detector next to the stove. I tested it a month ago; it still beeps to the test, batteries are fine. Did you know most detectors have a two year lifespan?

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

be aware that the average life span of many carbon monoxide detectors is about 2 years. The ‘test’ feature on many detectors checks the functioning of the alarm and not the status of the detector.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Test for Carbon Monoxide in the Home

Here’s How: Purchase a passive CO test kit (detector badge) at your local hardware or building supply store.

Test for Carbon Monoxide in the Home

Carbon Monoxide Questions and Answers

  • How should a consumer test a CO alarm to make sure it is working?

    Consumers should follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Using a test button tests whether the circuitry is operating correctly, not the accuracy of the sensor. Alarms have a recommended replacement age, which can be obtained from the product literature or from the manufacturer.

  • How should I install a CO Alarm?

    CO alarms should be installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. CPSC recommends that one CO alarm be installed in the hallway outside the bedrooms in each separate sleeping area of the home. CO alarms may be installed into a plug-in receptacle or high on the wall. Hard wired or plug-in CO alarms should have battery backup. Avoid locations that are near heating vents or that can be covered by furniture or draperies. CPSC does not recommend installing CO alarms in kitchens or above fuel-burning appliances.

    • Carbon Monoxide Questions and Answers

    Election

    Save Democracy: Money does NOT equal free speech!

    Kudos to Udall, et al.. We must rein in the influence of money on elections.

    Cleaning up our campaign finance system | NMPolitics.net

    How we got here, By Tom Udall • 11/03/11

    Over the past 10 years, the influence of corporations and special interests in political campaigns has exploded. Each time a regulation is put in place, special interests circumvent the rules through legal loopholes or use the courts to strike down the law. The problem isn’t one particular law or judicial decision; it’s the fact that Congress can no longer effectively regulate the flow of money into campaigns. The only sure fix is a constitutional amendment that gives Congress the authority to reform the campaign finance system.

    We didn’t get here over night. The Supreme Court has issued a series of bad decisions that have crowded and distorted our elections with a flood of corporate and special-interest money that can swing an election one way or the other. In 1976 the Supreme Court laid the groundwork for a broken system in the Buckley v. Valeo decision. In that case, the Court incorrectly decided that imposing modest restrictions on campaign expenditures violates the First Amendment right to free speech. This established the flawed precedent that money and speech are the same thing – something I strongly disagree with.

    More recently the Supreme Court issued an even worse decision in Citizens United v. FEC. In this case, they granted the same free-speech rights to corporations and other special interests that the Constitution guarantees to individuals. With Buckley v. Valeo equating money to speech, and now Citizens United giving Free Speech rights to large corporations and interest groups, the political system is becoming evermore unbalanced.

    While the average American only has one vote and limited resources to contribute to political candidates, these organizations can now pour vast sums of money into advertising that influences the outcome of our elections. As a result, in the elections of 2010, New Mexicans and all Americans saw a new breed of attack ads from out-of-state interests. The vast majority were negative. These new organizations raised and spent unlimited funds for the first time since before there was television. In the upcoming 2012 election, you can certainly count on even more.

    Cleaning up our campaign finance system | NMPolitics.net

    NADA - New American Dark Ages

    Bank Transfer Day, No Shopping Day, No Spending Day: November 5

    Hit Wall Street where it hurts: in the wallet.

    In light of “Occupy,” many New Mexicans switching to credit unions | New Mexico Independent

    By Devon Jackson | 10.14.11 | 11:59 am

    [T]he Wall Street protest movement hopes to implement a November 5th walkout, the effects of which could have a far greater impact than months of sit-ins and protests. Being billed as Bank Transfer Day, and as of two weeks ago having attracted 14,000 RSVPs via Facebook to the national event, the campaign is urging Americans to close their accounts at large banks and move their money to credit unions.

    In light of “Occupy,” many New Mexicans switching to credit unions | New Mexico Independent

    "It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." — Sam Adams