I have been hiking twice already this week, taking advantage of the sunshine to explore the hills and mountains above Los Angeles in the aftermath of three weeks of rain. I have discovered breathtaking waterfalls and rivers flowing with water that are normally bone-dry. It is a spectacular experience.
But all of that water, or most of it, is rushing out to the sea and not being captured for use. And Californians are wondering where the billions of dollars taxpayers approved for water bonds, including reservoirs, are being spent.
To give you a sense of the numbers: Three weeks of rain dumped 32 trillion gallons of water on the state, according to Fox News (https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/california-atmospheric-rivers-32-trillion-gallons-rain-water). California's water use is about 42 billion acre-feet per year, or 1.4 trillion gallons per year, according to the Desert Sun (citing USGS - https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2014/08/21/usgs-estimates-vast-amounts-water-used-california/14400333/). So that's a LOT of water.
Typically, 50% of water in California is devoted to "environmental" use -- i.e. the forests, the rivers, the estuaries, the ecosystem as a whole. So if we presume that half of those 32 trillion gallons could be allowed to remain in the environment, while the other half -- theoretically -- could be devoted to human uses (agricultural, industrial, residential), if the storage capacity existed.
That means that enough rain fell on California to supply the water needs of the population for the next DECADE. Only a very small part of that will be captured.
Today's episode is devoted to the second anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks. It was produced before the announcement of a ceasefire deal, yet remains current & relevant.
Please listen, and #bringthemhome.
SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET (4-7 PT)
This week's portion is a beautiful poem, containing the Covenant between God and the people of Israel. But given the breaking news that Hamas may actually have agreed to release all of the Israeli hostages, I will devote my remarks to that.
One hopes it is true; if so, it makes this week's additional reading, from II Samuel 22, even more relevant: David's song of praise to the Lord for delivering him from the hand of his enemies.
"18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support."
So much to focus on this week -- and much breaking news. A peace deal in the Middle East, perhaps? Eric Adams dropping out of the mayor's race? And a looming shutdown as Democrats push their demands beyond absurdity.
Special guests:
- Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the shutdown
- John Carney - Breitbart News financial editor, on the upcoming jobs report
- Jerome Hudson - Breitbart News entertainment editor, on the Kimmel fallout
- Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on the UN and Gaza talks
- Matisyahu - award-winning reggae artist, on his new album, "Ancient Child"
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
