We've just heard about a Town Meeting at the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Tuesday night (report below). We hope some members of this list who are connected with Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm or who are attending the convention will be able to help ensure that the meeting includes a strong focus on plug-in cars. And we hope they can help connect this event with the "Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase" happening outside the convention. Details of both are below -- followed by the results of our request for quotes about skepticism and inevitability.

"Dems tap Granholm for alternative energy session," reported by Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau http://www.detnews.com/­apps/­pbcs.dll/­article?AID=/­20080823/­POLITICS01/­808230342

LANSING -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm will play a role in the Democratic National Convention in Denver after all: She'll moderate a town hall meeting Tuesday night on alternative energy, one of her favorite topics.

The governor was contacted late Thursday by the Barack Obama campaign about leading the energy discussion, and unveiled the plans at a news conference Friday.

"Michigan was selected for that because we have been focused on alternative and renewable energy," said Granholm.

Details of the energy session -- time, place, participants -- haven't been determined, the governor's office said.

Granholm has been pushing an energy package that includes a mandate that 10 percent of the state's electricity be generated by renewable sources by 2015. But the legislation hasn't passed the Senate. She has said the location of alternative energy businesses here depends on passage of the bills.....She will remain in Lansing on Monday to take care of that business before leaving for Denver.

Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase to Demo Cars at the 2008 Democratic National Convention

10 Cars, Including the Tesla Roadster and AC Propulsion eBox Will Be on Hand to Give Rides, Educate Lawmakers and Public

CONTACT: Nate Vanderschaaf, 303-520-4518 natevanderschaaf@... Erin Pickard, 719-349-0160 epickard@...

Colorado Democratic Delegate, Nathan Vanderschaaf, will kickoff the weeklong Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase, an exhibit of some of the world's most impressive electric vehicles (EV's), on Sunday, Aug. 24 at the 2008 Democratic National Convention at the New Energy Station near the intersection of Champa Street and Speer Boulevard in Denver.

Ten electric vehicles, including the Tesla Roadster, Toyota RAV4 EV, AC Propulsion eBox and a plug-in Toyota Prius will be on hand, giving rides to policy makers and the public in order to emphasize the desire of electric cars for the average commuter and show that EVs are a very real solution to the current energy and climate crisis.

"Most people are uninformed about the reality of where EV technology is today," said Vanderschaaf. "We have several cars and industry experts, like `Who Killed the Electric Car?' stars Colette Divine and Paul Scott, to dispel those myths and show people that EVs are a real, cost-saving, higher-performing alternative to gas powered vehicles. The reason is that electric motors are more efficient than gasoline engines, using drastically less energy. They also have only a few moving parts, whereas their gas-powered counterparts have hundreds - resulting in more maintenance expenses in addition to gas expenses over the long term."

Interested parties are invited to come take a ride in an electric vehicle. If you'd like to get on the ride schedule, contact us at www.evshowcase.wordpress.com.

About the Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase: Organized by Colorado Democratic Delegate Nathan Vanderschaaf, the Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase is the premier interactive exhibit of electric vehicles at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Vanderschaaf is a passionate proponent of the electric lifestyle, getting involved with the political process in large part to influence policy makers' choices and opinions in regards to electric vehicles. The Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase will be based at the New Energy Station, near the corner of Champa and Speer and will exhibit from Sunday, August 24 through the end of the convention, Thursday, August 28. See www.evshowcase.wordpress.com for more information.

UPDATE ON THAT QUOTE: We were inspired to ask for help again on the Denver event after the quick response to our request yesterday for help locating a quote like the one we cited from Christopher Reeve (see http://www.calcars.org/­calcars-news/­985.html ). Subscriber Andrew Burnette sent us to http://www.eskimo.com/­~billb/­weird/­skepquot.html , a website that will inspire an entertain you for at least a half hour as you look at the quotes, including three that involve our theme. Here's the one we were looking for.

"All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second, it is violently opposed; and Third, it is accepted as self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer

But, though it's universally attributed to Schopenhauer online, it turns out he may not have said it, as we learned at the moment we also discovered Wikiquote -- http://en.wikiquote.org/­wiki/­Arthur_Schopenhauer . We also like the other two (great minds think alike), below.

"Theories have four stages of acceptance: i) this is worthless nonsense; ii) this is an interesting, but perverse, point of view; iii) this is true, but quite unimportant; iv) I always said so. -J.B.S. Haldane, 1963

"When a thing is new, people say: 'It is not true.' Later, when its truth becomes obvious, they say: 'It is not important.' Finally, when its importance cannot be denied, they say: 'Anyway, it is not new.'" - William James, 1896

PLUS TWO BONUS QUOTES:

"Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are that good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats." - Howard Aiken

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny...' " - Isaac Asimov