Sinking, Spiraling, Fading

Depression is not something you can control. It just comes out of nowhere and hits you, and suddenly you find yourself falling into a dark abyss. Each day I watch the world go by and I feel that I'm just sitting in a movie theater watching a show. Half of me does not want to be here, but the other half does, so that I can keep gazing at the stars.

Lately, my cynicism has only gotten worse. I did not follow Copenhagen closely because I already knew the outcome. I am so cynical that I'm suspicious about everything — the Afghan surge, health care reform, etc... Every time I read something in the news, I think "follow the money" or "who's on the take." I know that true idealism has been left to the preachers and poets, and that what really motivates our institutions is self-interest and greed.

As for humanity, the extreme violence really drags me down. The story of the Mexican drug criminals who murdered the grieving family of the sailor who died in the drug war is beyond belief. The tireless terrorism of the Muslim wackos is also beyond belief. Setting off a bomb to murder and maim innocent people is beyond belief.

I believe that all government does is stop the excesses of our insane civilization. Without government, people could do anything they wanted, so they would just do the worst — rape, torture, murder, and looting. Once our civilization collapses, the world will be run by warlords, who will be vicious at first, but will then take on a form of idealistic righteousness — we see that right now with the Taliban. Eventually, the warlords will form city-states and small kingdoms, and eventually these will be united into nations by the strongest warlords, and thus the cycle will repeat.

As for humans, we are both beautiful and amazing, and disgusting and evil, all at the same time. But most unfortunately, we are also extremely ignorant. Most people are so hung up on pop culture, sports, and their white religious powder that they forget we live on a planet. They are clueless and only believe what Glenn Beck tells them, so that they don't have to actually research and think for themselves.

A few of us are self-aware, and that gives us the ability to look around and say, "WTF." Some of us become activists and dedicate our lives for a cause. As for the environmental activists, I respect and admire them with all my heart, but I'm wondering if their fight is in vain. And to even think that makes me feel like a rat, but I have just seen too much, and I'm understanding human nature more and more.

But something inside tells me to continue the struggle, not for victory, but because we find satisfaction in doing what our heart tells us to do. Maybe by doing what we know is right, we will find happiness, and that's something everyone seems to be searching for.

This last decade flew by. I look back and think of my accomplishments. I made a few, and I did some neat things, and had some fantastic experiences. I have no regrets, probably because I just don't care. In fact, I care less and less about things as I grow older.

Idealism is the most wonderful attribute to hold inside you, so I hold on to mine for the simple hell of it. I long for my soul mate, and I long for the time when I can just rest.

Courage

The woman in this video is Maryam Namazie, an activist against Sharia Law. Sharia is the brutal fundamentalist law enforced by many Muslims.

Maryam has great courage. She is risking her life to fight for social justice and to make life better for others, especially women. She's a great speaker. And she's not just talking behind a webcam or writing on a keyboard — she is out there in public, talking with great passion, and inspiring others.

Many people do nothing for social or environmental issues, and some do a lot. But few risk their lives for their causes. To me, these are the very greatest people in the world. Maryam has my extreme, deepest respect.

I have demonstrated before and have even done some civil disobedience to defend the environment. I have been arrested and threatened with arrest. But never have I been in fear of my life. Those who risk their lives are the true champions. I hope there is a time in my life when I can test my courage like Maryam and others. When the real test comes, I'm not sure how I'll stand up, but I hope that I hold firm. If I pass the test, I might not be able to celebrate because I may be dead.

To the activists in repressive countries like Iran, China, and other nations, I applaud and salute you. To the activists who stand up to the tyranny of Islam, you have my greatest respect of all. Your oppressors are not very nice and have no problem justifying extreme violence for their faith. To me, that's an awfully sick faith.

Please remember Maryam in your thoughts. Or, better yet, support her cause.

One Law For All - No Sharia Campaign

Left Behind

"You little baby-killing, liberal freak. Don't tell me about evolution. I know darn well that I didn't come from a monkey. I came from God."


This week I attended a professional leadership training, and at one of the meals I was sitting around a group of people who were talking about church and Christian authors. This made me feel uncomfortable, especially when they were talking about the "Left Behind" series by Tim LaHaye. In other conversations, a guy was telling me how he thought the United Nations was evil, and their comments about the Sierra Club, were negative, but at least respectful.

All this made me realize that when I chose to become a nonreligious progressive in 1997, I really isolated myself. I am particularly isolated from my super religious siblings and mother, and it's a sinking feeling when my sister gives Glenn Beck books as gifts to family members.

So, why DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF????

Because when I was a college student I started asking questions, and when you start questioning EVERYTHING, you can never, never turn back. In my 20s I became suspicious that my religion was completely made up, so I started doing research. The first thing I did was read the entire New Testament and nearly all of the Old Testament. At the time, I WANTED the Bible to win, and I was searching for the "magic bullet" or "smoking gun" that would prove to me that the Bible WAS REAL.

One of the most damning books I read was about the Dead Sea Scrolls, which convinced me that Jesus was a plagiarist. Now, if you are God descended from Heaven, I'd have to assume you are pretty damn smart and wouldn't need to steal from 200-year-old literature for your sermons. Yet, that's exactly what Jesus does with his Sermon on the Mount. This information is readily available and in the public domain. To me, that evidence right there is a death blow to Christianity.

However, it took me years to unravel the rest of the Biblical mythology. I finally found the clues I needed in 2003 when I stumbled upon the work of Acharya S. I now own most of her books, and have spent countless hours reading her website, articles, and blog. The essence of her work is that ALL religion evolved from ancient astrological worship. And yes, I believe the Zeitgeist movie is true, and a lot of information in the religious segment of the movie comes from Acharya's research.

In addition to religion, I've also studied evolution and astrology, which gives me an entirely different take on the world.

Ignorance is bliss ...

It would have been easier to go through life in lockstep with the masses, but now I have broken out and entered a new, and lonely world. I am different. I believe that ALL religion was created by men (sorry, not women) and that evolution explains the origins of life. I find evolution wonderful and fascinating, and I'm not going to attribute the miracle of nature to a God story. Rather, I will say that Earth is a one-in-a-billion wonder, and we are extremely lucky to live on this beautiful Planet, yet we are destroying it as fast as we can.

The debate ...

But herein lies the problem. It is difficult to have any discussion with religious conservatives who have such a vastly different worldview from my own. Unfortunately, rather than engaging in meaningful debate they simply get defensive, angry, and they DON'T LIKE YOU. For instance, many Christians get offended by evolution, saying, "My ancestors were NOT monkeys." Well, your ancestors are NOT monkeys — we simply have a common ancestor.

And left behind ....

The ones with the conservative religious worldview are the ones in the driver's seat, at least here in Georgia. I have massive philosophical differences with these folks. They are deeply offended that I support choice, and I am offended by their total unconcern for the environment. We have vastly different values and views. And as we've seen, the Left and the Right can't even work together on the most basic issues, like health care. It is sad, but I believe that once a person holds onto one mythology, such as religion, he or she is prone to hold onto many more. Their entire lives become a myth. As for me, I've spent my entire life trying to separate the Reality from the Myths. I wish more people would join me and do the same.

War Is Insane

A colleague sent me a book about his experiences in Vietnam. Last night I was reading about all the guys who purposely shot themselves to get out of combat. They typically staged the shooting as a gun cleaning incident. To keep from getting arrested they had to make the accident look real, and they obviously put a lot of time into thinking it out.

There has been a lot of talk lately about what is moral war. President Obama said the following four reasons are moral:

1. Self defense
2. Defense of another nation that's being attacked.
3. Humanitarian (civil war or regime that's killing its own people)

Well, I would definitely strike out #3. As for the first two, there are shades of gray. For instance, did a nation provoke another nation to strike? Did one nation engineer an incident as a pretext for "self defense?"

I will say that MORAL WARS are rare. The only real exception is World War II, which is the only moral war I can think of. If I had to fight in any war, it would be that one because you wouldn't have to struggle with the morality of the conflict — it was a no-brainer. Just look at how the Axis Powers treated the people in their occupied territories, and that alone justified the morality. The atrocities committed by the bad guys were unimaginable.

Iraq was NOT a moral war at all. Evidence continues to come out that Britain and other nations knew that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, but the Bush Administration was relentless in their push for war.

Afghanistan IS a moral war because the Taliban aided Al-Qaeda, the mysterious terrorists that attacked us (at least that's what we're told). So, in Afghanistan and Pakistan we are up against a group of religious fanatics who believe that extreme violence is an acceptable method to obtain their political goals. Of course, they get a lot of funding from rogue Saudi princes who, in turn, get their money from us — you know, when we fill our Hummer gas tanks.

Vietnam was not moral at all. I was a kid during that war, and I was told we were containing Communism. It was simply drilled in me that Communism was bad, and I didn't seriously question it. Only recently, after reading an Internet article, did I understand what Vietnam was REALLY about.

See, Vietnam was about a small group of rich people, who were once in collaboration with the French colonists, who controlled most of the land and wealth. The Viet Cong were dirt poor civilians who favored land redistribution. The American public wasn't really told that. Instead, we just called them "gooks" and "Charlies," and the idea was to "light them up" with M-16 rifles. And not to mention the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which was used as justification to expand the war. Overwhelming evidence now shows that the reporting of the naval engagement was full of half truths and lies.

So, the moral of the story is when we send our boys and girls to war, really question what's going on. Don't just listen to what your political leaders are telling you. And don't think it is unpatriotic to question because patriotism is one of the world's biggest lies. Don't give your allegiance to any state, but rather give your loyalty to the planet and humanity in general.

As for what's REALLY going on in Afghanistan, I don't know yet. Who is bankrolling the bad guys? What do corporations have to gain from this war? Maybe it really is a moral war. My gut feeling is that it is. And, honestly, I don't have any respect for a group of people who treat their goats better than their women. I do believe that sometimes you must make war to make peace, but those situations are rare. May the current "surge" in Afghanistan truly be one of those times.

Waste Madness

I enjoy eating out and try to stick with places that use real china and silverware, like Waffle House or the Chinese buffet.

On occasion, I will eat at a fast food joint and it's a total guiltfest because I'm looking at all the waste going into the landfill. Part of me is saying, "I gotta completely avoid these types of restaurants," and another part of me is saying, "Everyone else is doing it, why fight it?" The worst offender is the Chick-Fil-A chain, you know, that Christian organization. My oldest daughter loves their food so we often go there for father-daughter time. But when I see all the empty waste on the tray, and when I look around at everyone else's tray, I am appalled. And yes, I'm ashamed of myself for patronizing such an anti-Earth establishment. But it's like an addiction because I know I will go back there — the food is wonderful, and I love their carrot salad. So, yes, I'm a hypocrite — I am the first to admit it. But unlike many religious types, I can smell my own shit.

At home, even though I live a relatively simple lifestyle and recycle whatever I can, my family and I still generate a lot of waste. Just look at all the food packaging! Some of the wrappers and boxes and crap can be recycled, but most of it can't. So, even an enviro-conscious family produces a lot of waste. And if I am producing THIS MUCH WASTE just imagine the waste that the typical American super-consumer creates. It is overwhelming.

So, where does the waste go?

All the plastic wrapping and containers end up in the landfill. Some landfills have liners, so they are basically a giant crap bowl. Others do not, and chemicals from the waste seep into our ecosystem.

All the cups, shrinkwraps, McDonalds toys, and everything else slowly deteriorates. This massive decay creates a lot of heat, and it also creates methane gas, which is one of the worst global warming gasses because of its ability to hold heat. Some of the methane is sucked from landfills and used for "green" energy, but most of it goes into the upper atmosphere, where it traps heat and makes our warming planet even hotter.

This begs the question ....

As our population continues to explode, and as millions more people are discarding millions more tons of crap, will we at some point reach a breaking point? Or can we just go on this way forever? I know the religious folks just think God will zap them out of their shoes, but does anyone else worry about this? I sure do.

We all can help ...

I once met a super recycling guy. He and his wife only threw out one small bag of garbage a month. The rest of it was either recycled, mulched, or they bought items with minimal or no wrapping to begin with. That is a good role model for us all.

I do need to make more of a commitment to shop at farmer's markets, however even these places put your produce in paper bags. So, the ideal solution is to visit a local farmer's market and bring your own bags or boxes. This is something I needed to do better at.

And finally ....

For those of you who are still using plastic bags at the supermarket, my gosh. BRING YOUR OWN! Just about every store is now selling reusable bags, yet most people STILL aren't bothering to use them. It's like people are not willing to take the minimal extra effort to bring their bags from home. Americans are a shameful lot. I mean, really.

Kaboom!

Things have so hectic at work that I rarely have time to blog, or do volunteer work. And that's a double irony. First, most of us must leech off the very system we don't like, you know, the one that's destroying the Earth. And secondly, most of us are so worn out from our jobs, and just trying to survive, that we have little time or energy for volunteer work.

As I go through this journey of life, I have resigned myself NEVER to give up, but I've really slowed down. I continue to become more cynical, jaded, and detached from our insane civilization.

The biggest disappointment of all is that I thought we could all come together as a team to tackle major issues like health care and climate change. The bickering, delusions, pettiness, and ignorance are absolutely incredible. The older I get, the more I realize how extremely ignorant the masses are.

The other disappointment is I'm realizing the utter futility of trying to reason with a religious person. These people are extremely defensive and typically have a narrow world view. There's no chance in debating them because they immediately see you as a baby killer, heretic, and all-around rotten person. For instance, I recently offended my religious neighbor just by saying I believe in evolution. For some reason, the idea that we came from monkeys really offends religious folks. But I have good news — we DIDN'T come from monkeys, only a common ancestor.

Then the extreme violence of the Muslim world continues to discourage me. I know it's PC to defend them, but honestly, Islam totally sucks. I'm not going to worry about offending people who rape their female prisoners before executing them, so that they won't go to heaven. I have zero respect for Islam, and ALL religions for that matter.

Even in our own country we have plenty of Christian militia, albeit they are far less violent than the Taliban and Sunni extremists. I'm finding that many of the "independent Baptist" churches in our country are simply political and social organizations. Most repulsive of all is Pastor Steve Anderson of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, AZ — you know, the idiot who said the president should be put to death. His church is nothing more than an organizing center for Christian militia, just like many mosques are meeting places for Muslim militia. And thus, we have reason number 1,098 for why religion is just all around bad.

So, I journey on, in this very crazy world. I do sort of look forward to when I can escape this nut house ... you know, the place where people destroy themselves and planet, and are too stupid to do any better. Yeah, that's the place — Earth.

I really do love the human species — we are fascinating creatures. But I have no problem if our species goes extinct. It is quite possible that when we go down that we will do irreparable harm to our very beautiful planet. But that's okay too. There are probably a few more Earth-like planets in the Universe, and when some other dominant species evolves, I hope they do better than we did.

Jumping the Hurdle

A thanks to my friend Snaildarter for slapping some sense back into me. He said all we have to do is rise above our animalism. Here is his quote:

I agree mostly, but we have become technologically advanced enough to step out of the animal mode and move toward achieving our mis-named name homo sapien "wise man" or "thinking man."

I'm really feeling like an ATHEIST tonight because I'm realizing that life is not such a miracle after all. As the Earth was forming there were trillions of little experiments going on at once. And these trillions of experiments took place for a couple of billion years, so it's no surprise that eventually mass would form into complex formations and make that leap into "life." And once that one little spark was finally created there was no turning back - life began to explode, develop, and become more complex. Humans are the inevitable result of evolution. It was only a matter of time before one creature would evolve to the point where it could begin controlling the world around it.

I mean, it's really amazing to think that things like eyes and memory could evolve from a pool of primordial stew. Evolution inevitably creates more and more complex life formations. This process continues until a formation is so complex that it has the ability to destroy its surrounding life support systems. No, not intentionally, but the destruction is simply the result of the increased complexity.

Out of the trillions of planets that are likely in the Universe, I'm guessing there are only a handful of worlds that could support life, for carbon-based life is a fragile and sensitive. Life is a force that can only exist within narrow parameters -- you need water, warmth, light, stability, protection from radiation, etc...

Of the few worlds that can support life, life may never happen because of absent minerals, unfavorable climate, or other factors. So, I'm betting that life is very, very rare in the Universe. But, somewhere out there I'm guessing that some life form has been able to get pass its self-destruction stage and flourish. And yes, I don't doubt for a moment that space travel is possible -- but right now it seems extremely difficult.

The odds of the human creatures on Earth being the lucky ones to surpass the Age of Self Destruct is highly unlikely, but it is possible. I keep hoping that both humans and the Earth will survive, and even if humans fail there is a good chance that Earth will recover from the relatively brief era of humanity.

God bless all of you, my children.

Goosey

Life is Death

When I was at the Tellus Science Museum today, I had some sort of epiphany, which I'm sharing below:

I think our genetic programming goes back to when the very first cell reproduced, 2.5 billion years ago. After the Earth cooled and began to stabilize, it took a billion years to somehow achieve life. But the day that life reproduced was the beginning of the end.

Sure, life gave us an atmosphere with oxygen, but it also gave us a predisposition to horde. Even the one-celled animals try to get all the resources they can, so that they can reproduce. One-celled animals become larger and more complex because there is an evolutionary advantage for doing so. Dinosaurs grew from lizards because it made them more competitive -- they could now reach higher leaves or become more efficient hunters.

Life is amazing, but also self-destructive. Five million years ago a life form evolved that used tools to suppress its competitors. This same animal is still around today, extracting minerals, raising crops, and creating a highly complex society that simply expands, and can never go back. Even if humans fail to consume the Planet, some other creature will. We flatter ourselves and think we are are special, but we are simply a host for evolving viruses. So, really, it's a race to the bottom between ravenous humans and ever-evolving influenza strains.

And let's put political correctness aside for a moment and talk about soft environmentalism -- you know, the kind that Gore and Kennedy push. The fact is that if we convert to clean energy, that will only pave the way for more human population growth. In reality, Peak Oil is the best thing that could ever happen to Earth, as it will remove one blight, but surely another blight will rise.

So, as for Daniel Quinn, myself, and the many others who would like to "Save the World," well, we are up against the very process of life itself. For life lives, grows, multiplies, and compounds, until there is no life. And if one life form fails in this goal, another steps in to complete the job.

This bare truth may live in the back of our heads, but we bury it with our cultural lies, and our lies become so ingrained that they eventually become our truth. Furthermore, by our early 20s, our lies are hardwired into our brains. It's like my Christian fundamentalist siblings, who try to force science into their archaic religious beliefs, and though they always can, they sound like idiots. For example, my bother tells me that dinosaurs and humans lived together 6,000 years ago. And no amount of logic or evidence will change him, because in his mind, to doubt or question would piss off God, and no one wants to do that.

I believe that the bipedal primates, the ones who invented agriculture and industry, and then used these tools to destroy the Planet in just a few millenniums, are about to play out. I had deeply hoped that our destiny would be to colonize the Universe, but we seem to have our priorities really wrong, and we can't seem to break away from the role that life itself has created for us.

Life is death, for life consumes all resources and brings an end. Evolution is only a temporary anomaly in the Universe that occasionally flares up on planets with stable orbits and plentiful water.

Untitled Post

The narcissistic maniacs are guarding the hen house as the mass majority of Americans go through life in their imaginary stupor. The U.S. mega banks are closing in for the kill, having milked the economy for all its worth. They do not care about the collapse of America, they only care about the golden parachute of today.

The jobs are gone, the economy is in shambles, and crazy people keep saying the government must spend more money to stimulate the economy, even as the economy falls to the ground, buried under tons of debt.

And WE, those of us who can feel, we let our ambers die out as we look into starlit skies and wonder about loves that were lost. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve manipulates the market, all to the glory of huge banks, which have consolidated to become even bigger, and have their powerful lobbyists in Washington, ensuring that the country they bought remains theirs.

And all the while those Third World families keep having six kids, and then those kids have six kids, and the space and resources run out, but the banking cartels only see the opportunity to exploit cheap labor. And even as human population goes into major overshoot, the big fat bankers carry on, manipulating markets, developing clever schemes, bundling mortgages, engaging in subprime lending, and bringing what's left of our nation to the floor.

Meanwhile the Teabaggers march in the streets and the Christian zealots scream "THIS IS THE END," yet no one really knows what the HELL is going on. But the rich get richer, and the poor become shackled tighter in their chains, and all the while, strolling prayer teams from the local Church of God walk through neighborhoods, praying for homes at random, but yet they forget to pray for me.

Oh hail, oh Goose, confused, wondering, and alive -- but only temporarily passing through a mad and crazy humanity that is too dysfunctional to save itself.

And it's because of our love for the "way it's always been" that we shall soon have to deal with the worst of changes. Mother Earth is angry, and she shall get her revenge.

Amen

This Is Why I Don't Take You Seriously

Judges 19:15-30

Okay, this Bible story is really messed up. I'm really tired this evening, but I'll try to paraphrase. If any good religious person out there can explain this story to me, I'd be really grateful.

See, this man was traveling and had a concubine with him to keep him warm. As he was entering a town a citizen invites him to stay the night. The men of the city came to the house and said we want to pong him all night. And the home owner said, sorry, you can't have him because he's my guest. So, shit, the homeowner says, take my daughter and the concubine instead. And they raped the girls all night, and the poor concubine had to come back crawling the next morning. And he ordered the girl to get up on his donkey, and she couldn't. So he got a knife and chopped her into 12 pieces.

Okay, apologists, give me your cutsy interpretation of this story, and why it is so moral. And why the Bible is perfect, so, thus, God had a reason for putting this story in here. Honestly, I want to puke.


Judges 19:15-30
15 And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.
16 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.
17 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?
18 And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.
19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.
20 And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.
21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.
22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.
23 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.
24 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.
25 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.
26 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.
27 And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.
28 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.
29 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.
30 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.

NOT Whipped By Water

I did a tiny bit of activism today, other than my usual culture jamming on Facebook. I wrote a letter to Georgia Trend magazine. It is in response to a column by the publisher, in regards to Georgia's water problems. The column beats on some very tired and antiquated clichés:

1) Growth is good, and is needed to revive the economy.

2) A plentiful supply of fresh water is necessary for an ever-growing economy.

3) No mention of water conservation (such a typical little corporate attitude).

4) A mythical technological fix is proposed, such as desalination plants and miles of piping. But this columnist goes into outer space by suggesting we can FREEZE the water and transport it on trucks from the coast to north Georgia. (So funny!).

And here is the freakin' article: "Whipped by Water?" by Neely Young.

You know, every time I fire off a letter like this it makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I've got a good swing in at the Earth Destroyers. Yeah, I know, violence is bad, but I am trying to defend a big rock floating through space that can't defend itself. Yes, maybe I'm flipping.

Here is my letter:

Dear Editor,

A recent column by Neely Young on Georgia’s water issues had an interesting title — “Whipped by Water?” I can think of better titles like, “Whipped By Government Incompetence,” “Whipped By Greed,” and “Whipped By Unchecked and Unplanned Growth.”

In his article, once again a member of the business press is singing the old hymn about more growth. Do we really want to turn Georgia into a people-packed nation like Bangladesh? In our quest for eternal growth, won’t we hit diminishing returns at some point? What we should focus on instead is quality of life and a sustainable economy, not reckless overshoot for the benefit of Georgia’s elite.

It is tiring to see Mr. Young and his ilk always reaching for the magic technological fix. The idea of hundreds of ice trucks traversing around Georgia is so preposterous that it staggers the imagination. Wouldn’t it take a tremendous amount of energy to freeze all that water?

Allow me to propose a less dramatic fix: How about if Georgia businesses retrofitted their buildings with water-saving devices? Wouldn’t that be cheaper than desalination plants and hundreds of miles of piping? If we are “whipped” by anything, it’s the stubborn building owners and developers who fight most water conservation efforts, including low-flow toilets.

What we do need in Georgia is a new paradigm that recognizes that there are limits to growth and limits to nature. What we also need is serious sacrifice and commitment, and not more techno fantasies.

Sincerely,

The Goose

Religious Hatred & Graft

What a treat. Two new videos on religion. The first is on religious hatred, and the second is on how public religion is all political, and only benefits the clergy. Oh, and I loved this quote that was in one of the video comments:

Superstitious and magical thinking is a fast and frugal way to handle a complex world.

Enjoy the videos.

The Finest Mammal, Next To Rats

I would say that males, at least, think about sex far more than they would ever admit. And when not thinking about lovemaking, they are thinking about beer and their favorite sport of hobby. And thus, millions of men, and women, drag through the work days, come home tired, and live their little lives. While they may feel a passing concern for others who are less fortunate — such as flood victims — most are too tired and/or drained to care much. So, for the most part it's just beer, sex, and football, and there's not enough time or energy left for saving the planet.

Welcome to the modern world, where people do a lot of drugs, drink a lot, or substitute religion for the former. We humans have spent a lot of effort making our lives comfortable, so how come we are not very happy? And with the comfort only comes the laziness and obesity. No offense to anyone, but when I look around I see SO MANY overweight people. I'm sitting in the parking lot, and I'm just watching these fat people lumber into the store like wharf rats.

Sure, some people are religious, but having gone to church all my life, I can confidently say that most people go to church for the social experience, or out of habit, or to make themselves feel good. Like with any group, there are a few fanatics — these are the ding dongs who pass out Bible tracks in parking lots and stick them on gas pumps.

So, what I'm saying is that in general, humans are a sorry lot, and if most don't even take care of themselves, how can they be expected to care for the Earth? A good portion of them smoke, which is barbaric, and they blow their shit in the air, and flick their butts on the ground. I call this the 1-2-3 — smokers harm themselves, pollute the air, and litter the ground, all in a few moments. There is no such thing as a smoker who is not an idiot (sorry to hurt your feelings).

This is the landscape, man. This is the human animal that we have to work with. Ain't much is it? And I'm not saying I'm any better than any other fart out there. But at least I'm aware (sentient), and at least I've spent the last 12 years trying to make a positive difference. What I've accomplished, I don't know, but maybe I've created a few sparks that will one day grow into a fire.

From a friend:

Governments and the media absolutely avoid the topics of overpopulation and species extinction. Do they not see the signs of ecological devastation? Colony Collapse Disorder is wiping out honey bee hives and at the current rate of loss honey bees will be extinct in the US by 2030. Sadly, natural pollinator populations have been beaten down due to pollution and habitat loss so now farmers rely on the transport of honey bees to their fields in order to pollinate the crops. Unless we wish to subsist on a gruel of corn and wheat people better start caring soon. Now a similar syndrome is destroying bat colonies. This has been termed White Nose Syndrome and hibernating bats by the tens of thousands have died. This plague began in the NorthEast and is spreading South and West. Why care? Bats are Mother nature's most important insectivore in that a bat will consume its body weight in insects during the course of a single night.

— Frank

Sentient Beings, Part II

I think we are getting close to the end of the story. Here is a response to the statement that I published in my last post. You know, all my life I've been digging for answers, and now I feel my shovel has hit an iron wall. I'm not sure what is beyond this level, if anything. There is probably nothing ahead but a lot of extreme violence and cannibalism. We will go back to a warlord-type government. Young men will be forced to fight, and old men will be forced to till. And the fate of the women will be determined by the overseers. We will have at least, finally, resorted back to an efficient hierarchical structure.

From Bob in Tampa, FL:

In a nutshell, you got it. Because we understand the dilemma we are the outsiders with numbers too few to be effective even if they did try to hear us. Plus we are strange, we think differently in an age where belief equals mental virture and thinking is suspect. Where did the 60's go? "Don't trust anyone over 30." "Resist authority" "Make love, not war." The only real hope is that things will get so bad so quickly that people rise up and slaughter TPTB right down to their great grandchildren to thin out that evil gene pool and those of us commoners that survive can try to start anew. Any way it goes, the result will be turmoil and great loss of life. Cannot see it working out gradually and peacefully. We passed that window years ago. Peak Oil, Climate Change, Greenland/Antartic Melting, Ocean Warming, Methane Burp, Crop Failures, Nuclear Proliferation, are the headlines of tomorow and all we can do is relocate and make preparations. Einstein had it right. The universe MIGHT be limitless but stupidity is DEFINITELY limitless.

Sentient Beings

I'm continuing to enjoy reading the posts on the WarSocialism discussion forum. I've met some great, like-minded individuals on this list from around the world. To understand this list, you need to first study the Dieoff.org website. I was first introduced to this site 11 years ago by a fellow Sierra Club activist. Okay, it's weird to say that I've "enjoyed" the Dieoff.org website, but I can say it's really opened my mind.

One of the members of the list shared a link to a great movie called "Home." This 90+ minute minute movie is definitely worth watching — it puts the concepts of "life" and "Earth" into perspective. If evolution scares you, don't watch it.

A thanks to another subscriber on WarSocialism who has allowed me to reprint the passage below. This is in response to a movie review on the "Age of Stupid," which was shown at select theaters around the country on Monday. Unfortunately, I was unable to see it here in metro Atlanta because of closed and damaged roads caused by the flood — a flood that was exacerbated by global warming and all the pavement and rooftops. Are we really THAT stupid to create conditions for massive flooding? Oh yes we are!

From a colleague, who wishes to remain anonymous:

Age of the stupid is right. The age of human population overshoot is here. Though no one wants to believe it, let alone acknowledge it. One has to wonder: a minority believes in evolution. Fewer believe in climate change. Fewer still believe that overpopulation is a problem, or that it is critical. Even fewer than that believe that there is a critical energy problem, or have even heard of peak oil. Then there are the few of us here that comprehend the consequences of all of these issues combined.

I am beginning to think that maybe 1% of us actually understand it all and put it all together. I was talking to a very smart lawyer friend of mine a while back, and she was of the opinion that we will solve all these issues and problems... tomorrow. I cannot get it into her head that engineering 'solutions' typically beget more problems than they solve. In other words, save a starving or diseased child today so that he or she reproduces, and then you have to feed and save the set of the starving kid and parent after that.

We are up against a cultural, governmental, religious and social wall on these issues. No one wants to even hint at limiting the population, or even leveling it off. Not in any way, shape or form. The opposite is more true; there are armies of fanatical people out there trying to ban all types of birth control and all types of abortion. Seemingly according to 99% of the religious institutions in the U.S. today, it is our DUTY to reproduce. We are evil to even think about abortion and birth control.

Abortion est malum! ...so we must follow the biological path of the lemmings.

The Great Flood of 2009

This is one of the many houses in my hometown of Powder Springs, GA that was damaged by a record-breaking flood that struck my community on September 21.


On September 21, 2009 my community in north Georgia was struck by devastating floods. I would like to make a few remarks about this horrific incident:

• Prayer Power Goes Bizerk: It was only months ago when everyone was praying for rain to end the drought in Georgia. Our governor, Sonny Perdue, even held a prayer service at the state Capitol. Any one who is crazy enough to pray for weather is simply proving that God doesn't include weather in His list of miracles. Because now, our political leaders are saying, "Please pray for the flood victims." Maybe they should have just said, "Don't pray too hard for rain, or God might make it flood." I think this incident proves that the "power of prayer" is simply the wishful thinking of the desperate masses. And if God WAS responding to prayer by adjusting the weather, well, he screwed up. And if God screwed up the "rain prayer," what else has he screwed up? And how can he screw up anything since He is perfect? Of course, the religionists will tell me, "God has his reasons, and who are we to question God?" Well, I question God (stand by for lightening strike - ZAAPPPP).
  
  
• Involuntary Carbon Tax: The evidence for global warming is real and overwhelming. Yet, most people either deny or ignore it. Even as we see the horrible side effects of climate change, people just prefer to respond to symptoms rather than address the cause. It was predicted long ago that global warming would result in more extreme weather events, and with increased frequency. Hurricane Katrina did not provide a wake-up call, and neither has this week's great flood. Most pot-bellied conservatives strongly oppose a carbon tax, yet we are already forcing that tax on the flood victims. It is the victims who are paying for those fellow citizens who insist on driving their Hummer and living in a McMansion.
  
  
• Public Indifference: Because I work from home and live in a small house, I RESENT having to pay the carbon tax, but I did so anyway by making a donation to the Red Cross yesterday. I hate to see the suffering of ANY living creature, and I feel that COMPASSION is one of the greatest attributes a person can have. And while there are a lot of volunteer efforts to assist with flood relief, I also notice that a large portion of the population doesn't really care. Their attitude is, "If it doesn't affect me, then I don't give a damn." I'm sure these were the same people who went to Washington, D.C. last week to protest in the sheet-less Klan rally (also known as the Teabaggers). But, my point is, if a good portion of the population doesn't even care about their fellow citizens who lost everything in a flood, how are they EVER going to care about things like global warming, overpopulation, and environmental degradation? Is it hopeless?
  

Life: Comedy & Tragedy

I stumbled upon this quote — it captures exactly how I'm feeling today:

"Life is a comedy for those who think ... and a tragedy for those who feel." — Horace Walpole

And then a fellow activist made my day by telling me about Old Dog Documentaries, which creates movies that address issues in the developing world. The "About Us" description on their website is DEAD ON:

Anne Macksoud and John Ankele, Filmmakers
We are two “old dogs” who are worried about the state of our world and saddened by the suffering we see all around us. Since 1985, we have produced and directed documentary films about the subtleties of individual human experience and the complexities of our collective challenges. Our work encourages thoughtful responses to the interconnectedness of all life. We hope it inspires viewers to become agents of change, determined to do what it takes to create a more just and peaceful world.

It is clear to us that our political leaders cannot solve the problems of our time. They themselves are too beholden to privileged, powerful constituencies to inspire us to think beyond our own self-interest. We believe that change, if it is to come at all, must start with ordinary people around the world who understand the relationships and responsibilities of a global community. We believe that ordinary people have the will, the resourcefulness, the compassion, and the decency to craft new solutions that serve the common good.

We offer our films as catalysts for this kind of awareness— as tools for education and activism in the name of social change. We invite you to watch them at home, show them to your friends, share them with your classes and your community. We are happy to answer questions, provide additional resource materials, and suggest ways of using our films that will support your own efforts to nurture and protect this world that we share.

Thank you,
Anne Macksoud and John Ankele

Foundation for Global Community

I recently presented my population PowerPoint program to
the Foundation for Global Community/Atlanta.
Shown with me is one of the group's leaders, Janet Wells.

I have a small office in my backyard and spend most of my life there, so it's always a treat when I can actually get out and meet people. I call this "going into the atmosphere."

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, I had the honor of giving my population presentation to the Atlanta group of Foundations for Global Community (FGC). This is my fourth population presentation/event this year, and I always love getting out and talking about what I believe is the greatest issue facing humankind.

The group was kind and receptive, and this is one presentation where I gained more new knowledge and insight than the audience. The FGC is an incredible organization that is known for the behind-the-scenes work they did to help end the Cold War.

I thank one of the group's leaders, Janet Wells, for explaining to me what FGC Atlanta is all about, and just listening to her made me excited and hopeful for humanity. One of the things she shared with me is nicely summarized on their website:

It seems to us that the process of dialogue is part of the answer to HOW we are to create a cultural shift in values ... Dialogue involves listening, hearing each other, NOT refuting but HEARING. Everyone has a piece of the truth. If we remain open we might hear it.

When I think about all the rabid arguing and ugly partisanship that I'm currently seeing in the news, especially over the health care issue, it is now more obvious than ever to me that step one for achieving global sustainability is, well, talking. I know this is easier said than done because sometimes the other party is using violence, or else they are so uninformed that it's difficult to have a dialogue. But at least working toward a mutual understanding appears to be the first step in shifting our culture in a positive direction.

The mission statement on their website is so powerful and so beautifully worded, that I'm printing it below in its entirety:

The Foundation for Global Community/Atlanta grew out of the California group, formerly known as Beyond War. The name change, to FGC, reflected a shift in emphasis, from building consensus that WAR IS OBSOLETE (because of nuclear warheads) and that WE ARE ONE, to educating on the more general threat to our species and life system represented by environmental degradation and overpopulation. This crisis results from our behavior, which grows out of our values and beliefs. To change behavior we must create a shift in cultural values.

The power of culture over our lives is pervasive. It influences practically everything we do — from the trivialities of what we eat and how we dress, to the profundities of how we try to achieve meaning and purpose in our lives.

In our culture, the prevailing attitudes, values, and beliefs that guide our collective behavior — from unbridled materialism to rampant individualism — are devastating the life systems and human communities of the planet. The American Dream has become a global nightmare.

But with this crisis comes profound opportunity.

A whole new population — more idealistic and globally oriented — has emerged in the United States in the last decade. These people share a number of attitudes and beliefs: An interest in self actualization and spirituality; a desire to live a simpler lifestyle; a need for society to rebuild communities; a sense of nature and the feminine as sacred; and a concern for the global environment. Attitudes and beliefs like these form the basis of what is called integral culture. A leading study suggests that there are about 44 million North Americans who think this way, presenting a real possibility of positive cultural change. Our mission is to make this possibility a reality.

All culture is ultimately rooted in our understanding of who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going. We believe the root of our cultural crises is that our current answers to these age-old questions are obsolete. What information — from science, the wisdom traditions, and contemporary thought — can help us discover more adequate answers?

Wow, this is an incredible statement, and it has really given me a lot to ponder. I thank this group for the work they are doing, and for planting some new seeds in my consciousness.

Sincerely,

The Goose

The Myth of Capitalism

Capitalism assists humans in their locust behavior of consuming all resources of a given region, to produce wealth for the privileged few. Capitalism exploits labor and rapes the environment to create value-added goods at the lowest price possible.

Capitalism needs a larger, and ever-growing consumer base. Capitalism must have population growth because that means cheap labor and more consumers — no wonder capitalism loves immigration!

Capitalism controls government. If you think that government regulates capitalism, all I can say is "HA." Capitalism allows just enough wealth to trickle to the bottom to avoid civil disorder. Why? Because capitalism needs stable markets.

Capitalism controls the media, hires talking heads, and programs the public into believing that free enterprise is good, and that Socialism and Communism are bad. Capitalism programs the general public into booing down Socialism and accepting "the one right way" with open arms.

Capitalism dumbs down the public so that they don't question its virtues. Capitalism makes people just smart enough to serve its corporate empires.

Capitalism turns people into consumers. Capitalism lures people into believing that material goods bring happiness. Capitalism helps to addict people to consumerism.

Capitalism has no morals or rulebook. The system simply does whatever is necessary to make a profit in the next quarter. So, it's not surprising that Capitalism operates in a coalition with Conservative Religion. Capitalist-backed politicians say, "I'm against abortion," and that drives the conservative religious, single-issue voters to the polls, to vote in the Capitalist political puppets.

Capitalism controls government at all levels. Government simply provides the framework and apparatus for capitalism to function best.

Capitalism loves the high profits of war, and capitalism spreads the lies of patriotism. Capitalism build the armaments, but it still needs to convince mothers to kiss their sons goodbye and send them off to horrible deaths on the battlefield. There is huge money in "properly equipping the troops," and tending to their food and housing needs, and, of course, their medial needs.

Socialism and Communism are not good economic systems either. In fact, no economic system is perpetually sustainable. They all eventually fail. Perhaps the only system that works is straight barter — this could be made sophisticated by a computer system. If you perform a service, you earn credits. Those credits can then be spent. Government should get out of the money business. Wouldn't a world without money be wonderful? I'm not sure this system will work, but I KNOW the other three won't.

Sincerely,

The Goose

Humans, Viruses, and Favorite Quotes

At the recommendation of several people, I finally got around to renting The Matrix, a pretty incredible 1999 film. My favorite quote:

I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure.

— Agent Smith

Here are some other great quotes I collected this week, mainly from the WarSocialism discussion list:

Moreover, brains are "physical." After about age 25, they are mostly hardwired and it's almost impossible to teach them new world views.

People evolved, and are wired by experience, to execute "behavioral algorithms" in response to "environmental cues." It's almost like reflexes, like a doctor whacking you on your knee. If you change the environmental cues, you change the behavior. That the essence of AMERICA 2.0: same people, same education and values, different environmental cues.

— Jay

And another one. This is a short book that I own. I don't even remember who gave it to me.

You don't communicate with anyone purely on the rational facts or ethics of an issue... It is only when the other party is concerned or feels threatened that he will listen — in the arena of action, a threat or a crisis becomes almost a precondition to communication ... No one can negotiate without the power to compel negotiation ... To attempt to operate on a good-will basis rather than on a power basis would be to attempt something that the world has not yet experienced.

— Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals

So True:

The big corporations, our clients, are scared shitless of the environmental movement. They sense that there's a majority out there and that the emotions are all on the other side — if they can be heard. They think the politicians are going to yield to the emotions. I think the corporations are wrong about that. I think the companies will have to give in only at insignificant levels. Because the companies are too strong, they're the establishment. The environmentalists are going to have to be like the mob in the square in Romania before they prevail.

— William Greider, Who Will Tell the People

This is from an article about an ex-cop in Siberia who says that he's the Messiah. Based on this statement, I will follow him:

He says he realised that God has sent him to Earth to teach mankind about the evils of war and the havoc we are wreaking on the environment.

Oh, and the definition of Deep Ecology:

A philosophy that calls for a profound shift in our attitudes and behavior based on voluntary simplicity; rejection of anthropocentric attitudes; intimate contact with nature; decentralization of power; support for cultural and biological diversity; a belief in the sacredness of nature; and direct personal action to protect nature, improve the environment, and bring about fundamental societal change.

And yes, I absolutely love Gaylord Nelson, one of the greatest of all environmentalists:

The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the other way around.

— Gaylord Nelson

It Is What It Is ...

I've been engaged in a fascinating debate this week on Jay Hanson's WarSocialism discussion list (see www.dieoff.org). The result of the discussion is downright depressing, and can be summed up in a few points:

• Humans are at the end of the modern age and are about to face a massive dieoff, which will likely be caused by nuclear war, an influenza pandemic, or ecological ruin. Not to mention, there is going to be mass chaos after the cheap oil is gone.
  
  
• Neither humans nor evolution have any kind of end plan or goal. As the saying goes, "it is what it is."
  
  
• The idea that human destiny is to colonize the Universe is not looking good. There are many factors that make interplanetary space travel basically impossible.

This leaves me with the conclusion that we humans are a one-in-a-trillion freak occurrence in the Universe, and we are about to go. We will likely go in an unpleasant way — extreme violence, starvation, or disease.

My own assessment is that losing jobs will just be the beginning. Before long we will be engaging in cannibalism again, like our chimp relatives. Also, I learned that a third of chimp males never make it to adulthood because they are murdered by chimp gangs, and that we share about 95% of the same genes as the chimp, so extreme violence is embedded in us as well.

This is sounding very, very grim, and tonight I'm about to give up all hope. But I know I won't, and I don't want to sell out my principles for food — I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold out on that one.

The bottom line is human beings are a very sick, dysfunctional, and violent species. It's so sad because I see a lot of good in us too.

Space flight to other planets is impossible:

From Tom —

I recently saw a bumper sticker with the following slogan; "Earth First. We'll strip mine the other planets later." This is the perfect slogan for all the space cadets out there who believe the star trek, star wars science fiction fantasies Hollywood has filled our heads with throughout this soon to be fading, electronic age. Maybe we alpha males can even get lucky and score with some hot, green alien chicks while were propagating our benevolent expansion of the heavens as an added bonus. Captain Kirk sure seemed to get lucky a lot.

I find talk of colonizing other planets in other solar systems amusing because it's a perfect example of the arrogant, anthropocentric hubris that characterizes human beings which is what got us into this predicament of overshoot after in the first place. Colonization of other planets is practically impossible for at least a few logical reasons such as follow. The list is by no means comprehensive.

1. We are the product of billions of years of fine-tuned, ecosystem evolution and exploitation and our very existence is completely contingent upon the exact and delicate balance of atmospheric, climatic and terrestrial conditions (aka capital) that have yet to be verified on any other planet we could hope to reach before the consequences of our species overshoot overtake us.

2. As arrogant and capable as we are, the human body can't survive years in a gravity-free environment because our muscles, heart and bones are subject to radical atrophy. Any planet that we could potentially exploit is probably light years away and the laws of physics preclude such contingency. Don't bother talking to me about short-cuts through "worm holes" because no such thing has ever been verified. Worm holes are a science fiction hypothesis at best.

3. A significant feature of overshoot and collapse is the exponential conversion of capital into a waste stream leaving a degraded (read trashed) ecosystem behind with less viable resources for future generations. Translation: We won't have the energy nor the money available to get off the ground into space to export our benevolent intentions to other parts of the universe. In a nut shell, this is why space programs no longer practically exists for space exploration. Space exploration is past peak. We went to the moon, it was sterile and mainly useless and we'll probably never get any further.

Indeed flight was once thought to be impossible but the laws of aerodynamics permitted such after all (as long as the contingencies of capital, technology and energy are available). However, the laws of physics and specifically the laws of thermodynamics predict Homosapiens is destined (doomed?) to existence and eventual extinction here on good old planet Earth. It seems it's the only planet we'll ever really get to strip mine after all.

We Can't Evolve Our Way Out Of Our Problems

From Scott —

Several points to make about the likelihood of short term human evolution here. One is that evolutionary changes in primates and apes do not happen in just a few generations. It requires hundreds or even thousands of generations to evolve as a species. Humans have remained pretty much unchanged physically for over 100k years (not including the Neanderthals, which seem to have been a separate sub-species or population of humans that did not interbreed). Socially humans made a last significant change somewhere around 50k years ago into more or less what we are now. That is around 2,500 generations of humans since the last major distinctive change occured. If you want to put a stake in the ground for 'modern civilized humans' as the point of evolution that we made our last significant change (I do not believe this, this is just an example of scale) at about 12k years ago at the dawn of modern civilization, that is still over 500 generations of humans which remain basically unchanged from the dawn of history.

Another point is that as a population gets larger, like in humans today, the likelihood of a chance mutation or genetic alteration being passed on and affecting a large segment of the population (and hence leading to a genetic alteration and/or evolution) is pretty much drown out. The massively larger population of unchanged genes would be the ones that are passed on. 7 billion people are not going to evolve much, until/unless there are some abrupt environmental changes or pandemic that radically kills off large segments of the population.

Another factor that has risen from the human genome research is that humans have very similar genes to one another, as compared to our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees. As I recall, both types of chimps share something like 97% of chimp specific genetic traits, whereas humans are more like 99% similar in human genetic traits. This is not to be confused with the fact that humans and chimps share somewhere between 95%-99% of functional genes. The point here is that humans have far less genetic variation within the species than other primates, so the chances of our evolving from our current population is far less.

Given the three reasons stated above, we are not likely to evolve in just a few generations when a lot of 'stuff' is very likely to hit the global fan. We can and may well adapt culturally, but not genetically. Also one genration does not make Europeans a bunch of sloths. Humans (as well as chimps it seems) are prone to war; take away resources and you will fight your neighbors for them. Given that our ancestors likely diverged from the chimpanzees sometime about 5-6 million years ago, the war gene is deep in our genetics (and probably over 6 millon years old). Chimps have been observed to go to war with and kill rival chimps, BTW. They are also prone to cannibalism. Sound familiar?

Evolution Has No Goal

From reductio0adabsurbum:

Sorry Todd, but you're wrong again. Evolution has no "goal", no direction, and no purpose. It just is. Natural selection in a nutshell: if the gene(s) that is(are) responsible for a particular phenotypic variation which endows the possessor of that(those) genes with a reproductive advantage, then that(those) gene(s) will be propagated into subsequent generations more so than will those genes that are less able to do so. That's pretty much it. You may feel dissatisfied by how inhuman and unfeeling that may be, but just because we as a species with our culture think we need purpose, (an illusion of) continuity that projects into the future, it doesn't mean that this need will be worked out into an objective reality. You can't overlay our own human frailties onto evolution or anything else outside our heads. Or at least you can't do that and expect that doing so will affect it in any objective way.

Stone Deaf, Blatant Denial

This is another great post of the WarSocialism discussion list, which I am reprinting with permission. It feels really good to find other people like myself, which assures me that most people are stone crazy, and a few people are not. Most people are just going down the river, having a great time, and not realizing, caring, or denying that there is a waterfall just ahead.

Goose

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do either of you run into opposition that uses logic to argue against doing something to save the planet? Or do they just put their heads in the sand?

Jay

Answer from Scott:

Stone deaf, blatant denial, or they run screaming for their pastor or rabbi. Or they cover their ears and say, "LA LA LA LA LA LA..." Most say its BS, an Al Gore political scam, the oil companies and Arabs trying to jack up the price of oil, or some other standard reply. Same result when I talk about evolution, geology, mass extinction, peak oil, fisheries collapse, population overshoot (or just birth control) or global warming. Does not matter which.

Even the tree huggers are not willing to listen to, 'the end'. They point to the stars, and say that we are going to colonize other worlds. That gets me riled up, as I used to work in the aerospace industry (General Dynamics in San Diego) and the energy required to go to another habitable planet in another star system is well, more energy than is available in the galaxy at least. Never mind the time or technology to cross deep space, or finding a place like Earth. Forget Mars; proof that any Mars colony will fail is right here above the timberline on Mt Hood. Pleanty of sun, water, seasonal warm weather, oxygen, all the rest, and no large plant growth. Reason? No soil microbes survive up there. Now its all rock in summer... all the Cascade peaks are grey and brown in summer now. The 'glaciers' are all melting off in summer now.

Funny (and typical) story: my ex girlfriend (we still get along) and I were in South Carolina with her brother birding at the beach. We stumbled into a rare early type of salamander, and her brother started an interesting lecture about the species. There was a small crowd gathered around after 5 minutes, and the kids and parents were interested, until... he said the "e" word. Parents' hands instantly went over childrens' ears and they were shuffled off. We still are in the cultural and religious stone age.

Hope in the Face of Overwhelming Odds

Various items of randomness:

Quotes That Don't Make Me Feel Giddy

I'm on several discussion lists that cover global issues like population and peak oil. Here are a couple of memorable quotes from the last week or so:

"Things will certainly change when the widespread domestic violence begins (probably a few years away). However, it may not be the kind of political change that anyone wants." — Jay

"As homo superstitious — dominated by his/her reptilian brain — is in massive numerical overshoot already, the only steady state likely is disaster. Humans will not reduce breeding nor consumption due to rational persuasion."
— Steve

Goose Responds: I'm just not going to give up. Somewhere deep inside us there is the ability to save ourselves. The right solution, connection, or whatever, just hasn't been found yet, but it is there somewhere inside our collective soul. I will always have hope .... always!

Book Review Time



Title: Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture

Author: Thom Hartmann



Summary (from Sacramento Bee): In "Threshold: The Crisis Of
 Western Culture," writer and Air America host Thom Hartmann argues that the
 deteriorating state of our planet, where the dynamics of environmental,
 economic, and population change are boiling over the limits within which society can function, is inevitably near at hand. In clear
 and impassioned prose, Hartmann busts the myths and ideologies of religious
 fundamentalism, capitalism run amok, male domination, and militarism that are
 draining our world of its natural and human resources and engendering the 
suffering of millions for the benefit of the few.



Goose Comment: The paragraph above says it all. It is the "myths and ideologies"
of our institutions that are destroying us. It's hard to get any meaningful change because of the pushback from people who are in power and who benefit from the status quo.

Olduvi Theory

This chart is quite interesting. Click on it to download a copy of the research paper. Basically, the Olduvai Theory states that the life expectancy of industrial civilization is approximately 100 years: circa 1930-2030.

Beautiful Un-Sunset

I was driving home the other day and just thought this scene of the clouds was pretty. It was taken in Hiram, GA. I call it an un-sunset because the beautiful sunset was actually behind me, but it gave everything an orange hue. The colors of the cloud are really vivid. As I was heading east in my car I just felt like I was in another world for a brief moment. Time sort of stood still.

Patriotic Moment

This scene just struck me as I was in a parking lot — the sun setting behind an American flag. I really felt patriotic and proud when I saw this. Despite all the many social and other problems this country has, I do love it very much. What I love about this country most is the idealism, which keeps our nation unified. We are not a people who are united because of race, religion, looks or anything else, but rather we are united by our ideas, and that is a fantastic step forward for the progression of the species. Most beautiful of all is democracy and freedom, and every day we should cherish it and NEVER take it for granted, however I do realize I'm starting to sound cliché.

Madmen, To the Death

It's 6:43 a.m. in the morning, and I'm sitting here confused, and thinking that life is a total trip.

First of all, homo superstitious is a real disappointment as a species. During this health care debate I've seen what a pathetic, ignorant, and stupid lot that Americans really are. Democracy is a beautiful thing, but before it can work the citizens must be civil and educated, and must be able to participate in enlightened debate. But what we have now is a bunch of talking heads on TV who fan the flames of partisanship for the sake of higher ratings .... and dumbed down America absorbs their crap like a sponge and then they attend town hall meetings where they disrespect their elected leaders and regurgitate the mindless crap of the Fox News hatemongers. Albeit, the political left has their share of hatemongers as well.

So, whatever happened to teamwork? Whatever happened to working together to solve a huge national problem, like finding a way to provide health care for millions of uninsured citizens? I have seen so much greed, hate, and ignorance in the last few weeks that I am totally disgusted. As Rodney King said, "Why can't we just get along?"

Now, I'm pretty sure that if we can't even solve important social problems without all the partisan rancor, how can we ever solve our massive environmental and geo-political problems? We can't, and we are screwed. We are a pathetic and disgusting species, yet every time I say that I run into some wonderful individual who reminds me that humanity is worth saving. We are the good and bad, all rolled into one.

Most offensive of all to me are the under-endowed pricks who are carrying guns to the health care meetings and rallies. Does that gun really make you feel like a man, maybe for the first time in your life? Doesn't anyone see a paradox between health care and guns? America the beautiful is actually a dysfunctional, gun-crazed society that talks about Christianity and love, but is full of violence and hate. Once the cheap energy runs out and our economy continues to deteriorate, more of these gun-toting yahoos will start cracking under the pressure and using their guns. If you don't believe me, pick up the daily newspaper — it's already happening all over the nation and we simply accept it, as the NRA works vigorously to pump more bullets and weapons into our demented society.

So, wrap yourself in your American flag, wave your gun and Bible, and scream about Hitler and Nazis and death panels all you want. Because YOU, the average Jane and John Doe American, are the source of all your angst. You have created this sick, narcissistic, double-standard society that is now consuming you and crushing you. You are the hypocrites, the Bible-thumping madmen, and the beer guzzling dittoheads. You and ONLY YOU are bringing this nation down into the abyss that it so rightfully deserves.

Goose