The Trashcan Novel

All my life I've dreamed of becoming a writer. I wrote my first short story in the third grade. By age 11 I was writing regularly. I loved satire, and found it amusing when I got in trouble with my sixth grade teacher, Ms. Roache, who pulled me aside and lectured me about my "attitude." She was concerned about my suggestion of bombing China (it was SATIRE). Of course, it was hard to take serious someone who was named after a dirty insect.

Things got better in my junior high years, and I had teachers who took an interest in my writing and were extremely supportive. In those days they had a cool program called independent studies, which allowed you to create your own elective, provided that you had a sponsoring teacher. You would work in the teacher's classroom or in the library during their planning periods. I chose a creative writing program, and for two years I did nothing but write for an hour each day.

In the eighth grade I started my first novel, titled "War Without A Cause." The theme of the book is that this secret army was going to invade the world and make everything better. They were going to put an end to crime, hunger, corruption, and everything bad in the world. They eventually grew in numbers, invaded the Soviet Union, and, finally, the United States.

During my adolescent years, my writing slowed down because of my interest in girls. But I did take a creative writing class during my senior year of high school. Once again, the teacher took my satire literally and gave me a "C" in the course -- one of only a couple of C's I received all year. I didn't mind because I appreciated the fact that my teacher didn't "get it."

In college, I began writing furiously during the summers and Christmas breaks. I started a few more books, including my first attempt at sci-fi. I found that when I was depressed I did the most writing, and I went through a lot of emotional ups and downs during my college years.

I got married in 1983, and said, "now that I'm settling down, I can really focus on my writing." My wife allowed me to get a fancy, IBM Selectric typewriter, and in the evenings after work, I would go into our spare room and write. More books were started, but never finished. These included "The Battlefield Life" and "The Trashcan Novel."

"The Trashcan Novel" is one of my favorite works. It was inspired by a fellow staffer on my college newspaper. He was in love with another writer on the staff. When she gave him the "let's be friends" line he was crushed. One day he came into the newspaper office looking like a wreck. He said, "I spent the entire night writing a 50-page poem, and then I threw it in the trash." That struck me as being beautifully profound, and he became the main character in my book.

In the following years, I had two children and became involved in other things, like computer user groups. I didn't do much writing.

In 1993 I had some scary health problems and ended up in the hospital. I really thought that I was going to die. When I got out, I went into the attic and threw a large portion of my writings away. I felt that much of my work was depressing, and I never wanted my daughters to see them. Throwing these manuscripts away is something I deeply regret to this day.

In the 1990s, I continued my writing in the newsletters of groups I was involved with — my computer user group, church, and, later, my local Sierra Club newsletter. I particularly enjoyed writing and debating on environmental discussion lists. I regularly received compliments on my writing, and people appeared to particularly enjoy my rants.

I used my writing talents for the environmental cause, and got one op-ed and a handful of letters published in the local press. I also started creating websites and placing my essays online. In 2004, I started blogging.

Now, it's 2010 and I'm 50 years old. I still haven't written a single, completed book, although I have many ideas in my head. My dream and hope is that one day, before my life is over, I'll get to actually finish a book. Even if it's not published, it will be a great personal accomplishment that I will be very proud of. Maybe, just maybe, if I can ever find the time ....

The Goose

The New World

In the new world I envision there will be peace. Capitalism will live, but people will have a sense of working for the greater good.

Logic will prevail, and people will be rational. Religion will be put in its proper place, next to Santa Claus and Zeus.

There will be no borders, and people will move freely about the planet. Poverty will be eliminated because every nation will disband their military, and there will be more resources to assist all.

We will mature as a species, and learn tolerance and open-mindedness. We will learn to LISTEN to one another. We will learn sensitivity and compassion.

There won't be smokers, and people won't fling their cigarette butts and trash out their windows.

People will work together to keep our planet clean and green. We will respect the Earth and our fellow animal species.

We will learn to love one another, instead of being divisive. We will understand that we can accomplish more as a collective team rather than individually.

There will be one world government, but it will be run by the people instead of corporations and special interest groups. Each nation will become a state. The government will be a democracy, and people will understand that for democracy to work, we must each participate.

Government will serve the people, and not control them. Corporations will be a place where we work to earn a living, not living entities that manipulate global policy.

Are you dreaming, Goose?

Yeah, I'm dreaming, sure. But I see hopeful signs each day. I see real progress in ending the War Against Gays, and that's encouraging. I see more people and companies becoming environmentally aware.

But, on the downside, I see a new generation of young people who are apathetic and politically detached. Most of them just wander through life, obsessed with instant gratification and comfort, and totally confused as to why their quality of life isn't as good as their parents'. This is the Nothingness Generation, and I don't think they will be the ones to pull us through. Well, maybe the following generation will get us through.

And, most likely, we'll need a complete economic and civil crash before we wake up and learn that "it's not all about us." We need to learn that it's also about other humans and other creatures.

Maybe, just maybe, one day humans will "get it."

Tea Party Goosonomics

We are in the worst recession since the 1930s and many people are suffering. The thing is, most people don't really understand WHY the economy has fallen apart.

I, the Goose, wish to make a few rambling statements on our current screwed up state of affairs:

Debt
I don't mind paying state taxes because Georgia must balance its budget by law. That means the tax money I give to Uncle Sonny immediately goes back into the economy.

On the other hand, I HATE giving tax money to Uncle Sam because much of this money is NOT going back into the economy. Rather, it is being used to pay interest on debt. The sad thing is that most of this debt is owned by foreigners (can you say "China?"), so the money is being DRAINED from the economy. As our country sinks deeper into debt, less money is going back to benefit Americans. So, our horrible Congress spends more, and the downward spiral continues.

The solution is for the U.S. Congress to immediately pass a balanced budget act, and FAST.

Now, the Tea Partiers want taxes cut, but they never mention what services they want cut in return. If you corner them, they will mumble something like, "cut government waste." Now, that is possibly code words for "reduce services to the poor." But, okay, giving them the benefit of the doubt, let's say we cut government waste. HOWEVER, the problem is that most of our taxes go to transfer payments, that is Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid (40%). For 2009, 4 percent went to TARP, which makes me too foaming mad to talk about, so I won't elaborate on that. And then 23% goes to defense spending, which allows us to engage in endless wars and kill Muslims from drones. Funny that conservative folks tell me that President Obama is a secret Muslim because he sure has killed a lot of them.

But I digress ... the point is that Tea Partiers don't want to cut THEIR OWN benefits, nor do they want to cut their beloved military (after all, they are called Tea Party PATRIOTS), yet these are the areas where most of the money is going.

Immigration
Sorry to keep picking on Tea Partiers today, but Tea Partiers have no problem picking on poor illegal immigrants. They keep screaming something about the illegals "stealing our jobs." Hell, do you really want to pick lettuce all day? The funny thing is that I don't hear conservatives screaming about the millions of our jobs exported overseas. That is another big cash drain on our economy. At least the illegal aliens are putting money BACK into the economy through rent, sales tax, and the purchase of consumables.

Also, I would like to point out that illegal immigration has gone way down since the recession started. So, like most Tea Party issues, this issue is a crock of poop.

I realize that my own theory to the job drain is controversial, but I link it to global overpopulation. Our jobs our going to countries that are overpopulated, which dilutes the labor wage. So, to the Chinese and Indians, hey, I have a plan -- let's all have less babies. This will create a labor shortage, forcing companies to pay us more. It's basic economics, man. And you Indian and Chinese friends will not only get a better wage, but we Americans will get a break, because it will be less profitable for U.S. firms to export our jobs. I'm just sayin' ... you know, just an idea.

Medical Sector
The medical sector of our economy is doing quite well. Regretfully, it is a major drag on our economy. Nearly every American pays a sizable chunk of cash so that they can feel better and live longer. New technologies allow us to live longer, but they are extremely expensive. Plus, as we live longer we are a drain on insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid. Thus, once again, we have a horrible, downward spiral. The hard truth is that the longer we live, the more we place a drag on the economy. Oh sure, we're pumping billions into the medical sector, but the young people aren't putting enough money back into the system.

The current U.S. medical system is really designed for revenue and not for health. Face it, the medical institutions do not have a vested interest to get you well and quickly, since sick people bring in major money. The clinics and hospitals can squeeze the insurance companies, and the insurance companies can simply raise premiums.

I really like the Kaiser Permanente model, which is more like a health subscription service rather than insurance. If we have many subscription health programs competing in the open market, they would have a financial interest in keeping you well, so that they could keep their subscriptions low, to make them more efficient.

While I applaud the Democrats for passing the health care bill, which is more than the GOP could have ever done, I regret to say that the legislation is a huge, muddled mess. I believe that an advanced society should provide universal health care for its citizens — we just haven't arrived there yet.

Also, for those who call me a liberal, please sit down because what I am about to say will shock you: I don't think companies should be obligated to provide health care. That is simply a benefit they may offer to attract the best workers. If we had more subscription based health plans, there would be more emphasis on wellness and more affordable care for all. But right now, the health care system is only a step away from organized crime, and they are raking in billions, so any meaningful change to the current system will be difficult.

So, I'm bringing this up, and please forgive me, but the videos I saw of the Tea Partiers in Washington, DC showed that most of them were obese. So, really guys, if you want to help the economy go to the gym.

Energy
Now, here is an economic sector that swims in money. But many experts say that we reached Peak Oil and that supplies will only go down. I can assure you that when our economy cranks up again, we will be hit in the face with a huge increase in energy costs, which will take much steam out of the recovery. We can beat this bullet by taking a few billion from the American war machine and diverting it to green energy research. This will do more for peace than building a few more stealth bombers. We HAVE the technology right now for a green economy, and we just need a little more research to make it viable. Once it is viable, we can start investing in green infrastructure. And at the same time we can create a wonderful green energy industry, and we can export our technology to China so they can start giving America some money, instead of us giving them all of ours. There is a real opportunity in this area, but our incompetent, disoriented, and totally dysfunctional federal government has made little progress in this area.

I know you Tea Partiers don't believe in Global Climate Change, and you probably don't believe in Peak Oil either. But I do know you don't like our reliance on foreign energy sources, and I know that you understand how dysfunctional this makes our foreign relations. I think we can all agree on that. And, shoot, relying on other countries for our energy ain't patriotic (oh right, we'll just drill more).

Social Security
The Tea Partiers love to scream the word "socialism," however all of us our socialists. Let's look at the facts. I can say that myself, and all my friends, are pretty stable people and we could probably create retirement accounts without the government's help. But, I know that many people do not have stable lives, and that's often no fault of their own. Due to a variety of reasons, people may simply not be able to save for retirement their entire lives. So, I don't mind being a socialist a little bit to create a government retirement pool, to ensure that others have social security, even though they've had some trips and falls in life. And I may have a fall tomorrow, so I think Social Security is a smart idea. Should we let people opt out of the system? I'm inclined to say "no" because even the luckiest person in the world can have a complete turnaround tomorrow. Social Security reminds us that we are all in this together.

But, as we pay the billions in medical care to live longer, we are draining the Social Security system. So, folks, I'm afraid we are going to have to work longer and retire later.

Summary
Okay, Tea Partiers, sorry to pick on you today. But your constant hypocrisy sort of keeps me pissed. The point is, all of us are in this ride together, and if we want to survive this mess we have to stop being divisive and delusional, and start working together.

Of course, some won't even acknowledge a problem and others will argue endlessly about what the REAL problem is, and Congress will deadlock as usual. But if we have a higher vision and a sense of unity, maybe we can get over the usual bickering.

Goose here, signing out...

We Can Do Better

Even though I work from home and try to minimize driving, I still feel guilty every time I drive my car. Rather than being part of the solution, I know I'm part of the problem.

I WISH I owned an electric car that was charged nightly with renewable energy. The thing is, we have the technology to do that, and we are close to making it economically feasible. If we could throw just a few billion into research, I'm certain we could make it work. And a few billion dollars is a lot? Well, I understand we spend $1 billion a day in Afghanistan. And, honestly, I think we are making new enemies there as fast as we can kill them.

I WISH we could end the violence in this world. I know that we have the maturity to do it. I find all the violence repulsive -- it just says that we are better dressed cavemen. We've probably come a long way from the Middle Ages, but we have a long ways to go.

I try to have compassion for my fellow humans, the wildlife, and my world, but it's never enough. I try to help others, but I never feel like I'm doing enough. So, the guilt never goes away. I am tormented because I always feel like I should be doing MORE.

As a child I remember watching with fascination the elevator on Star Trek. It started out slow, and soon it was going at full speed, with the lights from each floor whizzing by a little window. That's how I feel my life is going. The trips around the Sun are getting faster and faster. I want to put the life I've been given to good use, and I feel like I'm running out of time.

My employer has downsized and my workload has doubled, so I feel that I'm always living with a pile of bricks on me. Gone are those 37.5 hour work weeks, which I enjoyed for so long, and which allowed me to give a massive amount of energy and time to volunteer work. Now, I'm always drained. I help out when and where I can, but for the most part the life and vitality has been sucked out of me. Every day I go to work I must fight for sheer survival. The recession has been brutal to my employer. I still don't know if we will survive or not. So, everyday I'm hoping for signs of an economic upturn to get the pressure off ME, even though a robust economy will again put the pressure on the environment. As the economy improves, the bulldozers will begin flattening forests again, sending little animals fleeing, with no place to go.

And thus, this is the great irony of my life. When the economy is bad, the environment is given a rest, but there is more pressure on all of us to survive. So, maybe, in effect, this is the one time when I'm really helping the environment. Because I am taking the pain. I am working harder than I've ever worked in my life, and 60-hour work weeks are now the norm. But, it's grinding me down, and I simply don't have the energy to do my share in the fight.

Right now, my activist friends are trying to stop two new proposed coal plants in Georgia. This is a just cause, and I wish I could do more. The Old Guard is used to doing business the way they've always done it, and are resisting hard. The old mode of thinking is that we run our dishwasher, enjoy our curling irons, and heating pads, while coal smoke billows into the air, warms our planet, and alters our entire ecosystem. And each day, hundreds of species are unable to adapt to the rapid change, and become extinct. We kill so that we can be comfortable. It makes no sense.

So, I believe we can do better. We have to end this stupid political partisanship, and we have to find politicians who respond to reason, and we have to team up to find solutions. China, with their one-party system, is getting way ahead of us. Wake up, Americans. WAKE UP!!!

Idealism

I sometimes wonder where I got all this idealism. I wonder why I always like to defend the underdog.

I support gays because the war against them is simply pointless. These good people have been put through hell and treated like second class citizens for no reason at all. The Holy Bible says adulterers should be stoned, but these little finks are the real rats because they betray the trust of their life mate, yet they hardly get a wrist slap. The hypocrisy of the War Against Gays just makes me sick. And don't tell me "hate the sin, love the person." That is simply a thin veil for hating the person. And hate is not a family value.

As for the illegal immigrants, I have ten times more respect for them than any Tea Partier. They came to this country, often at great risk and expense, to get a crappy job. Because, in the United States, at least they wouldn't starve. Many were lured by that American Dream, where, you know, anyone can get rich if they work hard and get lucky. And the corporations welcomed them on because they worked cheap, and you didn't have to pay them health care or vacations. And all the while, the government just went "wink, wink." And then, suddenly, the Tea Party Patriots say ENOUGH! DEPORT THEM! THEY ARE BREAKING THE LAW! Too sad.

Most importantly of all, I stand up for nature and wildlife because animals can't defend themselves hardly at all. We have a vice presidential candidate gunning down wolves from a helicopter. Now, how fair a fight is that? We also have millions of Americans who love to pack out restaurants on Sundays after church, but don't really care about the thousands of species that are going extinct every day. Someone has to defend these poor critters. And yes, I know I'm in the minority when I say this, but a opossum has just as much right to be here as some chain smoking, hard drinking, littering, obnoxious human. Just because we have big brains we are ruthlessly arrogant, and for the most part, we are indifferent to our fellow animals.

I know my idealism is vain, but my blood boils when Tea Party creeps scream, "We have to save our country," when, in effect, these right-wing reactionaries are what we need to save the country from. I'll take socialism over fascism any day. And as these folks scream "less government" and throw me in jail for masturbation, all I can say is ORWELLIAN.

By now, cynicism should have smothered out my last fiber of idealism, but I can't stop caring, and I won't stop fighting.

Todd

Who Will Help Me Save the World?

The most difficult part of being an activist is getting people to change their minds. When I first returned to environmentalism in 1997 I had this crazy idea that people would respond to logic and common sense. I also thought people would work together for a common cause.

Boy was I wrong.

I know look at the Tea Party movement with great fascination. This is a group of people totally incapable of seeing their hypocrisy. They debunk global warming and routinely bash immigrants, gays, and Muslims. They want less government, but still want their Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. They want less taxes but also want to lower the deficit, but they really prefer less taxes (and let the next generation pay down the federal debt).

From an article about Tea Party hypocrisy:

They are only concerned with fighting government spending that benefits other people and are desperately seeking to save their own precious benefits. They think the costs are well worth it and they have no intention of shouldering the burden themselves. These costs will be incurred by future generations whose taxes will be higher and whose benefits will be lower or nonexistent.

Point being, I can't expect a Tea Party member to help save the environment. Oh, unless it personally benefits them. The Tea Party Patriots are like the NIMBYs that I regularly deal with (Not In My Backyard). These are the people who don't give a rat's ass about the environment until a developer is clearing the woods behind their home. Then they call the local Sierra Club group and want US to do something about it.

What we need are people willing to work for the common good, but people in general are selfish and do not want THEIR TAX DOLLARS helping a less fortunate person. They rail on about evil abortions, but they have no interest in adopting or helping to support all the welfare babies that an anti-abortion law would create. And they certainly would not support a tax increase to feed the unwanted children that they forced desperate mothers to have.

So, getting back to my point, how can I expect Tea Partiers or all the other selfish, irrational people to work on a common challenge like global warming? Even if there's 1,000 scientists saying that global warming is human-made, all it takes is one community college professor, funded by an ExxonMobile grant, to challenge global warming, and suddenly it's a "debate."

And, the entire idea of being a conservative is resisting change, so it's just better for the frog to die in the slowly boiling water than to jump out. And in fact, an underlying theme of the Tea Party movement is to "make things like they were." So, it's simply easier to deny something than to make a few lifestyle changes.

As I look at the political landscape I see a divided America, and as a result of the division, little is getting done. How can we address the great problems of the world, like depleting oil supplies, global warming, and overpopulation? If I took a survey, I'd say that the majority of Americans will simply deny all three problems. Whether from ignorance of selfishness, it's hard to gauge a person's true motives, but one thing is for sure, and that is they won't be helping the environment.

I mean, my gosh, most people don't even recycle, and that is mind-boggling to me. And there is another large group of people who spend their days sucking smoke into their lungs and flicking their nasty cigarette butts on the ground. I don't expect these people to be on board either. I've met a few environmentalists who smoke, but these folks are in the minority.

So, who will work with me to save the environment? Those liberal professors and teachers? Yes. The Unitarian Universalists, Episcopalians, and Reformed Jews? Yes. The cyclists, hikers, and kayakers? Yes? Overall, the group of people who are passionate about the environment is small. And against us is a massive coalition of people who are ignorant, ambivalent, selfish, indifferent, and apathetic. It is an uphill battle, for sure.

But I do regularly meet people with inquisitive minds who WANT TO KNOW and WANT TO LEARN what this environmental stuff is all about. These are people that I have a special respect for, and these are the individuals who give me hope.