Saving Ourselves, the Animals, and Planet

I think the first step in healing our dysfunctional humanity is to admit that we are a species. Once we do that, everything begins to fall into place. I am proud to be an animal, and I do not see myself as one bit better than my two dogs. Now this statement may freak out a lot of traditional religious type and neocons, but I happen to like being an animal.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention -- since we are the Big Brained species that learned to fight with our wits instead of our strength or claws, we do have some added responsibility. My dogs are like me -- in the wild it would be hard for all of us survive. We take care of each other -- my dogs look out for me and I look out for them. That's the way it should be with all animals -- we have an added responsibility to take care of God's creatures.

Right now our human population is exploding so vastly that it is hard to protect and respect hundreds of other species because we are simply squeezing them out, and/or killing them with our chemical waste products. We Big Brains are wiping out other species, and I consider this a horrible and serious crime. We Big Brainers have a RESPONSIBILITY to stabilize our population, lest we destroy other species.

Next ...

Now, for the second step in our recovery. We need to stop acting like we are flawed and accept the fact that nothing is wrong with us. Nearly all religions, even the farout ones, teach that there is something wrong with us, and we need to reach for salvation, enlightenment, or whatever the religion-of-the-week tells us. SURPRISE!!! We are not flawed at all. Look at your dogs, look at the birds in your yard -- is there anything flawed about them? Nope!

In the history of evolution, the really freaky creatures never made it out of the ocean. Some are bizarre looking, but are they flawed? Heck no, because they've survived for millions of years.

We Humans are neither bad nor good -- we are just Humans. We just do our own thing. The problem is that when we think we are FLAWED, it gives us an EXCUSE to be dysfunctional.

Still Evolving?

Are Humans still evolving? Heck yes. We are getting smarter and more attractive with each generation because the not-so-smart may not have the sense to make it to reproduction age, or their parents may not be smart enough to get their young to reproduction age. As a result, our species continues to get more robust. Are we going to evolve into another creature? Maybe not, unless the Earth's climate changes drastically (aka global warming).

Actually, the way we NEED to evolve now is in different ways -- socially, intellectually, mentally, etc... My hope is that we will somehow evolve beyond violence. I also hope we will evolve beyond the point where we destroy our own environment for immediate self-fulfillment.

We still have a LOT of work ahead of us. See, the traits that kept us alive in our caveman days -- like being selfish, hording resources, being aggressive, etc. -- these are the same things that may kill us now. So far, we are not adapting well to the way we've radically re-shaped our global environment in such a short period of time. Within a few generations we've totally saturated our Big Blue Marble with PEOPLE, and this has created all sorts of new problems.

The most important thing we need to do is stabilize our population. Right now we are suffering from species stress as competition continues to increase for resources (food, fresh water, jobs, land, etc..). Things MIGHT get very ugly before they get better. I hope that's not the case. My sincere hope is that people begin to WAKE UP. Humans need to throw all their self-destructive dogma and hangups out the window, and we need to START PROTECTING THE ANIMALS, THE PLANET, AND OUR FUTURE. That's all I ask.

The Goose

Just Blow'em Away

First the Russian journalist and then the former KGB agent. How does the power structure of Russia handle dissent? They just murder the people who speak out -- this has a chilling effect on those who would LIKE to speak out. The fear spreads, and the people of the land just learn to keep their mouth shut. This is probably a preview for how the entire world will soon be.

In Iraq, well, the insurgents and religious fanatics simply kill everyone, especially academic professionals. Yes, in Iraq everyone is a target -- it's a free-for-all blood bath. Perhaps this is another preview of how the world will soon be.

Once again, this all goes back to The Machine -- you know, the people with the power. You know, the Colombian drug lords, or the warlords of the Sudan, or whatever. To keep your power you use fear, intimidation, and ruthless violence. It's such a handy tactic.

All of this thuggery will continue until the people of the world stand up and say "enough." For instance, the citizens of Russia need to show outrage for all the brutal killings of dissenters.

Free speech is a beautiful thing and a key to our future sustainability. Those power mongrels who try to muffle speech, through murder, fear, and intimidation, do not really have power.

In the United States, they use more humane methods to keep you quiet. When you speak out, you are accused of being "unpatriotic" or "providing comfort to the enemy." The idea is to make you out to be a BAD person so that you will shut up, and the hope is that maybe others will be intimidated into shutting up as well.

Tonight, I salute the Dixie Chicks. They gave up a LOT to speak out and tell the truth. Now, all the hick country stations won't play their songs. This sends a signal to other artists -- you speak out and we'll hurt your career, your finances, and whatever.

The message: Don't challenge The Machine, for if you do, you shall pay a price. I can only say one thing to that: Screw The Machine!!!!

Another Swing

I'm a pragmatic bastard, so I understand that it's only a matter of time before The Machine takes me out. But I'm okay with that. In Iraq, Russia, and in other dangerous nations, the Evil Ones love to go after journalists — yes, they like to murder them. This has a chilling effect on the press. The Evil Ones also love to go after the academians and intellectuals. The poor intellectuals catch it from both ends — neither the lower class nor the upper elite like people who can actually think. Hell, The Machine doesn't like anyone who thinks — it just prefers those who follow an agenda without questioning. That's what the Killing Fields were for — to take care of chaps like me.

So, anyway, being the cynical Goose that I am, I have long said that I only have one goal in life: To get a few good swings in before I die. Well, I don't believe in violence, so what I mean is that I just want to stand up against injustice and challenge The Machine.

I have a special disgust for those people who rape and sell out the environment and our future to make a quick buck. The soul-less people who engage in this practice will naturally hire spin doctors and create phony "think tanks" and "foundations" to justify their crimes. Among the most disgusting of these groups is the road-building industry. These asphalt monkeys want to pave every square inch of Mother America to make a buck, and have no mercy for the environment or the hapless and naive humans who are caught in their trap. They fight to sabotage mass transit alternatives, and instead send their pigeon-toed lobbyist thugs to the legislature to lobby for more black, petroleum-based crap. Yeah, asphalt.

On Wednesday I stood up to the asphalt monkeys by getting a really good Letter to the Editor published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Did it feel good? Heck yeah, it felt great. One little Goose stood up against the system.

As far as I'm concerned, the tobacco pushers and asphalt monkeys can all go to hell. It is the visionaries and stewards of the Earth who will lead us into the future. The money grubbers will simply fall aside in a ditch, clinging desperately to their wads of money.

I DEFY YOU, I DEFY YOU

And to the conservative Christian collaborators who hold the coats as the asphalt monkeys and all the Earth-Destroyers do their dirty deeds, YOU WILL FACE JUDGEMENT. You shall, my friends.

Disgust

I just go through life getting more and more disgusted -- to the point where I don't know how to feel normal. What is irking me today is this pathetic excuse we have for a U.S. Congress. I'm glad we saw a mild rebellion during last Tuesday's elections, but the GOP continues to have far too much power. The anti-environment attitude of some hard-right Republicans makes me sick. I have no respect for a man or woman who does not honor the environment. This gets into the whole subject of Daniel Quinn and his Ishmael series books, where he talks about how humans feel they are separate from nature. Not true. NOT TRUE!!!!!!!!!

If Only Humans Could "Stop At Two"

I constantly think about this all the time: If only humans had the sense to "stop at two children," many of the nightmares we are facing or are about to face could be avoided.

As an environmentalist specializing in population, one of my hobbies is to link our various world problems back to population growth. I believe that nearly all of our current environmental and social ills can be traced to our exploding global population. Yet, most people still don't get it -- they want to have a large family for various reasons, with zero regard for how their decision impacts the Planet and our future. This disconnect has become the great puzzlement of my life.

I have read several articles that link overpopulation to terrorism, but in today's newspaper I read a new connection. Yes, it startled me.

"The spread of nuclear technology is expected to accelerate as nations redouble their reliance on atomic power to cope with growing populations, dwindling oil supplies, and fears that the combustion of fossil fuels is warming the planet."

And there's more:

"Development of civilian projects will give more countries the ability to make reactor fuel, or with the same equipment and a little more effort, bomb fuel."

Okay, let's think about this:

• Massive population growth is helping to quickly dry up the world's oil supplies.
  
  
• Nations must now find new ways to provide power for their exploding populations.
  
  
• When nations learn to develop nuclear power for peaceful energy needs, they are only a few steps away from the ability to make nuclear fuel for bombs.
  

I would like to add one point to the newspaper quote:

Increased world population will result in more competition over resources, such as the remaining oil supplies, water, land, etc... With more countries having nukes, or the ability to produce them, the liklihood is increased that sooner or later someone will use one.

Welcome to the second nuclear arms race. By ignoring the horrible problem of human overpopulation, you are, in effect, putting your five children in harm's way. You helped to create this problem. Yes, I know, the Bible says that this is the end of the world and that this is all part of God's plan. Well, I think it's a sucky plan, and we shall see.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/15/06, Section A: "Many Nations May Have Nuclear Arms Capability."

Exploitation and Violence Against Women

On top of all the other things that trouble me, I am getting more and more concerned about the violence and exploitation against women. It seems that there are just more whacko males willing to murder innocent females. There has been a whole string of crimes like this. First there was the sexual assault and murder of a women on the bike trail near my house. And now the brutal murder of the Amish girls by a deranged man. Why all this violence? Can it all be traced to some sexual issue? Are men just more prone to act out their mental problems through violence?

Then there is the case of all the exploitation of women. I have heard stories of how women are lured into, trapped, and exploited in the pornography industry. The best way to stop this multi-billion dollar business is to boycott. It's just that simple.

And then I hear stories of boys luring girls to have sex with them, and then dumping them. They seize on girls who are naive, maybe lonely, and just want a boyfriend. But what these girls get is just a milder version of a sexual predator.

It's all really sick. Women should be treated with respect. Men need to get over their endless obsession with sex. I think the sex craze comes with all the free time and less harder labor. In the old days, after working 10 hours on the farm, men were too kaput to engage in such folly.

I know these problems I am raising have probably been going on for hundreds of years, but that doesn't make it right. Men need to get a grip and keep it in their pants. The selfishness and immaturity I see with the male gender is pathetic.

I don't say these things just because I have daughters. I am saying them because the mistreatment of women is wrong. And it is also wrong to treat them anything less than 100% equals -- no exceptions. This is a conviction I've had since age 13 (I'm 46 now). It has always bothered me.

If we started showing the respect that the 51% of the world's population deserves, maybe our species would not be so dysfunctional. And, yes, all religions must give women 100% equality as well -- I demand it. This stuff about a woman can't hold a senior leadership in a church is a bunch of crap, yet a lot of churches disrespect women in this way, and other churches, denominations, and religions do far worse.

And a note to you women -- you do not have to take any of this crap. Don't buy into this lie about "it's my role to be submissive." The word "submissive" is simply a euphemism for "exploited." You do not have to take it. Do not take any crap from any man or organization that doesn't offer you 100% respect. Now that doesn't mean you have to be an over-sensitive militant feminist. I try to be thick skinned and you should be too. You know what is innocent and ignorant, and what is intentional. So, you be the judge.

In regards to the tragedy of the Amish girls, it reminds me of a passage I once wrote in one of my short stories:

"I started crying for everything that was wrong in this world, and I cried and cried. Then I started to laugh because I knew it was impossible to cry for all the pain and suffering in this world."

I guess that's why I try to make jokes, and that's why I try to cheer up my fellow activists. I don't know. Right now I just think the world is nuts, more than ever.

Perpetual Anger

I often think about those folks in the Mideast who suffer from permanent rage -- it must be horrible for their blood pressure. I pretty much stay angry all the time too; it's just that I don't let it out by beheading people and destroy other people's property. I don't believe in that. I always try to funnel my anger into action, or righteous indignation.

So, these last few days I've been thinking about what makes me the angriest. It came to me last night as I was watching yet another frightening documentary on global warming.

What makes me the angriest are this huge group of fundamentalist Christians who will never do anything about global warming. Instead of driving less or planting trees, they will frame this pending disaster into their religious dogma. All the symptoms of global climate change will be "signs" that the Lord is coming soon. All the bad things that happen will be "punishment" for allowing gay marriages, or whatever. As the waters rise over south Florida, they will say it is because of their SINS!

Even more moderate Christians tell me that global issues are in the hands of God, that it is "all part of God's plan."

So, that's what makes me angry. On Sunday morning millions of people will be sitting in churches as some preachers screams at them about saving more souls ... because the world is coming to an end. Then, they will hop in their gas guzzling autos and well, help the world come to an end.

It's freakin' crazy. This whole world is crazy. The daily newspaper absolutely depresses me. If I didn't need it for my volunteer work, I would not open the paper. It is actually more fun to live in lala land, or to be like church people who somehow think that singing off key or participating in church socials somehow makes God happy. Yeah, right. I think what makes God happy are people dedicated to service, who are not afraid to take responsibility for the Planet, and are out on the front lines making this world better, instead of in some little building playing church.

I am doing what I can to reduce my carbon emissions, but I know there is a lot more that I can do. To the church people, I urge you to join me to help reduce all the carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere. I know you think your purpose in life is to "save souls" by getting people to say a three sentence prayer. While that makes absolutely no sense, I know that you think it's right, so that's okay. But it's going to be hard to save people who are sick, hungry, dying, or dead. And global warming is going to cause a lot of that, I believe. Not to mention the human population explosion, the mass slaughter of our Planet's greenspace, and the fouling of our water. So, go ahead, put on your little suit and tie, sit in the back of your little church, and enjoy your 40 minutes of piety, as the preacher up front lambasts you for not attending the Wednesday and Sunday night services, and for not putting enough in the plate.

Give me a break. I've really had enough. I just wish more people would start doing things that really make a difference instead of playing games. I'm 46 years old and I've watched the game playing all my life. There is only one game I know, and that is called Reality. I wish more people would play it.

The Goose

Fourth Reich

As I read more and more about the "religious wars" I simply get more disgusted with religion. Oh, the latest is that the Pope pissed off the Muslims in one of his speeches. The Muslims do, indeed, appear to be one of the more violent religions on the Planet. People use their faith to justify beheading, torturing, and honor killings, when in reality, there is NO DAMN EXCUSE for killing people in the name of ... whatever. What if I started killing people in the name of Oscar Meyers? Does that justify it? Hell no.

But that is not the point of today's post. I'm not worried about a few Islamic headhunters. What really scares me is what is going on in this country. But it's nothing new. I call it the intertwining of religion and patriotism to instill the willingness to die in the hearts of little boys -- and to instill in mothers the willingness to give up their sons. The Machine needs the cannon fodder as it now sets its sites on Iran -- a staging area for the final battle with China. Little boys are being raised in little conservative churches where God and flag become one. They tell you to honor the flag because your country gives you the freedom to worship. But what they don't tell you is that they are trying to implant a sort of perverted God and country connection, where to die for your country is to honor God. Even, though, really, Jesus doesn't mention this, but that's okay. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, including the blood of your only son!!!!

What made me write this is all the churches I've been noticing lately that fly the American flag out front. Churches are about power and control, and that is what the state desperately needs to fight its adventuristic and opportunistic wars. Willing little boys who think that "God and Country" are actually one. Program the fools, and send them off to die!

Of course, a draft would be difficult because the liberals would oppose the draft. Nope! Actually, a draft would be impossible because the slick Willies in the Board Room don't want their children to be bothered with the dirty unpleasantries of war. This is the role of the underclass. Brainwash them, program them, pump them up with this garbage about patriotism, and then send them off to attack nations that pose no real threat to us. Send them to DIE for King Bush and Master Cheney, and the Royal Neocons who gladly sacrifice the children of others for their dreams of conquest, power, and domination. Be a good little Christian and send your son off to DIE!!! And then give some stupid little speech about how he died fighting for freedom. But what is freedom? It is something you have lost because you have been programmed by The Machine.

Patriotism and religion are not one and the same. Nice try, folks.

Introducing My Podcast

Well, I completed my sixth podcast tonight and I must say that it really feels good "getting it all out." So, I'm not sure if I have any subscribers yet, other than some guy named "Jon" in the U.K. But, for so long I've read and heard things and I wished so bad that I could have a rebuttal, and now I finally can. Maybe by now I have one or two subscribers. Maybe one day I'll have a 1,000 subscribers.

Anyway, catch my show at http://www.goosed.org. The sole topic is global sustainability, and I include peacemaking as a part of sustainability. Yeah, I'm one of those left wing, liberal, progressive types that want peace, social justice, and environmental justice. Yes, I am a LIBERAL, and I am very proud of that. However, I am a switcher -- most of my life I was a right wing Republican, until I had my Great Awakening in 1997. So, I am a CONSERVATIVE too, but less proud of that because the current "conservatives" really don't follow true conservative principals at all. Rather, they've completely sold out to corporate dollars and religious hard-liners. But, in the purest sense, I support conservative values. My favorite is "individual responsibility." Yeah, whatever happened to that?

So, join me for my weekly show. The best way to hear it is to subscribe from iTunes (http://www.itunes.com). Join me in my quest to study sustainability and saving the world.

Well, I suppose I'll be blogging less now that I'm podcasting, but I plan to continue both. By late next year I would love to start getting into movies, and writing an online book. Who knows, maybe someone will publish it and I'll get rich. Just kidding! Materialism means nothing to me, honest. However, a good computer that can edit video would be nice.

Okay, that's it for now. Keep hugging those trees!

Labor, Babies, and More...

Hello, is anyone listening out there? Does anyone really care? Even today as I was driving home I found myself trying to rationalize all the clear-cutting in my area. I say to myself, 'See Goose, there are still some trees over there, and some over there too. It's going to be okay. Those naughty humans surely won't take EVERY tree!"

Like a friend of mine says, there is just something special about those trees and greenspace. They do more than anything to put me in touch with nature, and to put me in touch with God. SO WHY ARE WE SO FUCKING DETERMINED TO CUT DOWN EVERY LAST TREE AS FAST AS WE CAN?

Because we humans are, well, stupid. We are stupid as dirt. We have lost our connection with nature, and we have lost our love for nature. The natural land of the Earth is for the sole use of humans, who feel they have an absolute right to have all the children they want, who, in turn, grow up, buy cars, buy houses, and contribute to the slaughter of more nature.

"BUT THAT'S GROWTH, GOOSEY, AND THAT'S GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY!!!"

It's only good for getting more wealth to a lucky few who are already rich. In the meantime, a giant underclass is growing. The income gap between the rich and the poor is growing in the U.S. Those five kids you just had to have only dulute the cost of labor. The "MACHINE" uses your children as cheap labor, and then spits them out when done. If we had less kids, we would be in control. The corporate structure would have to pay us more and treat us better because they would be competing for a limited labor pool. But right now, we give them all the labor units they want. Reproduction is the one thing humans are good at, and even though our global population is skyrocketing, many, many people continue to have 4-10 kids.

Okay, I know this is a complex issue, and I know a lot of people will scream "immigration reform," but I see this as a world problem. I do not recognize political boundaries -- we are all one people. So, it's really us against the massive institutions that exploit us because of our own stupidity.

Stand up, oh human, and join me in the global Sustainability Movement. The first step in joining is to limit your family size. This is the best thing you can do to help the environment and avoid feeding our incredibly destructive world economy. Starve them of the cheap labor that the corporate stooges so long for. Cheat them of their quick buck. Defy them!

The Troubled Goose

Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is???

Does Anyone Really Care?

I'm starting to get really frustrated because when I try to talk to people about the serious problems our world faces, I get accused of being "doom and gloom." A famous podcaster named Eric even suggested that I am an Eeyore. This is yet another bizarre defense mechanism that people have. They just don't want to hear your bad news -- they just cut you off. They don't want to deal with it.

It's like you know something's really wrong with you, maybe a freaky mole growing on your body, but you refuse to go to the doctor. By ignoring it, people must figure, it will somehow go away.

So, when I discuss global warming, human overpopulation, and other serious environmental ills, people just see me as a negative, pessimistic person. So, HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO EDUCATE AND WARN PEOPLE IN A HAPPY SORT OF WAY?

"Hehe, the polar caps are melting. Hey, at least now we can farm in northern Canada!"

Easter Island Syndrome

Another thing that continues to haunt me is Easter Island. First off, the whole place is freaky to begin with. How did people get there? Exactly how did the civilization die? Jared Diamond's book on the subject, titled "Collapse," offered a lot of insight. And I've been thinking about it even more. It seems the island was broken into rival feifdoms and that each "lord" was competing to build the biggest and best statue to the gods. In so doing, they cut down all the trees to use for transporting the stone statues. They also seemed so obsessed with building the statues that they let other things go. In other words, it was probably THEIR RELIGION that killed them. This is just a theory, but we are sure seeing a repeat today, only on a more global scale.


"The population of Easter Island reached its peak at perhaps more than 10,000, far exceeding the capabilities of the small island's ecosystem. Resources became scarce, and the once lush palm forests were destroyed - cleared for agriculture and moving the massive stone Moai. In this regard, Easter Island has become, for many, a metaphor for ecological disaster."

Grand Oil Party

Today it was hot as hell and it makes me furious that the U.S. Congress still doesn't get it. What a pathetic joke they are. I hate having to send my taxes to a bunch of nobodies in Washington who do nothing but vote themselves raises. During the few times they actually pass major legislations, they get the lobbyists to write it for them. For the most part, Congress is made up of vast numbers of unprincipled nothingness. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but for the most part the Georgia delegation is a group of nothingness, well, at least all the Republicans (whoops, sorry). Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss are both nothingness who have made absolutely no contribution to our future.

The point is, just how many plagues does Congress need to see before they do something about global warming? My god, the Senate just passed a bill to allow drilling in the Gulf, but the idea of encouraging conservation doesn't enter their minds. Very few Senators and Representatives are willing to take a stand on perhaps the greatest issue facing our Planet in 45 million years. It is so much more convenient to deny, dispute, or just ignore the problem.

I really see the United States as the nation that can be a great leader and role model for this World, but instead we act selfishly and stupidly on every front. We were the nation that refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol because it would "hurt the economy." But the path my sorry government has chosen to take is all about putting off the long-term in favor of short-term comfort and laziness. We live in a so-called "Christian" nation where it's all about "me," and I see a major conflict with these two values.

So, in closing, I applaud the members of Congress who are standing up and speaking out about global warming. Hurray to the Democrats and moderate Republicans who actually give a damn. "BOOO" to the arch conservatives who continue to sling excuses at this issue.

Really, whether you are a Congressperson or some poor person living in an unairconditioned apartment, you still have to deal with this hot nightmare. This is a horrible crime being committed against our children, and I hold the U.S. Congress accountable for this great crime of neglect.