U.S. Chooses Oblivion

Well, this has come to be a perennial event...at international climate heating conference, all Western nations save one agree to specific emissions controls. Whod've guessed the one lonely holdout was the nation with the highest emissions? Once again, an international embarrassment. Here's a couple of juicy quotes to chew on:

“Logic requires that we listen to the science,” said Stavros Dimas, the European Union’s environment commissioner. “I would expect others to follow that logic.” (C'mon, Stavros, don't you realize you're dealing with the US, or more correctly, Idiot America? Science is viewed with suspicion here)

Countries have a choice between a comprehensive agreement or “oblivion”--Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Secretary General.

Just Another Day In Idiot America

Texas Education official fired for circulating email deemed supportive of evolution: you just can't make this stuff up. Fantasy-based thinking trumps reality every time, here in Idiot America. Once again, Chaos is supremely embarrassed to be found living at the epicenter of ignorance.

Favorite Malapropisms And Their Reflections On Users

Chaos' two favorites: the spelling of voila (from the French) as "wall-ah" or similar; the phrase "could care less" when the user means "couldn't care less."

Predatory Nation, Chapter 8: Zombie Debts

Like a voodoo priest, some enterprising souls here in the decaying Empire have figured out a way to raise deceased debts, long buried in the grave of bankruptcy, and market them to firms who specialize in "junk debt." The big lenders are involved (surprise), refusing to report discharged debts to the credit bureaus. It isn't necessary to delve far into the details of this little practice to observe that it fits nicely with Chaos' recent theme of the predatory nation that the Empire is becoming.

Scott Burns Says, "Time to Leave"

Oh, and forget about Medicare; may as well just opt-out rather than pay the increasingly inflated premiums that will occur in the future. Seriously, though, Scott has on occasion floated the idea of retiring in some cheaper country, for those spendthrifts who have participated in the greatest wealth explosion known to humankind (with, of course, its attendant waste...) and somehow failed to lay in any retirement savings. Gosh, wonder how that could happen? But happen it apparently has, to a number of residents of the Empire, and a few more who will be facing retirement age, and of course only a fool would assume the government would take an interest in this phenomenon, beyond mere lip service. What's new in today's column, however, is the frank admission that one might go ahead and not only retire to another country, but not participate in the Medicare program at all. (Scott suggests making "other arrangements," without specifying what those might be...). Those students of collapse who have read Tainter will note that opting out of a country's programs or facilities is one of the features of a disintegrating civilization. If you'd like to read the conventional response to the healthcare problem in the Empire, today's paper of record provides this fruitless survey. Ponder well, readers who still believe in American exceptionalism. That ship has sailed, in Chaos' opinion.

Wow! Another Reason To Leave...

Garrison America, the title of a recent study by two economists, finds that 25% of the labor force in the Empire is devoted to policing itself, through "guard labor," whether actual security guards or imposing "work discipline" at factories, corporations or elsewhere (how's that for an Orwellian phrase?). This 25%, of course, is unique among other Western nations, but that's pretty much true about most every alarming statistic you can name these days, isn't it? Look for a national identity card to be instituted relatively soon (the immigration debacle would be the impetus for this), and the steady erosion of privacy of any sort to continue. Not to be outdone, however, is this article which purports to show one how to "profit" from this trend. Needless to say, Chaos was awakened from recent slumber by this pair of snapshots into the American mind....happy holidays, readers. Look for a perhaps more regular posting schedule in the coming month...

A Wonderful Holiday Video, From Japan

This small 5 minute exploration into some universal political themes kinda captures Chaos' current feelings regarding the upcoming US elections. Funny stuff, and also true. On the musical/holiday front, SOMA fm is once again offering holiday music, 2 channels this year (one suitable for all ages, the other, well, not...). Visit, and consider contributing, since the RIAA seems determined to alienate every last music aficionado through its ridiculous tactics.

A Monday Morning Rant

From the mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, of all places (you'd better believe this is truly a voice in the wilderness...), comes this very fine rant on the current political situation. It covers all the bases, in Chaos' opinion, starting with the screaming disaster that the current administration has wreaked upon the nation and the world, but also mentions a topic near and dear to Chaos' heart, that the politicians elected in a semi-free country are an accurate reflection of the public who "elected" them. Thus, George W. Bush is truly owned by the American public. (If not, of course, he'd not remain in office: there are mechanisms to accomplish this...). Chaos can simulaneously hold two somewhat opposing positions at the same time: that the current US president is perhaps the worst in history, and that a change in leadership would not change the current situation in significant ways. On the subject of rants, please consider our friend James Howard Kunstler's weekly one at his blogsite....you might disagree, but the man always has something to say, and in proper rabble-rousing fashion.

Government Mendacity: Beyond The Age of Petroleum

Nice article in The Nation, by Michael Klare, an early and often proponent of oil geopolitics. He helpfully lays it all out for those who are a little new to the subject, with an emphasis on military/political turbulence sure to occur with more and more frequency in the coming years, when access to black gold becomes harder and harder (exporting nations who realize the value of their resources are inclined to hoard, when not providing ever-increasing amounts of subsidized oil for their own populations, turbocharging the decline rate...). Also delves into a little bit of "government-speak," describing how changing the definitions helps keep the sheep from learning the truth--that we are about to begin a most interesting time, when cheap energy is no more, and a new way of life will be forced upon most of the world. Cheers.

U.S. Carbon "Footprints," State by State

Chaos came across this chart, which purports to rank the various states of the nation in carbon usage per capita, accounting for those with larger populations, like, for example, California. Sure enough, Texas is one of the worst (or maybe the worst) states in the nation, having an extremely large population with astoundingly large carbon emissions. Those who actually reside here should not be surprised. To reiterate...geography matters, and will matter more later. Buy a globe, and start looking around.

Straight Talk About Gambling: James Howard Kunstler

This man, author of The Long Emergency (a fine and chilling introduction to a few of the issues discussed here), has a weekly blogpost/commentary on the passing scene. His latest is exceptional and not the sort of stuff you're likely to hear in the happy-talk media. Excerpt:

"The current mania to expand legalized gambling around the country is a clear symptom of how desperate and crazy this society has become. In a culture where anything goes and nothing matters, it is perhaps hard for the public to understand what's wrong with it. The gambling "industry" itself has very successfully masked its pernicious nature by putting across the idea that it is just another form of innocent "entertainment," on a par with pro sports, theme parkery, and Hollywood. In fact, gambling, or "gaming," as it cynically calls itself, has hijacked elements of all these other activities to conceal its main business, which is the systematic hosing of those who can least afford to be hosed.
What's wrong with state-sponsored gambling is simple: it promotes the idea -- inconsistent with the realities of the universe -- that it's possible to get something for nothing. It is unhealthy to an extreme for a society to make this idea normal because it defeats another idea that a society absolutely depends on for survival -- namely that earnest effort matters. It conditions the public to magical thinking -- a characteristic of children-- and disables their ability to function as adults. The expansion of gambling is especially tragic at a time when this society faces epochal economic problems that threaten its existence, and by this I mean the permanent global energy crisis that will require us to reorganize virtually all the crucial activities of daily life. This is a time when the nation can least afford to disable adult thinking and earnest effort." (emphasis Chaos')
Chaos has often thought that the nature of the issues rapidly approaching demands the absolute best thinking, and most assuredly not the dysfunctional business as usual approach. Corrollary: irrational, magical thinking crowds out rational responses. In light of these premises, now view the culture of the US as it really is: celebrity-obsessed, crazily religious, media-saturated, and optimistic without basis. Shiver, readers.

New York Times Columnists Are Fed UP!!

Seems that some of our newspaper brethren have gotten a little disenchanted with the somnolent American public, since, well, nothing seems to really wake them up (wonder why?). A few weeks ago, Tom Friedman exclaimed, in relation to the obdurate refusal of anyone in the country to do anything in response to the problems of crumbling infrastructure, ridiculous visa entry restrictions and aging technology: "9/11 has made us stupid...we can't afford to keep being this stupid!" (Actually, we've been this stupid for quite some time, Tom.) Last week, Bob Herbert described the process that elected George W. Bush over Al Gore thusly: "In the race for the highest office in the land, we showed the collective maturity of 3-year-olds."(And not just in the last couple of presidential elections, either, Bob). Then today, Frank Rich decides that the American public is as complicit in the continuing torture/slaughter that is Iraq as the German public during the Nazi era (a little hyperbolic, yes, but that would also assume anyone here is paying attention to the Empire's little outsourcing dilemmas, wouldn't it, Frank?) Chaos sympathizes, but wonders why it took these gents so long--Chaos figured it out long ago. Look, guys, there's a reason why things are done a certain way here in the Empire; figure it out, can't you? Here's a hint: take a glance outside the borders of the nation every so often and wonder why other nations seem not to have trouble facing the looming problems of energy dependence, global warming, environmental destruction, and the like. Most of them have a rational healthcare policy, and quite a few of them don't actually start unprovoked wars or torture people as a matter of national policy. Think about it.

More Funny Stuff

To continue with Thursday's theme...here's some very odd and amusing items from Amazon: a 220 pound elk carcass, fresh whole rabbit, and a personal tank. The comments and reviews are hilarious.

American Values #16: Meet Tila Tequila

Chaos will refrain from comment on this next narrative, since it pretty much speaks for itself as a reflection of current American values. Chaos fondly recalls the startup days of the music channel MTV; many idle hours were spent (in various states of mind...kindly do not inquire further) viewing "music videos" during the early to mid-80s. As most readers know, the channel changed and well, went in different directions, to the point that it is mostly unrecognizable to a being of Chaos' years. None of the preceding has much to do with this slightly whimsical and ironic description of the current offering: Tila Tequila's A Shot of Love. Peruse it, and ponder what values are possessed by the citizens of the Empire watching this particular program.

Some Funny Stuff To Start The Day

Chaos has noticed that it has been kind of a while since any humor was posted here; apologies offered for the lack. To make up for it, (and perhaps expose readers to yet another online 'world') here's the Best of Craigslist for your amusement...

Conspiracy Theorists, Put On Your Tinfoil Hats

Yes, it's another edition of Scary Stuff About The Government...bet you didn't know that the US government claims authority to confiscate gold, silver, and pretty much anything else it deems necessary to enable wars with any nation, at all, under any circumstances. Here's a letter from an actual US Treasury official to prove it. Secondly, one should be conversant with "Operation Vigilant Shield," the government plan to use the military domestically in case of a "national emergency," terrorist-induced, natural disaster, trumped-up reason, whatever. Unprecedented in scope, absolutely frightening in its potential. Also note that an "exercise" in the quoted plan is scheduled for this month. Just a few chilling thoughts to accompany the change in season....

American Values #19: Guns, Guns, Guns

In our continuing series of exploration of American values, we have been remiss in remarking upon the vast quantity of firearms owned by citizens of the Empire, apparently in the belief that they will have to undertake self-defense measures against: 1. invading criminals, and 2. a despotic government. Chaos has news for the latter: the government has already taken away most civil rights, so any firepower an individual citizen has will be overwhelmed by 'Blackwater' forces. At any rate, here's the proof: 90 out of 100 people in the US own firearms.

But It's Better, There: A Vacation Spot

To balance out the torrent of ever-worsening news (ok, to be fair and balanced, small signs of improvement are noted, but their tiny size and effect is also remarkable, in the face of the massive change necessary to deal with the converging catastrophes...), here's a place you can go to learn what an actual "sustainable community" looks like. Ecoreality, a website and a community village in British Columbia, has a set of detailed instructions for those who are ready to "walk the walk." You might be surprised at how simple and unassuming such a lifestyle is, and yet how unattainable, psychologically, to those trapped in the consumerist bubble. (Chaos is pointedly not noting how much earlier holiday marketing is starting this year....)

No, No, It Really Is Worse, Here

Just a quick headline to make a quick point: not for nothing has the benighted place where Chaos resides been called "The World Capitol of Ignorance" (well, ok, Chaos called it that). In contrast to the bicycle heavens of Portland, OR, or Amsterdam (or anywhere else, for that matter) the city has little or no amenities for anything other than motor vehicles, and sports a distinctly hostile environment for pedestrians. Here's the proof: study shows the city has the worst record in the state for pedestrian fatalities, and of course, much worse than the national average. So our lesson for today (and with apologies to Sgt. Phil Esterhaus) is, "let's be very careful out there," especially if you're on foot.

The Predatory Society

An interesting theme to life in the Empire has recently bubbled up into Chaos' consciousness...along with some recent items in the media, of course. The first, oft-commented upon here, is Michael Moore's Sicko, wherein the healthcare industry (and Chaos is quite deliberate in word choice here) takes full advantage of those customers who have little or no power to fight back. This last is not an unreasonable interpretation of people's experiences depicted in the film. Further, Chaos recently viewed a somewhat similar documentary dealing with the credit card industry, Maxed Out, in which individuals who have gone bankrupt (made more difficult by the changes pushed through by the same credit card companies) are then targeted by these same companies, simply because their track record establishes them as the prime candidates for more irresponsible running up of debt. Finally, this article in the nation's paper of record reveals that private investment companies have bought up chains of nursing homes, insulated themselves from liability by creating networks of interlocking corporate entities, and then cut services and staff, resulting in unnecessary deaths among the "customers." This theme of the predatory society is, to Chaos' experience, new, and has attracted the attention of some rather esteemed people. To add to the commentary, Chaos notes that a good deal of the Empire's economy is now devoted to impoverishing the lower and middle classes through the machinations of these greedy corporations. How long can you gamble, readers, that you will not find yourself caught in one of these nefarious schemes that masquerade as "services?"

A Few Useful (!) Links To Self-Sufficiency

For those sentient beings who have figured out that the maintenance of a high energy, wasteful, super-consumptive lifestyle is, well, unsustainable, or who merely wish to cushion themselves from the inevitable and enormous increases of basic necessities (like food and water, for example) here are some interesting items to get started.
Water: an extensive review of rainwater harvesting in Chaos' most unfortunate home state (warning: pdf file)
Food: Carolyn Baker interviews a couple of small organic farmers in Vermont, including why they chose this lifestyle, benefits, etc.
For further reading: Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology, Eric Brende. Chaos, having purchased this book recently at a used bookstore, can highly recommend it.

Let it not be said that doomerism is, necessarily, depressing...

Introduction To Richard Heinberg: Peak Everything

This man, author of Party's Over and The Oil Depletion Protocol, has a new one out: Peak Everything, wherein apparently the author has discovered (or just read Lester Brown) that most of the planet's "renewable" resources aren't that renewable after all, especially when exponential human economic growth consumes them all. No, seriously, here's a nicely-written introduction to the latest, for those who can't wait to see it at the 1/2-priced bookstore.

The Increasing Power of Diminishing Marginal Returns

Chaos likes this post quite a bit: Sharon Astyck of the Energy Bulletin explains why we (the collective "we") don't have the resources (or "money," to be reductionist) to accomplish the tasks we need to in order to address the converging catastrophes that loom in front of us. Anyone who's read Tainter will immediately get it, but the rest of the somnolent public will continue to be clueless. However, a look around will provide ample evidence of the principle of diminishing marginal returns on complexity: freeway building, for one; healthcare, for another. Any others that spring to mind?

New Perspective On Dumpster Diving

Very fine exploration of the art of living without a salary occurs in this article,(registration required) featuring a former Barnes and Noble executive who gave up her expensive (and energy-intensive) lifestyle for something simpler and (vastly) cheaper. Short version: she and other like-minded individuals have learned how to scavenge for food in the wasteful environs of Manhatten (funny also that the article originates in the Los Angeles Times...). Interesting concept of living off the detritus of society...not replicable on a larger scale, of course.

Health Care Update

Well, several months after the truth leaked out about the US healthcare system, in the form of the most excellent film Sicko, have the American people risen up to demand universal, affordable healthcare? They have not, of course, and the dysfunctional system continues to roll on, and roll over its victims (sorry, the people who are forced to use it). Here are the latest figures on the carnage: cost of employer-sponsored health insurance premiums rose 6.1% this year, lower than the actual costs of medical care, reflecting a cutting back of benefits (in other words, less care for the same money...). Average total cost of health insurance premiums for family of four: $12,106. Health insurance costs have risen 78% since 2001. Oh, and the number of uninsured increased by 2 million people. For more, check out this article, while reflecting upon how long one would wish to gamble that health insurance will continue to be available at any price, and if used, will actually cover what ails you...

Another Bicycling Heaven: Amsterdam

Since the enlightened US city of Portland was featured here last week, Chaos stumbled onto this photo essay on bicycling in Amsterdam. Multiple pleasures here: the everyday nature of the activity is reflected in the dress and mannerisms of the people photographed using their incredibly ordinary and functional vehicles. The US-centric tourist/photographer's somewhat ignorant comments contrast with those who've had actual experience in the country and are entertaining as well. One need not stretch the imagination much to envision a lower energy future, for that exists today in places elsewhere. Unfortunately, this series of photos is as much a reflection of the values of the populace as the mass transit and bike lanes of Portland. Without changing the culture, the infrastructure will not magically appear...

American Culture In A Nutshell

Read this account of something called the "MTV Music Awards" and explain to Chaos why American culture has not become corrosive. Chaos cannot imagine how anyone who is paying attention could rationally choose to raise a child in this sex-crazed, consumption-addled, brainless culture.

A Shining City On The Hill

Try to watch this video, if you can without becoming nauseous at how the most advanced and progressive city in the nation emphasizes people over motorized vehicles. The innovations are simply stunning to those who live in asphalt wonderlands such as the miserable locality in which Chaos resides. Also, note that Portland is in fact an anomaly: there is no other city which has demonstrated this degree of progressivity. An interesting phenomenon, simultaneously
giving one hope that at least some people are actually capable of moving in the proper direction, while depressing in its rarity. (repeat after Chaos: it will never happen here...)

Pigs At The Trough: Obesity Nation

Here's an interesting and dramatic graphic (click on each year to show the increase) indicating how people in the Empire have increased their girth (and let's not forget their resource "footprint") in the last 20 years or so. Especially topical today, since recent findings show that obesity continues to reign supreme in the fattest nation on the planet (click on this article to find out how your state ranks in obesity...). There are just so many things one could say on this subject: the crappy industrial food system and it's never-ending quest to put more bad food into customers bodies, the lazy and sedentary population of retards that constitute the public, the ridiculous emphasis on motor vehicles and endless easy motoring that this society is determined to preserve at all costs, and so on, but really, why? The subject of obesity is not really a brain-teaser by any means: the solutions are well-known and obvious, but the nation's culture precludes meaningful change. Cynically,

Chaos

Rapidly Accelerating Global Heating Melts Antarctic: World Shrugs

From the "News That Just Keeps Getting Worse and Worse" Department (which, in itself, is quite a large department, encompassing as it does the Iraq "war," global heating, species and habitat destruction, healthcare, and US politics in general), comes this now familiar piece which in essence conveys that glacial melting due to global heating (oh wait, that's just an invention of Al Gore's to bedevil the Fox News crowd in the US, not an actual phenomenon, or maybe it does exist, but it's a natural occurrence, which shouldn't concern us, because 1. it's not our fault, and 2. we can't do anything about it anyway) is proceeding much much faster than our best scientific minds can project it. Just another day in Cheap Energy Wonderland, though, because nothing is happening to stop it. (To be fair, what really needs to happen is not going to happen for quite some time, most surely not until it is way too late; Chaos is speaking, of course, of a massive dieoff, but let's not talk about such depressing stuff, shall we?)

Taking A Stroll Through A Dumbed-Down Nation

Ever wonder why so much stupidity exists here in the Empire? This somewhat long, but nicely entertaining article ("Greetings From Idiot America") should more than suffice. Money quote:
"The rise of Idiot America is essentially a war on expertise. It's not so much antimodernism or the distrust of intellectual elites that Richard Hofstadter deftly teased out of the national DNA forty years ago. Both of those things are part of it. However, the rise of Idiot America today represents--for profit mainly, but also, and more cynically, for political advantage and in the pursuit of power--the breakdown of a consensus that the pursuit of knowledge is a good. It also represents the ascendancy of the notion that the people whom we should trust the least are the people who best know what they're talking about. In the new media age, everybody is a historian, or a preacher, or a scientist, or a sage. And if everyone is an expert, then nobody is, and the worst thing you can be in a society where everybody is an expert is, well, an actual expert."
Read the rest of it; like a bracing slap of Aqua-Velva, it will shock and refresh you at the same time.

The Annual Population Roundup

Since one of the "topics" here at the Edge is demographics (read: overpopulation), Chaos would be remiss if the annual Population Reference Bureau's 2007 report went unremarked. Since overpopulation is the root of most of humanity's problems, now and most especially in the future, one should become familiar with the mainstream demographers' and their predictions. Chaos is well aware that most readers will not have the time to peruse the entire report, but the executive summary(warning: pdf file) should give most at least a passing familiarity with world population growth.

Another "What Can I Do" Post

This obviously comes from the "stay put" and "bloom where you're planted" school of thought, so Chaos cannot recommend the solutions presented without a thorough geographic review, but as a public service to worried readers (and those who might actually be residing in desirable locales, as unlikely as that might seem), here' s an even hundred suggestions to get one started. More of this action may be found in the links in the article, so never let it be said that reading the Edge is an exercise in hopelessness...

US Comptroller Compares Empire to Rome

No, you just can't make this up...David Walker, US Comptroller General, likens the nation to the Roman Empire (and we all know what happened there, don't we? readers of The Bibliography will actually know why as well...). As far as Chaos knows, this is sorta, well, unprecedented in the history of the nation. Someone oughta pay attention to that, or maybe not. Chaos has seen "wakeup calls" go out with increasing regularity over the past couple of years or so, and not one of them has produced any more than that vile Internet acronym, BAU (business as usual), so it might be unrealistic to assume anything more than that.

Where Do You Stand? A Political/Social Test

Take the detailed (6 pages) test at this thoughtful website to determine where, exactly, you fall on the political/social spectrum...fun stuff, and interesting to figure out which famous characters your attitudes most resemble (Chaos' were the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela, who would've thought?).

Revenge of the Bicyclists: Critical Mass Hits the Road

This article (registration required) is for anyone who's ever taken their lives in their own hands and ridden a bicycle in today's vicious traffic, encountering the "motor vehicle first" attitudes of one's fellow citizens. Critical Mass, a monthly ride which originated some years ago in (where else?) San Francisco, from whence it spread to 300 or so other cities. Of course, the original is the still, apparently, the biggest and most radical, and herein lies the value of the article: the differing perspective of those who don't believe that bicycles should have to yield to cars. Happy riding, readers.

Why Is The US So Backward?

Here is a nice discussion on why the Empire has no coherent energy policy, especially when compared to most other Western nations. (Hint: the citizenry is stupid, politics are corrupt and favor existing big players, and the nation is just too big and unwieldy to accomplish anything like a united response). Not hopeful for those who plan to live out their years as residents of this slowly collapsing Empire...

Most Entertaining Animal Video Ever

This one here speaks for itself. Do watch the entire thing, since there's a "twist" at the end. Enjoy.

Impeachment Issue

Not that Chaos believes that these are any more than examples of hopeful liberal masturbation, but nonetheless, reading them can give one a sense that the "meme" of impeachment of the ridiculous puppet George W. Bush and his evil puppetmaster, Richard Cheney, has reached a critical mass. The first is a transcript of interviewer Bill Moyers and two rather credentialed commentators on why impeachment of these rulers is completely necessary and vital to those who will succeed them. If you've never looked into the issue before, some of the implications are mildly interesting. The second is a riff by one of Chaos' recent favorites, David Michael Green. You have to hand it to the man; he makes impeachment seem like a walk in the park, which it most assuredly would not be, and once again, Chaos has to note that these examples are simply not going to happen. As thought experiments, however, they're excellent.

Cracks Appear In The Matrix: Healthcare Film Reveals Geographic Disconnect

Chaos considers the premiere of Michael Moore's newest work, Sicko, to be a watershed moment in the recent history of the Empire. Not too proud to occasionally take an "attaboy," Chaos points out that the US healthcare system has been featured regularly here on the Edge, and many posts have discussed in detail its many failings and lack of potential to change. Nonetheless, the facts presented in Sicko are not, perhaps, of much moment. The visualization of real faces to go with these statistics is in part, what gives the work it's emotional power, along with the stark question posed 2/3 of the way in: "is this what we've become?" In this way, the film's underlying message subtly shifts to that of values--the values of the US public in particular. Sadly, there seems to be little potential for change. Oh, there are quite a few very good ideas to restructure the system (for some of the best, read this), but the lack of will in the Empire today is simply stunning. (For more enlightenment, read this memo from an insurance company executive). Chaos highly recommends the film, for the reasons previously stated, and one more: a sea change in national politics is underway...observe whether this film and a growing consensus that the healthcare system is broken will result in meaningful change or merely nibbling around the edges whilst business as usual continues. Longtime readers will know Chaos' prognostication in this area...

A Couple of Bracing Antidotes

Here is a fine example of the kind of thinking we need more of these days...the first is from The Oil Drum poster ResponsibleAccountable, posted on perhaps the premier liberal blog DailyKos. Chaos will reproduce it in its entirety, but the full post (with comments) can be found here.

"Stop blaming the Republicans for the War in Iraq. Just stop it.

I am so very tired of it. I hear it day-in day-out. And I am sick of it. Stop blaming Bush. Stop blaming Cheney. Stop blaming the lot of them.

The fault lies entirely with you.

It is your fault. All of you. The American people. You refuse to change your habits, you refuse to do anything about the unsustainable lifestyles you are leading. You sack any political leader that dares challenge you to do so.

Yet you refuse to really bother to understand the world as it is, and not as you wish it were, or as your wasted hours in front of the TV surrounded by your trinkets have hypnotized you into fantasizing it is.

What do I mean by how it really is? Well, for one, our food production is entirely based on petrochemical based fertilizers and pesticides and massive supplies of oil to power machinery.

The so-called Green Revolution - that's all it was... pumping oil into our food supply. Pouring massive supplies of stored sunlight onto our crops. Turning millions of energy-slaves onto our farms - a barrel of oil has 25,000 man-hours of work in it. For every barrel you consume you have the equivalent of a dozen men working for you 8 hours a day, all year long.

Without the oil inputs the food supply would collapse... ignoring all other consequences a moment - think about that. The food supply would collapse. Pause and remember what collapse really means.

And world oil production peaked in 2005 and has not been as high again since. Now, it isn't the planet running out of oil that causes us problems - there is still as much left in the ground as we've used to date...

No, it is the fact that the rate at which we can get it out has peaked and from now one we will get an ever decreasing amount of oil out every year. Less oil will be available this year than last. Less next year than this.

Even as demand grows, the supply is declining frighteningly. Mexico - the second largest exporter of oil to the US, after Canada and ahead of Saudi Arabia - Mexico's oil production is crashing. It is falling at more than 10% per year. Almost every single major oil producer in the world is in terminal decline. There is increasingly less and less oil in the world being chased by more and more people. We in America have 5% of the world's population and consume 25% of its oil. That leaves a lot of pissed off people in the world. That's why we fight bloody messy wars to secure access to it.

But we'll get back to that in a moment.

So, the oil supply is declining, yet your demand for it is increasing. This leaves an ever widening gap. Which means shortages. Gap between supply and demand. Shortages. Pretty simple.

Even if there might be ways to mitigate some of this we won't be able to do it. Everything about our economy is so dependent on a complex system of oil inputs that any serious shock to that system will cause a catastrophic collapse. People didn't starve in the great depression so much because of lack of food - it was an inability to get that produce to market as the economy collapsed.

And that was food. Essential and straightforward. Imagine how much harder it will be to do complex engineering projects like alternative energy, electrification, public transportation projects... not a chance.

We are talking about nothing less than the end of everything. Remember the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that shocked you so much when you saw it on TV? Picture that everywhere. Across the nation. All the time. With no cavalry coming over the horizon, however late, to save the day.

Try going hungry for a couple of days. Then on the third day, with the stores empty, no money and no transportation... what are you going to do? Think what are you prepared to do when your child is hungry and you have no money and no food to eat? Now think what others might be prepared to do when they are in that spot.

This is the world we face by continuing to consume at the unsustainable levels we are doing.

But you won't do anything about it. You refuse. None of this is new information. None of this is hidden away in secret files somewhere. You are surrounded by the evidence. You have been told it so often in so many ways. But you won't do anything about it. You refuse.

So we, your elected leaders, we have to go out there and kill thousands - hundreds of thousands - of Arabs to secure future supplies of the thick black lifeblood of our current decaying lifestyles. Not personally I might add - thankfully at least you give us your kids to sacrifice on these military adventures, I'll give you that. I just wish you wouldn't complain about it so much.

Don't complain about the press not telling you that the Administration lied to get you into Iraq? They didn't tell you because no-one with any critical thinking skills, no-one here in Washington, no-one... i mean NO-ONE, believed it to be anything other than what it is. A desperate attempt to secure control of energy resources, while we still had some semblance of military pre-eminence. Some believed it was the wrong strategic move and argued so. But the fact you didn't get it is your fault not theirs.

Don't complain about how the Democrats didn't stand up to the Republicans on the war. You wouldn't let them. You voted repeatedly for scare tactics and faux strength manifested in cliched rhetoric and high-school level macho.

Don't blame the Republicans themselves. They just kept giving them more of what you asked for time and again, election after election - both through your votes and through your sitting on your backsides at home not bothering to come out and vote. (Whichever category best fits you)

When Dick Cheney said that the American way of life is non-negotiable, he wasn't being some stubborn ass, or some evil mastermind. He was stating a fact. The American people will not elect a leadership that will make them change their way of life. It will kick out anyone that tries.

So, instead we do what you demand of us: we will kill over half-a-million Iraqi men women and children. We have done. And we promise to keep doing so. We will kill them in their thousands. Millions if we have to.

And if that doesn't work we'll go out there and start killing Persians. We will slaughter them. We'll drop nuclear weapons on large civilian populations if need be. We will do anything not to have to make you change your way of life. This we promise you. Because that is what you demand.

Of course, we'll leave it for someone else to tell you - when all of this has finally failed - when your insatiable thirst for oil remains unslaked - while you still long to remain the overseer to your fossil-fuel energy-slaves - something shocking will happen.

Well, when I say shocking, it shouldn't be of course. When I sit down this evening, to relax with a beer after talking with you, something natural will occur. As I drink, the amount left in the bottle will decrease. If I speed up my rate of drinking the rate of decrease speeds up too. Eventually... fairly soon if I keep drinking at a rapid pace... eventually my bottle is empty. At that point I realise that a bottle holds only a finite amount of beer. It isn't much of a shock to me.

It shouldn't need saying, but perhaps we should repeat it every morning when we wake up: There is only a finite amount of oil on the planet. Once we exhaust fossil fuels they are gone. Forever.

And we just talked about what happens at that point. The picture is a very dark one. A precipitous collapse. A disintegration of everything we know. And a lot of people will die.

Even though we'll have kept killing the Arabs, then the Persians, eventually Venezuelans - heck possibly Canadians too - just as we promised to do.

...well, at least as long as we could keep getting away with it - we may actually be surprised at some point down that road to run into an immovable barrier of world resistance... but that is a whole other topic for another time.

Even with all of the killing you have demanded that we your elected leaders command the troops of our nation to instigate, all we'll have done is put off the collapse, made it later, eliminated any possibility of any mitigation whatsoever, and made the fall oh so very much worse.

So, please. Please. I ask of you one thing - and it isn't: "vote for me for President of the United States of America". I'll do that plenty in the coming months, so let's give that one a miss tonight.

I ask of you one thing: stop blaming psychotic Republicans, or ineffective Democrats, or sinister Cheney, or buffoon Bush, or Machiavellian Rove, or some evil cabal. stop blaming anyone for the war in Iraq, but yourself. It is your fault. And it is time to face up to that.

It's hard. It's painful. But it is time to grow up and see things as they really are. And vote.

Realise you aren't in high-school anymore. It isn't someone else's job to make your decisions for you. Many will step up and offer to do so if you let them - but you won't like those decisions if you do.

Those of you with family, with kids... Do you want any chance of a future whatsoever that doesn't involve losing everyone you know and care about? Then take responsibility. Decide right now to change. Fundamentally. Immediately. If not those children of yours will probably die alarmingly soon. And not well.

Once I am elected President of the United States of America, I will ask one more thing of you. I will put it to a vote.

Quite simply: Do you want us to make the radical changes to every area in public life that will be necessary to completely restructure society to a sustainable model as quickly as possible, to the benefit of the most people possible, and do you want it to start now? Or, do you want us to keep on killing Arabs, then Persians and whoever else we need to in order to buy a couple more years of this unsustainable lifestyle that is making you miserable anyway?

If you choose the former I will do whatever it takes, and pay whatever price necessary, to save what I can of this great nation of ours for the future. If you choose the latter... well I am sure somebody will give you what you ask for...

And that's it really.

Now, no Democrat will say that. I have no interest in a Republican getting nominated, but I reckon if someone like John McCain took a platform like this to try to revive his campaign he'd be a shoo-in. But the R's won't either.

No-one will. But it needs to be said....

...and read The Oil Drum even if you just have time for the daily Drum Beat... I promise you in a few years time you will be very glad you did..."

If that's not enough for you, try this one, courtesy of David Michael Green (author of 36 Signs Your Empire's Crumbling....if you recall). Of course, this person evidently believes that a mere changing of the guard from perhaps the worst president in US history will be sufficient to cure most of the Empire's ills, a position not in accord with Chaos' estimation of the situation. However, some interesting points as to why the US public is simply incapable of democracy at this very moment.

Your Turn To Laugh At The Neaderthals: Ship of Fools

More funny stuff, although actually scary too...reporter for UK's Independent got himself a berth on the National Review's cruise for conservatives. The hijinks are just, well, incredible, as well as the ridiculous attitudes of those in attendance. Think well on this, though, because this is an actual snapshot of perhaps 20% of the US public (Chaos' wild ass guess).

Pirates and Emperors: A Funny Video

Yes yes, Chaos is putting off posting on Michael Moore's Sicko, since it calls for quite a long and detailed exposition and Chaos is not quite yet in the mood...so here's more funny stuff. A clever and oh-so-true video tells us that there really isn't much difference between emperors and pirates, except perhaps that of scale.

Funny Endless Growth Stuff From The Onion

Readers wanting comic relief (because there's an upcoming post about the healthcare system) should check out this uproarious article from the masters of satire, The Onion. Exerpt:
"As we move into the 21st century, it is our responsibility to think of the future of the earth—not for ourselves, but for those who will inherit what my husband and I leave behind when we're gone. If we do not join together and do what's best for this, our only planet, there may not be an environment left in which my five children, and their 25 children's 125 children, can grow up and raise large upper-middle-class families of their own."

Enjoy.

An "Action" Post: Carolyn Baker, The Spirituality of Collapse

For those who have read the relevant literature (and videos, see Chaos' bibliography...), and have that all-too-common response: "what can we do," here is an article which will address that, perhaps in spades. Beware: Carolyn Baker is a fast-crash doomer who fully embraces the concept of imminent collapse and is articulate enough to be dangerous, in the manner of a Derrick Jensen, let's say. In other words, be careful what you wish for...relevant quote:

"The first thing I'm not going to tell you is that collapse can be avoided or that human ingenuity and technology will come up with something to spare us from it. I'm not going to tell you that there will be some mass movement-some magic http://www.collapse.org/ that will organize progressives into a groundswell of protest, writing letters to Congress, creating blogs and websites, supporting the "right" candidate, and asking for donations. No, what I'm going to tell you is that as a nation and as a planet, we are screwed, fucked, and shit out of luck, or if you prefer Spanish, estamos jodidos."

Read the rest at your peril, or perhaps, enlightenment.

Too Many People Ruin Wineries

From the "the root of the problem is just too many people" department, comes this story about how ever-larger crowds have poisoned the atmosphere of the genteel wine tasting and generally, messed it up for everyone. Just a tiny story, the subject of which is not likely to be of interest to any but snobby New York Times readers and oenophiles, but do recall Dr. Bartlett's primary point about overpopulation. Readers are conditioned to view endless growth in population as beneficial, but in fact, humanity's gigantic footprint is poisoning the planet. This story provides a clue that endless population growth results in negative consequences.

Another Reason to Move to Europe

High speed trains. Ever heard the phrase? No? Well wonder why no more...it's because there aren't any in the Empire (well, maybe a couple of Amtracks from DC to Boston or some such, but outside of that). Not so across the Pond, where this graphic come to us, displaying a good portion of the "continent" overlaid with rail lines, and usable by people at that. What a concept! If the people in the Empire are so smart, why haven't they thought of this? Hmmm...well, here's the accompanying article. If you want more, a couple of days ago on The Oil Drum an expert article was posted on the same subject. Let it never be said that Chaos is immune to synchronicity....

Two Hits By Our Favorite Dystopian Writers

James Howard Kunstler's Clusterfuck Nation, a weekly commentary on subjects covered in The Long Emergency (Peak Oil and the collapse of American suburbia), has a screamingly funny analysis on the modern male modes of apparel.

Joe Bageant, chronicler of the spiraling cultural downshift of the US and expat resident of Belize, discovers the destructive power of human overpopulation in this typically eloquent essay, posted on The Oil Drum poster Cid Yama's interesting blog.

Just a Couple of Thoughts on I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby

Recent happenings, (although Chaos admonishes readers to heed our friend Dmitry Orlov and ignore all national politicians, since they are mere distractions...) specifically the Boy Emperor's commutation of the jail sentence of the convicted perjurer and noted liar Libby, portend the attack of Iran by the US. Why? The commutation indicates that said Emperor cares not a whit for what the rest of the nation thinks, and is inclined to throw caution to the winds and attack yet another nation in the mideast, despite the many disastrous consequences which would most certainly result. Chaos hopes readers who are still residing in this benighted country have gotten their bugout plans at the ready....

Headline of the Day (Hell, the Week, the Month, the Year)

"Paris Hilton's Garbage Sells Big On Ebay"

Is this what we've become? Yes, it certainly is. There is no way to deny it, minimize it, or rationalize it away. Kunstler is correct: the American public lacks the character to do anything more than sit on its fat ass and watch Paris Hilton on TV, after an exhausting day of mindless shopping.

Quote of the Day

"At the age of 25 most people were finished. A whole goddamned nation of assholes driving automobiles, eating, having babies, doing everything in the worst way possible, like voting for the presidential candidate who reminded them most of themselves" ---Charles Bukowski

Where To Live; One Guy's Opinion

Chaos hopes you haven't been thinking that this topic has been abandoned here at the Edge. Here's one very thoughtful fellow's opinion (Nate Hagens from oft-quoted The Oil Drum):

"The best places in the world will be the ones with a combination of the following things: the most social cohesion (strong reciprocity), the highest renewable infastructure, the smallest amount of energy required for basic human needs (food, water, shelter) (This means high degree cooling or heating locations lose points), a high biomass to human ratio, the best aggregate of human, social, built and natural capital. If you fall in the camp thats worried about nuclear war, a city in the southern hemisphere would be optimal, as they dont share air circulation with the north. A city near water and rail will have big advantages over one just served by air and road."

Chaos can't add to that, right now.

One American Who "Gets It"

Prepared Statement of Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-6-MD)
U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
Hearing on Energy
June 15, 2007

I appreciate the opportunity to testify today before the Members of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission concerning energy.

The Commission has been charged to examine and report to Congress about energy considering: “The effect of the large and growing economy of the People’s Republic of China on world energy supplies and the role the United States can play (including joint research and development efforts and technological assistance), in influencing the energy policy of the People’s Republic of China.”

Energy is a topic of intense interest and concern to me. I have been studying energy, and in particular oil, for the past 40 years. I believe that energy will be the dominant issue affecting our nation and our world in the 21st Century. In 8,000 years of recorded history, we are 150 years into the Age of Oil. This period of 150 years has lulled Americans, but not our counterparts in China, into a false sense of complacency.

I am among few people in America and the West who believe that we’re about half-way through the Age of Oil. I say that, although all petroleum experts acknowledge that the world will peak in oil production – reach a maximum – with declining production at ever increasing costs after that time. Most petroleum experts reviewed in a March 27, 2007 GAO report that I commissioned project that for all practical purposes peak is imminent – that it will occur before 2020. Global peak oil might not be a problem if demand were not increasing exponentially about two percent per year. Because demand is increasing and the U.S. is the most oil dependent economy in the world, GAO projects the consequences of peak for the U.S. will be devastating. After the world peaks in oil production we’ll continue to use oil for about another 150 years – but in declining amounts, instead of the increasing amounts that we’re used to.

Most people in the world and certainly most Americans are ignorant of peak oil. The Chinese are not. Peak oil was first publicly identified as a phenomenon by American oil geologist M. King Hubbert in a speech on March 8, 1956. He had noticed that all oil field production follows a bell curve. It increases, reaches a peak in production and declines thereafter. He reasoned that if you added up all of the peaks from many fields, you could calculate the peak for larger regions, countries and the world. In 1956, he projected that the U.S. lower 48 states would peak in production in 1970. At that time, the U.S. was the King of world oil production -- the biggest oil producer and consumer in the world. Hubbert was vilified. But he was right on. The U.S. peaked in oil production in 1970. Hubbert predicted the world would peak about now. If Hubbert was right about the U.S. and the U.S. is a microcosm of the world, why wouldn’t he be right about the world? In fact, 35 of the 48 major oil producers in the world have peaked in oil production.

I led a delegation of nine Members of the House Armed Services Committee on a trip to China over the New Year that focused on energy. Without exception, every Chinese official that we met began our discussions by telling us that they were planning for “post-oil.” Post-oil. The Chinese are planning for global peak oil in 2012. They are planning now for a world without oil as a major energy source. I wish our government leaders and Americans understood the necessity to prepare for a post-oil world.

The Chinese understand that the Age of Oil will be a blip in world history. Global peak oil will not be the end of oil – but it will be the end of cheap oil and cheap energy. Because we have built a lifestyle and a civilization in the United States that is totally dependent upon cheap oil and cheap energy, peak oil poses a challenge that our country must overcome.

I referred earlier to a report that I commissioned by the GAO. This was the fourth federal government report warning about peak oil. The Department of Energy commissioned two reports about peak oil by a team led by Robert Hirsch so they’re known as the Hirsch reports. The first Hirsch report was released in February 2005. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commissioned a report released in September 2005. I also recommend the Commissioners read a an incredibly prescient speech about energy given by Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy just about 50 years ago on May 14, 1957. All of these reports and the Rickover speech are posted on my website at www.bartlett.house.gov/EnergyUpdates.

What concrete steps can we observe that China is taking to prepare for peak oil and post-oil? They have a five point plan. 1. Conservation 2. Increase the proportion of domestic sources of energy. 3. Diversify sources of energy. 4. Limit negative impact on the environment 5. Engage in international cooperation. These are exactly the correct steps and steps that the U.S. should be undertaking.

I have attached to my testimony two charts. The first is called The World of Oil. It depicts countries based upon the proportion of oil reserves. The second chart illustrates that China is scouring the world and buying up oil assets. They are also aggressively building a blue water navy. They don’t need a blue water navy for Taiwan. American government officials have told me the Chinese don’t understand that in a world market, energy is fungible. I don’t find this argument at all persuasive. I think China is preparing for a world where resource nationalism, not market forces govern the allocation of energy. China is preparing for cooperation or confrontation to address a post-oil world.

The U.S. is not preparing at all.

America and the world will transition from fossil fuels, including oil, to sustainable, renewable sources of energy. We can choose to do it on our timetable or we can be forced to transition by geology. What America needs to do to avoid a really bumpy ride from peak oil, and this will require Presidential leadership, is to develop a program with three attributes: the total commitment of World War II; the technology focus and intensity of the Apollo program to land a man on the moon; and the urgency of the Manhattan Project to develop the atom bomb.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss these points in more detail. Thank you very much.

Chart To Silence The Whiny American Public

Of course, Chaos is not naive....no one will be silenced, and the infantile complaining, blaming and fingerpointing will continue as long as gasoline prices continue to "skyrocket." At least this chart (click on it to enlarge) ought to give someone in this benighted country something to think about, to the extent that "thinking" continues to be a viable way of facing tough issues, which is doubtful. Well, then...

One Nation...Under Surveillance

The State of the US Economy, Circa 2005

This long and detailed lecture by Martin Wolf, eminent economist and financial columnist for the London-based Financial Times will, if you care to digest it all, scare the pants off you if you have any interest in the future of the US economy. Even more frightening is the fact that this lecture was given in 2005; subsequent passage of time has exacerbated the trends discussed back then. Key message: the US dollar is due (perhaps long overdue) for a sharp decline, being propped up by the rest of the world and in particular, certain Asian countries whose economic development is driven by manufacture of cheap exports for the US. Certain trends can now be seen with more clarity, such as the movement of oil-producing countries to accept payment in Euros rather than dollars (Russia comes to mind, which should keep anyone awake at night), as well as foreign countries buying up the physical assets of the US. In sum, the Empire is no longer master of its own fate; indeed, it has ceded control to the rest of the world. Not good.

Toxic Environment: American Culture

Click on this link to read about Adbusters magazine's feature on the poisonous culture which surrounds those of us in the Empire today. (The magazine, for the previously unaware, focuses on the media as the corrupting agent; Chaos would argue that the media simply reflects the vacuity of the people living in this country--another example of liberals' inability to imagine or say that the vast majority of people are unconscious sheep). Many studies are cited here; for example, rates of depression, anxiety and drug problems among recent Mexican immigrants increased the longer they stayed here. The study's author concludes: "socialization into American culture and society [will] increase susceptibility to psychiatric disorders." Interesting stuff, and not available on CNN.

Behold These Words, And Despair

Cindy Sheehan, mighty voice of the anti-war movement, recently resigned from it. Her words, as always, are both insightful and impossible to argue with (unless you still believe that George Bush has your back), so here they are: (note the impossibility of accomplishing anything meaningful in this country due to the relentless partisanship of both political parties)(emphasis Chaos'):

"I have endured a lot of smear and hatred since Casey was killed and especially since I became the so-called "Face" of the American anti-war movement. Especially since I renounced any tie I have remaining with the Democratic Party, I have been further trashed on such "liberal blogs" as the Democratic Underground. Being called an "attention whore" and being told "good riddance" are some of the more milder rebukes.

I have come to some heartbreaking conclusions this Memorial Day Morning. These are not spur of the moment reflections, but things I have been meditating on for about a year now. The conclusions that I have slowly and very reluctantly come to are very heartbreaking to me.

The first conclusion is that I was the darling of the so-called left as long as I limited my protests to George Bush and the Republican Party. Of course, I was slandered and libeled by the right as a "tool" of the Democratic Party. This label was to marginalize me and my message. How could a woman have an original thought, or be working outside of our "two-party" system?

However, when I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards that I held the Republican Party, support for my cause started to erode and the "left" started labeling me with the same slurs that the right used. I guess no one paid attention to me when I said that the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of "right or left", but "right and wrong."

I am deemed a radical because I believe that partisan politics should be left to the wayside when hundreds of thousands of people are dying for a war based on lies that is supported by Democrats and Republican alike. It amazes me that people who are sharp on the issues and can zero in like a laser beam on lies, misrepresentations, and political expediency when it comes to one party refuse to recognize it in their own party. Blind party loyalty is dangerous whatever side it occurs on. People of the world look on us Americans as jokes because we allow our political leaders so much murderous latitude and if we don’t find alternatives to this corrupt "two" party system our Representative Republic will die and be replaced with what we are rapidly descending into with nary a check or balance: a fascist corporate wasteland. I am demonized because I don’t see party affiliation or nationality when I look at a person, I see that person’s heart. If someone looks, dresses, acts, talks and votes like a Republican, then why do they deserve support just because he/she calls him/herself a Democrat?

I have also reached the conclusion that if I am doing what I am doing because I am an "attention whore" then I really need to be committed. I have invested everything I have into trying to bring peace with justice to a country that wants neither. If an individual wants both, then normally he/she is not willing to do more than walk in a protest march or sit behind his/her computer criticizing others. I have spent every available cent I got from the money a "grateful" country gave me when they killed my son and every penny that I have received in speaking or book fees since then. I have sacrificed a 29 year marriage and have traveled for extended periods of time away from Casey’s brother and sisters and my health has suffered and my hospital bills from last summer (when I almost died) are in collection because I have used all my energy trying to stop this country from slaughtering innocent human beings. I have been called every despicable name that small minds can think of and have had my life threatened many times.

The most devastating conclusion that I reached this morning, however, was that Casey did indeed die for nothing. His precious lifeblood drained out in a country far away from his family who loves him, killed by his own country which is beholden to and run by a war machine that even controls what we think. I have tried every since he died to make his sacrifice meaningful. Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives. It is so painful to me to know that I bought into this system for so many years and Casey paid the price for that allegiance. I failed my boy and that hurts the most.

I have also tried to work within a peace movement that often puts personal egos above peace and human life. This group won’t work with that group; he won’t attend an event if she is going to be there; and why does Cindy Sheehan get all the attention anyway? It is hard to work for peace when the very movement that is named after it has so many divisions.

Our brave young men and women in Iraq have been abandoned there indefinitely by their cowardly leaders who move them around like pawns on a chessboard of destruction and the people of Iraq have been doomed to death and fates worse than death by people worried more about elections than people. However, in five, ten, or fifteen years, our troops will come limping home in another abject defeat and ten or twenty years from then, our children’s children will be seeing their loved ones die for no reason, because their grandparents also bought into this corrupt system. George Bush will never be impeached because if the Democrats dig too deeply, they may unearth a few skeletons in their own graves and the system will perpetuate itself in perpetuity.

I am going to take whatever I have left and go home. I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children and try to regain some of what I have lost. I will try to maintain and nurture some very positive relationships that I have found in the journey that I was forced into when Casey died and try to repair some of the ones that have fallen apart since I began this single-minded crusade to try and change a paradigm that is now, I am afraid, carved in immovable, unbendable and rigidly mendacious marble.

Camp Casey has served its purpose. It’s for sale. Anyone want to buy five beautiful acres in Crawford , Texas ? I will consider any reasonable offer. I hear George Bush will be moving out soon, too...which makes the property even more valuable.

This is my resignation letter as the "face" of the American anti-war movement. This is not my "Checkers" moment, because I will never give up trying to help people in the world who are harmed by the empire of the good old US of A, but I am finished working in, or outside of this system. This system forcefully resists being helped and eats up the people who try to help it. I am getting out before it totally consumes me or anymore people that I love and the rest of my resources.

Good-bye America ...you are not the country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I can’t make you be that country unless you want it.

It’s up to you now.

Unique Cyclone Threatens Oman, Persian Gulf

Never seen this before, not ever....there's oil production facilities out there, right? Check out this link, perhaps wonder why it wasn't on today's CNN.

Why Are Gas Prices So High? An Insider's Explanation

You can read a lot of, well, untruths about current high(er, but still not nearly high enough) gas prices in the Empire. Rarely will you hear actual explanations, backed up by "true" facts, and most especially not in the MSM. Here on the Edge, though, you can catch the real scoop simply by clicking on this fine exposition by The Oil Drum contributor Robert Rapier. An employee of an (unnamed) oil company, this person has a keen focus and his blog, R-squared, is certainly worth a read as well, if you find yourself wanting more. Contemplate the explanation given and consider emailing it to the next fool that sends you one of those ridiculous emails recommending a "boycott" of the corner gas stations.

The Upside of Down Online!!

You can now read (you can read, can't you?) the entire book, The Upside of Down, the brilliant and insightful Thomas Homer-Dixon, who has quite obviously studied other authors mentioned in Chaos' bibliography (in fact, that's a fun exercise...to figure out which ones), and more than any recent author, is skilled in presenting the issue of why our civilization, which depends mightily on huge flows of energy, is at risk for catastrophic failure. A long and extremely important read.
(Update) The link has now been removed, for unknown reasons (copyright, perhaps? giving away books is not a good business model), but not before Chaos had a chance to finish it. The work is outstanding, so much so that Chaos will buy it anyway and lend it out to local readers. The usual entry into this field of study is technical and difficult to peruse, but Homer-Dixon's work is imminently readable for non-experts. Chaos cannot recommend this book enough.

The 55 MPH Speed Limit Revisited

Uh oh, someone else has now thought of this...remember when Chaos suggested that a prudent nation would be doing something really simple and easy, like lowering the speed limit to 55mph, in response to the impending energy shortage? Well, Chaos would now bow to a much more eloquent writer on the subject, but would also have to point out that the citizens of the Empire are still no more likely to do this than stand on their heads in heavy freeway traffic....nice work, though.

Two New Houses

In the news today are a couple of interesting examples (from both ends of the spectrum) of some "alternative" houses" you might consider, if you are certain that you are in a locale you have decided has a decent chance of surviving the coming energy apocalypse. The first is a conventional-looking 2400 sq foot property located in (where else?) California, whose owners have contrived to have it completely off the "grid" due to their solar panels, battery banks, and inverters. Interesting, if somewhat conventional. Next up is the fascinating idea of building a house using living trees, pictured above. The thing appears to be a mere concept (no customers yet, but maybe soon, in Cali...) but who wouldn't want to live in an actual treehouse? Human ingenuity knows no bounds (well, except for physical limits, which the species seems to have trouble with).

Where Oil Comes From...A Story in Pictures

Did you wake up this morning wondering where the gasoline in your vehicle originated? Didn't you spend many sleepless nights thinking about where oil comes from? Did it just get deposited in the ground by magic or wasn't there something about dinosaurs? Chaos knew you did, and now there's an actual video (yes! no reading! because people just learn better with pictures!) showing just exactly how oil got made, many long years ago. Although it is quite long, with many parts, Chaos recommends you view it. Maybe it will change your perspective; who knows?

Introduction to Tom Whipple

This writer, who scribes for the Falls-Church News Press, of all places, is a consistent and effective reporter of the effects of peak oil and the Empire's lack of response to it. Today's piece, reproduced here in its entirety since Chaos has become aware of just how difficult it is to 'click' on a 'link,' gives one both a sense of the scope of the changes necessary to deal with the looming catastrophes and the ever-onrushing deadlines which will not even be acknowledged until the last minute. Something for both doomers and the kumbaya crowd, in other words. Here's the article:

"News on the gasoline stockpile situation was delayed this week due to the Memorial Day holiday. As gasoline consumption figures over the long weekend won’t be available until the middle of next week, we may get a better insight into prospects for this summer then. While waiting, however, it seems like a good time to start thinking a bit about the years ahead and what we should be doing to get ready for them.

There are two areas of energy consumption we, as individuals, can do something about: transportation and buildings. The cost and availability of our food is something that few of us have much control over. If food becomes too expensive, then we simply reduce or forego eating out; reduce our use of prepared, packaged, and expensive foods; or even reduce the quantity we consume until the costs of food meet our budget.

Commercial use of energy to make and distribute things will be sorted out by the market – here again, there is little most of us can do to effect change other than generally reducing consumption either because we are trying to save the world’s resources, or, more likely, we simply can’t afford to pay what stuff is going to cost.

Unaffordable gasoline will affect each of us differently depending on how dependent we are on our automobile and what our alternatives are. In the U.S. we have something on the order of 210 million cars and light trucks in service and, even if the resources are available to replace a fleet of this size, it will be many decades before they can be replaced with vehicles that use little or no gasoline. Worldwide, the situation is even worse.

It probably won’t be too long before we figure out whatever supplies of motor fuel are available will be better spent on growing and distributing food and maintaining vital-to-civilization systems such as water, sewers, electricity, and communications rather than being burned in private cars. For the immediate future though, unaffordable gasoline will be coped with through a combination of increased public transit and a lot more ride sharing.

Soon, there will be lots of room for changes in public policy as we tackle the job of reworking our transportation systems. For now, we are not ready to think seriously about changes, for the reality of imminent oil depletion is not widely recognized. Another three or four dollar increase in gasoline prices should do the trick.

Buildings, however, are another matter -- be they offices, factories, commercial space, or homes. In the developed world, most use prodigious amounts of energy. Although our electricity and natural gas bills currently are not increasing as fast as gasoline prices, price increases for other forms of energy won’t be many years behind. Unlike a gas guzzler which can be parked, used infrequently, or scrapped for a more efficient vehicle, few of us will have the opportunity to replace our buildings for more efficient ones.

A couple of hundred years ago most homes were heated and lit by wood plus a little candle wax. That’s obviously not going to work anymore. My guess is that most people’s access to firewood, if any, would be sufficient for a couple of days or, at best, a couple of weeks. For awhile, there will be a rush to huddling around electric heaters, but just as natural gas, oil, propane will soon be too expensive to for many to afford, large amounts of electricity will not be far behind. We are going to have to transition to solar and maybe a little wind energy to control our personal climates.

One of the redeeming features of our current living and work place arrangements is that we waste prodigious amounts of energy in heating, cooling and lighting them, so that there is a lot to be saved. We all know by now that eliminating incandescent bulbs and moving first to compact fluorescents and then, as they become more affordable, to LED’s most of the lighting costs in homes and offices can be eliminated.

Equally big jumps in household efficiency can be achieved by disconnecting clothes dryers and going back to clothes lines. Pulling the plug on the central air would be the third big energy saver.

Given the trends in fossil fuel availability, it is clear that our goal will have to be zero net energy for all our inhabited buildings. This means that the preponderance of the energy used in buildings will soon have to come from the sun, wind, water power, and perhaps a little biomass and will not be delivered in by pipe and power lines or in trucks.

The course from our current building stock to highly efficient ones will be long and difficult. Starting on this course is not difficult or particularly expensive. Plugging air leaks, adding some more insulation, and perhaps improving the window and doors is a good place to start provided one knows what to do, where to start and is physically and financially capable of taking action in the face of rapidly rising energy costs.

Later steps on the way to zero net energy buildings, such as major insulation and window upgrades, solar heating and electric panels, new heating and air conditioning equipment will be very expensive and perhaps unaffordable for many in an inflation-wracked world of depleting oil.

It is at this point that governments at all levels will need to get involved. First they must recognize that the bulk of our inhabited buildings will need to be overhauled to be useful in a world of very high priced energy. Cost/benefit ratios for steps to improve the efficiency for nearly every existing building need to be worked out.

Building codes will need massive overhaul to prevent further construction of buildings that are premised on cheap energy and that will have a very short useful lifetime. Construction of sub-divisions that do not take into account optimum sun angles should come to an immediate halt. Obsolete laws and covenants that frown on efficiencies from clothes lines to solar panels must be abolished as soon as possible.

There is much to be done and the time is growing short."

Global Heating Review

Well, here we are again...with yet another "ice melting" story. Chaos is somewhat loathe to present such repetitive material, but it seems to recur again and again. Well, at least the National Geographic story that this derives from is accessible (it has pictures! cool!) and thought-provoking. Be a dear and actually read the link. Oh wait, sorry...this article is just someone's opinion. Never mind.

Another Sign of Peak Oil

Also from the "you just can't make this stuff up" department...subtitled "Scootin on the Strip," seems able-bodied visitors to Las Vegas have taken to using scooters meant for the handicapped to navigate the oh-so-long four mile Strip. Chaos could probably make some remarks about how this reveals the true American character and why the nation will continue its fossil fuels fiesta as long as possible, but why bother? It pretty much speaks for itself, and really isn't all that shocking in the context of the entire ridiculous and wasteful insanity any thinking sentient being can discern just by looking around.

It Really Is the Health Care, Stupid

Ok, not really, and of course this has been covered before here on the Edge, but just to show faithful readers that Chaos is not just blowing smoke, here comes a seemingly objective and unbiased look at the American healthcare system, compared to five other Western nations. It should surprise no one by now that, among Germany, Great Britain, Australia, Canada , and New Zealand, the US ranks last or next to last in all categories evaluated save one subcategory (the categories were quality care, access, efficiency, equity and healthy lives). Of course, the US leads all nations in per capita expenditures in healthcare, so apparently spending money on the problem isn't working. Note: the link contains both the executive summary, which should be enough for the casual reader, and a pdf link to the entire report. The report was mentioned in today's New York Times, in the form of a guest columnist editorial. Chaos' own editorial spin on this is that the US public gets the healthcare it deserves, i.e., since there are many fine examples of alternative (and better) ways to address the issue, it isn't lack of knowledge, but lack of caring or will, if you will, which prevents the people of the nation from demanding better options.

Where To Live, The Continuing Series

Chaos has mentioned previously that thinking beings, particularly those young ones who reside in the Empire, may want to consider relocating to a safer, happier, less-prone-to-collapse country. Here's an interesting dimension to get one started: the 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks countries according to their perceived level of corruption. If nothing else, this makes for interesting reading. More thoughts on emigration tomorrow.

Overshoot Primer: The Elephant in the Room

For those who have not the time to read the classic "Overshoot" but would like to know what terms like "carrying capacity," "sustainability," "dieoff" and of course, "overshoot" mean, and why overpopulation is really the problem we need to address, but won't (of course, those who have viewed Prof. Bartlett's video will already be familiar with this issue), this post from The Oil Drum (by contributor Guilder Guider) is probably the best short tutorial. If you have time, you might read the many and varied comments at the end, and note how uncomfortable some persons are with these ideas and how they attempt, vainly, to dispute the principles. Very entertaining, and sobering. It is, of course, exactly why any "solutions" will be fruitless.

Investment Ideas From Matt Simmons

Those in the know about Peak Oil, know Matt Simmons....energy investment banker, and author of vastly important book on Saudi oil reserves (hint: they aren't as large as stated, and are probably declining more rapidly). For those readers who are interested in investment tips, here (pdf file) is Simmons' latest slide and bullet point presentation. Even if you have little or nothing to invest, the peak oil points are significant.

Collapse Scenarios Revisited, Defined

Chaos has mentioned Dmitry Orlov several times in the past, and in truth there is not very much that is completely new in this latest presentation of the US v. the Soviet Union; nevertheless, it is still a highly entertaining presentation (with slides and bullet points), which gives one an interesting perspective of someone outside the vast US media bubble. Pursuing the theme a bit more is this summary of approaches to collapse in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia; an entertaining page for those who are interested in the concept. Finally, here is a fascinating piece on the spirituality of collapse which incorporates some Buddhist and Jungian principles in assessing the likely effects of such an event.

Survey Says....US Public Infantile, Delusional

To continue on yesterday's theme (or perhaps embroider it just a bit), as gas prices head up, the clueless population of the Empire starts to whine and complain. Something must be done, they say. Of course, by "something" they mean "something that doesn't cause me pain or cost me money." If you think Chaos is being oh, a little mean, perhaps, consider these findings from a national survey undertaken for the Civil Society Institute:

"The vast majority told researchers from Opinion Research Corp. that they want sharp increases in automotive fuel economy standards, as well as new windfall profit taxes on oil companies, with the proceeds used to develop alternative fuels and to reduce dependence on unstable Mideast oil supplies." Although Americans can talk the talk, recent history demonstrates, unfortunately, that they don't walk the walk:

"Whether consumers will actually adjust their driving behavior is an open question. In the past, despite rising prices, American motorists have tended to gulp, complain, and continue their old patterns. Despite the publicity given to hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, they still make an insignificant dent on the sales charts. And as Solo noted, during the news conference, there are now fewer cars rated at 40 mpg than just five years ago.

'People want (their) problems solved for them,' conceded Civil Society spokeswoman Ailis Aaron Wolf."

Need Chaos remind readers at this point that this national infantilism and cluelessness is likely to be a hindrance when oil begins to decline?

The World Capitol of Ignorance Marches Determinedly Backward

For those who have been paying attention to the US gasoline situation recently(the best place to follow this is, of course, The Oil Drum), it is apparent that this summer will be a painful one. Gasoline stocks are at historic lows, while consumption is up, and refining capacity remains very tight. All these signs, on the eve of the "summer driving season," (what a ridiculous concept: it's summer! let's go drive!) point to ever higher gasoline prices in the next few months. Surely in a city of approximately 1.5 million, someone other than Chaos would have noticed that more people, houses, and cars is not a particularly good idea. But wait! No, it appears the region is undergoing yet another unsustainable round of explosive, sprawling growth, as evidenced by this thoughtless article: "Population is booming in that quadrant of the county, and it's expected to grow seven times over by 2030, to more than 98,000 residents. [Other areas in the region]are growing nearly as quickly."
The key to the issue lies in this language: "Families in each household make about 10 trips a day, according to city planners. And people living in far-flung sprawling areas tend to drive farther and more often." No, really? Could that be a characteristic of suburbia, profligate energy use? You don't say! Well, wonder how high gasoline prices would affect a suburban population who feel that it is their (Constitutional, non-negotiable, god-given, birth-, or whatever) right to continue to drive as much and as far as they like? To recap Chaos' rather mild and unremarkable conclusion, geography matters. The population of the World Capitol of Ignorance are among the most clueless of any, and their angry reaction when gasoline really goes through the roof will be massive and scary.

A Look At Water Depletion In Australia

Think that oil, natural gas, uranium and coal are the only resources that are subject to permanent depletion? Sorry, but even so-called "renewable" resources can behave like nonrenewables when drawn down at unsustainable rates, which, by some coincidence, is starting to happen in many parts of the world due to (you guessed it) increasing population and resource use. Particularly in the case of the world's fresh water, this is quite a cause for concern, since water is used not only for drinking, but innumerable other uses, including industrial, and agricultural. A nice snapshot of efforts to contain profligate water use in the Murray-Darling river in South Australia is contained in this article. Chaos was heartened to read that a water conservation and use plan concerning the river was making headway, but along came a severe drought, causing all plans to grind to a halt. Interesting that the underlying problems continue not to be recognized (and certainly not ever in a mainstream publication like The Economist), but Chaos supposes that when the water runs out , as it eventually will, humans may begin to see. Best hopes for population dieoff!

Collapse Revisited: Tainter's Collapse (the abridged version)

Chaos somehow doubts that most casual readers will attempt to get through what is considered the definitive work on collapse, Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies, since it is somewhat academic and scholarly, and let's face it, who reads these days anyhow (besides Chaos)? At any rate here is a much shorter link for those who wish to know why complexity leads eventually to collapse, or at least it has in the past...or is modern industrial civilization "special" and exempt from past historical experience, much like those who insist that civilization can keep growing (and destroying the planet as it does) forever, in defiance of the laws of nature, since humans are "special."