The most common argument that folks use against the case for Global Climate Change is that we have only been keeping records about weather and climate for a hundred and fifty years or so. This is only partially true. Ancient literature and artwork may not have been done by meteorologists, but they did depict or detail conditions as far back as recorded history. 17th century prints clearly show the extent of glaciers in Europe, agricultural records from Egypt and Mesopotamia detail both floods and drought. People have always known that the environment directly effects our quality of life and noted the extremes and conditions that were either bucolic or harsh. Since the development of the thermometer we have been able to put numbers to paper that represent conditions, but saying that high blood pressure didn't exist until we had blood pressure cuffs would be an obvious misrepresentation of fact.
The ignorance that fuels the "anti global-warming" crowd would be quaint if it did not jeopardize our children's future quality of life. As we see records fall, in ever more rapid succession and in larger and larger areas, it should give pause and call us to question why. When I studied meteorology as a child, and again in college, prevailing wisdom said that relatively high and low pressure cells alternated with one another. The size of these cells rarely measured more than a few hundred miles across, and the affect of "steering" winds of the jet stream on ground level conditions usually changed on a seasonal frequency. The atmosphere was relatively stable compared to what we see today.
Another myth that the anti-climate change folks cling to is the belief that, "The atmosphere is so vast that human activity couldn't possibly affect it." The weather producing atmosphere, depending on how you measure it is roughly five miles thick. To give a sense of scale, shrink the earth down to the size of an apple. At this scale, the atmosphere would be about as thick as the skin. We can document the "Brown Cloud" that wafts off China. We can see the perma-smog over more and more urban areas. We can document human health effects from fly ash piles that result from burning coal. To say that we couldn't possibly cause change in the atmosphere again flies in the face of fact. Climate destabilization seems to be the rule rather than a series of isolated events.
Dependent as we are on conditions in far away places like Florida and California, it is time that we begin to see the climate as a unifying force in understanding of and commitment to addressing this issue. Rather than just hearing on the news that orange juice or strawberries will be more expensive at the grocery stores, or that vegetables will be more expensive next year, we need to understand our part in throwing climate out of whack. It can be hard to fathom, but imagine giant columns of air rising over the landscape. Heated air, full of particulates and hazardous substances tend to rise. I live along a fifty-mile stretch of urban development. The invisible ridge that develops along the Fox River Valley can often be "seen" on radar, like a mountain range forcing the air up and over the ridge results in higher precipitation and warmer conditions as we continue to burn fuel close to the ground.
In the Winter, we have an added problem when the warm air, full of it's hazardous chemicals tries to dissipate, but encounters very cold dense air in the area. We can plainly see our emissions build up under the "ceiling". worse yet, in winter we often get alternating winds from the Southwest during the daytime hours and from the Northeast at night. As the air moves back and forth over the urban area, the same bolus of air gets filled with more and more particulates and hazardous compounds. When you think of Green Bay, Wisconsin most folks don't think of smog. Each time I get a chance to get out of town, as I come back into the urban area, I see the smog and wonder why I have to be subjected to hazardous air daily. Most urban areas are near river mouths or in river valleys because they were accessible by water when that was the primary transportation method. It was a plus that those locations were somewhat protected from major storms, but the same morphology that protected us in the pre-industrial era acts to hold in the toxins that we spew today.
I come down on the side of independent thought, looking at facts and making up my own mind on these issues. The commitment that I have made to living a conservative lifestyle is based on the research that I have done, not the catch phrases of any organization or movement. Back in the day, someone coined the idea of "thinking globally but acting locally". It is my firm belief that this is an impossible task, designed to inspire inaction rather than change. I like the opposite concept. Think and act locally. When we look closely enough at our local environment, we can see the heavy hand of man and the destructive capacity of ignorant actions. When we walk more, talk to our neighbors more and plant more of the food that sustains us in our own yards, we can live better for less, saving money and impacting the environment far less than if we rely on others to provide our every need. When we discover the art of pre-cycling, (choosing to purchase products that can be repaired, reused or recycled rather than ones that need to be discarded after a single use.) understand the joys of walking and riding bike, learn to cultivate the soil rather than hate the dirt we walk on, and learn to live in harmony with the planet rather than fearing it, we can make positive changes on scales that are unimaginable. While thinking globally might sound nice in a sound bite, it has stifled change rather than facilitating it. Future generations will depend on having clean air, water and healthy food and soil. The way most of us are living our lives has degraded the quality of all of these resources. That is why I prefer to call "resources" gifts of Creator. We have been given Eden, but we have transformed it into the world that we see reported on the news nightly. The good news is that infinitesimally small changes implemented by the billions of earth's residents have the power to create miraculous changes virtually overnight.
If we made just one resolution for the coming year, to live as if the Earth mattered, considering the next seven generations as the Native Americans called it, the change that would flow from that one change would reverse the trends toward global catastrophe. Gaia has the power to heal herself, we just need to decide whether our species will help to recreate Eden and be around to enjoy it once it has been reestablished, or whether we will fall into the group of organisms who will never exist on the planet again. Extinction is truly forever. When we begin to live as if the Earth matters, it unleashes abundance unimaginable to those who remain under the bondage of "survival of the fittest" thinking. When I realized that survival of the luckiest is the actual fact, it allowed me to rethink many of the other lies that have been perpetrated in defense of the Power and Control model. The good old boys are on the ropes, what is needed is for us to stop beating a dead horse. Walk away from the fight, and put our energies into creating the New world Order that allows competitive and short sighted power mongers no quarter. Their "reality" is flawed and we can find myriad examples of cooperative systems that affirm life rather than tearing it down. Like Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas, The Latest On Welfare for the Wealthy
I "own" two homes. At least the mortgages I pay indicate that some day I will own them...if... Well, I have been very interested in doing the "right thing" as anyone who has been reading my posts knows. This year I have installed a metal roof on one of my homes, installed two on-demand water heaters, produced even more food than last year on my own property and driven less miles than ever before. I have also invested in both insulation, air sealing and electrical energy saving devices. Because I am poor enough that I receive all of my Federal Taxes back, there isn't a single cent of incentive to help me with my energy-saving purchases. My biggest issue with this is not, as you might think, my own pocketbook. Although I would like a little help with the thousands that I have spent over the years out of my own pocket, my concern is for the affluent who are being subsidized in their quest for lower utility bills.
It is a well established fact that energy costs will continue to rise as we begin to include higher costs of procurement, negative effects of coal mining, transport and "end-use", as well as the ecological harm that results from oil and gas production, transport and use. We are past peak with regard to oil, and natural gas. 2010 saw the cost of energy rise for the first time with a concurrent drop in production. Utility companies are well aware of the fact that it is cheaper to reduce the need for more energy than to produce any additional watts, BTUs or therms. Hovering, as I do, near the poverty line, there is little to inspire my actions except for my own personal responsibility. Sometimes, doing the right thing is it's own reward. If I were rich enough to pay taxes, I would qualify for up to (what equals for me) more than a month's wages! Perhaps then I could afford to take a vacation. The ultimate benefit is financially accruing to energy corporations who reap the rewards of reduced demand. More and more of their income is based on fixed charges, service fees and procurement costs, so that they can deal with selling less energy for a higher cost. Many wealthy families might barely notice, the $1,500 Energy Tax Credit. It would hardly register on their family budget. For me to spend nearly ten percent of my annual income on energy savings means far more than someone in a 3,000 square foot drywall castle adding a few more inches of insulation to their attic. In their defense, what they save might equal my total use, but as a percentage of their bill, the savings would be minute. Surely less than running their gas fireplace for the holidays or the cost of heating the hot tub.
My investments in conservation rest solely on my shoulders. I bear the burden of their costs and reap the rewards of smaller utility bills. Several years ago, I installed what uppity solar techs call a "scorched air" furnace. It's basically a box that has double glazing on the south (sunny) side, insulation on the north (shady) side. Cool air from the house goes in on one end and warm air comes out on the other, as long as the sun is on the panel. Two automatic dampers isolate the box from the house when the sun goes down and a thermostat turns on a fan to blow cool air into the unit when the box warms up. It is a simple and elegant system that many people don't even notice sitting out behind the back porch. The solar panel cost four hundred dollars, used, and it cost about $1,000 for the installation. Right from the start, the system saved me about 1/3 of the heating bill. This unit has been producing heat sine 1972 and shows a bit of age, but works well. The system paid itself off in less than two years and now saves us nearly $1,000 per year. The way I see those avoided costs is that they help to fund my next round of improvements. Over the years I have found 30-50% energy savings easy to get from each and every home that I have owned. the problem is that very few people understand or can conceive of why these issues are important. I rest easier knowing that in fifty or more years, when my roof needs replacing, the material that comes off can be recycled. I also delight in the fact that I don't have to keep a giant container of hot water in my basement anymore! When you live in 680 square feet of space, a water heater wasting space from floor to ceiling (even if it is in the basement)seems way bigger than I have space for. The small, suitcase size, on-demand water heater that replaces it and hangs on the wall is much better suited to my small footprint lifestyle. An added benefit is that it fits our lifestyle on multiple levels. Installing a through the wall venting unit allowed us to eliminate our chimney opening up nearly four square feet per floor for living space. Efficiency isn't just about energy savings, it is about living a better lifestyle with the resources that you have on hand, spending less on resources from far far away and appreciating what is all around us all the time.
The fact is that energy providers make money on every bit of energy they sell, the hot water that flows down the drain and away from your house is money in their bank. The light left on overnight is accruing to their bottom line and the wasted trip that you took to the store that advertised one thing but ran out before you got there, helps put the children of the CEOs of some faceless energy giant corporation through ivy league university. The rules are set so that they never lose money on waste and inefficiency. It's all just a write off for them. In fact the systems that we establish to "save energy", though somewhat effective reward those who should be paying for these things themselves while the folks who are least able to afford the upgrades are stuck paying the lion's share of the bills, living in drafty old buildings and wishing that they could find a way to keep the lights on for another month. I have seen folks too poor to afford glass put cardboard up in place of a broken pane. There will always be people too poor to pay attention, but when folks like me are ready and willing to make whatever changes are needed to reduce energy use, subsidizing the changes for the well-to-do just doesn't make sense. The ultimate winners are the utility companies. Financially, the table has been set for them with all the trimmings. The poorer classes, can only hope to scrape together an ort or two for a meager holiday dinner of scraps.
It is a well established fact that energy costs will continue to rise as we begin to include higher costs of procurement, negative effects of coal mining, transport and "end-use", as well as the ecological harm that results from oil and gas production, transport and use. We are past peak with regard to oil, and natural gas. 2010 saw the cost of energy rise for the first time with a concurrent drop in production. Utility companies are well aware of the fact that it is cheaper to reduce the need for more energy than to produce any additional watts, BTUs or therms. Hovering, as I do, near the poverty line, there is little to inspire my actions except for my own personal responsibility. Sometimes, doing the right thing is it's own reward. If I were rich enough to pay taxes, I would qualify for up to (what equals for me) more than a month's wages! Perhaps then I could afford to take a vacation. The ultimate benefit is financially accruing to energy corporations who reap the rewards of reduced demand. More and more of their income is based on fixed charges, service fees and procurement costs, so that they can deal with selling less energy for a higher cost. Many wealthy families might barely notice, the $1,500 Energy Tax Credit. It would hardly register on their family budget. For me to spend nearly ten percent of my annual income on energy savings means far more than someone in a 3,000 square foot drywall castle adding a few more inches of insulation to their attic. In their defense, what they save might equal my total use, but as a percentage of their bill, the savings would be minute. Surely less than running their gas fireplace for the holidays or the cost of heating the hot tub.
My investments in conservation rest solely on my shoulders. I bear the burden of their costs and reap the rewards of smaller utility bills. Several years ago, I installed what uppity solar techs call a "scorched air" furnace. It's basically a box that has double glazing on the south (sunny) side, insulation on the north (shady) side. Cool air from the house goes in on one end and warm air comes out on the other, as long as the sun is on the panel. Two automatic dampers isolate the box from the house when the sun goes down and a thermostat turns on a fan to blow cool air into the unit when the box warms up. It is a simple and elegant system that many people don't even notice sitting out behind the back porch. The solar panel cost four hundred dollars, used, and it cost about $1,000 for the installation. Right from the start, the system saved me about 1/3 of the heating bill. This unit has been producing heat sine 1972 and shows a bit of age, but works well. The system paid itself off in less than two years and now saves us nearly $1,000 per year. The way I see those avoided costs is that they help to fund my next round of improvements. Over the years I have found 30-50% energy savings easy to get from each and every home that I have owned. the problem is that very few people understand or can conceive of why these issues are important. I rest easier knowing that in fifty or more years, when my roof needs replacing, the material that comes off can be recycled. I also delight in the fact that I don't have to keep a giant container of hot water in my basement anymore! When you live in 680 square feet of space, a water heater wasting space from floor to ceiling (even if it is in the basement)seems way bigger than I have space for. The small, suitcase size, on-demand water heater that replaces it and hangs on the wall is much better suited to my small footprint lifestyle. An added benefit is that it fits our lifestyle on multiple levels. Installing a through the wall venting unit allowed us to eliminate our chimney opening up nearly four square feet per floor for living space. Efficiency isn't just about energy savings, it is about living a better lifestyle with the resources that you have on hand, spending less on resources from far far away and appreciating what is all around us all the time.
The fact is that energy providers make money on every bit of energy they sell, the hot water that flows down the drain and away from your house is money in their bank. The light left on overnight is accruing to their bottom line and the wasted trip that you took to the store that advertised one thing but ran out before you got there, helps put the children of the CEOs of some faceless energy giant corporation through ivy league university. The rules are set so that they never lose money on waste and inefficiency. It's all just a write off for them. In fact the systems that we establish to "save energy", though somewhat effective reward those who should be paying for these things themselves while the folks who are least able to afford the upgrades are stuck paying the lion's share of the bills, living in drafty old buildings and wishing that they could find a way to keep the lights on for another month. I have seen folks too poor to afford glass put cardboard up in place of a broken pane. There will always be people too poor to pay attention, but when folks like me are ready and willing to make whatever changes are needed to reduce energy use, subsidizing the changes for the well-to-do just doesn't make sense. The ultimate winners are the utility companies. Financially, the table has been set for them with all the trimmings. The poorer classes, can only hope to scrape together an ort or two for a meager holiday dinner of scraps.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thinking of Giving a Gift That Enriches Life?
I love the idea of giving people ideas as gifts, allowing them to see themselves in a new way or as part of a larger world. Although ECO-Tours of Wisconsin Inc. would benefit greatly from donations made in the name of you favorite gift recipient, and we would like to have additional funds to help us to plant more native trees across Northeast Wisconsin, provide eco-tours and present more environmental education tours, there are quite a few other not-for-profit organizations that could use your support this season.Many of these groups, including ECO-Tours of Wisconsin can be accessed through Paypal or have some other form of online giving available. Our group, for example, just requires the account number tnsaladino42@hotmail.com.
This year I gave the gift of a goat, funded through Heifer International. Not only do I love goats, but their milk and cheese are utilized around the world accounting for the vast majority of dairy products consumed worldwide. The joy of giving through Heifer International is that their program not only provides animals that are appropriate for local conditions in impoverished areas around the globe, leading to better standards of living for those who receive them, but the recipients must sign an agreement to share a portion of the progeny of their animals with others who are needy in their communities. This in turn leads to a better standard of living for others beyond the initial recipient.
By giving a gift of this sort, it can lead to a recognition that for some the door to financial independence can hinge on as little as $120. The cost of one goat. To see our abundance in a new light often is the first step to seeing how we can fit into a more compassionate and more supportive lifeway. With the cost of what we throw away in food waste alone, the lives of people half a world away could be transformed. Please consider making a donation in the name of folks on your Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or New Year's gift list. I really don't care what you call it, but the give-away is such an essential part of human society that We should all participate, no matter what we call the celebration.
This year I gave the gift of a goat, funded through Heifer International. Not only do I love goats, but their milk and cheese are utilized around the world accounting for the vast majority of dairy products consumed worldwide. The joy of giving through Heifer International is that their program not only provides animals that are appropriate for local conditions in impoverished areas around the globe, leading to better standards of living for those who receive them, but the recipients must sign an agreement to share a portion of the progeny of their animals with others who are needy in their communities. This in turn leads to a better standard of living for others beyond the initial recipient.
By giving a gift of this sort, it can lead to a recognition that for some the door to financial independence can hinge on as little as $120. The cost of one goat. To see our abundance in a new light often is the first step to seeing how we can fit into a more compassionate and more supportive lifeway. With the cost of what we throw away in food waste alone, the lives of people half a world away could be transformed. Please consider making a donation in the name of folks on your Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or New Year's gift list. I really don't care what you call it, but the give-away is such an essential part of human society that We should all participate, no matter what we call the celebration.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Last Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse was in 1638
Galileo Galilei was still alive when this event took place. Remember, he was the fellow who wrote: "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same god who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." He was the first to use the refracting telescope and witnessed the phases of Venus as well as discovering the moons of Jupiter. His astute observations and scientific rigor allowed him to prove the validity of Copernicus' theory that the planets revolve around the Sun. For this he was subjected to the inquisition, convicted of heresy and sentenced to life in prison which was reduced to lifelong house arrest because of his ill health and old age. Nearly four hundred years ago, the powers that felt threatened by his discoveries took it upon themselves to make him recant his support for Heliocentrism, although "primitive" cultures dating back many centuries had known the central place of the Sun in their cosmology. The Earth, when it eclipses the Sun, has the power to darken the Moon, just as our earthly ignorance and quest for power has the ability to block out god's love and our ability to perceive the goddess in her abundance as well. After nearly four hundred years, the powers that be are still trying to get us to forgo the use of our sense, reason and intellect. We must stand in the face of their oppression and take back these god given aspects of our make up.
The miracles that I have witnessed are things like animals hibernating. They appear to be completely dead then come out of their torpor to live again. If a frog, turtle or spider can be reborn, should we claim that they have died for our "sins" and worship them? Three days for a human is pretty good, but many animals hibernate for months! The Solstice is the most likely reason behind the season, we should all agree to disagree with the Jesus Myth. It was predated by several similar myths from far more ancient cultures. I don't want to rehash all of that again, but if you want to know more, watch the Zeitgeist movie, or study your history. Another miracle that I have witnessed is the fact that a single seed can increase itself with such vigor as to produce many thousands of times it's own weight in food while creating many times it's mass of oxygen, transforming the Earth by it's very process of living. We could learn a lot from something as delicate as a dandelion seed, or a pea. The lessons that are attributed to Jesus Christ are alive in the cornucopia, a pagan symbol that predates Jesus, the star, which is shorthand for Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit and dozens of other ancient pagan symbols. The ignorance of our age is to mistake what we must all ultimately take responsibility for, our own ultimate power, for some sort of esoteric and unproven "power" that we give a story, to guide our lives.
I have been told by well-meaning Christians that my attire, behavior, beliefs and lifestyle relegate me to burning in hell for eternity. I have seen these same folks use power and control to oppress their wives and children, unleash their hatred and anger on innocent beings, lust after both neighbors' possessions as well as their wives, destroy nature and disavow intellectual development in favor of what they call "The Word". I'm with Galileio. If subscribing to their way of thinking means that my sense, reason and intellect must be forsaken, I want no part of it. Look no further than ancient folk wisdom or the current television series in which the CEO goes to work at the lowest level in their own company to see that the clothes certainly don't make the man. I have not acted with malice toward anyone, though I do refuse to submit to the power trips of others. I believe in Love, Peace, Liberty, Truth and Justice but understand that without living in a spiritual way, few of these qualities can be understood or defined with clarity. I also believe that many of my X-tian friends and neighbors are tormented more surely on this
Earth, than they ever could be in their imaginary "hell". Fearing corruption is nearly as dangerous as hating it. In either case, the mere granting of it quarter assures it's continued existence. If we fear something profoundly enough, we will "see" it around every corner. Likewise, when we hate, our energies somehow act as a cosmic funnel, bringing the object of our disgust back into focus for us to "get a better look".
A new place in time requires new approaches and a sense of honor for those who came before. Without their insight and awareness, we cannot hope to advance the cause of humanity without the dangers of repeating their errors as well. Yes, there really is a Santa Claus, as we come to realize as we enter adulthood, the personage that we sent our letters to is a fallacy, but the abundant spirit of giving is alive among us. Some of us keep that spirit alive throughout the year, others, only when they bake more cookies than they can possibly eat themselves. So too, the spirit of the Christ Child, the young man seeking the truths of the sages of India during his "lost years", even the heretic who sought to live as the light and love of our Creator and the man who was crucified for his insubordination are imaginary as well, they live within us, not in chapter and verse of a plagiarized document translated through half a dozen languages to meet our ear or mind. It behooves us to make a distinction between the fables that we are told and the truth that lies within them.
During this time of quiet reflection and the rebirth, of the Sun, may we all find ways to more purely abide the Golden Rule, stand for what we believe in, and accommodate the needs of others in our own struggles to find happiness. Once we find the prince of Peace within our selves, may we find ways to share that personage with others. Our closest burning star gives without measure and we need to follow the lead of that heavenly body, supporting life, affirming the abundance that the sun "son" personifies. Let us not get hung up in what our parents may have told us when we were young and impressionable. Growing up requires us to make a distinction between truth and fantasy. At some point we must "let go of childish things" and take full responsibility for our own salvation. Blessed Be this day and for all time, may your spirit soar and your body be healed through right livelihood and mutual respect for all beings.
The miracles that I have witnessed are things like animals hibernating. They appear to be completely dead then come out of their torpor to live again. If a frog, turtle or spider can be reborn, should we claim that they have died for our "sins" and worship them? Three days for a human is pretty good, but many animals hibernate for months! The Solstice is the most likely reason behind the season, we should all agree to disagree with the Jesus Myth. It was predated by several similar myths from far more ancient cultures. I don't want to rehash all of that again, but if you want to know more, watch the Zeitgeist movie, or study your history. Another miracle that I have witnessed is the fact that a single seed can increase itself with such vigor as to produce many thousands of times it's own weight in food while creating many times it's mass of oxygen, transforming the Earth by it's very process of living. We could learn a lot from something as delicate as a dandelion seed, or a pea. The lessons that are attributed to Jesus Christ are alive in the cornucopia, a pagan symbol that predates Jesus, the star, which is shorthand for Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit and dozens of other ancient pagan symbols. The ignorance of our age is to mistake what we must all ultimately take responsibility for, our own ultimate power, for some sort of esoteric and unproven "power" that we give a story, to guide our lives.
I have been told by well-meaning Christians that my attire, behavior, beliefs and lifestyle relegate me to burning in hell for eternity. I have seen these same folks use power and control to oppress their wives and children, unleash their hatred and anger on innocent beings, lust after both neighbors' possessions as well as their wives, destroy nature and disavow intellectual development in favor of what they call "The Word". I'm with Galileio. If subscribing to their way of thinking means that my sense, reason and intellect must be forsaken, I want no part of it. Look no further than ancient folk wisdom or the current television series in which the CEO goes to work at the lowest level in their own company to see that the clothes certainly don't make the man. I have not acted with malice toward anyone, though I do refuse to submit to the power trips of others. I believe in Love, Peace, Liberty, Truth and Justice but understand that without living in a spiritual way, few of these qualities can be understood or defined with clarity. I also believe that many of my X-tian friends and neighbors are tormented more surely on this
Earth, than they ever could be in their imaginary "hell". Fearing corruption is nearly as dangerous as hating it. In either case, the mere granting of it quarter assures it's continued existence. If we fear something profoundly enough, we will "see" it around every corner. Likewise, when we hate, our energies somehow act as a cosmic funnel, bringing the object of our disgust back into focus for us to "get a better look".
A new place in time requires new approaches and a sense of honor for those who came before. Without their insight and awareness, we cannot hope to advance the cause of humanity without the dangers of repeating their errors as well. Yes, there really is a Santa Claus, as we come to realize as we enter adulthood, the personage that we sent our letters to is a fallacy, but the abundant spirit of giving is alive among us. Some of us keep that spirit alive throughout the year, others, only when they bake more cookies than they can possibly eat themselves. So too, the spirit of the Christ Child, the young man seeking the truths of the sages of India during his "lost years", even the heretic who sought to live as the light and love of our Creator and the man who was crucified for his insubordination are imaginary as well, they live within us, not in chapter and verse of a plagiarized document translated through half a dozen languages to meet our ear or mind. It behooves us to make a distinction between the fables that we are told and the truth that lies within them.
During this time of quiet reflection and the rebirth, of the Sun, may we all find ways to more purely abide the Golden Rule, stand for what we believe in, and accommodate the needs of others in our own struggles to find happiness. Once we find the prince of Peace within our selves, may we find ways to share that personage with others. Our closest burning star gives without measure and we need to follow the lead of that heavenly body, supporting life, affirming the abundance that the sun "son" personifies. Let us not get hung up in what our parents may have told us when we were young and impressionable. Growing up requires us to make a distinction between truth and fantasy. At some point we must "let go of childish things" and take full responsibility for our own salvation. Blessed Be this day and for all time, may your spirit soar and your body be healed through right livelihood and mutual respect for all beings.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Creativity, Determination & Innovation Drive America's Economy
The wealthy often lack these desired traits. When we get too comfortable in any sphere of our existence, change suffers. A wise friend once said, "If you're not growin' you're dyin'." This sentiment echoes this point quite well. Change is the onlt thing that remains constant in our world but you would be hard pressed to find it in our culture today. When still in college,I did a research project on the relationship between creativity and television exposure. The sheer mechanics were daunting, but in the end I was able to gain some great data and insight into some of what is ailing our nation today. In general, all the data lined up along a critical curve. As children watched more and more television, their creativity was more and more impaired. Two notable individuals from the thousand or so in the study provided exceptions to this and were exceptional for several reasons. One child scored the lowest on the assessment of creativity, but watched no television. As it turned out, their parents were Bible thumpers who didn't even own a television because they believed that it was an agent of the devil. Another child watched an inordinate amount of TV, but was still rated at the highest level of creativity. They tended to talk back to the television, challenging every premise that the advertisers could posit. As in most other realms of our lives, the more turned on you become, the more the world opens up to greet you. The more experiences that we have in the "real world" the higher our level of creativity. The more mediated our environment becomes, the less creative we become.
In my experience, I have learned that the America we hold up as a beacon to the world, the one that worships freedom and liberty, is less and less recognizable in our current perverted, media dominated era. We seem to have become part of a vast marketing scheme that leaves no room for questioning why any of our consumer goods should be purchased. In essence, we are expected to jump at the chance to buy whatever the box in our living room, or kitchen, or den tells us is fashionable. The dogged determination that led Louis and Clark to find that there was no Northwest Passage, or indeed the sustained effort required to link the nation with railroads is hard to find in our population today. The America we all learned about in school when I was young seemed to have a penchant for proving others wrong. If someone said, "You can't do that." no matter what it was, we had to prove them wrong. When they said we would never build a bridge across the Mississippi, we proved them wrong. When we began the trans-continental railroad they said that was impossible. Same with the interstate highway system and going to the moon. That was then, this is now.
Innovation flows from creativity. Trying something new often leads to new products, new ways of seeing the world and new ways of expressing who we are as a people. wealth tends to flow in the direction of what works, or more specifically, what has worked in the past. We are reaping the fruits of several generations of the faulty logic that if we do more of the same, endlessly replicating what used to work, all will be well. Even though the times have changed, there are still cheerleaders who advocate the old ways of doing business and "growing" the economy. Look around at the Christmas catalogs. Hundreds of items have been miniaturized but precious few items turn out to be "new". Invention and innovation have taken a back seat to miniaturization. We can hold a laptop computer in our hand, but many times we cannot find the time to try something new or different.
The indomitable human spirit that lived in the hearts of millions of Americans has been relegated to a status of quirky individualism, scoffed at and mocked by many. I often wonder where we would be as a nation if we were to reward novel approaches to problem solving, rather than providing corporate welfare to business as usual methodology. What if we were to value fluency and encourage folks to push the limits of what is real, good and possible? We shouldn't have let the rest of the world bring us hybrid car technology, or surpass us in renewable energy production. As we have fallen into our boob tubes, it seems we have lost perspective, purpose and a sense of who we are. If we are to survive as a nation, we need to become more than a police state in search of an excuse for eliminating rights that our citizens fought and died to protect.
If the rich were capable of taking real risks, I would be willing to follow their lead from time to time, but the entrenched values of competition, keeping up with the Jones', and playing the stock market and assuming that lack is the engine behind our economy have helped me to realize that the people with all the money are completely out of touch with reality and therefore can't get a grasp of what is needed in our current economic slump. The irony is that our electorate was told by big money to embrace the same party that drove the economy into this ditch. Now we will have to fight for change even harder. Looking at the big picture almost certainly leads to frustration and disappointment. What has worked for me lately is to look to the examples of solutions that abound all around us and the fact that there are millions of little guys making the real investments and creating new systems for meeting human and planetary needs efficiently and with malice toward none. Sweetwater Organics in Milwaukee seems to be on the right track. They have converted a giant warehouse to a three tiered living system. A greenhouse filled with food, fish and a biologically complex living filter. They will be able to annually produce hundreds of thousands of pounds of food and hundreds of thousands of pounds of protein, providing jobs, turning the tide on urban blight and feeding hungry people in the middle of a food desert.
Little things are happening daily that each in their own way contribute to the type of change that will be required. The one thing that they have in common is that they each have a dynamic person at the center of them. Someone who refuses to give in to the idea of scarcity. someone who sees the unfolding future as bright and full of potential. These are the people we all need to model ourselves after. Bernie Madoff's son committed suicide rather than face the facts that his ways were wrong and do the time that could not possibly fit the crime. The wealthy idolized his dad, because he was seen as a wealth creator. Nothing creative about it. That system was tapped long ago, he just did what had worked in the past. What is needed is revolutionary change in the way we create wealth, the way we measure success and how we think about the nature of our part in the grand scheme of things. The good old boys networks have failed us. No matter how hard they cry out, we should not waste resources keeping them on life support. Corporate welfare pays no dividend. If the least of us are worse off for the betterment of the wealthiest among us, we have forged down the wrong path. We have been lied to for so long that for many, even knowing which way is up can be difficult, but if we pay attention, understand who is behind all the messages we are inundated with and investigate the options that we have, chances are good that we will find a better path to freedom, dignity and liberty that will not enslave another or the planet that the Gods and Goddesses have blessed us with.
In my experience, I have learned that the America we hold up as a beacon to the world, the one that worships freedom and liberty, is less and less recognizable in our current perverted, media dominated era. We seem to have become part of a vast marketing scheme that leaves no room for questioning why any of our consumer goods should be purchased. In essence, we are expected to jump at the chance to buy whatever the box in our living room, or kitchen, or den tells us is fashionable. The dogged determination that led Louis and Clark to find that there was no Northwest Passage, or indeed the sustained effort required to link the nation with railroads is hard to find in our population today. The America we all learned about in school when I was young seemed to have a penchant for proving others wrong. If someone said, "You can't do that." no matter what it was, we had to prove them wrong. When they said we would never build a bridge across the Mississippi, we proved them wrong. When we began the trans-continental railroad they said that was impossible. Same with the interstate highway system and going to the moon. That was then, this is now.
Innovation flows from creativity. Trying something new often leads to new products, new ways of seeing the world and new ways of expressing who we are as a people. wealth tends to flow in the direction of what works, or more specifically, what has worked in the past. We are reaping the fruits of several generations of the faulty logic that if we do more of the same, endlessly replicating what used to work, all will be well. Even though the times have changed, there are still cheerleaders who advocate the old ways of doing business and "growing" the economy. Look around at the Christmas catalogs. Hundreds of items have been miniaturized but precious few items turn out to be "new". Invention and innovation have taken a back seat to miniaturization. We can hold a laptop computer in our hand, but many times we cannot find the time to try something new or different.
The indomitable human spirit that lived in the hearts of millions of Americans has been relegated to a status of quirky individualism, scoffed at and mocked by many. I often wonder where we would be as a nation if we were to reward novel approaches to problem solving, rather than providing corporate welfare to business as usual methodology. What if we were to value fluency and encourage folks to push the limits of what is real, good and possible? We shouldn't have let the rest of the world bring us hybrid car technology, or surpass us in renewable energy production. As we have fallen into our boob tubes, it seems we have lost perspective, purpose and a sense of who we are. If we are to survive as a nation, we need to become more than a police state in search of an excuse for eliminating rights that our citizens fought and died to protect.
If the rich were capable of taking real risks, I would be willing to follow their lead from time to time, but the entrenched values of competition, keeping up with the Jones', and playing the stock market and assuming that lack is the engine behind our economy have helped me to realize that the people with all the money are completely out of touch with reality and therefore can't get a grasp of what is needed in our current economic slump. The irony is that our electorate was told by big money to embrace the same party that drove the economy into this ditch. Now we will have to fight for change even harder. Looking at the big picture almost certainly leads to frustration and disappointment. What has worked for me lately is to look to the examples of solutions that abound all around us and the fact that there are millions of little guys making the real investments and creating new systems for meeting human and planetary needs efficiently and with malice toward none. Sweetwater Organics in Milwaukee seems to be on the right track. They have converted a giant warehouse to a three tiered living system. A greenhouse filled with food, fish and a biologically complex living filter. They will be able to annually produce hundreds of thousands of pounds of food and hundreds of thousands of pounds of protein, providing jobs, turning the tide on urban blight and feeding hungry people in the middle of a food desert.
Little things are happening daily that each in their own way contribute to the type of change that will be required. The one thing that they have in common is that they each have a dynamic person at the center of them. Someone who refuses to give in to the idea of scarcity. someone who sees the unfolding future as bright and full of potential. These are the people we all need to model ourselves after. Bernie Madoff's son committed suicide rather than face the facts that his ways were wrong and do the time that could not possibly fit the crime. The wealthy idolized his dad, because he was seen as a wealth creator. Nothing creative about it. That system was tapped long ago, he just did what had worked in the past. What is needed is revolutionary change in the way we create wealth, the way we measure success and how we think about the nature of our part in the grand scheme of things. The good old boys networks have failed us. No matter how hard they cry out, we should not waste resources keeping them on life support. Corporate welfare pays no dividend. If the least of us are worse off for the betterment of the wealthiest among us, we have forged down the wrong path. We have been lied to for so long that for many, even knowing which way is up can be difficult, but if we pay attention, understand who is behind all the messages we are inundated with and investigate the options that we have, chances are good that we will find a better path to freedom, dignity and liberty that will not enslave another or the planet that the Gods and Goddesses have blessed us with.
Monday, December 6, 2010
When Will It End?
I'm sure that nearly everyone on the planet has asked themselves this question. Today, being the 145th anniversary of the 13th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution gives us pause to consider the means and methods of slavery that are still with us today. Although many slaves were treated as well as prize animals on a farm, some with "benefits", that is not saying much if you look at the quality of life that livestock enjoy today. Anti-slavery legislation passed nearly a century and a half ago, yet we are still grappling with the inhumanity that led to buying and selling of humans. Anyone who is paying attention realizes that child labor, domestic abuse, oppression, human trafficking and wage slavery are still rampant in our culture. The combined effect of these vile and reprehensible activities scar future generations and limit the ability of millions to achieve their full potential. In the darkest hours and sometimes in broad daylight, these activities continue to crush souls, deny basic human rights and funnel dollars to overlords who ignore both the spirit and letter of the law. Although most sentient beings realize, on some level, that this is wrong, it is allowed to continue for the sake of greed, profit and ancient methods used to wreak fear and havoc on populations for centuries. I have spoken of this phenomenon before and the best way I have found to name it is power and control.
What is needed is a serious and clear-headed understanding of the fact that this sort of power is unjust, corrupts humanity and is born of fear and a sense of lack. The control side of the phenomenon is dehumanizing for the perpetrator as well as the victim, because it is futile to base one's self-worth on arbitrarily foisting your reality on another or trying to "own" another just as surely as it is to be a slave to another. There has been a push to "end child abuse" on Facebook recently. Millions have changed their profile pictures to their favorite childhood cartoon characters. It is hard to imagine how making this sort of ripple in the digital realm can make positive change occur, but if someone would explain that to me, I might follow suit. There seems to be no end to the daily abuse of children, yet we are becoming enlightened to the fact that we do not own our progeny. I often wrestle with the issue myself. As a father, my purpose seems to be to teach my children right from wrong as well as how to survive in this world and the pitfalls that await them. Often their successes and failures lead me to wonder at how they came to where they are and how it is possible for them to both make ignorant choices and simultaneously reflect such deep insight. As often as I feel ignored, I develop greater respect for their independent growth. Dictating the conditions of the lives of others is truly a double edged sword. Parents who learn to wield it skillfully with deft precision and compassion are rewarded with insightful and confident children while those who lack sensitivity and/or humanity often create another generation of hostility and rage.
The old saying that "Children learn what they live..." is an excellent parable for our challenges and a valid guide for our behavior in this day and age. Just as in the environmental arena, we need to learn to see the full scale of our impact on the world around us to make sense of our daily choices and how they impact other travelers on Starship Earth. Power and control always come from feelings of lack and always lead to oppression. Domestic abuse may be the best publicized form of it, but all human rights issues boil down to this on sad fact. Perpetrators feel that they have the right, nay the responsibility to oppress others. When you are privileged, you know it and the right to exert power and control comes with that. It sounds odd but the Calvinistic belief that the oppressed bring it on themselves or deserve their station in life is still alive in our culture today. How many times will a child hear the words, "He just snapped." or "Boys will be boys." and a dozen other platitudes that are designed to cover the ass of those who would perpetrate violence? How many jokes will be told, just today, that dehumanize women and children? These are the cultural signals that allow us to diagnose an extremely sick culture. Children really do learn what they live and we, as adults, need to create positive change that will lead to a better world for the next seven generations.
The best thing about the recent economic slump is that El Norte', the land of milk and honey that supposedly existed North of the U. S.-Mexico border has lost some of it's luster. Flight to our country for economic refugees has dwindled, not because of the border fence, not because human traffickers have left the border region, not because we have spent billions in trying to make an example of those who cross over the arbitrary line in the sand, but because if these people are to be poor and denied basic human rights, they might as well do it in their homeland. Why flee to a place that has fallen on hard times if you can have the same quality of life right where you are? Human trafficking still occurs, but in this one discreet location on the face of the Earth, the rate has dropped significantly. Instead, we find more slaves coming from Asia, for both the sex trade and for our service sector jobs.
I wish that someone could tell me the difference between slavery of a century and a half ago and the methods employed by the thousands of China Buffet outlets across our great land. Typically, the employees are told where to live, how long they must work, and at what tasks. They are allowed no days off, required to work from morning to night, are fed special food that is infinitely cheaper than what is sold to the customers, and each month they are required to send money to the person who managed to get them into this country in the first place. Imagine paying $1,000 per month for the "right to work" at a restaurant, having no time to call one's own, and none of the benefits that most other Americans supposedly enjoy.
Unions have worked hard to defend basic human rights of workers, but industry has relegated most unions to shadows of themselves. Those that survive are under constant threat through the courts, political wrangling and outright attack in the media. Most of the advances that had been made have been eroded and we are once again falling back into a two tier system of wage slavery for the average man and exponential growth of incomes amongst the elite few who dictate our every action. My own union has recently allowed all of it's members to cover a one dollar or more, per day, liability (tax) on our wages because our employer arbitrarily decided that they didn't want us parking in their parking lot. If I had the option of riding mass transit to work, I wouldn't complain, but for heaven's sake, why should I pay for the right to leave my car at the job site? This seems trite when compared to the folks who risk their lives to be smuggled into our country, but are we not risking our lives daily on the highways for our employers as well? The superslab that leads to my place of employment is the most dangerous stretch of highway in the state. Risking one's life for the "opportunity" to work makes no sense, but I feel compelled to do it because I am in a profession that I love.
Finally, I want to return to the inequity created by the recent housing crisis in The United States of America. I am one of those paying a mortgage that is based on a fictitious appraisal. I told the bank when they gave me the loan that I could never sell the house for what they said it was worth, but they explained that by the time I would want to sell, that it would be worth far more than my obligation. Several years have passed and my mortgage is more than double what I could be paying in rent. Recent repairs, which always come with home ownership make the cost of living in my 680 square foot home well over $1,000 per month. The fact that I have experienced a 1/3 drop in income because of the current economic crisis matters not to the well-heeled individuals who are depending on my monthly payments, nor am I able to scrimp and save any more on my personal budget. I have tried repeatedly to get them to consider refinancing to a more sane arrangement, but to no avail. Is it any wonder? If anyone was confronted with the choice, do the right thing and make less money, or continue to do the wrong thing and get paid, I guess we all know which side to come down on. Or would we?
Doing the right thing sometimes means that we are rewarded in ways we cannot imagine. When my children exceed my expectations for instance, there is no way to put a dollar amount on that feeling. Respecting another as we would like to be respected is it's own reward. Knowing that we all deserve the right to our humanity and to be treated humanely, has the power to change the world. Please, make this a topic of conversation. Keep these things in the public consciousness. Speak of them often, turn up your own radar to detect abuse when you see it, and do not tolerate business as usual with respect to slavery in any of it's forms. We need to stand together against this vile human failing. Abolition of it from our culture can only come from vigilance. To tolerate injustice is to be complicit. We can only be as strong as the weakest among us and our freedoms are in jeopardy each time someone is abused.
What is needed is a serious and clear-headed understanding of the fact that this sort of power is unjust, corrupts humanity and is born of fear and a sense of lack. The control side of the phenomenon is dehumanizing for the perpetrator as well as the victim, because it is futile to base one's self-worth on arbitrarily foisting your reality on another or trying to "own" another just as surely as it is to be a slave to another. There has been a push to "end child abuse" on Facebook recently. Millions have changed their profile pictures to their favorite childhood cartoon characters. It is hard to imagine how making this sort of ripple in the digital realm can make positive change occur, but if someone would explain that to me, I might follow suit. There seems to be no end to the daily abuse of children, yet we are becoming enlightened to the fact that we do not own our progeny. I often wrestle with the issue myself. As a father, my purpose seems to be to teach my children right from wrong as well as how to survive in this world and the pitfalls that await them. Often their successes and failures lead me to wonder at how they came to where they are and how it is possible for them to both make ignorant choices and simultaneously reflect such deep insight. As often as I feel ignored, I develop greater respect for their independent growth. Dictating the conditions of the lives of others is truly a double edged sword. Parents who learn to wield it skillfully with deft precision and compassion are rewarded with insightful and confident children while those who lack sensitivity and/or humanity often create another generation of hostility and rage.
The old saying that "Children learn what they live..." is an excellent parable for our challenges and a valid guide for our behavior in this day and age. Just as in the environmental arena, we need to learn to see the full scale of our impact on the world around us to make sense of our daily choices and how they impact other travelers on Starship Earth. Power and control always come from feelings of lack and always lead to oppression. Domestic abuse may be the best publicized form of it, but all human rights issues boil down to this on sad fact. Perpetrators feel that they have the right, nay the responsibility to oppress others. When you are privileged, you know it and the right to exert power and control comes with that. It sounds odd but the Calvinistic belief that the oppressed bring it on themselves or deserve their station in life is still alive in our culture today. How many times will a child hear the words, "He just snapped." or "Boys will be boys." and a dozen other platitudes that are designed to cover the ass of those who would perpetrate violence? How many jokes will be told, just today, that dehumanize women and children? These are the cultural signals that allow us to diagnose an extremely sick culture. Children really do learn what they live and we, as adults, need to create positive change that will lead to a better world for the next seven generations.
The best thing about the recent economic slump is that El Norte', the land of milk and honey that supposedly existed North of the U. S.-Mexico border has lost some of it's luster. Flight to our country for economic refugees has dwindled, not because of the border fence, not because human traffickers have left the border region, not because we have spent billions in trying to make an example of those who cross over the arbitrary line in the sand, but because if these people are to be poor and denied basic human rights, they might as well do it in their homeland. Why flee to a place that has fallen on hard times if you can have the same quality of life right where you are? Human trafficking still occurs, but in this one discreet location on the face of the Earth, the rate has dropped significantly. Instead, we find more slaves coming from Asia, for both the sex trade and for our service sector jobs.
I wish that someone could tell me the difference between slavery of a century and a half ago and the methods employed by the thousands of China Buffet outlets across our great land. Typically, the employees are told where to live, how long they must work, and at what tasks. They are allowed no days off, required to work from morning to night, are fed special food that is infinitely cheaper than what is sold to the customers, and each month they are required to send money to the person who managed to get them into this country in the first place. Imagine paying $1,000 per month for the "right to work" at a restaurant, having no time to call one's own, and none of the benefits that most other Americans supposedly enjoy.
Unions have worked hard to defend basic human rights of workers, but industry has relegated most unions to shadows of themselves. Those that survive are under constant threat through the courts, political wrangling and outright attack in the media. Most of the advances that had been made have been eroded and we are once again falling back into a two tier system of wage slavery for the average man and exponential growth of incomes amongst the elite few who dictate our every action. My own union has recently allowed all of it's members to cover a one dollar or more, per day, liability (tax) on our wages because our employer arbitrarily decided that they didn't want us parking in their parking lot. If I had the option of riding mass transit to work, I wouldn't complain, but for heaven's sake, why should I pay for the right to leave my car at the job site? This seems trite when compared to the folks who risk their lives to be smuggled into our country, but are we not risking our lives daily on the highways for our employers as well? The superslab that leads to my place of employment is the most dangerous stretch of highway in the state. Risking one's life for the "opportunity" to work makes no sense, but I feel compelled to do it because I am in a profession that I love.
Finally, I want to return to the inequity created by the recent housing crisis in The United States of America. I am one of those paying a mortgage that is based on a fictitious appraisal. I told the bank when they gave me the loan that I could never sell the house for what they said it was worth, but they explained that by the time I would want to sell, that it would be worth far more than my obligation. Several years have passed and my mortgage is more than double what I could be paying in rent. Recent repairs, which always come with home ownership make the cost of living in my 680 square foot home well over $1,000 per month. The fact that I have experienced a 1/3 drop in income because of the current economic crisis matters not to the well-heeled individuals who are depending on my monthly payments, nor am I able to scrimp and save any more on my personal budget. I have tried repeatedly to get them to consider refinancing to a more sane arrangement, but to no avail. Is it any wonder? If anyone was confronted with the choice, do the right thing and make less money, or continue to do the wrong thing and get paid, I guess we all know which side to come down on. Or would we?
Doing the right thing sometimes means that we are rewarded in ways we cannot imagine. When my children exceed my expectations for instance, there is no way to put a dollar amount on that feeling. Respecting another as we would like to be respected is it's own reward. Knowing that we all deserve the right to our humanity and to be treated humanely, has the power to change the world. Please, make this a topic of conversation. Keep these things in the public consciousness. Speak of them often, turn up your own radar to detect abuse when you see it, and do not tolerate business as usual with respect to slavery in any of it's forms. We need to stand together against this vile human failing. Abolition of it from our culture can only come from vigilance. To tolerate injustice is to be complicit. We can only be as strong as the weakest among us and our freedoms are in jeopardy each time someone is abused.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Fake Terror Real Consequences
Concerning recent events, we can plainly see the real and present danger of fake explosives, fake detonators and fake operatives in the course of human events. Sadly, there is a real possibility that if our own government agents had not aided and abetted the fake bomber, some other "bad guys" might have materialized to fill their shoes, but as we have seen from several other terror related arrests, most of these "cells" lack the know-how and or wherewithal to become serious threats. Believe me, I know the complicated results that underlie the old saying, once bitten twice shy, so I do have some empathy for our Federal Bureau of Investigation. They say that 911 changed the world, but as many have seen and few have reported, the changes we have made have played into the hands of the terrorists, much more than having any beneficial effect on our safety and security. Our over the top response to terror has cost us billions, led to the repeated inconveniencing millions and eroded our rights. We have taken the very real posture of fear that cripples democracy, staunches the flow of free ideas and limits our freedoms that we often claim so many have died for.
I hate to climb on the conspiracy bandwagon, but the utter failings of 9-11 shout for complete revision of whatever policies were in place back then. To allow so many people who were on "terrorist watch lists" to simultaneously board the three planes that were used on that day could have easily been an "oversight". If it were just that, it might seem like pure incompetence. Failure to require cockpit doors be lockable might have been an oversight as well, but as we have learned, the government had been made aware that a plot to use commercial jets as projectiles against soft targets existed for years prior to 9-11. Maybe the FAA had better things to do, more likely, they were never told of the threat. Coincidentally, on the day of the "attack" there were military "games" up and down the East Coast, requiring F-16s to be scrambled. It is most chilling to listen to the dispatcher, who awaits just this sort of event, question, "Is this part of the exercise?" When you know with hindsight that it most assuredly was not. Had the scenario been played out as part of a movie or book, no one would have believed that so many could do so little for so long and that such a long series of mistakes could be strung together to create such a plot. Whether it was pure incompetence or an actual conspiracy is moot, the damage we have done to our own country since is blatantly obvious. The shadow government has ratcheted back freedoms and instituted fear tactics against all Americans in virtually every arena of our lives.
I do understand the very real threat posed by terrorists, but encouraging them to create mayhem to stop them is like trying to stop rabbits from reproducing through the use of tiny condoms. I am struck by the amount of time that was spent on the most recent FBI recruit. Instead of focusing on someone who was willing, but unable to carry out an attack, would not the cause of freedom and security be better served by concentrating on those who have the conviction and means to perpetrate mass destruction? I felt the need, after 9-11, to do a little figuring. Anyone who has been to New York understands that the whole rock of Manhattan is like an anthill. Throngs of people swarm up and down it's length. I wondered, what would happen if there was such a "strike" against an anthill. The answer I came to was absolutely nothing. Even if the World Trade Center had been the heart of the brood chamber, the ants would have carried off anything salvageable, creating a new chamber within hours. Within a week, or possibly as long as a month, the damage would be both inconsequential and undetectable. In our "developed" state, we have plans for a memorial. we are treating it like our own holocaust. We daily multiply the damage and danger by coining the term 9-11, repeating the story, highlighting the "threat" and refusing to ask the simple question, "Why are these crazy folks so dead set on trying to hurt our people?" It is becoming clear to some that we are a much bigger threat to ourselves than terrorists have ever been.
The America that I learned about in social studies and civics class has been eviscerated. No one is free if we are all to become suspect. The right to vote has even been undermined by fear mongering weasels with more money than we can fathom and, it seems, less concern for our country than their own wealth and dominion. The idea of an educated electorate has more or less fallen by the wayside. Like in the Harry Potter series what we fear the most cannot be named. Sadly, the difference between our early twenty-first century America and the magical world of Mr. Potter is that in the books, everyone knows who "he who can't be named" is. We, on the other hand, are led like hogs with rings through our noses from one "devil" to another. This election taxes were trotted out as the enemy. Driven by fear, like we are, it is easier to forget that the Republican juggernaut brought us a collapse of the world economy than question their motives. We seem to refuse to analyze any of the data that comes at us from whatever sources we trust, often choosing the "news" sources that most agree with our opinions. The oft repeated lies do not become true by their repetition, but it seems that we have not learned that yet.
We are a country of over three hundred million. Life is inherently dangerous. We kill more people each year by driving badly than terrorists have ever killed. Doctor prescribed medication kills more people every year than terrorists killed on 9-11. Although I am in favor of vigilance with regard a diverse set of threats, we need to keep a bit of perspective here. The same principles that apply to individuals guide the development of states. No one can be expected to thrive when basic needs are not met. Having our needs met include good nutritious food,which we know is under threat from all sides, receiving love and compassion from others, which is less and less likely in our increasingly angry land and security. True security depends on knowing we are safe, not being constantly told that we are in danger. Just as no one person can thrive under unhealthy or hostile conditions, neither can our nation thrive in an atmosphere of fear, fed only pablam and cheesecake. Searching for the nuggets of truth in the lies we are told by the mainstream press is a difficult challenge, but the value of facing the challenge is worth far more than I can put into words.
I hate to climb on the conspiracy bandwagon, but the utter failings of 9-11 shout for complete revision of whatever policies were in place back then. To allow so many people who were on "terrorist watch lists" to simultaneously board the three planes that were used on that day could have easily been an "oversight". If it were just that, it might seem like pure incompetence. Failure to require cockpit doors be lockable might have been an oversight as well, but as we have learned, the government had been made aware that a plot to use commercial jets as projectiles against soft targets existed for years prior to 9-11. Maybe the FAA had better things to do, more likely, they were never told of the threat. Coincidentally, on the day of the "attack" there were military "games" up and down the East Coast, requiring F-16s to be scrambled. It is most chilling to listen to the dispatcher, who awaits just this sort of event, question, "Is this part of the exercise?" When you know with hindsight that it most assuredly was not. Had the scenario been played out as part of a movie or book, no one would have believed that so many could do so little for so long and that such a long series of mistakes could be strung together to create such a plot. Whether it was pure incompetence or an actual conspiracy is moot, the damage we have done to our own country since is blatantly obvious. The shadow government has ratcheted back freedoms and instituted fear tactics against all Americans in virtually every arena of our lives.
I do understand the very real threat posed by terrorists, but encouraging them to create mayhem to stop them is like trying to stop rabbits from reproducing through the use of tiny condoms. I am struck by the amount of time that was spent on the most recent FBI recruit. Instead of focusing on someone who was willing, but unable to carry out an attack, would not the cause of freedom and security be better served by concentrating on those who have the conviction and means to perpetrate mass destruction? I felt the need, after 9-11, to do a little figuring. Anyone who has been to New York understands that the whole rock of Manhattan is like an anthill. Throngs of people swarm up and down it's length. I wondered, what would happen if there was such a "strike" against an anthill. The answer I came to was absolutely nothing. Even if the World Trade Center had been the heart of the brood chamber, the ants would have carried off anything salvageable, creating a new chamber within hours. Within a week, or possibly as long as a month, the damage would be both inconsequential and undetectable. In our "developed" state, we have plans for a memorial. we are treating it like our own holocaust. We daily multiply the damage and danger by coining the term 9-11, repeating the story, highlighting the "threat" and refusing to ask the simple question, "Why are these crazy folks so dead set on trying to hurt our people?" It is becoming clear to some that we are a much bigger threat to ourselves than terrorists have ever been.
The America that I learned about in social studies and civics class has been eviscerated. No one is free if we are all to become suspect. The right to vote has even been undermined by fear mongering weasels with more money than we can fathom and, it seems, less concern for our country than their own wealth and dominion. The idea of an educated electorate has more or less fallen by the wayside. Like in the Harry Potter series what we fear the most cannot be named. Sadly, the difference between our early twenty-first century America and the magical world of Mr. Potter is that in the books, everyone knows who "he who can't be named" is. We, on the other hand, are led like hogs with rings through our noses from one "devil" to another. This election taxes were trotted out as the enemy. Driven by fear, like we are, it is easier to forget that the Republican juggernaut brought us a collapse of the world economy than question their motives. We seem to refuse to analyze any of the data that comes at us from whatever sources we trust, often choosing the "news" sources that most agree with our opinions. The oft repeated lies do not become true by their repetition, but it seems that we have not learned that yet.
We are a country of over three hundred million. Life is inherently dangerous. We kill more people each year by driving badly than terrorists have ever killed. Doctor prescribed medication kills more people every year than terrorists killed on 9-11. Although I am in favor of vigilance with regard a diverse set of threats, we need to keep a bit of perspective here. The same principles that apply to individuals guide the development of states. No one can be expected to thrive when basic needs are not met. Having our needs met include good nutritious food,which we know is under threat from all sides, receiving love and compassion from others, which is less and less likely in our increasingly angry land and security. True security depends on knowing we are safe, not being constantly told that we are in danger. Just as no one person can thrive under unhealthy or hostile conditions, neither can our nation thrive in an atmosphere of fear, fed only pablam and cheesecake. Searching for the nuggets of truth in the lies we are told by the mainstream press is a difficult challenge, but the value of facing the challenge is worth far more than I can put into words.
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