Oil Optimism

Uncle has a different reaction from mine to the lifeaftertheoilcrash.net site:

"Speculations and hypotheses, however high they be piled, are not the same as evidence verified by repeated (sometimes hostile) experiment. This latest Doomsday scenario is speculative. More, it relies upon a near-total ignorance of the history of science and technology, as well as an innate pessimism that gives even me pause."

It is hard for me to see the followers of the peak-oil theory as pessimists. We have a huge, ugly machine of misguided greedy civilization flattening humans and humanity like a steamroller. When the gears of this machine stop for lack of oil, we will have a chance to move toward a clean, rewarding, and happy future. This, to me, is not pessimistic.

Points have been made by Uncle and others that it seems silly not to expect new technologies to provide power after oil. While I agree with that, it is important to note that one of the fundamental flaws in capitalism is that the system is built like a pyramid-scheme which depends on growth of profits (also remember that profits are just unpaid wages) quarter-over-quarter, at least as an average in the long run. Take away oil, and the replacement energies will not result in a net-energy growth over many decades, and ever-increasing truck, airplane, and steamliner shipments to Walmart will not be possible. Yes, we will be able to cook, travel some, and continue our development as a people. We will just not be able to sustain the self-canibalizing economies of capitalism. We will become people, not labor machines for wall street profits.

Skating Barefoot

The upcoming skater movie "Lords of Dogtown" is getting press in the NYT.

I noticed the promo image (below) because barefooters.org has noted that in the earlier days when skating was cooler than it is now, most skaters did it barefoot. Now, not being so much a daredevil myself, I would probably worry about ripping all the skin off of my feet... but what a contrast with those who seem to think we are going to hurt ourselves going into the convenience store barefoot!



Technorati tags: barefooters, barefoot

Bush Supports Terrorism

From BBC News:

"The president last week described Mr Posada Carriles as "a self-confessed terrorist"...

The US says it will not deport Mr Posada Carriles to any country that would hand him over to Fidel Castro's regime in Cuba."

Carriles is guilty of terrorism against Cuba including an attack on a Cuban airliner.

Bush wants to harbor this terrorist because the success of the revolution in Cuba which now has happy, healthy, and free citizens is a profound demonstration that Capitalism is a failed experiment.

The Eugenics Begin in the American Reich

CNN is reporting that the extremist right-wing administration of George W. Bush has begun a new eugenics program in the United States aimed at genetic cleansing of undesirable homosexuals:

"To the dismay of gay-rights activists, the Food and Drug Administration is about to implement new rules recommending that any man who has engaged in homosexual sex in the previous five years be barred from serving as an anonymous sperm donor."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/05/05/gay.donor.ap/index.html

I don't know what the source of the unfortunate use of the word "dismay" is-- this is Terror and Outrage. I could rant until the cows come home. I will try to be concise: We are headed down a horrific road towards the worst of humanity under the "leadership" of GWB. Evil has always been present in the world; what is sorely missing now is good people of conscience standing up to be counted.

Unable to Endorse Orman

As I promised, I contacted candidate Dr. John Orman who is running to defeat the noxious incumbent Joe Lieberman for U.S. Senate from Connecticut.

I asked about whether he supports equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. I am more than a little perplexed at how he seemed to wonder if I was proposing to him. This indicates to me that he has an unfortunate discomfort with this issue of equal rights.

Suggestions of leaving the issue to individual states present some complication. I find myself wondering (and plan to ask) if Dr. Orman would support allowing individual states to decide whether or not to ban interracial marriage. I would not necessarily oppose a candidate if he were to make a tactical decision that equal rights would most quickly be achieved by leaving jurisdiction to the states.

I am disappointed, however, that Dr. Orman did not endorse equal rights. Civil onions and DP's are discriminatory constructs, and in 2006, I am ready to actively oppose any candidate who believes that creating a new, unfair program is a good thing.

So who else is going to run?

Emails below:

Subject: RE: Position questions/Senate Run
Date: Thu, 5 May 2005 10:51:48 -0400
From: "Orman, John"
To:

If I was elected to the U.S. Senate and President Bush's proposed
constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages came to the floor, I
would vote against the ban. If a bill came to the floor to make civil unions
and domestic partnerships the law of the land, I would vote for that
idea. If you are asking if I personally want to have a gay marriage, no
I do not. I am already married. I would leave the issue of same sex
marriages up to each individual state. I no longer have an exploratory
committee. I have filed formal papers with the Federal Elections
Committee and I am the only officially announced candidate for U.S.
Senate from either party. My committee is "Orman: the DEMOCRAT for
Senate" Committee. Thank you for your concern. My website with my
positions should be up soon. Dr. John Orman

-----Original Message-----
From: [mailto:ael777@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2005 9:04 AM
To: Orman, John
Subject: Position questions/Senate Run

Dr. Orman,

Thank you for forming an exploratory committee to run
against DINO Joe.

I wanted to ask you specifically if you support equal
marriage rights for same-sex couples, and also where I
can find more information on your positions on other
issues too.

I will look forward to hearing back from you!

Thanks!

Towards a Barefoot Day

This Sunday, May 8, in addition to being Mother's Day, is also No Socks Day.

This is fun, perhaps, but without much clear purpose. It is also copyrighted!?

When I found this "holiday," it got me thinking that what we really needed was a barefoot/bare feet/No Shoes Day. In many places, it is difficult to be the only one going barefoot, but if we could get a bunch of people on board even for a day, we could break some barriers with this phobia in our society.

I will drop a line to the Society for Barefoot Living, and others, to see where they are on this idea. In the meanwhile, the more days that we lose the shoes and socks, the more our freedom and connection with the Earth will grow.

Technorati tags: barefooters, barefoot