And it's summer time

Wow, just about a whole month since I posted. Let's check in shall we? There are usually about ten things which my brain is reminding me that I need to be doing more of at any given time, including but not limited to: enjoying my "youth", reading books, saving money, saving the children, making plans, following through on the plans, not eating so much ice cream (So the grammer of that clause would be "I need to do less eating so much ice cream." yes, sounds about right), making my front yard look socially acceptable, etc. Anyway, a quick look at The Oil Drum this evening reminded me what ought to be the most urgent thing on my list: consuming less petroleum. Not planning on it, but actually doing it. I believe this is a matter of survival even more than ethics and is, as such, much more important than all those other things I want to do to enjoy myself or further adorn my personality. Here is a much-reproduced image of Hubbert's Peak, a prediction of when oil production will peak globally. See the top of the hill? see about what year it's at? People are saying it happened as early as December 2005, or perhaps last year. Google peak oil and you'll find lots better info.

I found a phrase on a different oil blog rather appropos: people like myself are living in two worlds. That is, there are lots of us who are aware of what people are saying about peak oil, especially what Jim Kunstler says about "making other arrangements" (aside from any moral imperative we may feel about environmental stewardship). We are deeply concerned about being prepared for whatever lies ahead as our economy and society are severely jolted by an ever-decreasing supply of the single most important resource-petroleum. We are trying to think realistically about what kind of options we will have as global oil supplies and in turn all the myriad petro-products become less scarce. We know that this new economy, as it emerges and once it develops will look nothing like the current manic-consumerist everything-is-fine economy we are currently watching spring-break its way into its final bullrun. For example, my job at the Girl Scouts, which I love and am sometimes good at, which I believe does a lot of good in the lives of the girls with which I work, will have absolutely no place in a post-peak economy. It will not even make sense. For one thing, it is grant-funded, and I will be shocked if there is any non-profit world to speak of after the coming crisis sets in, and foundations no longer have any stock-market revenue. In addition, my job is only feasible if I drive around constantly to different program sites spending money on a variety of consumables to provide activities and snacks to the girls, many of whom are supported by parents who are barely stable, and barely making ends meet working service-sector jobs. Non-profit professionals live off the fat of the land (not that the proportion of fat to land has any bearing on my salary, but that's another story. ahem)

Anyway, I am trying to survive in this present world, to make my life work here in Mobile, to keep a pleasant home and live my life in a way I feel is ethical while the spectre of a world to come looms in my mind. Not even in my mind. It is all over the web, all over the fancy reports of important, knowledgeable people who actually have the credentials to speak on this matter: World oil production is peaking if it hasn't already and there is no amount of ethanol or biodiesel that will save us. Even if you don't believe in the peak, you've got to admit that oil is a finite resource. IT WILL RUN OUT ONE DAY. PERIOD. So, why, I ask, are we still building suburban housing tracts and mini-malls? You can only answer this question will some illogical or just plain evil response to the tune of, "I don't like living near poor people", I don't know the definition of 'finite' and therefore assume i'll always be able to drive everywhere I need to" or "I don't care about the world my children are going to have to live in, and I'll be dead before all the really bad stuff starts to happen." There is simply no argument. If you say "Oh, don't worry, they'll find more" You are answering on a faith that deserves to join the ranks of the "God is on our side in Iraq" crowd. But I digress

So I know this, and I'm trying to get ready for the consequences, assuming my future plans will play themselves out in an unpredictable, increasingly dangerous world. i'm stumped though, and I'm getting antsy because I can't figure out how to make the transition without playing the game for at least another couple of years, crossing my fingers and hoping the good times roll on long enough for us to sell our house, cash in and buy a piece somewhere. So on with the plan: This summer I teach myself chease and yogurt making, fix up my new bike, and keep trying to convince Nathanael we have room in the back yard for chickens. Here's hopin'.

Decision 08

I've been sort of bemused by the current moniker of the upcoming election. It's as if the very idea of an actual fair honest to goodness vote is so embattled, that the powers that be are just calling it a decision this year. Anyway, as I have no television, I just watched 9 consecutive Youtube clips of the recent debate between this year's democratic candidates. Part of me doesn't like any of them and is depressed at the thought that the slickest, best funded candidate will probably get chosen and won't do anything that seriously challenges the last 50 years of American foreign and energy policy, by which I mean, the policy of enabling big business to do whatever it wants at whatever human and environmental costs nessecary. You can trace this pattern of behavior back at least to World War Two, and presidents of both parties have enabled it to the point that I'm almost over hoping for anything different out of this year's candidates.

On the other hand, I was pleased to see some measure of actual candor among some of the candidates, (that guy from Alaska, HILARIOUS) although, this immediately caused me to think, "That guy is totally unelectable." I mean, he is; despite his courage in deriding US foreign policy as a war policy, cursing twice, and saying at one point, and I quote, "we've scared the bejeezus out of them" in reference to Iran. Then there was sweet little Denis Kucinich who I think is, among other things, too short to be elected president. There's a reason he's the darling of the activist community. This guy is totally unswayed by the reality of the campaign universe. For this reason, he says all sorts of things that are totally true and obvious, but which other candidates won't say for fear of sounding too extreme, like the fact that we're in the Middle East for oil, and the fact that Dick Cheney deserves to be impeached, which I think he probably does. Part of that reality however, is the fact that people simply won't elect a president who doesn't make it clear that he has no problem shooting people and blowing up other countries. What makes this even more difficult for me, and renders me unable to revert to the convenience of indignation, is that I can't reconcile this conflict for myself. I desperately want a world where the US and it's business partners leave everyone else alone and start living ethically. Where we pull back our industrial colonization of the third world and all those angry young men say to themselves, "cool, now I can get on with it" and decide we're not worth fighting and quit blowing people up and everything's fine. At this point, however, I somehow doubt the response to a new, less hostile U.S. presence in the world would be this kind. Alot of people have suffered tremendously at the hands of US economic interests, and unfortunately, a soft cuddly America would probably, rather than warming the hearts of all those people, just invite them to give us what we deserve, which is to be blown off the map. That's really what it comes down to. Enemies of the United States are real. We created them, and they have very legitimate reasons for hating us. Given the opportunity, they will kill us and we would totally deserve it. That said, I don't want to die, and most of the people voting next year don't either, so Dennis Kucinich doesn't have a chance, despite the fact that his vision for a non-violent, humanitarian America is precisely what we need. As for Barak and Hillary, eh. I am officially over Barak. I don't think he offers anything unique policy-wise. All of the lesser-known candidates had at least one moment each where they impressed me with their command of a particular issue. So, at least there is some intellect in the field this year. I particularly remember agreeing with that guy with the creepily white hair who made the point that the real threat of terrorism is the threat of nation-less enemies and that is another reason why diplomacy with existing nations is so important. That's fine. In fact, every candidate seemed much happier talking about Iraq and national defense than any other issue, especially the environment.

The next president has to take environmental issues seriously. They must be treated with the same urgency as the War of Terror has been treated heretofor. None of the candidates impressed me with anywhere near that kind of urgency. In fact, several of them took their time allotted to answer an environment question to talk some more about Iraq. None of them has any sense of the systemic changes that are required in America to combat both the problem of global warming, and impending energy scarcity. Some lame bill that requires a tiny increase in the amount of ethanol available in this country falls pathetically short of what's needed. How about reinvigorating car alternatives in this country like public transt in cities and rail travel nationwide? How about making suburban zoning illegal? Alas, I don't think it's going to happen. Furthermore, most of the progress that's been made on any important issue in the last fifty years has been locally generated. That said, I think I'll just ignore politics altogether this year in favor of seeing what I can do on my own, unless of course, the candidates keep cursing during the debates and otherwise entertaining me.