“Collapse” goes mainstream

Last week I wrote about a new film, Collapse, and the arrival of Peak Oil as one of the primary factors driving that collapse. Two years ago, daring to speculate about the end of America, or of capitalism itself would have been greeted with a hearty guffaw, or at least some very skeptical glances. Today, these concerns are no longer solely the province of the "doomers"-- there is a blossoming awareness of the gravity of the challenges facing us. Consider these warnings from mainstream, highly credible sources:

  • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argues that our debt and unprecedented deficits have become a national security issue, not merely a matter of economics. Reuters reported:
    Having to rely on foreign creditors hit "our ability to protect our security, to manage difficult problems and to show the leadership that we deserve," she said. "The moment of reckoning cannot be put off forever," she said. "I really honestly wish I could turn the clock back."

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Yet more quotes

I've been finding a lot of new quotes (new to me) these days. Here is another batch of my favorites: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. - Hanlon's Razor A woman approached a virtuoso piano player after a particularly brilliant performance and said, 'I'd give anything to play like that.' He replied, 'No, you wouldn't.' Attributed to Artur Rubenstein What is asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. Christopher Hitchens If the words 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' don't include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn't worth the hemp it was written on. Terrance McKenna If the minimum wasn't acceptable, it wouldn't be called the minimum. Anon No matter how good she looks, some guy is sick of her shit Anon Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. \Robert Heinlein (through Lazarus Long) America... just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable. Hunter S. Thompson Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too? Douglas Adams I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it. Voltaire Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. Dr. Seuss If you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it well enough. Albert Einstein

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The rot at the center

Robert Reich has noticed how the democratic base is demoralized. Who is to blame?

A growing portion of the public, fed by the right, blames our problems on "big government." Much of the reason for the Democrats' astonishing reluctance to place blame where it belongs rests with big business's and Wall Street's generous flows of campaign donations to Democrats, coupled with their implicit promise of high-paying jobs once Democratic officials retire from government. This is the rot at the center of the system. And unless or until it's remedied, it will be difficult for the President to achieve any "change you can believe in.
And if you are looking for America by the numbers, you'll find the sad up to date statistics right here, in this Alternet post by David DeGraw.

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Women should shut up.

According to 1 Timothy 11-12, woman should be silent. They should not teach or lecture to men:

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.
I personally think that this is absurd advice, but when I hear female neocons and fundamentalists (e.g., Sarah Palin) lecturing to the country on "family values," morals or anything political, I'm going to be pulling out the above quote from the New Testament. It's a simple two-step to deal with woman who get on the national stage to tell the rest of us that we must continue being an aggressive, war-mongering nation, or that we shouldn't teach real science in biology classes, or that we can't provide instruction and medicine and devices to prevent pregnancies:
A) Do you believe the Bible to be inerrant? B) If so, then you most be silent. It is the Word of your God.
Note further, that braided hair, gold, pearls and expensive clothing are absolutely banned.

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