Joe Bageant on Nowhere to Hide

Cover via Amazon

There ain't no escape from collapse

. . . If you have the temperament and character to readily love other people around you, and the willingness to labor solely for sustenance, community and friendship, then there are countless options. Because that's what most of the rest of world's people do every day, if allowed to. So you could do that in any number of places on the planet, especially here in the New World south of the US. You can do it in literally thousands of places, some of which are in the US. I get emails from all over. But I don't give out contacts anymore because I learned the hard way in Belize that human chemistry is a complex thing. And most Americans do not come into approximately sustainable situations with either the social skills or the willingness to sacrifice for the group. Hell, some Americans starting up such communities don't have those qualities. . . .

I have come to think the price of admission anywhere in the world, (except in America and Europe, where enough dough will get your ass kissed in any circles) is service to others. We have been indoctrinated by an earth devouring capitalist system to believe otherwise. Believe that giving only depletes. And that mankind and civilization came about through kings and warriors and "great men." But the essential glue of man the social animal, and society has always been on cooperation and sharing. That an endless stream of elite thieves have always managed to steal the fruits of that cooperation does not matter. And the best that is in man still rests on the same fundamentals -- cooperation for the greater good of all.

So I would suggest that in planning for the future, you first spend many days pondering the question: How can I best go about giving up the world as I have known it -- which, after all, is the root of our pain and of our catastrophe -- and serve others every day and in as many ways large and small as possible. In other words, sacrifice. In truth, the sacrifice will not be sacrifice, but liberation, because Americans are buried under so much material shit and petty notions as to entitlement, that shedding such things is a blessing. A gift.

UPDATE: It's not just the heat, it's the acidity (Part III)

Carbon dioxide in water -- also known as "carbonic acid" -- attacking the very base of our food chain. Image via Wikipedia

Meanwhile, as Kurt Schrader pals around with Senator Exxon-Murkowski, those of us in his district can learn a bit more about why climate chaos is going to disrupt everything in Oregon's 5th Congressional District, starting with the base of the food chain in the oceans:

Thursday, April 22, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Straub Environmental Lecture Series: Dr. Burke Hales
Oregon’s Coastal Carbon Cycle: The Good, the Bad, and the Acidic

Loucks Auditorium, Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty Street SE, Salem

Calcium carbonate is used by many marine organisms to build their shells and exoskeletons. However, changes in the ocean chemistry are changing the concentrations of crucial carbonate ions, making seawater more corrosive to these marine organisms. Upwelling off the Oregon coast is responsible for the rich fisheries and divers ecosystem found there – but also poises the system on the verge of hypoxia and dangerous levels of corrosiveness. Free and open to the public; no RSVP required. Call or email 503-391-4145 or fselc@fselc.org for more information.

Appalling: Kurt Schrader joins the paleo-nutjobs to promote climate chaos

WARNING: Wants to fiddle while the planet burns. Image via Wikipedia

Kurt Schrader has joined the far rightmost wing of GOP to do the bidding of the oil and coal lobbies by signing a resolution attacking the EPA for proposing to implement the Clean Air Act as written. He tries to pass it off as simply a jurisdictional dispute, saying that he thinks Congress should be driving on climate change rather than the EPA ... failing to mention that he hasn't done squat to make that outcome happen, or that what is politically possible in Congress is so far short of what is physically required that it doesn't even qualify as a joke.

This is sad.

Schrader Statement on Sponsorship of H.J. Res 76

04/20/10

Thank you for your concern regarding my co-sponsorship of H.J. Res 76, which disapproves of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) further regulating CO2 emissions. I know that there have been many wild and inaccurate emails attacking me for supporting it. I want you to know that my reason for signing on this resolution is simple. I believe that Congress, and not the EPA, should be making the decision to regulate CO2 emissions. For me, this transcends political ideology, regardless of which party controls Congress and the White House. As a farmer and steward of the Earth, I do believe we have a responsibility to protect our environment, promote green jobs here at home, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. That is a major reason why I supported the American Clean Energy and Security Act last year. To those who question my commitment to the environment, I will let my 93% score in 2009 from the League of Conservation Voters and 100% score from Environment America speak for itself. I appreciate your outreach on this issue and look forward to working with you on important issues relating to our environment.

A heroine for our time (the new Gilded Age) too

Labor history events - April 24, 25

Presentations by Simon Cordery regarding his new book Mother Jones: Raising Cain and Consciousness. The Salem Public Library event will also feature a talk by Ann Montague about "Womens' Role In The 1987 Oregon State Workers Strike."

Salem:
Saturday April 24, 3 PM (Salem Library)
Sunday, April 25: 4 PM (Salem Friends Hall)