A Triple Crisis

I've tried to keep this blog focused on local issues, but it's hard to do so lately. My thoughts have been on the big picture, far bigger than just the bay area. After seeing An Inconvenient Truth, and having recently started a book Crossing the Rubycon about the American imperialism that is related to our having reached the peak in Earth's oil supplies, I've come to the realization that we are a now in a triple crisis..

The least of which is what I've been focused on lately: the erosion of our liberties and our democracy. Unless things can be done to bring the Democratic Party around to the progressive side sufficiently, to help voters connect the dots between their values and reality, and manage to get enough votes in 2006 and 2008 elections despite the obvious voter fraud, then I perceive that we are at the end of the USA as a democracy.

The second crisis, which I don't think people realize the impact of, is that we are running out of oil. Not literally, but world production has apparently peaked, meaning that it's going to get harder and harder to find oil. Those that want the oil will do anything to ensure that they are getting their oil, which means ... you guess it .... wars. But even more significant is that our entire lifestyle, especially in the West but increasingly around the rest of the world, is absolutely dependent on oil. Unless we get started now in seriously finding alternatives in lifestyles, reducing population growth and dependency on oil, and sheer waste, we are going to find ourselves in deep trouble.

And of course the third crisis is the end of human civilization as we know it; perhaps not the end of the human species, but global, catastrophic change. If you are reading this and you think this is overstating it, then go and see An Inconvenient Truth for The Great Maker's sake!

These are heavy thoughts. It's hard to keep from slipping into despair. I'd rather step into action, as much as I can.