The United States and its Allies have built a strong industrial and technological economy and social structure. That structure is based upon Oil. The major political players in our world now look to the future and see Oil as a strategic resource. The problem with that is that the location of the oil is fixed, so countries who have oil have power over countries that do not.
Additionally countries that need oil may see it worth a fight to control Oil. That means that this Century will be one that is dominated by Oil Wars.
There is an alternate solution to that bleak prediction. There is no reason why we must fund a military-industrial complex and defense industry to build weapons that have not and will not keep us safe, when we can have an equally strong economy based on alternative fuels.
Right now Russia is using its huge Oil and Gas supplies as leverage to dominate the European Theater. The future of the US is in alternative energies for both environmental and security reasons.
I Feed You All
Poster for the Granger Movement 1876 to 1886
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Study War No More
The Bush Administration is conducting a policy of Imperial Expansion. The NeoCons who have taken over the Republican Party beleive that there can be an "American Empire" in the 21st Century.
They have found in John McCain a person who will conduct this policy should he be elected President.
To believe this notion one must pass to threshold of reason. First, one has to believe that it is possible to have an empire in the 21st Century. There is a lot of experiments going on with this idea. China is trying to see if there can be a true "peoples" capitalism where power is centralized in Government. Russia is experimenting with Economic Bloc building that resembles the old Communist Bloc but with money and resources as the power rather than arms - though arms are never far away.
The US is falling back into the Military-Industrial mode similar to 1930's Germany, with thte intent on controling militarily the worlds supply of oil and gas.
They have found in John McCain a person who will conduct this policy should he be elected President.
To believe this notion one must pass to threshold of reason. First, one has to believe that it is possible to have an empire in the 21st Century. There is a lot of experiments going on with this idea. China is trying to see if there can be a true "peoples" capitalism where power is centralized in Government. Russia is experimenting with Economic Bloc building that resembles the old Communist Bloc but with money and resources as the power rather than arms - though arms are never far away.
The US is falling back into the Military-Industrial mode similar to 1930's Germany, with thte intent on controling militarily the worlds supply of oil and gas.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Civics Primer
I am amazed by how little people in the United States understand how Governemnt works when it comes to the three Branches of Governemnt. A democracy can not function with a ill-informed population.
That is what we have. In 2006 a Zogby poll was taken and "sixty-one percent of people could not name any justices"(1) of the Supreme Court. Also in another Zogby Poll "only 42%(of US respondants) could name the 3 branches of the United States government: executive, legislative and judicial." After reading all the posts on the FISA dust up, it is not hard to believe.
But just naming the three branches of Governemnt is not really enough though. One really needs to understand what the roles of each branch are and how they work together, even in opposition, to make government work.
First, the Constitution sets up the rules for how Government is constituted. It says who gets to do what. To get the votes of enough states to ratify the Constitution, a set of ammendments, known as the Bill of Rights, was attached because people in 1789 feared abuse of Gevernemnt.
(1)http://www.elsblog.org/the_empirical_legal_studi/2006/08/the_polls_name_.html
That is what we have. In 2006 a Zogby poll was taken and "sixty-one percent of people could not name any justices"(1) of the Supreme Court. Also in another Zogby Poll "only 42%(of US respondants) could name the 3 branches of the United States government: executive, legislative and judicial." After reading all the posts on the FISA dust up, it is not hard to believe.
But just naming the three branches of Governemnt is not really enough though. One really needs to understand what the roles of each branch are and how they work together, even in opposition, to make government work.
First, the Constitution sets up the rules for how Government is constituted. It says who gets to do what. To get the votes of enough states to ratify the Constitution, a set of ammendments, known as the Bill of Rights, was attached because people in 1789 feared abuse of Gevernemnt.
(1)http://www.elsblog.org/the_empirical_legal_studi/2006/08/the_polls_name_.html
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