Two Things

Okay, first off I need to announce to the world at large that my Wonderful - Fabulous - Incredible Honorary Uncle came up to do the house inspection last night and gave it a good report. He also (wowowowowow) offered to donate one full day of work to fix the few things that need fixing (some doggy damage and a leaky sink) as a housewarming gift. I really appreciate that so much, because as a general handy-man he has been hit hard by the economy tanking. No one wants to do home improvements or fix the things that are only a little broken when they have to worry about gas to get to work or food to eat.

And he is the best fixer-upper dude I know. A total perfectionist in every way.

I am so excited.



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The second thing is one that I swore to myself I would no longer discuss on my blog. So I am breaking that promise in the hopes that Mr. Barefoot won't read this, and if he does that he doesn't mention it at home. Hehe.

I happened to peek at one of the cable news channels at work last night (something I try really hard to avoid) and caught the tail end of a discussion between someone from the McCain camp and someone from the Obama camp. They were going at each other tooth and nail over the "Energy Crisis" and why their candidate had THE ANSWER and the other was just a fool.

One phrase that stuck out in my mind (I have no idea who said it) is that we are "the Saudi Arabia of coal".

This is a good thing? I don't know about the rest of this country, but I haven't bought into the advertising saying that coal is "clean energy". Not only that, but it is a fossil fuel which (by definition) means it takes millions of years to create and is a FINITE source of fuel. It will run out eventually. I suppose I am the only one who sees something wrong with trading one set of issues for another ~ equally bad ~ set of issues?

The one thing that neither party brought up in even the most obscure way was our nation's need to conserve the resources we have and to learn to do with less consumption.

I tell you who I will vote for:

I will vote for the candidate who stands up and says for all the world to hear that he is going to take Crunchy's "Freeze Yer Buns" Challenge while in the White House. I will vote for the candidate who is willing to stand up to the American Public and inspire them to live in a manner that the earth can support. I will vote for the candidate who turns their back on the age old tradition of pointing fingers at the other candidate and, instead, points their finger at the American Public and says "You are the reason we are in crisis right now. All it takes is a few simple changes in your lives to make a big impact, and I am here to lead the way in making these changes. I am here to tell you that it is not about buying your way to a green life. It is not about spending all our time trying to find a way around making changes. It is about facing those changes bravely and with conviction. It is about 'biting the bullet' and moving forward into a different way of life, rather than desperately trying to hold on to one that no longer works. I am here to show you how, to help you make the changes needed, to pave the way for a new era in our history."

Yeah, that's the candidate I want in the White House.....Maybe I should run? Or we could all vote for Crunchy! Or something....



I have to go on record here as saying that, for me, the issue has never been about Peak Oil, Climate Change, or anything else.

In my mind, the bottom line is that it is irresponsible to live in a manner where you do more damage than good. Any organism that lives off another and gives nothing back is a parasite. I don't wanna be a parasite...do you? But that is what we are. And a very devastating one at that. We scalp, rape, and destroy the earth in our search for ways to live in a manner more and more removed from the natural rhythms of our host (the earth, for those of you who aren't following). Much like any other parasite, we take what we want without any regard for what it is doing to the very organism we are dependent on for life.

We are tapeworms. Yuck.

You know, I used to have nightmares where I was being chased by a monster or a "bad man". I would run and run till I was exhausted. Then, when all my strength had been sapped by my long flight and evasive maneuvering, I would turn to fight only to find that I was not strong enough to win. Only when I learned to train myself (in sleep and in real life) to turn and face the monster RIGHT AWAY did I find the strength to beat it.

I feel like we are in the same position as a country. We have spent so much time trying to avoid the problem or even deny it's existence that the issue has become bigger and bigger. A problem that would have been easy to fix in it's infancy has been allowed to grow into a grotesque giant that we feel less and less able to conquer.

So I get a little frustrated when the candidates get so caught up in telling each other that they are wrong. There is no doubt anymore that we live in a manner that the earth cannot sustain indefinitely. It doesn't matter what "Crash Theory" you subscribe to or who you blame for the whole mess. It doesn't matter if we have reached Peak or if we can delay it for a few years. Those issues are just the tentacles of the beast, and they will lose their power once the main creature is killed. We have to learn to live more lightly on the earth.

Bottom line.

Disclaimer: I write this on my energy-sucking computer with a movie in
the DVD player (babysitting Little Sprout) in an apartment with the air
conditioner on (it IS really hot and stuffy today) and Big Sprout in her room
with probably two lamps on and HER tv. I am not saying I am any better than
anyone else. I am just stating what I see as facts.