Comments on: Peak Oil, Economic Collapse, and the Efficacy of Government http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/ se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:29:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Jason Godesky http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-26341 Jason Godesky Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:15:12 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-26341 I'd love to jump on that, I really would, but that doesn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I knew in 1996 that bin Ladin was determined to attack the U.S. on its home soil. The key elements—where, when, and how—are missing, and without those, it's pretty useless. Now yeah, you can use that to ask what the hell Bush was thinking cutting the anti-terrorism budget, but I don't think that constitutes evidence that they knew 9/11 was coming and looked the other way in any meaningful way. Like I said, I won't be surprised if it turns out they did, but even on that score the evidence is currently lacking. I’d love to jump on that, I really would, but that doesn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. I knew in 1996 that bin Ladin was determined to attack the U.S. on its home soil. The key elements—where, when, and how—are missing, and without those, it’s pretty useless. Now yeah, you can use that to ask what the hell Bush was thinking cutting the anti-terrorism budget, but I don’t think that constitutes evidence that they knew 9/11 was coming and looked the other way in any meaningful way. Like I said, I won’t be surprised if it turns out they did, but even on that score the evidence is currently lacking.

]]> By: Giulianna Lamanna http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-26339 Giulianna Lamanna Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:06:36 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-26339 <blockquote>I won't be surprised if in years to come it comes to light that our government knew this was going to happen, and decided to look the other way in order to reap the windfall.</blockquote> Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.

I won’t be surprised if in years to come it comes to light that our government knew this was going to happen, and decided to look the other way in order to reap the windfall.

Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.

]]> By: Jason Godesky http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-26334 Jason Godesky Mon, 16 Oct 2006 14:35:36 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-26334 <blockquote>I poop-pooed this conspiracy stuff at first.</blockquote> I still do. What, the U.S. government is the only dastardly organization on the planet? When it happened, I knew it was al-Qa'ida immediately. How? Because everyone knew they were trying to do something like this, and everyone knew that you always could, if you wanted to badly enough. Complexity opens up weaknesses and leverage points that are easy to press. In this case, all you need is 19 guys with box cutters. Sure, the U.S. government does a lot of really nasty stuff, but they're not alone in that regard. False flag missions are by no means unheard of, but where's the evidence that this was one? I won't be surprised if in years to come it comes to light that our government knew this was going to happen, and decided to look the other way in order to reap the windfall. But as for going out and actually doing it themselves—that's pretty dumb, when there's so many genuine bad guys that are so eager to do it for you. That's my biggest beef with these conspiracy nuts: it's all so Americentric. It <em>has</em> to come from the United States because it hurt us, it was effective, and only the U.S. government has that kind of power. Bollocks. What all this conspiracy talk serves to do is buttress the notion that all power must come from the government. It reinforces hierarchical thinking. It's bullshit.

I poop-pooed this conspiracy stuff at first.

I still do. What, the U.S. government is the only dastardly organization on the planet? When it happened, I knew it was al-Qa’ida immediately. How? Because everyone knew they were trying to do something like this, and everyone knew that you always could, if you wanted to badly enough. Complexity opens up weaknesses and leverage points that are easy to press. In this case, all you need is 19 guys with box cutters.

Sure, the U.S. government does a lot of really nasty stuff, but they’re not alone in that regard. False flag missions are by no means unheard of, but where’s the evidence that this was one? I won’t be surprised if in years to come it comes to light that our government knew this was going to happen, and decided to look the other way in order to reap the windfall. But as for going out and actually doing it themselves—that’s pretty dumb, when there’s so many genuine bad guys that are so eager to do it for you.

That’s my biggest beef with these conspiracy nuts: it’s all so Americentric. It has to come from the United States because it hurt us, it was effective, and only the U.S. government has that kind of power. Bollocks. What all this conspiracy talk serves to do is buttress the notion that all power must come from the government. It reinforces hierarchical thinking. It’s bullshit.

]]> By: Peter http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-25912 Peter Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:42:23 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-25912 http://wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com/2006/10/911-truth-tsunami-headed-this-way.html I poop-pooed this conspiracy stuff at first. http://wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com/2006/10/911-truth-tsunami-headed-this-way.html

I poop-pooed this conspiracy stuff at first.

]]> By: Peter http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-25883 Peter Sat, 14 Oct 2006 16:53:57 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-25883 Well worth 50 minutes of your time to watch Peak Oil Video: Oil, Smoke and Mirrors http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=8677389869548020370&hl=en Well worth 50 minutes of your time to watch Peak Oil Video: Oil, Smoke and Mirrors

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=8677389869548020370&hl=en

]]> By: Jason Godesky http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7879 Jason Godesky Tue, 21 Mar 2006 22:43:45 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7879 <blockquote>Of all races in an advanced stage of civilization, the American is the least accessible to long views… Always and everywhere in a hurry to get rich, he does not give a thought to remote consequences; he sees only present advantages… He does not remember, he does not feel, he lives in a materialist dream.</blockquote> -- Moiseide Ostrogorski, 1902

Of all races in an advanced stage of civilization, the American is the least accessible to long views… Always and everywhere in a hurry to get rich, he does not give a thought to remote consequences; he sees only present advantages… He does not remember, he does not feel, he lives in a materialist dream.

– Moiseide Ostrogorski, 1902

]]> By: Jason Godesky http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7819 Jason Godesky Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:32:49 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7819 Which is a shame, because the powdered wigs were really the best part, I think. Which is a shame, because the powdered wigs were really the best part, I think.

]]> By: John Michael Greer http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7800 John Michael Greer Tue, 21 Mar 2006 09:23:16 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7800 John Kenneth Galbraith has a great book titled "The Culture of Contentment," which takes a hard look at why America is incapable of constructive change. His main argument is not unrelated to Hardin's "Tragedy of the Commons:" anyone who tries to do anything about the rising spiral of problems has to pay up front, in person, while if nothing's done the costs are postponed and will be shared by the whole society. A politician who tried to get Americans to use energy less extravagantly would risk being hounded out of office the way Carter was. One who votes for big tax breaks for SUVs may be helping to doom industrial civilization to a brutal collapse and a dark age centuries long, but hey, maybe it won't happen during his term. Galbraith points out that exactly the same logic kept the French aristocracy from doing anything constructive about French society in the century before the Revolution. Everybody knew what needed to be done, but nobody was willing to pay the price in foregone privilege and power. The process ended at the business end of the guillotine. It's the same process, just a shortage of powdered wigs this time. John Kenneth Galbraith has a great book titled “The Culture of Contentment,” which takes a hard look at why America is incapable of constructive change. His main argument is not unrelated to Hardin’s “Tragedy of the Commons:” anyone who tries to do anything about the rising spiral of problems has to pay up front, in person, while if nothing’s done the costs are postponed and will be shared by the whole society. A politician who tried to get Americans to use energy less extravagantly would risk being hounded out of office the way Carter was. One who votes for big tax breaks for SUVs may be helping to doom industrial civilization to a brutal collapse and a dark age centuries long, but hey, maybe it won’t happen during his term.

Galbraith points out that exactly the same logic kept the French aristocracy from doing anything constructive about French society in the century before the Revolution. Everybody knew what needed to be done, but nobody was willing to pay the price in foregone privilege and power. The process ended at the business end of the guillotine. It’s the same process, just a shortage of powdered wigs this time.

]]> By: Peter http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7663 Peter Fri, 17 Mar 2006 22:42:50 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7663 Hey kids, CNN will do a 6 part series this weekend (March 18th) on Peak Oil. http://www.energybulletin.net/13911.html Just in case you have been hiding in a cave for the past week. Hey kids,

CNN will do a 6 part series this weekend (March 18th) on Peak Oil. http://www.energybulletin.net/13911.html

Just in case you have been hiding in a cave for the past week.

]]> By: Chuck http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7573 Chuck Wed, 15 Mar 2006 14:42:01 +0000 http://anthropik.com/2006/03/peak-oil-economic-collapse-and-the-efficacy-of-government/#comment-7573 "but their offering LARGER tax rebates for X-Large SUV's. You know, hummers and such. So what is the message in this?" That subconsciously, they're connected to the rest of the human psychic web, and they want to end the suffering as soon as possible, too. (That's a fun answer. An evil answer is that they're financially connected to the car companies, as evidenced by some of the cool maps on Theyrule. They're looking out for themselves on the short-term, at the expense of everyone else.) - Chuck “but their offering LARGER tax rebates for X-Large SUV’s. You know, hummers and such. So what is the message in this?”

That subconsciously, they’re connected to the rest of the human psychic web, and they want to end the suffering as soon as possible, too.

(That’s a fun answer. An evil answer is that they’re financially connected to the car companies, as evidenced by some of the cool maps on Theyrule. They’re looking out for themselves on the short-term, at the expense of everyone else.)

- Chuck

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