I think this points out the paradox of our times. Because we have so distorted our infrastructure to accomodate our auto fetish and consumerist throw-away lives, it is almost impossible to switch to a sustainable lifestyle without being rich. It simply costs too much money to buy land and have enough time to set up a farm. For the vast majority of Americans, a life of Ho-Hos and basic cable is the only choice. They may be able to cut down on their energy use and consumption, and will certainly have to in the future, but they will not be able to dramatically change the way they live without a vast social dislocation.

I hear of those people who manage to make it out of the city into small "farms," but they are rarely poor or even middle-class people. What will the nation do when it needs to shift our paradigm not for the few but for the many? A gradual transformation seems appropriate, but that requires central planning -- something that the ideologically driven lemmings are unwilling to undertake. Are we doomed, should the Saudi's suddenly find themselves bombed by Iran? Are we doomed, should Chavez ink a deal with China and the tankers majestically change course?

I know this site has a propensity to happy talk, the kind we use to reassure our children when the tornado is ripping up the out-buildings and we sit huddled in the shelter, but I think there must be a plan for an emergency oil shut down. The right single event, or combination of events, could plunge the nation into chaos. There must be a plan.