<Saudis officially happy with $100 oil The Oil Drum DrumBeat: November 14, 2007>

122 comments on Wow. Peak Oil Is on The History Channel. (or, the "Megadisasters: Oil Apocalypse" Open Thread)

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The Chimp Who Can Drive on November 13, 2007 - 5:46pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

You're assuming that battle is over. Give the moneyed folks who want open borders another two-to-five years. They will get what they want, one way or another.

Do I need to post the articles about how Blackwater is setting up camp on the U.S.-Mexican border? It's not so they can stop the illegal immigration. It's so they can blast whichever factions aren't paying their proper cut to the moneyed folks.

That is unless we collapse into total chaos before then, something I think is a distinct possibility if not outright probability.

BTW, I realize asking PG if he has lost his (or her?) mind is borderline flamebait but he (she?) is not made of sugar, I'm sure he can take it.

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john macklin on November 13, 2007 - 6:55pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

PG has posted and generated lots of input on the energy bill back in August here and in June here. This is just follow up to those discussions, now that the bill may go to a vote.

I doubt minds have been lost yet.

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Agric on November 13, 2007 - 7:08pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

'Lo and hi again Matt. Been a while since I've spoken here. Things are unfolding much as expected and predicted, though some a mite faster and some a mite slower.

Your frustration is right, your cynicism 80% right . Big BUT: politicians DO listen to voters when they shout loud enough. Imagine a million calling Hilary and / or Barak saying 'what you gonna do about peak oil?', they would pay attention, staffs would research, advise, they might dare speak.

Is it worth shouting? I dunno, I have a real problem with this. Less short term pain will probably cause more long term pain is the pattern I am seeing in the future. It may be past the point where it is wise to explain and alert, current reality has minimal realistic chance of persisting long, attempting to maintain it may cause more harm than good.

I've gone local, focused on training as many as practical / wish to produce food, that is an all win approach. I'll perhaps seek to influence politicians but probably not seriously until reality has smacked then hard enough first.

Ultimately we can only do what moves us and in what ways we can. Best we accept we can't know the ultimate good or ill of our well intentioned actions until after. A hard time for humans begins about now, possibly the hardest in its history as a species.

There is no map.

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oilmanbob on November 14, 2007 - 6:18am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Agric,
How are you training people to raise food? Do you have a website, classes at a community garden, a book?
Bob Ebersole

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Agric on November 14, 2007 - 11:15am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Hi Bob, I did a couple of years helping people start up allotments (UK version of US community gardens). This year I've spent about half the summer at The Utopia Experiment getting them started growing veg to feed up to 10 people all year round:
www.utopiaexperiment.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/utopia_experiment/

They managed to get to 95%+ self sufficient in veg by late July from a late March start. Not put much online yet but I've just started a column at Off-Grid to encourage people:
http://www.off-grid.net/section/self-sufficiency/

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gregorach on November 14, 2007 - 7:08am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Imagine a million calling Hilary and / or Barak saying 'what you gonna do about peak oil?', they would pay attention, staffs would research, advise, they might dare speak.

Imagine several million people taking to the streets all over the globe... And getting completely ignored.

I was in Glasgow. Biggest political demo in modern Scottish history. We got ignored. Laughed at, even. We weren't "sensible" or "serious" enough - i.e. we did not conform to the prevailing "elite" ideology.

The only time I've ever seen ordinary people genuinely drive major policy changes was the Poll Tax riots. And even then, I doubt they'd have succeeded without the widespread refusal to pay the damn thing.

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jokuhl on November 14, 2007 - 9:29am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

'They' ignored the record-breaking demonstrations over the war and other issues of the last few years just like your cat ignores you completely as long as your hand isn't quite touching the catfood can. Studiously ignored, while still being acutely aware that it's happening.

'They' are seriously outnumbered, and while I have no doubt that there are a few 'facilities' being erected around the world in a hopeful attempt to stem the tide, we should also not forget one of the other potentials of this massive population that we have amassed.

The light and dismissive laughter at growing choruses of public disapproval is a nervous laugh at best. Not that I like what they may be willing to try when nervous.

Bob

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supertuscan on November 14, 2007 - 6:19pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

How soon we forget. Millions of us marched
in the streets protesting the still up and
coming rape of Iraq. The biggest worldwide
protest ever.
An it did no good at all.

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Aniya on November 13, 2007 - 7:50pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Hi again Chimp,

re: "Give the moneyed folks who want open borders another two-to-five years."

I'm not sure. Not sure what the moneyed folks want, not sure they're all on "the same page"...and there is plenty of local opposition (along the proposed route of) to the border wall/fence among the less-moneyed. Plus some in favor.
(http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/fence_81110___article.html/ortiz_b... )

re: "I realize..."

Do you think there's another option?

re: "Do I need to post the articles about how Blackwater is setting up camp on the U.S.-Mexican border? It's not so they can stop the illegal immigration. It's so they can blast whichever factions aren't paying their proper cut to the moneyed folks."

The expansion of Blackwater is extremely frightening. I would welcome a post on this (perhaps that puts together the different sources and articles.)

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confederate on November 13, 2007 - 10:48pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Matt,
I would very much like to see those articles. I have been reading up on Blackwater and all the "contractor" companies and they scare the ever-lovin piss outta me.

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122 comments on Wow. Peak Oil Is on The History Channel. (or, the "Megadisasters: Oil Apocalypse" Open Thread)

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