Suicidal Tendencies
-- 6/27/08 (www.mountainsentinel.com) Why does it seem that every time the price of gas goes up, motorists respond by driving faster? Is it some misguided belief that if they reach their destination quicker, they will use less gas? Or are rising prices and desperation invoking some lemming-like instinct to use up our energy resources as quickly as possible, accelerating global climate instability as we make a mad rush toward oblivion. Slouching toward Bethlehem could not be farther from the truth, we are racing toward it.
Back in the 1970s, when U.S.
oil production peaked and started to decline, sparking the oil shocks
of that
decade, the government responded through gas rationing, lowering the
speed
limit to 55, and a host of other measures designed to spur energy
conservation.
Then Reagan came along and denial and conspicuous consumption were
elevated to
patriotic duties.
Now, as oil prices aim for the stratosphere, there is no
talk of rationing, or even slowing down. But wait, Fulton "Jay" Hanson (not the Jay Hanson who established the dieoff.com website that first woke up most people to the idea of peak oil in the late 1900s and shortly after the turn of the century) is trying to
start a
grassroots movement to spur motorists to drive more sensibly and save.
Hanson maintains a blog urging people to make a difference simply by slowing down. Greenslowmovingvehicle.com makes a very good argument for the savings that accrue from simply driving a little slower. I urge everyone to visit this site and consider taking an active roll on the slow movement. The site draws a lot of its information from government studies that deserve to be loudly trumpeted.
Continued at The Mountain Sentinel
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In memory of George Carlin and Utah Phillips
In the past month two great entertainers have passed away. Both were men with the ability to help us see how things really are through humor.
The following videos are presented in remembrance of George Carlin and Utah Phillips.
