Throwing off the shackles of debt

Monday, March 1, 2010

by Guy R. McPherson, Keith Farnish, Dave Pollard, and Sharon Astyk Indebtedness is a form of servitude, usually involuntary, and, in extreme cases imprisonment. Consider, for example, current rates of interest, usurious compared to what savers earn on their savings in the same banks that charge that interest. Many religious organizations loath interest rates as immoral [...]

The morality of imperialism, continued

Sunday, December 20, 2009

33 Comments

My latest post stirred considerable interest, as indicated by my email in-box as well as several thoughtful comments online. Although I tried to be clear about my position, questions continue to flow in, suggesting my no-holds-barred approach lacked clarity. I’ll try again in this post, recognizing that my position is so nuanced it is likely [...]

Briefly, for now

Monday, September 14, 2009

17 Comments

While I'm developing a post about the ongoing decline into negative territory beyond Hubbert's Peak, today's brief post satisfies two purposes: (1) shameless self-promotion, and (2) short-term prediction.

A typical reaction

Sunday, August 23, 2009

12 Comments

Occasionally when people talk to me about my new life in and around the mud hut, their conclusions include one of the following statements: (1) You're selfishly wasting your talent as an excellent and inspiring teacher. You should be teaching at the university, saving students, instead of preparing for economic collapse. (2) Don't be silly. The United States cannot suffer economic collapse. My responses go something like this:

Preparing for collapse at the mud hut

Saturday, August 8, 2009

14 Comments

I've dug trenches (requiring only a strong back and a weak mind, so it's the perfect job for me) in which to install water lines, and even installed a frost-free hydrant near the chicken coop and duck house (I'm a plumber). This morning I laid laid tile atop a counter in the outdoor kitchen (I'm a mason). I've built several awnings for tools and shade, along with a few structures for animals (I'm a rough carpenter). And we're growing considerable food, planted from seed, in our own garden beds and also in a neighbor's field (I'm a sharecropper). My two favorite titles, then, are Professor Emeritus and Sharecropper.

Politics and personal responsibility

Saturday, August 1, 2009

26 Comments

I've long recognized the two-party, one-ideology basis of American politics, and I was calling Barack Obama a neoconservative long before it was popular to recognize him as the Teflon President 2.0. But even I can hardly believe this tidbit from a guy I thought was pretty damned smart: From the I-cannot-believe-this-is-happening camp, Obama is appointing a Monsanto man as food safety czar. Welcome to Farmageddon, land of the free.

Neocon nation, redux

Monday, May 18, 2009

3 Comments

We cannot use politics as usual to deal with energy decline. Ditto for runaway greenhouse. In other words, there is no viable political solution to deal with either issue.

Media alert

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

17 Comments

The industrial economy is slipping through our fingers like mercury from a broken thermometer. Facing a rapid terminal decline in crude oil -- the lifeblood of western civilization -- there is nothing you, me, or President Obama can do to save the industrial economy. But as we near the end of the industrial economy, complete with the collapse of our fuel-, food- and water-delivery systems, individuals can make arrangements to thrive in the post-carbon era.

Feeding at the trough of television

Saturday, April 18, 2009

14 Comments

Joe Bageant's recent piece, Escape from the Zombie Food Court, is a classic. He clearly and concisely dismisses the notion that our lives are lived in anything resembling freedom. The corporate media and their primary brainwashing device, television, have taken care of that.

Illegitimi non carborundum

Sunday, April 5, 2009

35 Comments

Teaching? I'm doing the best work of my life. Scholarship? Likewise. Outreach? Ditto. Obviously, it's time for me to move along.

Guy McPherson's blog

Tag Archive | "economic crisis"