BP's Weapons of Mass Distraction

We're missing the point.

We have every right to be infuriated with BP (formerly British Petroleum, soon to be some other name, or names, when they inevitably “restructure”). But if our anger stops there, they have successfully distracted us.

The spill in the Gulf of Mexico is just a wake-up call. Oil spills have happened many times before and are happening all the time now. Apparently, a spill similar to the BP oil spill has been happening in Nigeria, and we didn't even know about it. Also, natural gas fracking (hydraulic fracturing) right here on U.S. soil is perpetrating disastrous environmental results. This is just what happens when you drill for fossil fuels for decades all over the world. And as far as the fossil fuel industry is concerned, it's just a part of the costs of doing business.

For close to 100 years now, the fossil fuel industry has monopolized the transportation industry. And they have NO intentions of giving up on the billions of dollars in profits they squeeze out of us, no matter what the long-term costs to society, our civilization, or even the health of the planet.

The most important point we need to recognize is that the claim that gas is cheaper than alternatives is quite simply a CON GAME! The price at the pump is a lie. That's not what we pay for gas. That's just what they have us believing we pay.

Depending upon how experts calculate it, the true cost of gasoline (what we really pay) is between 60% higher and 500% higher. The differences in the calculations are not error. They are differences in which externalized costs are considered. The low-ball estimate was calculated from straightforward costs we pay elsewhere; such as taxes the oil companies don't pay, or subsidies they receive – without actually getting the American people's approval. The high estimate, on the other hand, also includes things like lost fishing revenue, health care costs from breathing polluted air and drinking polluted water, the military costs of invading countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, the homeland security costs of dealing with increased terrorist threats, the costs of regulatory oversight and pollution cleanup, etc.

But even those estimates of the cost of a gallon of gas are likely extraordinarily low. They haven't calculated in the long-term costs of Climate Change. When we start to calculate in the cost of moving coastal cites because of sea rise, repairing weather damaged homes, farms, and businesses world-wide, dealing with melted glaciers in places like the Himalayas (and the consequential massive droughts in China), etc.; we start to talk in big percentages of world wide GDP.

We've been conned by fossil fuel monopolists into buying their product, no matter how dangerous it is.

This has been going on since prohibition, when alcohol was made illegal to possess. Think about it. Before prohibition; Model T's could run on gasoline or home made alcohol. After prohibition, they only ran on gasoline. Of course, abolitionists wanted to eliminate alcohol, but they didn't have the money to influence our nation's hard-drinking elected representatives. That's when John D. Rockefeller (of Standard Oil) stepped in with what would be the present equivalent of close to $70 million of donation money – that gave the abolitionists real power. The next thing you know, politicians are voting against their own drinking habits – and the only way left to get around in a vehicle was with gas and diesel.

The effort to monopolize the transportation industry parallels this story. The Milburn Electric car, and more recently the General Motors EV-1 are examples of electric cars that were desirable, functional, and had a consumer following. Yet, their production was shut down. Why? I would guess because the auto industry has worked hand in hand with the fossil fuel industry for quite some time now.

We could also consider the buyout of the Los Angeles public transportation system (trolleys) back in the 1940's. General Motors bought the system to dismantle it. They were convicted, and fined (get this) $1000. That's right, $1000. That's like you or me getting fined a penny.

And then, to top them all off, here we are in two “wars” (of occupation) in countries that have no interest to us at all other than oil.

We need to face the awful truth; the fossil fuel industry has essentially monopolistic control over transportation because that's what those who run it wanted. They sold out. They didn't do what's best for their customers. They didn't do what's best for our country. They didn't do what's best our environment. They didn't even do what's best for everyone's future. They maximized their short-term profits. That's what they're doing even now. (And I wouldn't be surprised to find out that in the dysfunctional system we live in that many of them feel that they have no choice.)

Just consider this; Forbes reports that ExxonMobil had a gross operating profit of $52 billion in 2009, yet they paid NO U.S. income tax. However, when it came time to make deals for conquered Iraqi oil ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, and ConocoPhilips were right there at the table. They have conned patriotic Americans into fighting, dying, and paying the taxes for the military operations that ultimately only benefit their oil profits. And our corrupt American politicians keep on giving them subsidies that give them an unfair advantage over renewables. DAMN!

This is so much bigger than the oil spill. Actually, this is more about an ill conceived effort to concentrate the wealth of the world into the hands of a few – no matter what the cost – no matter the pain inflicted – no matter the numbers who die; because that's just what they do. They are required by law to maximize short-term profits for investors – who simply invest in the corporations who give them the most short-term profits.

We are paying people we don't trust to stifle innovation, get us into unnecessary wars, poison us, ruin our environment, and cripple our economy. That is why we should be infuriated.

We have created a system that ignores reality in order to make a few people filthy rich, very quick. Those people also have power. This dysfunctional system has made them rich, so they don't want to fix it. Consequently, the situation just gets worse – until a total collapse is inevitable – and everyone loses. We can likely trace the collapse of a number of previous civilizations to essentially the same causes.

It's time to maximize our systems' potential.

It's time to maximize our long-term profits.

It's time to maximize our real wealth, instead of merely our wealth indicators.

It's time to maximize our happiness.

And to truly maximize our happiness, we have to maximize everyone's happiness – even those who can't vote yet, vote here, or even vote at all.

...One more thought:

If a muslim were to put poison in your drinking water for money, he would be a terrorist, right? Then why is a corporation, that has better options but continues to take risks that will inevitably poison us, only considered a “polluter”?

America has become the victim of terrorism from the top. We need to stop them, tend to our wounded, and rebuild...And if we have learned from this, we need to rebuild even better than before.

I'm back... And yes, a little too soon.

My 7 day trek turned into a 3½ day trek.

My bike broke down – out in the middle of literally nowhere. Miles from the nearest paved road. Two hours from the nearest town (by car). And over 200 miles from the nearest city.

Actually, my bike had already broken down a number of times. It just finally broke in a way I couldn't continue to ride it.

On the second day, my chain broke. But I had a spare link. And then it broke again. At that point I pretty much realized I wasn't going to go as far as I had planned. ...Or maybe it was at the point when the chain braking somehow messed up the front derailleur. I thought the derailleur was bent, so I pried on it – until my front derailleur broke too.

At that point I had to admit to myself I would just ride it until it, or I, couldn't go any more.

The Details:

I figured if the chain broke again (and from the noise, it sounded like it would), I would just take out another link until the chain was too short to use. And I also figured that I would just leave the front shifter in the middle chainring. That meant 8 speeds instead of 24, and I wouldn't be able to use my lowest gears; but at least I was moving forward.

Until, on the third afternoon, a spoke broke. Just a spoke.

But not just any spoke. I was prepared for that. No – this spoke broke on the drive train side of the rear wheel. I wasn't prepared for that. Because in order to replace a spoke on the rear wheel on the chainring side, you have to remove the (freewheel) cassette. That would mean special tools – which I didn't have. Oh Oh....

I was able to deal with the first breakdowns. But this one was different. It's a matter of simple physics. The stresses that broke that one spoke are now added to the forces on the remaining spokes. And like some kind of a vicious chain reaction, more spokes were going to break. It was inevitable. And from my previous experience with broken spokes, it was going to happen soon.

Just before that point, I was feeling pretty strong after a few hours of rest and relaxation at an oasis-like stream in the Fortification Range. My energy was back, and I was really starting to appreciate being out there.

Of course, I still have a lot to learn. But for a moment; I was starting to feel positive about making it to at least Sunnyside (3 valleys away). I was beginning to realize, believe even, that this trip was really do-able. Actually, I was starting to really enjoy myself.

I have only broken spokes on my mountain bike once before – in 25 years of riding. (And even then I took it into the shop to fix it for me.) I was not prepared. I simply had never really looked that closely at my spokes. This is embarrassing. I had plenty of spare spokes, but I hadn't really thought about how to put them on – at least not on the side of the wheel that's most likely to break.

By riding in my middle ring, I didn't break my chain again. However, I was still strong enough to break my spoke. There was a short, steep (considering I was pulling a trailer) hill I blasted up right after my rest stop. And there was a sandy section I fought to get through up a little further. Somewhere between those two spots; my rear wheel must have been unable to hold up to the huge forces inflicted upon it by my awesome leg strength...

Hey, that's my story.

So, with my bike barely able to ride, I stayed put right there near water with four days worth of food left (in the Fortification Range) – and pressed the “help” button on my SPOT. (The SPOT is a satellite connected GPS that monitors your position, can call 911, tell your loved ones you're OK, or send one programmable message. My programmable message is “help, my bike is broken.”)

...I have to face the fact that I had to be “rescued” by my parents – in a vehicle. How embarrassing. But I'm glad they were there.

On the other hand; I also made it for over three days out in the Nevada high desert – and covered 70 miles. While I was on dirt, I saw only four cars in three days, and two of those were on a well traveled road into the Great Basin National Park. I never saw another mountain bike rider. And of course, I had no expectations of seeing another mountain bike rider. The vast majority of the time; I was out there all by myself, surrounded by the world – with nothing to see but the natural world – as far as I could see – in every direction. Though I was headed somewhere, I was where I wanted to be. Experience's like that are mildly transformative.

I set out to have an experience that might help me relate to my ancestors, who once roamed the Great Basin on foot. And in one respect, I achieved the most important of my goals. I achieved some “perspective.”

The world seems so much bigger and more alive when you travel about it human powered.

Occasionally, a jet airliner would fly over – high in the sky, like a moving dot with a white trail behind it. Those people flying overhead had no idea I was there. The Great Basin, to them, looked empty. But the Great Basin is far from empty. To them; there were no lights in the valleys at night. To them, it was like flying over a huge black hole. But to me; there were millions of brush and trees, with life everywhere, scurrying amongst them – singing, chattering, or just soaking up the sun.

For a moment, I wasn't overlooking the obvious. And it was beautiful.

I have learned once again that I am still a mediocre bicycle mechanic. That may not seem so important to you. But it should. For I believe that my attitude is, in a way, a reflection of our society. I feel this is true for all of us.

We want things. And we want things to turn out well. But like mediocre mechanics, we have great hopes for our future, while we haven't thought through well enough how we'll actually get what we want. We, in our haste for success, have ignored all the possible pitfalls – and haven't really thought about how we are going to literally get where we want to be.

I relied on technology to carry me. But technology is just a tool. However, and this is my point; technology is a tool that can be improved upon.

We, as a society, have been so focused on “success” (as we presently perceive it) that we have ignored the fact that the seeds of our failure lie within our methods to get that success.

We need to improve our tools so as to do the right job. And one of those tools we need to improve is our attitude.

Success makes you stronger...

Failure makes you wiser...

Usually.

I failed at my goal (of making it to Railroad Valley). But I had a wonderful time failing. I got through some scary predicaments with my life and my health intact. I would honestly say that I actually had a genuine adventure. For a few days, I felt truly alive. In fact, I might even be wiser now. And stronger too.

But most importantly, I saw the world in a different way. It was bigger, tougher, and more beautiful than I had ever perceived before.

This was so much more than a vacation. This was a learning experience. This was a life experience. This was an opportunity to feel human in a way that we, as a society, have tried to pretend we are above.

We have not tamed nature.

...in part because we are not tame.

And that's the way we like it.

And that's good.

Great Basin Mountain Bike Trekking

Well, I start my unsupported mountain bike trek across the Great Basin (northernmost SNWA watergrab effected areas).





If you want to know my progress check this link:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0JIcdOdWpn3ec8KCZ6BJndcJqS0Wszmlj

I'm Not Against Religion

I'm not particularly religious myself. The truth is I just don't know. I don't feel that a brain the size of ours has the capacity to truly comprehend a universe measured in light years. And when someone tells me that they know... well, I've met a lot of people who've told me they know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – and they don't all agree.

But I don't have anything against religion – at least not directly. I think it's beautiful that people share stories of the human condition. I believe there is wisdom in those stories. The stories we hear shape our lives. Our religious beliefs help shape functioning societies. Our diverse beliefs form our unique cultures. And our cultures are what make us human.

However, no human organization is perfect. And those who act like they know should quit pretending that their religion is above the flaws of humanity. Nothing in our world is perfect. We all have plenty of room to grow wiser.

I'm not against religion. I'm against the abuse of religion.

I'm against organized ignorance.

I'm against anyone trying to create a worldwide mono-culture.

I'm against focusing so much on the afterlife that we ignore the critical needs of this one.

I'm against a forced adherence to traditions to the point that it limits our capacity to grow as a culture.

I'm against an organizational hierarchy that cares more about the organization than the people in it.

And I'm against the abuse of a religion by the powers that be – to keep the masses in line.

People have the capacity to take something beautiful and turn it into something ugly. But we also have the capacity to create something even more beautiful. Let's do that.

What a Great Video

Give Earth a Hand from Kamaluk on Vimeo.

Back to Life, Back from Reality

I'm back... Back from reality.

• There's nothing nearly so grounding as waking up at night to find yourself lying on the Earth, looking up at the Universe.

Yes, I went camping... but not just any camping. I joined a friend of mine who is thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) – the premier backpacking trail of the United States.

• There's nothing nearly so re-orienting as not even thinking about buying anything – for days.

The PCT is a trail that extends from the Mexican border to the Canadian border via the tallest mountain ranges in California, Oregon, and Washington – 2600 miles!

• There's nothing nearly so mentally focusing as knowing that if you don't walk for it, you won't have water to drink.

I only hiked 90 of those miles. But it was beautiful. Throughout most of the trail I hiked, there wasn't a direction I could look without seeing wildflowers everywhere.

• There's nothing nearly so fulfilling as feeling a part of a healthy, vibrant and alive natural system.

And of course, I got to satisfy one of our most primal urges; to walk a great distance.

• There's nothing nearly so empowering as looking across a vista to see where you are headed, and think to yourself you couldn't possibly walk that far – and then to do it.

What? You didn't know that the urge to walk great distances is one of your most primal urges? Well, neither did I – until I tried it.

• There's nothing nearly so enlightening as the repetitive processes of walking and breathing (such as on this hike) to put me in a meditative state (for eight days).

I wouldn't be surprised to find that meditation has existed for far longer than humans have. There must have been – so many times in our ancestors' history – that our ancestors' very survival depended upon traveling great distances on foot.

(And the prize of survival goes to; the most efficient. No adrenaline. No wasted exertion. No wandering mind.)

In that state; a state of moving balance – a state of focus only on the task – a state of peace and flow... in that state; I found a sense of purpose: Movement. Walking. Going somewhere.

But often my mind would wander. I sometimes thought about why I was there. (Because I had wanted to go on a trek since I was 14.) I thought about my grandfather. I thought about the hike we had to cancel back when I was 14 years old. I thought about how disappointed he was – and how I had vowed to myself that I would someday be a trekker. (Though I didn't know that's what it was called back then.) I thought about how much my grandfather would have enjoyed this hike. And I thought about all the times he must have been out hiking – just like our ancestors before us.

• There's nothing that makes you feel nearly so close to your ancestors as walking the trails they once walked.

I can't possibly have been the only person to have ever felt that some of my thoughts as I rounded each corner must have been similar to everyone else's who have also rounded these corners – possibly for hundreds, or even thousands of years – maybe even far longer ago.

• There's nothing like feeling truly human in a natural way that helps you learn who and what you really are.

Even though sometimes my feet hurt, and sometimes my legs felt peculiarly exhausted; I always felt that I was right where I wanted to be. It was beautiful. It was wonderful. It was reality... You could see it all around you. You could feel it beneath your feet. You could hear it in all of the birds' calls. And you could smell it. It smelled fresh, with a hint of a fresh flower cocktail.

….......

Now that I'm back, the trip is beginning to fade into a memory that now feels something like a “dreamtime.” I now have to remind myself that that was actually reality. And what we call “the real world” is actually an aberration of reality – and a very temporary one. We live in a man-made (artificial) reality – that is actually just a tiny subset for a brief moment in the 3 billion year old reality that is the interconnected systems of life on Earth.

The reality my friend and I hiked through has been around for billions of years. Our “real world” has only been around for about a century. And as I returned to our “real world,” I realized the biggest difference between the to two; humanity's arrogance. Reality has adapted to the changing conditions of time. Our “real world,” however, is humanity's attempt to change our world to suit our wants. We're essentially living in a man-made dream. We've dreamed that we are somehow above the changing conditions of time. And for a while we've held back the inevitable. But that is only a temporary condition in an artificial reality.

Hopefully, journeys such as this will teach us better why we want to live within reality.

This journey has taught me that when the world is well, and I am walking about in it; I can sense a feeling of contentment that simply can't be beat by anything man-made.

We want to keep that.

Reboot Democracy

America's economy is being ravaged. Our planet's environment is at a tipping point. And all because our American political system is broken.

This video, by Lawernce Lesig, provides a thorough explanation of what went wrong - and some very good suggestions for what we can do about it.

I think he's onto something very important here...



It was interesting to hear what I've long suspected; that the bank bailout was essentially promised - if the financial crisis might happen (which, of course it did - possibly because of this promise).

Think about that. We have to save the fat cats when they get themselves into trouble, but they don't have to save us. This can only mean one thing. The people who control these banks are the privileged class. We are not all equal in America - not even close.

But it doesn't have to be that way.


Links that were mentioned in the video:

Citizens United

Fix Congress First!

Call a Convention

The only way to even start to fix our government is to have truly fair elections - that are not decided by campaign contributors. This will not be easy. The privileged class would rather everything break around them than lose their privilege. And the corruption is self-sustaining. (If somebody gets a conscience, somebody else will step in to take their place.)

It is going to take an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to reform our elections. Let's get started.