The New Civil War

Harry

New Member
Messages
16
Re: The New Civil War

Fellow would-be travelers, greeting:

I read with great interest the remarks of James Howard Kunstler and checked out his site. He's a crank and a scold, thus is a man of my heart.

And he may very well be right. Cheap oil has been the prop and sustenance of our culture for the past century, and particularly since the end of World War II, when Levittown and all its legions of cousins were spawned by cheap gas, the GI bill and federal and local subsidies for developers. Simple physics: the rubber band can stretch only so far before it breaks.

We really don't need a time traveler to tell us that.

Now, as for those in the forum who seem to secretly desire the onset of civil strife. If you've paid any attention to the news in past, oh, 30 years, and seen the unspeakable horrors resulting from internecine conflicts -- Beirut, anyone? -- you'll not wish it soon. Problem is, I think many of those writing think they'll survive such a conflict if it occurs. That kind of scares me.

But, as the great philosopher sage Sun Ra stated, "It's already the end of the world, don't you know that, yet?"

Further, if any of you live south of the Mason Dixon, and I'm in Richmond, Virginia, you would know that our little conversation of 1861-1865 permanently scarred the conscience of the people, and only shifts in demography, the actuarial tables and time, will ever heal the remaining psychic wound.

What Mr. Kunstler is postulating -- a Mad Max world, basically -- could very well happen, but I would further say, that the distribution of clean water will also be added into the mix.

It is too sad that China's population is junking their bicycles to live like suburban U.S. citizens in their homogenized metroplexes. Well, we sold them our dream, didn't we? Jeans, Coke and MTV. McMansions outside Shanghai.

They'll want more oil (Mongolia is floating on a sea of it), and it is unlikely they'll want to share it, except at a very, very high price. One thing about China: it is just about the oldest civilization on the planet and this little Communism thing they've had will probably be remembered as a bad digression. They can be an intensely patient people able to wait for the exact, precise moment to act.

You guys ever read "1421" that makes a strong case for the Chinese circumnavigating and mapping the world a generation prior to Columbus? Makes sense, even if some of the postulations are a bit wobbly. I'd rather credit the Piri Ries maps getting copied from Chinese originals, than having aliens get the glory, if you remember your "Chariots Of The Gods." Then, though, the Chinese made it illegal to even design a masted ship, and their great culture turned inward, and deliberately decided not to be a world power and retired. We can't even fathom such an astonishing decision.

Well, guess what. Them days of Chinese dominance are probably to return, in the not so distant future. It's just the law of cycles. What goes round, comes round.

But now they have to go through their nationalist phase as their economy improves...and that means. Well. It won't ultimately be good for the rest of us, if the worst comes to pass. But, if we're embroiled in a civil disjunction, it won't matter, it'll be just up to the quick and the dead. --HEK
 

kermtit

New Member
Messages
10
Re: The New Civil War

*** Prepares For Marine Basic Training.... **leaving On Sunday May 8th To Serve My Country And Fight For My Freedom** Wish Me Luck ***
 

DWOMT

Junior Member
Messages
115
Re: The New Civil War

It's not so much that I desire a civil war, I desire change in this country. Sometimes that change can be violent and messy, but such is the effects of a "rebirth". I think the USA (and quite possibly the world) needs a rebirth. I myself want to get back to a natural way of living, not one with Big Brother and Corporations running our lives. I'll never understand how these control freaks "get off" to wanting to control every aspect of our lives. It's sickening.
 

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