"I think it's a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation would be subjected to what I would characterize as a 'shakedown,' - in this case, a $20 billion shakedown." - Joe Barton, R-Texas

OK, so now the Dems are going to be putting this quote on every last mailer they send out, but you have to say that they are entitled. What on earth was this guy thinking? To offer an apology to BP on camera during the Congressional hearing on the oil disaster in the Gulf makes me wonder if this guy is mentally 'there'. Barton has held his position since 1985. This would be one person that I could see losing his next election. We know that he is one of the biggest receiver of funds from Big Oil and then he just shoved the nose of the nation right into the pile of oil out there in the Gulf. He and the Republicans deserve whatever comes their way over this.
We now know that the deregulation that allowed the Deep Water Horizon to be built in the first place was one of the deregulatory decisions made in Dick Cheney's infamous meeting with Big Oil just after the 2000 'election'. No wonder he would never say what took place! The damage done over those 8 years will take decades to undo, if it is even possible to undo it at all.
I found a website that shows the size of the oil spill superimposed over different locations so that people can get an idea of exactly how big it is.

http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/

See it from your own perspective and you will get even more angry that you probably already are.

I can't seem to stop thinking of all the wildlife that is dying down there. The people's lives will not return to normal for many years, experts are now saying, as they grapple with the unknown. Nothing like this has ever happened, so no one really knows what to do to fix it. There was a similar occurance in Russia where a small 'tactical' nuke was used to seal the leak, but this one is leaking along a fissure, with a new leak discovered 20 miles away from the initial leaks. Now they are wondering what might happen if this fissure is toyed with any more. I used the term 'toyed' loosely, of course, favored over cruder terms that I am really thinking.

Maybe some wunderkind will come along and solve this. But maybe it will continue to gush into the Gulf with disasterous effects that we can now only imagine. My heart hurts.

Well, I have nothing of any real import to say today, just the same ol', same ol' rant and rave about the way things are in the world. About why people are so mislead about the true reality of our existence as human beings. We are so easily led astray from our true course and it makes me so angry. That there are groups of people who would exert control over those with less political power, to be used by them to achieve their nefarious plans disgusts me. We are such cool beings. We can do so many great and wonderful and beautiful things. But so much potential is lost, thrown away in favor of the System that controls us. We literally feed our jailers. It is crazy-making.

I ran into a few of those people today and came home feeling really frustrated and annoyed that people can be so blind.

But, it's no wonder. After reading yet another article about the jobless recovery today, I or anyone can see that disaster is right around the corner. I remember that this was one of the primary concerns in a book I read some years ago about the development of nano-technology. The researchers, during the infancy of this new technology, while excited about what it could mean for the world, finally started to discuss the impact on the economy and our cultural history of individuals working to make a living.

It looks as though the technology has hopped ahead of nano-tech and obliterated millions of jobs, not only here, but around the world, as machines take over more and more of the work that was once performed by human beings; the promise of nano-tech yet to be achieved.

In the book on nano-tech, the scientists reached a conclusion that the way of life would completely change, with most people able to live without working, while others would 'choose' to work in only a few areas of labor that could not be done by machines, entertainment, some food services, art of all kinds, basically for the pleasure of doing the work. Everything that was to be of a higher level of performance or creation would be the last physical function of humans. All other functions would be done by machines. It is a scary idea for anyone with a far-reaching vision. One could easiy imagine the slow, painful transition during the time of changes in our way of life. Anarchy is certainly easy to imagine in this situation.

People are terribly identified with their jobs. Without them, people feel like nothing. People who feel like nothing, become nothing. Things are not looking good at all right now. No not at all.

But, then again, if people could realize that they are capable of unimaginable creations, maybe that could just be the key to saving the lives of millions of people. They will have to rethink their lives and identities though, something that will be a painful transition, for sure.

Day One

Well, I have finally caved and here it is. My blog. Everybody knows I like to talk and this is the best way to talk to a lot of people these days. It gives anyone who wants one a dais. I was kind of surprised to see some of the cautionary stuff in the terms of use. I guess there is another new world of which I’ve been fairly unaware. I do know people with blogs and I read theirs. I guess it kind of feels like a big commitment and put myself out there with my vulnerable little underbelly exposed.

But, hey, I ain’t getting any younger and I have a lot to say, so here we go.

Today, I have been working around my garden, but thinking about the oil spill. Of course, I had seen this coming many years ago and I’m certainly not surprised, but that doesn’t mean I’m not feeling regret, disappointment, anger, fear, etc. on the matter. They’ve now discovered that there are plumes under the water that we haven’t even seen yet. This is a disaster with far-reaching and long-acting impacts on many different aspects of the culture. Some of them will be good, like living with a smaller carbon footprint, some of them will be hard, like living on less money, but there will be good things as well. Even living on less money is a good thing, spiritually and emotionally. It will take us out of the pricey and addictive electronic technology that we can live better without.

I heard today that video game addicts have been seen to have the lungs of a 60 year-old smoker! What a world we have.

I may end up having to have several blogs, I see now. One for friends, with blah-blah in it, one political one and one philosophical one. But, for now, I'm lucky to have just the one as I stumble into the future of communication.