seriously, I need a break

I’ve taken a step back here–I’m going to be going away for a few days, and I probably won’t be posting again til the 20th. I’ve also got to admit I’ve been drawn into the election (and neglecting other stories of note), especially the Democratic primary. I’m a political junkie of no small level, and I’ve been following each pixel of news regarding the death match between Hillary and Bernie. To a lesser extent I’ve been watching the bus-wreck that is the Republican contest. I bear these people no special animosity, but I have tried to call out the many disingenuous statements from candidates with a history of such behavior. And I might break my writing embargo should something really juicy happen. Mea culpa. 

I also want people to understand that (my political posts to the contrary) I feel profoundly sorry for whoever gets the WH come Inauguration Day 2017. The climate warming news I’ve been posting here for the better part of three years is not getting better. My FB buds are reporting that ice mass in the Arctic is the lowest it has ever been for this time of year (at least since comprehensive satellite records began to be kept back in 1979). I’ve been a rather lonely individual in my writing about the very poor prospects of humans living much longer. We’ve finally gotten people to the point where the embrace of Near Term Human Extinction  is no longer an oddity. This is only the latest missive from the progressive media, which was hitherto reluctant to embrace ‘defeatism’ in the fight to save the planet. And this reflects on the compelling nature of the problem. We can argue about who will replace recently-deceased Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia all day, but it doesn’t bring the ice back to the Arctic.

This is from the Arctic News blog. 

See the yellow line? that’s the Arctic ice volume as of 2/4/2016, a good 171,000 square km less than any previous record. Will there be ice on the North pole come next September? Nice knowing you.

Meanwhile (back to politics), John Kasich, the Ohio Governor who came in second in New Hampshire,  has declared that Climate change is God’s plan and we should just accept it. for real. As in ‘don’t try and change God’s work. So it sort of does matter who becomes president. But on the other hand, if we ring in 2017 and there’s no ice in the Arctic, the ‘auld ang syne ‘ part of the holiday should switch over to Vera Lynn’s WWII classic. And that is regardless of who’s moving into that big house in January. 

And (again, politics) I don’t know what the next eight months hold. But the tea leaves for the economy still aren’t good. Again, the articles predicting a coming recession (or Depression) are now gathering from more reliable sources than usual. It isn’t just the Gerald Celentes and Peter Schiffs of the world that are warning of a crash. Reuters is looking at the abyss. The Guardian points out here that climate risks are adding to the economic jitters inherent in a global economy where ocean transport is below levels of 2008. 

So even though I’m leaning toward support of Bernie Sanders in the race for US presidency, I really feel sorry for the guy if he succeeds. He’s been doing the right thing for three decades, and it doesn’t seem fair to saddle him with the task of telling the American People the game is up on our economy and on our planet. The two are interlinked. We need economic growth to put the economy back on track, but economic growth is what’s killing the planet. And we forty six chromosome apes don’t learn well. Hence it will fall to whoever’s in the Oval Office to tell us (once the Arctic ice shelf collapses or California turns into the Sahel) that the clock has run out on the human experiment. My interest in politics is not equivalent to me thinking that there’s any rescue for us. 

Last thought–if you’re interested in the best lecture you can see on the climate crisis (and how it hooks into economic collapse), my FB bud Guy McPherson is seeking speaking engagements in the coming months. 

The picture of Guy McPherson that seems to be most popular with his fans.

He has a compelling message about what’s coming for the planet and how we might want to address it. He is a proponent of the ‘Gift Economy’ and is not seeking Hillary Clinton Level speaking fees. He doesn’t charge money for his tour (probably couldn’t in most cases anyway), but he needs to cover expenses. He’s created a fund for getting his message out because he’s more interested in getting his message out than he is in making money. Drop some paper in the cup so he can keep working. Thank you.

See ya in about a week the Good Lord Willing and the Crick don’t rise.