What no politician will ever say: "Our way of life must end."

[Ron Green]

The simple fact is that the Western (specifically American) way of life is unsustainable, but this looming reality will never be a talking point of any successful candidate for office.

Where this leaves us is the Neocons' plan to control the world petroleum reserves for a few more decades, while we maintain military hegemony over an increasingly-poisoned planet; or a more Progressive effort to redistribute wealth downward, so that more people can have access to the spoils and spoilers, perhaps even hastening our eventual demise.

As long as we vote our guts rather than our brains (not to mention our hearts), this will be our trajectory. Fear of not having enough stuff is just about as powerful as fear of being attacked by some foreigner.

[etherealtruth]

1. I was thinking about that this morning ...

... Jimmy carter was the only US leader who tried to address the problem.

We SHOULD have been investing in new technologies and making the current technologies as fuel efficient as possible ... instead we have recklessly squandered our resources ... with the encouragement of our government.

We are at a "do or die" point, where disaster could be averted with strong leadership (and a great deal of sacrifice).. Unfortunately, at this point in history we are led by a cognitively impaired myopic fool who is led around by an evil corporatist cabal ...

I do fault ALL of our leaders since the 1970's for having NO interest in a sustainable (forget just) society!

[Ron Green]

4. You're so right about Jimmy Carter ... remember how easily Reagan

cast him as a poor-mouth pessimist, and gently hoodwinked the nation into buying the macho, trickle-down "Morning in America" crap? Not only that, but a whole scow full of retards still believe it, still think Reagan was a great President.

x(

[bloom]

2. I was thinking about that - with O'Reilly's comment ->

"I think Cindy Sheehan is being used by far left elements who object to our way of life."


"our way of life" - seems like the polite way to say people who are willing to kill and to intimidate others to get what they want - or to have others do that for them.


"our way of life" - can also mean - "don't expect us to change" - even as global warming wrecks havoc on our environments or as we are so polluted we can barely function.


Tony Blair said something about the terrorists attacking "our way of life".

That sounds so odd to me.

They've probably focus-grouped tested it.

[Ron Green]

3. Focus-group testing

is probably not necessary for the phrase "Our way of life." It's so primal, implying that anything else would involve unthinkable sacrifice and privation away from the comfort and convenience we so cherish. I don't exempt myself from it, either. I'm as fond of my comfort as most people, but I would gladly follow a strong national leader into higher taxes, real public transportation, renewable energy, and all the other things that a sustainable world will require.

Just lead us, Goddammit, because the precious Free Market ain't gonna do it!!

[arcane1]

5. actually, our way of life WILL end

eventually... and you are right, NO politician would ever say that, nor would most people vote for one :evilfrown: