When the Oil Runs Out

The Average Man must admit that he has it pretty good. Beautiful house in the 'burbs, lovely wife, cute kid, reasonably fun job. So naturally I worry that it could all be gone tomorrow if our economy tanks or war hits our shores.

I've long thought that most of the problems we Americans face right now revolve around our addiction to oil. Even worse than the environmental and health issues are the horrible political alliances it forces us to keep, and wars that are justified to obtain it. There are smart and clever solutions out there for ending our dependence, like the Apollo Alliance, but unfortunately our mass media and our leadership are just as addicted to the oil economy as the rest of us, and so bold solutions (at least peaceful ones) seem to rarely get mentioned.

But I just read this mind-blowing interview with a man named James Howard Kunstler, who forecasts what life might be like here once cheap oil is no longer available. It ain't a pretty picture, but it's necessary to think about if we want to minimize its impact on our lives. Remarkably, he's a pretty down-to-earth and even funny guy, in spite of the bleakness of the subject. Maybe it's an if-you-can't-laugh-you'll-cry kind of thing...

You Know What They Say About Absolute Power...

... it turns you into an Absolute Asshole.

So it was finally confirmed that, yes, a Republican lobbyist (well connected to Tom Delay, naturally) did indeed write the infamous memo hyping the political advantages of making a big stink about reinserting one comatose woman's feeding tube.

The Average Man finds Congressman Tom DeLay's hypocrisy absolutely astounding. Never mind the "sanctity of marriage", as he prevents a husband from making decisions on behalf of his wife. Never mind checks and balances, as he uses Congress to supersede a Judicial ruling. Never mind "states' rights", as he uses the Federal government to overturn the Florida courts. If political advantage could be gained (and the media distracted from the his mounting scandals) then go for it! What a jerk.

On the good news front, The Average Man was proud to be one of the one million people who signed petitions to keep the filibuster that were presented to Senate leader Harry Reid on the capitol steps Wednesday. And kudos to all the organizations (JohnKerry.com, People for the American Way, MoveOn.org and many others) who collected petitions for combining their efforts to put forth a single, powerful statement. You guys like Chocolate Chip Kudos? I'll see what we've got in the pantry...

Busting the Filibuster?

In case you don't get Kerry's e-mails -- this is an important petition to sign. The Rethuglicans (as my stepfather calls them) want to get rid of the filibuster so they can approve all Bush's judicial nominees without objection. The filibuster has been in place for 200 years as last-ditch protection against the tyranny of the majority, and it needs to stay.

And if you're a Republican, you're gonna be glad you still have it when Dems take the House and Senate back in '06.... ;-))