This is the song that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on my friends....

At long last I'm going to post something about geology and oil!! I currently am a geologist studying to be a paleontologist. With that said...you can take my credibility on the topic as far as you want (meter to a mile).

We've all been told or heard that the world changed after 9/11, that the need or justification for pre-emptive strikes or wars was real. This was for the sake of 'national security'. Well...what really is national security? What are the limits to it and what do those two words encompass? Literally it can be defined as: a collective term for the defense and foreign relations of a nation-state, protection of the interests of a nation-state. As you can imagine this then opens the door for the justification of current US and allied actions around the world.

What if I told you that there's been a 100 year war in modern times? What if I told you that 9/11 didn't change a thing besides the American public's perspective? A perspective that was in need of change but now is exploited and perverse. Quoting one of the wiser men in earth's history. "...there is nothing new under the sun."

We'll get to the 100 year war in due time but first we have to understand the role resources play in a nation-state's growth and sustainment as well as the historical importance of relying on one main resource. It's not an old problem but for the sake of time and space limits I'll only go into three empires/nation-states who depended on one resource and whose aged infrastructure led to their ultimate demise as the world's leading power.

First up is the Dutch. From 1590 to roughly 1720 were THE trading empire. They were able to tame the sea abroad and at home by mastering hydrology and shipmaking. Much more than a resource the sea could be used as a defensive weapon as they could flood their own land by using their networks of dikes, hydraulics, and windmill driven infrastructure. The sea offered to them more than just wind and water. It offered them fish, salt, and whales. But it was wind that powered the flat breezy Holland. Wind powered paper mills and it powered the important hydrology infrastructure. However, the aging infrastructure gave way to the upcoming British and French. Why? Most historians would agree that the established technology was rigid...less likely to innovate and evolve while Britain had a ready supply of new fuel and a thing called the Industrial Revolution. The wind driven empire of the Dutch faltered in the rising shadow of the coal burning steam engines.

It was the readily available resource of coal and the knowledge of what to do with it that brought the British above the rest. History tells us the story of the British Empire. From the 1760's to the early 1900's the British Empire was one of the most notable empires in Earth's history. As with Holland's fate...such was Britain's. Their infrastructure aged and with time became too ingrained in its ways to change. By the end of the second World War the coal industry was nationalized and more a carcass of its old self...a bitter memory than a symbolism of British Power. Was there another power? Another fuel source and technology that took the British empire's throne? You needn't look that far. If you're in America...just look to your car.

I will continue with our place in this history...the 100 years war that hardly anyone is aware of and how the world hasn't changed pre 9\11 - post 9\11 in the next post. I leave you with a few quotes....

"Control energy and you control the nations." Henry Kissinger

"History repeats itself in outline, so the United States must find its own pathway. But the general parallel is the basis for worry." Kevin Phillips

Feenix

Cletus, the slack jawed president

Hello all

Yep, Cletus...the open mouth, roll chewin, shit talkin G.W. is at it again....
It's hot as a very hot thing left out in the sun for too long...yeah...something like that. I was in the middle of reading over the headlines when I first came across the stem cell bill that just passed the senate. I'm not going to go into any great detail about this because it speaks for itself and because I'm trying to post something on our current and greatest threat...oil dependence and the concious intent to keep us that way. Obviously the bill got vetoed by President Bush because it "crossed a moral boundary". This rant is going to be quick... In a war proven to be for oil aka 'the american way of life' we killed what is estimated as 100-200 thousand civillians. The current administration wants to repeal the estate tax which would give roughly 60% of the benefit to the richest 10% of Americans. Federal funding to help college kids get an education has been cut and will no doubt continue to be cut. Want me to continue? I don't mind it being called unethical or immoral...that's freedom of speech and opinion. But when this current administration has crossed so many moral and ethical boundaries I ask myself...why stop with this? Trapped by ethics and morals, the grass grazing cattle of America won't know any different. It's just another moral victory for the ignorant. Call me belligerent but I just hate hypocrits.

Feenix

Under the magnifying glass

Hey Hey

In regards to the last post...everything turned out alright. We came back after my sister and her family left and spent some time with my parents. Hope everyone kept their limbs and other losable appendages!

As usual something's been bugging me and this issue strikes a little closer than I'd like. I was looking over the new songs out and came across the user reviews/comments. Usually I don't care what other people think of some of my favorite bands but ever since the last two purchases of what I once considered good bands...well yeah I was iffy. To make a long story short there were some songs on the cd ripping into the blind followers of religion. After the third or fourth review (out of nearly 200) it went from music to religious debate.

I've seen the movement for a while now and for lack of speaking power I've been sitting back and watching it burn through America like Nero and the burning of Rome (fiddle not included). The movement of course is what I'll coin the 'blind faith' movement. Christianity... flagship of peace, salvation, and love. That is...if the fear of death and eternal damnation is salvation and sitting on a pedestal while conveniently judging others is love. I've heard it and seen it... 'God Bless America'...'God is with us...' It seems like we're too busy invoking the image and name of God to notice that we're not with him.

Why do I say that? It's hard to swallow... and unfortunately it involves a myriad of broad topics. I'd invite you to take a look at why 9/11 happened, why we actually invaded both Afghanistan and Iraq, the history of terrorism, and past actions of the US in regards to the 'freeing' of the non-democratic world. They don't tell you that we bombed crowded mosques back in the 70's and 80's in your history class...well before the modern era of the 'war on terrorism'. Like it or not...we vote based off religion and the Christian belief that the end is near. I've seen and heard of tithe offerings to go towards the rebuilding of the temple of Jerusalem for no better reason than to hasten the second coming of Christ. The history of how this came about is a broken record. Take a look at the times before the dark ages and then what happened to the knowledge when the church took control. We still have no idea how the ancients built most of the marvels we now seek to rival. And while now and then have some parallels there are also different paths taken...but still history repeats itself. A faltering empire overstretched...a strong religious undertone waiting to replace its power.

The point is religion is going awry...unchecked and full of unthinking zombie followers who's faith is blind and dependent not on God or the love of one another, but the belief that God is with them in all they do. Legislation is passed to cage the unethical, sinful beasts and keep free will in check. Religious rights? What are those, the right to think like I do? Sermons are based around guilt and fear rather than truth...truth rarely pays the bills. Free thinking is chastened to favor the blind hypothesis of religious fanatics who have no real experience in any scientific field. Don't get me wrong...I think that there can be some reconciliation between the two but not when one or both sides go about it without thinking is when I want to rip my hair out. Thus we have this blind faith movement pushing legislation, tipping the votes (that don't really count anyway--blame the electoral college for that), attacking free thought in any arena, and thus stripping what little civil rights we have to begin with. We're lead by the leash of fear...by the leash of a false religion and by the leash of ignorance. We're about to fall...dependent on this fear to drive us forward while our technology (the true American god) falters. We're dependent on a fuel that is about to be replaced. If history repeats itself once again in that respect...we're in for a bumpy ride. We have everything in front us...but while 'religion' dictates the events of this country we'll never see the signs until it's too late.

What will it take? Will it take another round of the dark ages and its accompanying perverse religion that has little to do with God and more to do with control? When all the thinkers are dead...when all the men and women who favored free will and free thought are gone who will break the chains of your self imposed slavery? Think quick....

PS- For all of you crazy bastards who thought NOFX was getting old and bitchy about religion. Introspect kids... If your faith can't be tempered through fire then you better take a look at why.

Feenix

Justified by ignorance? I think not...

First off, Happy 4th of July to all the Americans out there. Celebrate our independence by blowing a piece of the country up! I already had my night with the saturn missiles and the glorious scramble away from them to save my life!! :)
Celebrations and explosions aside... We celebrate our freedom on this day but not many know what that freedom is, what it costs, or what limits it has. People post 'God bless America' and 'Support our troops' wherever there's enough space on their lawns or cars. Why? I spent some time in Little Bighorn this summer. I had seen the place 10 years ago but it took this second time to ask myself why was I supposed to honor the men that fell there. Why was I supposed to honor Custer? History lesson short...He fought against native Americans that were fighting, literally fighting for their freedom. I'm not making connections to the 'insurgency' in Iraq or other parts of the world that the US happens to be in. I'm trying to provoke the questions that need to be asked. The answers will bring you more enlightenment than you can imagine.

I sat at the picnic table this afternoon with my family and fiance. I was just about to bite into the first hot dog on my plate when my niece rang out a racial slur. If you didn't know from previous posts (and it doesn't really matter because the color of your skin doesn't justify any slur) my fiance is half African-American and basically half Irish* . I can't tell you how many times I used to say things in ignorance. It took my fiance, literally slapping me in the face, to understand the meaning of my words and the hate those words contained. I was ignorant and in ignorance I said those things. That, however, is no justification and in this world we quickly find that ignorance is not a valid excuse.

I'm tired. Tired of people not paying attention to the world around them. Tired of people rambling off their mouths when all that comes out is shit. We as Americans are ignorant. We as people of this God forsaken world are ignorant. We contain and limit ourselves within set morals and ethics...even vote based off these and then pay no heed or mind when our governments go against them IE: we vote for pro life or pro choice when our government kills hundreds of thousands of innocent people half way across the world in the name of American freedom. We say we value freedom but when that freedom is expressed we're quick to take it away and for the sake of our 'safety' we'll give whatever freedom there is as payment. What does that say about our untouchably hollowed morals and our view of freedom? We'll look at our blood soaked hands one day and understand...Ignorance is not justifiable and it certainly won't get us out of the jail cell of our own making. Celebrate your freedom while you have it.

Feenix