Those who wish to eradicate America’s participation in torture do not grasp the larger picture-the picture that is even broader than the nation’s history of torture. I’m speaking of civilization itself which leads to empire which leads to every form of abuse imaginable. FULL ARTICLE

Americans in the past fifty years have come to believe in a “something for nothing” economy. As little children we were raised to the crooning of Jiminy Cricket singing, “When you wish upon a star your dreams come true.” While it is true that America has been the land of great possibilities, there are limits that we have failed to acknowledge. FULL ARTICLE

Watching C-Span this week, I happened to take in what money Obama was proposing to spend as part of the Stimulus. One of those items was money to improve the availability of education for all who desire a better education, but can’t afford it. It reminded me of the rapid growth in cost to obtain a good education. And coupled with this proposal were two stories in the local paper the past few days concerning contributions of some college students.

It seems that the communications satellite to be put into polar orbit by India in April was designed by college students and their instructors at Madras University in India. Another newspaper story carried the information that a new method for detecting breast cancer had been developed by students and instructors at the University of Arkansas. The detection method analyzes the chemical composition of tears collected from the eyes to detect telltale indications of the breast cancer. Now that’s money well spent and knowledge and experience almost impossible for young minds to get in any other scenario. Continue reading →

My latest book, Sacred Demise: Walking The Spiritual Path of Industrial Civilization’s Collapse has been released and is available for purchase. Below is the book’s foreword written by Sarah Anne Edwards, Ph.D. and co-author of Middle Class Lifeboat. She also teaches at Pine Mountain Institute and manages the Eco-Anxiety Blogspot. Sarah has gracioulsy consented to write the foreword for my book which is an emotional and spiritual roadmap for navigating the decline of industrial civilization. I extend my deepest gratitude to Sarah for her insight into the book’s message and for her eloquent description of it.  FULL ARTICLE

I wrote this as a comment to Amy Goodman’s article, “Obama’s Coalition of the Unwilling.” It was suggested by a reader that I nail it to the door of the Oval Office. I’d love to, but I guess this is a good second best.

Amongst other things, we need to change our thinking and our language. For the US government and the press, every person that takes up arms in any way to protect himself and family, or to drive the occupiers out of his country is a “terrorist” or “insurgent” and probably trained by the often sought, but never found, Al-Qaeda. Continue reading →

Rarely in the specialized milieu of industrial civilization does one encounter a Renaissance man or woman-someone who is well-versed in a wide spectrum of disciplines and who can expound upon them in writing that is both articulate and engaging. So when I discovered Mat Stein’s phenomenal When Technology Fails: A Manual For Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving The Long Emergency, I immediately contacted the publisher, Vermont’s own Chelsea Green, for a review copy of this fabulous tome on preparing wisely for the end of the world as we have known it.  FULL ARTICLE

During His inauguration speech, President Barack Obama declared: “We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense.”

Hmm…if His Holiness is really defending my way of life, he’s slaughtering civilians and wasting billions in taxpayer dollars in the name of atheism, anarchism, veganism, and so on. How odd… Continue reading →

Standing on the edge of the grocery store parking lot, rain falling in drenching waves, she appeared undaunted by the conditions. I stopped and handed her a three bucks, her eyes held the look of a weary soul, a fellow human being caught up in calamitous circumstances. Ragged clothes, dirty hands, rain dripping from her chin yet a certain depth to her gaze; she nodded and said, “God Bless.”  FULL ARTICLE

Black. White. Chinese. Arab.

All of the above are labels. They describe race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, or a political viewpoint. These labels bring different images or thoughts to mind to different people, and as I was writing this series something has become woefully obvious to me, besides the fact that writing about Israel or religion is like trying to walk on eggshells without breaking any.  No matter what I write, the reader can never fully comprehend my exact thought pattern. Let me explain. Continue reading →

The Transplanted Christmas Tree

There cannot be Christmas without children. On Dec 25, you will truly appreciate this paraphrase: “The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to children.”

On this day, children all over the world turn color blind to appreciate the pastel-perfect joys of Santa Claus and his reindeers, Yule logs burning by the fireplace, sylvan snow-topped cabins with their smoky chimneys, and ornamented Christmas trees with presents piled up. There may be Christmas carol sorties into your home, bringing much mirth and the familiar Ho! Ho! Ho!

Never had such a transplanted festival create a sense of oneness among children. Take away Christmas and you take away a seasonal joy entitled to them. It is so innately appealing to children that they universally provide the finest celebratory squeals in honor of the most famous birth ever recorded — and contested — in history. Continue reading →