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Show : | | Os A gb e ANCES ee AUS nore 22% POINT BLANK APOCALYPTIC SOLU TIONS for the 21st CENTURY! By Gary Eschman ‘ Editor’s Note: This essay was submitted to Feedback but thought it fit better here...and to think I sometimes get downright discouraged...JS Dear Jim, Your recent and lengthy column “The Greening of the Wilderne$$ in Utah” has a distinctive and one-sided negative tone. Throughout your article, you appear to imply that “there are no solutions’’. We've always been admonished in the Monty Python movie, “The Life of Brian”, as Brian is being crucified and looking out over Jerusalem, he sings “. .. we should always look on the bright side of life.” Something you certainly failed to do in your past column. Just remember; when “things can’’t go on like they are —they don’t”. _; There are a number of events looming on the horizon you apparently haven’t considered that may drastically change the current three-pronged attack, by the recreational crazies, the tourists and the Bush crazies, on our Western environment. Medicare: A $720 billion (estimated over the next decade) Medicare prescription program for citizens age 65 and older is scheduled to start January 1, 2006. It’s the largest new social benefit program in the history of the United States. Already various companies and individuals are gearing up to begin fraudulent practices against this program which could easily double the cost of this ‘benefit’ to the detriment of our current deficit and all American taxpayers. A financial tsunami awaits in the wings. Religion: As our worldwide cultures become even more religious, more wars and terrorist acts will break out around the planet. Many times these wars bring with them accompanying genocides but sometimes the genocides are merely political. Political or religious, it makes little difference as the impacts of genocides are always judged merely by their body count. There are a number of events looming on the horizon you apparently haven't considered that may drastically change the current three-pronged attack by recreational crazies, the tourists, and the Bush crazies on our Pandemic Flu: Pandemic flu is currently being incubated in Soutt n Asiaas “bird flu”. It appears to be just getting a toehold in the human species and it also appears that pretty much everyone who contracts it, dies. This has the potential of wiping out 1 billion people worldwide in a relatively short period of time, accelerated by the miracle of modern jetage travel. While admittedly, this doesn’t make a huge dent in our world population of 6% billion, it’s a good start and will help alleviate the tremendous population pressure we’’ve been experiencing for quite sometime. western environment. Death: Human death is the key with so many of our current environmental and disparity of wealth problems. With less people left alive, there’’ll be a subsequent collapse of the real estate market. This might bring the price of those 15000 square foot “second homes’”’ down to a more reasonable amount. Three or four families could start a commune in any of these “suddenly-buyers-market-houses’”’ with a full purchase price somewhere in the vicinity of 5 to 10 ounces of gold. (Sorry, dollars not accepted, only gold. No gold? Alright then, just move on in. The past owners are unlikely to return anyway.) Global Warming: Global warning is no longer a theory, as apparently Gridlock: Major cities have freeway systems that will eventually experience absolute and total gridlock. On the day this happens, drivers and passengers will be left with no alternative other than to walk back home. Assuming they make the hike, they can then gather around their remaining family (if any) members, reflect upon their past lives and come up with an alternative life style. (Many may start by barbecuing their family dog along with a side dish of the Rover’’s remaining canned dog food.) Evolution has recently become, but has gained full acceptance in the scientific and educated American community. (The Bush “head-in-the-sand” supporters and Evangelical Christian segment of American society have yet to “‘buy-in’’ to global warming, as it’s not mentioned in the Bible. As global warming”’s effects become more noticeable and drastic ‘The Bushies’’ can then “rise to the occasion” and condemn it as a “left-wing elitist plot’”.) Drought: Continued drought in the American Southwest will shortly cause all desert communities to implode. (Imagine Phoenix with nothing to fill their swimming pools, water their lawns or drink, except bottled water at $3 per pint.) Las Vegas continues to be the fastest growing (fun) city in the country. If the water system collapses, “Fun City USA” may take on a different look without manmade lakes, hotel fountains, flushing toilets, ice, etc. (All the tourists who've visited Hovenweep, Mesa Verde, Lowry (ruins), Chaco Canyon, Aztec (ruins), Pecos (ruins), Bandelier, etc. and have idly asked the question, “I wonder why they left?”, will now know.) Peak Oil: Peak oil arrived sometime ago and we're now on the downward slope of that supply scenario. In the not-to-distant future, petroleum supplies will be running out in entirety or become so heavily restricted (expensive) that driving to work from the suburbs _ to the workplace will no longer be possible. Recreation will, by necessity, take place right out your back door ornotat all. (Note:A good stock “short” here would bebike rack fact ) 7 Deficits: The huge American deficits will send everyone, except the super-rich, into a Thirties-type depression. Food, water and heat will be our prime concerns and driving 500 miles to Moab so we can trash the immediate outdoor Moab area will suddenly be off of our radar screen. (We can all stay at home and trash our own backyards —more convenient and individualistic for everyone.) AIDS: With the aid (hee-hee) of the Catholic Church, the AIDs epidemic in Africa appears to be accelerating at an incredible pace. Assuming it’’s severe enough and 90% of all Africans die, this might allow for the survival and revitalization of all remaining African “flora and fauna. Destruction of the Amazon rainforest: This continues unabated and at an accelerated pace. Pollution of the Oceans: Keep eating fish. Screw the mercury. See who dies first; you or all the fish in the oceans. So you see, Jim, there’s reason for great hope and eventual rejoicing. It’s only a matter of time when we'll see one or more of these events occur within our own lifetime. And probably bringing along with it, a subsequent solution to most of our current envi tal problems out here in the West. Cheers, Gary Eschman Santa Fe. POINTBLANK SUBMISSIONS Essays should be no longer than 1500 words. They are chosen at random, at the whim of the publisher. Please do not email me to ask if I've read yours. If they are sent in any other format than email, | will most likely lose your submission. Selected essays receive a five year subscription. . ecezephyr@frontiernet.net Asteroid Event: Our Planet is overdue for another asteroid /comet event. The last one, the Chicxulub Meteor (The Cretaceous-Tertiary Mass Extinction Event) occurred at the end of the Cretaceous and wiped out approximately 70% of all species on Earth, including the reigning species of that time; the dinosaurs. By the luck of the draw, we, as a small mammal rat-like critter, survived that cataclysmic event and from then on began our rapid development until eventually we became homo sapiens sapiens. (Don’t consider this a onetime event as there were previous mass extinctions; five major ones in all. Mostly caused by CONFIDENTIAL & AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE YOU CAN TRUSTI ° Birth Control * Annual Exams ¢ Pap Tests * Emergency Contraception Blanding 2... .2.2; 678-2254 IMGabinnian so 2s ae 259-7121 Moabee i. es 259-0408 asteroids and comets) Human Population Explosion: While humans are not inherently a problem per se maybe our procreation skills are a little too well-developed and an anti-Viagra pill should have been invented a long time ago the culture we’’ve developed in the last 10000 years is extremely destructive to the environment and that culture certainly appears to be in need of drastic change or obliteration. (We’re “the consumer”; everything else is “the aoe Additional perspective: How’d you like to have 6.5 billion lice living in your ouse? Montezuma Monticello.) Creek ..... 651-3241 2 2465. 587-2116 Or call 1-800-230-PLAN and the phone will ting in the health care clinic nearest YOu: @ Planned Parenthood’ Association of Utal Volcanism: A dramatic end of the Triassic Period was when massive floods of lava erupted from the Central Atlantic magmatic province. This led to super big-time global warming and mass extinctions worldwide. Hot. Real hot. A Responsible Choice for a Healthier Life. Www .ppau.org |