It is falling apart so fast, I can't keep up.

[debbierlus]

This post isn't really much of anything, just a note feeling my head is about to explode.

Pending war with Iran.
Global warming threatening all life on the planet & possible extinction of all life.
The never ending mess in Iraq.
The economic recession threatening to expand into a depression (we will know it is a depression when they say it is a recession, we have been in a recession for several years at this point)
Insane Presidential Primaries where there is only 1% of the debate being focused on the depth & scope of the true problems of America & the Globe.
And, all the rest....

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.

One day at a time, I guess. One moment at a time.

[Xenotime]

1. It almost makes you want to move to another country

[debbierlus]

2. With the way the world is now, I don't know if there is anywhere to really run

Europe doesn't look that great. They will be the first to feel the rebound of a full blown Middle Eastern WWIII conflict.

It seems there are problems with everywhere, in this new, wonderful, global economy.

Maybe run to the hills with a supply of rice, & survival gear? Who the hell knows!

[mikelgb]

12. you mean another planet?

[simmonsj811]

19. RIDDLE ME THIS

WHY ARE THE PEOPLE JUST SITTING BACK AND WATCHING THESE IDIOTS FUCK THIS COUNTRY AND OUR WAY OF LIFE UP???? :mad: :crazy: :wtf:

[bdamomma]

25. and this mafia regime will keep on pushing until their agenda

is fulfilled. Cheney is pushing for this.

[daninthemoon]

3. My doctor told me I should stop watching the news. I'm sure he's

right.I'm sure he would also want me to quit DU. I can't quit you, DU. I think we're all just amazed at what we're seeing, and how fast so many things are going so terribly wrong. But, I gotta know. It's our fate to be here in this time and place. America and mankind are on the verge of either conquering the corporate profiteering consumer culture, or plummeting lemminglike off the cliff of avarice, homophobic bigotry, and just plain short sighted denial. Haven't felt too warm and cozy for quite awhile.:hide:
:yoiks: :cry: :grouphug: :web:

[cali]

4. yes yes, yes.

it's the end of the world. Or not. If you think things haven't been as dire in the past, you're mistaken. And either we'll get through it or we won't, but the compulsion you and others have to luxuriate in fruitless negativity, always amazes me.

[debbierlus]

6. Luxuriate in fruitless negativity....

I am not luxuriating in fruitless negativity...


I was sharing feeling overwhelmed with the negative events coming at me from all directions. I write plenty of proactive posts. I am overwhelmed with it. I think many other people are as well. And, acknowledging it, does not mean you are wallowing in it. Personally, I find it a LOT more honest then trying to put a false pollyanna face on it. It helps to vent & share.

[tom_paine]

16. Pay that bullshit no mind, debbierlus. Use the ignore.

It works. Just be careful not to overuse it and cut off good, rational dialogue from oppposing viewpoints.

Many people understand where you are coming from. Seven years and the freight train is looming large in the tunnel. And STILL no one notices or cares. The dumbshow goes on almost unaltered from 2000 or 1998.

The pervading sense that all of us human beings collectively learn almost NOTHING, and the few things that human primate-socitey HAS learned (Slavery bad. - although that still goes on today so an argument could be made that humanity collectively STILL hasn't fully learned the lesson - oh and by the way I expect slavery to be making a comeback now that BushPutinism is the dominant form of National Government - America, Russia, China, to name the BIG THREE - in the world, or one of them at the very least) ...we learn VERY slowly, and not nearly as fasy as the exponential increases in our technology.

And it appears, although there is still the chance that we are being melodramatic (~10% chance, I estimate), as if the rate is speeding up and the Bushies are becoming aware of how pervasively they have psychologically torn down and rebuilt America into their bitter image.

It also appears that the Bushie propaganda is so sophisticated and brilliantly constructed to create false gestalt reality means that not neraly enough people will notice in time to do anything about it.

You are not alone. Have you ever seen the Naomi Wolf lecture "The End of America"? It's 46:00 on You Tube. Search it up and look at it. She did the research, dotted the I's and crossed the T's, and was living the first stages of this transition personally, in airports during 2002-3.

Hang tough. We are all in the same boat. Even the ones who don't know it.

[Bitwit1234]

5. I saw the original "War of the Worlds" yesterday afternoon

nothing else I liked on TV. At the end when the aliens are systematically wiping out the cities they show the churches and people gathered to pray.

Then the machines start to fall and the people come out of the churches and say that all the machines and efforts could not stop the aliens, but the prayers to God did.

And I got mad all over again. I used to be a strict Catholic. Go to church on Sunday and Holy days, took communion and lived the life. But more and more I saw where the evil, and crooked people in this world were the ones who got ahead. They were elected to government and they have not ruined this country. And I said, if this is God's work than I don't need to follow what the priest preaches. If I go out and become like the people in DC than I will probably make the "A" list.

If God was protecting this country, He would never had let bush be able to steal two elections. He would never have let this horror be turned loose on our country. And he would answer the prayers of millions upon millions of citizens of this country to give us relief from this nightmare.

The books were God comes to the rescue, are fiction, we in this country are living that.

[Hawkowl]

28. Fiction indeed.

Just ask the European Jews of 1939-1945. This life, we are on our own.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Here's a good cure for the "I can't do nothing" blues.

The best part is, that politicians don't have anything to do with it, so it actually works, and you know you actually did something that has an effect.

Try it. You'll like it.

http://kiva.org/

[debbierlus]

8. I love it!

I didn't know that site existed! It should be expanded. Great idea.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. We now have 16 loans out.

Some have been repaid and we always make new loans. So little, to most Americans, can do so much for real people.

[leftofthedial]

20. screw the developing world

I can't pay my own fucking bills.

[debbierlus]

22. It allows for help in developing business in the US

[leftofthedial]

23. I'll try to sign up

[CrispyQ]

27. What a great concept!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Thank you for this link! I'll be donating soon. Please consider posting it on a separate thread.

:hi:

[fasttense]

10. It is how they want you to feel.

They want you to feel so overwhelmed that you are in shock. Once you are in shock, they can do just about anything they want, like letting middle class kids die from minor injuries and illnesses because the government is busy giving away our tax dollars to multinational corporations.

Stand by, I honestly believe one more shock is coming and this last shock will remake our so called democracy.

[loudsue]

11. Would you care to expand on that?

Do you know something we don't know?

[Rhythm and Blue]

15. No, he has a point.

The Rove strategy is and has been one of polarization. While independents lean liberal, the conservative base is larger than the liberal base. His plan was to polarize the nation as much as possible, energizing both bases--but turning off independents and moderates who in the mudslinging come to believe both sides are equally bad, and in doing so tilt the scales Republican.

Once in power, the plan was to govern as brashly and blatantly conservative as possible--energizing their base, while depressing and overwhelming ours. It's worked very well so far.

[CrispyQ]

13. I think it's a common mind set -- everyone is feeling the desperation of

diminishing resources, climate change, & "leaders" who only look out for themselves & their cronies, but don't give a rat's ass about anyone else. The pie is shrinking & everyone wants as big a piece as they can get before it's gone -- fuck everyone else.

Here's what I do to shake that despairing mindset: 1) Go for a walk. Get back in touch with nature. Many of our problems are due to the fact that we live outside of the natural world, not with it. 2) Find & read some of the TOONS threads. You are not alone in your feelings, as the cartoonists prove. 3) Hug a friend. :hug:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=2080981

[Rhythm and Blue]

14. It's been worse. Much, much worse.

Iraq isn't Vietnam.
Global Warming isn't the cold war and seemingly-certain nuclear holocaust.
The economy is better than it was in the stagflation days.
We're better able to handle the oil prices than we were in the '70s.
And there isn't disco any more.

So just be glad it isn't 35 years ago.

[Zywiec]

24. I agree with you. People have a very short memory

and only can see a very narrow period of time.

[Mugu]

17. Just remember that it's always darkest just before

it turns pitch black.

Regard, Mugu

[alfredo]

18. Fuck it, let's dance

[ladjf]

21. Expanding upon your points, may I add that while change is a

natural part of existence, the rate of destructive changes, such as those that you listed as well as a host of others, goes far beyond what the human mind is able to handle sanely.

Our best bet for improving the situation is to defeat the Republican regime as soon as possible and begin the hard work of restoring Constitutional democracy to America. (not an easy task)

[riverdeep]

26. Damn, that's quite a list of problems there.

Let's take them one at a time:

1) Pending war with Iran-I'm a cynic when it comes to life under this administration, but I don't think this will happen. Oh, they've tried. They're trying now. But, I don't think it will happen. We don't have the troops to maintain a conflict without the draft. That will peel away the rest of the Pubs who are actually keeping us in Iraq more than anything else. Also, the media is not quite as much in their pocket as they were the first time. Although, if it happens, if they try and stage an incident, it will occur around the end of next summer to October, just in time for election.

2) Global warming threatening all life on planet-eh, let me skip this for the moment.

3) Never ending mess in Iraq-Our children will be paying for this war. Literally. But if we get a Dem in office, the troops will be reduced. Depending on who we get in, the amount will vary. Clinton-enough will remain to sustain our arm of empire, Kucinich-enough will remain to defend the embassy, the only real reason for any troops to be there.

3) The economic recession-The numbers here have always been cooked, from unemployment to inflation. We've always been living in a house of cards. The world economy, though, doesn't want to see us go completely under, that will keep the worst cases of economic meltdown, like you see in South American countries, from occurring. But, the days of one person supporting a family of four on a good, secure, union job, have been over for some time, and they ain't coming back, whoever takes office.

4) Lack of depth in primary coverage-Yeah, certain candidates are automatically off limits. This is done partially to keep the truly insane out of office (so how did we get Bush, I hear from the gallery) like Alan Keyes, and mostly to make sure the controlling powers don't get too much of a shake up. Been going on for a long time. Changing our election system would be the only thing that expands depth, and that won't come from anything but grassroots. But it can happen, especially at the local level, where popularity pushes it to national.

Now, let me get back to #2. This trumps anything else on the list by a country mile. Not terrorism, or the economy, or flag lapel pins comes close. It touches on the fundamentals of what it means to be human. Many civilizations have died off, actually, as a result of outgrowing their resources, so that's not new. What's new is that it was always localized. When one civilization dies off, another somewhere else can still maintain. Now, there is no elsewhere. All our stakes our tied together.

Will we make it through this? Some say rush to space will save us. It'll save the rich. Some say technology will save us. It'll slow the demise. Some say population control will save us. Big part of it, true. But small populations can still consume huge resources. And there's that word, consume. To come to terms with it, requires a cultural revolution to look within as we never have before.

Will we make it out? I don't know, all I know is that if we do, we will improve as species, in ways that matter but haven't been considered previously important, tremendously. If not, it's been an interesting 4.1 million years.

[SteppingRazor]

29. For what it's worth, we're actually not in a recession -- yet.

A recession, according to just about every economic agency in the world except our own NBER, is two or more quarters of sustained negative GDP growth. Here's GDP growth in the U.S. since 2004:
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm

Note that we have not had negative GDP growth since 2004. Yes, we've had extremely weak growth, but it's always been positive. Now, this is not to say we won't encounter a recession in about a year, as the realities of the housing bust sink in to homeowners who suddenly realize they have half the equity they thought they had, but by the actual definition of a recession, we aren't in one.


As for the upcoming war with Iran and the upcoming global devastation via global warming, we can at least comfort ourselves with the word "upcoming" -- these things can still be prevented, unlike the horrorshow in Iraq.