Vol. 5 No. 2 (June 2006)
The
Uncommon Denominator
A Newsletter of the Commonweal Institute
www.commonwealinstitute.org
"The famous
balance of nature is the most extraordinary of all cybernetic systems.
Left to itself, it is always self-regulated."
—Joseph Krutch, Saturday Review, June 8, 1963
CONTENTS
Talking
Points: Notes for a global warming survival guide
Talking Points II: Be part of the solution
Wit and Wisdom: Two tasteless environmental jokes
Quoted! Zalmay Khalilzad and Ann Coulter
Check It Out: "An Inconvenient Truth"
Eye on the Right: Frank Luntz's
2006 playbook
Featured Article: "Hawking, We Have a
Problem"
Happenings: Monthly round-up
Endorsements: Jamin
Raskin
Get Involved: Spread the word; become a
contributor
TALKING POINTS
Is it too early to begin talking about how to survive the collapse of
civilization? If the more pessimistic predictions about global warming are
to be believed — and there is reason to believe them — within a decade or two
the trend may become irreversible, leading to an accelerating global
environmental catastrophe and, as a possible consequence, the breakdown of many
of the social and economic systems that much of the world has come to take for
granted. The mind does not have to over-extend itself to imagine how a
combination of widespread agricultural failure, mass death, and the reduction
of entire populations to desperate poverty could reverse the last 500 years of
human development, force society into low-tech survival mode, and brutally test
the endurance, ingenuity, and general fitness of every individual.
It's too early, certainly, for any responsible person to lose hope in the power
of social activism to right a listing ship, to withdraw into fatalistic
despair, or to forget that human beings have a remarkable capacity for pulling
through. Still, the smart money would advocate thinking seriously about how
one and one's community would fare in the event, and about developing
contingency plans now rather than later. That would involve beginning to
work on a kind of triple track — one track devoted to the usual business of
getting by or getting ahead within the systems and structures of our society, a
second to pushing for important changes to avert environmental catastrophe, and
a third to identifying ways of becoming independent of those systems and
structures, that is, to preparing for the worst-case scenario.
A highly technological
society in which most people have no good idea how most of the technology works
is intrinsically fragile. We in
the industrialized West use computers all the time, and yet how many of us
could really explain the difference between volts, watts, and amperes, let
alone the functioning of a microchip? How long would it take for us to figure
out how to repair a simple engine? Et cetera. And
compounding this vulnerability of knowledge is a vulnerability of scale: The
workings of government and the goings-on of large corporations take place
mostly beyond the ability of regular people to influence them. As stockholders
and voters, we theoretically have input, but as practical matter we nonetheless
rely on the responsible behavior of these entities. In the event of massive
social disruption, there is no telling how government and industry might react,
and whether — God forbid — a struggle for resources might end up pitting
ordinary citizens against the big institutions,
Imagine a scenario, then, in which the systems and structures we have come
to depend upon — the power grid, the phone lines and wireless towers, water and
garbage collection — begin to break down under the stresses of environmental
calamity. Crime surges and government overreacts, or underreacts.
Civic participation becomes increasingly meaningless in the face of elemental
exigencies: food, shelter, safety, survival. Transportation and communications
networks operate sporadically, or fail altogether. The financial system is
thrown into turmoil, as people desperately seek to convert savings to usable
assets, and as markets experience massive distortion. Black markets thrive,
especially in weapons. A public health calamity leads to massive numbers of
refugees streaming into the major cities.
Futurists and sci-fi writers love to think about this stuff, and such a
scenario is offered here in that spirit: What if, what if….? With every passing
year, however, it seems less futuristic and less sci-fi.
One of the best-selling books of the last few years has been "The
Worst-Case Scenario Survival Guide," which provides information on how to
deal with unexpected snake-bites and plane-crashes and so forth, and which has
recently come out in an "Extreme Edition." Hmmm.
Just a fun read to keep in the bathroom — or a symptom of some deeper cultural
intuition? Perhaps the next edition should be titled the "Global Warming
Survival Guide." On page one would be listed: "How to Establish a
Viable Self-Sufficient Community." And where's what it might say:
Identify who might
participate in such a community. Short answer: family and friends
willing to work hard and show a cooperative spirit. Anthropologists have shown
that a natural unit of primate social organization consists of about 110-130
individuals (the tribe, the regiment, etc.), and this might be an optimum final
figure, but at first several families living together would probably be
sufficient. Think about the practical skills different people would bring to
the endeavor — medical training, an ability to hunt or fish, basic engineering
proficiency, talent with cloth and needle — and imagine their regular roles in
the community.
Acquire a piece of land with the right attributes. It should be
suited for agriculture (i.e., not the desert or the tundra) and, if possible,
for hunting and fishing. It should be in a strategic location (i.e., distant
from the refugee hordes, but not totally isolated from society). And it should
be in an area that can withstand a 2-5 degree rise in average temperature and a
15-20 foot rise in sea level. Purchase the land ASAP, pooling money if
necessary.
Recognize the need to physically defend the community. The model
here is not a bunch of hippies camping out in Taos, but a safe and secure
permanent settlement where people can live, work, reproduce, and pass along
culture without being attacked, plundered, or overrun by criminals or refugees.
There will likely be no local law enforcement in such a place, and it would be
only prudent to build fortifications and to be trained in the use of firearms.
Establish rules of conduct that participants must abide by. Every
society, however large or small, however intimate its members, has to have a
system of law, or else it will descend into dysfunction. This necessitates,
unfortunately, a system of enforcement, which in turn implies two crucial
activities: judgment and punishment. The details of how this would all operate
would depend on the community members, of course, but one course of action seems
sound: Have participants, upon joining, sign a contract explicitly stating the
rules they agree to follow and the potential sanctions they agree to face.
Determine how information will be acquired and shared. There will
be no CNN in Rancho Warmo, and no daily delivery of
the New York Times. A ham radio seems the best option, but it is also
worth remembering that Native American tribes managed to communicate quite
effectively with drums and smoke signals.
Recognize the need to participate in the external economy. Even
if it just means trading or bartering with other communal settlements (see
above on "strategic location"). No alternative community has ever
survived by withdrawing into righteous isolation from the rest of the world.
Such practical intercourse, and the symbiosis it reveals, will also provide the
motivation and foundation for mutual security, for the formation of healthy
social and reproductive ties, and for the transmission of culture.
Stockpile tools. They are both indispensable and hard to
manufacture. The basic implements like hammers, shovels, crowbars, and so
forth, will go a long way. For important tools that require electricity, such
as drills, bring a generator.
Anticipate limited, if any, availability of fossil fuels. There
is considerable agreement that we are in the Peak Oil phase, after which
petroleum will become harder to extract and increasingly expensive. Incorporate small-scale renewable energy sources (especially wind
and solar) and resource conservation measures (e.g., underground water
cisterns, significant insulation, and passive solar design) into the daily
operations of Rancho Warmo.
Bring know-how, or people who have the know-how. What happens
when the generator breaks? How do you set a broken bone? Can the nearby stream
be diverted for irrigation? How is adobe made? The questions go on without end,
and the more answers we have up front, the better.
At
the beginning of the 21st century, human ingenuity finds itself in a race
with human self-destructiveness. Hopefully ingenuity will pull us out of
the accelerating environmental crisis without the worst-case scenarios coming
to pass. That is why, again, the responsible course of action is to not to
despair or withdraw, but as individuals to work as hard as we can for the
common good, to do everything we can in our personal lives to reduce our
environmental footprint, and to apply pressure on those who have the power to
really make a difference. This is the kind of ingenuity we're all hoping will
prevail.
Another kind of ingenuity would help see us through the worst-case scenario.
This is the kind of ingenuity reflected, for example, in the Norwegian
government's recent announcement that it is building a seed bank on the Arctic
TALKING POINTS II
Despite the ongoing campaign to discredit the science of global warming, a
recent TIME/ ABC News/ Stanford University poll reports some encouraging,
if surprising, news about American attitudes toward the problem. According to
the survey, 85% of Americans now believe that global warming is underway and
80% believe that human activity is contributing to the problem — although
two-thirds still think, incorrectly, that there is significant scientific
disagreement on the issue (this is one baneful result of the Right's
disinformation campaign). Moreover, a majority of Americans (60%) think that
"a good amount" or "a great deal" can be done to reduce
future warming, and 35% percent think the federal government should do more to
solve the problem (as opposed to 5% who think it should do less, and 25% who
think it's doing about the right amount). Clearly, there's room for improvement
in these numbers, but the truth slowly seems to be sinking in, and the
desire for concerted action seems to be rising. Because the
Many of us realize that, while the federal government needs to step up quickly
and aggressively to address the problem of global warming, we should not sit
around waiting for it to do so. We know that it is time to take action
ourselves.
So you ask: What can I do to help?
First, always keep in mind that we don't buy energy for itself, but for the
services that it provides. It is simply a means to an end. What people want
are warm showers, lighted rooms, cool air in the summer, heat in the winter, a
convenient way to get to and from work, and so on. If we could have all these
things while using less energy, we would be happy indeed. And yet Americans,
even those who are concerned about global warming, tend to be very inefficient
in their use of energy. The upside is that, since inefficiency accounts for a
significant portion of greenhouse gas production, a key part of the solution is
in our own power (so to speak).
To see how dramatic the benefits of improved energy efficiency can be, in the
context of existing capacity, we need only look at what happened in
"The state poured $1 billion in emergency funding into
a newly invigorated set of incentive programs dubbed "Flex Your Power." And Californians
flexed, big-time. In short order, they replaced nearly eight million light
bulbs with CFLs [compact fluorescent light bulbs] in
their homes. Cities and towns installed thousands of light-emitting diode (LED)
traffic lights, which use less than half as much electricity as the incandescent
lamps they replaced. Factories swapped out thousands of old motors for
more-efficient new ones."
The program saved enough energy
to meet all of Los Angeles' daily needs, and all those new light bulbs, traffic
lights and motors continue to save energy, long after the crisis is over.
Today,
Here, then, are some practical tips and resources for reducing your own
domestic energy consumption.
For starters, find out how much energy you are using by getting a home
energy audit. If your power company doesn't provide one, you can use the on-line energy audit tool provided by Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory. This audit will help you figure out how you can
get more value for your money and help reduce your greenhouse gas emissions.
Next, buy energy efficient appliances. Look for the Energy Star for appliances that have been
rated for their efficiency. Often you can earn tax rebates from your state when
you purchase an energy efficient appliance. When thinking of appliances for the
outdoors, find non-polluting
mowers and leaf blowers.
Visit the Environmental
Defense website for other actions you can take. While you are there, sign
up to switch out your old incandescent light bulbs with the new compact
florescent bulbs that fit into regular light bulb sockets — you'll save both
energy and money.
Check to see if your utility has any programs that promote higher efficiency
and if they don't, ask them to consider putting a program together. (PG&E
customers can get lots of information by visiting the PG&E Energy Efficiency website.)
Buy renewable
power if you can find it in your area and work with your community to see
what you can do to make it more available.
Take public transportation, walk, or bicycle whenever possible. Or if
you are in the market for a new car, consider a hybrid car, which will not
only be more fuel efficient, but also much cleaner in its emissions. Buy the
most fuel efficient car you can afford.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, become more of a proselyte, more of a
squeaky wheel. Talk to your workplace supervisors and suggest that they
also take an energy audit — for their sake as well as the environment's.
Encourage your neighbors to do the same. Lobby your local government, at town
council meetings or other venues, to take energy efficiency seriously, and
write your state and federal representatives asking that they start taking more
responsibility to address global warming. After all, we will all need to do our
share to put the brake on global warming.
— Mary Ratcliff
WIT AND WISDOM
"Hot outside today, isn't it? It is so hot today that Al Gore has a new
movie, 'An Inconvenient Rash'." — David Letterman
"Last week President Bush created the world's largest protected marine
area, dubbed the
QUOTED!
"Although our staff
retain a professional demeanor,
strains are apparent. We see that their personal fears are reinforcing divisive
sectarian or ethnic channels, despite talk of reconciliation by officials. 
Employees
are apprehensive enough that we fear they may exaggerate developments or steer
us towards news that comports with their own worldview. Objectivity, civility,
and logic that make for a functional workplace may falter if social pressures
outside the Green Zone don't abate." — American Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad,
in a June
06, 2006, memo to the Secretary of State which describes increasing
harassment and intimidation of Iraqi staff members. The memo was obtained and
reprinted by the Washington Post.
"These women got paid. 
They ought to take their money and shut up
about it." — Conservative author and talking-head Ann Coulter,
describing the widows of 9/11 victims, on MSNBC's "The Situation with
Tucker Carlson." Coulter's criticisms of the widows are even more venomous
in her new book Godless: The Church of Liberalism,
in which she writes: "And by the way, how do we know their husbands
weren't planning to divorce these harpies? Now that their shelf life is
dwindling, they'd better hurry up and appear in Playboy."
CHECK IT OUT
If you have not yet seen "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's
riveting movie about global warming, do so SOON — before it leaves the
theaters.
But don't just listen to the Uncommon Denominator. Here's what Roger
Ebert, in a June
2 review, had to say: "When I said I was going to a press screening of
'An Inconvenient Truth,' a friend said, 'Al Gore talking
about the environment! Bor...ing!' This is not a boring film. The director, Davis
Guggenheim, uses words, images and Gore's concise litany of facts to build a
film that is fascinating and relentless. In 39 years, I have never written
these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see
this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to
them why you decided not to."
And don't just go by yourself. Bring people! Gail Slocum, the former
mayor of
"Consider buying a block of 10 or so tickets a day or
more in advance and giving them to people you know as
gifts. Benefits are not only that additional sales
will help the movie get wider distribution, but also it's a gift that can
really energize action on what we care so much about.
"Don't just think of 'friends and family' — consider inviting our local
leaders and state elected officials. You could offer to give them 2 tickets or
go with them in a group — perhaps out for dinner before or tea after to
discuss. Here I'm thinking of your local Planning Commissioners, City Council
members, Supervisors, Assembly and State Senate members, up and coming future leaders etc ...And not just the ones we always
agree with — we can't only preach to the choir! Same goes for business-people
whose businesses could do more to reduce their emissions. Be bold! I believe
this movie can get through to a wide variety of types of people."
In a recent interview
with Newsweek's Eleanor Clift, Gore suggested that Americans may be near
a "tipping point" of understanding on the issue:
"I hope that we are close to a tipping point beyond
which the country will begin to face this very seriously and the majority
of politicians in both parties will begin to compete by offering meaningful
solutions. We're nowhere close to that yet, but a tipping point by definition
is a time of very rapid change — and I think that the potential for this change
has been building up, with the evangelical ministers speaking out, General
Electric and Republican CEOs saying we have to address it, grass-roots
organizations — all of these things are happening at the same time because
through various means people are seeing a new reality."
Above all, "An Inconvenient
Truth" will help people see that "new reality."
Click here to read more about the
movie, and find a theater in your area where it's playing.
In the meantime, check out Gore's hilarious
routine on Saturday Night Live.
EYE ON THE RIGHT
As we approach the 2006 elections, it's time to start
bracing for the right-wing spin machine to move into full swing. While much of
the macro-strategy ("smear! cheat! scare!") is directed by Karl
Rove, the deceptively boyish Frank Luntz
advises conservatives on the nitty-gritty of language and framing. His playbook
for the 2006 election is 138 pages long, but here, for your delectation, is
just a quick sample of what it says — a taste of what we can expect over the
next four months. The appendix is subtitled "The 14 Words Never To Use," and it provides an interesting window into
the conservative linguisphere:
|
Never Say: |
Instead Say: |
|
1. Government |
|
|
2. Privatization/Private
Accounts |
Personalization/Personal
Accounts |
|
3. Tax Reform |
Tax Simplification |
|
4. Inheritance/Estate Tax |
The Death Tax |
|
5. A Global
Economy/Globalization |
Free Market Economy |
|
6. Outsourcing |
Taxation, Regulation,
Litigation, Innovation |
|
7. Undocumented Workers |
Illegal Aliens |
|
8. Foreign Trade |
International Trade |
|
9. Drilling for Oil |
Exploring for Energy |
|
10. Tort Reform |
Lawsuit Abuse Reform |
|
11. Trial Lawyer |
Personal Injury Lawyer |
|
12. Corporate
Transparency |
Corporate
Accountability |
|
13. School Choice |
Parental Choice/Equal |
|
14. Healthcare
"Choice" |
"The Right to
Choose" |
The entire
Luntz Playbook is available online, in different
formats.
And now that you know some of what Luntz advises
conservatives never to say, you know exactly a few of the terms TO use if you
want to counter their agenda.
FEATURED ARTICLE
The following is an excerpt from Joe Kaplinsky's "Hawking, We Have a Problem",
which appears in the June 2006 issue of Spiked magazine. The article
appeared in response to physicist Stephen Hawking's
recent suggestion that humanity might have to settle other planets or solar
systems in the face of the looming environmental crisis on earth:
"In reality, we will
only get to a destination like Mars if we are driven by a positive vision and
purpose, such as the quest for knowledge. Looking for life on Mars is one such
quest. If Mars has life, even bacterial life, which is independent of life
forms on Earth, then it will show that life arises easily and is most likely
spread across the universe. If life is found that somehow relates to life as we
know it on Earth, that will suggest that life can survive the journey through
space — and also raise the possibility that life came to Earth from outside. If
Mars is found to be barren, it will shorten the odds that the Earth is truly
unique
"It is people who have a passion for such knowledge who will make a
mission to Mars a reality — people who are consumed by the need to know; who
are tormented by the limitations of robot explorers; for whom pictures of red
rocks are simply not enough. It is those who have new ideas for new experiments
on Mars, and who cannot wait years for the next robotic lander
to get there, who will make the case for humans venturing there instead. In
short, a positive view of humanity might spur us to further explore space,
whereas arguments for space travel as a means of saving us from our own
self-destructive tendencies are likely to have the unintended consequence of
making us less willing to explore and take risks
Click here to
read the whole article.
HAPPENINGS
The video of CI attorney Joe Sandler's
informative presentation at the 2006 Progressive Roundtable is now
available on the PR website. Hear Sandler discuss the
legal environment for politically-oriented non-profit organizations — the full
range of what different types of organizations can do legally and how they can
work together.
On June 22, the Commonweal Institute endorsed the California Election
Protection Network (CEPN) resolution
calling for a manual count of all votes from the hotly contested June 6 primary
election in
ENDORSEMENTS
"We need to join the battle of ideas and language in a far more sustained
and serious way. This is why I am so glad the Commonweal Institute is committed
to long-term democratic transformation by speaking truth and justice against
corrupt power. Let the struggle begin." — Jamin Raskin,
Professor of Constitutional Law, Washington College of Law,
GET INVOLVED
If you agree with Jamin Raskin (see above), there are a number of ways you can help
the Commonweal Institute achieve its goals.
Right now, as you read, you can simply forward the Uncommon Denominator
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© 2006 The Commonweal
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