September Just Posts

It's not surprising that many of the posts featured this month have to do with American Politics. This is the last Roundtable before the election, emotions are running high and America's luck seems to be running out. The notion that has been briefly and in my opinion quite unsubstantially discussed in recent debates is that we all need to make do with less. It seems obvious to the observer, America acts like a binge eater, gobbling up oil and food and plastics with little regard for the world. As with any addict, there's always a rock bottom and a subsequent coming to Jesus and in our case the bottom seems to be wrapped up with blinking lights and a cherry on top, even as we sink the band plays on.

It's the unwillingness to face reality that startles me the most and I tend to believe in the American people more than this, that our politicians might be moving deck chairs around the Titanic but we are all underboard, scurrying around whispering trying to decide what to do and damn if we aren't maintaining our sense of humor, it's free and doesn't hurt a thing.

In conversation with a higher up in disaster management recently she lowered her voice and conveyed what we should already know: The shit is hitting the fan and it's bad. Earthquakes and hurricanes, drought and disease. The other secret she whispered was don't expect to count on us. You'll need to look to your neighbors to see you through. The sentiment was more about environmental disaster than financial but her words hold true.

These bailouts are not about us and no matter what we can't count on a market seemingly propped up with duct tape and paste. Instead we need to consider a life that looks very different than the one we lead now and we need to decide to embrace it. We can embrace it or be engulfed by it, but either way it's the end of the (American) world as we know it and I have a child to raise and magic to teach and I refuse, I patently refuse to let all of this bullshit get in my way. What matters now and has always mattered is us, who we are and who we want to be outside of the American Empire and corporate greed. What matters now is what we will do in the face of this uncertainty and how we will choose to live. And we'll be looking to each other to see us through.

The September Just Posts
Alejna with September 12, 2001
Border Explorer with Everything for Wall Street; Nothing for Main Street
Chani with Financial Smackdown, My Last Sarah Post, and Steal This Meme: Politics
Daily Kos with Amazing: Obama helped a stranded stranger
Denguy with Fear
Emily with Saving the planet for Starbucks customers of the future
Ewe Are Here with Busy Would Be and Understatement
Girlgriot with Speechless and Supermoms and super colliders
Holly with I couldn't hold it any longer and Pennies for peace
JCK with IMC project: Saving the lives of malnourished children
Jen at A2EATWRITE with How to vote/how to buy a car
Jen with Good morning America, how are you?
Jennifer at Faking It with To Support of not to support, that is not the question, as I see it
Julie with How you can help recent hurricane and tropical storm victims
Lia with Age And Ageism and Give Some Thought
Leslie with The most problemmatic of times
Los Angelista's Guide to the Pursuit of Happiness with Shiny and Bright Sarah Palin
Mad with Losing at the waiting game
Magpie with Ways to Make a Difference
Mary Murtz with Unfriended? Defaced? What?
Mir Kamin on Blogher with Men and Women: Becoming more alike makes 'em more different. What?
Mother Woman with Manning the Phones
Rebecca with That creepy obsession with virginity and In defense of a silver tongue
Red Stapler with Why I am voting for Barack Obama
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee with Dear Mr. Harper
The Ascent of Humanity with Construction and the Glass Factory
The American Prospect with Everybody Calm Down, Obama is hitting back
The Buddha Diaries with A Fistful of Bills
Under the Overpasses with The Sky is Falling--really! and The View from Down Here

Just Post Readers include:
Alejna
Thailand Chani
Painted Maypole

The Just Post Roundtable is here every month on the 10th and we welcome writing about social issues big and small and everyone is welcome. Don't forget to stop by Mad and Su's to see what's on their minds today too.