A very good essay Cameron and I agree with you about the value of Greer's writings. Publishing it on OLO is a daring move however, considering the raving nutters that will attempt to ridicule it.

..But of course, the mass of the masses will simply do what all others civilisations before them have done, and simply survive from one day to the next, (with fingers crossed).

(comment posted inapplicably on "Slam carbon scams" thread)!

michael_in_adelaide:

Re: comment <Nutters on OLO>

...I would hope you are not one of the hypocrite-class that, while abhorring the gas emissions of others is addicted to their own!

Cheers...Dan

"John Michael Greer is the Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America."

This guy would fit nicely in to many communities in the Adelaide hills and quite possibly make a tilt as president for life (and death) of the Sustainable People Lobby.

He makes less sense than John Michael Howson but there is something strangely appealing about Greer. He sounds like he is closing in on one of the great mental breakdowns of the 21st century. I wish him well.

Cheryl you obviously have not read any of Greer's great tomes. He is probably one of the most articulate, intelligent and grounded writers in the US at present.

I too have been reading his blog for years and cheap snide shots like yours just show your ignorance and acceptance of the 'Matrix' which is 'the modern industrial world'.

Greer has made many prognostications over the last few years, most which have come to pass, he is extremely well read and has knack for understanding our perilous position on a finite planet being plundered by the corporate elite (the 1%).

Perhaps you should actually read some of his work and learn something useful.

Friends, get your vegie garden underway and build that chook house real quick. Learn to supplement your meat diet with worms and read all about food which the Aborigines ate.

If you can make a pair of shoes out of roo skin and brush up on your fishing skills and cooking skills (bluetongue lizard stew is a winner) you'll be ahead of the pack when the crunch comes. Taking up archery will also prove to be a good investment you'll find.

Buying a horse will provide transport and fertilizer for the garden and a goat will provide milk if you can't keep a cow.

Yeehaaaa! Bring back the good old days, the ones that were sustainable before they were replaced by the madness of capitalism!

So Greer has predicted that things will get worse or better. And 'some' of his predictions have come true!

I don't think I'll be taking out a subscription to Archdruid's Monthly any time soon.

All the great empires & civilisations which have preceded ‘modern man’ (sic) have collapsed into remnant collections of weathered stone pyramids, marble columns or vine-covered temples in the midst of silent jungles or deserts, wherein the remains of the once all-powerful rulers of dynasties mix with that of the victims of their grandiose ideologies, plans and mis-adventurous lust for absolute power and immortality.

The really frightening bit is that driven by ignorance, hubris and the same lust for power, the ‘world leaders’ of today appear to be blind to this reality.

Given the troubled times in which we live, it is surely in our own best interest, then, to reflect upon where we are all headed under the leadership and Mode of Production extant.

I'm sorry Geoff of Perth but really in a case of articles like this we need to spare a moment to think of Greer's wife. Greer is walking around the house dressed as a Celtic druid and he's chanting and carrying on. There are fire sticks and probably pagan chants burbling in the background. They've got neighbours Geoff, think about it.

She thought she was marrying someone smart, someone who might end up say in Government, or finance or maybe even the public service. But no. He wants to be a druid and save the world. At the beginning she thought that was OK. He talked a good game, but he's older now, much older and so is she. She has got to be thinking of taking the kids and hitting the highway. Blog that.

I can't help thinking that Cheryl is Runner's wife.

..."order" please Kenny!

Kenny,

Cheryl's a bloke....

Well that would explain the "odd" posts from both Cheryl and Runner wouldn't it!!

Walking away from civilised comforts is less a goal worth debate and more an understandable mental illness.

But what is causing this ill-ease is PRIVATISATION. The reason we got rid of Howard. The reason Abbott can not be PM.
You see with privatisation governments can and will privatise every thing in their charter except TAX collection and Armed Forces/Police.

That's a cool gig. The Barry OFarrells get money, power, Glory and girls but don't have to listen to their electors because they are powerless having given all their responsibilities to private companies.
Companies built on heartless marauding INVESTORS who excel in building PONZI schemes whose best profits come when they collapse. See OFarrell's Sydney Ponzi scheme and its increasingly untenable future for example.

Sure Abbott has just spoken of Privatisation. He promises weak limits on Chinese privatisation ... hmmm .. of farmland .. but its open slather for everyone else to privatise to the hilt.

The consequences for this LAZY DEMOCRACY or NON-Democracy is "caged chook syndrome". Citizens are relatively comfortable and don't make waves but they just KNOW that a spinning blade is around somewhere and is capable of cutting off their heads at a rate of 6000 per hour.

If that isn't reason enough for despair, protest-druidism and even a little mental illness, tell me what IS!

Democracy is something that over time, continually cost buckets of blood to get. It will cost more than buckets to get it back if we trustingly give it away to potentially nuclear armed(its coming) moronic leaders who are themselves expendable in global economic practice.

Just look at Syria!

If you don't believe THAT can happen here then think again and don't vote for Liberal Government until they wake up and get with the AUSTRALIA FIRST, De-globalised, tariff wielding, Sustainability program.

Spare the blood and cull the politicians!

Tony A Sustainable

KAEP,

My, we are in good form, but have no fear, the 'mage' can quell the 'rage'. (With or without antidepressants?)

And, you never know, Tony Abbot may be an apprentice under the great 'master'? (While Joe is taking up yoga and transcendental meditation, and Julie studying astrology, iridology and faith healing?) Bring on the grass skirts!

Inner peace, inner peace, a.. a.. inner peace.

Cheryl a bloke? I'm shocked.

Salty,

You're a piece of work.

Since when was the TRUTH a matter of FORM??

Abbot? Australia does NOT need to leave the door open to foreign investment. Abbot is WRONG. Only the 2% rich in this Nation need that foreign investment so they can line their pockets and BUILD the power to tell the other 98% that they are King-Henry-useless and non contributing souls, to justify ever more wealth and ever more erosion of rights & self esteem of average hard working Australians.

The first step in ending this Class warfare is to NOT vote for Abbott. When he understand the dangers of PRIVATISATION in its ability to widen the richVpoor gap and the ugly consequences that ensue, he will be ready to lead us. He must also learn that PONZI schemes do not last more than one generation in modern settings and that he is currently playing a fool's game. Further Ponzis make the best profits for investors(Chinese or American) when they collapse - at the expense of the government holding the bag at the time.

Continuing,

Continued,

Second is to force Labor at the polls (there are ways) to remove media conglomeration laws. My independent-News friends whose children were threatened with fire in Newcastle back in the 60's media-wars will appreciate that! No longer should small News-and-advert businesses be gunned-out of business under the watchful eye of pro-ponzi-Governments.

The third is to get a decent Attorney General. The use of littel girls to pose the "why don't we make big polluters pay the Carbon tax - it's all their fault" is FemoNazi propaganda. The little girl and all her child bearing mates are the one's who will DEMAND the polluters to increase their output for the sake of their 2.3 babies and the babies babies ad infin-bloody-itum. Roxon's Hypocrisy reeks! We DESERVE someone with the courage, discipline and intelligence of a Judy Sheinlen Or a Robert F Kennedy. Not a person who reacts to negative press by declaring there are 'consequences' for criticising Government officials particularly if colorfully.

IN SUMMARY: Australian's need to train Abbot to be a true leader and Torture Labor till they LEARN at least to tell the TRUTH for a change.

Truths SUCH AS:

Labor's encouragement of electricity-rivatisation &susequent unnecessary consumer cost hikes is just a MIGRANT TAX. It pays for migrants share of new poles and wires when Migrants should be levied a settlement tax up to $300K, paid like HECS. If labor told us this truth it wouldn't be a killer. But to hide it in some corporatised mumbo jumbo as if we are all stupid is the greatest clue of all to how Labor despises its constituents and what is inevitably in store for them.

Labor's immigration-program is just building the bottom layers of an increasing PONZI scheme. A scheme Whose only purpose is GST take, increased votes, and feeding the Ponzi-goons like Woollis and Coles. Now this makes their criticism of the super-rich just a strawman. ITS TIME someone slapped their damn faces with their silly LIES. And the ONLY consequence to slagging this Government should be to educate a waiting government even if that takes another term.