The Democratic Party's Slide Into Irrelevance

Right. But at the same time if we were sending a million people to settle and colonize some distant planet, a global authority to regulate the effects of industrial output would probably be constitutional, knowing what we know now.

Bingo !!!

I don't know why it isn't transparently obvious to all that this function is missing in human civilization !!!

I'm going to explain the story of the greatest extinction in Earth's history and the parallels to what is happening now. It took place in 4 phases.

250 million years ago, there were massive volcanic explosions over tens of thousands of years in Siberia which created enough lava to cover the USA.

Phase 1 involved the release of massive amounts of the gases sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide.

Sulfur dioxide is a shorter lived aerosol gas which blocks sunlight and leads to acid rain. So phase 1 of the extinction event involved a rapid cooling and lots of dead plants from the acid rain. A chunk of life on the surface was lost as a result.

Phase 2 - after the sulfates settled, the cooling effect subsided and the warming impact of the CO2 caused a 5C increase in global temperature from the baseline. That warming resulted in the next wave of species loss on land.

Phase 3 - The ocean also warmed dramatically and the ocean circulation stopped and became deoxygenated. Nearly all of the oxygen breathing life in the ocean disappeared and anaerobic bacteria took over which had hydrogen sulfide as a byproduct of their metabolism.

Phase 4 - The warming ocean destabilized methane hydrates on the ocean floor and both methane gas and hydrogen sulfide spewed into the atmosphere. Methane is a powerful warming gas and hydrogen sulfide is toxic to animal life on the surface. The temperature spiked an additional 10C and this killed all of the oxygen breathing animals on the surface. We owe our existence to some subterranean 4 legged creatures called cynodonts which were able to survive in burrows under ground. They evolved into mammals some tens of millions of years after the dust settled on the mass extinction.

Parallels to today ......

Carbon dioxide levels have risen over 50% to their highest levels in > 3 million years in the last century or so.
Methane levels have risen 200%
The ocean circulation is slowing down and losing oxygen in the process.
The ocean is also becoming more acidic. Between the warming and the acidification, we are on the cusp of losing all of the ocean's coral reefs.

The real world is based upon chemistry, biology and physics ..... the economy is only relevant as a mechanism for allocating food, water, shelter, education, health care, security measures and the resources to reproduce. If you don't understand the science .... you don't have a clue how the world really works.

Testosterone levels are declining by 1-2% per year.

https://www.nubalancehealth.com/articles...

We're numb to what we're doing to ourselves.

"How are going to get everyone to go along..." has been part of this issue as far back as I can remeber. So just stating it won't fix anything.

Maybe we should think of incentivising geoengineering more heavily. I'm sure humans will figure out how to do that sooner or later. Wouldn't really need to get the whole planet on page for that.

I am in complete agreement with you here. I wish everyone in politics would read that.

I remember a study from a while back comparing the effects of using Old Spice and Speed Stick to the impacts of lack of sleep and a sedentary lifestyle. When you look at the main drivers ... excess screen time, processed foods, plastics, poor sleep, and sedentary habits, it isn’t surprising that modern society is filled with anxious people, driven largely by fear. We all became a bunch of hysterical candy asses.

How are we going to get along ? Think about the Olympic Games or the World Cup. The whole world comes together for athletic competition. The International Space Station.

The reason that people are at each other's throats is because the societal masters teach them Machiavellian divide and conquer. People like Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity are extremely well paid because they are good dividers. Each teaches their followers to have contempt for the other tribe. They only seem to on opposite sides ..... they serve the same master. Division.

We need to back off from tribal religious indoctrination which teaches us that people with different cultures are evil. We can see that nakedly in the way Trump is talking about brown people. He is a master divider and he has a natural gift for it. Hitler was the same. Jews, gypsies, cripples, mentally ill, non-Aryans in general .... he trained his people to kill them all.

Geoengineering .... an interesting topic. We're going to try it out of desperation. Here's an article about an Israeli start-up which has raised $75 million to inject sulfate aerosols into the atmosphere. They want to privatize the maintenance of atmospheric chemistry.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/science/enviro...

What's the problem with geoengineering ?

The world is an infinitely complex and integrated system of biology, chemistry and physics which has evolved naturally over 14 billion years. The resolution of that system is far greater than human comprehension. As smart as humans are, there is a great deal we are still learning.

Look at the problem the Israeli's are trying to tackle. Injecting particles into the atmosphere to block out the sun in order to offset the warming emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.

But carbon dioxide doesn't only warm the planet. It is absorbed by the ocean and acidifying it. The pH of the ocean has already declined from ~ 8.20 to 8.05 .... an enormous change for those who understand the pH scale. That acidification would accelerate under a geoengineering scheme and that is a path toward extinction.

Humans have already been geoengineering the planet with fossil fuels, plastic proliferation, PFAS, heavy metals, etc. It's not going well and it won't end well. We can't synthesize an alternative universe to the one which was arrived at naturally over 14 billion years.

One very important quality in a leader is humility. To know what we don't know. Synthesizing an alternative planet is above our pay grade as humans.

One of the aspects of modern society is that the leaders embody the quality of Dr. Marvel in the Wizard of Oz. People like Musk project themselves as all powerful .... like living Gods who are smart enough to handle any problem.

We humans have this ego problem where we have mistakenly arrived at a conclusion that we are the highest and omniscient force in the universe.

The physical embodiment of God is the observable universe, in all its richness. That is God's creation. You can call it a simulation if you like.

We are thus part of God. Gifted with the intelligence to know what we don't know and aspiring to shrink the unknowns over time. But we have a very long way to go and at this moment our primitive nature which guides us to always struggle for a higher place in the pecking order regardless of environmental consequence is looking like a fatal flaw.

Here's a good song which captures human ego and our representation of ourselves as being more than we really are.

Eminence Front by the Who. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VBc84Ot...

Hubris is the word which best describes your attitude. Exaggerated confidence resting on a foundation of ignorance.

You are seemingly incapable of objective consideration of the possibility that we're creating problems bigger than ourselves. It's like your brain goes on tilt and your operating system says "thou shalt not contemplate this".

History is filled with dark episodes. The Black Death. Mass exterminations of human tribes. World wars.

Open your mind. Embrace the truth. Get in touch with your adaptive pathways. The wish to be part of a tribe that survives.

If we lose the species ..... we lose everyone, including the few people whose futures you tell yourself that you care about.

The collapse of human civilization has begun. We are iterating to a new world order.

If there was one skill that I would wish for the world ..... it's the skill of grieving.

Nature offers up a menu of constant change. Nothing is permanent, including ourselves.

When we embrace the impermanence, it makes it easier to let go. No matter how tightly we grip the past ..... it's going to slip away and a new reality is going to emerge.

We are creating a radically different version of planet Earth than the one we've been accustomed to. The consequences of the new version are cascading in ways that are going to humble us as a species.

This is about life and death. And if we are indeed a species which is unable to come together and cooperate in order to save the species ..... then extinction is a natural response to such a disease.

Some people here like to label my policy recommendations as "draconian". They are trying to attach that draconian identity onto me .....

I think we need to take a step back and ourselves ..... is nature draconian ?

We can't fly under our own propulsion like birds or breathe underwater like fish. You can't go cuddle with a wild lion. Break nature's rules and it kills you.

There is only one motivator for my policy recommendations. The survival of our species. And I am articulating the kinds of policies which I believe are necessary for us to survive.

I understand that this is a topic which people have difficulty acknowledging and discussing. But the best thing I can do for this world is to explain why I might be accurate about the need to make these changes. To dig into the science and the math of Earth system. I encourage a good debate which seeks to find the truth.

I don't see my recommendations as draconian. I imagine a world in which everyone roots for each other and we compete honorably. I view wealth as a function of our human connections, not material things. I imagine a happier world than the one we live in today.

For Gods sake ..... let's choose life !!!

Don't waste you time dude. You're preaching to bitcoin psychos and full blown Neonazis. Let's just hope that when the **** hits the fan, all these scumbags will suffer the most.

Back to Democratic Party workings ....

the battle between a progressive and a moderate for the MN Senate race.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/min...

Mine along with everyone else's operating systems are capable of considering the consequences of a nuclear war. As I said, just stating the problem that everyone already knows doesn't contribute anything. Everyone already knows we should get rid of nukes. That doesn't make them go away.

I'm not discussing nuclear war.

I'm discussing the consequences of routine consumption.

I'm not wasting my time.

The human herd will always eventually pivot toward survival. I'm describing the future and giving the idea time to marinate.

All of the stubbornness and vanity that people are presenting in opposition at this moment will melt when faced with death. The herd will move in another direction and they will go along like the good sheep that they are.

We're largely conforming pack animals. A small minority is programmed to fight for lead of the pack and the majority follow. Nature is the master of us all.

In this forum, you absolutely are. But whatever, it's a free world.

The people who are participating in this forum are giving voice to common selfish and short-term sentiments. They are normal people.

I'll admit that I am giving voice to common selfish sentiments such as slave labor and state-run containment compounds. Yes, we are the normal ones.

But again, would you deem this a success if it were to happen....

And as you know, I am not asking you if it's possible.

I apologize. Would you say the answer is a yes or a no? I'm really not asking if you stopped beating your wife or some gotcha question.

What's the question ?

I forgot. But I vaguely remember thinking that you might not answer it.

I believe your question that Nutty didn't answer was:

Would you sacrifice the market 5xing with more money in circulation if it meant accomplishing your global emissions standards?