Gray Day

It's a gray day, and I am struggling with writing that is not going well. The Gulf oil spill sounds worse and worse. The news from Washington is not pleasant. I used to say that every president made the previous president look better. I don't think Obama makes Bush look better, but I don't like Obama at all. He is a smart version of Bush.

My current theory is the rich in the US and Europe expect to be able to retreat into armed and armored enclaves when the environment collapses, and the world descends into famine and war. They will have members of the middle class to serve them -- doctors, maintenance workers, hair stylists and so on; and they will have soldiers to protect them. Their lives will continue in comfort for a while.

So they don't have to worry about oil spills or global warming. They will be safe in a fortress in Antarctica.

Maybe they will be able to make it through until most of the human race dies off. But maybe when people have nothing left except anger, they will storm the enclaves. Or maybe the enclaves will break down. How do you maintain 21st century civilization in an enclave? What happens when you don't have a worldwide support system?

How can you remain rich if the world that produces your wealth is destroyed?