Jane,

This was simply one of the best editorials I've read in a great long while.

as an aside.... consider amaranth..... a very versatile plant. Given that the wheat rust and bugs are proliferating across the globe (mass starvation, anyone?) you may wish to consider growing amaranth. Also, only buy heritage seeds. Screw Monsanto. Monsanto wants to control the worlds agriculture. For profit and death. The two games they've always had a stake in. BTW, wasn't Hillary on their board? 

by richard (0 articles, 5 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 1359 comments [400 recommended, 8 rejected]) on Sunday, Mar 23, 2008 at 8:56:09 AM

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I love Ms. Stillwater's editorials.

there is no doubt that our ''number one superpower" days are over,and  that's ok; lots of countries had to adjust to losing the top spot, GB and France among others. We can do it too, it's less prestigious but more peaceful and confortable to be number 3 or 4.

I just hope the US does not go directly from top notch to Third world--bankruptcy and widespread poverty due to huge private and public debt, outsourcing and war.  

After so much wasting and squandering, we must finally learn to live within our means. It ain't gonna be easy but there is no other option.

by francine (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 385 comments) on Sunday, Mar 23, 2008 at 10:14:35 AM

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Related to this is that it appears that those most directly responsible for the declining dollar --  and who have been making huge profits from it and from the war (e.g., the Carlyle Group) -- are preparing to relocate their headquarters, as well as their persons, to Dubai where, as war crimes become a larger part of the national discussion, they can be "out of reach". Halliburton has already moved there, even as it raids the US Treasury through grotesque overcharging. 

by Bill Willers (11 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 50 comments [5 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Sunday, Mar 23, 2008 at 11:40:06 AM

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I agree with you that we're going to have to go back to a 150 year ago lifestyle.  I grew up more than 70 years ago living exactly that lifestyle on a ranch here in Texas with no electricity, no utilities of any kind, and with a trip to town once a month to buy necessities, such as sugar, salt and pepper.  Everything else, we provided for ourselves.  It really wasn't that bad, because we knew of nothing else. 

What we should do is kinda like taking off a bandage with one, swift yank, to get the pain over quickly.  We should just stop importing oil altogether, immediately, then, everything we need to do or can do would, necessarily, be within walking distance.  All goods and services would be provided strictly locally.  And, the national obsession with celebrity presidents and members of congress would end, because they would become completely irrelevant to anything of consequence.

Maybe we could allow the use of what oil we produce here, but limit its use to only the publishing of books and the making of biscuits and gravy.

by Ed Martin (139 articles, 0 quicklinks, 35 diaries, 173 comments [4 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Sunday, Mar 23, 2008 at 5:04:21 PM

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Dear Madam Jane,

What am I doing to prepare for what I fear is the Next Great Depression. First I studied the last one with my children. I studied what happened before and related it, almost perfectly in an economic time line to what is happening now. My eldest daughter almost fainted when she saw how very similar these events are. The second thing I did was to sign my daughter up for sewing classes. Then my other children for gardening classes. Although I am experienced in both of these areas, I felt woefully unprepared to teach them in any degree of proficiency what they would need. Then I learned about drought gardening, root cellaring, wild foods, wild water collection and purification. Of course I taught all of my daughters these things as I learned. I expanded into herbal medicine, first aid, and camp making.

Now we are taking up the task of helping to build community. I joined the local Farmer's Market Board. Our board is trying to keep it locally produced goods only. I am trying to ensure there will be a market for those that produce goods in our county until the oil rug is pulled. I am also trying to ensure I can help my neighbors at such a time by expanding my gardening to a market garden. I may fail this year, and heaven knows I hope I don't, but at least I would have tried. I am focusing on Native foods that are drought resistant, such as Native corns like Bloody Butcher, Sonora Gold Desert beans, Rattlesnake beans, Queensland Blue Winter Squash, and Amish Paste tomatoes. I buy from Heirloom seed companies, like Seed Savers or the Slow Food Movement. That is how I am preparing.

I can't say whether it will do any good. I don't know. I was never raised this way as I am just 28 years old. This is all new territory for me and very difficult to handle. I am not used to getting up at 6am to deal with chickens, cook, clean, garden, and around noon get to work. I don't get to bed sometimes until 3 or 4 am. Then it's up and go again. It can be tiring. However, if I can assure just my family of survival...it's worth it.

Many blessings, Dody

by Dody Bush (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments) on Monday, Mar 24, 2008 at 10:56:04 AM

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I noticed years ago that younger people did not want Commodities because they did not know what to do with them.  It made those women panicky as to how they would feed their young children, realizing what they did not know and now had no money for access to such knowledge (books/classes) now that they were in this jam. 

At that time, Commodities were basics like flour, sugar, beans, dried prunes, et cetera.  Now Commodities seem to consist of canned stuff with little nutritional worth but tummy filling and instant and now it is about $6  (today's dollar value) whereas it used to be back in the early 70s worth $30 or so with that times' dollar value.  So, Commodities are of less value now and give less nutrition.  We need to gather our own version of 70s Commodities and store them in a closet.  Think like you are a pioneer stocking up your covered wagon for the long trip ahead through the wilderness with no fast food or WalMart.

I agree, young people especially need to learn to sew and garden and mostly cook from scratch, realizing that "scratch" does not come as a "complete" item with a note on how much water to add.  Growing hard squash as a long-lasting storable source of protein, buying a large storage of flours and beans before they get even more expensive and nuts and dried fruits and dried onions and spices and canned fish, chicken, beef and storable textured protein to replace meat in chili and spagetti, et cetera.  Learn to turn mung beans into bean sprouts in your own kitchen.  When you make it yourself, it seems to contain the love and caring you put into it and that spreads through those who share what you made.  Also, you know what is in what you make and can be far safer that way for you and your family to wear or eat.

I have told my adult children to buy 2 or more of whatever it is you need as it will only be higher priced later on and you should stock it up now as much as you can afford.  Buying 2 is a thing even really broke people can do.  Skip the candy, soda or coffee and buy the extra bag of flour or bottle of shampoo or sun screen. 

If you sew your own clothes, they fit better and last longer.  When I see fabric in the stacks of left-over fabric at the back of the fabric stores, I buy it if it looks like something I will need later on.  You are going to need flannel, toweling, heavy pants fabric and soft underthings fabric.  Having a set of patterns that cover everything from panties and bras to sweats and coats and hot weather pants/tops sets and of course blue jean patterns is wise.  These patterns are already overpriced, but can be bought online cheaper or from the swap meet or thrift stores.  You can take apart something worn out and use that to make your own pattern too.  You just need to understand the basic ideas of how to put patterns together to cut fabric and remake clothes which is where a book or a class comes in handy.  Fabric from thrift store clothes can be used to make other items too.  Older sewing machines that are metal rather than plastic work for basic stitches and you can hand stitch fancier things.  The metal machines do not break down like all these new plastic machines and hold the tension better.  I have an old refurbished 50s Singer and an old refurbished 60s Pfaff that I just love and have junked 4 newish plastic ones while they work on.

Having some potted tomatoes and lettuce and such set in a window or using a low powered grow light will even work for apartment dwellers.  Making use of the space you have in your home to grow, store, create your basic needs is going to become more important and pulling the family and friends together into a unit with thoughts for eachother's welfare as common goals becomes more important too.  Being dispursed and independent of the rest of your family has been promoted but that needs a reversal now, now that we are needing eachother more.  One may be good at sewing and another better at growing.  I am just now beginning to have family and friends seem to realize what I have been saying I have been reading for years now, is really coming true and they really do have to adapt or die.

by ljs (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 55 comments) on Monday, Mar 24, 2008 at 12:01:35 PM

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