The Secessionist Mycelium

GPNS Leadership Bid

2009-08-23T11:15:00.001-03:00

For the past several weeks and for the next several weeks leading up the GPNS AGM, all action is over here: Sebastian Ronin, GPNS Leadership Candidate.

Grassroots Revolt Against Liz "My-Heart-Is-Everywhere" May

2009-08-23T11:05:00.000-03:00

This should prove to be very interesting. Liz May is being challenged in Saanich-Gulf Islands for the candidacy of the riding by Stuart Hertzog. In his statment, Mr. Hertzog, in the breadth of one sentence, manages to incorporate both the notion of "bioregion" and "foreign."

“Parachuting the leader of the Green Party into a foreign bioregion and pouring in the money, will not change Canadian politics by one iota.”

What a shot! A certain political career dangles in the wind. The end is nigh.

Press Release: Green Party Leadership Candidate Declares as the “Peoples’ Candidate”

2009-08-19T11:40:00.000-03:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATELINE: Pugwash River, August 19, 2009
Sebastian Ronin216 Stewart Road, Pugwash River, NS B0K
1L0sebastian.ronin@ns.sympatico.ca

Green Party Leadership Candidate Declares as the “Peoples’ Candidate”

Green Party of Nova Scotia leadership candidate, Sebastian Ronin, has announced that he will present himself as “the peoples’ candidate” for his leadership bid.

“There are several factors that go into this decision,” says the Pugwash area resident.

“Firstly and most importantly, there is the poor perception of the GPNS by the public over financial mismanagement and failure to follow governmental protocol, as made evident by media reports during the recent provincial election,” claims Mr. Ronin. “The GPNS has no moral capital in the eyes of the public. $200,000 of taxpayer money has been squandered over a period of two years with very little to show for it. My platform aims at a severe re-invention, and ethical and financial accountability for the GPNS.”

Mr. Ronin has proposed in his platform that the natural base of support for the GPNS is to be found in rural Nova Scotia. In order to reach out to rural Nova Scotians, Mr. Ronin has proposed that the GPNS office be re-located to Truro.

“The GPNS has recently decided to ban public participation from its forum web site,” says Mr. Ronin. “For me this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. For a party that purports to endorse the principle of grassroots democracy, shoving the hammer of censorship down the public’s throat is an odd way to show it.”

Mr. Ronin has started an online petition encouraging Nova Scotians to support his candidacy for the leadership of the Green Party.

“By signing the petition, Nova Scotia taxpayers can relieve some of their dismay over the past conduct of the GPNS,” said Mr. Ronin. “I can wave the petition in the face of the small clique of the party’s insiders. For those who wish to go beyond signing the petition, a GPNS membership taken out to support my candidacy will, of course, be greatly appreciated.”

Mr. Ronin’s online petition can be found at: http://www.gopetition.com/online/30175.html

Mr. Ronin claims that rural Nova Scotians have an obligation to themselves and their families to support a revitalized Nova Scotia Green Party. He claims that with the decimation of the Progressive Conservatives and a four-year time line to work with, the opportunity for rural Nova Scotians to re-invent the GPNS has never been better.

“The cradle for the re-invention of the GPNS is what I refer to as “The Northumberland Triangle” claims Mr. Ronin. “It is that rural area bounded by the Amherst-New Glasgow-Truro triangle.”

The Green Party AGM will be held October 24 and 25 in Dartmouth. Mail-in ballots will be accepted right up to the day prior the AGM.

Mr. Ronin’s leadership platform can be viewed at: http://roningpns.ning.com/. There will be an online Q&A “meet the candidate” meeting every Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM right up to the AGM at Mr. Ronin’s leadership candidate site. All are welcome to participate.

“No one need be concerned about the dark shadow of censorship,” said Mr. Ronin.

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Press Release, Ronin GPNS Leadership Campaign, 4 August 2009

2009-08-04T06:05:00.004-03:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATELINE: Pugwash River, August 4, 2009

Sebastian Ronin
216 Stewart Road, Pugwash River, NS, B0K 1L0
sebastian.ronin@ns.sympatico.ca

Cumberland County Resident Announces Green Party Leadership Bid

Former Pictou County resident, now living in Cumberland County, Sebastian Ronin, has announced his intent to seek the leadership of the Green Party of Nova Scotia.

In light of the controversy and public skepticism surrounding the GPNS which came to light during the recent provincial election, Mr. Ronin proposes a major overhaul for the party. This would include a re-invention of the party’s philosophy and policies and a re-positioning of the party with the Nova Scotia electorate.

“The most important message for the GPNS to relay to the people of Nova Scotia at this time is the Peak Oil message,” claims Mr. Ronin. “It is the primary global condition through which all of the party’s policies must be filtered. The social and economic consequences of Peak Oil trump those of global warming and climate chaos by several decades.”

“To advocate a smooth transition to a post-industrial way of life without severe social dislocations is a political lie,” says Mr. Ronin. “The time to act and prepare is now.”

Mr. Ronin proposes that the natural support base for the GPNS is rural Nova Scotia. He further claims that rural Nova Scotians have an obligation to themselves and to their families to support a revitalized Nova Scotia Green Party. He claims that with the decimation of the Progressive Conservatives and a four-year time line to work with, the opportunity for rural Nova Scotians to re-invent the GPNS has never been better.

“The rebirth of the GPNS can begin in what I refer to as The Northumberland Triangle,” said Mr. Ronin. “It takes in that rural and jurisdictional area connected by Amherst-New Glasgow-Truro. It can spread to the rest of rural Nova Scotia from there. Except for a handful of university students, forget HRM. It is Orange and will remain to be so.”

One of Mr. Ronin’s planks in support of his intent to bring the GPNS to rural Nova Scotia is to have the party's central office re-located to Truro.

Mr. Ronin has released a 30-point platform which is available for public view at the GPNS forum at: http://novascotiagreens.ning.com/.

Two major elements of political re-invention that Mr. Ronin proposes to bring to the GPNS are a constitutional de-coupling from the Global Green Charter and a necessary distancing from the federal Green Party of Canada. "The optics of both suck," claims Mr. Ronin.

Mr. Ronin says that his proposals are being fought by a significant proportion of the “old guard” in the GPNS.

"Rural Nova Scotians will understand Peak Oil immediately,” claims Mr. Ronin, “If the tank is half-empty, then it's half-empty. Why supposed Greens cannot or will not understand that the natural support base for a Green party lies in rural districts is beyond me,” he says. “I cannot fathom it.”

For all rural Nova Scotians who might be interested in supporting Mr. Ronin’s leadership bid at the Green Party’s AGM slated for mid-October, he requests that he be contacted by email at: sebastian.ronin@ns.sympatico.ca. A dedicated campaign forum can be visited at: http://roningpns.ning.com/.

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NASC Name Reservation

2009-07-15T06:49:00.004-03:00

Dear NAmerican Secessionist (and the curious):

Please note that "North American Secessionist Congress" as name for pending corporate entity, has been officially reserved with the Ohio Secretary of State. In part, the certificate states:

"It is hereby certified that the Secretary of State of Ohio has custody of the business records for NORTH AMERICAN SECESSIONIST CONGRESS and, that said business records show the filing and recording of: NAME RESERVATION."

NASC Steering Committee member, Harold Thomas, did the leg work on this one and hats are off to him. Yesterday, Jenna Orkin over at the FTW Blog gave us a very good plug; international hits to the NASC Forum were up considerably.

For those who are not yet familiar with the proposed NASC, one of several aims is to gather already-committed secessionists, Peak Oil advocates, States' Rights advocates and disenchanted Greens under a common secessionist roof. The common denominator for these three demographics, to one degree or another, is a shared acknowledgement and comprehension of secession. Furthermore, the NAmerican secessionist movement will finally have elected representation via an Executive that functions within the incorporated and legal parameters of a Constitution and Bylaws as determined and ratified by the membership. For anyone who has not yet, to view the forum please visit North American Secessionist Congress, October 2010.

Thanks for your attention,

Sebastian Ronin
Chair, NASC Steering Committee

Whither Secession in Vermont

2009-06-23T19:11:00.001-03:00

Fox News continues its secessionist flirtations with an interview by Glenn Beck of Thomas Naylor, co-founder of The Second Vermont Republic.

Mr. Naylor reiterates the 12 percent support for secession in Vermont translating into 60,000 registered voters. There is a large chasm to leap between the endorsement of an idea and its support. Sam Young, the acknowledged secessionist gubernatorial candidate in Vermont during the '08 elections drew 0.8 percent (2,466 votes).

There is a glaring disconnect here. Questions to be asked are: Why does the disconnect exist? How can it be resolved?

Part of the problem may lie in the fact that, as of yet, there is no real secessionist political platform and policies that can be offered to the voting public. Waiting for Republicrats to seize the secessionist initiative is self-defeating. As such, the creation of a secessionist party, as proposed by the Green Mountain Brigade in Vermont, may prove the way to go. The SVR is on record as opposing such a development. Such a party would translate into a concrete alternative for the electorate to entertain. Via such a political vehicle, the 12 percent, if it actually exists, may step out from the shadows knowing that its support would actually translate into true State legislative representation.

If the 12 percent support really does exist then the paper revolutionaries in Vermont owe it to those citizens to organize politically around their support, as opposed to leaving them dangling in the wind. With a first-across-the-line voting system, parliamentary representation, and multiple parties (at the State level) to not crunch the numbers and to not enter the electoral fray in a wisely-targeted electoral district with a distinctive secessionist party brings Tallyrand to mind: “It is worse than a crime, it is a mistake.” The same electoral dynamics apply for a couple of Southern states and especially for Texas. For the latter, we have had that discussion in this space before.

This particular revolution will not be a re-enactment of a sixties love-in. Each geographical jurisdiction carries the responsibility to safeguard and promote its own and unique autonomy. Vermont’s business is Vermont’s business. However, until such time as the secessionist struggle goes political then it is all just make-believe. As we have known all along, some will get it right, some will get it wrong, and some won’t get it at all.

As for the interview itself, the same applies here as to last week’s WSJ article, Divided We Stand. NAmerican secessionists will have to tweak their media savvy. It always helps to know who is playing whom…and to whose advantage.

The stakes are growing in leaps and bounds.

Divided We Stand: Addendum

2009-06-18T19:45:00.001-03:00

It would seem that the secessionist community has gone ga-ga over the WSJ exposure, Divided We Stand, by Paul Starobin. In predictable, politically short-sighted fashion, little concern has been shown to what might lie beneath the surface, i.e. things are never as they seem.

My original take on the article was: Why this? Why now? And why via the WSJ? My most concrete thought is directly related to Post-Peak Oil collapse, i.e. with a financially bankrupt federal state, the public is being prepped on the federal state having to bail out, ergo my entire notion of secession-by-default. This particular take on secession makes me a bit of a freak even within the secessionist community. With all due respect to my States' Rights colleagues, the clamp-down on individual freedoms is a symptom of a greater cause. The cause, the social driver of socio-political devolution is the entry onto the depletion slope of Post-Peak Oil and the shattering of social institutions that will accompany this historical collapse and transition.

As pointed out by Chris Hedges in The American Empire Is Bankrupt:
It is the first formal step by our major trading partners to replace the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. If they succeed, the dollar will dramatically plummet in value, the cost of imports, including oil, will skyrocket, interest rates will climb and jobs will hemorrhage at a rate that will make the last few months look like boom times. State and federal services will be reduced or shut down for lack of funds. The United States will begin to resemble the Weimar Republic or Zimbabwe. Obama, endowed by many with the qualities of a savior, will suddenly look pitiful, inept and weak. And the rage that has kindled a handful of shootings and hate crimes in the past few weeks will engulf vast segments of a disenfranchised and bewildered working and middle class. The people of this class will demand vengeance, radical change, order and moral renewal, which an array of proto-fascists, from the Christian right to the goons who disseminate hate talk on Fox News, will assure the country they will impose.

It would seem that it was no accident that the WSJ article appeared when it did and where it did. As a complimentary article to the Hedges article, see:
De-Dollarization: Dismantling America’s Financial-Military Empire, by Prof. Michael Hudson.
Over the course of the coming years secessionists will need to be wary as to who is setting the agenda and to who is establishing the filters through which information is sifted. We cannot and must not allow the secessionist movement to be framed by our adversaries. To do so would merely render us as useful idiots, obedient lap dogs unwittingly serving a greater, globalist agenda. One need simply look at the example of how the Green movement has been co-opted for such purpose.

That secessionist organizations will be infiltrated by COINTELPRO's should come as no surprise. If the movement is legitimate, this is par for the course. To borrow from previous historical examples, the challenge will be to flush out the infiltrators and turn them! We will need to be wary of who is playing whom and to whose advantage. Who is the dog, who is the tail, and who is wagging whom?

Only a legitimate, continental secessionist organization with an Executive elected by the constiuency that it purports to represent can, rightly or wrongly, assume such responsibilities.

Novacadia Premiers in the Wall Street Journal

2009-06-13T19:33:00.001-03:00

To-day the Wall Street Journal ran an article by Paul Starobin, Divided We Stand. The article deals with a hypothetical redrawing of the North American political map. Mention is made of Novacadia and it is identified on a pop-up map.

My sensation is one of awe and gratitude, as it was me who coined the term "Novacadia."
On April 6, 2008 I placed a call to Thomas Naylor, founder of the Second Vermont Republic, and ran the idea past him. He had no problem with it. On April 8, 2008 I sent an email to Kirkpatrick Sale of The Middlebury Institute and Burt Cohen who had interviewed me for his Portside radio program in New Hampshire. The email reads verbatim:

Gentlemen:

Please see attached word doc. I discussed this shift with Thomas on the week-end. He had no problem with it. As I have had a few days to toss it around and put things to paper, I shall fax a copy of the attached word doc to him to-day. The spark for this shift came from a tactical disagreement I had with Jonathan Dean of the Atlantica Party several days ago, IMO, nothing more than a pretense to squeeze me out. Cutting bait with the AP is all for the better anyway. Now things will be out in the open on a very clean slate where I can push my own personal envelope...and a true secessionist agenda at the provincial level.

Kirk: Please make appropriate change from Atlantica Alliance to Novacadia Network on the Questionnaire for Registry which I sent to you yesterday. Nothing has been lost over the one-week lifespan of the AA. Hits to the site were minimal. For those who have visited, they will be re-directed to http://www.novacadia.org/. The domain change will hopefully be in place by day's end. You will note that I have also fired up a dedicated gmail account.

Burt: If you can somehow squeeze in a plug for the Novacadia Network site prior to Thursday's broadcast that would be great and, again, nothing has been lost during the short lifespan of the AA. Actually, not having plugged it during the original broadcast now comes in as an asset.

I would appreciate your feedback on the rationale for making this shift. Thanks for your attention. Later.

Sebastian

The attached Word doc referenced to in the email reads as follows:
Political Mandate and Identity Shift to The Novacadia Independence Party, Rationale for

Distance and differentiate from Atlantica Party
The Atlantica Party is somewhat soft on Maritime Union (a political necessity prior to secession as a unified region)
The Atlantica Party’s motive/premise for Maritime Union is to foster greater economic prosperity for the Maritimes
The motive/premise for Maritime Union of the Novacadia Independence Party is diametrically opposed to Atlantica Party’s position, as it is politically misleading within the context of “owning” the economic and social consequences of Peak Oil and incorporating such into party constitution and policies
Atlantica Party identified by the public with the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS), if valid or not does not matter
In the public mind, AIMS is the front organization/think tank for a right wing, corporatist agenda
The Atlantica Party’s constant denial that it is not affiliated with AIMS hardly negates the fact that it is one of the first questions asked of it
Rightly or wrongly, the perception of affiliation exists
Lastly, in spite of the Atlantica Party’s constant refutation of affiliation with AIMS, that it in fact may be a shill for AIMS is quite probable
Although the “marketing baggage” for the Atlantica Party at this stage is minimal, it can only increase rather than decrease; it is barely out of the gate and having to deal with a serious political liability
Rather than work with a hidden agenda within the Atlantica Party, take the secessionist initiative on the provincial level to the fore, i.e. the high ground, and position the secessionist initiative for the public to clearly see, contemplate, and decide to support or not (“no secrets” is a much stronger and more ethical tactic than “hidden agenda”)
Will make for several interesting years on the Nova Scotia and Maritime political fringes (Novacadia Independence Party, Atlantica Party, Green Party)
There’s certainly nothing wrong with some good old competition
I am confident that, over time, support can be weaned from both the Atlantica Party and the Greens
If I did not believe that the Novacadia Independence Party will come out on top after several years of ideological street fighting, then I would not bother putting this initiative into the world
Meet SVR halfway with its proposal for New Acadia; makes for a sincere and concrete diplomatic gesture that may hold great media appeal at the conference
Novacadia, as an identity, speaks politically to both Scottish and French history and heritage in The Maritimes, ergo a hybrid identity incorporating Nova Scotia and Acadia
Until such time as the Novacadia Independence Party is up and running, use the organizational tool of the Novacadia Network with which to promote, i.e. shift from Atlantica Alliance to Novacadia Network (tentative domain name change by my server has already been approved)
As “peak oil and hard political action” will be one of the major themes of my presentation at the conference, the Novacadia Independence Party serves as a regional political entity and prototype for delegates to consider to further their own secessionist agendas
With this initiative I cross a personal Rubicon, thus forcing me to own it fully and assume responsibility at the highest levels of my own political conduct

So in the span of 14 months the notion of Novacadia has gone from idea to the pages of the WSJ. The political designation of Novacadia was officially introduced at the Third North American Secession Convention last November in Manchester, New Hampshire via my paper and presentation, Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession. Since the convention, two blogs and a web site have been dedicated to the idea of Novacadia, plus a Facebook page has recently been launched. During the winter a probe went out to New England secessionists for a Novacadia conference in the spring. There was no interest. It seemed that focus was going towards creating the Switzerland of North America. Outreach in the Maritimes is ongoing, though slowly and carefully. A discussion on the role of the monarchy in Canada is here, after all, still legitimate political discourse.

It is for such reasons that I find it odd that, when quoted in the WSJ article, Kirkpatrick Sale would say that the idea of Novacadia, "did not actually evolve into very much."

Hosting my position paper on the Middlebury Institute site might alleviate that, although that would compete with other secessionist interpretations. The guess is ventured that showing some courage and decency by the Vermont Commons editorial board against one stringent voice might alleviate that. Making the slightest of dents in one's American exceptionalism might alleviate that. Pointing the writer of the WSJ article towards the founder of Novacadia might have alleviated it even more.

“Did not actually evolve into very much!” I mean honestly, what kind of a politically and diplomatically asinine comment is that to make by the self-anointed, go-to guy for the NAmerican secessionist movement?

Paul Starobin, the writer of the article, states, “The Middlebury Institute, a group that studies and supports the general cause of separatism and secessionism in the U.S., has held three Secession Congresses since its founding in 2004.”

I doubt if the term “Secession Congresses” dropped into Mr. Starobin’s mind out of the blue. It has already been pointed out that the Middlebury Institute went out of its way to bill its events as “conventions.” Now that concrete plans are underway to hold the inaugural meeting of the proposed North American Secessionist Congress in 2010, backtracking and a re-writing of history to make Joe Stalin proud is all in vain.

If it quacks like a thief, then odds are, it’s a thief.

Alas, contrary to Mr. Sales' pedestrian and myopic secessionist agenda, the geographical designation of Novacadia is doing just fine, thanks very much, all things considered. We're in the WSJ! It only took 14 months to get there! And no one, no one who has not earned it deserves any credit for it being there.

During times of intellectual revolution great and courageous perceptions and statements will occur, as will the small and petty. The onus falls on the pioneers who congregate around a movement to determine who makes which, from which motives, and towards which ends.
We make our beds, and then we get to sleep in them.

The Secessionist Convergence Triad

2009-05-11T11:28:00.001-03:00

One of the most profound statements to come out of the 2007 Second North American Secessionist Convention held in Chattanooga, as reported by Bill Poovey, was that the movement represented the unlikely partnering of "the far left and far right of American politics coming together." The statement went largely unnoticed; however, it is the philosophical core of the proposed North American Secessionist Congress.

Of the many political illusions that are currently being shattered by the decline of industrial civilization (the collapse of the American Empire is a sub-collapse), two of the most important are the shattering of the two-party system and the shattering of the political notions of “left” and “right.” The symbolic emperor literally wears no clothes!

The political notions of “left” and “right” are in process of being denuded; they still hold significant sway in the public consciousness. Until such time as the two hemispheres converge and, in the process shatter pre-existing molds, the dynamic of far left and far right coming together retains its hold in the public psyche.

It has been proposed that the three political demographics encompassing the secessionist convergence triad are the States’ Rights movement, the Peak Oil movement, and disenchanted Greens. Each demographic recognizes, to one extent or another, the common denominator of secession.

The States’ Rights movement flirts with secession, up to and including the insertion of secession trigger clauses in resolutions. The Peak Oil movement acknowledges institutional collapse and devolution, while still weakly maintaining that such institutional collapse, i.e. secession, does not apply to the social institution of the large industrial nation state. Disenchanted Greens acknowledge the primacy of bioregional, secessionist politics in the face of bastardized federal parties. Within each demographic there reside minority cadres who will perceive the secessionist common denominator and political logic as put forward by the proposed North American Secessionist Congress.

For sake of argument, the convergence may roughly constitute the following breakdown: States’ Rights advocates (political right, 50% of convergence total); Peak Oilers (political left, 30% of convergence total); disenchanted Greens (political left, 20% of convergence total).

So there we have the unlikely partnering of "the far left and far right of American politics coming together." The historical condition always dictates what can and cannot be done. The trick is to perceive the condition for what it is, without resorting to subjective and jingoistic security blankets, and act accordingly.

North American Secessionist Congress, Update

2009-05-02T14:09:00.001-03:00

It has been decided to bump the inaugural meeting of the North American Secessionist Congress from October, 2009 to October, 2010. As Steering Committee member Harold Thomas of The Ohio Republic put it, “Secessionism isn’t ready, we’re not ready, and the world isn’t ready.”

Towards this end, a forum/network has been started for the North American Secessionist Congress. Please consider becoming a member of the forum so that we can entertain as much input as possible to pull this thing off in 2010.

Retreat is never surrender. It is merely a tactical necessity at times. The trudge continues.

Secession Is In Our Future

2009-04-29T09:09:00.001-03:00

Over the short course of one year the notion of NAmerican secession has snow-balled into the public's political consciousness. The course and media trajectories are roughly the following: last summer's Zogby Poll that revealed support for the right (as opposed to support for secession) of states to secede to be 20%; the comic relief, yet valuable media dividends of Sarah Palin's secessionist ties; the pronouncements of America's geographical decline by the Russian analyst, Igor Panarin; in general, the flourishing of the States' Rights movement complimented by, in particular, the secessionist trigger written into New Hampshire's HCR 0006; Texas Gov. Rick Perry's flirtation with secession, and; corporate media coverage ranging from the Los Angeles Times to the Wall Street Journal.

The most recent established institution to endorse the notion of secession is the Ludwig von Mises Institute with the publication of Secession Is In Our Future. This article offers a concise overview of the legality of secession ranging from the inalienable right of secession, to international law of secession, to U.S. law of secession. It is a good read for all those federalists whose immediate, knee-jerk response to secession is that it is illegal.

Unfortunately, the von Mises article displays two shortcomings that are common to most U.S.A.-centric analyses of secession.

The first of these shortcomings is the focus on individual state secession as opposed to more regional perspectives and perceptions. Granted, secession can only proceed via the legislative authority of one state at a time. However, this does not preclude the incorporation of regional alliances and federations towards the establishment of new, autonomous nations upon the geographical dimensions of North America. As a guide to how these regional breakdowns may evolve, please see How would the U.S.A. fragment? by Phil Gyford.

The second shortcoming is a major philosophical and political blind spot. It is the analysis of secession as a socio-political driver as opposed to secession being a consequence and symptom of greater, underlying dynamics and phenomena. It cannot be stated enough that secession will be a consequence of ecological and financial collapse, in particular, the descent onto a Post-Peak Oil reality.

As the physical infrastructure collapses, so too will the institutional infrastructure. The dynamic of secession is not reversed, as far too many secessionists mistakenly believe. Yes, it will be imperative to retain the social principles of "freedom and liberty" (i.e. States' Rights movement), but in a world of increasing scarcities and hardships this will prove to be a daunting challenge, yet one that must be pursued. It is quite possible that a social contract encompassing social responsibilities will influence and mold our current understanding of what is meant by "freedom and liberty."

For further reading on secession and Post-Peak Oil, please see Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession.

Gov. Rick Perry and Secessionist Realpolitik I

2009-04-22T11:44:00.005-03:00

By now most of the fallout released by Texas Gov. Rick Perry at last week's Austin Tea Party has settled. The reference is, of course, related to Gov. Perry's going beyond the endorsement of Texas States' Rights onto the slippery, uncharted and dangerous political slope of secession.

The liberal media quickly trotted out its attack poodles in the form of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. Aside from the now lame and questionable interpretations of the American Civil War and Lincoln's merits as a freedom fighter, one has to assume that secession would be bad for General Electric's bottom line as an arms merchant. On the conservative side, much finger pointing went in the direction of Fox News and Glenn Beck's 9/12 Project for the ultra-jingoistic primping of the Tea Bag protests. Both "left" and "right" media missed the mark, as was pointed out by Alex Jones. However, not even the writers at Inforwars picked up on the realpolitik motives behind Gov. Perry's sudden attachment to the secession of Texas from the Union.

Gov. Perry is locked in a bitter fight for the Republican Primary gubernatorial nomination with Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in March, 2010. Reports have it that the two do not particularly like each other and that the gloves are already coming off for what will likely be nasty campaigns. Furthermore, as reported by Richard Murray (also here), Sen. Hutchison currently holds about a 10 point spread. Gov. Perry has just less than a year to play catch up and then some. The challenge for the incumbent becomes from where and how to make up the difference. It is at this point that Gov. Perry's newly-found embracement of secession comes into play.

A name that has not yet been mentioned in any of the blog action or by the corporate media around Gov. Perry's secessionist pronouncements is that of Larry Kilgore. Mr. Kilgore is a dedicated Texas secessionist who has six attempts at public office under his belt. In 2006, he gained 8 percent of the vote in the GOP Primary for Governor. His most recent electoral effort was the 2008 primary challenge for the Republican Senate nomination, during which he received 225,897 votes! Lastly, Mr. Kilgore has announced his intent to let his name stand for the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary. The sheen on Gov. Perry's newly-discovered secessionist empathy takes on a whole new tone.

Sen. Hutchison's demographic backing comes from the more moderate, professional and urban wing of Texas Republicans. Gov. Perry's support, on the other hand, is based on hard-right conservatives who are strongly pro-life, opposed to gay rights, hostile to teaching evolution in the public schools, and tough on immigration. It is the very demographic that delivered for Mr. Kilgore, with his platform of Biblical Law for an independent Texas, 225,897 votes during the 2008 Republican Senate primary.

One now gains an altogether different (and more clear?) picture of Gov. Perry's secessionist motives: he's out to grab Mr. Kilgore's support to fend off the challenge from Sen. Hutchison. Unless Mr. Kilgore finds a way to defend both his position and support, with a secessionist slant, then he very well faces insurmountable odds to fend off an incumbent Governor from staging a well-financed and aggressive raid into his electoral base.

Richard Murray (link above) throws further light on the numbers up for grabs for both Gov. Perry and Mr. Kilgore:

for the last four Republican gunernatorial primaries, the average turn-out has been 691,000 (2006 turn-out was 665,616)
for the last four Republican gunernatorial general elections, the average primary vote was 30.4% of the general election turn-out (2006 general election turn-out was 1,716,792)
odds are that of the 13 million registered voters in Texas who can vote in the Republican Primary next year, less than a million will actually cast ballots
the very selective GOP primary voters from 1994 – 2006 have been disproportionately hard-right conservatives

And there you have it. There is a strong probability of voter cross-over between Republican Senate and Gubernatorial primary turn-outs, i.e. hard-right conservatives. As such, if one stacks up Mr. Kilgore's 2008 Senate primary support of 225,897 votes against the 2006 Gubernatorial primary turn-out of 665,616 we see how crucial and decisive Mr. Kilgore's past support stands to be in 2010.

Sen. Hutchison needs a high turn-out primary that attracts moderate urban voters. Gov. Perry needs a low turn-out in March 2010 where the born-again Christian vote wields power. Mr. Kilgore needs to clarify who the real secessionist candidate is to prevent his support from draining over to Gov. Perry.

For Sen. Hutchison, going after Mr. Kilgore's grass-roots, Republican support is not an option. For Gov. Perry, tapping into some, most or all of Mr. Kilgore's support could be the difference between political life and death. If the Governor has his eyes on the Presidency in 2012, then he will first have to overcome the 2010 hurdle. The stakes here are serious and they are huge. Mr. Kilgore stands to be a giant slayer in more ways than one and in ways that are not yet even visible on most political radar.

(Note: In a follow-up post I shall deal with Gov. Rick Perry and Secessionist Realpolitik II. This was touched on by the Infowars report on Gov. Perry's questionable secessionist beliefs, but was not followed to conclusion, i.e. Gov. Perry's ties, as a Bilderberger, to a globalist New World Order and the related dismantling of nation-states as part of the globalist agenda.)

Secessionist Growing Pains

2009-04-07T08:20:00.006-03:00

Yesterday I received a forwarded email from Harold Thomas of The Ohio Republic. The subject matter was an email that he received from Kirkpatrick Sale of The Middlebury Institute. In the email, Mr. Sale seems to wax eloquently about the good work being done by The Tenth Amendment Center on his, i.e. the NAmerican secessionist movement, behalf:

"STATE SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT UPDATE

"The following article from the Christian Science Monitor gives an update on the state sovereignty movement of the last few months. (I have also attached it.) A good website, Tenthamendmentcenter.com, has agreed to monitor the movement's progress. (emphasis mine)

"It's not secession, of course, but it has the seeds of that. Worth following.

"Kirkpatrick Sale, Director, Middlebury Institute,
MiddleburyInstitute.org"

It is quite conceivable that less incendiary fabrications have warranted a shot across the bow via a letter on lawyer's letterhead demanding two things: to cease and desist, and to offer a public retraction and apology.

Mr. Sale's statement would seem to infer three crucial things: 1./ that there is a direct relationship between The Middlebury Institute, a representative body of the NAmerican secessionist movement, and The Tenth Amendment Center; 2./ that The Tenth Amendment Center is working to his guidance, and; 3./ that the inferred relationship has The Tenth Amendment Center occupying the junior position.

That such a seemingly brazen misrepresentation should come from someone who fancies himself "The Leader" of a one-man think tank is neither here nor there. What is of political and diplomatic importance is that Mr. Sale's statement denigrates the work of someone like Harold Thomas who, for the last three months has been walking a fine line between his own secessionist sentiments and working diligently, while keeping the two issues separate, on behalf of the Ohio States' Rights movement.

As has already been pointed out by Harold on his blog is that Mr. Sale is just a tad Johnny-Come-Lately. The same out-of-sync grasp of events was witnessed in an email I received from Mr. Sale last week.

In the email Mr. Sale raises concerns about the efforts underway to launch The North American Secessionist Congress (NASC) this coming October in Columbus, OH. As his concerns reflect on the NAmerican secessionist movement in whole, the movement deserves the courtesy to know what those concerns are. Mr. Sale's email is as follows:

"I don't have any clear idea of what you are planning for October, or why, and you might have consuloted (sic) me before embarking on this, but I would ask you to consider changing the name of the meeting, for it will clearly not be a Congress, as were my three events, as that means official delegates from independent organizations (as the members of the Philadelphia Congresses in 1770s). 'Convention' would fit your bill.

"BTW, there was never any congress slated for Texas. It was a possible site if I determined there was enough secessionist action going on to merit another gathering of delegates; I haven't so far."

Mr. Sale's feigning of ignorance as to what is being planned for October is a bit of a stretch. Prior to last November's Third North American Secessionist Convention, I had hoped to place a motion on the agenda for the creation of the NASC. To this end, again prior to the Convention and as a first-time Convention delegate, I asked Mr. Sale if he would broker an introduction to a seconder for the motion. He declined. Furthermore, I asked him if he would consider allowing his name to stand as the NASC inaugural Chair, should the motion make it to the floor and pass. There was no response to this question, ergo a negative. As the motion was built into a PowerPoint presentation and, as the A/V equipment that was promised me was not delivered and, as the meeting was not conducted conducive to presenting a motion (Mr. Sale held the "Chair"), the motion was not presented. Not only did Mr. Sale show indifference to the idea of an NASC, but via his conduct he was actually hostile towards it. Since that time, Mr. Sale fails to understand (or purports to not understand) the several posts on my blogs beginning with NAmerican Secessionist Movement Asleep-At-The-Wheel dated January 9, 2009. (Email records for all of the above available on request.)

Whom I choose to approach and work with is my prerogative. I was not aware that it was necessary to pander to Mr. Sale's approval and endorsement as to what I choose to "embark" on. I have asked for support within the secessionist community towards the building of the NASC and slowly that support has and is materializing. Trust is not a freebie; it must be earned. A Steering Committee is in place. I work with whom I share a certain degree of synergy, political affiliation and common vision. This is not exactly rocket science.

By claiming that "his" three events constituted a Congress, Mr. Sale would seem to be treating the truth somewhat cavalierly. As a matter of fact, The Middlebury Institute has gone out of its way to bill its events as conventions. What else, pray tell, could they be? There is no executive, no officers, no due parliamentary process as per Roberts' Rules, a unilateral rubber-stamping of the "declarations" without full delegate input, etc. In short, a legal, incorporated entity that represents the North American secessionist movement does not exist. However, there is a one-man think tank with a mandate of "the study of separatism, secession, and self-determination" that purports to do all of the above. To now claim that The Middlebury Institute has the rights to the notion of a secessionist Congress, after having out rightly rejected that very notion at the Third North American Secessionist Convention, could seemingly be seen to border on political panic and intellectual theft.

Ditto above re Mr. Sale's claim that the proposed inaugural meeting of the NASC would fit the bill of "convention." It would seem that he is now desperately clutching at straws. We get to make our own beds, and then we get to sleep in them.

Lastly, for any delegate at the Third North American Secessionist Convention who had the ears with which to hear, it was firmly decided that the Fourth Convention (since cancelled by Mr. Sale) would be held in Texas. It was not a "possible site" and certainly was it not a possible site dependent on Mr. Sale's "determination." Or maybe it was. Who can actually determine these things within an organizational vacuum wherein accountability constitutes a nebulous after-thought?

The overabundant use of first-person directives by Mr. Sale merely highlights the obvious: there is no Congress, there is no organization, there is no coordination, there is no plan, there is no executive, there is no democratic process, there is no reaching out to the public, there is no accountability, and there is no responsibility. The efforts being made by the NASC Steering Committee towards the launch of the NASC are efforts to fill this dangerous and self-defeating void. Mr. Sale may find it difficult to believe, but this effort is for the eventual benefit of not only him, but for the benefit of all secessionists, myself included, who are currently floundering around in a sea of directionless futility, yet are convinced that NAmerican secession will be the political wave of the future within several short years. These are crucial times that warrant crucial decisions and responsibilities. That the consequences of the latter for the NAmerican secessionist movement will likewise be crucial should be self-evident. It is beyond any one individual.

(NASC Steering Committee Update: The Committee currently sits at three members. Several invitations-to-sit have been refused. Invitations pending are to representatives of Texas, the West Coast and Quebec. We hope to top off the Committee at five members.)

G20 Summit: Post-Peak Oil Blind Spot and Deception

2009-04-05T09:16:00.001-03:00

It is always a challenge to blow through the "noise" to arrive at the "information." The risk of over-simplification runs parallel to the effort. However, there is a principle that is worthy of pursuit: in simplicity there may shine a kernel of truth. Of all that has been written and said about the G20 Summit, what is the underlying premise for action amongst the world's leading industrial powers? We need look no further than the Summit's official communiqué.

The official communiqué states: "We start from the belief that prosperity is indivisible; that growth, to be sustained, has to be shared; and that our global plan for recovery must have at its heart the needs and jobs of hard-working families, not just in developed countries but in emerging markets and the poorest countries of the world, too; and must reflect the interests not just of today's population but of future generations, too."

The industrial mantra of growth and prosperity is front and center. This is the underlying premise for the injection of $1 trillion into the IMF by participating nations. This is the cornucopian blind spot that is offered the public. In simplest terms, no matter how bad the global financial and economic predicament may happen to be (and there are now thousands of analyses that one may fall back on) the premise that has come out of the Summit is standard and reactionary: it is business as usual.

Peak Oilers are unanimous in their position that "business as usual" is a non-starter. The underlying collateral for industrial development, i.e. the energy in the ground, has entered the downward slope of depletion. If not full consensus, there is strong opinion within the PO community that 2008 was the peak year. What is more real? The energy collateral in the ground or the financial and economic templates that are superimposed on the collateral, the false notions of capitalism vs. socialism as trumpeted by the corporate media inclusive? (Who owns the "means of production" is secondary to having access to the means of production.)

This break-out onto the terrain of a new paradigm has been outlined clearly and simply by the PO pioneer, Colin Campbell: "Throughout history, people have had difficulty in distinguishing reality from illusion. Reality is what happens, whereas illusion is what we would like to happen. Wishful thinking is a well-worn expression. Momentum is still another element: we tend to assume that things keep moving in the same direction. The world now faces a discontinuity of historic proportions, as nature shows her hand by imposing a new energy reality. There are vested interests on all sides hoping somehow to evade the iron grip of oil depletion, or at least to put it off until after the next election or until they can develop some strategy for their personal or corporate survival. As the moment of truth approaches, so does the heat, the deceptions, the half-truth and the flat lies."

The G20 Summit, in a nutshell, has delivered nothing more than smoke and mirrors, a band-aid for the bankers and an attempt at soothing drool for the public.

The condition matures. The condition will expose the false premises hatched by the G20. The condition is the slide towards Post-Peak Oil and the collapse of industrial civilization. Any analysis short of that is smoke and spin. It is a lie.

NAmerican Secession Gains Traction in the Peak Oil Community

2009-03-28T11:58:00.001-03:00

Many thanks go out to Clifford Wirth for featuring, as a guest post, my paper, Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession. See Cliff's blog Surviving Peak Oil: Planning, Preparation, and Relocation. The paper can also be found in here with a search.

Peak Oil Liberals

2009-03-07T06:17:00.002-04:00

It would seem that as things currently stand, the leading "radical" voices in the Peak Oil community, e.g. Kunstler, Heinlein, Ruppert, Savinar, Orlov, still cannot bring themselves to the conclusion that the institutional breakdown they recognize and advocate includes the social institution of the industrial nation-state. There is a serious philosophical, ideological, political, and I would say, U.S.A.-centric, blind-spot at work here. The most ludicrous fringe of this philosophical non-position is, of course, that Papa Obama will fix all and mom, apple pie and baseball will be painlessly back on the agenda before we know it. Such pedestrian finger-painting is even evident amongst secessionists who have not yet worked through the paradox and political schizophrenia of attempting to be a "patriotic secessionist."

If the average person on the street is stopped and questioned as to from where stems his/her sense of nationalism, one might well be informed that it is a genetic pre-condition. That is, of course, nonsense. Nationalism is learnt behaviour, it is Pavlovian conditioning to the max.

Until such time as the disintegration of the industrial nation-state (in our case, the United States and Canada) is legitimately incorporated into the Peak Oil dialogue, then the Peak Oil movement remains a political skeleton, a sham and hoax, of what it could and must be.

You can't have it both ways. Massive and cheap energy flow-through over the last 150 years, with the guidance of capital, created the industrial nation-state. The lack and negation of same translates into the demise of said nation-state. To keep heads stuck in the sand around this eventuality merely chases the best of intentions into the herd of denial, but with oh such radical and progressive differentiations.

The Rock Gets Set to Rock the Secessionist Boat

2009-03-05T08:02:00.004-04:00

This story could end up getting sub-titled The Rock vs. The ROC (Rest of Canada). Liberal Senator George Baker has thrown a very unanticipated curve into the usually staid proceedings of Canadian politics by declaring yesterday during a radio interview that, "People (of Newfoundland and Labrador) will soon be advocating, you know, that we can't remain in the Confederation in which we're discriminated against and not respected for the great contribution that we make. I believe that day is coming for sure if this keeps up." Senator predicts Newfoundland separatist party The conservative National Post was quick to weigh in to-day, dishing out a not altogether surprising slap on the wrist with the article, Is The Rock eyeing sovereignty role?

By "this" Senator Baker was referring to a capped equalization formula that Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams insists will cost the province $1.5-billion worth of federal cash in the next three years. The capped formula is contained within the Federal Government's bail-out budget. Also on the hit list is Quebec which is purported to be short roughly $1 billion of transfer payments.

That provincial jurisdictions that are not altogether friendly towards the Conservative Government are the ones that are getting hit with the budget would seem to be self-evident. Premier Williams was the architect of the "Anything But Conservative" campaign during the recent federal election, and Quebec Premier Jean Charest turned on the Conservatives during the election over proposed cuts to the arts community.

The nature of federal-provincial feuds is about to change drastically. The case of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec are prime examples. The former is politically expendable, as are the Maritime provinces, because they carry no political clout in the federal system, i.e. 32 seats out of 308. The latter is owned by the Bloc Quebecois and no federal party of whatever political stripe is about to alter that.

The nature of federal-provincial feuds that is about to change needs to be seen within the greater context of the global financial meltdown and the related entry onto the Post-Peak Oil descent curve. Federal financial largess towards the provinces is a thing of the past. The federal coffer is running on empty and will continue to do so. The Canadian financial, political and geographical hinterland is best off awakening to this fact.

Via the secessionist shot across the bow taken by Senator Baker, one can only predict that the sleepy and politically corrupt Maritime provinces will be stirred to at least awaken, if not to immediate action. When the Maritimes finally get around to taking some kind of action the proposed Novacadia Independence Party should be reasonably cobbled together to field several candidates to advocate the inevitable secession of the Maritime provinces.

Post-Script: On March 6, 2009, the defender of the national fabric (along with the CBC) weighed in on the issue. In an editorial titled "Intolerable in a national party" The Globe opined:

"Mr. Baker belongs to the caucus of a national party that hopes to soon form a government. His status within that party, as a senator and former cabinet minister, gives him a platform. When he uses it to effectively advocate the formation of a nationalist - and possibly separatist - movement in his home province, he behaves so recklessly that fellow Liberals should be tripping
over each other to distance themselves, not making apologies on his behalf."

Someone is nervous.

HCR 6 Disappears and Igor Panarin Reappears

2009-03-04T18:29:00.002-04:00

In a stunning vote in the New Hampshire House to-day, the States' Rights Bill HCR 6, was defeated by a vote of 216-150. The Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers declared that the House Members voted "in violation of their oath of office."

This one is not over by a long shot. Rep. Dan Itse and his co-sponsors of HCR 6 are to be congratulated...and saluted. Has the House vote inadvertently handed Rep. Itse the State's Governorship during the next gubernatorials? I guess we all get to stay tuned on that one.

Thanks go out to Harold Thomas at The Ohio Republic, not only for being so on top of this story, but also for the very important work he is doing in the States' Right community, especially rounding up support for Ohio's bid.

On another note to-day, Igor Panarin, the Russian analyst who is becoming somewhat of a secessionist poster boy, was back in the news, this time via an AP story that was picked up by both MSNBC and Fox News, Russian analyst: U.S. will collapse next year. Canada's National Newswatch linked to the Fox article.

Mr. Panarin and his hypothesis for U.S. implosion first broke last November and then the story was picked up by the WSJ on December 29. What is popping my antennae is the "legs" that the story is being given by the corporate media. First the WSJ and now MSNBC. Makes one wonder, yes?

As a commenter pointed out over at ClubOrlov, the word "collapse" is more and more creeping into the mainstream media, e.g. The collapse of manufacturing in The Economist...along with the notion of Peak Oil.

The Secessionist Mycelium: Introduction

2009-03-01T08:45:00.002-04:00

(Note: As of March 1, 2009 this blog will run in tandem with the WordPress blog Novacadia Alliance. Posts, links, etc. from the latter are in process of being brought over from WordPress, ergo "Under Construction").

Having attended the Third North American Secessionist Convention in Manchester, NH this past November, three things became very clear:

Delegate coordination and support, and media coverage of the secessionist movement were drastically weak and counter-productive relative to the pending conditions of empire collapse;
Events were quickly far out-stripping and out-distancing the philosophical positioning of the movement and its ability to be representative of those events;
The existing organizational structure to effectively coordinate the NAmerican secessionist movement was terribly lacking and, by virtue of a haphazard organizational initiative, was sadly undemocratic.

None of these observations is meant in any way to denigrate from the work invested by individuals and secessionist organizations over the past three years to kick-start the NAmerican secessionist dialogue. At any given time, we do what we can with the resources at-hand. However, there comes a time at the early stages of the life-cycle of any organization and/or movement when it is necessary to claw one's way up to the next level. That time has arrived.

As a sub-item of the first point above, i.e. lack of delegate coordination and support, it was also apparent that the secessionist movement was not well-represented by two major demographics: Peak Oilers and disillusioned, bioregional Greens, to both of which secession is practically an automatic fit.

Two other events have come into play since the Third North American Secessionist Convention. The first is, of course, the wild-fire flourishing of the States' Rights movement in the United States. The second event is the assertive, secessionist re-positioning of both the federal Bloc Quebecois and the provincial Parti Quebecois in Canada.

Taking the above conditions into consideration and after initial dialogue with other secessionists, it has been decided to bring into play a Steering Committee to pull together the inaugural meeting of the North American Secessionist Congress in Columbus, OH on October 16-18, 2009. The status of this proposed historic event is still "tentative." However, work is underway by the Steering Committee to firstly solidify its own legitimacy and then to probe for and determine support for holding the Columbus meeting.

Please check in every now and then to see how things are going as we prepare to trudge towards Columbus.

I Am An Entropist

2009-02-27T08:39:00.001-04:00

I am an entropist. Being an entropist entails a meta-perspective upon this world that captures and stamps all natural, social, political and economic phenomena within its unique parameters of qualification. It applies equally from the build-up of clutter in a household, to global warming and climate chaos, to financial meltdown, to the implosion of the large industrial nation-state, as it does to the departure of a soul from the constraints of its body. It is a worldview, a Weltanschauung, a philosophical Babushka doll of many layers and complexities. It is my hope that one day the Laws of Thermodynamics will be taught at the grade school level, matching if not displacing, a false and jingoistic Pledge of Allegiance.

Albert Einstein is purported to have said about the Second Law of Thermodynamics, "It is likely the truest law in the physical universe." The Second Law is the Entropy Law. It foreshadows and dictates that our world rushes towards a state of maximum disorder. Nowhere is this more evident than with the events we witness on a daily basis, events that signal the pinnacle and beginning collapse of industrial civilization. The only hypothetical antidote to the dictates of entropy is the creation of small pockets of negative entropy, the creation of small eco-states inclusive.

Industrial civilization has arrived at its apex, as is so clearly signaled by the ever-increasing acknowledgment of Peak Oil. It is all about energy, or lack thereof, as laid out by the Second Law: the ability to do work is dependent on access to energy; without energy, social institutions collapse/implode, the institution of the large industrial nation-state inclusive.

As an historical metaphor, I offer the following: we live in Copernican times. A new worldview, a true paradigm shift, is birthed from out of the cauldron of crisis. As the false notion of the earth being the center of the universe was rejected because it had to be rejected, I maintain that the false notion of the large industrial nation-state will in time be rejected because it also has to be rejected.

The rationale and motives for my being a secessionist revolve around my first of all being an entropist. Cultural and ethnic drivers towards secession, even the bourgeoning States' Rights movement, are contained within the meta-conditions and meta-dictates of the Second Law. It is my hope that one will perceive that our destiny as citizens lies in responsibly embracing a political philosophy of secession-by-default in order to seize the opportunity at hand, in order to begin the creation of new eco-states upon this continent, in order to extend social and political liberties and responsibilities beyond the cadaver of the industrial nation-state, and lastly, in order to survive and continue the human adventure.

Novacadia Now: Secession-By-Default

2009-01-29T04:52:00.000-04:00

(Note: This post was originally submitted to Vermont Commons for publication in the next hard-copy edition. The editorial angle and changes to the article which have been requested will likely warrant the preparation of what will amount to a new piece. As such, it can be posted as a stand-alone.)

Thomas Naylor of The Second Vermont Republic has outlined in a previous issue of Vermont Commons why secession is such a difficult sell. Although the marketing hurdles raised by Mr. Naylor warrant considerable reflection, it can be argued that secession, as a political philosophy and act, is a difficult sell because it is the wrong "widget" and/or "better mouse trap" that is being sold. It is even more so the case when at the preliminary stages of "missionary sales" with related brutal cold-calling. It also applies not only to the dynamics and logistics of secession, but also to its labeling and packaging. A product feature that frightens and/or alienates the "political consumer" is not about to generate any great political returns. It simply will not sell. Holding to a business analogy, the "secessionist business venture" stands to be bankrupt before it is even out of the gate.

It is put forward for consideration that secession is merely a symptom of a larger historical dynamic. In and of itself, secession is not a primary historical driver, one of the major fault lines of social and political transition. It is an element and reflection of the latter. To focus political strategy and tactics on a symptom, as opposed to focusing on the cause, is a mistake that will generate a plethora of self-defeating consequences.

That secession is not a driver in and of itself is the position taken by The Novacadia Alliance. In particular, it is argued that the primary social and political driver of our age is the collapse of industrial civilization, as is made starkly evident by the descent onto the Post-Peak Oil slope of reduced energy availability. This energy descent will transform our social, economic and political institutions inside out, the social institution of the large industrial nation-state inclusive. This message is neither alarmist nor negative. The message is deceivingly optimistic and sellable. It is: Be conscious and prepare, prepare, prepare!

By employing a re-adjusted (value-added?) premise for secession, the secessionist political initiative is transformed from a subjective grasp inside a philosophical vacuum to an historical inevitability with proximity to scientific certainty. Civilizations are born, they live, they die. Within a historical context, we deal with secession-by-default and adapt to such accordingly at local and regional levels. The fringe and marginal constituency currently supporting secession is reinforced by a beleaguered middle class searching for answers to a crumbling financial reality. Furthermore, the middle class is identified and targeted as the historically designated and legitimate social agent to carry secession to fruition. We shift from the finger painting of a limited rebellion to the canvass of a revolution in perception and crafting of political will.

Massive and cheap energy flow-through has been the direct source and collateral for the growth of the industrial nation-state, the growth of the American Empire inclusive. It stands to reason, from a thermodynamic and entropic interpretation of events, that maximum institutional and ecological disorder pushing against a closed system, i.e. the earth, will result in implosion and collapse. The large nation-state, as a redundant institution, will implode because it must implode. If a balloon is blown up to its maximum limit, it bursts, leaving behind shards of rubber. The analogy to large nation-state devolution and implosion is that simple. The actual parameters of the shards, i.e. determination and governance of negative entropy, will be open for human re-invention.

As such, an alternative "marketing strategy" for North American (NAmerican) secessionist initiatives might be along the lines of:

The perception and acknowledgement that the immediate 100-year era of Post-Peak Oil is the actual secessionist "widget" that needs to be sold.

The social and political benefits of secession are features inherent in the "product" of Post-Peak Oil acceptance, i.e. secession equals survival.

Secessionist devolution and implosion on the NAmerican continent will follow along regional lines, as opposed to individual state/provincial secessions, the New England and Maritime designation of Novacadia inclusive.

It is likely that the third point nudges the VC reader onto new intellectual territory. The balance of this article deals with a preliminary introduction to the notion of Novacadia in particular, and to the merits of regional secession in general. It is a beginning, but a beginning happens to be the only place where one can make a start.

It is put forward for consideration that by the end of the current century the two nation states of America and Canada will be displaced by several regional and autonomous eco-states. This is the position that has been brought to the secessionist table by the Novacadia Alliance. Those secessionists who maintain that 48 independent nations, plus Canadian equivalents, on the NAmerican land mass is reasonable merely hamper and subconsciously sabotage the forging of a sound and marketable political analysis. It is imperative to address the issue of secession with a 2009 analytical microscope, complimented by systems theory and thermodynamics, as opposed to one that peers myopically and longingly out onto a romantic political landscape of either 1776 or 1865.

For secessionists the fundamental issue lies with the most proper, the most reasonable, and the most balanced size of the jurisdiction to be governed, primarily as relates to population size and only secondarily as relates to physical size. The most reasonable and most balanced size, in turn, translates into reasonable rights and liberties, reasonable safety and civic integrity for its citizens, and the reasonable functioning of a free market economic system with like financial infrastructure. This principle of reduced size is the bedrock of secessionist philosophy. Reduced size will be the consequence of nation-state implosion.

Novacadia is the region that consists of the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and the American states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Vermont retains its status as the secessionist flag ship within this bioregional distribution channel; it is the political nucleus attached to both the development of regional identity and the weakest link in the American federal state (complimenting Quebec in Canada). That Vermont is leading the secessionist charge in Novacadia is simple fact.

The secessionist designation of Novacadia borrows from the bioregional model. Within this model, a political designation based solely on geographical factors such as mountain ranges, watersheds, prairie land, rivers, etc. quickly becomes convoluted for practical political purposes. Although the evolution of events and political context over the last two decades have largely made bioregionalism (and attendant Green politics) as a concrete political tool redundant, it is not necessary to throw the baby out with the bath water. From wherever it is possible to realistically borrow and most effectively aid secessionist goals surely does no harm.

The identification of Novacadia as a future autonomous eco-nation remains an element of conjecture. But all secessionists are currently constrained by conjecture. They tread on uncharted political territory. There is no secessionist crystal ball. There are no maps, no charts. Secessionists are pioneers; they are the mapmakers.

The combined population of the three Maritime provinces and the three New England states of Novacadia is approximately five million people. This is a reasonable population size for civic conduct and administration. More importantly, it is an optimum population size to house, feed and employ within greatly reduced economic parameters and expectations. Economic self-sufficiency will be at a premium. Within this regional population of five million, the three largest cities are Greater Halifax with a population of 370,000, Saint John at 122,000, and Manchester at 108,000.

The vast majority of Novacadia's population is rural. With a pre-determined economic shift to a predominantly agrarian economy complimented by small-scale secondary industry in a Post-Peak Oil world, this is crucial. An agrarian economy, coupled with a small population and compact channels of distribution, makes the economic challenge of self-sufficiency that much easier to attain. Novacadia is novel in that political power already resides in the country, and not in the city. This is a political opportunity of extreme importance.

Novacadia is endowed with ocean coastline which directly implies a seafaring nation. The natural resources to support this industry are in place. A serious development of tidal energy, as opposed to corporate posturing, could make Novacadia energy self-sufficient. The shared coastline more than compensates for a rough, but useable, highway infrastructure. Upgraded and new rail lines would be welcome. Most importantly, the sea is a cultural tie. It is a common point of identity. This cultural tie highlights a bioregional social dynamic that a people "are of place." A regional identity is innate; it evolves naturally. It does not have to be artificially hammered into minds beginning at kindergarten age and relentlessly reinforced with gaudy symbols and social spectacles for the duration of a lifetime.

In many ways, the economic possibilities for Novacadia are merely a return to the pre-industrial, pre-tariff economies of New England and The Maritimes when natural north-south trade relations existed. These economies were primarily agrarian and, due to seafaring capabilities, mercantile in nature and in practice.

As a region that has largely been bypassed by industrial development, Novacadians share a relatively undamaged natural environment and a shared history of hardships, of living within material means, and of a condescending arrogance displayed towards them by the "more developed" metropole.

In a Post-Peak Oil world, social and economic relations and institutions will be turned on their heads. What once was a liability becomes the richest of assets. Underdevelopment becomes an asset; a rural political base becomes an asset; traditional community ties become an asset; small population becomes as asset, and so on. There is almost a poetic justice, a long overdue karma of sorts, to identifying the Novacadian secessionist adventure on the very soil where European settlers first stepped to embark on continental expansionism.

It is imperative for Novacadians to acknowledge the historical conditions for secession as they exist in the present, conditions which were not created by secessionists and which quickly approach a crisis and, as such, call to be acted upon. To undo the institutional construct of the large industrial nation state, an artificial imposition that has been in place for two centuries, is no small task. It is the historical condition abetted by political synergies that will unravel the artificial identity of large-scale nationalism. Secessionists need merely to perceive the opportunities afforded by societal implosion and adapt accordingly. This is the unfolding of history; it need not be taken personally.

No one yet knows how the hybrid secessionist initiative of "radical right meeting radical left" will actually present and play itself out. However, the political hybrid slowly begins to come into focus. The future already exists; it's just not here yet.

Most of the work to be undertaken over the next two decades will be to agitate and to educate, as the revolution that is proposed is largely a revolution of thought, a revolution of perception. As a people are "of place" a contemporary ownership of identity is more a matter of acceptance than it is a matter of needing to be crafted. Although covered by layers of a fawning and false patriotism, a regional identity already exists. This is easily verified by walking over to the nearest mirror and saying out loud, "I am an American. I am a Novacadian. I am a Vermonter." Which statement feels right and carries the greatest challenge of responsibility within the context of global civilizational decay and collapse?

During times of crisis, one looks to one's neighbors. This is as true on the regional level as it is at one's immediate community level. The social motivators inherent in a Post-Peak Oil world will drive political intellects and imaginations towards perceptions that currently are barely imaginable. One could venture a reasonably safe guess that at this time the notion of Novacadia is yet such a perception. What requires building is the organized notion, the spark of political imagination with relative features and benefits.

As a simple woodworker, I can only conclude by saying that before it can be built it first has to be imagined. As for the actual marketing once it is built, that is simple: Build it and they will come.

These are early days. Welcome to the womb of political imagination.

Condition Overview: An Introduction

2009-01-25T04:51:00.000-04:00

It is strongly suggested that for anyone who wishes to be brought up to speed to an alternative interpretation of events (relative to the corporate media) to view this video: THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, The Great Depression of the 21st Century. It was presented by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky in Montreal, January 14th.

Prof. Chossudovsky's name may be familiar to some as the Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He was also an instrumental research source for Mike Ruppert for the writing of Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil.

If you wish, you can weave Prof. Chossudovsky's writings and a reading of Rubicon in with Chris Martenson's Crash Course which deals with the inter-relationship of the three E's (economy, energy, environment).

Lastly, remembering that this is a secessionist blog, you may choose to cap a wrap with Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession.

Then again, you can go back to doing exactly what you were doing.

A Scent of Foreboding

2009-01-25T04:46:00.000-04:00

The scene has been duplicated in several European cities over the last few weeks. This one happens to be in Reykjavik. The scene is duplicated in Latvia, Lithuania and, of course, in Greece.

Gerald Celente, the widely-recognized Director of The Trends Research Institute, has issued a Code Red to his subscribers in the aftermath of the Obama inauguration. Steve Quayle issues the following warning: "The 'artificially manipulated' spot price (of gold) is designed to keep the little guys out of the Market and fixated on the Controlled movements to keep you from seeing the Big Picture. At some point in the next 60 days major financial shock waves will make acquiring physical Gold and Silver at any where near these prices extremely difficult. The price of Gold is being touted by the major players behind the scenes as rising to 3-4 times their current level when the manipulation stops." The American Chronicle reports that the revolution in Mexico has begun. And on it goes, as you know from your own research and internet connections.

I ask of you to not only look at the image above (that's easy), but to pull in a couple of other senses: smell it...taste it...perceive it with your third eye and with your intuition.

And now I ask you to tack several months, a year, two years onto the image and your perception of it while sitting somewhere in what is still the relative comfort of NAmerica. Do the institutional fault lines waver in your imagination? Does the imaginary construct of the "nation state" retain its threads of legitimacy? Does the political validity of the NAmerican secessionist movement caught asleep-at-the-wheel warrant consideration and re-evaluation? Catch my drift?

The Obama Pink Lenses: Scratch 'em, scratch 'em, scratch 'em!

2009-01-24T04:45:00.000-04:00

"The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." - Thomas Jefferson

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1R8vRB-qeU&eurl=http://www.infowars.com/?p=7310&feature=player_embedded]

Green Party of Canada: A Tired, Old Dinosaur

2009-01-24T04:43:00.000-04:00

The Green Party of Canada (GPC) has finally released proposals for the ailing national economy with an Economic Stimulus Package. As usual, it is too little, too late, and too irrelevant.

The GPC is now down to 5% national support (likely closer to 3%-4%), carrying a choking debt-load, and straddled with a leader, Elizabeth May, who seems to be as unpopular within the party as she is with the general public. This is not a good mix...for the GPC, that is. It is a great mix for ex-Greens who await the final collapse of this centralist, nanny-state, run-of-the-mill, liberal, establishment party.

The entry onto the depletion slope of a Post-Peak Oil world makes the GPC policy proposals somewhat redundant. They constitute a lie. The GPC is still pitching, through rose-coloured lenses, the prospect of a smooth transition to a Green economy/world. Such position is either a combination of vanity and delusion or crass political opportunism, neither of which is acceptable.

The GPC is a tired, old dinosaur. The wisest thing for tuned-in Greens to do would be to withdraw financial and philosophical support, let the party crawl away and die a reasonably quiet death. A bioreginal, back-to-basics, eco-political direction is available, in some cases as close as autonomous provincial Green parties. Let the Central Canadian, urban hand-wringers, social workers and delusional feminists who control the GPC dangle on the rope for which they have so stringently clamoured. In this day and age, all myopic fools deserve a just destiny.

The GPC's adherence to IMF, OECD and G20 guidelines in the Stimulus Package is disquieting. With a UN party girl like Liz May at the helm, such overtures seem to be the norm. Her political simplicity, coupled with the party's affiliation to a Global Charter, merely positions the GPC to be an unwitting Bilderberg patsy.

With the recently announced news of Ms. May's move to New Glasgow from Ottawa, the GPC may as well strike a leadership search committee. This move has as much to do with schmoozing the Liberal base in Central Nova in order to prime the pump for that nomination as it has to do with anything else. The guess is ventured that Ms. May has her sights on the Environment Ministry in an Ignatieff government. Outside of tweaking from Dion to Ignatieff, this guess has not been altered in two years. If Ignatieff proves to be as much a Green dolt as was Dion remains to be seen.

A 25-year era of liberal Green political posturing has passed with no results. There will be no Green nirvana "stewarded" in by enlightened, touchy-feely, matriarchal principles. A new generation of Post-Peak Oil warriors and amazons waits in the wings.

It's over. It's finished. Let it go.

Secessionist Plug in The New Yorker (Whither James Howard Kunstler?)

2009-01-22T04:35:00.000-04:00

The prestigious and uppity New Yorker has graciously given the NAmerican Secessionist Movement a bit of a plug...tucked away in the last para of the abstract for an article called The Dystopians. What is not mentioned is that even though James Howard Kunstler did address the Vermont Independence Convention in November 2008, hosted by the Second Vermont Republic, he came out against secession in his very presentation: "I'm personally not an advocate of national breakup or secession."

I've been kicking around a post between my ears re the above contradiction, i.e. Kunstler speaking out against secession as a guest speaker to a secessionist convention. The organizers could have vetted the speech, thus neutralizing Kunstler's anti-secessionist sentiment. I can assure you that Kunstler's site generates more hits than the SVR's.

It is just one more PR misfortune. Of course, Kunstler is entitled to his opinion re secession. But the Vermont convention was a political event, and speakers are, as a rule, vetted accordingly. If Kunstler was brought in as a marketing hook to fill the Vermont Legislature's chairs with university students, then fine. But the trade-off seems to have back-fired.

Let us not forget that Kunstler's invitation to address the Vermont conference must be seen within the context of his seemingly strong secessionist empathy as written in The Long Emergency: "It would be reasonable to wonder whether the United States will continue to exist as a unified entity, and what kind of strife the Long Emergency could ignite region by region."

If Kunstler blind-sided the secessionist movement only he and the organizers of the convention know. That would have been his prerogative, although a questionable prerogative. If he did indeed blind-side the movement, then it can be scratched up to just one more lesson on the political and PR learning curves. It stands to reason that at a secessionist event the very topic under discussion will not get dumped on nor marginalized by a keynote speaker. A political utterance is qualitiatively more loaded than the comfort of liberal proselytizing on a stump of safe hypotheses and increased book sales.

It looks like I've just written the post that I've had in mind.

Against the Trinket of Mass Democracy

2009-01-20T04:34:00.000-04:00

The more that lurkers come out of hiding and ignorance to contribute to the Peak Oil dialogue, the more I am struck by how many "savvy" Peak Oilers are latent useless eaters, i.e. conscious of the magnitude of what is about to break yet powerless, within their own lives, to take a first step towards protecting themselves and their families. There is much subjective hand-wringing and spiritual masturbation, neither of which will protect one from the elements nor supply needed nutrition. Until one separates oneself from the herd to take appropriate action, one is of the herd, nose stuck up the asshole of the beast in front for delusional warmth and security.

NAmericans have never experienced the degree of social upheaval and transformation that hovers on the horizon. We are barely able to imagine it, let alone prepare for it. Allow me to repeat myself once more: within a global scope and context, the economic meltdown will make the thirties look like a stroll through the park and the die-off will make the Black Death look like a nose bleed. On a historical time scale, it is all only a heart beat away. That it should be camouflaged by the media-packaged Obama trinket of mass democracy and false hope is only fitting. How else could it possibly be?

To aid the savvy hand-wringers, I would like to offer a quote from Joe Stalin. It seems to be appropriate: "The death of one soldier is a tragedy; the death of one million soldiers is a statistic." This is the objective perspective as opposed to the subjective twaddle that resides between most ears. The trick is to be a decent and courageous human being, not a statistic.

Re Post-Peak Oil preparation, if there is some action you can take towards crafting your survival, then do it. Fight where you stand, not necessarily "against" anyone or anything, but for yourself. There is only one place to start and that is at the beginning, in the here and the now. Otherwise, one is left shitting in one hand and wishing in the other, waiting to see which piles up first.

However one may understand and relate to a God of their understanding, may God's speed be with us all. We will need it.

An Ominous Signal for the Launching of North American Union?

2009-01-15T04:32:00.000-04:00

As reported by the El Paso Times, U.S. military report warns 'sudden collapse' of Mexico is possible.

The dots to be connected here are so evident that they barely warrant comment. For anyone needing to catch up in a hurry, a good place to brush up on North American Union 101 is here and here.

The real point of this post is to highlight, once more, the degree to which the NAmerican Secessionist Movement (NASM) is disconnected, not only from its own political mandate, but from the political psyche of the NAmerican public. For further context on this claim, please see last week's post, NAmerican Secessionist Movement Asleep-At-the-Wheel.

On any given day we are confronted with events pointing towards the collapse of industrial civilization, entry onto the depletion slope of a Post-Peak Oil world, financial and economic meltdown, the initiative for North American Union, etc., etc. This happens to be the meta-context for the philosophical justification of the NASM. Yet, as has already been stated, as a political movement the NASM is incapable of issuing public commentary on the above events because no medium for doing so, such as a proposed North American Secessionist Congress, exists. The world in general, and North America in particular, sit on the cusp of an historical crisis of unforeseen proportions, yet the NASM is hand-cuffed from offering official and legitimate executive commentary by its own short-sighted choosing.

Without strategy, the option for identifying and implementing tactics does not exist. By virtue of its self-imposed non-voice and invisibility during these times of crisis, the NASM runs the real risk of joining NAmerican Green parties inside a toothless vacuum of myopic navel-gazing and political posturing. Ground can always be recovered; time never can be.

With friends like us, who needs adversaries?

Heads Up!

2009-01-15T04:31:00.000-04:00

This one came via Vincent over at Mike Ruppert's blog: Bush declares a 'state of emergency' in Washington as cost of Obama's swearing-in ceremony soars to £110m. Mike offers some very interesting commentary on who will actually be holding the reigns of power on January 20 during this "state of emergency." It will be none other than the VP, Dick Cheney, the same administration offical who held absolute power via another "state of emergency" on September 11, 2001. For the structural web that allows for this, see Mike's blog.

A Crude Awakening - Peak Oil Video

2009-01-14T04:30:00.000-04:00

For anyone who hasn't yet seen it, the award-winning video, A Crude Awakening, is about as good as you'll get to an introduction on Peak Oil. It is well worth the investment of an hour and a half of time to watch it.

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-665674869982904386]

Corporate Media Dips a Toe into Peak Oil: Addendum

2009-01-14T04:28:00.000-04:00

"The U.S. media, in general, wants to avoid discussing why many scientists believe that global oil production will probably peak in the near future, if it hasn’t already. They prefer happy talk of oil sands, coal-to-oil and cellulosic ethanol developments even if those developments have little probability of replacing declining conventional oil production. In the end, the talk may soothe the minds of the motoring public, but it won’t change the probability of peak oil."

This quote is lifted from an article by Roger Blanchard in the Energy Bulletin in response to a Peak Oil article carried in the New York Times, March 5, 2007. Also, considerable Peak Oil coverage in the English language mainstream media, though not in the NAmerican mainstream media, has been offered by The Independent. See here, here and here.

So, yes, there has been some Peak Oil coverage in the print media (ergo, not mass media, as that is the domain of the tube), but falls far short of what Peak Oilers would consider a reasonable educational initiative. And most certainly, the words "Peak Oil" have not been uttered by any sitting government in the Western world. The political concerns should be self-evident. If the message is not massaged and managed "correctly" then a mass hysteria, stock piling, and run on banks is quite possible.

So to refrain the post of January 11th, it is left to the Obama administration to drop this bomb shell into the public's lap. The motive for doing so and the manner in which the message will be managed remain to be seen. One thing is certain, Western governments can not sit on the Peak Oil lid for much longer.

When the cat is finally let out of the bag will said governments be able to stroke a purring, household pet, or will they have on their hands feral consequences for which there are no known, easy and ready "strokes" because the condition is wild, wild, wild?

Henry Kissinger: The NWO Non-Useless Eater

2009-01-13T04:25:00.000-04:00

It stands to reason that as the world economic crisis deepens, the orchestrated calls for a "new world order" will increase. To the degree that the economic crisis has been engineered to allow for the full-blown unveiling of a NWO is left to each individual's level of political perception, sophistication and opinion. Be that as it may, the recent calls for a NWO have been ramped up to a new level...and they are no longer diplomatically veiled. A good overview of this "surge" is offered by The August Review article, Chorus Call for New World Order.

But what better NWO cheerleader to trot out than that beloved war criminal and non-useless eater, Hank Kissinger, hisself. This may very well be his last kick at the can and he spares no punches. To do so, he is given front page exposure by the International Herald Tribune with the op-ed piece, The Chance for a New World Order.

This is on top of the recent CNBC interview with Hank held on the floor of the NYSE (nice symbolic backdrop!).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBCFtJQPnOg]

This brazen media offensive will only increase. The time has arrived (because it has been orchestrated?) for the NWO agenda to be fully unleashed and implemented. Look for the complimentary releasing of the Peak Oil cat from its bag by the Obama administration some time this year. How it will dovetail with "the test" which has been forecast and will be dropped into his lap soon after the inauguration remains to be seen.

None of this ramping up should come as surprise. As the condition/crisis matures it is next to impossible to keep the blinders on the public's eyes. How the public will respond once the blinders are removed is the great unknown. It's handy to have the fall-back position of several hundred FEMA "detention centers" and a couple of battle-tested Army brigades.
Hang on. We are in for a ride! What? You expect history to be a touchy-feely cakewalk?

Corporate Media Dips a Toe Into Peak Oil

2009-01-11T04:23:00.000-04:00

The Montreal Gazette has released a story on Peak Oil by William Marsden with the byline: The age of oil is ending. No mention of the nefarious two words, but the ball is rolling. So here we go; the public is finally getting prepped. There are all sorts of signals coming out of the U.S. administration-elect that the shit is about to hit the fan in a very serious way.

The BDI Song Bird

2009-01-11T04:21:00.000-04:00

In pre high-tech coal mines the miners used to rely on a caged song bird to warn if there was a build up of dangerous gases. When the song bird dropped dead, it was time to quickly get out of the shafts.

Well, the BDI song bird is chirping its head off and going into death convulsions.

The Baltic Dry Index tracks the price of shipping bulk cargo. It is a concrete barometer of the global trade in economic building blocks like iron ore, coal and grain. The BDI is not a traded index so no one profits from the index itself, which makes it virtually manipulation proof. It is what it is; its numbers tell a fairly accurate story.

As recently as last June, around the same time that crude peaked at $147 a barrel, the BDI stood at a reasonably healthy 11,600. It has currently plummeted to 791. That’s about a 94% drop in goods actually being shipped worldwide.

Put simply, the cost of shipping has dropped through the floor. For example, sending a tonne of iron ore from Brazil to China in early June would have set you back more than $100 per tonne, or around $15m per voyage. But freight rates have now dropped to only slightly over $10 per tonne, or just $1.5m for the 70-90 day journey.

The BDI's plummet points towards unprecedented disaster around the world, especially as it relates to food. Products are simply not being shipped. The products aren't being shipped because there aren't any orders for them.

Of particular interest in the following video is the correlation between the decline in crude shipping and the tanking of the DPI.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXATSV8S3-M]

DarthDubious, Song Bird #1

Hubris and Nemisis, Song Bird #2

The Independent, Song Bird #3

NAmerican Secessionist Movement Asleep-At-The-Wheel

2009-01-09T05:43:00.000-04:00

It took just about a month for the mainstream media to catch up to a story on the disintegration of NAmerica that first broke on November 25, 2008. I refer, of course, to the WSJ article which ran on December 29: As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S. The WSJ article is getting a lot of play in the blogosphere. The original Izvestia story, as was covered by Global Futures, was touched on with a post in this blog and can be jumped to here (link to the original Global Futures article inclusive).

The motives for such an esteemed gatekeeper as the WSJ to run with this story is left to individual imaginations. It is safe to say that the determination of motive will vary to the degree of one's political smarts and where one sits within the conspiracy cosmos, i.e. alternative interpretation of "news." The acknowledged role of the corporate media within such "conspiracy cosmos" goes without saying.

More to the point, the issue for the NAmerican secessionist movement (NASM) around this story is not if Prof. Panarin is a nut job or to the degree, if any, that his theories on the break-up of the United States serve Russian propaganda purposes. The issue for the NASM here is the degree to which it has been caught with its pants down. By all rights, the NASM should be all over this story and the wide public attention it is receiving like a dirty shirt; it should be collecting PR premiums, via the positioning of the NASM in the public psyche, hand-over-fist.

Unfortunately, the NASM is asleep-at-the-wheel because it is currently structured to be asleep-at-the-wheel, i.e. there is no structure. Within a context of political organization, the movement is straddled with a non-organized gaggle of non-affiliated state/provincial and regional secessionist initiatives ranging from the politically astute and professional (Quebec, Vermont, The South, Texas, Alaska), to fledgling start-ups, to the competition amongst Cascadian organizations as to who can design the prettiest web site.

The Middlebury Institute, widely recognized as being the clearing house for secessionist news and information, makes no mention of the Panarin story. The American Secession Project is likewise out of the loop, which stands to reason as it has been dormant since 2007.

After the major international media breakthroughs accomplished at the Second NAmerican Secessionist Convention held in Chattanooga, TN in 2007, the NASM took a step backwards with the poorly organized Third NAmerican Secessionist Convention held this past November in Manchester, NH. For the media it was a non-event, likely due to a combination of Obamamania, lack of interest, and poorly executed press releases.

2008: Financial Meltdown + Peak Oil = ?

2009-01-08T05:50:00.000-04:00

Here's a small tap up the side of the head in case anyone need's jarring from Newton's Sleep. We all know things are bad and about to get much worse. The following snapshot of the 2008 performance of the world's stock markets captures the meltdown quite succinctly. This comes via Davos over at Chris Martenson's site who, in turn, pointed me towards Bespoke Investment Group. Remember that stock market performance usually foreshadows by several months where and how economic performance will go. If you wish, you can overlay Bob Chapman's January 7th commentary for greater nuts n' bolts clarity. Now factor in the consensus, nicely arranged in a post by Cliff Wirth, that global oil production peaked in 2008, and we have a stage set for some interesting, painful and...very different times. Okay, back to sleep now.

The Secessionist Meme Expands Some More

2008-12-28T07:20:00.002-04:00

A recent post in George Washington's Blog is entitled, Will the U.S Break Up? This meme is appearing more and more, both stated and inferred. The meme-as-stated tends to come from the most inquisitive and bravest minds re the meltdown of industrial civilization; the meme-as-inferred tends to come from governmental sources. Both are hip to the condition, yet are light years apart with motives and interests.

Big deal, one may ask. One more needle post in the haystack blogosphere. True enough, but George Washington is a regular contributor to Alex Jones' Infowars (which is where I stumbled across the original post re-packaged as an Infowars article). Say what you will about Alex Jones' style and possible hidden agenda, his sites do crank out the hits. The notion of NAmerican secession is introduced to a wider audience and demographic. That's the bottom line.

To claim that, by virtue of the George Washington post and others like it, the NAmerican secessionist movement is gaining traction would be going overboard. Let's just say that the proper rubber is being placed on the vehicle that will in time allow for traction. For those already in the loop, the time to be preparing for such latent political traction is now.

GPC Train Wreck

2008-12-26T08:13:00.002-04:00

Value #7 of the Canadian Greens reads, "Feminism: The ethics of cooperation and understanding must replace the values of domination and control." Yeah, right!

(With apologies to The Oz.)

Green Party of Canada: The Internal Revolt Begins

2008-12-17T13:18:00.002-04:00

It looks like things have finally gotten to a crisis point over at the GPC. Fed up with an amalgam of political and financial mismanagement under the leadership of Elizabeth May, two ex-Federal Council members, Mark Taylor and John Ogilvie, have attached their names to what amounts to no less than an inter-party revolt.

Judging from their most recent posts, the event that pushed Mr. Taylor and Mr. Ogilvie over the line to take this action was the "coup" orchestrated by Ms. May to consolidate her power with a gaggle of obedient staff placements, i.e. non-elected, paid positions, comprising a new Campaign Committee. The crucial, non-democratic zinger of this new committee is that it surpasses and guts the duly elected Federal Council. To gain a clear understanding of what has transpired in the GPC and the logistics of same, it is strongly suggested to visit Mr. Taylor's and Mr. Ogilvie's blogs.

The GPC rebels may wish to take a closer look at the historic opportunity before them. It is now 25 years and counting and still no Green seat(s) in Parliament. (In a shorter time span an alternative political movement has been formed, morphed through several stages, and today sits as the government of the country.) Even if public support maxes out at 10% (and that's a long shot!), due to the non-existence of a regional base, there will still likely be no elected Green. Political power for the GPC is not only elusive, it is non-existent and will remain so. The certainty of a Post-Peak Oil world (climate chaos/change inclusive), financial and economic meltdown, etc. makes Green philosophy somewhat redundant and passe, i.e. the political offering of false promises that the latter scenario can be averted if only one votes Green.

The opportunity before the rebels is simple: withdraw your support, agitate and expose May's dictatorial opportunism, retreat to your bioregional/provincial parties (where the focus of Green politics should have been all along), and let the eco-political monstrosity known as the GPC die a natural, if somewhat financially sloppy, death. In other words, give May exactly all the rope for which she clamours.

The opportune event to highlight and politicize this move would be the GPC Policy Convention slated for Pictou, NS at the end of February, 2009. Hell, it's just a spit away down the road from Cumberland County.

Away On Business

2008-11-25T17:41:00.001-04:00

I'm away on business for a couple of weeks, returning on December 8th. I should be able to check in every now and then, but will definitely not be able to post anything. See you then.

Russian Analyst Predicts Breakup of USA

2008-11-25T12:52:00.002-04:00

Professor Igor Panarin, a leading Russian political analyst, has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts. If you don't mind plodding through the computer-generated translation, you can view the original Izvestia article. Otherwise, Global Futures offers an overview.

Leaving the obvious propaganda aside, if nothing else this is one more analysis that supports the regional implosion and constituency determination of North America as opposed to the breaking away of individual states and provinces. It is a position that was presented at the recent North American Secessionist Convention: Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession.

Professor Panarin, of course, neatly side-steps the further fragmentation of Russia as an industrial nation state in a Post-Peak Oil world.

Before the Bullets Start Flying

2008-11-25T05:07:00.002-04:00

The title of this post is taken from an article written by Tony Allison, A Bridge Too Far. The article is yet another Peak Oil warning shot that is likely destined to get lost in the cyber hay stack of the blogosphere. It makes for an interesting read because, in general, Mr. Allison's web site cannot be considered to be a Peak Oil site and because the article points to the hand-cuffed initiatives that will be the likely response to Peak Oil by the Obama Administration.

Mr. Allison writes: "The Obama Administration needs to work closely with other major energy-consuming nations on a massive program to jointly prepare for the effects of ongoing global energy depletion." If read between the lines, the inference is that industrialized nations should incorporate the energy guidelines of The Uppsala Protocol, as prepared by Colin Campbell, the founder of ASPO International.

In a nutshell, The Uppsala Protocol proposes that energy, i.e. oil, consumption be downgraded on a sliding, annual scale by governmental decree to match the anticipated oil depeletion rate, now targeted at a mind-numbing 9.1% by the International Energy Agency. It is not suggested that one hold one's breath awaiting such an international undertaking. Firstly, the corporatist and globalist powers-that-be have no interest in directly contributing to their own economic meltdown (indirectly the meltdown is out of their control) and, secondly, The Protocol calls for the voluntary participation by industrialized nations.

Taking the latter institutional matrix into consideration, the circle for non-action would seem to be complete. Without a structured and agreed-upon downgrading of consumption, global competition for an expanding share of a constantly-decreasing pie funnels the consequences towards a zero-sum bull's eye, ergo, the title of the post. Does anyone doubt that declining oil supplies will be horded and stock-piled by the world's militaries?

National Intelligence Council Quasi Peak Oilers?

2008-11-22T06:02:00.002-04:00

Such are the times that not even an institution like the National Intelligence Council can side-step the inevitability of a Post-Peak Oil world. The Council is a representative body of analysts from across the American intelligence community. It has just released a report called, Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World (complete pdf format).

The report states: "Non-OPEC liquid hydrocarbon production (of) crude oil, natural gas liquids, and unconventionals such as tar sands will not grow commensurate with demand. Oil and gas production of many traditional energy producers already is declining. Elsewhere in China, India, and Mexico production has flattened. Countries capable of significantly expanding production will dwindle; oil and gas production will be concentrated in unstable areas. As a result of this and other factors, the world will be in the midst of a fundamental energy transition away from oil toward natural gas, coal and other alternatives."

The report lays out the tendency for continued economic globalization, although with shifting power centers away from the United States, and the continued rise in global population by 1.2 billion which, in turn, will increase the demand for food by 50 percent by 2030. These, and other geo-political shifting tectonic plates are listed without full consideration of the limits and non-sustainability of these pressures, i.e. the likelihood of total collapse with so many points of critical mass in play.

An interesting confirmation of the crisis facing industrial civilization is the timeline put forth by the report. It matches the timeline leading to 2030 as identified recently by the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook and a paper presented at the Third North American Secessionist Convention, Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession. The year 2030 as a likely socio-economic, political and ecological tipping point was identified as long ago as 1974 by the Club of Rome's first Limits to Growth Report.

It doesn't seem to matter on which side of the political fence one takes a stand. The writing is on the wall. Loosely translated the writing reads: systemic shakedown imminent. As the Chinese proverb reminds us all: May you live in interesting times.

Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession

2008-11-17T08:15:00.002-04:00

(A synopsis of this paper was presented at the Third North American Secessionist Convention, Manchester, NH, November 14-16, 2008. It is somewhat lengthy for a blog post, some 8,000 words in total. There is a link for the Word Doc version on the home page of the Novacadia Alliance web site for those who may choose to opt for that option. Reading the Word Doc is actually strongly suggested as there are several graphs in it on Peak Oil and global population depletion that did not copy over with this blog transfer.)

Introduction

These are exciting and critical times for the NAmerican secessionist movement. The movement finds itself in the media spotlight and public aftermath of “post-Palin” and “post-Zogby,”[1] for lack of better descriptions. The American debt-laden and seemingly criminal financial house of cards teeters on the brink, a major precursor of empire collapse, threatening to pull the entire global financial system into a vortex of unknown dimensions. It would seem that the NAmerican secessionist destiny is right on schedule. Viewed within the latter context, the secessionist political observations put forward in this paper are peripheral, marginal and cursory. To propose theoretical guidelines for an embryonic political movement there is, however, only one place at which to start. That is at the beginning.

At the very most, this paper reflects the views of its author as an independent secessionist. At the very least, the paper puts forward the political principles for regional secession as recognized by The Novacadia Alliance. The tentative founding of the proposed Novacadia Independence Party, to be registered in the province of Nova Scotia, is inclusive in the latter principles.

If any of the ideas and proposals laid out in this paper can be incorporated by other secessionist organizations or political parties is optional. As secessionists, we acknowledge and honor our political diversities, recognizing that the only principle that unites us is the principle of secession. As for the strategic and tactical predominance of recognizing the advent of the Post-Peak Oil era for the purpose of secession, such recognition may vary from political constituency to political constituency. This position paper is offered in good faith to NAmerican secessionists for consideration towards that end.

First Principles

NAmerican secessionists are agreed that the NAmerican secessionist movement is a consequence of, and response to, the collapse of the American Empire. This general consensus has been endorsed by the first two meetings of the North American Secessionist Movement[2]. It is put forward for consideration that this view is only a partial, though important, analysis of the secessionist phenomenon. A wider perspective incorporates the collapse of industrial civilization, which is global in scope and, of which the United States is but one player, albeit the central player. More to the point, industrial civilization is not merely in decline, it has entered the end-game. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that a civilization has outstripped its energy foundations, outlived its institutional purposes, and collapsed.

We live in an age that encompasses a colossal contradiction. On the one hand, there is the corporatist and technocratic thrust for globalization and a professed New World Order. On the other hand, there is the interrelated dynamic of empire collapse. Both tendencies stem from a diminishing supply of and access to cheap energy resources as evidenced by the imminent arrival of Peak Oil.

Both of these historical events, although diametrically opposed as political templates, are one and the same of a greater whole. The latent collapse of industrial civilization is the mirror image of the seemingly desperate and brutal grasp at the creation of a technocratic fascist state. It is a simple matter of political deduction to conclude that not both of these global tendencies can succeed. A clash of perceptions, of values and of political wills is inevitable. It is proposed that the balance of the 21st century will be the timeline for this clash.

It is necessary to clarify three premises that place the imminent crisis of a Post-Peak Oil world as the dominant condition and premise for the future evolution of secessionist politics. Even within the context of imperial decline, isolated and honorable positions such as ethnic and cultural identities, past historical wrongs, or calls for justice, freedom and liberty, strictly on their own and no matter how legitimate and worthy their merit, will not suffice to ignite or to carry the secessionist movement to completion. We need only look to the example of Québec and the waning political support for a cultural secessionist motive only. Such motive does not recognize nor carry the necessary spark of historical crisis.

Ø Firstly, only a historical catalyst of unforeseen magnitude that draws the latter secessionist motives together under the umbrella and guidance of a common political resolve will spark this new perception. It is proposed that this catalyst will be the arrival of the Post-Peak Oil era[3] and that the common political resolve will be the secessionist movement.

Ø Secondly, to a degree this is already happening. Numerous political, economic and social events of note are related to the arrival of Post-Peak Oil. The inescapable entropic dictate of the world “dashing towards maximum disorder” is in effect, though not acknowledged. The principles of thermodynamics are alien to the public. The events of 9/11, the consequent 9/11 Truth Movement, global militaristic positioning and saber rattling, financial and economic decline, the push for North American Union, all are sub-elements to one degree or another of competing national interests clawing at the leftovers of an energy-depleted planet.

Ø Thirdly, of the several factors associated directly with empire collapse, i.e. financial and economic meltdown[4], militaristic overreach, diminishing returns on social complexities, social decay, etc. all are reflective of, at one degree or another, the supply of, control of, and access to an abundant and inexpensive source of energy, in particular, oil.

All of these sub-factors, relative to Peak Oil, are already positioned in the public psyche, with marginal social and political responses generated. The corporate media have endorsed these events for public consumption. In the process, they have become acceptable and by now somewhat safe and somewhat manageable. However, a conscious and orchestrated silence on Peak Oil and, to a lesser extent the 9/11 Truth Movement and North American Union, has been, and is, the position taken by the corporate media. It is a simple, short leap to make in order to contemplate: why?

The advent of Peak Oil is concrete and inevitable. All fossil fuels are finite in nature. Based on analyses recently released by ASPO-USA, world oil production will likely hit peak sometime between 2012 and 2015. The controlled media spin that endorses cornucopian economists and politicians, the abiotic theory of unlimited oil supply, nor the philosophical naiveté, deficiencies and public deceptions of Green parties, can avert this fate. Peak Oil is a bullet that cannot be dodged. We are a heartbeat removed from the greatest calamity and challenge to ever befall the human race. Few, if any, are prepared for it. Representative Roscoe Bartlett, a staunch Peak Oil advocate, is on record as saying that not one in a hundred is aware of Peak Oil or its consequences. He is being far too kind. The ratio of the public’s Peak Oil awareness is more likely at one in a thousand.

The non-acknowledgement by the public of Peak Oil and its relevance as the dominant premise for secessionist political conduct is likely no more evident than in the Canadian Maritime provinces. Due in large part to a corporate stranglehold on the printed and electronic media, there is not the least public awareness of Peak Oil. Due to 140 years of successful federalist conditioning there is not the slightest secessionist sentiment to speak of, nor a historical memory of Maritime intransigence to joining “the Canada’s” via the 1867 Confederation. And yet, for secessionist political and electoral organization, this is not a problem and is of no great concern. The political sentiment, will, and corresponding action, will be reflections of the Post-Peak Oil condition, a condition that is yet several years removed.

For the immediate future encompassing a 20-year strategic window of opportunity, the NAmerican secessionist movement stands to be positioned at the political forefront of spiraling empire collapse. The following three-point argument for the long-range political structuring and future evolution of the movement slowly comes into focus.

Ø Firstly, Peak Oil is not the problem; it is merely the advance condition signaling the social, economic and political crisis of Post-Peak Oil.

Ø Secondly, it is the era of Post-Peak Oil that is the problem, and how it is prepared for is the pressing political challenge for secessionists.

Ø Thirdly, the NAmerican secessionist movement is one of two historically natural political alternatives and responses to the immediate 100-year era of Post-Peak Oil.

It is acknowledged that the third point is an extremely loaded assertion to make. Obviously, it begs the question: What then is the other natural political alternative to the era of Post-Peak Oil? The answer to that question is stark and simple. It is the full-blown, deep penetration, technocratic, fascist state. We have arrived at a historical crossroads of black and white options.

The opportunity to act on this historical condition becomes more exposed with each passing day. To capture the opportunity allows secessionists, at the very least, to embrace the only real freedom there may be. This is the freedom of opportunity.

During the anticipated era of Post-Peak Oil, our global industrial civilization will implode upon itself and render as a memory the vanity and arrogance of a short 200-year interval on the passage of time. To fully appreciate the scope of this passage of time, it may help to picture the length of a football field to be the course of human history and the blip of our industrial era measuring a half inch in width at the end of the field.

A carefully considered perspective on our industrial era sheds light on the limitations of a crass and blind technological determinism. When cast against the rich and wide canvass of the human mystery and its evolution, the .01% of time that constitutes industrial civilization, in spite of its social benefits, comforts and gadgets, relegates this era as an anomaly, an ontological Frankenstein, a spiritual waste land. The only benefits to be gained from this condition are the dialectical opportunities that the condition itself offers and a reminder that history is not linear, but rather that it is cyclical.

The vanity and arrogance referred to above is the delusion that the human family can live outside of, separate from, and above the natural world. We are about to be taught a lesson in spades that this is not only an absurdity, but that it is also an impossibility. The lesson to be learned is that we owe the natural world a debt and it is coming to collect.

The types of economic, social and political institutions that await us on the other side of this 100-year watershed are unknown and open to conjecture. The immediate challenge will be to actually arrive at that place, to crawl through several decades of social, economic and political upheaval, to arrive at the other side of the crisis. Quite literally, secession equals survival and survival equals secession.

Needless to say, this will not be a smooth transition. There is no soft landing visible on the horizon. Global resource wars are a given. Should any of these pending conflicts go nuclear, then it is all for naught, the Post-Peak Oil scenario laid out in this paper inclusive. There is no magic potion to offset the degree of hurt and suffering that will befall our communities and general populations. There is no painless quick-fix to soothe the pampered psychosis of an industrial worldview that has become tragically and brutally separated from the natural world.

For NAmerican secessionists the latter challenge will constitute now, and in the immediate foreseeable future, numerous political decisions. How and why do we undertake our political conduct and to what end? How do we actually perceive the continental disintegration of NAmerica? Are we aware of, and do we agree, that secession equals survival and survival equals secession? How do we determine, and then incorporate, politically acceptable policy directives for such a world? Do we possess the collective wisdom, courage and stamina to take on and own the terrible incentive to see clearly and then act accordingly? And if not, what must we do to gain these political assets?

Post-Peak Oil: The Secessionist Political Opportunity

The geological collateral of a cheap and abundant energy supply that has bankrolled the progress and unlimited growth of industrial civilization is half gone and cannot be replaced.[5] This is a geological and physical reality. Once Peak Oil is arrived at, the global production depletion rate is forecast to be at 2%-5%. Industrial nations will likewise be faced with a projected annual energy depletion rate of 2%-5%. Economic contraction, as opposed to growth, will be the order of the day. For the global financial and economic systems which are directly dependent on a cheap and plentiful supply of energy, this scenario translates into a problem that has no solution. It is not by happenchance that the Chinese symbol for crisis and opportunity is one and the same, open for interpretation firstly by how the context is viewed and, secondly, on which side of the line one takes a stand.

What is becoming an iconic image for our age is the Peak Oil bell curve. It was first formulated by M. King Hubbert in 1957 when he successfully forecast the peak of American oil production for 1971. It is now known accordingly as Hubbert’s Peak. The same geological principles and methods that were applied for American oil supply and depletion have been expanded to identify global supply and depletion. This simple graph identifies in a snapshot the basic principles and geological premises of Peak Oil. It does no harm to quickly go over these basic principles to ensure that we are all working on the same page.

Ø The supply curve is actually a staggered reproduction by 30 years or so of the discovery curve. Obviously, oil that has not been discovered cannot be produced. No major discoveries have been made since the Alaskan North Slope and the North Sea fields in the late sixties. The amount and quality of Caspian oil is questionable. The 400 mb of Arctic oil is conjecture only.

Ø The equation signaling the Peak Oil paradigm shift is so simple as to be understood by a school child. It is certainly not Copernican in mathematical scope, although it most certainly is in philosophical scope.[6] The equation is 2-1=1. Two trillion barrels of oil in the ground as created by geological conditions, minus one trillion barrels which have been consumed over the past 100 years, equals one trillion barrels, the amount left in the ground. Once it is gone, it is gone forever.

Ø The first trillion barrels were easily accessed resulting in a cheap and abundant supply, and acting as the collateral for global finance for the creation of industrial societies.

Ø Current global consumption sits at approximately 86 mb/d where it has been relatively stalled since 2005. Wild price fluctuations on the plateau of Peak Oil are to be expected and will be the norm.

Ø The remaining one trillion barrels will be more difficult to access resulting in diminishing returns and depleted EROEI (energy returned on energy invested)

Ø This results in an actual remaining supply of several hundred billion barrels, as the remaining 20%-30% may be too cost prohibitive to bring to the surface.

Ø The peak constitutes a plateau upon which the actual peak year has already occurred or will occur before 2015, depending on differing interpretations of public data released by Peak Oil analysts and the oil industry. A difference of several years on such an historical scope is irrelevant.

Ø We will only know when the actual peak year has arrived in retrospect, that is, by looking in the “rearview mirror” of reported declining production. Two straight years of declining production will be the concrete signal that we have entered the downward slope.

What Hubbert’s Peak does not readily make obvious are the following:

Ø Based on known reserves, if demand remains unchanged (which it will not, i.e. when the industrial growth of Chindia is factored into global demand), global depletion will be in 35 years.

Ø The 2030 projected demand for the United States and China to roughly double their oil demand to 30 mb/d and 15 mb/d respectively from current usage outstrips projected supply by 15 mb/d. This is not even counting the rest of the world’s demand. It would seem evident that something has to give.

Ø Of the world’s 40 or so oil producing nations, only a handful have not yet peaked, and most of these are in the Middle East. When the Ghawar field, the world’s largest field in Saudi Arabia peaks, the world peaks.

Ø Even if new oil reserves were discovered, i.e. the Arctic, to get to a level of production between 2007-2030 in order to sustain industrial civilization would require a cumulative investment of $26 trillion.[7] Taking the global financial meltdown into consideration, can we get there from here?

This quick snapshot of the Peak Oil condition is based on geological data created by oil industry professionals. CIA documents reveal that White House administrations have been aware of the pending crisis dating back to the Carter administration, if not to the Nixon administration. The purported 9/11 false flag attacks were, hypothetically, a direct strategic undertaking to initiate internally a military coup and, externally, the geopolitical and militaristic positioning for pending energy wars.

Global Population and Post-Peak Oil

When global population is incorporated onto the descent slope of Post-Peak Oil, a clear picture of what is at stake and of the social, economic and political turmoil that will be unleashed emerges.

Global population did not hit the first billion until 1800, somewhat into the industrial age, but not yet into the oil age. The second billion was hit in 1930, the third billion in 1960. Today we approach the seventh billion. For most of the people in this room, global population has doubled in our life times.

When global population is charted, the spike over the last 100 years becomes all the more evident and ominous. This spike in global population growth corresponds directly to the spike in industrial growth over the last 100 years. What becomes evident is that the degree of global population growth has been made possible only by the growth of industrialism, which in turn has been dependent on a steady supply of cheap and abundant oil and natural gas. It should furthermore come as no surprise that the spike in global warming, if overlaid on the population and industrial spikes, is equal in scope and extremity.

To return to the depletion slope of Hubbert’s Peak, it is possible to forecast a rough picture of what lies in store. The carrying capacity of a living system, be that system a household, a community, a nation, or our planetary home, is nothing more than that. Access to energy equals the ability to do work, thus to survive.

The interdependent relationship of reduced access to energy and population decline as we enter the Post-Peak Oil era is evident. If an oil supply of 75 mb/d supported a global population of six billion in the year 2000, an equal supply will support six billion at about 2015. If an oil supply of 65 mb/d supported a global population of five billion in the year 1980, an equal supply will support five billion at about 2020. If an oil supply of 45 mb/d supported a global population of four billion in the year 1970, an equal supply will support four billion at about 2025. And so on down the depletion slope of Hubbert’s Peak until the finite, global supply of oil has been exhausted.

Based on the correlation of past global energy consumption and population, the human race is very likely to be diminished by 3-5 billion people over the course of the current century. Most who make this prognosis hope they are wrong. Unfortunately, the data that highlights the relationship of access to energy and survival tends to trump such wishful thinking. The inherent political challenge of such a horrendous ecological purge is to be part of the planet’s inhabitants who survive the demise of the Age of Oil, to continue the ongoing adventure of the human race.

By making the dual-claim of global population depletion and regional secession, one runs the risk of being stroked as a Bilderberg stooge. After all, the purported New World Order supposedly champions both of these events as part of its mandate: firstly, population depletion to ensure the dwindling supplies of natural resources, in particular fossil fuels, for the benefit of an elite and chosen few, and; secondly, the undermining and eventual gutting of the world’s nation states in order to channel a future world government through the bureaucratic and militaristic global structure of the United Nations.

In order to pre-empt any such accusation, the following can simply be stated: a conscious, conspiratorial, eugenic effort to “cull” global population by unleashing an economic catastrophe, a nuclear Third World War, a designer pandemic virus, or a combination of all three, is light years removed from an ecological and systemic “purge” and correction, short of a complete die-off, by the natural carrying capacity of the planet, no matter how horrific such a correction stands to be.

Furthermore, nation state devolution is a single event seen either as precursor to global domination by the advocates of a New World Order or as the re-invention of geopolitical institutions to further human survival and social evolution by secessionists.

Again, to highlight the current historical contradiction, an alleged one-world government is diametrically opposed to hundreds of small, autonomous nations, although both global constructs require and envision the dissolution of the large industrial nation state in order to succeed. This contradiction cannot be stated emphatically enough. The pending crisis entails a showdown of worldviews with the large industrial nation state caught in the middle and cast in the role of historical albatross for both competing tendencies.

The bulk of global population depletion will be felt most severely and tragically in the poorer nations. Food riots in some of these nations have been occurring regularly; government granaries have been under armed guard. Large industrial nations, NAmerica inclusive, will not be spared the consequences of an energy-depleted world. With a pampered population of button pushers whose lifestyles are “non-negotiable” and who have little idea from where or how their several hundred energy slaves per capita originate, how could it be otherwise?

Let us return to the downward slope of Hubbert’s Peak and the 20-year window of opportunity for political preparation that it affords NAmerican secessionists. As one gazes through this window, I ask you to resort to your own imaginations, from whatever business, professional or life experience you come, to perceive what lies in store between this day and the year 2030. I ask you to perceive an almost unimaginable degree of social and economic suffering and political turmoil. I ask you to perceive of an economy shrinking at an annual rate of two to five percent, as matched to the oil depletion rate, with no option for correction. I ask you to perceive a world of double-digit unemployment and inflation. I ask you to perceive the confusion and the horror of a public that has been lied to, kept in the dark, and desperately seeking answers. I ask you to perceive how the physical consequences of empire collapse actually materialize and affect human lives when distanced from the intellectual comfort of cyberspace prattle.

I ask you to perceive an historical transition the magnitude of which has never been experienced by the human race. I ask you to perceive the political inter-relationship of crisis and opportunity. I ask you to perceive the stark severity of the political challenges inherent in this Post-Peak Oil era. I ask you to perceive the degree of political responsibility and related wisdom, courage and stamina to take on and own the terrible incentive to see clearly and to act accordingly, to harness a revolution of thought and social re-invention.

And lastly, I ask you to bundle these perceptions together in order to perceive the actual political potential contained within this 20-year window of opportunity for the NAmerican secessionist movement.

To clearly identify what we do, why we do it, and how we do it, it is essential to distinguish cause from effect and concentrate on the former as opposed to the latter. It is essential to identify first principles, the essence, the core nature of our movement and place secondary principles in their proper slots of secondary importance.

It is proposed that the meta-condition upon which all other conditions are dependent is the historical crisis of the end of industrial civilization, as is so concretely made evident by the onset of Peak Oil and the co-related implosion of the large industrial nation state. As such, the Peak Oil crisis constitutes a political window of opportunity for NAmerican secessionists. This crisis is the primary condition above all others. It translates into the opportunity to hinge the secessionist movement onto the advent of Peak Oil in the public consciousness and discourse, to evolve politically in tandem with energy decline, and to firmly position the secessionist movement in the public imagination to the degree that when one thinks “Peak Oil” one automatically also thinks “secessionist movement.”

This historical window of opportunity affords the secessionist movement a cauldron within which to stir and prepare the ingredients to engage in electoral politics. Until such measures are considered, developed, coordinated and introduced for public consideration, the movement remains largely dormant, frozen inside the Irish proverb: Every hound is a pup until it hunts.

If, over the course of the next two decades, NAmerican secessionists analyze the political landscape correctly and act accordingly, then by 2030 when the unfolding political crisis erupts like “a cobra stabbing at the sky” (to quote Arthur Koestler), they shall then rightly inherit, each in their respective regional, cultural and political jurisdictions, that for which has been prepared. The onus falls on secessionists to win first and fight later.

Novacadia

Politics, when all is said and done, is about turf. Particular rules of law, constitutions, judiciaries, fiscal structures, bureaucracies, social institutions, etc. are all sub-elements of an overriding geographical destination and jurisdiction. For secessionists, of course, the fundamental issue lies with the most proper, the most reasonable, the most balanced, or the most optimum size of the jurisdiction, primarily as relates to population size and only secondarily as relates to physical size. The most reasonable and most optimum size, in turn, translates into optimum rights and liberties, optimum safety and civic integrity for its citizens, and the optimum functioning of a free market economic system. This principle of reduced size is the bedrock of secessionist philosophy.[8]

When contemplating optimum size for national re-inventions on the NAmerican continent, it is essential to identify the regional parameters of secession, as opposed to individual state and provincial secession. To take the Lower 48 as an example, it is somewhat far-fetched to think in terms of 48 independent nations.[9]

The most recent regional designation to be brought into the secessionist discourse is the region of Novacadia. It is the region that consists of the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and the Québec region of the Gaspe Peninsula, and the American states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. There is an alternative designation for the same region which further includes Newfoundland and upper New York state that is tentatively called Atlantica.[10]

The southern states and the notion of Cascadia on the west coast are now well positioned to becoming regional designations as opposed to single state designations for future nationhood. The proposed secessionist designation of Novacadia is barely out of the gate. As the physical term-of-reference for the secessionist movement is the continent of NAmerica and, as the two notions of Cascadia and Novacadia straddle an international boundary, unique and uncharted legal and constitutional challenges abound. The same challenges may hold true for the prairie regions. To this end, the proposed Novacadia Independence Party has included a clause in its draft bylaws for party membership to consist of both Canadian and American citizens.

To aid the process of regional identification for the purposes of NAmerican secession, there exist at least two geographical models.

The first of these models is that put forward by Joel Garreau in his 1981 best seller, The Nine Nations of North America. Within this model, the southern states have been clearly designated as a region called Dixie, although overlapping into Texas. The notion of Mexamerica is likely very contentious. Cascadia still goes by the designation of Ecotopia as first identified by Ernest Callenbach in his novel of the same name. Novacadia is lumped together as an extension of New England (and is called such) and more closely resembles the geographical notion of Atlantica.

The second model is the bioregional model. Within this model, a political designation based solely on geographical factors such as mountain ranges, watersheds, prairie land, rivers, etc. quickly becomes convoluted for practical political purposes. Although the evolution of events and political context over the last two decades have largely made bioregionalism as a concrete political tool redundant, it is not necessary to throw the baby out with the bath water. From wherever it is possible to realistically borrow and most effectively aid secessionist goals surely does no harm. After all, natural and geographical designations have contained since time immemorial the cultural ingredients for nation identification.

There is a third geographical model that is of extreme importance. This model recognizes the same field of play of NAmerica, but does so at a polar opposite from the secessionist model. This model is, of course, the notion of North American Union with the related political appendages of the Security & Prosperity Partnership and U.S. NorthCom. As do secessionists, the advocates of NAU think in long-range terms of a Post-Peak Oil world, but with drastically different motives and goals. That the mandate of NAU is motivated by energy concerns is obvious to the politically astute. The vision for NAU is likely best symbolized by the proposed NAFTA Super Highway. This mammoth engineering concept linking Mexico to Canada is an entropic travesty and is as unachievable as is the political concept that allows for it. However, the bureaucratic efforts to proceed with both, by federal governments of both the United States and Canada, are well underway.

Irrespective of whatever the situation may be above the political surface, it is reasonable to claim that beneath the surface the two nations of the United States and Canada are in distress. The two national flags flown upside down are indicative of this distress. Quickly in passing, it is proposed that the pending official recognition of NAU by our respective national governments strategically works to the secessionist advantage, and not against it. This is so for two reasons. Firstly, the likely sanctioning of NAU in several years time is very likely to coincide with the initial stages of Peak Oil, therefore creating a perfect political storm for our little secessionist dinghy, so to speak. Secondly, by virtue of eventually finalizing NAU, our respective electorates in Canada and the United States will no longer have the option of resorting to their national political representatives with their outrage. New political and electoral options will be entertained, if not immediately endorsed.

In the age of Post-Peak Oil physical and social infrastructures will collapse, the infrastructure of the gargantuan state inclusive; they will grind to gridlock due to severely decreased energy input and flow-through. Business failure and unemployment will be astronomical, and the federal government’s tax coffers will decline relatively. This scenario is a general’s and a mainstream politician’s worst nightmare: the center will not hold. It is the meeting ground of the radical left and the radical right.[11]

Within the context of a Post-Peak Oil world, the identification of Novacadia as a future autonomous nation remains an element of conjecture. But we are all as secessionists, with our hopes and our visions, currently constrained by conjecture. We tread on uncharted political territory. There is no secessionist crystal ball. There are no maps, no charts. We are pioneers. We are the mapmakers.

The literature on how to deal with and survive within such a world ranges from marginal to nonexistent. As example, how does a society learn to concretely deal with a constantly contracting economy and exist within its means when all economic theory and discipline are based on growth and related fiat debt creation? No one knows. Literature on regionalism in the United States is sparse and what there is, as is the case with Canada, deals with regionalism and economic development. There is no literature on regionalism and economic meltdown. The one regional guideline that secessionists may resort to is that during times of crisis one looks to one’s neighbors.

As a conjectured rationale then for the regional determination of Novacadia, the following preliminary sketch is offered. It is a barely visible point on a blank sheet of paper. It will hopefully contribute towards a degree of endorsement by Novacadian secessionists and the eventual drawing of a map. As mentioned at the outset of this paper, there is only one place to start and that is at the beginning.

The combined population of the three Maritime provinces and the three New England states of Novacadia is approximately five million people. This is an optimum population size for civic conduct and administration as Leopold Kohr may have recognized it. More importantly, it is an optimum population size to house, feed and employ within greatly reduced economic parameters and expectations. Economic self-sufficiency will be at a premium. Within this regional population of five million, the three largest cities are Greater Halifax with a population of 370,000, Saint John at 122,000, and Manchester at 108,000.

The vast majority of Novacadia’s population is rural. With a pre-determined economic shift to a predominantly agrarian economy complimented by small-scale secondary industry in a Post-Peak Oil world, this is crucial. An agrarian economy, coupled with a small population and compact channels of distribution, makes the economic challenge of self-sufficiency that much easier to attain. Novacadia is novel in that political power already resides in the country, and not in the city. This is a political opportunity of extreme importance.

It is largely due to this particular designation of Novacadia with its rural nature, small population and relatively limited urban sprawl that the New England states of New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut have been excluded. The Second Vermont Republic made the same distinction with its initial hypothesis for New Acadia.[12] In a Post-Peak Oil world, with limited options in the governmental budget, the carrying and maintenance of a large city will be a liability. Also, if and when secession negotiations commence with federal authorities, it will be prudent to keep off the table a book value that the federalists see as an asset and Novacadians see as a liability.

Except for Vermont, Novacadia is endowed with ocean coastline which directly implies a seafaring nation. The craft and skills of shipbuilding are not completely lost. The natural resources to support this industry are in place. A serious development of tidal energy, as opposed to corporate posturing, could make Novacadia energy self-sufficient. The shared coastline more than compensates for a rough, but useable, highway infrastructure. Upgraded and new rail lines would be welcome. Most importantly, the sea is a cultural tie. It is a common point of identity. This cultural tie highlights a bioregional social dynamic that a people “are of place.” A regional identity is innate; it evolves naturally. It does not have to be artificially hammered into minds beginning at kindergarten age and relentlessly reinforced with gaudy symbols and social spectacles for the duration of a lifetime.

In many ways, the economic possibilities for Novacadia are merely a return to the pre-industrial economies of New England and The Maritimes when natural north-south trade relations existed. These economies were primarily agrarian and, due to seafaring capabilities, mercantile in nature and in practice.

With due respect to Libertarian secessionists, although the market and legal principles of free enterprise will need to be safeguarded, in a time of social crisis a certain degree of state involvement with social programs is likely unavoidable. This will be a precarious economic balancing act, especially in light of limited governmental resources and a new, deflated, non-fiat and unproven regional currency.

As a region that has largely been bypassed by industrial development, the peoples of Novacadia share a relatively undamaged natural environment and a shared history of hardships, of living within material means, and of a condescending arrogance displayed by the “more developed” metropole.

In a Post-Peak Oil world, in many ways, social and economic relations will be turned on their heads. What once was a liability becomes the richest of assets. Underdevelopment becomes an asset; a rural political base becomes an asset; traditional community ties become an asset; small population becomes as asset, and so on. There is almost a poetic justice, a long overdue karma of sorts, to identifying the Novacadian secessionist adventure on the very soil where European settlers first stepped to embark on continental expansionism.

In conclusion, it is not necessary for NAmerican secessionists to advocate a blind and groundless act of secession based on questionable and quite possibly reactionary and redundant motivators. There is little, if any, need for animosity that is rooted in past injustices. What is of greater tactical importance is to acknowledge the historical conditions for secession as they exist in the present, conditions which were not created by secessionists and which quickly approach a crisis and, as such, call to be acted upon. To undo the institutional construct of the large industrial nation state, an artificial imposition that has been in place for two centuries, is no small task. Fortunately, secessionists need not overly concern themselves with having to “do” such task. It is the historical condition with corresponding opportunities and synergies that will unravel the artificial identity of large-scale nationalism. Secessionists need merely to perceive such and adapt accordingly. This is the unfolding of history; it need not be taken personally. There is a clear and important difference of motives, a difference that may at some point carry crucial legal merit.[13]

There is much work to be done. There are no guarantees and there most certainly are no freebies. Secessionist adversaries are many and have at their disposal the full resources of the state. If, as according to the Zogby poll, secession is more favorable to traditional liberals than to traditional conservatives remains to be seen. Within the context of an energy-depleted future, empire implosion and related depletion of a nanny-state social infrastructure, the support of liberal, and largely urban centrists and statists could easily wane while support of conservative, and largely rural decentralists increases. No one yet knows how the hybrid political initiative of “radical right meeting radical left” will actually present and play itself out. However, the political hybrid does slowly begin to come into focus and, as with any other birthing process, will carry like dynamics.

The most dangerous adversary to be faced by secessionists and the one that overlaps all political affiliations is a massive, brain-dead, lumbering brute. This adversary is the Leviathan of large-state nationalism and its blind handmaiden, a fawning patriotism. Fortunately, neither are genetic pre-conditions for human survival and Pavlovian learnt behavior can, over time, be unlearned towards the establishment of new, scaled down regional identities.

For some secessionists it may be time to deal with the political schizophrenia of attempting to be both a secessionist and a national patriot; tourists will need to be shown to the tourist compartment of the secessionist vehicle. Once the Rubicon has been crossed, there is no turning back.

Most of the work to be undertaken over the next two decades will be to agitate and to educate, as the revolution we propose is largely a revolution of thought, a revolution of perception. People fear what they do not understand. Education will be just one of many political responsibilities for secessionists in order to placate those fears. As a simple example, is the public capable of understanding the secessionist dynamics inherent in thermodynamics and cascading entropy? Not very likely, but the public will understand the image of a runaway freight hurtling down the slope of an uncharted mountain. Scolding the public for its lack of comprehension, of course, accomplishes nothing.

As we go forward with our diverse secessionist initiatives to re-invent the political topography of NAmerica it is strongly and sincerely hoped that, however one may understand the notion of a God at work within their lives, may God’s speed be with us all during these turbulent, demanding and crucial times. We will need it.

Addendum: Peak Oil, Bailout Bunk, and the Coming Recession
By Tom Whipple and Steve Andrews

(Note: Tom Whipple writes a weekly peak oil column and edits ASPO-USA newsletter. Steve Andrews is a co-founder of ASPO-USA and publisher of the newsletter. This article is taken from the October 6, 2008 issue of The Peak Oil Review, published by ASPO-USA. Commentaries do not necessarily represent ASPO-USA's positions; they are personal statements and observations by informed commentators.)

The concept of peak oil started as a geological theory* that went like this: if you knew the amount of oil produced in the past, the rate at which it was produced, and roughly how much oil remained under the earth’s surface, the theory could help you determine when oil production would likely start declining. Over the years however, proponents and critics alike recognized that more factors than just the size of oil resources and the ease of exploiting them would determine when world oil production would peak and plateau.

In the inimitable words of Frenchman Jean Marie Boudaire, “it ain’t the size of the tank [the resource], it’s the size of the tap.” And a veritable suite of factors can tweak “the size of the tap,” or how fast oil can be extracted or produced.

Wars impact production rates. Iraqi production is down because they’ve had bullets flying over their oilfields off and on for about 30 years. Nigerian rebel factions attack and take down oil production facilities with alarming frequency. Nationalism has converted most of the world’s oil reserves to state-controlled national oil companies that in many places produce oil inefficiently. International and domestic politics keep the efficient, well-funded, experienced international oil companies on the sidelines, away from many of the world’s best remaining oilfields. This plus rapid inflation in the cost of oil production equipment and operations has resulted in serious under-investment in projects to produce new oil in the four-years-and-beyond time frame. (The upside here: “inefficient production” will likely lower the ultimate world oil peak and lengthen the plateau production period, thereby giving us more time to plan an adaptive transition.)

It now looks as if a new factor has come into the game, one that could severely limit the rate at which new oil fields are developed over the coming years. This factor is the financial/liquidity crisis and the rapidly deteriorating world economic situation.

At present, financial markets are telling us that without a “solution” to the current credit squeeze, a major recession or worse is in the cards and that recent meager growth in world oil consumption will likely grind to a halt. But don’t bank on further large drops in gasoline prices as the OPEC cartel is already pondering production cuts to keep prices in around $100 a barrel. While OPEC may not be able to produce oil much faster, they (read Saudi Arabia and her closet allies) sure can dial down production, force up prices and end up with the best of two worlds – more unproduced oil in the ground and more money in the bank.

Congress just passed a $700+ billion bill to free up the credit markets which were said to be totally or partially paralyzed. Some seem to think that in a couple of weeks, this bill will grease credit markets and the recession will be minimized. Many others, however, find this absurd. The US bubble economy appears to have problems measured in trillions of dollars, so bailouts in the 100s of billions are unlikely to have more than a short term impact. While an “affordable” bailout may eventually unfreeze some loans, it certainly will not solve the myriad economic problems that have been piling up for a long time. (Wake us when the housing bubble has fully popped.)
In recent months US and world oil consumption have been dropping due to high prices and the worsening economic funk. Whereas in recent years worldwide demand for oil increased by about 1.5 million b/d every year, that number will shrink to a few hundred thousand b/d annual increase for 2008. If the economic situation gets much worse, demand for oil probably will go into actual decline.

If, as seems likely, the omnibus financial bailout does little good and the world goes into a prolonged recession, then we probably are on the peak/plateau of world oil production right now. Demand will drop, production will be slowed, and new multi-billion dollar oil projects that are not already well underway will be delayed or cancelled due to lack of demand or capital to pay for them.

The world, however, will still produce on the order of 31 billion barrels of oil and other combustible liquids this year. That number would likely drop if the situation deteriorates, though we are still likely to be draining tens of billions of barrels from the world’s oil fields each year. But if current economic travails continue and new production projects slow, annual depletion will overwhelm annual new additions. Playing that scenario out, we would never again exceed the production levels we have seen in recent years. We would fall short of reaching 90 million b/d. Just keeping production levels flat may require heroic efforts.

Peak oil, however, probably has another even more important message for us. In recent days there has been much discussion of the “business cycle” and the “rebound” that has always occurred as each past downturn ended. Some believe that the rebound started last Friday with the passage of the bailout bill, others say in a few months, some say in “a few quarters,” or if you are really pessimistic, in a few years. No one outside of those who understand the meaning and imminence of peak oil recognize that the traditional business cycle of the industrial age is about to be turned on its head.

Talk of “rebounds” during an era when oil production will be declining shows a failure to understand a fundamental critical reality: we depend on prodigious quantities of cheap energy, especially liquid fuels, to run our cars, to farm and distribute our food, and to move people and goods by ship, train and plane. Unless we stumble upon some miraculous breakthrough—either in the world of energy supplies or financial market fixes, or both--we likely face a very tough economic transition that could last for many years. Softening oil prices of late will only serve to delay awareness about the need to proactively select a more intelligent transition path than the one we’re trapped on today.

Back in 1988, geophysicist M. King Hubbert, the father of the peak oil theory, said roughly the following during an interview: “we have a window of opportunity to change our oil consumption habits, but that window is slowly closing. Eventually it appears that we’ll have to deal with a downward spiral of adversity before things can get better.” If Hubbert’s words sound prophetic, let’s work to make sure that his “things can get better” prophesy also plays out.

* Some supporters of the oil constraints story are troubled by the demeaning linked use of the words “theory” and “peak oil.” We’re not. Other notable and highly respected theories that make us feel that evolving peak oil theory is in good company include atomic theory, germ theory, theory of relativity, etc.

Footnotes:

[1] Middlebury Institute/Zogby Poll, July 2008. Survey finds that one in five Americans believe that states have the right to secede.
[2] See: Burlington Declaration, First North American Secessionist Convention, November, 2006; and, Chattanooga Declaration, Second North American Secessionist Convention, October, 2007.
[3] Amongst Peak Oil advocates, the arrival date of Peak Oil is hotly debated. For the purposes of this paper, the arrival date of 2012-2015 is relied upon, a date corroborated by ASPO-USA. Even within a severe global economic downturn, the basic parameters of Peak Oil do not vary: global supply remains at approximately one trillion barrels and decreasing, while global demand remains at a population of approximately seven billion and increasing.
[4] The current financial meltdown with related bailing out of banks holding junk derivatives by G8 governments has literally unfolded on a daily basis during the writing of this paper. That a global recession/depression will follow seems imminent. At final edit, crude is trading at $65/barrel, a far cry from the high of $147/barrel in July. At an emergency meeting, the OPEC cartel decided to cut production by 1.5 million barrels in order to bring the price of a barrel in around the $80-$90 mark. The motive to regain lost revenues is self-evident. What is not so self-evident is that producers in Canada’s tar sands require crude prices at the $90/barrel level to show a return on production costs. The financial interests of OPEC coincide with those of the oil majors. Also note, that even with the projected economic downturn, OPEC forecasts 2009 demand to be at 87.2 million barrels per day, resulting in a net increase over 2008 demand by 700,000 barrels. Even within conditions of severe economic recession/depression, especially in G8 countries, global net demand is projected to increase. This is a strong indicator that the world is very likely on the plateau of Peak Oil.
[5] The Peak Oil breakthrough occurred in 1998 with the publication in Scientific American of a seminal paper co-written by Colin Campbell and Jean Laherrere. Mr. Campbell today is the head of ASPO International (The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas). Other prominent names that have popularized Peak Oil and likely social consequences are: Richard Heinberg, James Howard Kunstler, Matt Savinar and Mathew Simmons. Peak Oil internet sites are numerous with the most respected likely being The Oil Drum.
[6] One has to wonder if the simplicity of understanding the Peak Oil equation is the motive for its neglect by the corporate media. The Peak Oil paradigm is “Copernican” in nature in that it tends to drastically alter the human perception of worldly phenomena. An argument can be made that social debate is about to shift from the Copernican stage to the Keplerian stage, i.e. from hypothetical Green philosophy to more concrete Peak Oil and thermodynamic philosophy.
[7] International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2008. It should be noted that of the $26 trillion energy investment in the timeframe 2007-2030, just over half goes simply to maintain the current level of supply capacity. Much of the world’s current infrastructure for supplying oil, gas, coal and electricity will need to be replaced by 2030.
[8] Leopold Kohr, The Breakdown of Nations
[9] Regional political determination blends with the principle of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity is an organizing principle wherein matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. It recognizes the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or local level. The concept is applicable in the fields of government, political science, cybernetics and management.
[10] The notion of Atlantica has been championed for several years by the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies. AIMS is seen to be a right wing, neo-con think tank with the designation of Atlantica falling under a wider continental agenda. A fledgling Atlantica Party has been launched and, although the party steadfastly claims there is no affiliation to AIMS, the suspicion that the party is a shill for the latter is widely held in the Maritimes.
[11] The notion of the radical left meeting the radical right gained considerable public attention by an Associated Press article written by Bill Poovey on the Second North American Secessionist Convention held in Chattanooga.
[12] The notion of New Acadia was first introduced by Thomas Naylor, founder of the Second Vermont Republic, in a widely-published op-ed piece several years ago. The article has been incorporated as a separate chapter in his recently published book Secession, published by Feral House.
[13] In Canada, the option for provincial secession is recognized by the federal Clarity Act. Although heavily weighted in favor of the federal government, the Act nonetheless does recognize the legitimacy of a secessionist initiative. In the United States, the situation is considerably more clouded as to the legal merit of state secession. In all likelihood, a secessionist legal precedent may need to be established in order to determine the future of federal devolution. This historical responsibility may very well fall to Vermont as the state most likely seen to secede.

Third North American Secessionist Convention

2008-11-13T16:03:00.002-04:00

I'm off to the Third North American Secessionist Convention this week-end in Manchester, NH (home of the state motto: Live free or die.) Gotta love that motto! For information on the short history of the NAmerican secessionist movement, The Middlebury Institute is as good a place as any to start.

The position paper being presented at the convention, Post-Peak Oil and NAmerican Regional Secession, will be up on this blog and on the Novacadia Alliance web site on Monday, the 17th.

These are fascinating times!

The Disappearing Male, CBC Documentary

2008-11-11T06:20:00.002-04:00

That this should be a CBC documentary comes with its share of irony. It flies in the face of the CBC's subliminal (and at times, not so subliminal) feminist agenda. Oh well, it's a topsy-turvy world in which we live.

I do not have my own words at the moment to relay the horror that this documentary raised within me. The cinematic images of human sterility portrayed by Children of Men is reversed from female to male reproductive emptiness. The only words that sprung to mind on watching this documentary were those of Kurtz/Brando: “I cried, I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out. I didn’t know what to do. And I want to remember it, I never want to forget.”

The state-sanctioned, politically-correct efforts to dummy down the male presence on the social template pale in comparison to the industrially programmed eugenics of the chemical and plastics industries. That there is a Peak Oil connection is obvious and hopefully a saving grace. In a Post-Peak Oil world the latter industries may succomb to demise and yet stave off this silent and monstrous extinction of the human race. View at will if you missed the original airing. The remaining parts to the full documentary can be searched at YouTube.

Elizabeth May: "Who me? I'm not to blame."

2008-11-11T05:48:00.002-04:00

There is more fallout floating to the surface pointing to the internal strife in the Green Party of Canada in the wake of the recent federal election. For the full story, see: Green Party 'clearly unprepared' for campaign: May.

Could Ms. May be preparing the way for her exit from the GPC by blaming the 'underlings' for the party's internal meltdown? It is amazing how the finger of blame points in all directions except possibly in the one direction that really matters.

In the CTV story, Ms. May is quoted as saying: 'I intend to remain as leader of the Green party. My personal popularity with the Canadian electorate is something, speaking as objectively as possible, that the Green party needs. I did not become leader of this party to quit and, in so doing, watch it decline.'

Aside from what one may see as being blind vanity, the reverse psychology of the statement is apparent. Shortly after the election it was reported that Ms. May was going through the GPC's constitution with a fine-tooth comb to secure her position. Critics of the GPC can stand and cheer. With Ms. May at the helm, the internal turmoil can only increase.

Look for the fawning members of the fledgling GPNS to clamber to the rescue at the GPC's policy convention in Pictou in February. The squawks are all too audible that the local neophytes are being played like an old fiddle. The delegate knives that are out will be conveniently held at bay by a combination of location and timing.

Who knows? Within a year or two the Feminist Party of Canada may finally come out of the closet and break from the GPC to become an even more insignificant national rump.

Obama Victory

2008-11-05T05:00:00.002-04:00

The lollipop of “change” has been offered to the American people and they have taken it, hook, line and sinker, i.e. President, Senate and House. After all, relative to: 1. the eight years of the Bush Administration; 2. the construct of social and political reality as cooked by the corporate media, and; 3. the limited scope of perception and understanding that are part-and-parcel of the spectacle of mass, large-scale democracy, how could the decision have been otherwise?

Change, no doubt, is in store in spades. The deck chairs on the Titanic have merely been switched from red to blue. Nothing changes, except for the spin. Relative to the global context, the change of administrations is about as relative (and analogous) as a change of diapers.

Democrat or Republican administration, the evolving condition remains the same: industrial empire collapse, a choking planet, financial meltdown and bleeding of the middle class, global military positioning, Peak Oil, 9/11 Truth, North American Union, etc., etc.

For NAmerican secessionists it's business as usual.

New Video of WTC7 Collapse

2008-11-04T06:25:00.002-04:00

I suppose that actually seeing the charges go off and still holding to the position that 9/11 was not an inside job is the equivalent of actually seeing bone and brain matter fly backwards from JFK's forehead (Zapruder) and still hold to the position that there was no shooter on the grassy knoll and that the head shot was an exit wound. And people ask me why I live as a recluse in the boonies of Nova Scotia!

Watch WTC7 in How to Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Remember, remember the 5th of November

2008-11-01T06:34:00.002-03:00

Okay, okay so the American election falls one day short. Who cares? It's close enough to position this little nugget accordingly. V fans, rejoice! If the end is near, then so also is the beginning.

Recess at The Asylum

2008-11-01T06:07:00.002-03:00

Some things are just too funny and stupid! The picture portrayed in the link below manages to connect from a good belly laugh and inane stupidity to a level of snapshot wisdom on the predicament of imperial decline. Enjoy.

Steve Quayle News Alerts

The Ghost of Thomas Jefferson

2008-10-30T06:59:00.002-03:00

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of U.S. (1743-1826), Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin (1802)

Within the context of the current global financial meltdown, this quote of Thomas Jefferson is gettng a lot of "air time" in the blogosphere. To include it in this blog does no harm.

For those whose curiosity goes beyond the front-page prattle of the corporate media, the following two articles on the financial malaise may prove worthwhile. Behind the Panic: Financial Warfare and the Future of Global Bank Power, by F. William Engdahl; Down the Rabbit Hole Towards a New Economic World Order, by Simon Davies and Donald Hunt.

The Internet offers numerous alternative red pills, i.e. news sources. To quote from the same literary source that gave us the "rabbit hole": "Feed your head."

Mind Artillery VI, EU Calls for New World Governance

2008-10-25T04:12:00.002-03:00

Prior to flying off to Washington to meet with President Bush last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy hob-knobbed with Prime Minister Harper at the Francophonie Summit in Quebec City. One has to wonder what was whispered as opposed to what was reported in the press. The following video clip may offer some clues.

Sarkozy and José Barroso, President of the European Commission, have placed themselves firmly at the forefront of the NWO. To say that they are "walking the point" is an understatement. The language delivered in the accompanying video bypasses all diplomatic nuance and niceties. The global financial crisis has placed everyone under the gun: you, me and the bosses. Things have gotten fast-tracked to a degree that would have been unthinkable as recently as several months ago.

These are fascinating times in which we live. The condition, i.e. the financial crisis and related pending economic meltdown, clearly draws a line in the sand for all to see, if not necessarily to understand. Once you step over the line, there is no turning back. This is the turning point. The Rubicon swells with anticipation.

For good measure, here's a clip of Sarkozy being met by Bush and his speech on the tarmac. Barasso lurks to the left. One can imagine him snarling, "Swim with the fishes." George W. looks somewhat stunned. At least he's not holding a child's storybook upside down.

Mind Artillery V, Michael Chertoff, Warnings of Terror Plot

2008-10-23T03:23:00.002-03:00

Michael Chertoff, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, is the most recent to warn of a likely crisis. Unlike other high profile politicos who have pointed towards the time period after the American elections, Mr. Chertoff also tosses in the time period leading up to the election.

"There's a general level of intemperateness in the discussion as we approach the election,'' he (Chertoff) said. "Do I worry that it could trigger in a disturbed individual a desire to do something? Absolutely, I worry about it."

Of course, the authorities must be on guard against "disturbed individuals" just as the Nazis were on guard for the "disturbed" Communist individual who torched the Reichstag. The irony of the comment made on behalf of the Bush administration would seem to have escaped Mr. Chertoff.

Full Bloomberg story here.

David Suzuki: "There shouldn't be a Green Party."

2008-10-22T16:58:00.002-03:00

David Suzuki is now officially on record with the statement, "There shouldn't be a Green Party."

Mr. Suzuki's stance is not exactly earth-shattering, but that it is finally out in the open is. His motives for stating such are fairly straight forward and practical, as he sees things. Then again, possibly he is just paving the way (or contributing to the paving of the way) for Liz May to bolt over to the Libs. After all, one of the sponsors of the lecture at which he made the statement was the Sierra Youth Foundation. Few things are as they seem.

As was pointed out in a previous post, the sunflower's post-election petals seem to be shrivelling and falling off.

...and then we have the GPC's response here.

Mind Artillery IV, Globe and Mail Article, Opening Shot for SPP and NAU

2008-10-22T07:46:00.002-03:00

Canada's "national newspaper" The Globe and Mail, has published an article under the byline, "A new U.S. chief, a new Harper mandate – and a new big idea." Nice touch that, sneaking in "new big idea" without once mentioning the words Security & Prosperity Partnership or North American Union in the entire article.

Mind Artillery III, Britain's Prime Minister Argues for Global Governance

2008-10-22T07:39:00.002-03:00

Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown tried to make the case that "The Financial Crisis Is Also an Opportunity To Create New Rules for Our Global Economy," as the subtitle put it. Very smooth, not quite as crass as "New World Order." Possibly watch for a shift in the global world-speak away from the latter.

Mind Artillery II, Colin Powel Warns of Coming Crisis

2008-10-22T07:34:00.002-03:00

Colin Powell has made bizarre comments that echo the recent declaration by Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden that there will be an "international crisis" early into Barack Obama’s presidency that will test the new president by forcing him to make unpopular decisions.

Mind Artillery I, Joe Biden Speech

2008-10-22T07:28:00.002-03:00

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., on October 19, 2008 guaranteed that if elected, Sen. Barack Obama., D-Ill., will be tested by an international crisis within his first six months in power and he will need supporters to stand by him as he makes tough, and possibly unpopular, decisions.

Mind Artillery Series

2008-10-22T07:26:00.002-03:00

It should come as no great surprise that within the context of the current global financial crisis Western governments and their obedient handmaidens, the corporate media, are taking their relative steps on cue.

In standard 19th century, set-piece military strategy the opening move of one of two adversaries is always the artillery onslaught. The purpose of inflicting casualties is equal to, and sometimes secondary to, the psychological impact on the opposing adversary. The artillery onslaught is followed by ground troops, which in turn are followed up on by cavalry to mop up.

The three military metaphors of artillery, ground forces and cavalry are simple to understand in order to clarify the evolving situation of the “information war” that is in full swing for the public’s mind. By stringing together corporate media stories, alternative media stories and commentary, and blogger commentary in a series called “Mind Artillery Series” the purpose of the series will hopefully become self evident.

For those who are already “in the loop” the information presented in this series will not come as a great surprise. Keep up the good work! You already know where to go for your information. The primary purpose of the series is to nudge those visitors to this blog who are not yet in the loop towards taking that first, frightening step across their own individual Rubicons.

Green Party of Canada R.I.P.

2008-10-19T18:33:00.002-03:00

The Green Party of Canada is bleeding like a stuck pig. Since the results of the party’s disastrously lead federal election campaign, signs of internal strife are overwhelming: disgruntled candidates voicing betrayal by Elizabeth May, the GPC leader; blogs popping up on the internet calling for Ms. May’s resignation; an insurmountable debt load due to political mismanagement; one of two GPC Deputy Leader’s, Claude Genest, openly admitting that the GPC was had by the Liberals with the Dion-May political flirtation and, most recently; over the week-end a past GPC leadership candidate and deputy leader, David Chernushenko, resigning from the party due to Ms. May’s “autocratic approach.”

If Ms. May’s leadership has finally brought to public visibility an internal strife and programmed internal inequalities via the pursuit of a questionable and dated feminist philosophy, remains to be seen. If so, then the evolution of the crisis may be linked back to the ludicrous 1988 proposal by the British Columbia Greens to field only female candidates. To this day, all Green parties endorse an internal authoritarian and condescending affirmative action which, to the naïve addresses gender inequalities, while to the mature smacks of non-democratic inefficiency by thwarting the best talent (be that talent female or male), for the sake of protecting the baggage of a tired and spent ideology. A mommy-dearest matriarchate is not exactly the pinnacle of gender equality. The useless bleating of politically correct victims is a far cry from assuming amazon integrity and self accountability. It is not the responsibility of a political party to succor needy waifs of either gender.

The electoral catastrophe may introduce the necessary purge to finally put the GPC, as an eco-political Frankenstein, out of its misery. The party’s misguided philosophical ownership of leviathan bigness by virtue of endorsing the Liberal’s national Green Shift and the party’s false promises to the public to avert the social hurt of a spiraling ecological meltdown are exposed for all to see. What becomes evident is that the GPC lie to the public is the most hypocritical, the most opportunistic and the most sinister of all political lies.

By the mere virtue of its federalist, centralist, myopic and nanny-state policies, the GPC has set eco-politics back 20 years. In conjunction with the damage done by Ms. May and her Griberal opportunism, at the very least the setback is now 30 years; at the very worst the GPC, in concert with the World Greens, has been primed to possibly become a Bilderberg patsy.

Eco-politics in Canada, and more importantly in its respective bioregions, have now come full circle. Philosophically we are at a place just prior to the introduction of eco-politics 30 years ago, yet just in advance of a very silent and deadly spring. Rather than pursue the juvenile notion of “saving the world” Greens may finally be ready to mature towards the notion of “safeguarding one’s immediate region.” Between these two political notions there are light years of difference in political perspectives, assumptions, visions, motives and, eventually, actions.

As for Ms. May, she will hopefully be offered a rickety ministry by some outback Anglican parish to provide for her family. That her political career is likely at an end, would seem to be a given. There is not a political party in the country that has a welcome sign hung out for her expertise. The degree of hatred she has publicly shown towards Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a human being, irrespective of the man’s political stance, and done so as a purported Christian has a tendency to deliver its own just karma. Contained in the one are the many. In the end, what is sacred will be revealed as surely as what is profane. That her legacy will be to have sparked the demise through her own “autocratic” vanity of an eco-political pretender and dinosaur seems a just payback. By ultimately freeing up the best and bravest Green minds, the North American secessionist movement owes Ms. May due gratitude.

Rural Nova Scotia: A Parochial Heaven

2008-10-17T05:17:00.002-03:00

Yesterday the New Glasgow News (home of Elizabeth May's Central Nova rout) ran a short, front-page story on an exercise carried out by the local police SWAT Team. It was a harmless article in itself, but what struck me was the image presented to the public, especially taking into consideration the context. The context is a pending economic collapse and rural Nova Scotia. I commented in the article's public forum accordingly. Well, didn't that release a mini shit storm! The full exchange of "opinions" is laid out below. Anyone wanting to go to original story, it is here.

Sebastian Ronin from Nova Scotia writes: Even in the boonies of Nova Scotia are the black-suited Praetorians now given media exposure. Prepare the public mind and its will follows accordingly. Maybe someone can ask Pete MacKay, should he hold as Minister of Defence in the new cabinet, when we can expect the first exchange of Canadian and American ground troops on each other's national soil, as is now entrenched in the military mandate of US NorthCom. Local military families can look forward to their loved ones patrolling the streets in Ohio. Is someone expecting a severe economic depression? A bit of turmoil in the streets perhaps?
Posted 16/10/2008 at 5:29 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Steve from Pictou County, Nova Scotia writes: Mr. Ronin, are you for real? How about talking in lay terms instead of writing some piece of literature intended for PH.Ds. If you are attempting to appeal to the masses, as I assume you are on here, I suggest you take it down a notch. Are you trying to reach the general reader of the News or writing a dissertation? I have a university degree and I find it a stretch to follow your arguments at times. We should not need Coles notes to attempt to explanation what it is you are trying to communicate. I never did care for Shakespeare. I suggest you stop the fear mongering. The idea of having Canadian military troops on U.S. soil is ludicrous, even in desperate economic times should they even materialize. Are you trying to predict the U.S. will be under martial law? Even so, the U.S. is quite capable of policing itself, why would Canadian troops be patrolling the streets of the U.S? I am sure they would not be well received. Was Ohio picked at random? I am not quite ready to accept your argument for the fail of the US Empire, especially when there is no apparent super power to take its place. China? Well, I need not go further than that.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 9:02 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Sebastian Ronin from Nova Scotia writes: Steve, you obviously have a keyboard and monitor in front of you. The Internet and Google search are wonderful tools. You may wish to use them while we, i.e. the public, still can. I treat adults as adults. Out of respect for the Other's integrity, I am loathe to hand holding. You make your bed, I make mine. However, just to point you in a direction (be it right or not is up to you), optional troop exchange by Canadian and American troops on each other's soil is on the books. If you care to, Google US NorthCom. Yes, Ohio was a random selection.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 9:21 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Sebastian Ronin from Nova Scotia writes: Steve re 'Even so, the U.S. is quite capable of policing itself, why would Canadian troops be patrolling the streets of the U.S?' br br At first it was thought that the option for troop exchange was to get around the legalities of posse comitatus, i.e. American troops cannot be used against American citizens. That has since been gutted. As such, and again under the command of US NorthCom, the Iraq-seasoned 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, has been redeployed to secure 'the homeland' in case of 'terrorist' threats. br br I am not fear mongering, merely offering an alternative picture of the world, one that rarely if ever makes the pages of the corporate media, The News inclusive. There are many alternative news sites. I strongly suggest: www.globalresearch.ca
Posted 16/10/2008 at 9:36 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Lee from NS writes: Gee, I thought this was just about a drill and here the world is ending and our police force is practicing on old folks? Wow, what a stretch.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 9:45 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Sebastian Ronin from Nova Scotia writes: Lee: What matters is the image, not the exercise they were doing. Would you want one of these thugs knocking on your door? Or are you, as most people, one of the 'good Germans?'
Posted 16/10/2008 at 10:01 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Jack from NG, NS writes: THUGS? SR you have got to be kidding. They are trained to save lives. They are dressed like that for their and your protection. They have no idea how the offender is positioned upstairs (or armed) and are adopting a safe approach. It's obvious from your last comment that if you were the victim you would rather they not show up to save your life or they would be dressed in pink outfits and be holding flowers.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 10:19 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Tim from PC writes: Sebastian, give your head a shake man. All you are doing is overreacting and spewing off at the gums. You cannot be serious. Thugs?? come on, these are the guys training to stop the thugs. You need to get out more instead of sitting in your house on your computer spewing off crazy conspiracy theroies.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 10:35 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Tim from PC writes: Also SR, this is standard gear for swat teams. If they were to come to your house they wouldnt be knocking on the door gimme a break. They are training for situations such as hostages or an armed person in the house. What they have on is called protection. Would rather these guys show up in plain clothes and get blown away. Man on Man.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 10:40 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Just me from NS writes: I want what he had for breakfast today, not one of his posts on any story today makes any sense. This should be a reminder to everyone...Read the labels on all mediaication before taking it.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 10:46 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Sebastian Ronin from Nova Scotia writes: Jack and Tim: No doubt the men behind the uniforms are good guys. You may know them, they are respected in their communities, you may play a game of pick-up hockey with them every now and then. But always remember this: the state retains the right of force and violence, things that are 'against the law' for you and me. When those uniforms are put on the INDIVIDUAL with whom you may play hockey is out the window. Again, I suggest look at the image. Do you really think that much robocop gear is necessary to take down some grinning wimp who happens to have a grow-op going on in the basement? BTW, I'm out quite a bit. Nice advantage of having a home-based business is that I can jump back and forth from my shop or the wood pile to here.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 10:50 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Steve from Pictou County, Nova Scotia writes: The last few comments prove my first post - Mr. Ronin is speaking over most people's heads. From what I gathered he viewed the picture featured in this news article and made comments that we better get used to seeing the mean in black/blue uniforms, not in a protective role but in a suppressive role. I believe he is eluding to the world slipping into a severe global depression and Canada and the U.S. being under a police state and martial law. Far fetched I know. He also alluded to 'The good Germans'. I am assuming he is drawing a parallel to the visions of Nazi Germany for the master race to the accumulation of wealth of a few 'The modern day Nazi German' to suppressive the lower classes. In lay terms, I think Mr. Ronin is predicting the fall of the U.S. States Empire. When this happens the low to middle class will attempt a revolution to 'take back the wealth'. A police state/martial law will be enacted to protect those wealthy few 'the good Germans' with military suppressing those of the low to middle class, a Civil War prehaps. He is predicting to get use to seeing men like above in a suppression role, not protecting. Is my interpretation correct Mr. Ronin? These are not my views, just an interpretation of Mr. Ronin's arguments. They are a little far fetched for me to accept and way off topic of this article.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 10:55 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Jack from NG, NS writes: SR I take it you have the magical formula for how much gear is needed per hostage event. I would rather they show up fully prepared and be able to do the job they are trained to do. The reason for the amount of gear is simple. At no time will they know when the threat will escalate or decrease. Also by now you would have figured out that the first officer on scene would have called for this backup as that's what they are trained to do, and yes the gear is what comes with them. Remember if they get hurt, they are of no use to no one including the victim. Safety first!
Posted 16/10/2008 at 11:02 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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My Opinion from stupidville, Nova Scotia writes: Mr. Ronin, if the swat team were pictured without appropriate attire wouldn't you be one of the first to comment? They are creating a life like situation, that is the protection they must wear. Would you bust into a house where someone had a little grow op in a tu tu? That person who has the grow op could be protecting themselves/their crops. People who harvest drugs can also have firearms. For that matter anyone can have firearms!
Posted 16/10/2008 at 11:11 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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dan from ns writes: ok, ok lets all settle down here and loosen our tin-foil helmets a little.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 11:12 AM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Wife Rutledge from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia writes: To S Ronin's comments regarding the thugs knocking on your door...my husband is a Police Office and as his wife and the father of my children I take great offense that you would label officers of the law as thugs.
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Tim from PC writes: Don't worry Mrs. Rutledge, Mr. Ronin is just a serial ranter. he just types these posts to read his own obscure thoughts. He somehow turned this picture into all of america breaking down and all h ell breaking loose. Don't put much stock into anything this mn has to say.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 1:58 PM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Jimmie from N.S. writes: S.R., I have seen these guys in action on a tiny little street where there was an attempted murder and I thank God they were there because no one knew where the shooters were. Our street was alot safer when they did arrive!!! I take offense to your comment too! You might need these guys in your neighborhood someday....
Posted 16/10/2008 at 2:23 PM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Sebastian Ronin from Nova Scotia writes: Okay, everyone, let's chill. Firstly, Steve, you are pretty close. The one thing were you are a tad off is in the understanding of 'good Germans.' It is a term commonly shared amongst historians. It refers to the millions of silent Germans who naively stood by and allowed the rise of Naziism with the common belief of, 'I'm a good German. Why would they harm me?' Wife Rutledge, if you read all of my posts you will have noticed that as individuals the human beings beneath those robocop suits are good guys. I could probably enjoy a cup of coffee with them. But if push comes to shove, they serve the state. As a hypothetical example, if you happened to be a war protester expressing your beliefs at a rally that got out of hand and, if your husband happened to be on duty that day and was called to suppress the protest, you would find yourself on the receiving end of your husband's shield. When wearing that uniform he serves the state, not you, and not your family. Jimmie, no doubt they will be needed in the community some day to restore order. Personally, I foresee some type of militia. The question is: on whose side will they serve and on whose behalf will they restore order. =;-D
Posted 16/10/2008 at 3:15 PM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Tim from PC writes: My lord Sebastian, give it a rest, what are you going to predict next? Armageddon? Geez man society is not going to crumble like you seem to think it is.
Posted 16/10/2008 at 3:47 PM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Leigh from Pictou County, Nova Scotia writes: One should send Mr. Ronin on a ride-along with these thugs without gear and then with gear, and see which he prefers. My guess after the first ride-along he would be so quick to call these officers thugs. Thugs usually don't have batons and shields. lol
Posted 16/10/2008 at 5:48 PM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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Leigh from Pictou County, Nova Scotia writes: Sorry, should have read ... would'nt be so quick to...
Posted 16/10/2008 at 5:50 PM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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eb from pei writes: I am totally disgusted by ronins total disrespect of swat officers JR, they risk their lives to save your sorry butt my boyfriend is a swat cop and he thinks you are a MORON!! get a life!! try their shoes on for size you will definetely get a dose of reality biting you in the rear!!!!!
Posted 16/10/2008 at 8:20 PM Alert an Editor Link to comment
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eb from pei writes: I agree with wife rutledge ronin is a vulgur little man and has nothing better to do do than bash our husbands and boyfriends on the force.he doesn/'t know anything about them we do. i hope othe officers families see his nasty bashing so they can go after ronin too .
Posted 16/10/2008 at 8:26 PM Alert an Editor Link to comment

The Griberal Party of Canada, Pending

2008-10-14T05:43:00.002-03:00

I cannot say more about the pending Liberal-Green merger (takeover?) than I have already said in the past. On the eve of the federal election, Elizabeth May comes out and endorses this merger in no uncertain terms. This Canadian Press article published in The Chronicle Herald pretty well sums it up. As usual, it is always important to read between the lines. The accompanying picture of the May-Dion hug after the leadership debate is priceless.

For those not up to deciphering the written word, you can listen to and watch the eco-warriors in political action.

Here we have Elizabeth May, Green Party Leader, actually stating, "We are Liberals running against Greens."

Here we have a Liberal "bimbette" candidate putting out feelers for a Lib-Green-NDP coalition. What is most interesting in this clip is the slip by Jim MacDonald, Exectuive Director of the GP, who states, "I hate to say it, but it's just too dangerous for us, we don't want Elizabeth to be caught out on this."

Green Caveat Emptor

2008-10-11T05:38:00.002-03:00

That an informed electorate is the root of democracy has likely not been worded more succinctly than by Thomas Jefferson: “"Though the people may acquiesce, they cannot approve what they do not understand." In this day and age, these words are critical for Canadians when contemplating a vote for Green Party candidates in their respective ridings.

The first Green Party was founded in West Germany in 1980. As such, every country that has adopted a Green Party since has basically imported a foreign political philosophy, up to and including the Green identity. No other political party in the Western world, irrespective of its philosophy, exceeds the boundaries of its national jurisdiction. Not since the demise of international communism with the fall of the Soviet Union has the world been presented with a political philosophy that is so all-consuming in thought and so global in scope.

From its outset in 1980, Green philosophy has embraced a global perspective and mandate. These global Green principles were enshrined in the 2001 Charter of The Global Greens. All Green parties base their party constitutions on a duplication of these principles. In effect, all Green party constitutions are cookie-cutter offshoots of the global mandate decreed by The Global Greens in 2001.

The Green principle of recognizing human diversity, to cite just one example, becomes a sorry joke when autonomous communities and jurisdictions cannot determine an eco-political constitution to reflect their unique socio-political concerns. Founding members of Green parties are saved the burden of having to think; that responsibility has been looked after by The Global Greens. Merely add some flatulent hugs, some myopic hand-wringing and, presto, a new Green party is born!

The subtitle of the Green Global Charter is: Defining What It Means to be Green in The New Millennium. Not since the end of the Second World War has a political movement dared to think in terms of 1,000 years, let alone commit it to paper.

Due to the Green global political agenda, what is most disturbing is the likelihood of the movement being a patsy for the Bilderberg Group (BG). The BG was founded in 1954 by Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands, an ex-Nazi. It meets in secret on an annual basis, hosting the world’s leading industrialists and financiers. It is largely held that the BG is the front organization to bring about a corporate New World Order. It is commonly known that the BG rubber stamps the careers of Western politicians to uphold this agenda. Both Stephen Harper and Stephane Dion are Bilderbergers.

The BG was among the first to discover the environment as an issue years ago and is rumored to be the impetus behind the Kyoto Protocol. The motive for these sons of smokestack millionaires is not to clean up the environment, but by the potential for immense profits. The green economy is poised to become the next, and possibly last, major bubble economy, accomplishing little more than the housing bubble and dot.com bubble that preceded it.

The Bilderberg vehicle for world government is the United Nations. Aside from gutting nation states and having a standing UN army, the Bilderbergers have in mind the placing of unelected environmental activists to positions of governmental authority to oversee the use of atmosphere, outer space, the oceans and, in general, biodiversity. This invitation for civil society to participate in global governance is described as expanding democracy.

According to sources within the BG, the status of NGOs would be elevated, up to and including producing studies to justify global taxation through UN organizations such as Global Plan. The Liberals’ Green Shift may be seen to be a precursor. The strategy to advance the global governance agenda specifically includes programs to discredit individuals and organizations that generate populist concerns that fail to support the new global ethic.

The United Nations Environment Programme, along with all the environmental treaties under its jurisdiction, would ultimately be governed by a special body of environmental activists, chosen only from accredited NGOs appointed by delegates to the General Assembly who are themselves appointed by the President of the United States, who is controlled by the Rockefeller-Council on Foreign Relations-Bilderberg triumvirate. Elizabeth May, leader of the GPC, has been a recipient of the Global 500 Award issued by the United Nations Environment Programme.

If implemented, these ideas would bring the world’s citizens into a global community managed by a world-wide bureaucracy under the direct authority of a small handful of appointed individuals, and policed by thousands of individuals, paid by accredited NGOs, certified to support a belief system which for many people is unbelievable and unacceptable.

A warm and fuzzy political voice with a global mandate and organization would suit the BG agenda perfectly. In an age when Lee Harvey Oswald has been displaced by Osama bin Laden as the patsy of all time, one may wish to contemplate who or what will eventually displace bin Laden as king dupe for ulterior and sinister political motives. Caveat emptor.

Novacadia Alliance, Mission Statement

2008-09-26T03:41:00.002-03:00

Peak Oil, the advent of Post-Peak Oil, global warming, climate chaos, global overpopulation, 9/11 Truth, and North American Union are all inter-related givens. These are our times. We live upon the cusp of a major historical transition.

NAmerican secessionists are agreed that the NAmerican secessionist movement is a consequence of, and response to, the collapse of the American Empire. This view is only a partial, though important, analysis of the secessionist phenomenon. A wider perspective incorporates the collapse of industrial civilization, which is global in scope and, of which the United States is but one player, albeit the central player.

We live in an age that encompasses a colossal contradiction. On the one hand, there is the corporatist and technocratic thrust for globalization and a purported New World Order. On the other hand, there is the interrelated dynamic of empire collapse. Both tendencies stem from a diminishing supply of and access to cheap energy resources as evidenced by the imminent arrival of Peak Oil.

Both of these historical events, although diametrically opposed as political templates, are one and the same of a greater whole. The latent collapse of industrial civilization is the mirror image of the seemingly desperate and brutal grasp at the creation of a technocratic fascist state. It does not require a degree in rocket science to conclude that not both of these global tendencies can succeed. A clash of perceptions, of values and of political wills is inevitable. It is proposed that the balance of the 21st century will be the timeline for this clash.

In Canada, the mainstream political parties, relative to their own philosophies, have taken up the call for environmental concerns only while neglecting the other elements of the historical mix, in particular, the imminent arrival of Peak Oil. Over the last several years, these parties have fallen over themselves to develop Green policies, ranging from the banal to the ludicrous. Wisdom, courage and leadership have been betrayed by electoral spin for political favour and self-preservation. The Bilderberg orchestrated Kyoto Protocol was too late by at least 25 years.

What all parties, the Green Party inclusive, hold in common re their differing environmental policies is a common philosophical premise. It is the premise that an ecological catastrophe and related social hardships can be averted by endorsing their particular environmental platform. This position is a misperception. It is a political falsehood. It is a smoke screen. It is a lie.

All political parties, except one, can be relatively forgiven for not being more forthright with the public and charting a courageous and realistic course to tackle the challenges and dimensions of true eco-politics for the coming century. The governing Conservatives can be forgiven for a philosophical and moral blindness bordering on the insane. The Liberals can be forgiven for attaching themselves onto anything that might possibly translate into power and privilege. The NDP can be forgiven for being historically irrelevant. The party that cannot be forgiven for its timid and narrow political stance is the Green Party.

Global warming is now firmly rooted in the public consciousness, but it is merely one of three factors constituting the socio-political triad of industrial civilization’s collapse. The other two points of this triad are Peak Oil and global overpopulation. To deny this interrelated triad of global transition relegates mainstream politicians as pre-Copernican monks mumbling into their beards the empty platitudes of an earth-centered and false heliocentricity. It is a simple fact that Peak Oil and global overpopulation have never been brought into public discourse by our political parties.

The one party that may have been in a position to take a definitive stance, the Green Party, has betrayed and abandoned its core principles and responsibility by pandering to short-sighted, politically-correct and opportunistic drool. The comfort of being a taxpayer-subsidized lobby group with well-intentioned hand-wringing and save-the-world philosophical myopia serves no concrete political utility. By virtue of gutting the core principles of political decentralization and recognition of continental bioregions for purposes of secession, Green policies beg to be thwarted and co-opted by parliamentary shell games and bureaucratic self-interests. In a severe and paradoxical twist, this leaves the Green Party as the most irresponsible, least trustworthy and most deceptive of all for addressing the political challenges of a Post-Peak Oil world.

Being situated at the historic turning point of Peak Oil, The Novacadia Alliance recognizes that industrial civilization is not merely in decline, but that it has entered the end-game. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that a civilization has outstripped its energy foundations, outlived its institutional purposes, and collapsed.

As such, The Novacadia Alliance acknowledges the following:

Burdened with non-sustainable energy carrying capacities and gargantuan institutional complexities, the United States and Canada will implode upon themselves and dissolve as nation states during the current century;
Regional jurisdictional survival and societal re-invention trump vacant political posturing, and that the political vacuum spawned by the latter states-of-affair begs to be filled;
In the American New England and Canadian Maritime regions, the optimum size for undertaking the latter post-industrial political, economic and cultural re-invention encompasses the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and the American states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Recognizing the historical primacy and necessity of decentralization and secession, as forces inherent in the age of Post-Peak Oil, The Novacadia Alliance proposes the creation of a new Maritime political party to embark on such mandate called The Novacadia Independence Party. Optional party membership for American citizens has been written into the party's draft bylaws, taking the legal entity of a North American political party with dual-nationality membership to exciting and uncharted legal territory. The Draft Constitution and Bylaws are put forward in good faith for consideration, discussion, modification and eventual ratification.

North American regional secessions are the natural political counterpart to the "powerdown" era of Post-Peak Oil. The fusion of two seemingly divergent historical events delivers the necessary conditions and opportunity to spawn a truly unique political hybrid for our age. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed founding of The Novacadia Independence Party would make it the first political party in North America to be founded strictly upon the recognition of the ecological, economic, social and political premises, and related institutional devolutions, of the Post-Peak Oil era.

The Mallick-Palin Affair

2008-09-21T09:00:00.002-03:00

Yes, there are federal elections underway on both sides of the border. The number of sources for political commentary and opinion are limitless. There is little need for one more stranded opinion, although there is room for opinion on what the outcomes of these elections may hold for the NAmerican secessionist movement. Consider such a post “pending.”

A minor explosion has occurred on the Canadian political landscape that has jumped the border into the CNN newsroom and is now blipping on the American political landscape. I refer, of course, to the dust-up over the Heather Mallick-Sarah Palin affair.

What is most interesting and yes, nauseous, about this sordid event are the pissing contests underway in the Con and Lib camps of the Canadian blogosphere. The Cons are predictably outraged. The Libs are likewise predictably outraged that one of their spokespersons should be called out as a “pig” by CNN. The self-righteous wrath of some Libs questioning the Cons’ lack of civility is comical.

The notion of "civility" in the Canadian political blogosphere is, by and large, a quaint linguistic remnant of a ghost era or a principled objective to be pursued at some point beyond the present. Neither camp has the foggiest comprehension of what it entails, let alone being able to spell it. The mutually-supportive fallout around the Mallick/Palin soap opera may just be the most evident example of this mutual embrace to date. Excusing the out-and-out naive and stupid, one is amazed that some of the self-proclaimed enlightened Libs are so thick between their ears as to their own hypocritical conduct. Witness the outpouring of wounded pride that flowed into Red Tory's post entitled "When Brownshirts Attack!"

The meta-context is that a military coup was inflicted on the peoples of NAmerica on September 11, 2001. The ongoing prattle about which type of political personality, representing supposedly differing political philosophies, will best serve this condition is just that...prattle. The cult of personality and related attacks against those personalities, in both camps and in both Canada and the United States, merely abets the illusion of contributing towards a tattered democracy and its principles. Literally, it is the fog of war.

We witness first-hand a clash, on the political extremities of neanderthal Con knuckle-scrapers and redundant Lib wankers and apologists. Both are caught in the headlights of an unwelcome future and a gutted ethos for how to deal with it. Somewhere in the middle are liberals and conservatives, decent, small human beings (a goodly proportion likely “trash”), who may wish for nothing more than a reasonable and acceptable explanation of why the fabric of their world is unraveling at an alarming rate and why that world is being steam-rolled by a freight train of maniacal entropy. That middle ground constitutes every general's and mainstream politician's worst nightmare: the center will not hold.

The political option of "the lesser of two evils" has quite possibly never been more pronounced, on both sides of the 49th. We have the hillbilly version and the oh-so-slick version. It is a 21st century Prisoners' Dilemma on steroids.

We make our beds and we get to sleep in them, when maybe what we should really be contemplating is burning them.

What awaits us is, indeed, a delicious banquet of consequences.

9/11 Truth: Keith Olbermann is On-Side

2008-09-12T05:10:00.002-03:00

MSNBC host Keith Olbermann spares few punches on this September 10, 2008 commentary. Coming down very heavy on the Bush administration for their “criminal neglect” in allowing the attacks to occur and identifying the continued exploitation of 9/11 as “sociological pornography” is an astounding editorial leap for the corporate media to take.

NAmerican Secession Hits the L.A. Times

2008-09-10T17:42:00.002-03:00

Here's a great article on NAmerican secession by Kristopher Ketchum published to-day in the Los Angeles Times. It is further acknowledgement of the secessionist movement by the mainstream media since the secessionist ties of Gov. Sarah Palin were revealed. There is no such thing as bad publicity.

Mr. Ketchum offers a generic and somewhat limited overview of NAmerican secession, yet still a good piece for public consumption. As example, he limits the notion of Cascadia to the states of Washington and Oregon, disqualifying altogether the inclusion of British Columbia. Unfortunately, such myopia is also shared by too many NAmerican secessionists. Although the terms of reference for NAmerican secession are given limited and qualified verbal acknowledgement, the philosophical perception and sentiment fall far short of actually owning the terms of reference. The Chatanooga Declaration itself clearly exposes this blind spot.

In time, this shortcoming will no doubt be addressed and corrected. This will be necessary to do not only to recognize the continental dynamic of secession but, more importantly, to safeguard and build upon the strategic importance of a continental scope. Should the movement fall short in owning such scope then, alas, it will be left with just one more ethnocentric overture masquerading as revolutionary exuberance. In the words of James Howard Kuntsler, the secessionist movement will be straddled and doomed with "the banality of American exceptionalism."

More Dancing Around the Maypole

2008-09-03T17:58:00.002-03:00

It would seem that the Green Party and its leader, Elizabeth May, know no shame. Now the party has gone bottom-fishing and snagged for itself a political specimen that not even the Liberals wish to touch with a ten-foot pole. The Liberals, yet! Those denizens of democratic decorum! Add this latest gaffe, with the singular motive to gain television air time, onto the back room May-Dion non-aggression pact, and the Green claim to taking the ethical high road evaporates into the fog of Green philosophy. With a political bed now so crowded and diverse, the ability to maneuver diminishes accordingly.

The Conservatives have already let it be known that the back room deal cut in Central Nova is about to turn around and bite Ms. May big time on the very thing she so cherishes: taking part in the televised debates. Having cake and getting to eat it too seems to be snuggled alongside the Green notion of not acknowledging the principle of merit, such an endearing quality of the Millennial generation. For all its shortcomings, we have an electoral system of first-across-the-line. This translates into the legitimacy of an elected MP, not one foisted onto the public as a political prop, much like a housing purchase (disguised as roots in the community), made with taxpayer money.

The New Glasgow News conducted an online "poll" last week that gives at least a rough picture of how things are shaping up in the riding of Central Nova. Ms. May is pulling 9%, which matches national support for the Greens. It seems that the abandoned and disaffected Lib vote is going en masse to Louise Lorifice, the NDP candidate. In the same online poll, Peter MacKay and Lorifice are pulling 35% and 33% respectively.

May/Dion may yet pull off their little coup of unseating MacKay, although not as anticipated. That 9%, when it comes to marking one's X on the ballot, could easily shrink down to 5%. How does the Honourable Louise Lorifice, Member of Parliament, sound?

Given the lopsided playing field that was orchestrated for Ms. May via the benefit of the non-aggression pact, and then not being able to deliver on it, she may be looking for another job after October 14. Unfortunately, there are only so many parties and ridings one can jump to. One’s credibility tends to take a shit kicking.

Is There a Split Underway in the North American Secessionist Movement?

2008-08-24T09:35:00.002-03:00

I recently stumbled across an interesting and confusing statement published on the web site of The League of the South. The statement in question is one short paragraph as an addendum to the announcement of The League’s 15th Annual National Conference. The byline to the post is, League Announces 15th Annual National Conference. There is no date attached to the post.

The statement in question reads:

“Additionally, the League announces its participation in the 3rd Annual North American Secessionist Convention, which is scheduled to be held in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina (emphasis mine) sometime this fall. More information about this event will be posted as it becomes available.”

It is common knowledge to those secessionists and secessionist organizations who attended last year’s 2nd Annual North American Secessionist Convention in Chattanooga that the 2008 Convention is slated to be held in Manchester, NH, November 14-16. Like others, I have paid for a flight to Manchester and accordingly reserved accommodation.

It strikes me that The League’s announcement that the location of the 2008 Conference will be in Charleston constitutes more than a simple typo. What gives?

There has been no follow-up announcement by The League, nor has there been offered an explanation by either The League or The Middlebury Institute, the organizing body of the Manchester convention.

Without some kind of official clarification, North American secessionists, in particular, those attendees who have locked into the Manchester convention, are left with only their political imaginations as to what might be going on.

Should this so very obvious contradiction for this year’s convention locations be an indication that there is a split forming in the North American secessionist movement, then the next question that begs to be answered is: Why?

Postscript, 29 August, 2008: It has been clarified for me by The Middlebury Institute that there had been an attempt to hold the 2008 conference in Charleston by a small faction allied with the LOS. This attempt failed, at which point the conference was slotted for Manchester. As of this date, the 2009 conference is slated for Charleston.

It could have been just as easy for the LOS to publicly make this correction and clarification as it was on their web site that the undated Charleston claim first appeared. If insinuations are dangled, then the reasons why they are dangled come into play.

New England Groups Look to Secede, by Jim Kozubek, New Hampshire Union Leader

2008-08-15T10:07:00.002-03:00

NEW CASTLE, August 11, 2008 For the time political campaigns have been moving to centrism, integrating voter blocs and appealing to unity, scattered groups across New England have been moving to fractionalize, to break their states from the union.

Burt Cohen, 57, a former state senator, is leading a front in New Hampshire to secede from the U.S., and join with Maine, Vermont, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Gaspé Peninsula to create a new authority called New Acadia or Novacadia based on maps of a 1702 maritime union.

"This is a continuation of my politics," Cohen said. "I am interested in people taking part in decisions, and right now, it seems to me that fewer and fewer people have more concentrated wealth and power."

Secessionists draw the soul of their ideas from the 1957 Leopold Kohr book The Breakdown of Nations in which Kohr argued social and economic failures are due to a deplorable condition of "bigness," he said.

The logic is based on the idea that individuals, cities and regions have diverse economic and political interests; once a population becomes too large, resources and taxes are not fairly dispensed and a government fails to provide adequate representation, he said.

"The founding fathers could not have imagined 300 million people," he said.

"This country includes a lot of people with disparate points of view, and to have them represented in a single government, you have to ask, how realistic is that?"

Cohen said that instead of political moves to centrism and unity, New Englanders could find greater economic and social advantages in a move to decentralization.

He bases this idea, of economic regionalism, on a 1981 Joel Garreau book, "The Nine Nations of North America," that insists the U.S. is made up of nine bioregions, each with unique interests.
"People in bio-regions have much more in common, shared values and can find what works best for economic development that might not work in another region," he said.

Cohen, a self-described "progressive," is looking for a mix of support from libertarians, paleo-conservatives suspect of higher-spending subsidies and defense budgets, and those willing to ask "a lot of very serious, legitimate questions."

For one, he said, New Hampshire has for years paid more to the federal government than it gets in spending.

"I have spoken lightly with some individuals who filed and there is interest," said Howard Wilson of Andover, a libertarian and state Senate candidate. "The federal government is part of the problem, and we are going to put them on notice."

Secessionists in their writings oppose high defense spending and intervention, corporate subsidies, bailouts of financial institutions and central banking.

Caleb Johnson of Keene, for instance, set up republicofnh.org for secession, with papers citing federal borrowing and printing of "fiat currency" as causes of a weakening dollar, predicting dismal outcomes.

But the forms of capitalism, free-trade and protectionism, have remained sources of division in secessionist movements.

Nova Scotia's Atlantica Party made electoral reform a priority to secession with Atlantic Institute for Market Studies began a bid in 2006 to create a free-trade zone in New England and Nova Scotia called Atlantica.

Atlantic Institute seeks to capitalize on the region's maritime position in the era of globalization, but the move drew a small-scale riot at its 2006 convention from the Black Bloc, a group who thinks the free-trade zone will harm worker and environmental rights.

Sebastian Ronin, a strident localist, broke with Atlantic Party in 2007 and created the Novacadia party to secede (citing the 2000 Clarity Act created relative to Quebec's mid-1990s separatist movement that gives provinces the legal right to secede).

Thomas Naylor, 72, economics professor emeritus from Duke University, and founder of the Second Vermont Republic for secession in 2003, connected Ronin with New England movements.

The first secessionist convention in Vermont in 2006 drew 300 people (11 to 13 percent of the state supports secession, said University of Vermont polls) and last year representatives from 25 states signed a document called the Chattanooga Declaration.

It said "the old right-left split is meaningless and dead" and due to the "privileges, monopolies, and powers that private corporations have won from governments without secession, liberty and self-government can never be sustained."

The third convention is at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester from Nov. 14 to 16, drawing Cohen, Naylor, Ronin, Carolyn Chute, 61, author and founder of 2nd Maine Militia, Kirkpatrick Sale, 71, of Middlebury Institute in New York, Clyde Wilson of University of South Carolina and Donald Livingston of Emory University, each of League of the South.

Peak Oil: These Words Must Be Spoken

2008-06-07T07:28:00.002-03:00

(This article was submitted as a freelance op-ed piece on June 4, 2008 to the eleven major, English-language dailies in The Maritimes. On June 6th, the price of crude spiked $11.00 to $138.00 a barrel. As at June 7th, none have published. Go figure.)

The price of oil is destined to hit $200 a barrel by year’s end. This opinion is offered not by some wild-eyed survivalist, but by the prestigious investment bank, Goldman Sachs. Within several years the price may well be at $300 or $400 a barrel. Life as we have known it is about to end.

Industrial civilization has arrived at Peak Oil, yet these two words do not escape the lips of our mainstream politicians nor are they to be seen or heard via our mainstream print and electronic media. Holding the public in a state of “barefoot and pregnant” ignorance is, at the very least, morally incomprehensible and irresponsible.

The intent to limit social panic, a run on the banks, and a collapse of the financial system is well understood. However, to limit the latter does not exclude their inevitability. These social and financial crises are latent bullets that cannot be dodged. To proclaim otherwise is merely to engage in the fruitless rearranging of deck chairs on the Titanic.

Peak Oil signals a transition for industrial societies than cannot be averted. Quite simply, it is the historic transition from an era of plentiful and cheap energy supply to one of scarce and expensive.

Of the planet’s geological supply of roughly two trillion barrels of oil, we have consumed half. The first trillion barrels of oil were consumed over a period of 100 years giving rise to unprecedented industrial and technological feats.

Not the least of these feats were the advances made in agriculture. We have gone from being able to feed two billion people in 1900 to the current 6.5 billion, all directly attributable to a cheap supply of oil and gas, i.e. mechanization, pesticides, fertilizer, shipping, refrigeration, packaging. That is all about to change. The spike in global food prices reflects this in a harsh and real manner. Food prices have risen 40 per cent worldwide over the last year and 83 per cent in the last three years. Food riots have erupted in several developing countries.

It is estimated that the remaining one trillion barrels of oil will be depleted in 30-35 years while, concurrently, global population rises to 10 billion, most of it in the developing world. No significant new oil discoveries have been made since the North Sea fields in 1969. Demand is simply outstripping supply. Much of the new demand comes from the two non-Kyoto-signatories, India and China, Chindia as those two nations are now called.

The geopolitical dash to control the remaining oil and gas reserves is well underway, having been introduced with the cataclysmic events, and ongoing political and militaristic initiatives, of 9/11. Those Maritimers who believe that their loved ones are fighting in Afghanistan to bring democracy, schools and a liberated womankind to that beleaguered country are more than welcome to entertain such naïve fantasies.

The optimistic global depletion rate of oil is expected to occur at an annual rate of 2-4 percent. In other words, we are now using more oil than we are producing. This is a debt owed to nature, and nature has come to collect. All of modern life is directly oil dependent and with each passing year there will be that much less of life as we have become conditioned to know it.

Our industrial infrastructure, Pavlovian ideology of consumerism, and the global financial system that oversees it all, are all dependent on ever-increasing growth. The collateral that has backed up this growth and debt-creation for the last 100 years has been the plentiful and cheap supply of energy. That vain luxury is about to end. The “good times” are over, and they’re not coming back. It is not a matter of tightening our belts and simply riding out a recession, nor even a depression. Once oil, the lifeblood of our civilization is gone, it’s gone.

Double-digit inflation and unemployment linger on the economic horizon. Ninety percent of a barrel of oil goes towards global shipping costs, be it ground, sea or air. At $200 a barrel, global industry begins to grind to a halt due to cost restrictions. An immediate impact for the Maritimes will be the total collapse of the tourism industry. The Atlantic Gateway will be exposed as a multi-billion dollar Bricklin of the age. On the upside, the trend of economic globalization will collapse due to prohibitive cost factors, but to what avail? The North American industrial infrastructure has been gutted and there is no cheap energy supply with which to rebuild.

Relative to the cheap availability and quantity of oil, alternative energy supplies dwindle in comparison and are not energy cost-effective to produce, the Alberta tar sands inclusive. The championing of the so-called Green economy is limited in vision, cornucopian and politically opportunistic. The governmental tax grab of carbon taxes and cap-and-trade schemes are merely ploys to offset lost tax revenues from a severe business downturn, staggering unemployment and decreased demand at the pumps. While the common people will suffer, the notion of cutting overhead for an entrenched aristocracy consisting of politicians, mandarins, civil servants and bureaucrats is an oxymoron.

A decline into the uncharted and fractured social, economic and political territory of post-Peak Oil is a given. To this end has an initiative been undertaken to launch a new political party in the Maritimes to address the regional political challenges that are only a historic eye-blink away. The Draft Constitution with guidelines for involvement of the proposed Novacadia Independence Party is available to view at www.novacadia.org.

Perfect Storm Brewing

2008-04-21T06:45:00.002-03:00

As at April 18, 2008 a barrel of crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange closed at $116.69 US. This most recent price increase was being attributed by analysts to rebel instability in Nigeria. A Nigerian rebel group has claimed responsibility for sabotaging a pipeline run by a Royal Dutch Shell PLC joint venture. Rebel instability now joins financial hedging by the investment community as the factors contributing to the rise of oil prices, courtesy of the corporate media.

For all that can be said about the international investment community, especially the insiders and market makers, it cannot be said that these individuals are stupid, within the accepted guidelines and "rationale" of their game. They well know about Peak Oil, its consequences, and that a barrel of crude is likely destined for $200, possibly by year's end. The investment maxim, "Invest when there's blood in the streets," has never carried more weight nor been more applicable on a global scale.

Notwithstanding the existing pressures on the world financial system, the "stool" to be kicked out from beneath the condemned will likely come in the form of the global investment community twigging on the fact that, relative to Peak Oil, all listed companies on the world's exchanges are grossly over-valued. Market equilibrium, contentious at the best of times, is further skewed by the taking of unparalleled short positions. In turn, global P/E's collapse accordingly precipitating pressures for a massive sell-off. The only conundrum is, who in their right mind is going to buy? The fragile glue of rube investor confidence which keeps the whole shell game going evaporates. The psychological meltdown precedes the physical meltdown. The scenario for a type of stock market cannibalism on the world's exchanges is unprecedented. Programmed and institutionalized greed indicate that the global investment beast will feed on its own belly.

Coupled with the rise of oil prices is a 40 per cent average rise in food costs worldwide since mid-2007. Food riots in Haiti, Egypt and Ivory Coast with soldiers guarding fields and warehouses is a portent of things to come. The carrying capacity of the planet minus oil is likely around 3 billion, which insinuates a human cull of around 4-5 billion by century's end. It is all energy related. It is all to do with living in the era of Peak Oil. In this era of irreversible energy decline (supply) coupled with exponential population growth (demand) the industrial world as we have known it begins its collapse. The situation is simply non-sustainable, on a scale to place the empty platitudes and policies of liberal and greenish politicians, and their governmental mandarins, to a position of well-intentioned and self-serving finger painting. It is a perfect storm brewing.

The Novacadia Alliance has been asked by The Middlebury Institute, the sponsor of the Third North American Secessionist Convention, November 14-16, 2008, to address the issue of Peak Oil and how it relates to the secessionist movement. The theme that has been put forward is: "Peak Oil and Regional Secession: Historical Crisis Opens a Twenty Year Window of Opportunity."

Radio Interview up on Novacadia Alliance Web Site

2008-04-15T07:27:00.002-03:00

The one-hour radio interview, Peak Oil and Bioregional Secession, with former New Hampshire Senator, Burt Cohen, recorded on March 27th and re-broadcast on April 3, 2008 on the Progressive Radio Network is now up on the Home Page of The Novacadia Alliance.

Novacadia Network, Facebook Group

2008-04-11T06:29:00.003-03:00

Announcement: A Facebook group for the Novacadia Network has been fired up.

Political Mandate and Identity Shift to a Proposed Novacadia Independence Party

2008-04-10T12:55:00.003-03:00

During the course of "marketing" my independent candidacy in Central Nova in 2007 I became affiliated with the fledgling Atlantica Party. Our point of mutual concern and interest was the notion of Maritime Union for the Atlantic provinces. However, we disagreed fundamentally on the political motives for Maritime Union to such an extent that I felt it was in everyone's best interests to simply withdraw my support.

The Atlantica Party is somewhat soft on Maritime Union, placing it well behind its other policy initiatives of political and electoral reform. As a bioregional secessionist, I hold that Maritime Union must be at the philosophical and political forefront. The political equation is simple: Maritime Union precedes regional secession.

Furthermore, the Atlantica Party’s premise for Maritime Union is to foster greater economic prosperity for the Maritimes. Again, the premise for Maritime Union of the proposed Novacadia Independence Party is diametrically opposed to that of the Atlantica Party’s position. Due to the social and economic consequences inherent in the approaching era of Peak Oil, it is imperative to prepare the public for a drastic economic downturn. The extent of the economic depression that is foreseen by some Peak Oil advocates will make the Dirty Thirties seem like a stroll through the park. It will be a depression brought about by the dictates of nature, as opposed to the bursting of a humanly-vain speculative bubble. It will not be a matter of merely "riding it out." The so-called "good times", i.e. the accumulation of petrochemical byproduct stuff, are about to end...and they're not coming back.

It is this latter economic meltdown that is one of the prime factors that will generate an implosion of social institutions, the institution of the large industrial nation state inclusive. Secessionism is thus the assumption of political responsibility to meet and address social hardships of unforeseen proportions. Secessionists do not will secession; they merely pluck it off the tree of history like an overripe fruit. The political challenge for North American secessionists is to steer through several decades of crisis and hurt in order to come out on the other side of this pending societal collapse and catharsis, somewhat bruised and battered, but coming out nonetheless. We owe it to ourselves to offer the public a vision of hope, if not directly for ourselves, then at least for our children's children's children.

Taken within the context of economic mandate, the Atlantica Party is identified by the public with the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) which is a strong supporter of the commercial designation of Atlantica. If this public perception is valid or not does not really matter. What matters is that it is held. As a result, along with the identity to AIMS itself there is the public perception that the Atlantica Party is a political front for an extreme right wing, corporatist agenda. The constant denial of Jonathan Dean, the Atlantica Party leader, that the party is not affiliated with AIMS hardly negates the fact that it is one of the first questions asked of him by both the public and the media.

Rightly or wrongly, the perception of affiliation exists. Again, rightly or wrongly, the perception of the Atlantica Party being a shill for AIMS straddles the party with a major liability before it is even out of the gate. Although the “marketing baggage” for the Atlantica Party at this stage is minimal, it can only increase rather than decrease. Of course, if the economic policies that are eventually created by the Atlantica Party lean markedly towards the neo-con, radical right, then the above concerns are all moot.

It is for these reasons that it was necessary to cut bait, i.e. distance and differentiate, from the Atlantica Party. We maintain an alliance for being champions of Maritime Union, although we are diametrically opposed on the historical rationale for being such. Now the regional secessionist initiative has been taken to the fore; it has been elevated to the political high ground. The secessionist imperative for Novacadia is now positioned for the public to clearly see, contemplate, and decide to support, or not. The ethical tactic of “no secrets” is much stronger than that of a “hidden agenda.”

No doubt, this splitting of a couple of political small fry that are not even registering on the radar will, in time, make for some interesting years on the Nova Scotia and Maritime political fringes. The Green Party should take notice that the Novacadia Independence Party and the Atlantica Party have every intent to become players. There is certainly nothing wrong with some good, old fashioned competition.

Personally, I am confident that, over time, support can be and will be weaned from both the Atlantica Party and the Greens. If I did not believe that the Novacadia Independence Party will come out on top after several years of ideological street fighting, then I would not have bothered putting this initiative into play. Beyond the fringe, however, the grass becomes somewhat thicker, more complicated and a much greater challenge.

Novacadia Independence Party, Draft Principles

2008-04-10T05:41:00.003-03:00

Foster and encourage the principle that pending ecological degradation and attendant social crises as a consequence of depleted global oil reserves and global warming will engender drastic reformulation of social, economic and political institutions.

Recognize the social, economic and political consequences that will unfold during this century of depleted global oil reserves and global warming, and formulate policies accordingly.

Transfer the recognition of a legitimate economic and cultural designation comprising the Maritime provinces to a historically necessary political designation called Novacadia.

Return integrity, self-determination and a necessary pre-Confederation commonality-of-vision to the Novacadia bioregion.

Foster and encourage the eco-political principles of institutional decentralization and recognition of identifiable bioregions as self-governing political jurisdictions.

Support and promote the political notion of Maritime Union for the Atlantic provinces and regions consisting of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and the Gaspé Peninsula.

Foster, encourage and support the creation of provincial Novacadia parties in the Maritime provinces which will recognize and support the constitutional principles contained herein.

Support and promote a political affiliation, under the identity of Novacadia, of the Maritime provinces with the American New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, up to and including the right and necessity of secession from the Canadian and American nation states in order to create the Republic of Novacadia.

Support and promote ecological principles for bioregional stewardship.

Foster and encourage the principle that no individual or group shall initiate the use of force or fraud against any other or as a means of achieving political, economic or social goals.

Support the principle that the right to own private property is essential to the preservation of human liberty and integrity.

Support the principle that privileges, monopolies, and powers that certain private and public corporations have won from government threaten the health, prosperity, and liberty of the common weal and that such corporations have greatly compromised free enterprise and self-government by the people.

Transition: Independent Candidacy to Formation of Atlantica Alliance

2008-04-03T06:42:00.003-03:00

The new web site for the Atlantica Alliance is up and running. The old site for my independent candidacy in Central Nova has simply been given a new domain name.

For anyone who is interested in delving into the evolving secessionist partnerships of the Atlantica Alliance, I would suggest visiting The Middlebury Institute and The Second Vermont Republic. Further links to the North American secessionist movement can be accessed by visiting the latter two sites.

Peak Oil and Atlantica Secession, Radio Interview

2008-04-01T19:09:00.003-03:00

A radio interview with yours truly recorded on March 27th will be re-broadcast on Thursday, April 3, 2008 on the Progressive Radio Network. The interview was conducted by former New Hampshire Senator, Burt Cohen, for his weekly program on Portsmouth Community Radio.

The re-broadcast is at 17:00 Eastern Time, 18:00 Atlantic Time. The url for PRN is http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/. PRN has a listener audience of one million. Tune in and be in one millionth and first.

A note about the Atlantica Alliance web site in my profile: I am currently morphing my independent candidacy in Central Nova into The Atlantica Alliance. This calls for a site name change and that may take a day or two to clear. The blog remains as is though and is current.

Radio Interview with Burt Cohen, March 27

2008-03-17T10:17:00.003-03:00

I will take part in a one-hour radio interview by Burt Cohen, former New Hampshire State Senator, on his nationally syndicated Portside Program. The interview will focus on the political notion of Atlantica and its relationship to North American bioregionalism. The interview date is March 27, 2008, 1:00 P.M. Atlantic Time. The online live broadcast can be accessed at http://mail.wscafm.org/. The interview will be re-broadcast at 6:00 P.M. Atlantic Time on the Progressive Radio Network and can be accessed at http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/.

Please take note re any posts or emails sent my way that I'll be out of town on business from March 19 - March 25.

De-brief, March 10 Meeting (email sent to supporters)

2008-03-14T19:33:00.003-03:00

Thank you for the interest you have shown in my effort to introduce the dual political notions of peak oil, and the bioregional and political labeling of Atlantica via the medium of my independent’s campaign in Central Nova. The challenge remains to tap unexplored political turf. It is a daunting undertaking.

The poor turn-out at my nomination meeting of March 10 left me not so much disappointed, as it did perplexed. The poor turn-out (result) must be seen within the context of “marketing” initiatives (action) undertaken over several months: reasonably good positioning in the local print media to familiarize my name and the peripherals of my position (most residents of rural Central Nova are not online); both up and running web and blog sites for those who are online; hard copy announcement of the meeting on bulletin boards a week in advance of the meeting; two shotgun email announcements (300 plus) of the meeting sent to the business communities of New Glasgow, Antigonish and Guysborough, with the request to further the announcement to the recipients’ email contact lists.

Standard and very conservative "marketing" numbers should have delivered an attendance of at least 50. This was sadly far from the case. Based on the result relative to the input, I am left pondering the following: the political culture of Central Nova (and other rural ridings in Nova Scotia) is so closed as to not allow for the consideration of political alternatives, let alone the limited adoption of such alternatives; political identification with standard parties is so unquestioningly and parochially accepted and locked in to as to not allow for alternative political interpretations; the pending economic and social “hurt” that will be accompanied by peak oil is the only reasonable and hard motivator that will at least nudge people’s minds to consider political alternatives.

It has been suggested to me that a bearer of bad news cannot expect to get very far politically. Such is the standard and true. From my perspective, however, what is being delivered is not so much bad news, but the option for beginning the political undertaking and creation to counter the bad news. I maintain that this is a noble and positive political undertaking. The challenge becomes somewhat paradoxical, yet do-able.

I welcome your input and thoughts. Thanks for your attention.

(See March 11 coverage by The New Glasgow News, "An Independent Approach")

Press Release, March 6, 2008, Ronin Nomination Meeting Open to Public

2008-03-06T07:55:00.003-04:00

The first of several nomination meetings for Central Nova independent candidate, Sebastian Ronin, will be held on March 10, 2008, 7:00 P.M. at Summer Street Industries in New Glasgow. Further nomination meetings are planned for River John, Antigonish, Guysborough and Sheet Harbour.

“The nice thing about being an independent is that all voting age residents of Central Nova make up the riding association, so to speak,” explained Mr. Ronin. “I am not limited by party factions to seek the 100 signatories for the nomination papers. Actually doing grass roots democracy is much more challenging than merely mouthing it.”

Mr. Ronin will outline his platform for the pending federal election at the March 10 meeting and explain what he sees to be the role of an independent candidate in Central Nova. Time allowing, he will also show the DVD documentary “A Crude Awakening” which deals with the issue of peak oil. There will also be a question and answer session.

“The global supply of oil has hit peak,” claims Mr. Ronin. “This will spawn social crises of unforeseen proportions and no one, not from our political leaders to the individual on the street, is acknowledging it nor is prepared for it.”

One of Mr. Ronin’s major planks is the creation of a new regional federal political party recognizing the bioregion of Atlantica to address the social and eco-political shifts that will be brought about by the global depletion of oil.

“This will be a century of hurt and major transformation,” says Mr. Ronin. “It will not be a fatuous prance through a meadow of sunflowers. Peak oil obviously trumps global warming, without detracting from the seriousness of that issue. As for any potential role that I may play in Central Nova politics, that will only be as interesting and productive as the electorate wishes it and allows it to be.”

The NDP is the only official party which has welcomed Mr. Ronin’s entry into the Central Nova democratic process. John Guthro, President of the Pictou Centre NDP, informed Mr. Ronin by email that his candidacy “is an important addition to the race.”

“Although I welcome it, I have to wonder why the NDP would make an overture to an eco-Libertarian independent,” muses Mr. Ronin. “I’m such a small political gnat, yet it would seem to me that some wagons are being circled behind the scenes to deal with possible tactical fall-out. Should the electorate choose to turn me loose, Central Nova could well become the most interesting riding of the election.”

-30-

Provincial Atlantica Party

2008-02-20T17:49:00.003-04:00

I met to-day with Jonathan Dean, Leader of the provincial Atlantica Party.

We agreed that the existence of a provincial party promoting Maritime Union in no way conflicts with my Indpendent’s call for the creation of a federal Atlantica Alliance Party (see Political Statement). Quite the opposite, we agreed that such two political entities in The Maritimes stand to be mutually-beneficial, much like the strategic relationship shared by the Bloc Québécois and Parti Québécois.

First crawl, then walk, then run.

Why the New Glasgow News did not cover my Press Release: An Hypothesis

2008-02-16T10:54:00.003-04:00

(The following is extracted from an exchange in The News, February 15, 2008. To see the full exchange, please visit here.)

James, let me give you a current sample of some hypothetical media manipulation right here in our own little Dogpatch. I ask you to follow the bouncing ball. On February 12th I submitted a press release to The News announcing the platform for my pending Central Nova independent candidacy. Included was the date of March 10th for a nomination meeting at Summer Street Industries open to all (a nice benefit of not being locked into a riding association). It is now the 15th with no story and calls not being returned by the editor, yet we have had leading stories dealing with suspicious packages, flue fires and ticks.

The ball is bouncing. The community is dependent for its printed news on a monopoly. That monopoly in turn is a tiny division of a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Transcontinental Media, to be exact. There is a politician whose riding is in Montreal and who happens to be the leader of the Federal Liberal Party. All politicians require money. Said politician has cut a backroom non-aggression deal with the leader of another political party, parachuting her into Central Nova. This latter politician, in turn, has a dedicated weekly column in The News (remember, the monopoly), at the exclusion of other candidates, declared and pending. She also has a Riding Association that has absolutely zero dollars in its accounts as of the last reporting period with Elections Canada, whereas the Liberal Riding Association that has been taken out of the electoral loop is topped up at over $10,000. Might there be some favours being called in, and if yes, then by whom?

Boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

(Note: The above should be read within the context of pending inquiries to 1. the Canadian Newspaper Association, in particular re its Statement of Principles, wherein it is stated: The newspaper should strive to paint a representative picture of its diverse communities, to encourage the expression of disparate views and to be accessible and accountable to the readers it serves, whether rich or poor, weak or powerful, minority or majority; and to 2. Elections Canada.)

It’s all hypothetical of course. One works with and makes conjectures from the evidence at hand. Did you follow the bouncing ball? There is an old Irish saying: A hound is yet a pup until it has learned how to hunt. It has nothing to do with paranoia, but more to do with adhering to some basic Colombo principles, i.e. follow the money.

If you have read this post, then it has not been nuked. FYI, you are more than welcome to view my platform at http://roninnova.blogspot.com/.

(Should this post get deleted, please note that the string of posts up to this point has already been printed, suitable for faxing.)

Political Statement, Independent Candidacy, Central Nova

2008-02-12T09:47:00.003-04:00

Global warming is a given. In spite of what is claimed by befuddled flat-earthers, the Canadian public is of one opinion that the environment is its number one concern. In short time, the public will also come to the realization that concern over the economy is not secondary to concern over the environment, but primary. The pending political slogan, “It’s the environment, stupid,” is tantamount.

The nation’s mainstream political parties have followed suit to the public’s concerns. Over the last several years, these parties have fallen over themselves to develop Green policies, ranging from the banal to the ludicrous. Wisdom, courage and leadership have been betrayed by electoral spin for political favour. The Kyoto Protocol was too late by at least 25 years.

What all parties, the Green Party of Canada inclusive, hold in common re their differing environmental policies is a common premise. It is the premise that an ecological catastrophe and related social hardships can be averted by endorsing their particular environmental platform. This is a blatant misperception and falsehood.

All political parties, except one, can be relatively forgiven for not being more forthright with the Canadian public and charting a courageous and realistic course to tackle the challenges and dimensions of true eco-politics for the coming century. The governing Conservatives can be forgiven for a philosophical and moral blindness bordering on the insane. The Liberals can be forgiven for attaching themselves onto anything that might possibly translate into power and privilege. The NDP can be forgiven for being historically irrelevant. The party that cannot be forgiven for its timid and narrow political stance is the Green Party.

Global warming is but one of three factors constituting the socio-political triad of industrial civilization’s collapse. The other two points of this triad are global overpopulation and peak oil. To deny this interrelated triad of global transition relegates mainstream politicians as pre-Copernican monks mumbling into their beards the empty platitudes of an earth-centered and false heliocentricity. It is a simple fact that global overpopulation and peak oil have never been brought into public discourse by our political parties. The one party that may have been in a position to do so, the Green Party, has betrayed and abandoned its historical principles and responsibility by pandering to short-sighted and opportunistic drool. In a severe and paradoxical twist, this leaves the nanny Green Party as the most irresponsible, least trustworthy and most deceptive of all for addressing the political challenges at hand.

Industrial civilization is not merely in decline, it has entered the end-game, with all the squalid and amoral machinations of a decayed empire that accompany such historical epochs. The social, economic and political consequences of this historic transition constitute a bullet that cannot be dodged. It is that simple. The end of industrial civilization is neither good nor bad; it merely is. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last (assuming the human race survives), that a civilization has outlived and outstripped its institutional purposes, and collapsed.

As such, and as an independent candidate acknowledging that bioregional survival trumps vacant political posturing and, seeking the endorsement of the Central Nova electorate, I put forth the following for the electorate’s consideration.

Ø Recognizing the eco-political primacy and necessity of decentralization and jurisdictional bioregions, I propose the creation of a new federal political party, tentatively called The Atlantica Alliance Party. Such a regional political entity would accomplish the following for Maritimers:

1. Transfer the recognition of a legitimate commercial and cultural designation to a historically necessary political designation.

2. Empower the Atlantica negotiating position at the federal table with a unified block of 34 ridings (all Maritime ridings plus two from The Gaspé). Atlantica would thus possess an equal electoral leverage as currently held by British Columbia (at 36) and Alberta (at 28). This is essential in order to: a./ secure necessary leverage and funding for ecological crises of a particular bioregional nature, and; b./ establish alliances with other non-central Canadian jurisdictions to prevent a fiscal run on the nation’s treasury to unduly bail out the industrial infrastructure of Ontario and Quebec.

3. Return integrity and a necessary pre-Confederation commonality-of-vision to The Maritimes. As long as Maritimers allow themselves to remain divided along Liberal/Conservative lines, they remain conquered.

Ø Via a Private Member’s Bill, introduce to the House of Commons a motion to conduct a feasibility study of the Confederation Bridge (which returns to Federal management in 2032) to determine if a tidal turbine fence can be incorporated into the structure. If not too late, such measure could salvage the TrentonWorks plant. Should such a tidal turbine project be feasible it would deliver hydro self-sufficiency for Atlantica and negate the senseless building of a proposed second nuclear reactor in New Brunswick.

Ø Via a Private Member’s Bill, introduce to the House of Commons a motion to call for a review of the Constitution Act with the aim of reflecting a post-industrial institutional mosaic and template for the nation as opposed to a dated industrial one.

Ø Via a Private Member’s Bill, introduce to the House of Commons a motion to introduce legislation for the creation of an Environmental Emergency Act so that at times of pending ecological and social crises the Government of the day is not called upon to introduce the draconian War Measure’s Act.

Ø Via a Private Member’s Bill, introduce to the House of Commons a motion, as a gesture of hope to all peoples during this critical century of transition and to truly establish Canada as a proactive peace keeper, to instruct our Ambassador to the United Nations to introduce a motion at that body to change the name of our planetary home to Gaia (pronounced guy-ah).

Ø Lastly, to send a concrete gesture to the citizens of Central Nova that, because in short time we will all have to learn to do with less, I will donate from the obscene MP’s base salary of $150,800, twenty-five percent of the net, i.e. approximately $22,000, to three Central Nova charities of my choosing.

All Central Nova electors are invited to attend an open nomination meeting for Mr. Ronin’s independent candidacy to be held at Summer Street Industries, March 10, 2008, 7:00 P.M. Further nomination meetings are slated for Antigonish, Guysborough and Sheet Harbour.

A Crude Awakening: The End of Devil's Tears

2008-02-12T09:42:00.003-04:00

Population and Environment

2008-02-12T09:34:00.003-04:00

Population Explosion

2008-02-12T09:31:00.003-04:00

Beyond the Blinders of Farrell and Meddings-Smith

2008-01-31T09:16:00.003-04:00

Looks like a couple of local Greens, Bruce Farrell and Marlene Meddings-Smith, have taken offense to my particular take on Green feminism and the politics attached to same. The following retort was submitted to The New Glasgow News this morning.

---

Twenty-eight years ago, three years prior to the importation of Green politics to Canada from West Germany, I found myself sitting in an upper-level women’s studies course at one of the country’s leading universities. Such is where the pursuit and evolution of my political consciousness had landed me. The course was titled “Women and Religion.” The professor was an ordained minister in the United Church. I was the only male in the course. This academic sojourn was followed-up by a further feminist thesis at a post-graduate level, an opportunity offered to me as an undergrad. I believe that I have a fairly decent grasp on the political dimensions of “the Sacred and the Profane” within the feminist cosmos and where and how my motives fit into same.

I offer this historical context not to vainly blow my own horn, but to make the readers of the current exchanges in The News aware of two things: firstly, that when I offer political commentary it is not willy-nilly pulled out of a hat, much like the current generation of Greens resorting to a vacant set of inane principles and group babble, and; secondly, to shed some historical light on the public claim that the Small Party was the predecessor to the Green Party of Canada. To make such a claim exposes either an out-and-out lie or a sorrowful degree of Joan-of-Arc delusion, neither of which I would claim is acceptable.

Over the course of 28 years one grows and evolves one’s perceptions. Loosely identified, these days my relationship to feminism is somewhere in the company of Gloria Steinem. I offer one of her most popular quotes: “We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism.” As Ms. Steinem has come under attack from radical feminists for her humanism so, it would seem, have I. I gladly take the philosophical company of Ms. Steinem over that of the Greens, thanks very much.

I would suggest that what seem to be alien to Greens are the principles of choice and merit, in a feminist context, as highlighted by Ms. Steinem’s quote. This is what was conveniently overlooked as the core of my argument by both Mr. Farrell and Ms. Meddings-Smith. One need look no further than the political scam that has been foisted onto Central Nova, the unconscionable purge in the Green Party of Nova Scotia Executive, and the incessant whining of Greens for Ms. May to be part of future leaders’ debates to see how the principles of choice and merit constitute a null in the Green philosophical psyche.

Having overlooked the core of my argument, both Mr. Farrell and Ms. Meddings-Smith locked onto my closing statement: “Soon all that will be left is a stringent, fish-wife feminism blindly cooed over by a gaggle of obedient eunuchs.” By virtue of the indefinite article, what was referred to with my closing statement is the small world of Green feminism, not feminism as a valid social phenomenon, one that finds itself in very dire straights.

It is not my problem if North American feminism has morphed into a daily fix of Oprah’s enablement and Dr. Phil’s psycho-babble. It is not my problem if Greens are still stuck in a time-warp wherein women and men are still seen as enemies, and wherein the burning of a bra is a symbolic gesture of liberation. I know women, both personally and professionally, who find the Green take on feminism to be both pedestrian and offensive.

However, what is my concern, because I have made it my concern, is the inability of a political party to distinguish between affirmative action stacking-of-the deck and non-democratic internal conduct, and the hallowed principles of choice and merit, as recognized by Western democratic process.

As a direct result of the takeover of Canadian Green parties during the nineties by environmental NGO’s, who dutifully delivered the leadership of the GPC to Ms. May, I would suggest that these parties now find themselves in a quandary. The core Green principles of decentralization and bioregions have been gutted from the GPC’s history and heritage as these, obviously, will not do for a centrist, nanny philosophy. The eco-Libertarian, Green pioneers have abandoned the party in droves. The granola demographic of support is about to max out at 10%. Those Green policies that are valid have been, and continue to be, co-opted by every mainstream political hack and party on the map.

As such, the GPC has likely painted itself into a corner where it falsely sees no alternative but to play the feminist card because it is the only one left to it. One need simply take a look at the signal being sent via the orchestrated leadership of Green parties along gender lines. It is, of course, the prerogative of the GPC to go this political route. As it is the prerogative of the Canadian electorate to pass judgment.

The strategic attempt to split the Canadian electorate along gender lines, as a misguided reading of the polls may indicate to the Green intelligentsia to be a worthwhile pursuit, is beyond political folly: it is simply stupid and political suicide. Such effort, I would suggest, is what is really “vile.” The Canadian electorate will not stand for it. The GPC may as well put a gun to its befuddled political brain.

As for my “frenzy” as per the learned Ms. Meddings-Smith, allow me to pre-empt her likely next move for the benefit of the reader. No doubt it will be to pull out the inquisitor’s knee-jerk bully cart and attempt to place me in it. Victims are so predictable. Ms. Meddings-Smith and I, however, do agree on one thing: by all means, I strongly encourage readers to visit either my blog or website.

GPC Convention: Nebulous Political Eye-Candy

2008-01-26T06:11:00.003-04:00

The Green Party of Canada has announced that it will hold its national policy convention in Pictou County (read: Central Nova), September 5-7. Yawn.

David Suzuki may or may not address the Green convention slated for Pictou County. Green parties have been riding on Mr. Suzuki’s coattails for close to 25 years, up to and including lobbying him to run on the Green ticket. I should know because, as the Corresponding Secretary for the BC Greens in 1984, I was doing the pitch. He has since appeared as a speaker at Green functions, but it would seem that he will not allow himself to be railroaded into being a Green candidate.

So just what is it that David Suzuki and Al Gore have in common that prevents their names from being affiliated with the Greens? The citizens of Central Nova may wish to ponder that question, or not.

As I stated in a letter to The New Glasgow News when Ms. May announced her non-aggression pact in Central Nova with Stephane Dion, the GPC will likely max out at 10% of voter support (with no seats), which is where the party currently sits, and then start to spin its wheels. If Ms. May has any room left in her mouth for more feet, then public support could easily fall far short of that. The reason for this is that the national hard-core granola demographic likely maxes out at somewhere around 10%. The leap to Mr. and Ms. Main Street is a political span of light years. Ms. May’s leap into the arms of Stephane Dion, however, is a much shorter distance.

Will there be any political payback for the Greens from holding this convention in Pictou County? Not according to The News’ own opinion poll. Had the GPC’s communications director not resigned in protest over the May-Dion pact, they may have figured that one out in advance. The convention is yet another brilliant strategic call by the GPC brain trust. But it sure serves the purposes of Ms. May to keep western delegates at bay while pandering to the neophytes of the Nova Scotia Green Party.

It’s over. It’s time to bite the bullet, become Griberals and work towards the great touchy-feely nanny state wherein individuals will be cuddled and hugged from birth to death.

Executives try to hijack agenda of Green Party

2008-01-25T05:22:00.003-04:00

(Letter published in The New Glasgow News, January 25, 2008)

The resignation of Green Party of Nova Scotia Leader, Ken McGowan, over accusations of undemocratic and centrist conduct by the GPNS Executive in concert with Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada, sheds much-needed light on the internal shortcomings of all Green parties. The sooner the public becomes aware of these serious political liabilities, the better will democracy be served. After all, how one looks after one’s own house is a reflection on how one proposes to look after the neighbour’s property and business.

In time, the public will become more aware of something which may yet be only an irritable scratch on the psyche: that the Green Party of Canada is hell-bent on foisting a feminist agenda onto the Canadian public disguised as ecological concern, much like a thief sneaking in through the back door in the dead of night.

But then, a thief sneaking in through the back door is acceptable politics for Ms. May and her cohort, M. Dion. Just ask the people of Central Nova.

As has been pointed out in previous letters to The News, the Green principles of bioregionalism, decentralization and grassroots democracy have all been abandoned by the Green Party of Canada. Soon all that will be left is a stringent, fish-wife feminism blindly cooed over by a gaggle of obedient eunuchs.

Some Blood Letting in Nova Scotia

2008-01-23T18:17:00.003-04:00

Green Party of Nova Scotia Leader, Ken McGowan, resigned from his post to-day over a bitter dispute with the GPNS Executive. Mr. McGowan's resignation has made national news. For anyone who hasn't caught it, CTV and The Chronicle Herald have broken with the story.

Mr. McGowan's assertions of questionable and undemocratic conduct within the GPNS and its Executive have a familiar ring to them. For anyone who might be interested in the juvenile antics that I had to put up with when I attempted to let my name stand for the leadership of the GPNS, please check out some of the first posts in this blog.

A letter to The New Glasgow News has been submitted.

Eleventh Hour Proposal for TrentonWorks

2008-01-18T05:57:00.003-04:00

(This article was published in the print version of The New Glasgow News, January 15, 2008.)

Last May I announced my intent to seek an independent candidacy in Central Nova for the pending federal election. The status of my candidacy has not changed; it is pending.

The following proposal was to be, and may yet be, a major plank in my platform. However, as the situation for the future of TrentonWorks has hit a crisis point, I have no alternative but to release this proposal now in the public interest without having myself attached to it as a political candidate.

I propose the following: that the Government of Canada undertake a feasibility study to determine if it is possible, from an engineering perspective, to retrofit the Confederation Bridge to house a hydro turbine tidal fence. The proviso for this proposal is crucial. Should a feasibility study prove to be positive from engineering and economic viability perspectives, then all fabrication work for bridge upgrades and eventual turbine manufacture, whole or in part, be contracted to TrentonWorks.

I would think that a guaranteed demand for product, with minimal shipping overhead, i.e. from Pictou Harbour to sight of assembly, and with the potential of tapping into a dynamic, global market, would catch the eye of any tentative buyer of TrentonWorks, if not the eye of Greenbrier itself.

I further propose that said feasibility study incorporate the engineering expertise of Blue Energy International (BEI) along with representation from Strait Crossing Development Inc. (the current owners of the bridge), appropriate federal ministries, and provincial representation from New Brunswick and PEI. Note that the Federal Government would occupy a crucial seat as the management and operations of the bridge resort back to the Government of Canada in 2032.

BEI is a Canadian company and a world leader of tidal turbine and tidal fence technologies. I strongly suggest a visit to the company’s web site at http://www.bluenergy.com/ to view the company’s Dalupiri tidal fence project in the Philippines and, in particular, the bridge retrofit project on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. (A note to skeptics: no, I do not hold a share position in BEI.) The total length of the Dalupiri project is roughly the length of the Confederation Bridge. On completion, utilizing 274 of BEI’s Davis turbines, the Dalupiri project will generate 2,200 mega watts of energy. I leave it to you, the reader, to connect the dots on what this implies for the energy self-sufficiency of the Maritimes and possible export of surplus.

I further propose that, within the economic context outlined herein, that a share of Atlantic Gateway monies be earmarked for the upgrade of Pictou Harbour.

A multi-billion dollar project of such magnitude as is being proposed would require careful navigation through a minefield of a myriad of political, corporate, financial, legal and bureaucratic self-interests. Some sort of 3P arrangement goes without saying. However, it all boils down to the results of a feasibility study and, based on the study’s results, the marshalling of political will.

Lastly, I propose that the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia offer to jointly lease the TrentonWorks facility, with all current assets in place, for the length of the proposed feasibility study. In this manner, Greenbrier is not only given the option of freezing bids for the duration of the study, but it is also not out-of-pocket.

This proposal is offered to the community in good faith. As the federal political representative of the community, the onus falls on The Honourable Peter MacKay to move with it, to bring it to the attention of Cabinet, or not. As such, the proposal somewhat takes on the dynamic of a standard call option. Should Mr. MacKay not exercise the right on the option by its expiry date, i.e. the date when the writ for an election is dropped, then the option reverses back to me as my intellectual property and as a plank in my pending independent platform.

The long-range vision implied in this proposal is for hydro energy self-sufficiency for the Atlantica region. If such a simple thing as a feasibility study to kick-start the process collapses, on either Mr. MacKay’s end or on mine, then the citizens of Central Nova may be strongly urged to boldly rally behind the socialist, earth-shattering NDP vision for a $10/hour minimum wage. They will need it.

The Opportunity

2007-05-09T05:38:00.003-03:00

(Lifted from www.roninnova.ca)

The Federal election of 2006 delivered the following results for the riding of Central Nova:

Peter G. MacKay CON 17134 40.66%

Alexis MacDonald NDP 13861 32.89%

Dan Walsh LIB 10349 24.56%

David Orton GRN 671 1.59%

Allan H. Bezanson ML 124 0.29%

The first thing to note is the poor performance of David Orton, the Green Party of Canada candidate, at 1.59% of the vote. Yet, based on this level of GPC support, Elizabeth May is predicting a Green victory as the result of the May-Dion pact. Should Peter MacKay's vote hold at 40.66 +/- and, should the gagged Liberal vote swing to Green, Ms. May would still have to take about 15% plus from Louise Lorefice, the NDP candidate. Should the combination of the latter two voting patterns hold is a long-shot, to say the least (see below, appeasement of the Federal NDP).

The 7% Solution

Now, let us throw an independent candidate into the electoral mix. Within this new electoral context, I would like to put forward the following premises about the Liberal voting block:

Judging from the outcry in the community over the May-Dion pact, a high percentage of Liberal voters may just stay home, that being their "protest vote." This assertion is made without the benefit of a telephone pollster disturbing peoples' evenings meals. It is a political sentiment that is percolating at the street level and that the voters of Central Nova are all aware of.

Just how exactly the Liberal vote vis-á-vis the other parties will break down is, of course, an unknown.

Contrary to Ms. May's forecasts, I would venture the guess that she takes no more than 15% of the Liberal vote, while the Conservative and NDP votes hold pat, bringing the GPC vote in at 5% of the total vote, give or take. That leaves roughly 20% of the total vote unaccounted for, i.e. the Liberal vote. I would like to propose that of the Liberal vote left in political limbo, one-third of it (7% of the riding's total vote) would support an independent candidacy that is targeting the May-Dion pact as political and electoral theft, leaving the balance of the Liberal vote to stay home, or vote Conservative or NDP.

Should an unknown independent running as an eco-libertarian garner more votes than Ms. May, then the writing would very likely be on the wall. I would imagine that only political junkies are tuning into this site, so you do the math. The very intent of the May-Dion pact, i.e. the gagging of the Liberal Central Nova constituency, could back-fire and be inverted by the electoral voice of a small portion of that very constituency to determine some serious political consequences. Karma is always just, if at times hard. Such is the responsibility and power that 30% of the Liberal constituency now tentatively holds in its hands by virtue of this independent candidacy. The "7% solution" is a political option that can only be put into play by an independent candidate. My independent candidacy is merely a medium for the constituency's sentiments...and the eventual electoral choice of that constituency. As I perceive it, 3,000 voters out of roughly 42,000 hold in their hands significant political leverage and sway. If this electoral potential is contrasted against a position of being totally disenfranchised (courtesy of May-Dion), then we have the makings of something very serious here. As the saying goes, the glass is either half empty or half full. My job is to bring into focus a perception for the electorate's benefit that leans towards "half full." The situation before one's eyes remains the same. However, an altered perception of the situation exposes entirely different possibilities.

The NDP candidate, Louise Lorefice, is on record as saying that the May-Dion pact is "a gift" for the NDP. When one looks at the electoral numbers, this could very well be the case. Actually, an NDP victory in Central Nova could be the intent behind the May-Dion pact, a gesture of appeasement to Jack Layton and the Federal NDP to pave the way for an attempt to unite the left. When reports first surfaced that the Greens and Liberals were hunkered down behind closed doors, the reported item on the table was how to unseat Peter MacKay, not necessarily how to elect Ms. May.

As for Peter MacKay and the Conservatives, well, in all likelihood Mr. MacKay holds the seat of Central Nova, if the Liberal vote does not swarm over to the NDP.

An independent candidacy in Central Nova offers the voters a principled and realistic electoral option. There is a term for this. It is called grass-roots democracy. This is the political opportunity as I see it. This is what the Liberal constituency can do to salvage its integrity and send a clear signal to both the national Greens and Liberals that, in spite of a gun held to its head, democracy is alive and well in Central Nova.

The Situation

2007-05-09T05:17:00.003-03:00

(Lifted from www.roninnova.ca)

Political Platform I (Visible)

As an eco-libertarian and bio-regionalist, I maintain the following:

The May-Dion pact, separate from Green and Liberal philosophies, is a political act. As such, it can be contested at the electoral level. For those Liberal voters who are opposed to having their freedom of political expression denied and who will not vote Green, Conservative or NDP, I am offering the electoral option for a more constructive protest vote than merely staying home on election night. Needless to say, the Green principle of grass-roots democracy is out the window.
The Green Party of Canada (GPC) has betrayed and abandoned the core Green political principles of bioregionalism and political decentralization. With climate change a given, it is imperative for a political entity to own these principles as it is the nation’s regions that will be affected in different ways. Where the ecological problems will be is where the solutions will need to be crafted with the aid of the Federal government.
The Federal government should seriously consider endorsing the commercial designation of Atlantica, with the proviso that Nova Scotia’s rolling stock be upgraded. Rail transport would displace the high volume of truck traffic, with its high levels of pollution, to transport incoming goods at the province’s ports. It’s not rocket science. The upgrading of the province’s rolling stock translates into a vast opportunity for TrentonWorks, a business whose business is steel and the manufacture of rail cars.

As a conscientious human being, I maintain the following:

The voters of Central Nova have the democratic right to freedom of expression. Given a realistic political medium and opportunity, they have the right and the obligation to themselves to correct the blatant democratic wrong committed unto them by Elizabeth May and Stéphane Dion as leaders of their respective political parties.

Addendum:

I was a member of the first Green party founded in the Americas, the Green Party of British Columbia. At the time of my resignation from the GPBC in 1986, I sat on the Executive and was a candidate-elect for the upcoming 1986 BC provincial elections. I have never held a party membership with any federal party.

Political Platform II (Somewhat Visible)

Politely, but firmly, send May-Dion packing from Central Nova

Political Platform III (Cloaked, though not hidden)

Kick-start a dialogue and philosophical exploration for the creation of a new Federal political party in the Maritimes, tentatively called The Atlantica Alliance Party, based on the following historical premises and context:

The GPC has abandoned the political principles of bioregions and decentralization. A political vacuum on the transitory cusp separating the Industrial Age from the Information/Ecological Age seems evident. Nature abhors a vacuum.

To the best of my knowledge, no one on the ecological political stage, e.g. Green parties, David Suzuki, Al Gore, etc., has yet to inform the Canadian public how the destiny of industrial civilization, i.e. global warming to name one factor, is locked into the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics, that the ecological "bullet" that is heading for our social institutions is one that cannot be dodged:

First Law: All matter and energy in the universe are constant; it cannot be created nor destroyed. Only its form can be changed, but never its essence.

Second Law (The Entropy Law): Matter and energy can only be changed in one direction, from usable to unusable, from available to unavailable, from ordered to disordered. Every time energy is transformed from one state to another, a penalty is exacted. That penalty is a loss in the amount of available energy to perform work of some kind in the future. The term for this "penalty" is entropy. The implication is that all social phenomena is moving in the direction of random chaos and waste, i.e. maximum entropy. (Work-in-progress for insertion here: 1. using the sample of compact fluorescent bulbs, show how, within a global context, the supposed energy savings are highly questionable; 2. outline how the notions of how recycling and sustainability are somewhat illusory; 3. question the political validity of claiming that they are otherwise.)

The Entropy Law is not an opinion. It is physical law, as true as the Law of Gravity. We are as blind to it and its consequences as were pre-Copernican monks to the rotation of the earth around the sun.

As such, The Kyoto Protocol is very likely too late by about 50 years. Industrial civilization is a runaway train on a downhill slope that will have to run its course. Hope and work for the best; prepare for the worst.

The 2007 Federal Budget has made evident how politically isolated and lacking in political leverage, i.e. divided and conquered, the Maritimes are. A regional electoral block of 32 ridings translates into a hard, political asset with which to negotiate future needs.

The Federal Conservative Government has delivered the historical precedent of “nation-within-a-nation” status for the region/province of Québec. The constitutional premise and template for a new Federalism to meet the ecological challenges confronting the nation are at hand.

Atlantica lies latent on the east coast, Cascadia on the west coast, Québec already established. What is the ROC to do?

To take part in the dialogue towards this possibility, please stay tuned for the launch of a dedicated site and/or blog, likely a kind of Online Steering Committee, based on visitor interest. If you are interested in taking part in this dialogue, please send an email to sebastian.ronin@ns.sympatico.ca and place in the subject field "Atlantica Alliance."

First Week Summary

2007-05-05T06:24:00.003-03:00

All in all, I'll take it. The local media coverage of the announcement was friendly, even to the point of getting picked up by New Glasgow radio (my press release was limited to the paper media). I am told that The Halifax Daily News will be running a piece tomorrow (Sunday the 6th). For anyone who cares to check it out, the url is: www.hfxnews.ca

On the second day into its launch, the site was doing 100+ hits. Again, I'll take it. Much of the action was coming from bloggers, some friendly, some hostile, i.e. a limp attempt by a Liberal party hack in Ottawa to draw me into a pissing contest. Many names will no doubt be hurled at me and at this independent candidacy. "Idiot" will likely not be one of them.

I can't stress enough to please read the site before deciding where and how all this sits with you, if it "sits" at all. Page loads are only running about 20-30% above hits, so that tells me that most visitors aren't going beyond the first page. Which is fine, but to get dished on the basis of not having read the entire site is a tad unfair. Everything I can safely say at this time, I have written down. Seven percent of the Central Nova Liberal constiuency! In case anyone missed it, seven percent! Seven! Where it has not been written down, the space left "between the lines" is quite wide.

The high point of the week came during a telephone conversation with a reporter for a local community paper. It was when the light came on for him as to what is being attempted here and that it is actually do-able...and do-able only by an independent. Now all that needs to be done is multiply that "aha!" by several thousand. That's my job and I have the summer to do it.

My major concern at this point is that not much online interest is coming out of Central Nova. But that comes with the turf, i.e. degree of internet hook-up, unwillingness to take initiative, etc. What I already knew is merely reinforced: that much work over the next several months will need to be done by working the streets. If it doesn't get done within the tactical scope of the trenches, wrangling around in the mud, then it doesn't get done. The lofty hilltops of strategy can be left to the more socially and politically incumbent.

Press Release, An Independent for Central Nova, May 2, 2007

2007-05-02T06:37:00.003-03:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sebastian Ronin
216 Stewart Road, Pugwash River, NS B0K 1L0
902.243.3645, sebastian.ronin@ns.sympatico.ca

DATELINE: Pugwash River, Nova Scotia, May 2, 2007

An Independent for Central Nova

Former River John resident, now living in Cumberland County, Sebastian Ronin, has announced his candidacy as an independent in the Federal riding of Central Nova.

On the May-Dion pact, Mr. Ronin states, “The May-Dion pact, separate from Green and Liberal philosophies, is a political act. As such, it can be contested at the electoral level. For those Liberal voters who are opposed to having their freedom of political expression denied and who will not vote Green, Conservative or NDP, I am offering the electoral option for a more constructive protest vote than merely staying home on election night. Needless to say, the Green principle of grass-roots democracy is out the window.”

On bioregionalism: “The Green Party of Canada (GPC) has betrayed and abandoned the core Green political principles of bioregionalism and political decentralization. With climate change a given, it is imperative for a political entity to own these principles. It is the nation’s regions that will be affected in different ways. Where the problems will be is where the solutions will need to be crafted with the aid of the Federal government.”

On the future of TrentonWorks: “The Federal government should seriously consider endorsing the commercial designation of Atlantica, with the proviso that Nova Scotia’s rolling stock be upgraded. Rail transport would displace the high volume of truck traffic, with its high levels of pollution, to transport incoming goods at the province’s ports. It’s not rocket science. The upgrading of the province’s rolling stock translates into a vast opportunity for a business whose business is steel and the manufacture of rail cars.”

Mr. Ronin is a member of the Green Party of Nova Scotia, but on political principle has never held membership with the Federal Greens. Asked if this may confuse voters, Mr. Ronin replied, “I resigned from the Green Party of BC and its Executive 20 years ago over this issue. The situation in Central Nova is an opportunity to explain to the Canadian public why being a Provincial Green trumps being a Federal Green. As for representing the nation’s regions, in its own best interests the GPC could take a strategic page from the Bloc and how it represents the interests of Québec within federalism.”

A dedicated campaign web site has been launched at http://www.roninnova.ca/. Mr. Ronin can be contacted via email at sebastian.ronin@ns.sympatico.ca.

Mr. Ronin is widely known in Pictou County as the owner of Abel’s Canes Company. He will again be at the Pictou Week-End Craft Market during the summer months and he encourages anyone who is interested in his campaign to drop by his booth for a chat.

He currently resides in Cumberland County as the result of a real estate transaction last year. “This is where I found the kind of property I was looking for,” said Mr. Ronin. “I may very well be back in Pictou County should this place sell once the renovation work is completed. I’m actually scouting a property in Eureka. I can’t help but get a smile on my face when I think of living in a community called Eureka.”

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Bio

2007-05-01T06:42:00.003-03:00

My academic, work and professional background can be viewed in my CV. Please click here to view. I am of the opinion that what is of more importance for my independent candidacy to the voters of Central Nova, is why and how it came about that I lived in Pictou County for several years.

In July, 1999 my wife, Margaret Dyane Haggart-Ronin, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. We were living in Vancouver, she a teacher, me a middle-management hack. We were informed that she had several weeks to live. True to the diagnosis, Dyane passed away on September 27, 1999. She had been born in New Glasgow and wished for her cremated remains to be buried in the family plot at Little Harbour Presbyterian Church.

Prior to flying Dyane's ashes to Nova Scotia for burial, I had never been east of Montreal. During the week that I was in New Glasgow for the funeral, something "grabbed" me. Whatever that "something" was, I can only liken it to a combination of people and place. When I returned to Vancouver, I started searching properties online and ended up buying a cabin, sight unseen, in River John in March, 2000. Over the next year I sold off most earthly possessions, stitched together a solid exit strategy from my desk job, and made the move to Nova Scotia in September, 2001. The five cats got piled onto a plane and I followed with pick-up truck and trailer.

My little cabin in River John was to be a grand sanctuary for the next several years and the birthplace of Abel's Canes Company. In the evenings during the first year after Dyane's death I had started "toying" with the idea of making hand-crafted canes. It kept me somewhat sane and kept the walls at bay. In time, I arrived at the conclusion that I was onto a fairly solid business idea. As it would happen, five days after I arrived in Nova Scotia the world was desecrated with 9/11. The province's tourism industry has been in decline ever since, not exactly the best business environment for a hand-crafted product. During my first year in Nova Scotia, Abel's Canes Company generated $16 in revenue (a gas rebate) and three very lovely ribbons (a first, a second, and a third) at the Truro Agricultural Fair.

A blind faith in the product and in its market, coupled with the necessary perseverance, has delivered today a solid recognition for the company not only in Pictou County, but with craft retailers across the Maritimes. (As an eco-libertarian, you should know that even considering applying for any type of government grant is out of the question.) A recent business venture is the launch of Arrowhead Wood Putters. As should be evident, I am not a rich man. I am a simple cane maker.

After several years of living in Pictou County, establishing a business here, and making friends and business acquaintances, the real estate market made me an offer that I couldn't refuse. In the summer of 2006 I sold my cabin in River John. After viewing several properties in Pictou County, the type of property I was looking for I found in Pugwash River, Cumberland County. This is where I now live.

With a couple of years of sweat capital to renovate, I will likely be in a position to sell and move on again, quite possibly back to Pictou County. With the Nova Scotia tourism industry on the ropes (my business is dependent on an "off shore" currency), it has been necessary to develop a business fall-back position. Home renovation for the retirement market is my choice for that contingency. I create my livelihood on a daily basis. No government is responsible for my survival.

Have I been a life-long resident of Pictou County? No, but certainly longer than a 20-minute photo op.

In general, I value my privacy and anonymity. The interpersonal dynamic of suck-holing for political favour nauseates me to no end but, fortunately, I know it's not about me; it's about principles and a few ideas. This thing that has been done in Central Nova by May-Dion is such an outrage that something needs to be done to thwart it. My independent candidacy is one effort of possibly several underway to accomplish such.

My in-laws live in Pictou County. I have nurtured a business here. I have friends and business associates here. My wife's remains are buried in the soil of Pictou County. At some level known only to myself that makes my relationship to the County sacred. As such, I have the right to challenge what I consider to be a political profanity.