Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Values and Humanity's Future Richard Eckersley writes: Modern western culture is increasingly failing to do what cultures are designed to do: to give our lives meaning - a sense of identity, belonging and purpose, both socially and spiritually - and to provide a sound framework of values to guide what we do. There are several dimensions to this cultural failing: -The encouragement of rampant individualism and materialism, and the weakening of communal and spiritual values. -Moral confusion and the promotion of anti-social values. Traditional vices such as pride (self-centeredness), greed, lust, envy and anger are promoted - especially through the media - while many traditional virtues such as faith, hope, compassion and fortitude, are neglected. -The promotion, again mainly through the media, of a negative, demoralising view of the world, and the corresponding lack of a coherent, convincing and appealing vision of the future to serve as a source of optimism, inspiration and common purpose. -A cultural framework that is changing too rapidly across too many fronts, increasing our sense of confusion, uncertainty and insecurity. -This failure weakens social cohesion and personal resilience, our capacity to cope with the trouble and strife of everyday life and to bounce back after misfortune. It is contributing to widespread public disillusionment and disenchantment, especially among the young, who are most vulnerable to its effects. It may also be contributing, directly and indirectly, to more serious social and personal problems such as suicide, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and crime. -Our cultural flaws also weaken our ability to address long-term economic, social and environmental challenges by undermining the strength of purpose, the social will, necessary to meet these challenges. This is an important point, but one I won't have time to go into: the cultural requirements for personal well-being are also those for social, economic and environmental health and sustainability. -Finally, the brighter side to this rather bleak perspective is that for a new order to emerge, the old must first fail, and this is the profound cultural transition or transformation we are now experiencing. It is this hope of a new beginning, the excitement of the challenge, the imperative to look beyond the near horizons of our personal lives that we must impress upon the hearts and minds of young people. (02/18/03) What Could Go Wrong in Iraq Mark Mazzetti & Kevin Whitelaw write: Donald Rumsfeld likes making lists. This is a man, after all, who lives by a collection of maxims known as "Rumsfeld's Rules." Yet few lists the defense secretary has ever compiled are more ominous than the one that now sits on his desk at the Pentagon. It is a collection of things that could go wrong if the United States goes to war with Iraq, and for months he has been steadily adding to it. He has yet to cross anything off. With Colin Powell's address to the United Nations ratcheting up pressure on Saddam Hussein (related story) and a military conflict drawing ever closer, there is remarkable consensus among war planners about one thing--that the United States would win a second Gulf War, and in short order. "On the military side, the outcome is not in doubt," says one top officer. Iraq's ramshackle and ill-trained Army, they argue, would be little match against overwhelming U.S. military superiority. With 125,000 troops already in the region and the northern half of Kuwait converted into a vast marshaling yard, the Pentagon last week launched another round of deployments, sending the 101st Airborne Division and the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk toward the Persian Gulf. More than 42,000 British troops are poised for an attack, and cargo ships continue to bring a stream of tanks and armored vehicles into Kuwaiti ports. Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, whose 24th Mechanized Infantry Division helped execute the famous "left hook" attack against an Iraqi Army stronger than today's in Operation Desert Storm, puts it this way: "The Iraqis have no good military options. There is no technique, no tool that they can now adopt that will have any military significance on the outcome of the conflict." Yet beneath the confidence among U.S. officials about the outcome, a general unease exists about the unintended consequences of trying to take down Saddam Hussein's regime. It could go smoothly: Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution estimates that as few as 100 U.S. soldiers may be killed. If things go badly, he predicts, that figure could hit 5,000. Saddam, many fear, like the biblical Samson, will bring the walls of the temple down around himself. "Based on a fair amount of trying to figure Saddam and his cronies out, I wouldn't try to predict how they will behave," remarks one senior Pentagon planner. "That's what makes them so dangerous." The following are scenarios that war planners tell U.S. News keep them up at night. Some of their worst-case scenarios they refuse to divulge, for fear of giving Saddam any more ideas. (02/18/03) Living Without Oil US News & World Report -- Grant Goodman wanted to do his part to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. So two years ago, the Phoenix concrete producer began using biodiesel--made from refined soybean oil--to fuel his fleet of 130 diesel-powered cement mixers and excavators. For his efforts, Goodman in 2001 won a local entrepreneur of the year award and plaudits from the Environmental Protection Agency. But protecting the Earth was not Goodman's only concern. "Let's start with national security--the billions and billions we waste dancing around the issue, protecting those pipelines, invading Iraq, doing whatever else we're doing in the Middle East. It all gets down to continuing the flow of oil to this country." Goodman's stance hasn't been easy. Biodiesel fuel sold for 70 cents per gallon more than regular diesel fuel, giving competitors of his Rockland Materials a decided edge. "It cost me a few hundred grand," says Goodman. Those harsh economics forced him last year to resort to a petroleum mix including 40 percent or less of biodiesel. But don't count him out. He plans to build his own soybean oil refinery this year to help him return to 100 percent biodiesel. Goodman has urged other local businesses to make the switch, but as long as petroleum is cheaper, he says, "I'm this guy screaming in the wind." Sure, in theory, everyone agrees the nation should break its 20 million-barrel-a-day oil habit, 58 percent of it imported. Last week, President Bush noted that "sometimes we import from countries that don't particularly like us. It jeopardizes our national security." (02/18/03) Guzzling the Last of the Oil US News & World Report -- SUVs have come into the cross hairs in a series of high-profile assaults, including the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign promoted last fall by religious leaders as well as commercials dreamed up by pundit Arianna Huffington, which equate SUV owners with terrorist sympathizers. Even federal safety czar Jeffrey Runge has piled on, saying in a recent speech that he wouldn't ride in SUVs that score below average on government rollover tests, including the Ford Explorer and the Jeep Liberty. Consumers appear unmoved. Automakers sold 8.6 million light trucks in 2002, as trucks outsold cars for the first time. This year, Ford expects to sell nearly 200,000 of the gas hog Expedition. The conventional wisdom in Detroit is that big, powerful vehicles will carry the day as long as fuel stays below $2 a gallon. "The price of gas is a killer," says one executive. (02/18/03) 12:35:26 AM

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