The Long Emergency: Another speech by James Howard Kunstler on the looming oil crisis. This one was apparently delivered in Vermont, which makes me sad I didn't have the time to zip across the border to hear it in person.
Although he's prone to hyperbole, Kunstler asks the right questions: what happens when oil demand permanently outstrips oil supply? Which aspects of our current lifestyle will be the first to go? How will governments and communities adapt to the prospect of permanent energy shortages?
His answer stresses the importance of localism in shaping our collective future, and this is something that I think all small 'c' conservatives can agree with. Of course, this leads to another question: in our current excessively mobile society, what remains of local traditionalism? Is there enough there to fall back on when everything hits the fan?
Kunstler's assertion is that the regions of the country with a history of strong local government will be better suited for the crisis. By his count, this comprises New England, the Mid-Atlantic, Upper Midwest, and Northern Pacific. Sounds about right to me.