Time has allowed me to fill in some of this stuff. There will be an explosion of individual gardening like nobody's business. People will be growing crops and everything else on top of rooftops, on patios, everywhere. One reason will be food self-sufficiency, another cooling effects of the plants will be considered quite valuable in and of themselves, for plants help keep the temperature down during hot weather, saving energy used for cooling. While air conditioners will still exist, plants will be used to supplement their cooling power. Urban gardening, suburban gardening, Victory gardens, McMansions now used to grow exotica such as winter oranges, flowers, and previously imported tropical foods. Several agribusinesses, depening on massive financial subsidies from the Government and stockholders will fold, While there are survivors, some even given massive federal subsidies, the price will still go up for some things, since they are dependent on the same borrowed money as the rest of business in America, and the same prices for fuel and the costs of long-distance delivery. Needless to say, this causes a scramble for additional sources of foodstuffs. Coops, who have never played the stock market, become quite prominent and numerous. Many of the organic people will not only grow the food, but increasingly can the food too, providing prepared foodstuffs.

The remaining horrific feedlots, now abandoned begin to sprout and grow-triggering lush plant growth over a wide area near the places.First of all, large tracts of abandoned towns are not going to be resettled, but allowed to be reclaimed by forest and prairie.

One reason that these particular towns were abandoned occurred to me: it was the cost of gasoline was too high, and with the lack of a farm or tax base, many of these small towns simply were too far out to support a commuter population anymore. The resulting downscaling of industrial agriculture will force it closer to town-many suburbs will revert to farms-watch for McMansions becoming barns as few could afford to live there without having several generations under the same roof, and energy costs soar beyond belief. I also see solar panels, some several acres wide, also triggering much accelerated plant growth as well around them. Not that these areas will be totally uninhabited, like I said earlier. With self-generated electricity, some water power, and alternative sources of petroleum, there will be homes among the greenery. But McMansion developments will be more ghost towns than anything else. But for more reasonably priced and maintainable property, one way to solve the homeless problem, and relieve the government and banks of the burden of managing and handling foreclosed property will be the revival of the Homestead Act. Homes will once again be sold by banks and the Goverment for literally pennies in order to prevent gangs and other undesirables from gaining a foothold in those areas. With bus and train service back into town provided, people will finally have real homes to live in and work from.

The return of the River... The waterways become once again a great transportation hub. People float to work, to travel, wherever. Sailors now have more work to do than ever before. And BTW, the green areas will become a tourist attraction along the borders of it. People will come to camp and leave the area when done. Needless to say, the regreening also means that we will have an unprecedented number of birds-but also herds of abandoned livestock because agribusiness would rather save the bullets and the cost of getting rid of them. Flashes of governmental reorgs: Some nearby states will practically police these areas because the states that contain them can no longer support the local services. Picture Ohio policing parts of Western West Virginia, Utah, both Dakotas. Vermont, as practically suburb and refuge from Boston and New York, will survive, but I see increasing local autonomy and cross-agreements with Canada and New York State.

Still more: a person will be driving along the expressway, see something that looks like a McDonalds or a strip mall, and will be startled that it's actually a private home. After the economic meltdown, businesses that are simply too far out to sustain become people's homes as businesses scramble to unload now useless commercial inventory. There is actually an excess of commercial property right now barely being rented.

No flashes yet on Government structure, but I suspect deevolution will be a factor. State Governors will take greater power due to the need to handle the immediate crisis, and several great ones rise to the challenge. Indeed, one of the changes may well be that a Council of Governors becomes part of the Federal Legislative Process somehow and can counter a President who is too arrogant for words. They may even have a seat in Congress to represent their interests-an overall Senator and an overall Congressperson, or they may designate one.

The Church: One surprising development will be home churches. With the internet making it possible to get advanced theological knowledge, religious meetups will flourish. Many people used to this sort of structure will take it a step further and simply study on their own, getting together in a coffee shop or home to pray. Such a development will be seen as cheaper, less politicized, more casual and flexible. (You don't have to dress up or come on Sunday).These orgs will just rent a facility for larger ritual purposes such as weddings and funerals. Indeed, I suddenly see a whole host of churches and Cathedrals become rent-a-churches, renting out available space to whatever group needs it for the day or

This ties into another prediction I have made: the revival of handcrafts, canning, home sewing, and other such arts. For a long time there has been a thrifting movement=but It has only gone in fits and starts. But when old hippies with a sense of artistry start up again, it will take off. A lot of people will remember those old crocheting and macrame lessons from the seventies, quilting will revive, and so will canning

Will Congress recognize these formal or informal new arrangements? Stay Tuned. (Referring to an online discussion board talking about "The End of the American Dream") Someone predicted that Bush would would leave in an "ark". Could this be a life support system? America has never quite had a situation like this. Wilson in 1918 had a stroke,but due to the help of his wife and a few loyal aides, was able to communicate with Congress some of his wishes. Things were different back then though. Since there was no radio or television, few people saw the President on a regular basis anyway, and still fewer could gauge the degree of physical debilitation. Furthermore, a President could still live largely in seclusion except for executive work and local affairs. These days, the disappearance of the President completely from the camera's view would trigger widespread panic. Furthermore, there would be an interregnum that would also foster a lack of confidence as well. Who declares Cheney Acting President? What if Bush never wakes up and can't? Does Laura pull the plug or just run out the clock? Who decides this? Do people hedge their bets on things wondering if they would be upheld later? What if there's a crisis and even Cheney isn't capable? Then what?

People, feeling that there's no way to get permission anyway, and feeling that the Executive Branch is otherwise occupied, begin making their own deals and decisions. States start making their own moves regarding oil, diplomacy, trade-even whether or not to keep troops overseas. Congress becomes more State-centered in its philosophy and approach to matters, giving Governors more of what they want or need. And the effect on the stock market would be incalculable in terms of what confidence people would have in the economy. With no central direction and govermental uncertainty, many governments will hedge their bets financially or travel in a holding pattern until a clear leader emerges.

But in the scenario I described, it's not so simple. The 25th Amendment talks about "An Acting President" that is declared upon incapacity to serve. But who declares that incapacity, and are their opinions binding? And if there's a dispute? In any case, it becomes a Regency where decisions are made, but there is the aura of uncertainty because the President could repudiate those decisions upon recovery. And who decides the recovery? Such uncertainty combined with Peak Oil could trigger some of the events that I just mentioned as people either: hunker down to endure, call in their chips, or make hay while the sun shines.

The crisis I envision is gas going as high as $5 a gallon and greater, with a stock market "crash" to boot(font color="blue">At the time I wrote this, the stock market was above 10,000. Who knew then it would now be flirting at 6,000. This was before Bear Sterns and Lehman Brothers, and the zillion ponzi schemes that have come out since. Folks in the stock market should have invested in a casino. It would have gotten them a better return.). In such a scenario, few can afford to commute very far anymore without a bus or a train or a boat. A small town with no jobs and mostly elderly people will be completely out of the question unless those people are willing to live totally off the land and grid

.The Church: One surprising development will be home churches. With the internet making it possible to get advanced theological knowledge, religious meetups will flourish. Many people used to this sort of structure will take it a step further and simply study on their own, getting together in a coffee shop or home to pray. Such a development will be seen as cheaper, less politicized, more casual and flexible. (You don't have to dress up or come on Sunday).These orgs will just rent a facility for larger ritual purposes such as weddings and funerals. Indeed, I suddenly see a whole host of churches and Cathedrals become rent-a-churches, renting out available space to whatever group needs it for the day or week.

When I posted this, I did a Google search under the phrase "home church". So far, there isn't much yet, but I see it coming. I believe it will be a convergence: the huge mega-churches with their 30k congregations and fifty preachers, constantly haranguing people for faith-based votes and money, doubtless can lead to a lot of isolation. Even with the whole activity groups, there could be many who feel like they could use a little less crowd and more personal attention. Some people will come from political meet-ups, and wonder why if personal contact is good for politics, why should religion be still top-down like nothing has changed? The energy crisis will put in its two cents: many churches, especially the mega-ones, are suburban edifices with huge parking lots far away from where people live. Do you want to spend $7 a gallon for a 30 mile trip? Surfing the net for information and instruction, and getting together in a living room or at a restaurant is cheaper, and once people get used to doing that, and not getting dressed up, and being able to meet at a time when everybody is awake, few are going to want to go back to those mega churches. Now community churches may still survive, and African-American churches that serve as a refuge from troubled streets will still be around, but even here the edifices in the suburbs will suffer.

The America of the future is going to be a smaller, greener America-America the healer. America won't starve, in fact, it will help the rest of the world keep from starving as it figures out how to make the transition from exclusively fossil fuel to a new future of cleaner, and even more powerful energy. Indeed this is very Aquarian-the blend of tradition and innovation, of individualism and a need to belong to something greater.