Cyclone's View
em>1) The Neocons and the Plan
What exactly is a neocon? In the world according to Boosh, a neocon is one who thinks that democracy can be forced upon any country in the world, regardless of their history. This is obviously for the benefit of America, yet sold as a benefit for people of the particular country in which we are choosing to force our will upon. Boosh, the head neocon, believes that by forcing a democratic way of life on people, they will somehow “see the light.” After all of the destruction done during the democratization of the country, the world will be a better and safer place, and, the new democratic country and its people will somehow become better for it. For one to believe that, one must also believe that the families of those killed at the World Trade Center are better off for that experience.
A neocon is also generally considered a moralist. One definition of a moralist is: a person for whom moral conduct, morality and the correctness of moral thought are paramount.
This moralist issue presents a quandary for those who follow the Boosh doctrine of shoving democracy down the throats of others. How can one who has shown total disdain for the people he represents, has broken the law on a consistent basis and is morally bankrupt in its purest form, possibly be a moralist?
The neocon agenda is simple. Turn each country that either presents a threat or perceived threat in the mind of Boosh or his minions into a democracy. A democracy whose leaders we select, of course, so not really a democracy at all.
One of the major problems with the Boosh version of neoconservatism is that little part about the “perceived threat.” This man is capable of “perceiving” all sorts of things, nearly always disconnected from reality at its very core. I guess that it is simply a coincidence that each of the countries that Boosh chooses to “save from themselves,” happen to have a commodity that we desperately need, namely OIL. We aren’t worried about bringing democracy to Uganda, after all.
While Boosh would like you to believe that he is doing this to make the world a better and safer place, (he may in fact actually believe this himself, as hard as that is to imagine) he refuses to accept the fact that he simply does not have the right to take this action. It is not America’s job to tell others in the world how to live, although that is our stance today. One must take into account the history of a country, the real differences among the peoples of the country, and religious values. This is what creates such a problem in dealing with the Middle East in particular. Neither Boosh, nor I, nor any other American can pretend to know the intricacies of the Muslim world, and by attempting to force our will on them and their way of life, we have given them the right to resent our actions. We have given them the right to hate us. And they do. So, they attack this great military power the only way that they are able to, one terrorist attack at a time.
Boosh is famous for perpetrating a fraud, the fraud that says “they hate us because of our freedom and our values.” No, Boosh, I hate to break it to you. They do not hate us because of our values, quite frankly they could care less how we live, they simply wish to be left alone to live as they wish to. They do not want the brand of “freedom” that you offer. Get over it. To say anything else is being dishonest, so we begin with Lie # 1.
2) Boosh and the Puppet Masters
I believe that the puppet masters responsible for pulling the strings in this country have changed. Originally, Dick Cheney was the one responsible for telling Boosh what to do and say. I now think that probably about two years ago, Cheney was being reeled in and slowly relieved of this duty. As the Boosh machine spun wildly out of control, it became apparent that no one with any competence was in command of the ship. There were just too many things going wrong.
The war in Iraq was turning into a disaster, the economy was becoming troubling, the faith of the American people was wavering little by little, Social Security reform was dead, health care was becoming another disaster, in essence, the natives were becoming restless. Then, with Katrina, came the final straw. While the rest of the world watched, our federal government response showed just how totally incompetent our leaders were. Boosh was on vacation, the people whom he appointed to handle emergency response proved incapable, and as people died on rooftops in New Orleans, it was beamed, via satellite, all over the world.
Coinciding with Katrina various scandals were brewing. We will deal with those later, but I believe that Katrina was the impetus for a change in puppet masters. The elite stepped in, let themselves be heard and said that enough was enough. They would begin calling most of the shots.
3) 9/11 and the War on Terror
Boosh caught a big break with 9/11. With this event occurring so quickly after he was appointed President after the 2000 election, he essentially received a free pass for almost the entire first term of his presidency. Were it not for that, we would have seen just how incompetent he really was much sooner. Many believe that our government was a party to, if not the instigator of, the 9/11 tragedy. I don’t know whether or not this is true, I tend to think not. I doubt that we will ever actually know exactly how complicit our government was in this event, at least not while I or most of you are alive, anyway. They did not do much to dispel rumors, however. While all planes in the United States were allegedly grounded, we managed to whisk numerous members of the bin Laden family away to the safety of Saudi Arabia, where the majority of the terrorists originated from. Boosh also fought long and hard to prevent the 9/11 commission from ever coming together, despite the obvious need for a review and the pleading of the families of the victims. Boosh eventually gave in, and we received a glossed over view of what happened on that unforgettable day. There will undoubtedly be other reviews, as there should be. But I shall not attempt to solve that one.
This led to the “War on Terror.” Whatever the hell that is. Believe me, I have spent a lot of time trying to define this, and I simply can’t do it. It is too abstract, too much like the “War on Drugs.” I don’t think that anyone can define either one. Not to my satisfaction, at least. But the “war on terror” has turned out to be an all encompassing war on anything that Boosh decides it will be. No matter what goes wrong in America, Boosh can always fall back on, “I am a war time president and I must protect the American people, it is my duty above all else.” So what has this war brought us?
First, over 2200 dead soldiers and some 15,000 seriously wounded. Countless Iraqi and Afghanistan citizens are dead. Billions of dollars have been spent, dollars that we did not have to spare. Perhaps the most damaging of all is that it has given Boosh the feeling that he is invincible, and has given him a blank check to work with. It has given him POWER, either real or imagined.
Now, no member of Congress dares to try to rein in the spending for fear of looking as if they don’t support the troops. It has given the average American citizen the feeling that if they say anything negative about Boosh or the war, they are being unpatriotic. Some of us ignore these unwritten restraints, others, especially those of generations before us; buy it hook, line and sinker. They buy it honestly, as they remember WWII and the times that it truly meant something to say that you were fighting for freedom and for your country. This patriotism is buried deeply inside their souls, and they cannot be faulted for that. However, they are wrong.
They are wrong because Iraq under Saddam was no threat to us, nor was Afghanistan under the Taliban. If you believe that the 9/11 event was exactly what the Boosh administration wants us to believe it was, these countries were still not a threat to us. Terrorist organizations exist, they have always existed, and they will always exist. There is always the chance that a group of terrorists will do something harmful to our nation and our citizens. This is a dangerous world. It is in fact becoming more dangerous with each passing moment. But, these problems cannot be solved with military force. If they could, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict would have been over 50 years ago. Israel would have blown the Palestinians off the face of the earth.
Until now, that was a problem that existed “over there.” After 9/11, rather than do the prudent thing, going after those responsible, Boosh decided to enter into the fray of the war that cannot be won. We are now in a religious war, against people we do not and cannot understand. And, he took it a step further than necessary. He decided to throw Iraq into the mix, though even the most right wing Nazi in America cannot deny that Iraq and Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11. Saddam didn’t like Osama bin Laden, they were in fact enemies, an often reported fact. Maybe that’s when God told Boosh what to do, I don’t know. But, it certainly was the birthing of the neocon agenda. Would we be where we are today had 9/11 not have occurred? I don’t know, but I do know that there would have been a bunch more hoops to jump through to get there. Let’s move on, my blood pressure is beginning to rise.
4) Republicans vs. Democrats
Many of you have made comments over the last few months that neither of these parties truly represent any of us. Corporations now determine how our elections are won or lost. We need a third party to get someone to represent us, the people. We need to get the money out of politics for the game to work as it was meant to work, among other excellent comments.
In essence, I agree. I spend some time (although not near as much as I used to) visiting “progressive” sites with people who have views similar to mine. I hear the same things, have heard them to the point that I don’t even want to hear them any more. The reality is this.
There is not a dime’s worth of difference in the Republican’s and the Democrat’s, and that dime doesn’t matter anymore. It mattered in 2000, and it mattered in 2004, it might matter in ‘06. Boosh has accomplished his main goal, the goal of stacking the Supreme Court, which was really the reason that the 2000 and 2004 elections were so important. Both parties are corrupt, feed from the same trough, and it is national suicide to allow the Republicans to control all three houses of government. (that dime’s worth again) I am going to later say something that will contradict what I am going to say here, but realize that I am doing it knowingly and am coming at it from different angles. It is just not important enough to go into great detail about. If we are to survive, the ’06 elections are very important. While the ideal situation would be for every incumbent to be defeated, that will not happen. So, vote for every Democrat on the ticket, the lesser of two evils. It is absolutely imperative that the Republicans lose control of the House of Representatives. If not, it’s over. Pure and simple. ’08 won’t matter in the least should the Republican stranglehold continue until then.
5) Elections
Now I will contradict what I just wrote, sort of. True, fair, representative elections in this country are over. 1996 was the last legitimate election in this country, and we’ll likely never have another one. At the presidential level, anyway. After the “hanging chads” of 2000, for the citizens of this nation to stand by and allow machines without a paper trail to decide any election in this country, is simply mind boggling. Between this and gerrymandering, your vote no longer counts. The system is rigged, and with the new additions to the Supreme Court it is guaranteed to stay rigged for as long as I am alive. I doubt that I will ever vote in a Presidential election again, even on the off chance that I am given the opportunity. It is an exercise in futility. There is something that could be done about this, but we’ll talk about it later.
6) Plamegate
Patrick Fitzgerald has been a godsend, albeit too late to matter, and he’s not done. Karl Rove will be indicted. Whoever revealed the name of Valerie Plame to whichever reporter who received it first should be locked up and the key should be thrown away. I hear the right, and even some progressive’s, say that she was not covert at the time of her “outing,” therefore no harm was done. Bullshit. Harm was done on several fronts. One, the law was broken. Granted, that doesn’t seem to be a deterrent to Booshco, but it is still a fact. Secondly, the lives of every person who she came in contact with while she was covert are in danger. Just because she was sitting behind a desk in Virginia, doesn’t mean that a foreign agent doesn’t remember seeing her at lunch with a cohort while she was still a covert operative. That cohort is in danger, now that her face has been plastered on the news all over the world.
This has turned out to be probably the biggest disappoint to me of anything that I have ever written about. I honestly believed that the outing of a CIA agent would ruffle the feathers of leaders of both parties; instead it was covered up like a half eaten sandwich being saved for an afternoon snack. As it turns out, this is probably the least egregious act that Booshco has committed. Naïve me. I only hope that Fitzgerald keeps going and that Rove and the like get what they deserve, a little jail time with Bubba. And Cheney should join them.
7) The NSA and Wiretapping
I can only hope that this does not end in the same way that the Plame affair will end, but I fear that it will. The Democrats do not have the numbers to make this a big deal, and when push comes to shove, the brave Republicans, those now talking tough, will fold their tent and let it go. Gotta get re-elected you know. We have a President of the United States who knowingly broke the law, consistently over a 5 year period, admits it, says he will continue to do it, and in the end that’s going to be just fine and dandy. We impeach President Clinton over lying about a blowjob, but this clown can listen to my phone calls and read my email and that’s okay. Oh how I yearn for the 60’s when people would get off of their lazy butts and demand something from their government. Oh, I forgot. That is when it was our government. We should have a minimum of 50 million Americans sitting in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue, refusing to move, until this cabal is removed from office. What do we get instead? Half the population doesn’t even think it’s wrong. It’s for our security, after all, during the “war on terror.”
For our security in the “war on terror.” If it weren’t so serious, I would probably be laughing right now. I felt pretty secure before 9/11, and guess what. I felt pretty secure after 9/11. I felt pretty secure before we invaded Iraq, and I don’t feel any more secure today. I felt pretty secure before the NSA began monitoring phone calls and emails, and I feel less secure today. I feel less secure because I see the erosion of my civil rights and liberties on an almost daily basis. I feel less secure because we have a madman running this country and the world hates us more and more each day. I feel less secure because the security that we have put in place has not bothered to address the Mexican border. Anyone can enter this country, as long as they are willing to work for very little money and no health insurance. We’ll even tell them its okay, if Boosh should get his way. Hell, we’ll even subsidize your move for you, so long as you are willing to pick a little fruit while you are here. Oh, and a terrorist or two might pretend to be a fruit picker. But, that’s the price you pay to be in an open society, right Boosh? Are you worried about security or are you worried that you might miss out on watermelon? For our security in the “war on terror.” It is a fraud, and half the American people are willing to buy it.
8) Jack Abramoff and the Fools on the Hill
This should turn out to be the mother of all scandals, although, with one party controlling all branches of government, it will be hidden by a smokescreen. At a time when Democrats should be throwing a party, preparing a strategy to take back control of the House and Senate over this mess, you hear little other than a few comments from some “outraged” politicians. Why? Because, many Democrats are not willing to allow this smokescreen to be lifted; they are caught up in the fraud and corruption as well. In reality, it doesn’t really matter. Twenty years ago, maybe even ten, it might have made a real impact and served notice to our politicians to straighten up. Not anymore. Now, it is too little, too late, and will serve mainly as entertainment of the crudest kind. We will get the opportunity to watch worms from both sides of the aisle scurry for darkness, trying to outrun the freight train that is Jack Abramoff. Some will run out of gas right in the middle of the tracks. For the rest, it will be business as usual. Cover your tracks and chase the money.
9) The Under Education of Americans
Americans have become a lazy, mostly ignorant lot. They pay little to no attention to what goes on outside the little box that life places them in. Or, I should say, the box that they choose to jump into. We, as a people, have allowed Booshco and those before them to rape, pillage and plunder our pocketbooks, our constitutional rights and our minds. It is the number one reason why we are where we find ourselves today. People stopped paying attention to what was going on outside their own box a long time ago.
10) Peak Oil
Peak oil has either already occurred, or will sometime in the near future. I have not spent a lot of time talking about this; to the dismay of some, because I believe that other issues will take us down long before Peak Oil comes into play. Regardless of what you may read or hear, Peak Oil is real and will at some point end life as we know it on Planet Earth. We have no choice but to start making plans for when we run out of oil. Our entire financial structure in this country, indeed our very way of life currently depends upon the availability of oil. Not merely oil, but cheap oil. Unfortunately, due to the upcoming crisis that I see just over the horizon, talking about Peak Oil is going to have to wait. For me at least. There are people that devote their entire lives to dealing with this issue, and for now I’ll leave it to them. I am going to deal with what faces us immediately,
11) It’s the Economy, Stupid
The American economy is about to explode, implode, disintegrate, whatever you choose to call it. I’ll pick end as the word to be used. How, in 5 years, we have gone from a nation with a surplus to a nation that is, as of today at 1:39 PM GMT, $8,186,167,175,601.88 in debt, with an official population of 298,291,761, amounting to $27,443.59 per every living man, woman and child in this country, and currently increases at the rate of $2.28 BILLION PER DAY, is beyond my comprehension. And this is from a Republican controlled, self espoused, smaller government cabal. If the Republicans are correct, imagine what the numbers would be if we were in the hands of the “tax and spend liberals.” Quite the opposite, we have become the “don’t tax but still spend” America. And that cannot continue. I have said before and I’ll say it again, we are no longer in charge of what happens to us. China and Japan have more control over our economy than we do. We have destroyed our economy, regardless of what “good news” is reported out of Washington every day. For this, we will pay, and pay dearly.
12) Conclusion; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The good, bad and ugly are all intertwined and I am not going to attempt to separate them out. What I will do is tell you what I see happening within the next year or so, likely beginning shortly after the ’06 elections. Keep in mind that this is simply one man’s view. I would not expect any of you to believe all of what I have to say, most of what I have to say, or even any of what I have to say. It’s up to you. But please consider it. I will tell you that I base these things on what I have learned over my almost 50 years on this earth, what I have learned about different issues about a variety of topics from people who are a whole lot smarter than me, what I have learned through contacts that I have made over those nearly 50 years, and on what my gut tells me. Generally speaking, I trust my gut more than any of the other above mentioned sources. Over my life, my gut instincts have proven right 100 times more often than not, so I give it the most weight. Here we go.
America as we have always known it is over, through, finito. We are no longer a superpower, though we continue to tell ourselves and the rest of the world that we are. The rest of the world has stopped listening, and I suggest, beginning this very moment, that “we, the people” stop listening as well. We have been conned, and it has worked. Our shell game has worked for over 200 years. But, as all empires before us have learned and likely all those after us will learn, the game always ends. When this game ends, we are going to lose. The winner will be the same one that always wins in the end, the team of greed and corruption. We have defeated ourselves, essentially by eating our own.
This is due to a combination of problems of which greed and corruption are at the top. But there is so much more. We have lost our moral standing in the world, a standing that has too long been on shaky ground. Our moral compass has lost its way. Our society has forgotten the one thing that is most important in any society, its people. For a society this large to succeed, it must not forget the least among that society, and we have done that. We have ignored that which has always been right before our eyes, our homeless, our mentally ill, and our citizens with less brain power than most, simply ignored those whom are least equipped to survive in a country that is driven by one outdoing the other. We have an obligation to those, just as we do our children, and we chose to ignore them. Our sheer arrogance is in the end our downfall. I don’t know of another word for it.
The first signs of a failing government become obvious when things are done in secret. Booshco takes home the grand prize in the “secret society” contest. For those of you who remember Watergate, you’ll remember that as the end neared for Nixon, the entire government was shrouded in secrecy. Were it not for the infamous “Watergate Tapes” we likely would never have known what really happened then. Again, sheer arrogance led a man to knowingly break the law and tape his own conversations for the world to eventually hear. Booshco has taken this a step further, we don’t need tapes. Boosh simply comes on television and states that he is breaking the law, says he has no intention of stopping it, so “what are you going to do about it?” It no longer matters; it’s too late for anything that we as citizens, or for that matter, those in power, can do to stop this freight train from derailing. It has in fact already derailed, most just haven’t realized it yet.
The American people are as complicit in this as Boosh or anyone else currently in a position of power, or anyone who was previously in power. We as citizens have had it too good for too long, in essence become spoiled, rotten brats. We have closed our eyes and minds to what is important in life and in the world; we have willingly turned the job of protecting us and our nation over to others. Those whom we have given this charge have failed us, but we have no one to blame but ourselves. We have bought in to the very thing that most of us believe to be evil, the corporate empires. We have allowed them to market to us new houses, new cars, new television sets, new fill in the blank, all bigger and better than the ones we were replacing. We have become a theocorpratocracy, all in an effort to get more, more, more, now, now, now. And we’ve done it on credit. We chased the dream on money that we didn’t have, and were never going to have. Sure, we were taught by the best, our own government. They were the pros at spending money that wasn’t there. We knew better, but bought the plan anyway. And make no mistake about it, it was a plan. A plan handed to us by the neocons and the elite, a plan made to take over the world so that they could mold it as they saw fit. We stopped paying attention a long time ago, and when that happened, we doomed ourselves to failure.
What will Happen
Our economy is going to crash and crash hard. It will also crash without warning. Only those that are financial geniuses will be able to guess when it will happen, and they will likely have no more than 48 hours notice. There will be no announcement; it will be based on their gut instincts, based on what they have learned while toiling in financial markets for their entire lives. Only the elite of the elite brains among that small group will get it right, and may come out of it left with something. The others in the financial world will be left behind.
As for those of us outside those circles, the changes will be swift and stunning. And those who do not begin preparing for the inevitable right now, today, will be left behind as well. We will see things that no one could have imagined possible. My bet is that approximately one-third of the population will cease to exist soon after the crash. Maybe more. There will be mass chaos, people storming banks demanding money that they will find was never there to begin with, and the doors will be locked. The few who do find money will soon learn that there is no where to spend it. It will be worth nothing.
Why will the population reduction occur? Simply because, only the strongest will survive. The ones that plan ahead have a chance. The ones that don’t will not make it, but for the grace of God. The criminal element among us will thrive for a short while, but not for long. The people who have prepared for this event will slowly but surely take care of the thugs, once they manage to roam in the wrong places. Masses of people who have lost everything will commit suicide; they will not be willing to, nor be capable of starting over. It will be ugly, every man and woman for themselves and their families, if they don’t plan ahead.
Our government, for all practical purposes, will cease to function. They will at first attempt to regulate behavior by calling in troops, but in the end it will not matter. For one thing, there are nearly 300,000,000 citizens. Short of a nuclear bomb, no one can control that many people. The troops will soon find that it is an exercise in futility, and regardless of what the Commander in Chief orders, they will not turn their weapons on their fellow citizens. They will for the most part switch teams. The CIA will have nothing to do with any of it, they don’t have much of a liking for this administration. So, we are left with the local and state police and the FBI. They will make an initial stand, then think better of it and give it up. They will not be able to sieze control. How long the chaos will go on depends largely upon how much preparation those willing to admit the possibility of such a scenario choose to invest.
So how does one prepare for an event such as this? I can only tell you what I will do. I will form or join a small group that has the capability to quickly become self sufficient. A group that is able to provide food, shelter, and security for myself and my family. I will get away from any large city and head for a small, rural environment. I see a large city as the last place that I would want to be, for several reasons. First, the criminal element is naturally larger in such a setting, and they are likely going to come after whatever you have, especially if you have made preparations. It may well be your neighbor. I doubt that many will survive such a place, regardless of the conditions. Second, the more people, the more chaos and hysteria there will be. Waiting and attempting to form a small, self sufficient group after the fact will not work, you will find yourself isolated and on your own. In a survival situation, that is not a good position to put yourself in. And that is what we will be doing, simply trying to survive until the dust settles.
Small communities similar to what I described are going to be popping up all over the nation. I would not want to be in the position of attempting to join one after the fact, as trust will be a highly important commodity. So, I will prepare early. I will have a place to go and a group to join, or will have formed a group in the very near term, before anything goes down.
Communications systems that we currently take for granted, such as the internet, cell phones, and land lines will likely disappear quickly. People will have to make arrangements for some form of communication and transportation to wherever they may head, well in advance of an economic crash.
When will this crash occur? No one can say for sure, but I would bet that we are safe at least until the ’06 elections are over. The Fed and the Treasury will continue to prop up the current phony economy at least until then. I would not feel safe at any time after the election occurs. It could go Kaboom at anytime, overnight, after that date. I will admit that I have a slight advantage. I have access to one of those people that I mentioned above, one of the financial geniuses. One that hopefully will get it right, or I’ll be in trouble. That means that I will have 24-48 hours advance notice before the bottom drops out, should he be correct.
After looking at the future from every conceivable angle, this is the conclusion that I have come to. I think that a crash of our economy is inevitable, and it will likely have repercussions worldwide. Other countries’ economies will certainly soon follow ours.
I noticed that some of you have begun a dialogue in the comments section of the Real Deal about the future. I hope that this will continue as we will somehow have to pick up the pieces and start over. Should this not come to pass, and I sincerely hope that it doesn’t, it ABSOLUTELY WILL be the case when the oil runs dry. So, if you are young enough to live that long, any preparations that you make now will only put you ahead of the game.
Cyclone
37 Comments:
Bravo Cyclone!! One of the most comprehensive treatments of this subject material I have seen. I am definetely forwarding this to a number of people.
cyclone,
youve done it now. that's the best thing i've ever read. thank you, thank you
Yep! We're all fucked! Dry-humped with a barbed-wire rubber! Get yourselves armed while you still can! get as much ammunition as you can! Familurize yourselves with primitive weaponry. (I suggest spears. They're easy to make and repair and are more effective than a bow and arrow) buy axes, sheathed knives (good quality! Leave the junk alone!), and camping equipment like tents, sleeping bags, and fire starting kits. (Don't waste money on camp stoves and lanterns. They're useless without fuel). Buy shovels, hoes, pick-axes, and mattocks. (These tools can be used to grow food) Buy all the candles you can get your hands on! (not the fancy scented ones! Nice long tapers are what your after) and save your empty jars so you can make lanterns from them using candles. Lay in a store of dehydrated food, and canned goods of all kinds.
Remeber that in these times you may be forced to kill your fellow man in defence of yourself or your family, (extended or otherwise). Better tried by twelve, than carried by six! Even though I doubt there will be any court left to hear the case!
Great post, Cyclone! Nobody can say they weren't warned!
Wonder what happened to the Austin boys? I heard one wante to post but his wife said "neigh"!
Cyclone....Thanks for your comments on the foreseeable future. I live in the country (rural)and am in the process of selling my place because I foresee gas prices being out of my reach soon and the only places that can fullfill my buying needs are the Walmarts in the vincinity of 50 miles. The rest have been driven out of business.
I have been toying with the idea of locating out of the country, perhaps Mexico or further away, the drawback is the language barrier...( unfortunately I'm an old fart of 62 and to learn a new tongue will be a really big challenge)..I don't expect to have loads of money, maybe $65 to $70,000 available to me plus small social security (maybe, but I expect that that will evaporate in rough times regardless of the BS that they (gov't) spew out about the security of the accounts. So my question to you is....Would it be, in your opinion wise to transfer the US currency to another, and if so which would you choose. Also do you have any thoughts on where would be a more stable place to live out whats left of my existance in this chaotic world that I could afford to be in without beings a burden to others.. ( my host country)..
Any suggestions? ... I love a good contest but I'm afraid that I don't have the energy anymore, the odds are too overwhelming.
I read your thoughts daily and have the greatest respect for them..I look forward to any wisdom that you may find appropriate in these matters....Looking toward your reply with anticipation.
Franz
Do you think that maybe these behind-the-scenes power brokers, the ones who are REALLY in charge, are saying, "You know, we've got way too many people on the planet using-up the few resourses left, we had better crash the system and do a restart at a later date."?
They play god every day, so maybe they'll do a huge SMITE on all of us because things are getting critical?
Great post Cyclone
I will forward it to many.
Stoney
I hear ya I gonna ammo up and what ever else I can put together.
Morph
This might just speed the time table up on our economic demise.
Sean
Thanks for your conclusive thoughts, Cyclone.
I noticed: the 'vanishing' of a third of Americas population and 'it's everyone for himself' sounds like a wet dream come true for any rapture-ready christian fundamentalist and every Rand-and-Hobbes-endorsing entrepreneur out there.
So maybe not everybody will be that unhappy with the dire proceedings...
Cyclone,
Thought you might be interested in this quote from Richard Heinber's book, "Powerdown," about the origin of the Neocons:
"Neoconservatism is the intellectual offspring of Leo Strauss (1899-1973), a Jewish scholar who fled Hitler's Germany and taught political science at the University of Chicago. Among his students was Paul Wolfowitz, one of the leading hawks in the US Defense Department who urged the invasion of Iraq; second generation students include Newt Gingrich, Clarence Thomas, Irving Dristol, William Bennett, John Ashcroft, and Michael Ledeen. Michael Ledeen is a policy advisor to Karl Rove. He is a devotee of Machiavellianism and has written a book on Machiavelli and Modern Leadership.
Strauss advocated an essentially Machiavellian approach to governance. He believed that:
- A leader must perpetually deceive those being ruled.
- Those who lead are accountable to no overarching system of morals, only to the right of the superior to rule the inferior.
- Religion is the force that binds society together, and is therefore the tool by which the ruler can manipulate the masses (any religion will do).
- Secularism in society is to be supressed, because it leads to critical thinking and dissent.
- A political system can be stable only if it is united against an external threat, and that if no real threat exists, one should be manufactured."
So, I guess we have this blowhole, Strauss, to thank for a lot of the shit that is going on. Now that he is dead, one can only hope that he has come back as something that we scrape off of our shoes...
I agree that if the economy collapses quickly it will be startlingly bad. One can read accounts of what it was like in Moscow when their economy collapsed. Terrible shortages and hardships. But the thing that they had going for them (that we don't) is that the housing was government owned. People were not evicted from their apartments. In our society, renters as well as home owners who are paying mortgages will be evicted when the rent or payments cannot be made. That will make hard times unbelievably worse.
Franz,
Your position is by no means unique. I live in a rural community. I have several friends that are retired, living on Social Security and live about 10 miles from the nearest store. Quite frankly, they are at severe risk because of travel costs to get basics. The one thing you might take into account is that if this collapse comes, there ain't gonna be a Wal Mart or much of any marts. Are you really so remote that the nearest place to get food is 50 miles? I did a trip like that in the 80's.
There are several other things to take into account. Live by yourself? If so, get into a small community soonest with people that will support one another, get away from large population areas. If you have wife, kids at home etc, you might have a chance staying where you are. If you are indeed 50 miles from anything, you probably heat with wood and lots of it around you. That is good. You probably have electricity so you can't be too far off the grid. I have lived where it would take $5000 to get the electric provider to run you a line.
I am 65 and am getting a bit old for this crap too. Wife and I got ourselves into a small community where most of the people are heavily armed and the whole community is supportive. Hopefully, no one will go hungry. This summer I plan to do something about alternate heating besides propane and electricity. Do be prepared to defend yourself. Stock up with long term survival stuff.
I wouldn't worry about paper money of any country. If you got enough cash, get precious metals, gold and silver coinage in bullion form. Don't get sold on numismatic stuff. Won't be worth any more than the bullion and is a hell of a lot cheaper. Pre '64' silver coins in bullion form are good. Again, don't go for the numismatic stuff.
Franz, it is so hard to talk about what to do actually. There are so many variables and inevitably, there are going to be surprises not planned on.
The housing bubble is begining to come apart. If you are going to sell, do it quick. There are quite a few communities that are progressing toward sustainability with due speed. Most are in the western part of the country. My wife made a list of web sites that will have information on the sustainable community experiments:
Drydipstick.com
Postcarbon.org
Beyondpeak.com
It's gonna be tough on us old guys for sure. The day I can throw a 100# pack on and head for the hills is a few years back.
Hope this helps.
Cyclone (and Morpheus),
Rats! I left the "g" off of Richard Heinberg's book, "Powerdown." Sorry. It is a great book about what is happening and how to deal with it.
RP,
Give it to anybody you want to.
Cyclone
Murph....Thanks for the input, and shall consider what you say with a great deal of seriousness...Yes I do live alone and I am in the process of selling my house in the woods. I do currently heat with a wood stove and in reality I am only 2 miles from groceries but all other things except for the Walmart, which I use very little, are about 50 miles from here. I shall investigate the sites that you have recommended and do apprieciate your reply to my query. Also you are recommending the purchase of gold or silver in bullion form? And if you are do you know the process for obtaining it on the market and how to store it? I haven't the first clue although I do know that its at $545 per oz at this time...if you can please clue me in ..I would apprieciate it. And agin thank you for your advice.
Franz
Franz,
I think that Murph pretty well covered it. I have considered leaving the country, but had that idea pretty much vetoed by my family. I am not sure that any place would be much safer than here, especially if you don't speak the native language. As for currency, I would not purchase any other currency. You will hear about the Euro, don't believe it. The Euro has zero chance of surviving if the dollar fails. No others will be guaranteed to survive, it's too early yet to tell exactly what the new structure will be. Gold or silver is the best bet, and probably burying it is as safe as you are going to get. The main thing is to hook up with like minded people willing to share their skills, and build a small community with people you can trust. Beyond that, it's all a crap shoot. And, you're right about SS. Forget it. If it turns out it's there, consider it a bonus.
Cyclone
Dude,
I must admit, the thought has crossed my mind. More than once, in fact. I would rule out nothing at this point.
Cyclone
Franz,
The purchase of precious metals I have done for years. Used to do some dealing in numismatic coins. You can find dealers on the internet, but be careful. Most of the dealers on the net charge way too much, but, there are a few that advertise a low spread, the difference between what they pay for coinage and what they charge. I have not purchased bullion over the internet because I am concerned with fraud and non delivery. So, I find what local dealers in coinage are available and check on the various prices betwen them and availability.
As I mentioned, I used to be heavy into numismatic coins. Not any longer, now I am only into bullion, coinage that is only worth the value of the metal in it. All silver coinage that are pre 1964 are high silver content. If you can find bulk bags of half dollars or quarters or dimes at a good price, that is one way to go. As far as gold, same thing applies. I would stay away from the numismatic coins because it just takes too much expertise to know exactly what you are getting. So you pay the least you can for gold coins. U.S mint, Canadian and African are all good. Always look for newest mintage with no premium on them, and get plain mint strikes. In gold it is a good idea to have an assortment of sizes. Don't want to buy groceries with a coin that is worth $1000 or more. You will pay a premium for smaller than 1oz $20 gold pieces. Unfortunately, you are about 1 year late for a good buy and 4 years late for really good buy. Expect with gold to pay at least $35 over spot price (what gold is being bought and sold for in bulk on London Exchange at any given time).
That means if gold is currently spot priced at $560, then expect to pay for 2005 minting around $595-$610 per 1 oz coin. More per ounce for smaller denominations, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz.
If you are withing driving distance of a fairly large metropolitan area, just look in phone book for coin dealers and call them. Have a close idea how much you will want to spend because if you buy more than 4-5 oz, you should get a break on price.
Storage, Lol, that's the kicker. Sure don't want it in the bank if the bank closes up. I find a sealed fruit jar in obscure place in back yard works well. Storage can be a problem for sure. A 1500 lb small bank safe welded to the floor can provide some security to all but the most determined intruder. And, of course there is the old standby, the 12 gauge shotgun too. If you have experience with firarms and your state will allow it, get a concealed permit and carry it almost constantly. If you don't have that experinece, either take lesson or forget it. Too easy to get hurt or hurt someone else through lack of familiarity or practice. My mother is in late 80's and she got her permit but I advised her to not carry, too shakey and don't see so well anymore and only very sporatic experience over a lifetime. Not a good combination. She is ornery enough to do it anyway though. lol.
Hope you find this of some use.
As per the neocons, and to supplement freeacre's post -- I recommend The Political Ideas of Leo Strauss by Shadia Drury for insight into the neocon worldview. There is a very insightful interview with her here: http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-iraqwarphiloshophy/article_1542.jsp.
Thank you all for the excellent advice in answering my inquires regarding practical applications for relocation and money safeguards...Your thoughts are much apprieciated.
Franz
Don't forget a handheld can opener, as opposed to electric, if you will be using canned items.
I'm having trouble wrapping my mind about, how exactly everything will crumple. The everyday details. How it can only take 24-48 hours. But I do know. I know once our money crashes imports stop. That means almost everything, "we" need for survival. Moslty I think about this as I am trying to prepare and wondering if I will make it. Wondering if I can protect myself if necessary. This is where I fall short, and just hope mankind at its worst will just stay away from my house. I don't want to own a gun. I'm scared to own a gun, but I see this is something that I need to do. Just in case. People think I'm out there. People think how can our society just crash. They have no idea. Just no idea. When I try to explain to people I'm go off looking like a nut job, but I'm trying with the people I care about because I want them to get through what will come.
The other thing I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around is that the big boys will allow this to happen. Yes they are liars and corrupt and want all power. Do they see what will happen to the dollar? Yes they and all their buddies are filthy rich and will be able to survive, but how good of a life can it be? How could they bare to see all the suffering? To see all the people to die from not getting their needed medications, all the people to die from panic induced chaos (hopefully these will be small numbers) and how many to die from starvation because they live pay check to paycheck and did not know to stock their pantries. How can they know all this and still proceed and do nothing to stop it?
That is what I just can't wrap my mind around. Surely someone high up must see this coming? Someone surely is able to think outside the box up there in DC.
Or is it that they just envision a military state. Are they so far removed from the people that they just don't see what will happen? That is what I just can't wrap my mind around.
Don't get me wrong. I know it will happen. And it will be bad. I guess I just don't want to believe that our economy could go so quickly. But then it isn't quick it is. The country is over 220 years old.
As far as for future ways to organize society. I just don't know enough. I thought our "democratic" republic worked so well, but alas it does not.
Definiately, the law that grants corp to have no liability to be a person is wrong. Lobbyist are wrong. Profit at the expense of the earth and its people is wrong. Corp paying no taxes is wrong!!!!!!!!!
Murph
Thanks for the advice on buying gold and silver coins. This was next on my list to start investigating and purchase.
--------------
Paula, The link you posted to Opendemocracy.net won't work for me. Googled it and found the site but it was only an advocacy site, and no new or commentary could I find. Can you amplify?
efsaturn:
"How can they know all this and still proceed and do nothing to stop it?" you said.
But all that and more is going on in Iraq RIGHT NOW in the name of the American people. On orders from a madman and it appears few Americans notice that. I say it is mass murder, plain and simple.
And you "can take it to the bank" that when the shit hits the fan in the US no more concern for the well being of ordinary US citizens will be shown than is being accorded to the babies, children, women, elderly and all innocents in this on going calamity/catastrophe--Iraq!
anon
A different perspective. Now I see it. It is outside of them, so it is ok. And they won't care when it happens.
Now I see it.
Want to know who some of the puppet masters? Read this article! http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:-GjHwxmE-SEJ:compuserb.com/mediain1.htm+Who+controls+the+media+in+the+United+States&hl=en
The majority of them are Jewish. Which is no surprise to me, as they have always been savvy with money and for the most part like to exploit their workers by making them work long hours and pay low wages, while making huge profit for themselves. Now I’m not saying all Jews are like that (I have Jewish friends that are not like that), but some of them are. Just though I would share this info. The link is cached, because I searched for it while at work. Sorry about that, but the article in it is still pretty good.
Murph -- I see now, they make you search for it. Try this link: http://www.opendemocracy.net/articles/ViewPopUpArticle.jsp?id=3&articleId=1542
Paula,
I still get a notice web page not available. I did finally find the article you were pointing out. Thought good enough to make a hard copy. Strange the link won't take me there. Sigh
Anonymous,
Interesting post about Jews. I presume you know what it smacks of don't you? I hope you don't shave your head. I think before you use quantifiers such as "most are" that you show some data to justify it. And after you do that, establish the rational for why it's important. You are doing what a propagandists does, making oblique references that have no substantial basis. It's like referring to "they say" as part of a news article. Who in hell is they?
If you want to establish bias or a negative view of some group on an ethnic basis, you better have something more than a single news article and jaundice predjudice by a small group to justify it. Hell, my dog can do better than that for Christ sake.
This article "Cyclone's View" is superior.
Here is another article relatively connected that is worth the read.
Title "Father Knows Best" and it can be found at:
http://www.newsforreal.com/
The following para is excerpted from the article:
So many clouds, so few silver linings.
So, I ask again, just who will push these clouds back? America, once the gold standard for personal freedoms, is rapidly being transformed into a full-fledged surveillance state. Each day more cameras watch and more listeners, listen. They want to know: who you talk to, who you email, even what you search for on the Internet. If they could tap your thoughts they would make a case for it.
Where are our silver-liners in Washington? Who will stand in front of this tank?
Murph,
I do not shave my head first of all. Second of all, I mentioned that I have friends who ARE JEWISH, so I’m not prejudice if that’s what you are implying. I found that article while trying to figure out who REALLY controls our media. The fact that they are mostly Jewish does not mean that all Jewish people are bad. I’m just saying that the AS$HOLES that control the media are Jewish. You may be Jewish, if you are I apologize. No disrespect to the Jews, I’m just trying to say that they have a lot of power in this country and are some of the power players.
Anonymous,
Ok, I got ya. I back off of feeling a bit antogonistic. I am not Jewish at all. You offended my sense of fair play big time. My radar was wrong for once. My appologies. I am awaye that there are a lot of ethnic Jews that are in the top levels of the entertainment business and also in the other media. I'm not sure what that implies though. If it can be shown the the preponderance of them are neocons of the present administration persuasion, than I would be testy about them too. Since I have no idea if this is true or not, I have to reserve judgement. I do hear a lot about news censoring, I do not know at what level of administration it is coming from. In any case, it wouldn't make any difference what ethnic background they were from I would oppose them.
Again my apologies for such a harsh come back. Next time I will ask for more information before I begin to steam.
here is someone in UK acknowledging the doomed economy
"..represent the tip of a very big iceberg indeed: one that holds the potential to sink the global economy..."
link
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article339928.ece
Wolfowitz, Perle, Kristol... Jews?
Here's a link to a comprehensible and quite extensive summary on the fiscal reasons why the US economy is about to crash. Easy to read, and written with a kind of morbid fun as it seems: 'Is the US already bankrupt?'
Today is Sunday....Where has cyclone gone? Has anyone seen or heard from him lately? Has the bogeyman got him hope he has something to say soon.
Franz
Andrew
Now that was interesting. This just re-enforces what Cyclone just said in the post. Nothing can change the present course of events. When did we start becoming so corrupt? This has taken along time and many to have been involved. I can see the media is a major part of it and has for many years.
I know that two presidents that wanted to iliminate the fed and the U s goverment to print there own money were both assasinated. The first one was Lincoln the second was Kennedy.
Sean
Franz,
Lol, this is the play off weekend for the final teams in Superbowl. Give him a break. Besides, after his rather comprehensive manifesto, he may need a bit of time to get back into the frey.
Whenever Cyclone puts up another post, I think it might be benificial for yourself and others to put up information on how they plan to deal with this situation, preporations, etc. I do have a pretty good idea how Stoney is going to deal with it. Cool.
Here's some art I created that sums up the hypocricy
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