The Japanese catastrophe-that would be the ongoing nuclear reactor disaster, not the earthquake and tsunami that preceded it- has cast a very unpleasant specter over the planet. There seems to be a lot of confusion- if one is being charitable, and disinformation if one is not- about exactly what has happened, but, clearly, radiation of the sort that is dangerous to humans is now showing up in the U.S.
This all seems eerily reminiscent of The Gulf disaster from last year, except, I am afraid, worse. No one in their right mind should trust officialdom on these matters for the simple, yet ironclad, reason that-in their own eyes- government gains nothing by telling the truth when a lie will do just as well. After all, let's suppose that nuclear reactors in Japan are melting down and tens of millions of lives are at severe risk, but not necessarily in a way that will be readily apparent in the immediate future.
Put more crudely and directly, folks might not start getting demonstrably sick and dying in statistically eye raising numbers for a matter of months and possibly years. This gives government figures time to enact damage control, to engage in cover your ass maneuvers, and to just, plain, old, get out of town. Tell the truth now and you will absolutely have mayhem on your hands. That's how officialdom always justifies not telling it like it is, especially in the midst of disasters. After all, chaos means certain loss of control, and that is the one thing officialdom will do everything in its power to avoid. Cynical though it may sound, TPTB are far more interested in maintaining control than saving lives, but, because this stance is so monstrous, they tell themselves, and us, that their actions were taken on behalf of the greater good; that they concealed the truth and misinformed us for a, much hoped for, better outcome. As an alternative to the aforesaid dark explanation, there is always the incompetence argument, but, let's face it, that's really nothing less than a combination of an apology for power, and, an old fashioned cop out.
So, the plan is to try and attenuate the matter-no pun intended- and play for an outcome such that by the time the truth of the situation becomes impossible to deny, cover up, etc. etc. a lot of the folks who are, to some greater or lesser degree, responsible for allowing this catastrophe to intensify, will have quietly removed themselves from the scene. The other sinister aspect being relied on by the operators of the levers of power is that by the time things are obvious, most folks will be in no position to respond in a very forceful manner to what will, by then, be dire circumstances.
All that I have offered so far rests on the premise that it is simply impossible to make the case that the highest of the higher ups in Japan were not fully aware of the inevitability of a nuclear disaster of the sort that stood an excellent chance of acting as a monumental global game changer. None. Zero. Nada. Now consider the implications of that, and the reaction-again, no pun intended, merely noted-of our own government as the (so called) harmless fallout arrives on our shores.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Melting Down Writ Large.
It doesn't look good sports fans. In fact, it looks like a five alarm fire cubed is gearing up. I sense that in the next few weeks global civilization runs the risk of having a global Alice Through The Looking Glass experience that no one is ever likely to forget, try though we might. What is happening in Japan is the proximate catalyst that informs my very gloomy outlook, because, my dear readers, it isn't just a few of Japan's nuclear reactors that are melting down, but Japan itself that is in the hideous process of liquefying.
Should Japan, in possession of the planet's third largest economy, cease to meaningfully operate as a civilization for some extended period, well, we are all going to feel it hugely. Know this: Should all the radiation containment issues be solved in the next twenty four hours, we are still going to experience unpleasantness globally, but, whatever we experience will be as nothing compared to the hurt we'll feel should the latest hopeful news about the power going on at the most troubled nuclear plant fail to deliver on the promise of a very near term solution.
The world is entirely too interconnected for a Japanese flock of black swans to flap its wings, deliver a massive, steaming payload of glowing excrement from on high, and have the collective not subsequently feel the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune. And all this epic awfulness, of course, leaves out all the presently overshadowed, but none too insignificant, upheaval occurring in the Middle East.
Now, as a sort of coda to this evening post, I offer the following quote as reported by the BBC.
"They are leaving us to die," says the mayor of Minamasoma inside the exclusion zone.
The very unfortunate Mayor and his fellow citizens in the aforesaid abandoned town put me in mind of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, who were, in effect, left to fend for themselves-where they weren't left to fend off the monstrous goons of Blackwater.
I feature the quote above primarily for the purpose of highlighting the ever growing condition whereby central governments across the world demonstrate their profound unworthiness. And I focus on that phenomenon, because, as the realization grows, as it must, amongst citizens all across the planet, that in their most desperate hours of need they simply can not depend on central governments to help (let alone save) them, these very same citizens will reject the very idea of obeisance to a central authority.
After all the enormous failures that have already occurred here and elsewhere are almost too numerous to mention; they involve the failure to rescue citizens in the aftermath of natural disasters, and the dereliction of government's solemn duty to uphold legal statutes and enforce laws regardless of who may be acting outside the law. However, as the Wicked Witch of the West was wont to say about certain, in her case, nasty endeavors, "These things take time." Indeed, they do, but a bit of time is about all that's standing in the way of governments around the planet, pardon the phrase, melting down.
Should Japan, in possession of the planet's third largest economy, cease to meaningfully operate as a civilization for some extended period, well, we are all going to feel it hugely. Know this: Should all the radiation containment issues be solved in the next twenty four hours, we are still going to experience unpleasantness globally, but, whatever we experience will be as nothing compared to the hurt we'll feel should the latest hopeful news about the power going on at the most troubled nuclear plant fail to deliver on the promise of a very near term solution.
The world is entirely too interconnected for a Japanese flock of black swans to flap its wings, deliver a massive, steaming payload of glowing excrement from on high, and have the collective not subsequently feel the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune. And all this epic awfulness, of course, leaves out all the presently overshadowed, but none too insignificant, upheaval occurring in the Middle East.
Now, as a sort of coda to this evening post, I offer the following quote as reported by the BBC.
"They are leaving us to die," says the mayor of Minamasoma inside the exclusion zone.
The very unfortunate Mayor and his fellow citizens in the aforesaid abandoned town put me in mind of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, who were, in effect, left to fend for themselves-where they weren't left to fend off the monstrous goons of Blackwater.
I feature the quote above primarily for the purpose of highlighting the ever growing condition whereby central governments across the world demonstrate their profound unworthiness. And I focus on that phenomenon, because, as the realization grows, as it must, amongst citizens all across the planet, that in their most desperate hours of need they simply can not depend on central governments to help (let alone save) them, these very same citizens will reject the very idea of obeisance to a central authority.
After all the enormous failures that have already occurred here and elsewhere are almost too numerous to mention; they involve the failure to rescue citizens in the aftermath of natural disasters, and the dereliction of government's solemn duty to uphold legal statutes and enforce laws regardless of who may be acting outside the law. However, as the Wicked Witch of the West was wont to say about certain, in her case, nasty endeavors, "These things take time." Indeed, they do, but a bit of time is about all that's standing in the way of governments around the planet, pardon the phrase, melting down.
Monday, March 14, 2011
From the Ridiculous to the Sublime
For all the perfectly sensible opinions expressed about the seemingly pointless and wasted attention paid to the "melt down" of Charlie Sheen, it strikes me that, on some level, the metaphor of melt down, which was applied ubiquitously in conjunction with the personal collapse of someone who, until very recently, was the highest paid actor in Television, amounted to, in some bizarre way, an omen of the more literal meltdown that is now in process in Japan. One wonders, with more than a little trepidation, what aspect of our world will next become a feature player in the ongoing serial global "meltdowns" small and immense, ridiculous and sublime.
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Yoke of Tyranny
There are some excellent comments following the article here, but this is the one that nails it.
"Boston now has to resort to illegal means to sustain its abusive employee benefits."
Our local government preys on us. Ponder the implications of that fact. I will only add the following: Government will continue to prey on us citizens until we destroy their ability to do so, and that will likely require, when it all shakes out, extra-legal measures by us citizens to rectify the situation to our satisfaction. I make this observation based on the simple fact that if the courts are riding herd with efforts to confiscate, steal, and otherwise abuse the citizenry, which they are, then achieving justice and reform from within the system, will be, by definition, impossible. Anything less than the SJC overturning the institution of fees to challenge tickets in court will be proof of that assertion.
"Boston now has to resort to illegal means to sustain its abusive employee benefits."
Our local government preys on us. Ponder the implications of that fact. I will only add the following: Government will continue to prey on us citizens until we destroy their ability to do so, and that will likely require, when it all shakes out, extra-legal measures by us citizens to rectify the situation to our satisfaction. I make this observation based on the simple fact that if the courts are riding herd with efforts to confiscate, steal, and otherwise abuse the citizenry, which they are, then achieving justice and reform from within the system, will be, by definition, impossible. Anything less than the SJC overturning the institution of fees to challenge tickets in court will be proof of that assertion.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Here is a Thought Experiment...
that will begin with a resolution, and a whole slew of questions where it is hoped that the simple act of asking not so simple questions reveals useful insights and answers.
Resolved: In part, due to the actions of U.S. monetary authorities, The Dollar is dramatically losing purchasing power against a variety of hard assets, i.e fuel products, agricultural products, and other natural resources such as base and precious metals. Official announcements have come recently, and, not so recently, from abroad, which herald the dollar's planned replacement in trade between foreign nations. Such developments will, by definition, have the effect of eroding The Dollar's already increasingly fragile reserve currency status.
1.) As the single most powerful monetary authority operating in the U.S., is it Chairman of The Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke's actual intention to destroy the dollar's purchasing power?
2.) If so, what is the motivation for such an action, i.e. to A.) reduce the effective debt load of Federal, i.e. public and (some) private entities, or, perhaps, to B.) impoverish, and, therefore, reduce the wherewithal- broadly defined- of a large segment of the U.S. population?
3.) If B, why?
4.) Is it possible that a substantial reduction in the purchasing power of the dollar can be orderly achieved so as not to create widespread social instability, or worse, outright civil tumult as is now occurring all across the Middle East?
5.) Where the actions of The Federal Reserve are concerned (and other major actors in the financial sphere, i.e. The Treasury) can we discern A.) egregious incompetence from B.) systemic rot, from C.) willful criminality?
6.) If B and/or C, can the system be expected to reform from within, or to only, at best, present a simulacrum of reform?
7.) If the answer to question #6 is only a simulacrum, what are our rights and obligations as citizens with regard to achieving necessary justice and reform?
Resolved: In part, due to the actions of U.S. monetary authorities, The Dollar is dramatically losing purchasing power against a variety of hard assets, i.e fuel products, agricultural products, and other natural resources such as base and precious metals. Official announcements have come recently, and, not so recently, from abroad, which herald the dollar's planned replacement in trade between foreign nations. Such developments will, by definition, have the effect of eroding The Dollar's already increasingly fragile reserve currency status.
1.) As the single most powerful monetary authority operating in the U.S., is it Chairman of The Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke's actual intention to destroy the dollar's purchasing power?
2.) If so, what is the motivation for such an action, i.e. to A.) reduce the effective debt load of Federal, i.e. public and (some) private entities, or, perhaps, to B.) impoverish, and, therefore, reduce the wherewithal- broadly defined- of a large segment of the U.S. population?
3.) If B, why?
4.) Is it possible that a substantial reduction in the purchasing power of the dollar can be orderly achieved so as not to create widespread social instability, or worse, outright civil tumult as is now occurring all across the Middle East?
5.) Where the actions of The Federal Reserve are concerned (and other major actors in the financial sphere, i.e. The Treasury) can we discern A.) egregious incompetence from B.) systemic rot, from C.) willful criminality?
6.) If B and/or C, can the system be expected to reform from within, or to only, at best, present a simulacrum of reform?
7.) If the answer to question #6 is only a simulacrum, what are our rights and obligations as citizens with regard to achieving necessary justice and reform?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Spare Me.
My goodness, someone or other must be very concerned that A.) the economy is not only not going to recover but is set to further deteriorate, and that B.) some large number of Americans will start holding those responsible accountable, i.e. cue pictures of bloated banker's bodies swinging Mussolini style from lamp posts. I say this since we now have some seriously silly twaddle from The Pentagon as reported by the less than venerable, Washington Times, that damn commie furriners done it to us where the crash of '08 was concerned.
Okay, so it's actually the case that our very own homegrown monetary bandits were responsible for all the carnage, as the report admits, but folks in Venezuela, China, and elsewhere, took advantage of the situation and made it worse. And to add insult to injury, our enemies did it as part of a (not so) secret plot to destroy the U.S. How could they!!? I'm sure they piled on where possible, just as we have done the same to them when they've chosen to act as wantonly idiotic as we did in the years leading up to the great crash.
Okay, so it's actually the case that our very own homegrown monetary bandits were responsible for all the carnage, as the report admits, but folks in Venezuela, China, and elsewhere, took advantage of the situation and made it worse. And to add insult to injury, our enemies did it as part of a (not so) secret plot to destroy the U.S. How could they!!? I'm sure they piled on where possible, just as we have done the same to them when they've chosen to act as wantonly idiotic as we did in the years leading up to the great crash.
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