SPONSOR

Vaulted Invest in Gold

Visit this blog’s sponsor. Vaulted is an online mobile web app for investing in allocated and deliverable physical gold: Kunstler.com/vaulted


 

Support JHK on Patreon

 

If you’re interested in supporting this blog, check out the Patreon page or Substack.
 
Get This blog by email:

Attention Movie Producers!
JHK’s screenplay in hard-copy edition

Click to order!

A Too-Big-To-Fail Bankster…
Three Teenagers who bring him down…
Gothic doings on a Connecticut Estate.
High velocity drama!


Now Live on Amazon

“Simply the best novel of the 1960s”


Now in Paperback !
Only Seven Bucks!
JHK’s Three-Act Play
A log mansion in the Adirondack Mountains…
A big family on the run…
A nation in peril…


Long Emergency Cafe Press ad 2

Get your Official JHK swag on Cafe Press


The fourth and final book of the World Made By Hand series.

Harrow_cover_final

Battenkill Books (autographed by the Author) |  Northshire Books Amazon


emb of Riches Thumbnail

JHK’s lost classic now reprinted as an e-book
Kindle edition only


 

The Era of Bad Feeling

T here are times when events are in charge, not personalities. The unseen forces that hold the affairs of nations and economies in equilibrium dissolve, particles fly out of the many centers, and things heat up toward criticality.

Glance in the rear-view mirror and say goodbye to the Era of Wishful Thinking. This was the time when the USA was inspired by its Master Wish: to be able to keep driving to Wal-Mart forever. Looked at closely, the contemporary idea of Utopia was always a shabby package. On one side, all the pointless driving. For most Americans it was nothing like the TV advertising fantasy of a lone luxury car plying a coastal highway in low, golden light. More like being stuck near the junction of I-55 and I-90 in Chicago at rush hour in July in an overheating Dodge Grand Caravan with three screaming ADD kids whose smart phone batteries just died — plus your fiercely over-filled bladder and no empty Snapple bottle to resort to.

On the other side, there’s the Wal-Mart part: the unbelievable cornucopia of insanely cheap plastic goodies, like, somewhere in the 1990s America became one giant loading dock for nearly free stuff. Wasn’t that fun? Now, everybody has got the full rig, from the flatscreen to the salad shooter, but we’re tired of seeing Kim Kardashian’s booty, and nobody really liked salad, even when you could shoot the stuff into a bowl. The thrill is gone, and so is the paycheck that was your ticket to the orgy. It’s especially gloomy over in the food department, where the boxes of Lucky Charms are suddenly half the weight and twice the price. And that was going to be the family dinner! Must be Nature’s way of telling you it’s time for a new tattoo.

In this weird liminal time since the so-called Crash of 2008 leadership has depended on lies and subterfuges to prop up the illusion of resilience. One biggie is the shale oil revolution, kind of a national parlor trick to wow the multitudes for a long enough moment to convince them that their troubles with the national energy supply are over. Even people paid to think were hosed on this one. Wait until they discover that the shale oil producers have never made a buck producing shale oil, only on the sale of leases and real estate to “greater fools” and creaming off the froth of the complex junk financing deals behind their exertions. Expect that mirage to dissipate in the next 24 months, perhaps sooner if the price of oil keeps sinking toward the sub $90-a-barrel level, where there’s no economically rational reason to bother drilling and fracking.

The lies, frauds, and cons run between the axis of Wall Street and Washington had two fatal consequences with still-lagging effects. 1) They destroyed the capacity for markets to establish the real price of anything — rendering markets useless. 2). They disabled capital formation to the degree that we might not have the money to rebuild an economy to replace the “financialized” matrix of rackets that currently pretends to function. A lot of observers like myself have been waiting for the moment when the fog of pretense lifts and exposes all the broken machinery within. We may be so close now that you can smell it.

Change is in the air, literally, as we wake this still-summer morning with the thermometer so low you wish the furnace was prepped and ready to run. Much is in the air, too, where the news of events near and far provoke swirls of transformation in the disposition of people, nations, and affairs. Who would have guessed a few years ago how nervous Scotland would make the whole Western world? The sharpies at the Pentagon, and the White House, and the CIA may be waiting with indigestion and palpitations for the next ISIS decapitation video, but maybe you have to wonder instead which of five thousand shopping malls across this land will be visited by black-flagged desperados armed with automatic rifles and RPG’s.

Finally, there are the people themselves of this sclerotic polity: too dumb and distracted to help themselves, full of inchoate grievance and resentment, tending ever deeper into darkness. Welcome to the season of the witch in the Era of Bad Feeling. Somewhere “out there” there is a light of virtue waiting for us, but we are a long way from finding our way to it.

I will be reading, yakking, and mixing at the Golden Notebook  Bookshop
in Woodstock New York, this coming Friday September 19 at 7:00 pm

The new World Made By Hand novel
!! Is now available !!

Kunstler skewers everything from kitsch to greed, prejudice, bloodshed, and brainwashing in this wily, funny, rip-roaring, and profoundly provocative page- turner, leaving no doubt that the prescriptive yet devilishly satiric A World Made by Hand series will continue.” — Booklist

HistoryoftheFuture_Thumb

My local indie booksellers… Battenkill Books (Autographed by the Author) … or Northshire Books
or Amazon

Also: Published as an E-book for the first time!
The 20th Anniversary edition
With an entertaining new introduction by the author

GON_thumb

Bargain Price $3.99

Amazon Kindle …or … Barnes & Noble Nook …or… Kobo


This blog is sponsored this week by Vaulted, an online mobile web app for investing in allocated and deliverable physical gold. To learn more visit:Kunstler.com/vaulted


Order now! Jim’s new book
About the tribulations of growing up

Click here for signed author copies from Battenkill Books

Order from Amazon

Order from Barnes and Noble

Order now! Jim’s other new book
A selection of best blogs 2017 to now!

Click here for signed author copies from Battenkill Books

Order from Amazon

Order from Troy Bookmakers


Paintings from the 2023 Season
New Gallery 15


GET THIS BLOG VIA EMAIL PROVIDED BY SUBSTACK

You can receive Clusterfuck Nation posts in your email when you subscribe to this blog via Substack. Financial support is voluntary.

Sign up for emails via https://jameshowardkunstler.substack.com


About James Howard Kunstler

View all posts by James Howard Kunstler
James Howard Kunstler is the author of many books including (non-fiction) The Geography of Nowhere, The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition, Home from Nowhere, The Long Emergency and the four-book series of World Made By Hand novels, set in a post economic crash American future. His most recent book is Living in the Long Emergency; Global Crisis, the Failure of the Futurists, and the Early Adapters Who Are Showing Us the Way Forward. Jim lives on a homestead in Washington County, New. York, where he tends his garden and communes with his chickens.

328 Responses to “The Era of Bad Feeling”

  1. shotho September 15, 2014 at 10:06 am #

    Times of profound change always produce “bad feelings” and bad acts, but we do live in interesting times. These times challenge us to find what is meaningful in life – God, family, community – and hold steadfast to those values. No panic, only certainty.

    • Petro September 15, 2014 at 10:44 am #

      Can we please, please drop our superstitious irrational reliance on invisible deities like shotho’s “God” to make us feel better? There is too much violence and bloodshed by lunatics believing some “true” god is on their side. Religion will NOT be a benign player in a stressed-out, desperate world.

      • Casualty09 September 15, 2014 at 11:37 am #

        Amen, Petro. Amen….

      • shotho September 15, 2014 at 12:35 pm #

        I thought the reference to God would raise some ire. The irrationality in Western society is the prejudice against God and we are reaping that harvest in spades.

        • No1kiwi September 15, 2014 at 6:42 pm #

          shotho,

          ..prejudice against God… which God are you talking about?

          Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of the obsidian knife who sprang forth from his mother’s belly to kill his siblings.

          Quetzalcoatl the Aztec god of the wind who was depicted as a bearded old man.

          Borvo the Gallic god of healing springs whom the Romans associated with Apollo.

          Bres the Celtic fertility god, the son of the goddess Eriu.

          Bixia Yuanjin the Chinese Taoist goddess of childbirth.

          The God Bodhisattva Guanyin, the Chinese comforting and mother goddess, although sometimes she is a he.

          The Chinese moon goddess, Heng-O who was the mother of the 12 moons and 10 suns.

          I’m confused as to which God is being prejudiced.

          • Subvert September 15, 2014 at 9:39 pm #

            Quite the valid question kiwi, there are what? 500,000 gods worldwide? I’m pretty sure though that shotho is referring to the Hebrew God of War, Yahweh. God of War you say? I thought he was The One God? Well, yes, that’s what hs press release says nowadays, but it wasn’t always so.

            You see, before the Semites were Monothiests, the were Pantheists like everyone else. When the went ‘mono’ they curiously chose a single god from their existing pantheon. That god was Yahweh, the Semetic God of War. You can find statues of him in museums with his shield in one hand and a sheaf of lightning bolts in the other and his name clearly inscribed on the base. Curious and quite telling that a group of people would chose their War God as their One God, no?

            Most Jews, Muslims and Christians don’t even know this verifiable fact about the origin of their own religion. Small wonder then, that the three major religions based on the Torah (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) have been warring on each other for millennia. They serve a bellicose deity whose only function and focus is mass murder. (Call it war if ya want to, but I call it what it is- legalized mass murder, excused by holy writ). Read the story of The Exodus and you’ll thrill to the exciting action as Good, Loving Yahweh commands “his special people” to commit genocide and other attrocities on their 40 year reign of pious terror across the ME to their “promised land” (um, I think there were others living there first…the Semites started out at the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula where Yemen is now.)

            It’s usually the bully who complains the loudest about being treated unfairly. Kinda like Merca getting all butt-hurt about other countries invading or fighting or simply possessing nukes when it is the biggest terror organization on Earth and the only one to ever use nukes against a (civilian) “enemy”.

            So excuse me shotho, if I don’t weep for poor old Yahweh being ‘prejudiced’ against by us godless heathens who actually LIVE more along the lines of what Jeebus was saying than his purported followers do. You know, do unto others, help the poor, the orphan and the widow, etc. I was raised in a Christian school and church and saw the brutality first hand. I asked wvalid questions and was told to shut up and mind my place. The ‘authorities’ couldn’t answer my questions so they tried to shut me up. Sound familiar? Go ask valid questions of any control system and you’ll get the same response. Nothing new under the sun…

          • Petro September 16, 2014 at 4:14 pm #

            Exactly. EVERYONE is at least a 99.99999999% atheist; rejecting the multitude of “gods” which others have believed in throughout history. (I happen to be one of those 100% atheists).

            Religiosity calls to mind Kunstler’s recent title, “Too Much Magic.”

          • alphie September 19, 2014 at 8:01 pm #

            we are in agreement on one thing no1kiwi…you’re confused

      • alphie September 19, 2014 at 8:25 pm #

        religion and god are two separate entities. One was created by man, the other…well you get the idea. There are those past and present who counteracted the violence and hatred in the world by living a life rooted in what is called faith. Faith in the source of life. Desmond Tutu ,Gandhi, Jesus, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa. You may consider these folks irrational and superstitious but that’s simply an opinion

        • No1kiwi September 20, 2014 at 10:19 am #

          alphia,

          Faith is the belief in something without proof.

          Not a good approach to most things, especially as a source of life.

          • alphie September 20, 2014 at 4:45 pm #

            we all put our faith in something we can’t prove. since nobody was around for the Big Bang it requires faith to believe what science tells us about it. You believe you breath molecules of oxygen not because you’ve actually seen them but because someone told you. The same with viruses. If you’re out walking in a field and you come upon three stones one on top of the other, reason would tell you what? That somebody’s been there. Reason tells me that there is much too much organization and complexity in the universe for it all to have happened unintentionally. especially considering the second law of thermodynamics which basically states that things in the universe naturally go from order to disorder.

    • Ghung September 15, 2014 at 12:44 pm #

      Anyone who would rather live in these ‘interesting times’, rather than go back to the obscene American Dream of past decades, raise their hands. I, for one, am having the time of my life watching the American zombies slowly waken from their dream state, and plan to keep doing so, come hell or high water; enjoying the view from the cheap seats. There’s an undertone of honesty in our collective comeuppance.

  2. TheHappyIdler September 15, 2014 at 10:08 am #

    Jim, I’m very glad you mentioned Scotland. I am not Scottish, and to the best of my knowledge, I don’t have a drop of Scottish blood in my veins, but in my experience, small nations are the best nations. We should support Scottish independence, and let it serve as a model for the rest of the world. http://robertandreasaustin.blogspot.com/2014/09/small-is-beautiful.html

    • Vlad the Inhaler September 15, 2014 at 12:06 pm #

      Perhaps the people should support it, but the government won’t; it sets a precedent after all. We will find out what Scotland decides at the end of the week, but separatism could turn out to be a global trend. There are separatist movements in China, Russia, India and elsewhere and we rarely, if ever, hear about them. For example, with the exception of Kashmir, I hear about the separatist movements in India from Indians and travellers to the sub-continent – only once or twice in a couple of decades have I heard it on the “news” and then only briefly. Most governments feel like that lightweight twerp Cameron who wants the “prestige” of being in charge of as large a country as possible. Can you imagine Obama’s reaction if Texas, California or New York suddenly decided they’d had enough? Well, a separate Scotland could give people ideas, could it not? If they can do it, so can we etc.

      • No1kiwi September 15, 2014 at 6:50 pm #

        Vlad,

        I think a lot of people would be very happy if Texas seceded!

        One way of getting rid of Ted Cruz.

  3. RobH September 15, 2014 at 10:13 am #

    Hi Jim

    On a positive note… For a while you were anxious about the low slung pants that looked like they would fit a nappy inside, giving the appearance of a toddler to grown-ups (long body short legs)

    Well, from what I see, the new look is for trousers to be ‘normal cut but too short in the leg’. That is the fashion has spurted to adolescent/teenager! You’ve got to admit that’s going the right direction

    The downside is that the new pants might make the owners hormonal and more likely to rampage

    More importantly:

    Why has the futures price for Brent crude suddenly dropped to under $100 a barrel? Its been $110 for a year (on the chart I look at)

    Does this mean that China aren’t producing so many MP3 players? Their ‘quoted’ growth figure is still strong, but someone must ‘not be using’ oil surely?

    • swmnguy September 15, 2014 at 10:24 am #

      It depends on which social set the kid belongs to. My son has adopted Art Garfunkel hair, and the skinny-jeans (appropriate to a skinny kid) I’ve always called “cheap hotel jeans” (no ballroom). But then, my boy is the kind of tough who lettered in band and academics last year. I’m sure no father in his school was more proud to buy his son a letter jacket, though.

    • SteveO September 15, 2014 at 12:02 pm #

      “Why has the futures price for Brent crude suddenly dropped to under $100 a barrel? Its been $110 for a year (on the chart I look at)”

      Rob, I’ve asked that question myself more than once. ISIS is threatening to interrupt Iraq’s production and maybe even Saudi Arabia’s. Libya has disintegrated into a “failed state” and is only producing half what it was after it was “liberated”. These events alone should be driving up prices.

      My best guess is that since rich aunt Janet at the Fed is ending the 85 billion dollar a month “stimulus” the hedge fund gamblers have less money to run up commodities prices.

      But I tend to be a “Fed blamer” so my viewpoint is of course somewhat twisted.

      • Gerald Greene September 15, 2014 at 4:21 pm #

        Since all markets are now manipulated, could be the US and a few friends are punishing Russia with lower oil prices. Russia is the world’s top producer of energy products. Just saying.

        Would they do that when lower prices punish drillers worldwide? Could be. The sanctions imposed by the US and EU against Russia are hurting Europe and accelerating the day of the dollar’s demise as a reserve currency. They are short sighted and counterproductive. Russia, China, Brazil, Iran, and others are beginning to by pass dollars and deal directly in each others currencies. But our corrupt politicians feel they must “Do Something.” They must try and show how powerful they are.

        Indeed, it will be the “Era of Bad Feeling” when the US dollar loses more ground as a reserve currency. Saddam Hussien agreed to accept Euros for oil and we know what happened to him.

        • michigan_native September 16, 2014 at 5:49 pm #

          And Libya’s Kaddafy (Gaddafy, I never see it spelled the same way twice) was meeting with other African and Muslim oil rich nations to persuade them to trade their oil in gold backed, Arab dinars in lieu of US dollars, and we know what happened to him (there is a youtube video “Black Gold” The real reason Libya was attacked, but for some reason youtube videos are a no no here, but they are rather convincing and drive the point home.). The US used NATO, which apparently it controls along with the leaders of European countries and those dip shits in Canada. That time, they called it a “humanitarian mission”. It doesn’t get anymore perverse than that.

          Yes, I was noticing the price of oil going down and wondered with all this turmoil, why it wasn’t going up. The US did have the Saudis ramp up production before, driving down prices and causing Soviet oil sales to plummet and brought on the collapse of the former USSR. The Gawar field in Saudi Arabia is in terminal decline, so this may be a manipulation to try and bring down Russia and/or orchestrate either Putin’s overthrow or assassination. I don’t think it will work, and proves to me just how desperate the US is getting and how close we are to collapsing

          • michigan_native September 16, 2014 at 6:03 pm #

            And I have said, wait until the truth about that Malaysian jet comes out, if they allow the truth to come out without altering the evidence or fabricating it (the neo Nazis in Kiev shot it down with their su-25 fighters). This was the Lusitania event they needed to get reluctant European and NATO dupes to jump on the sanctions bandwagon. Here’s a report they got out before they could stop it. A Canadian/Ukrainian, one of the team of international investigators on the scene “cock pit pock marked with bullet holes on both sides from intense machine gun fire”. Obvious NOT done by “separatists” with a BUK missile. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/malaysia-airlines-mh17-michael-bociurkiw-talks-abou t-being-first-at-the-crash-site-1.2721007

            That was from this article, which gives more damning proof. Wonder why Obama, Kerry, and Hitlery Clinton’s assholes have puckered shut about this raw act of terrorism…http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article39590.htm

            Or Russia could demand that their natural gas is paid for in rubles, refuse to sell it to NATO countries. Hopefully they will do both, as this winter is supposed to be savagely cold and brutal. Let a few million of them start to freeze to death and see how long that pig Merkel and other dupes will allow themselves to be dangled like the puppets they truly are. Forget the Brits, they will always be Uncle Sam’s little bitch boys and do whatever we tell them, no matter how fucked up what we are doing is

          • WW September 20, 2014 at 5:10 am #

            Sigh your ignorance is astounding, the ruble is dropping in value, paying in rubles makes it cheaper for the west.
            Incidentally the UK dos not buy Gas from Russia so can do as they please.
            Also as economies stall the price of oil will continue to fall as demand decreases for it and natural gas.

  4. Social Distress Guy September 15, 2014 at 10:15 am #

    Meantime, millions of us are waiting for our jobs to blow up in our faces while the never ending expenses pile up and no salary ever seems to be enough.

    • michigan_native September 16, 2014 at 6:31 pm #

      The death of the middle class and the third worldization of America. Already well under way and rapidly gaining ground each year of no growth/contraction and the scale backs and little collapses that go with it as a prelude to the larger collapse, which seems soon at hand

      It sort of follows a pattern. Businesses or industries close, because people are losing their discretionary income so buying new couches, fur coats, etc are not options or priorities. So more people lose their jobs because of a lack of business and then have no income. Then they lose their car, either by it getting towed by repo people or when it breaks down, they can’t afford to get it fixed, so even if there were jobs out there, they couldn’t drive to and from them. More and more then file for bankruptcy. Then the house goes. There are 5 houses on my block alone then have been foreclosed upon or are for sale. They just sit there. Nobody is buying them, if people rent them they don’t stay there that long. Then the cell phone gets shut off. If they don’t have a friend or family member to couch surf at, then they wind up homeless. When they wind up homeless, the cops show their compassion by arresting them for vagrancy or tearing down their tent cities. Some of them beat the crap out of them for the “fun” of it. There are no shortage of videos of this happening. When one homeless couple broke into one of these homes, the cops must have beat the shit out of them before they forced them out, judging from all the blood that was on the snow.

      There are the ads of furniture stores and their big would be orgy tent sales, come by and get a hotdog, half off everything, no payments till 2017 and they pay your sales tax, etc. They were trying to offer people flat screen televisions to go with that couch or sofa, but that seems to have subsided. Their voices seem like distant pleas in the wilderness. The only cars in the lots of these places are the employees with the scared deer in the headlights look.

      Then that Chinese restaurant that was once popular, now may get one or two sit in customers and a dozen or so carry out orders. They, like the once thriving furniture and appliance stores, seem to be the last hold outs, hoping in vain that the good old days will return.

      This is the slow motion collapse, American style. Poverty, violence, and suicide as well as deaths from lack of access to food, shelter, water, and transportation will only rise and claim untold millions of Americans who just a few years ago, never saw this coming or imagined it could or would happen to them

      • sharonsj September 18, 2014 at 5:09 pm #

        I think the lure of free flat-screen TVs diminishes in ratio to the burgeoning of Kim Kardashian’s ass.

  5. devon44 September 15, 2014 at 10:17 am #

    There was a great article about why the oil prices are where they are – I think it was in Zerohedge. The short answer is demand destruction and lowered GDP expectations. Kunstler and Greer have said for a long time that it’s unlikely that oil prices will ever ‘skyrocket’ – because people just can’t afford it at $150-$200 per barrel.

    The interesting part will be where the consumer has cut out all of the discretionary energy use that they reasonably can. Then, things will get much more interesting.

    Of course, the words ‘reasonable’ and ‘discretionary’ could be open to interpretation – haha!!

    Great column as always, Jim!!

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • seawolf77 September 15, 2014 at 10:26 am #

      People pay it in Norway and Turkey right now. $10 a gallon gas is $300 a barrel oil.

      • TheHappyIdler September 15, 2014 at 10:35 am #

        I’ve been to Turkey, and though I haven’t been to Norway, I’ve been to other parts of Northern Europe, and $10/gallon isn’t as hard on them as $4/gallon is on us. I’ve gone all over those places without once getting behind the steering wheel of a car. They can get around fine without a car or with a tiny, fuel efficient car in those place. They have options that we don’t have or choose not to use.

        • WW September 15, 2014 at 11:12 am #

          In the UK petrol is £ 1.30 per litre with about 3.5 litre to the US gallon. If you live in a rural area forget about buses or trains. My nearest train station is 12 miles, the nearest bus stop 5 miles. 4 buses a day, two in each direction east and west. Two trains per day the first at 4.45 am the second at 11.15pm. Most European countries are exactly the same. Good if you live in a city useless outside the commuter belt.

          • TheHappyIdler September 15, 2014 at 9:41 pm #

            It’s all relative. I don’t doubt that you and many others in Europe might suffer from the high price of petrol, but I assure you the the US is far more vulnerable. Most Americans live in suburbs with little or no connection to anything without a car. Even in many of our large cities, the options to getting around without an automobile are very limited.

  6. Neon Vincent September 15, 2014 at 10:24 am #

    “More like being stuck near the junction of I-55 and I-90 in Chicago at rush hour in July in an overheating Dodge Grand Caravan with three screaming ADD kids whose smart phone batteries just died — plus your fiercely over-filled bladder and no empty Snapple bottle to resort to.”

    That was never where I experienced the worst traffic when I drove to Chicago. I was a cheapskate who wouldn’t pay the toll for the Skyway, so I drove I-94. The stretch just east of the split with I-80 was where I experienced the most backup. My wife, a Chicago native, convinced me to pay for the Skyway.

    “Expect that mirage to dissipate in the next 24 months, perhaps sooner if the price of oil keeps sinking toward the sub $90-a-barrel level, where there’s no economically rational reason to bother drilling and fracking.”

    I’ve seen the prequel to this movie before. In early 2009, the price of West Texas Intermediate bounced off a floor of $35/barrel, which just happened to be the level at which tar sands broke even. I was worried that the price would drop below that level and start to dry up that source of oil. It didn’t happen. I suspect the same thing will happen this time, with WTI bouncing off the $90 level, saving tight oil as a source of energy for now. In the meantime, the relatively low price for fuel will have the effect of boosting economic activity by promoting driving and spending–in other words, more happy motoring, for now.

    “Much is in the air, too, where the news of events near and far provoke swirls of transformation in the disposition of people, nations, and affairs.”

    One of the forces behind the events is something that could be foreseen as the result of population overshoot and economic incentives to burn food as fuel–high food prices, which cause unrest. When the FAO food price index went over 210 in 2008, there were food riots world-wide. When it happened again in 2010-2011, we got the Arab Spring. The food price index passed above that level again this year and hit Syria, Ukraine, Egypt, and Venezuela. When I recited that list to my students, one of them remarked “it looks like the news.” Yes, it does.

    • Neon Vincent September 15, 2014 at 10:36 am #

      Speaking of looking like the news, the Ebola epidemic is another force of nature separate from the high cost of eating. The Archdruid mentioned it in his essay last week. He thinks a global pandemic is a distinct possibility. As I wrote last week, “this may not be a story that follows from peak oil and financial mismanagement, but it does fit into one about population overshoot and political chaos.”

      That last is already happening, as ten Liberian government officials have been dismissed for fleeing the country during the epidemic. The Liberian President has called for help from the U.S. and Obama will give some. In the meantime, the Cubans have pledged more personnel than the U.S. has. We can’t be upstaged by the Cubans, now, can we?

      • Janos Skorenzy September 15, 2014 at 2:35 pm #

        You’re showing warped values and priorities as usual. The main thing is to stop Ebola from coming here. Or is that not even on your radar? Do you consider us getting it to be “fair”?

        Blacks would have outnumbered Whites at some point in the 21st Century if trends had continued. They would have continued to swarm into our lands in ever increasing number – creating Africa wherever they went. That obviously can’t be allowed to happen.

    • George September 15, 2014 at 12:29 pm #

      It seems that an overwhelming chaos awaits just around the next corner.

      An abundance of “Boy Scouts” are busy falling over themselves in vain attempts to show their loyalty to the 1% by mindlessly goading Russia into a war with the West. Putin, for his part, seems intent on avoiding the sort of chaos such a war would needlessly unleash. This business of Scottish independence couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time. Ha!

      Then there’s this lot called ISIS off rampaging around Syria and Iraq with apparent impunity. For me at least, the prowess they display suggests some rather sophisticated involvement, perhaps from the likes of the CIA, MI6, the Mussad, the GRU or some sinister combination of two or more of these and their irk? I suppose the rationale behind this would be to find a way to keep the West directly involved in the Middle East for as long as it takes to recover what remains of the petroleum reserves.

      Like the Four Horsemen who feed of one another, chaos will beget more chaos that will beget even more chaos. It’s inevitable.

  7. seawolf77 September 15, 2014 at 10:24 am #

    The game is to keep it going until the last of us doomsayers are discredited or dead. People have an innate desire to trust the people in charge. It is inculcated at school, then on the job. The fact is it always seems to be true. But something someone told me along me ago rings true today. He claimed to be at a high level oil executive meeting, and the word was America was to use all the rest of the world’s oil until untenable, and only then would we use what we had left. That occurred in 2008 with the advent of fracking. After fracking, where is there to go? You are depleting the source rock. Game over. Only question is how long does the game last. Like a good game of Monopoly or Risk, it always last longer than you think, but when the worm turns, it’s over really quick. Usually a single role of the dice ends the game.

  8. LK September 15, 2014 at 10:24 am #

    Jim, These are the best times to live in because the bullshit has piled up so high it’s time to walk past it and forage for whatever remains left. And know that the king was always naked and the money was raping the queen to oblivion and these is nothing left, but the feeling that when I was demonstrating on Earth Day in 1969, I was right. I’m glad you brought up Scotland, a breath of good news, maybe the first all year.

    • Petro September 15, 2014 at 10:39 am #

      LK, not so sure I agree with you about this being the “best times to live in.” It sounds wise and philosophical, but in reality it sucks real bad.

      Also: the first Earth Day was in 1970, not 1969. I remember us kids going around the neighborhood with anti-pollution signs taped to our bikes.

      • Janos Skorenzy September 15, 2014 at 2:38 pm #

        I remember the Peace Sign written up in the sky. Only later did I learn it was the sign for Victory turned upside down. And when turned back aright, it had become the Devil’s horns…

  9. Smoky Joe September 15, 2014 at 10:32 am #

    JHK gets back into excellent “mad dog” mode with this metaphor for American life:

    “an overheating Dodge Grand Caravan with three screaming ADD kids whose smart phone batteries just died — plus your fiercely over-filled bladder and no empty Snapple bottle to resort to.”

    That is us, at this cultural moment. Thanks too, Jim, from bringing back a reference to salad-shooters. I’ve never owned one, but I do like salads. Might be a good investment.

    When the inevitable happens here–some jihadis pick a shopping mall or sports event or commencement to savage with guns and bombs–what WILL our response be?

    It stuns me that we sit around, worried about salad-shooters and Kim Kardashian instead of how the US government–and the lumpenproles of the Right–will react to such an event.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 15, 2014 at 2:39 pm #

      I have never even heard of one. Could it be used on Kim’s behind somehow?

  10. philm September 15, 2014 at 10:37 am #

    Classic: “Must be Nature’s way of telling you it’s time for a new tattoo.”.
    On another note we did have a primary election last week in New York State with the Governorship as the main prize. I might be slightly wrong on the numbers but I think something like 10% of registered Dems went to the polls to cast a vote. Does anybody care???

    JHK, you missed a nice event over at Wedding Hill Farm yesterday afternoon. Maybe next time.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  11. Greg Knepp September 15, 2014 at 10:39 am #

    All last week on CNBC the plummeting crude price was seen as bad news. Nary a word was whispered about the benefit to consumers in terms of more affordable gasoline prices – only how lower oil prices would adversely affect energy stockholders and impede further development of the sector.

    Sure enough, energy stocks brought down the stock market in general, and, as of this posting, continue to do so.

    The energy price game is one that is nor winnable.

    • Casualty09 September 15, 2014 at 11:51 am #

      When plummeting crude oil prices are seen as bad news because they hurt energy investors – rather than as good news because lower fuel prices should help consumers – then our “financialized” world is topsy-turvy.

      I suppose that I shouldn’t be surprised to hear this view expressed on CNBC, the network of the 1%, but it may very well have real consequences to the remaining 99%: oil prices drop, the “energy sector” on Wall Street gets nervous, energy stocks go down and stock prices all across the board drop. American consumers with a pension and 401(k) get nervous at the declining Dow and S & P 500 indexes, and instead of spending, choose to sit on their money, keeping the economy from realizing the boost it should have received from lower energy costs. They continue the “motoring” part, but they don’t seem so “happy” about it when they keep hearing dire news from the financial networks. . . .

  12. davidreese2 September 15, 2014 at 10:40 am #

    Great post as always.

    But I doubt there is a “light of virtue” out there, or that there ever will be.

  13. swmnguy September 15, 2014 at 10:40 am #

    The average American has been told for at least 60 years that if you just work hard, stay out of trouble, and do what you’re supposed to do, you’ll come out fine. That never was true for everybody, but for most of us it was true enough. That course wasn’t easy anyway; it required effort, and for most of us, was enough to keep us occupied and not paying too much attention to what was going on around us.

    People do tend to be pretty sensible about things they see right in front of them in their everyday lives. It’s when things are out of their routine purview people become foolish. So naturally, that’s what the hucksters do; convince people that whatever-it-is is new, different, somehow other than it appears, so people don’t understand it’s a scam. Nothing new about that, either.

    Meanwhile, while people were distracted and worn out from just doing what they were supposed to do, all the alternatives to questionable modernity have been removed. Now that driving a car, alone, to work every day has become expensive, painful drudgery, where is the reasonable alternative? Gone. Now that credit cards are patently not secure methods of payment, how many people are seemingly unable to use cash or checks? People accept the ludicrous system for accessing and paying for health care because for most of us,there is no alternative available. On and on it goes.

    What’s encouraging, and also very unsettling to experience, is that the dysfunction is invading people’s lives to the point that it’s no longer possible to ignore it. Student loan debt is a potent issue, as has been housing finance, health care finance, and indeed all the pernicious effects of the financialization of our economy and society. When people start to see, in their everyday personal lives, that even the most diligent and prudent courses of action are no longer providing the promised results, then things can begin to change. Keep a careful eye on those who continue to promote the failed approaches and blame those who are seeing that “the Emperor has no clothes.” Those are the people who think somehow their loyalty to those imposing a modernized feudal system will be rewarded. Those are the really dangerous people.

    It’s especially uncomfortable when people lose faith in a failed system, right when there are physical realities driving that failure. Our system of finance capitalism was going to fail anyway; it does periodically, throughout history. Debt builds up to the level where it can’t be repaid, and has to be expunged. When we do that, there is a Depression, and then we rebuild. When we don’t do that, there is a Great Depression, and it takes much longer to rebuild. But when we set our course for a Greater Depression, right at a time when physical resources and divergent global interests reach a crisis point, that’s a really scary time for most people.

    As individuals, the best things we can do are local. It’s been said many times, but it’s still true, that we need to get to know our neighbors, reconnect with our food, simplify and reduce our exposure to finance, be wary of any system that doesn’t work when the power goes out, etc. We won’t like the transition, but we don’t have a choice. Those who choose to make the best of it will come out the best. In a way, the old advice of staying out of trouble, working hard, doing what you’re supposed to do still works; it’s the reward that’s going to be redefined whether we like it or not. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we have to see that the old reward wasn’t what it was cracked up to be anyway.

    • dweebus September 15, 2014 at 11:05 am #

      Well said.

    • ozone September 15, 2014 at 11:38 am #

      ” Keep a careful eye on those who continue to promote the failed approaches and blame those who are seeing that “the Emperor has no clothes.” Those are the people who think somehow their loyalty to those imposing a modernized feudal system will be rewarded. Those are the really dangerous people.”

      swmnguy,
      I, for one, will certainly continue keeping an eye out for just those types.
      The future games of “who do you trust?” will be deadly serious (i.e. fatal) as resources get thinner.

    • Smoky Joe September 15, 2014 at 12:35 pm #

      Excellent reply. Getting through the transition alive is what bothers me, and I’m not–on dark days–even sure I want to do so.

      The system of finance and resource-extraction are both bound for massive failures.

      One tragedy of all that is we could have, with sensible regulation of the former and prudent use of the latter, have avoided exactly the global collapse now approaching. Our failure to do so will lead our descendants to curse us and our age of easy assumptions.

      The other tragedy is that the GI Generation, who bought most into that 60-year assumption of hard work leading to success, lived their lives in vain. I am glad they will not be around to see their world unravel.

    • sethinthebox September 15, 2014 at 8:00 pm #

      “Keep a careful eye on those who continue to promote the failed approaches and blame those who are seeing that “the Emperor has no clothes.” Those are the people who think somehow their loyalty to those imposing a modernized feudal system will be rewarded. Those are the really dangerous people.”

      aka Little Eichmanns

  14. seawolf77 September 15, 2014 at 10:52 am #

    It’s a very accurate statement, the Era of Bad Feeling, if you contrast it with the ultimate Era of Good Feeling…America at the end of World War 2. Simply put, America was the pinnacle, the zenith of any country in the history of the world. There is no way to go but down from there. At first, because you’re so much higher than everyone else, it is hardly noticeable. Then a crisis here and a crisis there, and pretty soon people are worried. Then the jobs start to leave en masse. The inchoate terror begins to mature. What comes next is anyone’s guess, as manifested by the contributions to this site.

  15. the Heretick September 15, 2014 at 10:53 am #

    That insanely cheap stuff at Wal-Mart isn’t such a deal if you don’t have a job, which is where tens of millions of Americans find themselves.
    TPTB really don’t like the idea of small independent nations, they prefer unfettered access for the tentacles of The Vampire Squid, with The Almighty UPC spanning the globe.

    Yeah boy, NAFTA, GATT, TPP, FBI and the CIA, it’s good for everybody isn’t it?

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • sharonsj September 18, 2014 at 5:19 pm #

      I’d like to add that, as a reluctant Walmart shopper, their stuff is not insanely cheap. Most of it is useless non-degradable landfill. I go there for pet food (and then I just keep my fingers crossed that it’s not from China and won’t kill my pets).

  16. goat1001 September 15, 2014 at 10:53 am #

    Murphy’s mother-in-LAW is about to pay us a visit.

  17. dweebus September 15, 2014 at 11:00 am #

    JHK-

    Thanks for another good essay.

    On Scotland. Being of Scottish heritage, emotionally I pull for independence. However, when queried about how pensions, health care, and other govt. services would be paid for all Salmond could do was to chant “North Sea Oil”, repeatedly. So the Scots want to put all their eggs in the shrinking oil basket. This does not bode well for a stable country, and that is setting aside the currency considerations.

    Westminster has said the pound is off the table for Scotland. So what do they do? Adopt the Euro and the Troika’s austerity measures?

    The prospect of an independent Scotland makes the blood run hot, but I think, if I resided there, I would vote “no” at this time. Ride the Lion for a while yet, independence will come when the time is ripe.

    “Expect that mirage to dissipate in the next 24 months…”

    I don’t know if this is true. The thing that has consistently amazed me, is the propensity to prop up the system with lies, subterfuge and denial. Of course, the longer they prop it up, the harder the fall.

    “Finally, there are the people themselves of this sclerotic polity: too dumb and distracted to help themselves, full of inchoate grievance and resentment, tending ever deeper into darkness. ”

    And here is the sting of it. What happens when the majority of Americans realize their Dream has been irrevocably foreclosed upon? Seems it to me will be very, very, ugly.

    Regards,

    dweebus

    • zekesdad September 15, 2014 at 11:12 am #

      One thing that is seldom mentioned is that if Scotland breaks away from the U.K. they’ll be handed their share of the U.K.’s national debt. True, they’ll have North Sea oil, but that’s a dwindling resource. I’ve also read that they take in more revenue from the U.K. than they pay in taxes. Scots are generally more liberal than the English are, and many want to expand the social welfare state there. All those things taken together tell me they’d be worse off going it alone.

    • WW September 15, 2014 at 11:18 am #

      They can’t join the Euro either, Spain has vowed to block it. Scottish oil is diminishing and Scotland now recieves over £15 billion more than it generates from Westminster. That’s £15 billion for a population of 5 million that, even to stay still and not indulge in the SNPs wild spending spree, they will have to generate from day one.

      • dweebus September 15, 2014 at 11:25 am #

        Spain will block it, because they don’t want feisty Catalans to go shopping for spraypaint, eh?

  18. zekesdad September 15, 2014 at 11:00 am #

    James; There’s a dissonance between your disdain for the oil and gas industry and your wish that the furnace was ready to run. Maybe you have a wood fired unit, but most of us burn some form of fossil fuels to stay warm. Your statement that shale oil producers have never made a buck is laughable. Have you never heard of Harold Hamm of Continental Resources, or John Hess of Hess Oil? They’re both billionaires, and those of us who own stock in their companies have done pretty well too. They’re not flipping leases, they’re producing them. If we’re running out of oil soon, why is the price falling? The Permian Basin in West Texas has been producing oil for 90 years now, and rather than being on its last legs, it’s booming. I would expect the Bakken Shale to have a similar profile as that play has just started. You never seem to consider that all of the old fields have a high percentage of oil still in place, and that recovery techniques are getting better all the time. Couple that with increased use of renewables (see NY Times, 9/14), oil and gas that’s been off limits, such as in New York, off the East Coast, and on federal lands, and people will be driving to Walmart for a long time. We’ll both be dead and gone before that happens. I’m not going to worry about it, and you shouldn’t either.

  19. WW September 15, 2014 at 11:04 am #

    Well happy idler you can support Scotland all you like but reality of the whole deal in Scotland and the rest of the UK is that Scotland has, for a first minister, a man who has not a clue. Even his most basic sums, let alone financial forcasts for a year or two, don’t add up.
    Firstly he has no idea what currency Scotland will use, he has no plans to create an independent one. Westminster will certainly not allow a separate independent nation to have any fiscal control over sterling. Without control Salmonds financial plans are in tatters. He cannot so much as set an interest rate. He lacks the asset base for his own central bank. Contrary to his wishful thinking, Scotland does not own all the oil and indeed the rights to extract it already belong to oil companies. One of his cronies mentioned nationalising the oil oblivious to the fact that no company will touch them afterwards.
    Salmonds second plan was to join the EU and use the Euro. Unfortunately the Spanish, who have trouble with Andulusia and the Basques, have vowed to block it to prevent similar claims at home.
    The third problem, too dreadful for the press on a whole to discuss, is that under EU law the rest of the UK will have to have a fixed border, complete with passport control, visas, work permits, import duties etc.
    Scotland would be outside the EU and subject to all the appropriate tariffs.
    To compound this Salmond and the SNP seem befuddled by the markets and businesses reaction. No business will want to invest in such an uncertain market and indeed the banks will have to move south. To keep the existing markets they have they have to be headquartered in an EU country which of course Scotland will not be.
    Similar uncertainty exists over everything from supermarkets to mobile phone providers. No deals are on the table and the SNP are out and out socialists so the markets expect and will factor in the worst expectations.
    Salmond is demanding a nuclear free Scotland so the subs at Faslane will have to be moved, though the MOD and Navy jave said that it is inconceivable to leave them in a none NATO country anyway. That means tens of thousands of jobs lost. Faslane employs less than that but it has a huge infrastructure of businesses that support it.
    Scotland has huge numbers of people working in Department of Work and Pensions, HMRC and NHS administration, far in excess of the numbers Scotland requires. No UK government will survive reelection leaving those jobs north of the border.
    Salmond is demanding part of the UK armed forces, which is not going to happen. He has also stated that if his demands on currency and the military are not met he will not take on Scotlands share of the national debt. Far more than which has actually been spent on scotland due to the Barnet formula. Imagine how the markets will react to a country that defaults on day one.
    Finally the Office of National Statistics shows that Scotland receives £15 billion more from the treasury than it produces. Salmond has no idea how his government will plug that gap and indeed intends to increase spending without even having any central banking facility.
    If you would like to know what an independent Scotland will look like in a few years think Venezuela with the toilet paper rationing but with out the warm weather.
    I’m sure that many of the commenters on here will know better but actually living in the UK tends to give a closer perspective.
    .

    • TheHappyIdler September 15, 2014 at 4:25 pm #

      All I hear is Salmond this and Salmond that. Even if he is a dolt, Scotland isn’t a kingdom or dictatorship (different names for the same thing as far as I’m concerned), so let the people of Scotland decide what is best for them. The UK isn’t the best run place in the world, so give the Scots a chance to decide whether they can run their country better by themselves.

      • WW September 15, 2014 at 5:10 pm #

        Erm that’s what they are doing.
        However many English, northern Irish and Welsh believe that they should have a vote too. After all the Union was started in 1707 and during those 300 odd years Scotland has benefited from it hugely particularly in proportion to its contribution.
        The parting terms should be set by the whole electorate, but then if the stark realties of the situation were laid bare as they only just are the independent vote would shrivel.
        And actually Scotland is a kingdom its Queen is HM Elizabeth the second, doh! Like most though you have little understanding of the role of the Monarchy.

        • TheHappyIdler September 15, 2014 at 10:04 pm #

          WW wrote, “However many English, northern Irish and Welsh believe that they should have a vote too. After all the Union was started in 1707 and during those 300 odd years Scotland has benefited from it hugely particularly in proportion to its contribution.”

          Such an argument could be used against any nation that claimed sovereignty. With so much historical baggage, nothing would change in the world. In fact this kind of thinking would have prevented the breakup of the Soviet Union, since all the republics of Russia had a stake in what happened in the Baltic States. If Karelia or Tatarstan had a vote in the independence of Lituania, Latvia, and Estonia, would those nations ever have won their independence?

          With all do respect to HM Elizabeth II, my understanding of the Monarchy in the UK is that it is largely ceremonial. Scotland has its own “First Minister” and parliament, which I imagine is more relevant to the Scots than the Queen.

          • WW September 16, 2014 at 2:14 pm #

            You might like to actually try and understand how the constitutional monarchy works. A first minister is merely the leader of the parliament of Scotland. Somewhat less than a Prime minister. Salmond is a socialist and the SNP would nothing better than to abandon the monarchy and the restrictions it places on his power. Notably he shies from saying so because unless the Daily Record is polling the support is over 70 percent. The Edinburgh Tattoo is a huge favourite..
            A lot of the work of the Queen is ceremonial however key elements remain as checks and balances of an over bearing or tyrannical government. All legislation is signed off by the Queen. She has the right to send legislation back to parliament,the patriot act for example would not pass here.
            She is the commander in chief of the UK armed forces and alliegence is sworn to the monarch and Crown not to the Government. Any government using or misusing the armed forces faces the fact that their orders can and have been overidden.
            She also has the right to dissolve the government at any time and call an election and to dissolve parliament in the case of any government that attempts to overstay its term.
            She cannot issue presidential decrees, unlike your president, introducing new laws on a whim. Nor can our prime minister, legislation has to be passed by parliament.

  20. ozone September 15, 2014 at 11:07 am #

    JHK sez:
    “The lies, frauds, and cons run between the axis of Wall Street and Washington had two fatal consequences with still-lagging effects. 1) They destroyed the capacity for markets to establish the real price of anything — rendering markets useless. 2). They disabled capital formation to the degree that we might not have the money to rebuild an economy to replace the “financialized” matrix of rackets that currently pretends to function. A lot of observers like myself have been waiting for the moment when the fog of pretense lifts and exposes all the broken machinery within. We may be so close now that you can smell it.”

    I agree that it’s just a matter of time now.
    As a small aside to this point, it seems the UK has been running the same game (or perhaps they invented it), and Scotland has smelled the burning oil and fried insulation on the electrical wiring on that selfsame machinery. When the scent got strong enough, those feisty Scots got out the spray-paint cans and painted black swans all up and down the tumbled length of Hadrian’s Wall.

    If they shear off from the drowning Island Nation, they’ll get to keep 90% of their oil revenues. (No wonder London is trying on every hat in the closet to get them to stay with the program. Those oil revenues plug a lot of holes in UK GDP for the present time.) I wonder if they’d invest these funds wisely in the little time remaining? Maybe we’ll get to find out… and maybe not.

    If we really wanted to know how this referendum turns out, we’d have the ballot boxes very closely guarded! Diebold, anyone?
    (They’d better at least make it appear close, or There Might Be Blood… you know, that weird wildcat oil movie.)

    “The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” — Joseph Stalin

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • dweebus September 15, 2014 at 11:16 am #

      O3-

      “When the scent got strong enough, those feisty Scots got out the spray-paint cans and painted black swans all up and down the tumbled length of Hadrian’s Wall.”

      Kudos for a nice turn of the phrase. 🙂

    • WW September 15, 2014 at 12:07 pm #

      Scotland’s oil revenue is predicted to drop from £38 billion to £27billion in 2017. This year, even with the oil revenue, Scotland recieved over £15 billion more in funding from Westminster than it generated. Add to that the further lost revenue from banking and pension providers, who will have to move south due to EU rules, and the rest of the UK is liable to be better off bu some £30 to £40 billion a year. Of course to the English hating yanks, who think braveheart was a factual docudrama, no actual facts will matter.
      As Cameron has said, independence will be permanent. The scots will not be bailed out a second time.
      The worst thing that could happen to the UK is devomax.
      Scottish independence will mean that there will never again be a majority labour government. Devomax means we will be stuck with a socialist government every few elections as well as subsidising scotland even further.

      • Vlad the Inhaler September 15, 2014 at 3:29 pm #

        I broadly agree; for some reason best known to themselves, the idiots in Westminster have offered Scotland even more goodies to induce them to stay. If it works, the pressure for so-called “Regional Assemblies” in England will be almost irresistible – just in order to restore balance in what would be a most un-balanced administrative structure. That is ridiculous in such a postage-stamp sized archipelago* and threatens to be a disaster.

        The best outcome now for the rest of the country is for Scotland to vote “Yes” and separate – the least-worst option, you might say – something that few non-Brits seem to realise, preferring to imagine that Scotland is some sort of English colonial possession and they’re gagging to hang on to it. Part of the problem is the use of the word “independence”. That word is chosen simply for what its antonyms imply and an awful lot of people fall for the trick. The actual choice is between unionism and separatism, but that doesn’t play as well with the gullible and the ignorant. Few outside the islands realise just how glad much of the rest of the country would be to see Scotland go.

        As for “English hating Yanks”, well some do, some don’t, but most of ’em have better things to think about. It is true, however, that a depressingly large number of people get their history from Hollywood (Errol Flynn as Robin Hood anyone?) – but they aren’t all in the U.S.A.! Incredibly many of the young in Britain do too. In practice, that means that on a pokey little island there exists the possibility of a plurality of nation-states whose borders will be based on an almost forgotten line drawn on the map by Norman-French speaking aristos seven hundred years ago! (Now, that’s what I call progress!) However, ambitious politicians are trying to do that and members of their target audience have exactly the same vote as the more intelligent and informed.

        Best wishes all.

        *For those who don’t know, all of England, all of Ireland, all of Scotland and all of Wales plus Isle of Man and other bits and bobs add up to roughly half the size of Texas. Even fairly well-informed foreigners step off the plane and are shocked by how small it all is.

        • WW September 15, 2014 at 4:52 pm #

          True New Zealand is actually slightly larger than the England, Scotland and Wales combined and its population is less than 5 million too.
          The English hating yanks crack is aimed at those dullards who think Scotland being in the UK was some sort of conquest. The act of the union 1707 was not for England’s benefit but to save a bankrupt Scotland. So much for Scottish fiscal prudence.
          Then again Gordon Brown, another scot, managed to sell a huge chunk of gold at its lowest price as well as spending every penny and more during a huge economic boom saving nothing for a rainy day.

    • WW September 15, 2014 at 5:22 pm #

      Ozone , you do know that Hadrians wall is actually in England. At its closest it is a mile from the border and 68 miles at its furthest. Built with Roman efficiency it has gatehouses and towers exactly one mile apart. Even when the gatehouse stands over a 70 foot cliff!

      • ozone September 15, 2014 at 5:53 pm #

        Yes, I did know that (but not that 70′ cliff part 😉 ).
        What would you have suggested to cobble together my little visual in a better/more internationally recognizable way?

        …And it’s beginning to appear to me that Merry Olde England would be better off without those Scrofulous Scots suckling off the Queen’s teat. I begin to smell clingers to the status quo – all consequence be damned. (Don’t go to the Anglo-hatin’ place; I quite like the English… the people at the top of the govt. pyramid? Meh. I’ve heard that the world over in regard to the Red, White and Igottheblues as well.)

        • WW September 15, 2014 at 6:53 pm #

          The previous two prime ministers were Scottish or Scottish educated. As are a number of the government. They have also committed grevious damage to us with their immigration policies and willingness to literally bend over for the EU.
          Happliy should Scotland leave the union the Labour party will be unable to win a majority for decades.

          Many are pro union, not wanting to see the break up of such a long standing agreement. However Salmond has driven such a divisive campaign that either way the vote goes half of Scotland will be bitterly unhappy. In that respect alone it might be better for the rest of us if they were gone. That way their political, economic and sectarian problems will be theirs to deal with..

  21. bass_masterson September 15, 2014 at 11:08 am #

    I don’t know if it’s funny, but the image popped into my head of ISIS attacking a mall, only to turn out that it’s completely devoid of shoppers.

    • orbit7er September 15, 2014 at 2:11 pm #

      Haven’t we already had a continuous run of massacres from Columbine to Newtown at malls, fast food stores, churches you name it? There is a mass gun murder once a month along with 30,000 gun deaths per year yet somehow this is not counted as “terrorism”.
      Unlike 2 beheadings in the Middle East thousands of miles from the USA…
      But just as there is big money to be made in the weapons of War provided to Bin Laden, ISIS, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Israel etc etc by the Merchants of Death, so there is money being made for automatic weapons like the one which killed the instructor of a teenage girl…

      • No1kiwi September 15, 2014 at 3:43 pm #

        orbit7r,

        I was trying on CFN last week to convince CFNers that the 2nd Amendment has not worked out too well…..

        I think I struck out!

        It’s politically incorrect on CFN to suggest that America has a gun problem.

        • stelmosfire September 16, 2014 at 1:23 pm #

          Yea No One Kiwi, you laid a big goose egg on that 2nd amendment call. Prescription drugs, hospitals, and automobiles kill far more people than legal guns. Illegal guns are a totally different matter. Than again crooks don’t need no steenkin’ licenses.

          • No1kiwi September 17, 2014 at 3:00 pm #

            Stel,

            Until we require registration of all guns, like we do automobiles, the concept of legal vs illegal guns is fascicle.

            Do I dare mention restoring the Assault Weapon Ban on CFN.

            Nobody in their right mind needs an AR-15!

  22. UnstoppableFarceImmovableAbject September 15, 2014 at 11:33 am #

    Nice title and piece this week. And hello to ‘Zone, BT, BRH, and PRO. Oh and Pro, you’ve fallen back into the Asoka banality trap again. That dude always baits you into the same set of cluttering posts without fail. No worries though… I’ve come to learn that it’s just what bored old fella’s like to do on the net. Have at it.

    Anyhow, JHK’s power as a novelist really spoke to me again today, while the analysis in the Monday Blog’s main posts for some months hasn’t. On that note, I remember seeing a vid featuring JHK while scanning Greg Hunter’s interview archives, wherein JHK stated that ISIS was truly a Black Swan event. I think I fell outta my chair laughing at the very premise. The past coupla years in alternative media have been a detailed chronicling of this group’s rise, funding, and proxy chest piece status. Nothing unpredictable about ISIS, or any of the slowly escalating crises.

    Still, I couldn’t help notice that the more popular/respected Doom pornographers seemed a bit revived when the ISIS and downed jet liner in Ukraine stories emerged, perhaps just betraying an awkward need to combat the air of failed prediction fatigue hanging over their respective websites. Nevertheless, I can’t get over how things seem to be getting worse and better all at once. The potential for WWIII seems undeniable, yet the sense that no immediate collapse of the economy will occur this year pervades, for me at least.

    What I wonder is how long before the bubble of Collapse Forecasting bursts; then, ironically, so might everything else.

    What I’ve learned is… many older kats are making a living off of this stuff; it requires little genuine action or analytical prowess and appeases an egoic need to self-affirm; meanwhile, the consumers of it are entirely captivated and thus stifled with it. Vicious circle. For all the audience reach attained these past 8 years by these writers and intelekshuls, none of the soothsaying has translated into a viable social movement. Not one.

    What an embarrassment for the people of this country. When this presently leading age group finally retires, ready to die, having propped up the safety net they spent their entire careers undermining, then things really become interesting for Xers and Millenials.

    Still, my statement here isn’t necessarily meant as a criticism, just a note that there are so many competing biases regarding these issues that to hang on to any single POV seems a little pointless now. As JHK says, “life is tragic”… but interesting to me is, like never before in history – the fighting spirit has been completely lost/forfeited by a nation’s citizens, old and young. Can’t help but notice this wherever I go.

    Events are in charge now – agreed – and no one truly cares about the injustices of the Elite any longer because we’ve all benefited from the superficial luxuries afforded, and the whole thing is a comedy for the ages.

    However, I still visit this blog frequently just to catch the banter between a few favorite poster’s. I think the ongoing dialogue among them is just enough to sate the personal fleeting desire for big picture clarity, confusion.

    • M. Bessette September 15, 2014 at 1:12 pm #

      Nothing like a cup of some good ol’ liberal schadenfreude to get the week started.

      And yes, too many rubber nipples, yet how could it be otherwise after nearly 70 years of the great consumerist pacification experiment? Nonetheless, I suggest you consult NYCs upcoming calendar of events before lumping everyone in the same tidy pile of apathy.

      • UnstoppableFarceImmovableAbject September 15, 2014 at 1:33 pm #

        “a cup of some good ol’ liberal schadenfreude” M-B

        To what specifically are you referring? Let me guess, you’re pointing a finger and shouting “liberal!” in that blanketed, apathetic sense. How tidy of you. As to NYC’s events… well, how ’bout you mention events of which you are directly apart and the outcome you personally expect to effect. Nothing to say now, huh.

        • M. Bessette September 15, 2014 at 4:27 pm #

          The reference is to JHKs ‘deliciously ruthless’ post, and liberal should perhaps read Menckenesque schadenfreude.

          Personally, I don’t expect my humble participation in the PCM to effect some decisive outcome. And I assure you mon ami, I’m not laughing.

          • UnstoppableFarceImmovableAbject September 15, 2014 at 4:55 pm #

            “…and liberal should perhaps read Menckenesque schadenfreude.” – M-B

            Ah… so the obtuse pairing in your original phrasing is somehow more meaningful now. Alright, whatever is clever.

            “I don’t expect my humble participation in the PCM to effect some decisive outcome.” M-B

            Let me guess, you’re also a voter. So participation in the charade parade is a matter of principal then? Highly suspect.

            I do still forget from time to time that it’s not yet sunk in to the majority of folk’s heads that the time for marches and wiser voting decisions is long lost.

            Elderly mass suicide via self-immolation is now the only way to inspire action. This requires a genuine seriousness about the matters we face, and maybe some laughter. Real emotion anyhow.

  23. volodya September 15, 2014 at 12:24 pm #

    Those “ladies from hell” on parade are quite the sight, aren’t they? And those bag-pipes and drums, they stir the blood, don’t they?

    So how tough are the Scots? How much are they willing to sacrifice? Do they have a taste for hunger and deprivation? Don’t know that it will come to that. But what if it does?

    They’re generations removed from going “over the top” to the skirl of pipes into a rain of machine gun bullets. So, alternatively, and I don’t mean to disparage, how soft have they become in the intervening years? Time changes people.

    I’m a long way from Scotland and have minimal knowledge of Scots and on life there.

    How do Scots live now in material terms? Well, by all appearances, not badly, for various reasons. So Scotland has got some things going for it. But the oil is a depleting resource. And those financial transfers from other parts of the UK via government expenditures are going bye-bye in the event of a “yes” vote.

    And Scotland doesn’t have a super-abundance of resources like those that came with mostly un-exploited continents like the Americas that European colonists took advantage of. What about when the oil runs dry?

    What would Scots have to do to make up for this general lack of resources? They can’t eat rocks and rain after all. Well, in my humble opinion, they’d have to work like sonsabitches a la Japanese, Koreans, HongKongers, Taiwanese, Singaporeans. That is, to substitute brain power – firstly on the educational front – for being stuck on land that has got pretty much nothing to exploit.

    Do Scots have it in them? I wouldn’t know. Maybe, independence or no, they’d still be faced with the same question.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 15, 2014 at 2:47 pm #

      They must return to their traditional way of life – the small farmer or crofter. That can support a large population even without power. Obviously the minorities must be driven out to maintain homogeneity and culture.

      • WW September 15, 2014 at 3:26 pm #

        Actually, it can’t. Hence the reason why in the 1700s the population was 1.5 million. An agricultural economy without oil would, even with modern farming knowledge, would support less than 5 million people.

      • stelmosfire September 16, 2014 at 1:25 pm #

        Man can’t live on peat filtered whiskey forever ya know.

        • WW September 16, 2014 at 2:17 pm #

          But he’ll b dam well happy while he does!

  24. orbit7er September 15, 2014 at 2:03 pm #

    James Kunstler writes: “… 2). They disabled capital formation to the degree that we might not have the money to rebuild an economy to replace the “financialized” matrix of rackets that currently pretends to function…”

    The US wastes $1 Trillion per year on REAL capital for endless Wars – things like all those armored vehicles, automatic weapons, Humvees etc that are in such oversupply that Ferguson brought attention to the Pentagon giving these weapons out like candy!

    The WORLD spends $2 Trillion a year on Wars and weapons.
    This is a LOT of money, over half of the US budget from the income taxes we pay every year. This is REAL physical capital in terms of aircraft carriers, the notorious F-35 fighter jet costing $1 Trillion over its lifetime if it ever gets built, etc etc.
    That is a LOT of physical capital as well as financial money!

    The US also wastes hundreds of billions on Auto Addiction endless parking lot paving, repaving, adding lanes and wondrous cloverleafs to highways being used less and less.
    More wasted capital which could and should be directed towards Green Transit.

    I am glad the endless War issue has been the topic of a number of Kunstler’s recent blogs. It will be coming up in the Peoples Climate March this Sunday Sept 21st in NYC especially as Obama and his Corporate Democrats gear up for yet more folly of endless War in the Middle East, resuming the outright Syrian War that got stopped by popular outrage last year. Personally I will NOT be voting for Cory Booker if he does not oppose this latest War misadventure but will vote for the most progressive alternative.

    Then we have the other wastes – every day I see the gas guzzling, planet destroying “landscaping” trucks towing fleets of gigantic riding lawn mowers, primarily driven by immigrants, who ironically enough, also take the train to work as they do not have personal cars. This replaces the nostalgic tradition of the neighborhood teenager who used to come mow your lawn with only the CO2 emissions of walking. Further still, there are all the polluting gas guzzling lawn mowers as opposed to old fashioned manual mowers which take no oil (save lubrication), create almost no noise, and basically cost nothing to operate. I have used such a push mower for years with no problems, and it was so light that my 15 year old daughter could even mow the lawn with it.

    Then we have the idiotic leaf blowers and the last crazed of energy the automated paper towel dispensers which never seem to detect my hand beneath the sensor unlike the mechanical lever which could be pushed with my elbow so as not to spread germs…

    It is not clear to me that the loss of any of these (or the electric can opener!) will lead to a real decline in our quality of life. To my mind it can only improve it!
    Of course we need to RUN our trains and buses which absolutely requires an investment if we want to get anywhere but Wars and the other we can do without…

    • chipshot September 15, 2014 at 2:15 pm #

      Glad to hear someone else feels that way about “lawn care” .
      SUV-sized mowers and blowers and power edgers and their noise and
      pollution drive me nuts.

      • No1kiwi September 17, 2014 at 3:02 pm #

        chip,

        My lawn drives me nuts!

        Whose stupid idea was “lawn” to begin with?

      • alphie September 21, 2014 at 8:12 am #

        yes, we spend so much time and money and water on a crop we can’t eat. madness

  25. chipshot September 15, 2014 at 2:16 pm #

    Wouldn’t it be ironic if low oil prices led to shortages and pandemonium at gas stations?

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  26. pkrugman September 15, 2014 at 2:22 pm #

    JHK, this week’s is one of your best pieces of writing ever! Perfect pitch, marvelous metaphors, and just the right amount of darkness.

    However, I don’t think we will be confronting guys in black ski masks with RPGs in the malls of America. That would only net a few people for beheading or a few dozen dead American mall shoppers. No, I think the strategic placement of dirty bombs all over America will guarantee death tolls equaling dozens of 9/11s. Thousands of westerners have already been recruited —whose passports could allow re-entry to carry out attacks all over America. Bob Baer, a longtime CIA operative in the Middle East — whose sources are probably as good as you can get — says “I have been told with no uncertainty there are ISIS sleeper-cells in this country.”

    But, no to worry, the price of oil is coming down and we can still drive to Walmart. LOL!

    • No1kiwi September 15, 2014 at 4:36 pm #

      Jhk,

      Wasn’t the “Department of Homeland Security” set up to deal with countering terrorism in the contiguous US?

      Total homeland security spending since September 11, 2001 is $635.9 billion…..pretty soon we will be talking real money.

      The Denver Post, on February 15th, ran an article entitled Homeland Security aims to buy 1.6b rounds of ammo.

      It confirmed that the DHS has issued an open purchase order for 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition. Some of this order is for hollow-point rounds, forbidden by international law for use in war.

      At the height of the Iraq War the Army was expending less than 6 million rounds a month. 1.6 billion rounds would be enough to sustain a hot war for 20+ years in America.

      Add to this purchase of ammo, DHS now is showing off its acquisition of heavily armored personnel carriers, repatriated from the Iraqi and Afghani theaters of operation.

      Hopefully, this amount of cash and ammo can take care of a few sleeper-cells, dirty bombs, and guys in black ski masks with RPGs in the malls of America

      • stelmosfire September 16, 2014 at 1:27 pm #

        Come on No One Kiwi, You have to know that most people can’t hit what the’re shootin’ at. Especially in the heat of a good ol’ firefight.

        • No1kiwi September 16, 2014 at 5:19 pm #

          Stel,

          Way back in the good old days, when were high school kids in New Zealand, we were subject to two weeks of compulsory military training at the local army base….can you imagine that nowadays?

          I guess we were nervous that the yellow peril would arrive on our shores after WW2.

          We were introduced to the bolt-action Lee Enfield Mk.III rifle. If I remember correctly, it had a 5 round mag, We were given numerous lectures by our regular army trainers about the need to be frugal with these 5 bullets……something about the Allies in the big one WW2 only needing 2 bullets per dead Kraut …I guess this was a reflection on how pathetic the British wartime industry was, in that they could only produce a limited amount of ammo!

          The Vietnam era “fire fights”, in which one sprayed hundreds of bullets in the general direction of the enemy, would have frowned upon by those old Brit warriors.

          We were also trained on the light machine gun. Was it the Bren? All I remember about that was the detachable barrel was so poor, one had to fire 5-10 shot bursts so that the barrel didn’t overheat, and curl up. LOL.

          Needless to say when they flag dropped at the range, every high school kid fired the entire 30 shot mag without stopping…what a laugh.

          We also practiced sticking potato sacks with our bayonet….which on the Lee Enfield was like an 8in long sharpened nail…..ugh….LOL

          The only other thing I remember about my compulsory military training is that we had to get up every morning at O-dark-thirty, and march to the shower block, stark naked except our our WW2 issue long coat. We called it the “Dangle Parade>”

  27. rollie September 15, 2014 at 2:29 pm #

    Oh my goodness, today’s post is so deliciously ruthless. And with that bit about the Lucky Charms I suddenly come around to see at least one point of Jim’s customary critique of tattoos: They’re pointless, expensive & painful when there are more important things to do with your time & money and plenty of upcoming opportunity to feel pain. On the other hand, having tattoos might serve well after collapse for identifying yourself as part of a certain group. But I figure I’ll wait til then so I know what tattoo to get.

    • Karah September 15, 2014 at 11:10 pm #

      Ruthless is the exact word to describe American culture. JHK is an observer and how can anyone argue that his portrait of Americana is wrong?

      Where is that guy trapped on the Chicago highway? Why is he not you-tubing his experience? Who is living off Lucky Charms tonight? Raise your hand. Why is That artificial stuff almost 5$ a box?

      How will the young people react when they can no longer get something for nothing? Will this be the year we find out?

      Scotland lads on BBC say their kids are starving. The pensioners could care less about the young. Ruthless.

      Tattoos do not carry any meaning, that is the point. Most Americans do things without thinking about it, like lemmings. The 1% who set the trends and pay for those car utopia commercials know that most people want to be the exception even if that means having that opportunity to ride off into the sunset one time a year…or decade…or wearing a tattoo that never goes out of vogue. Most people are drunk when they get tattooed. They do not feel the pain.

      When will the pain be felt? Where are all the consequences that result from bad decisions? We will see it in the next three years and I have no compassion for them either.

  28. edward4432 September 15, 2014 at 2:30 pm #

    No one I read exemplifies more bad feeling that Mr. Kunstler who never misses the chance to voice his deep hatred at what he considers the sorry excuse for manhood in his fellow countrymen whom he characterizes as a tattooed, NASCAR loving, overweight slob. He relishes the prospect of an apocalyptic collapse that will leave Americans destitute and weekly vents his spleen to the yaps of his bobble head fans.

    • Greg Knepp September 15, 2014 at 3:27 pm #

      This seems an honest observation. But JHK has been mostly correct in his views on the unraveling of the West in general and the incremental collapse of America in particular. He’s done his homework (as have many others: Foss, Heinberg, Ilargi, Hedges, Greer, Chomsky, etc…) and has arrived at reasonable conclusions…few of which would lend anyone a sense of contentment, much less joy.

  29. Gherry September 15, 2014 at 2:47 pm #

    Hi Jim

    Iam Scottish,and living firmly in the still strong stench of patriarchal West coast Glasgow…

    As many would know round these parts a brief ‘history of scottish inventions’ would make for plenty insightful reading.

    Iam sure what’s happening is a more systemic breakdown of the ‘centre’ and it’s propencity of hold everything at all costs.

    I’ve been concerned that(maybe i’am completely wrong)but the decades of UK debt paid to various tho perhaps largely US firms for WW2 perhaps left us somewhat in Scotland in a place of more financial weakness when the north sea oil boom started…perhaps that ships sailed for sure.

    I’ve also been concerned about our fondness of Socialistic tendencies ….almost all people i’ve ever known with either an ounce of artistic skill or academia in their genes sites Marx all in the same breath.It’s deeply worrying -it’s not as acute in other parts of Scotland.But beinbg the biggest city almost 1million that’s a fair few.

    However,we’ve seen this last week the bailed out banks in the UK all saying they would move to London if a ‘yes’ vote…

    Sadly Mr Salmond should have said ‘we’ll pay the fair down’..what he did say in part response was a marker for pointing toward manufacturing…if he’d have mentioned the tax deferred swelling of pensions these last 30-40 years has bloated these institutions we’d have had some more context-not that we don’t in part know it-

    The BBC despite being the supposed place of news and entertainment in the 20th century has shown it’s deep repression of reality which has in mainstream life came to light via all the sexual predator celebrities convienantly covered up for decades!

    Now they are aligning with the tiers of the financial class for some psychic warfare!!

    I think the level of desperate denialistic despotism coming from the political class really is something different now than before.

    I’ll permit a wee grandiose statement but if we invent a 2014 and onwards flight from central state capitalism then aim sure many more countries can find their historical context and act.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 15, 2014 at 2:52 pm #

      Reject the rule of Pedophiles, be they the English upper class or their Muslim Pakistani allies. Say No the rape of the vulnerable. Remember Rotterham and say No, Not in my name, Never again.

      • WW September 15, 2014 at 4:40 pm #

        English upper class Janos? At the time Rotherham started the prime minister was the Scottish educated Tony Blair, the Chancellor Gordon Brown, Scottish, the Deputy Prime minister John Prescott, Welsh. Icould carry on the list is long.
        We could also mention Jack Dromy, Harriet Harmen and Patricia Hewitt. All three are again labour politicians, the party of the people. All three were key members of the National Council for Civil Liberties, now known as Liberty. Under their guidance they funded and supported an organisation known as the Paedophile Information Exchange, promoting adult/child love(their words).
        Convenient for them the complete dossier on PIE was destroyed. All three still hold key positions in the Labour party.
        Again Dromy was the son of Irish immigrants(maybe they had catholic priests in the family) and Hewitt is Australian.
        Under the current crop of Tories such offences are actually being investigated and offenders, unless they are members of the Labour party, jailed.
        The left wing BBC for years concealed the likes of Jimmy Saville and Stuart Hall. God only knows how more will come out of the woodwork. Saville and Hall were both from working class backgrounds.
        Kind off shows your English upper class remark to be utter bullshit, don’t you think.
        As for our little muslim problem attitudes in the UK are hardening fast and failure to sort it out by our politicians will result in scenes from the film children of men being played out. Still we could always deprt them to and independent armyless Scotland! .

        • Janos Skorenzy September 15, 2014 at 5:56 pm #

          Bravo for your fighting spirit. The British working and middle classes have been ruthlessly abused – lately by affirmative action for Celts and of course every other minority. I’m also a big fan of the fighting scenes in Children of Men. It’s great seeing the English Army crush the Muzzies and Anarchists. The Black Christ Child main plot? Not so much. Bit of understatement there.

          David Icke is a nutter, but he was one of the first to talk of Saville. And Saville leads right to the palace. I strongly urge the English to abolish the monarchy or turn it over to the Stuarts. For those who don’t know, it would be as if Howard Stern had the run of the White House.

          • WW September 15, 2014 at 7:12 pm #

            Sigh, HM Queen Elizabeth is a decendent of the Stuarts as well as Mary Queen of Scots. Not to mention Robert if Bruce. The lineage is why she is accepted as the Queen of Scotland.
            If we’re crushing anyone it will be the British army doing it. Even if Scotland leaves Wales and Northern Ireland will remain.
            Incidentally Salmonds SNP has stopped Scotch soldiers from voting if they are stationed outside Scotland.
            Since well over 80 percent of us want to keep the monarchy it won’t be going anywhere. It also prevents us from falling into the pitfalls that beset so many who have Presidents.
            Prince Charles knew Saville well because of the level of his fund raising. Sadly it seems the spooks failed to investigate him thoroughly, though they have had their powers curtailed by an act of parliment brought about by a court case brought by none other than Patricia Hewitt and Harriet Harmen mentioned above. The same act severely restricts the surveillance of the IS supporters and funders!

          • WW September 16, 2014 at 6:15 pm #

            A littke link for youhttp://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/09/14/UKIP-death-threat-mep-says-rename-labour.
            Note the Labour party, not the rich toffs. And yes Harmen and Hewitt did campaign for the age of consent to be reduced to 10!

    • WW September 15, 2014 at 4:01 pm #

      Actually the banks have said they will leave for very straightforward reasons. Firstly Salmond has no idea what currency an independent Scotland will have. We all know the English will not let Scotland be tied into Sterling due to salmonds lack of sound fiscal policy. This uncertainty alone will have the finacial markets and banks running screaming for the border.
      The real problem lies, of course, with the fact that under EU regulations their headquarters must be in an EU country. The same applies to the pension companies and insurance companies.
      Add to that the loss of MoD, HMRC, DWP, NHS jobs that exist in Scotland far out of proportion to its population….

      • ozone September 15, 2014 at 6:59 pm #

        Ahhh!
        I’m not sure you’ve grasped the [infinitely] larger picture here…
        What you’ve got is not a union/secessionist problem; you’ve got a CONTRACTUAL (therefore: “legal”) problem!

        That happens to be a sure-fire recipe for broken trust (in a “who benefits?” context). Be advised that when the goodies and handouts dry up, peering at the real import of the fine print begins…

        • WW September 15, 2014 at 7:20 pm #

          Ozone, the act of the Union is a legal document. That is the fundamental problem. It is compounded by other things like our NATO membership, which Scotland cannot join unless it spends 3 percent of its budget on defence, already dismissed by the SNP, EU membership. Currency union alone is a key problem. The bank of England cannot have a separate country setting fiscal policy for it.
          I could write a columntwice the length of JHKs and still barely scratch the legal and territorial problems I can see.

          • ozone September 15, 2014 at 8:46 pm #

            Yep. Very good.

      • Janos Skorenzy September 15, 2014 at 11:07 pm #

        The House of Windsor is German – the Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg as Willhelm the 2nd quipped. You will have to prove your claim. Please provide the relevant chart.

        David Icke says that they are actually shape shifting reptiles. And that the Queen herself can morph into an enormously strong reptile/human hybrid. I don’t say I believe him, but he has been right about the Zionists and Jimmy Saville. And I do think the pedophilia is some kind of human sacrifice, in terms of energy if not actual life, for some of the Elite who practice it.

        • WW September 16, 2014 at 2:35 pm #

          A basic genealogy search would show the lineage Janos. Its one of the most documented in the world. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband was Sax Coburg. Do a litle actual reading and ignore loons like Icke, he is just that a loon. Rmours about saville were quashed by the left dominated BBC for years.Amongst quite a number of its celebrities such peccadillos seem very common. Funnily enough many shared the left and extreme left views found at the Beeb for decades. They seem to regard such things as tearing down the conformist capitalist society.
          Now Prince Phillip on the other hand was recorded as saying ‘flogthe filthy bastards’. Whether he was referring to the kiddie fidflers or the entire BBC was unclear….

  30. BackRowHeckler September 15, 2014 at 5:12 pm #

    Jim Webb wrote a pretty good book about Scots in America a few years back. Frontiersmen, soldiers, explorers, fighters, asskickers … epitomized by Andrew Jackson, duelist extraordinaire …

    Jim didn’t even mention the respiratory virus loose in American schools right now, infecting thousands of kids. Nobody knows where it came from. The 75,000 unscreened illegals, un-innoculated, dropped into our public school system, has nothing to do with it.

    –brh

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • Janos Skorenzy September 15, 2014 at 5:58 pm #

      Rust is a disease of metals. My old black iron frying pan is sick. Is there any way to cure it?

    • No1kiwi September 15, 2014 at 6:30 pm #

      brh,

      still blathering on about this eh heckler…

      Dr. Christine Nyquist, medical director of infection control at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said the hospital sent around 25 samples to the CDC from patients with respiratory illness. Around 75% were confirmed to be EV-D68 Enterovirus.

      Enteroviruses, which bring on symptoms like a very intense cold, aren’t unusual.

      The CDC estimates there are 10 to 15 million viral infections each year in the United States.This particular type of enterovirus — EV-D68 — is uncommon but not new.

      The postulation that “75,000 unscreened illegals, un-innoculated, dropped into our public school system”, have spread this virus is not only untrue, but an uncalled for smear on undocumented immigrants.

      • Janos Skorenzy September 16, 2014 at 12:18 am #

        You don’t know they have nothing to with it. As you admit, this strain was rare up to now. So something has changed. BRH’s hypothesis is a logical possibility. Shame on you for smearing him like this.

  31. announcerguy1 September 15, 2014 at 5:40 pm #

    “Must be Nature’s way of telling you it’s time for a new tattoo.”

    I’m afraid I must appropriate this line, Jim.

  32. Gherry September 15, 2014 at 6:44 pm #

    WW
    Very insightful comments as always!

    I would say though that if honest,my own personal feeling is that symbolic nature of this vote actually has deeper issues perhaps way beyond the general debate-and that is,you could argue that the last several hundred years has been a progression toward a more reductionist perception of money.

    Yes,the European model which also has it’s roots in the wonderfully oppressive commoditising of humanity via Pope Innocent 3rd and his impulse to reduce what he could of wealth to currency thus making it taxable easier.

    I doubt the current situation is a direct move away from but i believe it’s a start!!

    If the markets as threatened did explode and or contract then not to sound foolish but it’s when you find out the film has a director and the apparent wall comes down as part of the set.

    Again if the insurance companies wish to excersise their position in the final equation and sadly most of the current human story is again a commodity for and again the impulse of the Vatican as evidence of their historic push toward 30year life insurance policies!!!or in the USA as evidenced culturally as 1941…1971…and,just to crystallise …2001(9/11)..i know there’s a strong aversion round these parts about conspiratorial but just saying!!

    And also Lloyds of London being expressive as another company using subtle and strong tactics about a potential ‘yes’ vote!the same company that took over the WTC/NY Port authority policy…the day the towers came crumbling.After AIG finished their policy!

    point aim making is it’s not exactly good company we’d be losing at the party-question understandably is,could we move to a part commodity based currency that secretly much of the world i think would be in part envious of???that bit’s a sad no i feel

  33. progress4what September 15, 2014 at 8:29 pm #

    “Who would have guessed a few years ago how nervous Scotland would make the whole Western world?” – jhk –

    Scotland’s the global spot to keep an eye right now, for sure.

    Who here knew that the voting age in Scotland was only 16 years?
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_independence_referendum,_2014

    That’s amazing to me. I could probably talk a bunch of 16-18 year olds into almost anything; especially if I used the word :”freedom” enough times. Amazing.

    ====================

    On another question, why don’t people like Wikipedia?
    Is Wikipedia biased, or is there a propaganda campaign against it?

    =====================

    On another question, why don’t people like god? (God??)

    The word has been mentioned 18 times already in this week’s CFN response thread. A few of those references were positive, but most were hugely negative.

    Maybe a better question is why so many Atheists (atheists?) on the internet feel such a desperate need to attack religion. IOW, American “civil” society will put up with almost anything and call it normal – but it has near zero tolerance for god.

    Also amazing.

    Thanks for the week’s work, JHK!

    • Janos Skorenzy September 15, 2014 at 10:59 pm #

      Agree. The voting age should be 30 and only then, for the qualified: land owning English speaking test passing, with a history of loyalty – which if in the case of military or other kinds of service, could nullify the need to own land. They would still have to be financially solvent however.

      About drinking the water: I worked with a woman who said we have biologically impoverished ourselves by giving up breast feeding. All kinds of valuable anti-bodies that had been passed down through the ages were lost to moderns. Could this have a bearing on the problem? If so, perhaps you could contract with a local pregnant Indian woman for some of her milk. What tribe is indigenous to your area down there?

      • stelmosfire September 16, 2014 at 1:32 pm #

        I’m all in with you on that Vlad, If you don’t own property and pay taxes, NO VOTE for you, If you don’t have any skin in the game the masses will always vote for more government bennies. How’s that working out for the country?

    • WW September 16, 2014 at 2:42 pm #

      Take a wild guess who lowered the Scottish voting age to 16. Alex Salmond I hear you say. Congratulations, spot on and just in time for the independence vote too. How coincidental!

    • Vlad the Inhaler September 16, 2014 at 4:44 pm #

      “I could probably talk a bunch of 16-18 year olds into almost anything;…”

      Well, exactly progress4what, you’ve hit the nail right on the head. It is the first time that people that young have been given the vote in Britain and the law has been passed especially for this occasion!

      You know how stupid and ignorant 16-year olds are in the U.S.A. – well, they’re at least as bad in Britain and, as far as I can tell, throughout the Anglosphere. This whole thing is pretty much a set-up. That’s not to say that there is not separatist sentiment in Scotland – there is. But the government up there is tilting the playing field in numerous ways. After all, the unionists can say ‘No’ to “independence” as often as they like; the separatists only have to say ‘Yes’ once.

  34. barbisbest September 15, 2014 at 8:38 pm #

    By dumb and distracted, dumb meaning voiceless, and distracted mean trying to stay afloat economically, trying to stay in our homes. Many could be said to be dumb and distracted then.

    “somewhere out there there is the “light of virtue” waiting for us. Who bears the light. The elite, the struggling middle class, the general citizenry.

  35. earltwitty September 15, 2014 at 9:51 pm #

    Don’t tell the Buffalo Bills fracking is bad. Their new owner made a fortune in it.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  36. pkrugman September 15, 2014 at 10:37 pm #

    “On another question, why don’t people like Wikipedia?
    Is Wikipedia biased, or is there a propaganda campaign against it?” — P4W

    Prog, you might find this Wikipedia article interesting. It mentions many of the criticisms of Wikipedia.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Wikipedia

  37. PeteAtomic September 15, 2014 at 10:44 pm #

    As always, I appreciate the thoughtful commentary, Mr. Kunstler. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t more of it, and the contrary, the howlers and personality cults of the major networks are our predominant source of information and thinking.

    I’ve been re-reading a book called “The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire” by Edward Luttwark, which is an excellent geopolitical and military history of the Roman Empire, and once again reminds me of so many contemporary parallels with the current US situation.

    It’s fortunate for the US that the ‘barbarian’ inheritors of this empire will not be vicious Germanic groups, but latinised native Americans.

  38. PeteAtomic September 15, 2014 at 10:50 pm #

    “More like being stuck near the junction of I-55 and I-90 in Chicago at rush hour in July in an overheating Dodge Grand Caravan with three screaming ADD kids whose smart phone batteries just died — plus your fiercely over-filled bladder and no empty Snapple bottle to resort to.”

    A personal experience?

    ha, ha 🙂

  39. Karah September 15, 2014 at 11:23 pm #

    How many of you out their got recall letters concerning the ignition switch in your vehicles?

    It says that you should not have your ignition key on a key chain or fob of any kind. They do not have the parts manufactured yet but when they do they will mail a new letter with a time a day to see your car dealer.

    If this mass mailing ain’t the result if intense bad feelings i do not know what is.

  40. Steven W. Maginnis September 16, 2014 at 12:09 am #

    “Who would have guessed a few years ago how nervous Scotland would make the whole Western world?”

    And you refer to a Donovan song – “Season Of the Witch” – and Donovan’s Scottish! Brilliant! And he also sang “Atlantis!” WE are SO sinking!

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • Karah September 16, 2014 at 2:34 am #

      Looking up donovan on the web is interesting…

      “While recording the demo at a studio in Denmark St, Donovan met and befriended Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, who were recording in a nearby studio. Coincidentally, he had also recently met Jones’s ex-girlfriend, Linda Lawrence. (She had already had a son by Jones, but when she met Donovan her relationship with Jones was effectively over.) Donovan and Jones became close friends and their relationship lasted until Jones’ untimely death in 1969.

      The meeting between Linda and Donovan was pivotal. They began an on-again-off-again romantic relationship that carried on sproadically for the next five years, and exerted a huge influence on Donovan’s music. Linda refused to marry Donovan, and moved to America for several years in the late ’60s. Although he had other relationships in between â?? one of which resulted in the birth of his first two children, Donovan Leitch Jr and Ione Skye Leitch â?? he remained strongly drawn to Linda, and she effectively became his muse. His confused feelings about her inspired dozens of songs, including “Catch The Wind”, “Legend Of A Girl Child Linda”, “Season Of The Witch”, and many others.”

      – Kim Huggins, Windsor, Connecticut

      I agree with Kim since he admitted years ago he left off touring at the prime of his career to be with her. The song is very poetic in that he uses vivid images to explain concepts like selling out and frantic activity that leads nowhere along with a sense of disassociation from reality. He is looking at a reflection of himself and his mundane activities, being removed from the natural world, being an observer of his life and losing his identity. At first he faces his reflection and then he becomes withdrawn by turning away from it and looking back at it.
      The witch is a woman whom he is under the influence either directly or indirectly. Donovan is just another artist looking for inspiration.

    • Karah September 16, 2014 at 2:52 am #

      “Donovan toured consistently throughout the late 1960s, often playing to sell-out crowds. But the reality was that, for most of the top British performers of the period, their commercial success was being savagely undercut by the punitive British tax rate levied on high earners. By the turn of the decade Donovan’s advisers were pressing him to go into a self-imposed “tax exile” for a year, during which he was not supposed to set foot in the UK:

      I travelled to Japan and was set to stay out of the the [sic?] UK for a year and earn the largest fees yet for a solo performer, and all tax-free. At the time the UK tax for us was 98%. During that Japanese tour I had a gentle breakdown, which made me decide to break the tax exile. Millions were at stake. My father, my agent they pleaded for me not to step onto the BOAC jet bound for London. I did and went back to my little cottage in the woods. Two days later a young woman came seeking a cottage to rent. It was Linda.[36]” -wikipedia

  41. uncletommy September 16, 2014 at 12:49 am #

    If you want a bad feeling, try reading David Montgomery’s,” Dirt: the erosion of civilization”. if that doesn’t catch your attention, then maybe famine will. That’s if Ebola doesn’t get you first. Bon appetite.

  42. BackRowHeckler September 16, 2014 at 8:42 am #

    I guess there are going to be ‘boots on the ground’ after all … in West Africa, 3000 US military personnel to fight Ebola.

    How’s the war against ISIS going, anyway? Secretary Kerry stated once again global warming is enemy # 1, so indeed that takes priority, that’s clearly understood. I read that ISIS leadership got some good belly laughs out of Obama’s declaration of war, one that said yes a state of war exists but don’t worry, we won’t be sending any soldiers or Marines to fight you. This has to be the first time this has happened in the history of the world. In fact, ISIS was so impressed they beheaded another westerner, and plan yet another shortly.

    In previous wars was it customary for the US media to report on every single sortie or bombing run as some great newsworthy achievement, so as to say, ‘we have a wise leader at the helm, and he means business’?

    Besides, we have our own war going on right here in Connecticut, with casualty reports issued daily. At least 6 people killed with ‘head shots’ in 4 different cities, also home invasions, street beat downs and fatal arson fires. This is what life has become in our cities, formerly prosperous yankee market towns, now brutal, dystopic, squalid 3rd world welfare colonies.

    –brh

    • Janos Skorenzy September 16, 2014 at 1:40 pm #

      Well that’s innovative. A first. And it should guarantee that Ebola comes to America. It’s only fair after all…. And everyone knows that we’re going to get creamed by ISIS too. They almost seem eager for it to happen somehow.

      Some people are saying that Ebola has already mutated and can now be spread by air. Some are saying that the battle is already lost and millions will die in Africa. It could be contained there, but that would be racist.

      • AKlein September 17, 2014 at 9:20 am #

        Good point about the containing of Ebola to Africa being “racist”. Yes, all good communists want misery to be shared. Bonus points for having more advanced peoples share in the misery. I leave it to the reader to imagine what I mean by that. Of course,the “sharing” is for others, not themselves. I’m not a big fan of Churchill, who, as Hitler declared, was largely a besotted, monstrous blowhard, ultimately a ridiculous old fool. Despite that, he did make some noteworthy points; to wit, that communism represented the equal sharing of misery, whereas capitalism represented the unequal sharing of plenty. There’s the philosophical justification undraped.

  43. Deblonay September 16, 2014 at 9:51 am #

    This week in Scotland we have had the anusing experience of seeing the leaders of the three ,major political parties.Tories Libs and Labour all rushing to tell us how they love us and want Scotland to stay in the Union

    Pity their interest was not shown earlier.

    .AND NOTABLE THAT oOF THEIR LEADERS….ALL THREE MEN ARE ENGLISH AND ALL FROM EXPENSIVE PRIVATE SCHOOLS,AND ALL LONDON BASED

    NO WONDER SALMOND HAS GOT MANY A LAUGH FROM THE CROWDS WHEN HE HAS SP0KEN OF “THE WESMINSTER GANG”
    IN MODERN EUYROPE MANY OF THE RICHEST STATES ARE THE SMALLEST..SWITZERLAND/DENMARK.AUSTRIA/ TO MENTION A FEW
    Big states like Italy and Spain and Poland are much troubled

    and that notion that 5 million well educated Scots with well established industries,and will such products as oil/gas and whiskey to sell the world can’/t survive is just self-serving English establishment crap,fueled by mailce and loss of pride by the English ruling class at the Scots wish to leave them
    In fact there have already been talks with the EU and Scotland,already a member will become a fully-fledged m member soon after independence

    so the bankers and economist throw their hands in the air…but who would belive such a rogue class
    Go Scotland to a better future free from London rule
    Stand up now and be a nation once again

    • BackRowHeckler September 16, 2014 at 10:13 am #

      Hasn’t it been 300 years?

      Also, before that, weren’t the Stuart Kings and Queens of England, 125 years of them, starting with James and ending up with Anne in 1714, from Scotland?

      That’s a lot of water over the dam.

      In a way it reminds me of F Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ … those halcyon days with Daisy before the war, unwilling to admit things have changed since then.

      brh

      • Karah September 16, 2014 at 11:32 am #

        http://www.britroyals.com/stewart.htm

        The Scottish Surname Stewart is ‘Francized’ by Matthew Stuart in 1516 because of the Huguenot protestant influence (I suppose) and there was no W in the French alphabet.

        I am a Stewart on my maternal side…if that matters anymore.
        Could genealogy be a cause of bad feelings since it has become a popular pastime especially among celebs. They are finding that their personalities reflect past lives lived by their ancestors.

        I do not feel entitled to anything. I think the world is predominately bastardized or to put more politely, “children of the saddle”.

        • BackRowHeckler September 16, 2014 at 12:08 pm #

          Ya, the Stuarts are an interesting read.

          Specially Charles, who ended up being executed by Cromwell and his fellow Puritans after losing the Civil War.

          These towns around here were first settled by English who got out of there (England) when Charles began cracking down on Puritans on behalf of the Church of England, the State Church, in the 1620s.

          Were most Scots Presbyterians? A beautiful Presbyterian Church here was just converted into a mosque, which hasn’t made a lot of people happy. Everybody is worried about ‘Occupied Territories’ in Israel; the same time the Caliphate is spreading around the world.

          –brh

          • Karah September 16, 2014 at 5:53 pm #

            Someone from the presbyters must have sold their property.
            Why did they sell? Did they need more space and move farther out into the burbs? Maybe the building is more like an expensive relic than a comfortable meeting place.

            Why not muslims? They respect the place as a former worship site. Muslims are outnumbering Christians for decades. America has been a religious haven for centuries.
            Why not take advantage of that? I know for a fact there are military leaders who have gone nazi regarding muslims. As much as certain groups want to ignore the religious influence in political matters, it is obviously still there and will take a very dangerous turn…very, very bad feelings.

    • WW September 16, 2014 at 3:06 pm #

      Fell off jy chair laughing at 5 million well educated scots. You’ve never been to Glasgow or many of the parts of Edinburgh then. There are 190,000 people in Scotland on disability living allowance alone. Over 100,000 of the claims are suspected as being fraudulent
      Asfor the Westminster gang being English, good job I say. The last prime minister and former chancellor was Scottish and prudence brown almost bankrupted the nation. Then again bankruptcy for Scotland was what got the whole act of Union running in the first place. France was also bankrupted by a scotsman helping the revolution on its way.
      Bad news on the euro and the EU. No matter how you put your fingers in your ears it will not change that the EU have said you will have to apply because Scotland is not a member the UK is. Spain have categorically staed they will block the application. Though why you want freeeeeeeedom to surrender it all, including fiscal policy, monetary control, border control, defence policy, fishing policy, educational policy and all your laws created by the unelected beauracrats of Brussels is a mystery to any sane person. At least the rest of the UK has opted out of tons of it, including the moribund Euro.

      • Janos Skorenzy September 16, 2014 at 6:23 pm #

        What has the Monarchy done to stop the Muslim Invasion? Nothing. The royals are staunch multi-culturalists – good Germans in other words. The Queen considers herself the Queen of Great Britain and all her territories. That’s not good. You don’t need a Queen of England either. You need a Queen or King of the English.

  44. sprezzatura September 16, 2014 at 10:54 am #

    Jim sure loves those salad shooters… :o)

  45. UnstoppableFarceImmovableAbject September 16, 2014 at 12:30 pm #

    “How’s the war against ISIS going, anyway? Secretary Kerry stated once again global warming is enemy # 1”- BRH

    Leaving the cornball swipes at a disingenuous politicians aside, I’m imagining that you, by how that remark is ordered, believe climate change isn’t a genuine driving force behind much of the trouble in the ME. Thanks for the mornin’ chuckle. Not too fuckin’ bright, bro.

    Offer another explanation for the Egyptian and Syrian uprisings then. I’m speaking of the myriad of genuine grassroots people’s movements over there, before they were co-opted by multiple geo-political players seizing coup attempt opportunities, before the righteous indignation about this Black Swan called ISIS was manufactured so easily over here. American sheep were patting themselves on the back for supposedly stopping Obama’s bomb raid back then, now you couch clowns are egging it on. Talk about gullible.

    So the failed attempts by the U.S. and its cronies to bomb Syria and potentially Iran next, only months ago, were based on blatantly false pretenses outed by motivated geo-political rivals – to the satisfaction of JHK and guys like you no less – who at the time claimed to be baffled at U.S. involvement in matters 10,000 miles a way in the first place.

    But now since ISIS (insert any other generic terrorist meme) could potentially pose a threat to a shopping mall, something always possible before and after 9/11, you kats are wonderin’ why government priorities are so outta wack and why we’re not putting boots back on the ground over there. Not. Too. Bright.

    Heading into winter, the biggest thing I’ll be payin’ attention to is weather a split polar vortex shoots another significant cold snap into the states… and the ramifications to follow.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  46. progress4what September 16, 2014 at 1:36 pm #

    “Offer another explanation for the Egyptian and Syrian uprisings then”
    – ufia, addressing climate change –

    I don’t disagree that the science behind the CO2/climate change is pretty compelling. And it’s certainly “settled,” in that 95%+ of mainline scientists are signed on.

    Leaving that aside, though, I don’t see how climate change is directly responsible for those Arab Spring events. What makes you say that, anyway? I get the connection to food shortages among lower class arabs, but I think politics is responsible for those shortages, thus far. (corn to ethanol, for example) That’s not to say that climate change won’t be a big problem pretty soon, btw. I could as easily argue the connection of the Aswan Dam to overpopulation, present-day food shortages, and thus the Arab Spring.

    But – Instead of that I’d postulate food shortages of standard political causation, coupled with the rise of social media, coupled with a slight diminution of US/CIA support for former arab dictators after Pres. Obama came into power.

    On another matter, regarding my repartee with the resident*.
    Sorry ’bout that, dude. Everybody needs a hobby, right?
    Good to see you again, ufia.

  47. progress4what September 16, 2014 at 1:45 pm #

    Speaking of chaos –

    Syria was a model of ME stability just 10 years ago.
    Syria absorbed a million Iraq refugees.
    Look at Syria now.

    How long will it be before the Swedes follow?
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-20/swedish-nationalists-rise-as-record-immigration-stirs-backlash.html

  48. MisterDarling September 16, 2014 at 2:22 pm #

    A n d…

    Up in the ‘Great White North’ the Harper administration thought that it might be a good time to learn how to answer the question “WHO’s YOUR DADDY?” in Chinese;

    http://www.newsweek.com/new-treaty-allows-china-sue-canada-change-its-laws-270751

    Here’s the ‘money quote’:

    “The treaty also overrides treaty obligations Canada has with its First Nations regarding resources and commercial management. Paired with the terms allowing Chinese entities to buy anything they wish without foreign investment review, China will have access to and potentially be able to gain control of Canadian resources—including resources on First Nations’ lands, which Canada does not own.

    “The deal is almost impossible to undo. . .”

    Meanwhile, in Britain certain political factions want to do the same thing;

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/14/ttip-deal-british-sovereignty-cameron-ukip-treaty?CMP=twt_gu

    Hmmm, this is going to make it even harder to “isolate” Russia when it’s SCO and BRICS-bloc political partner is hip-deep in North American goodies…

    Just a (strategic) thought.

    Cheers!

    • michigan_native September 16, 2014 at 4:18 pm #

      Isolate Russia. That will go over well with Europeans when and if the truth is ever allowed to be revealed about the Malaysian jet those fuckers in Kiev shot down with cannon fire from their su-25 fighter jets. Even if they alter the evidence, cover it up, or lie and say it was a BUK missile, all Russia has to do is shut off the gas this winter, which is supposed to be worse than the last. Germans are already protesting in masse and that bitch Merkel is starting to look like she doesn’t represent her people. We steal their gold, spy on them, and use them like puppets in the resource wars against Russia.

      Then there is China, who have bought up enough of our debt to lock us out of the international oil trade and thus deprive us of the 2/3 of energy we need to import. Yet, the US threatens them and builds up military bases all around the south China sea. Wait till they realize that we are never going to repay them and see us try and block them from gaining access to energy and resources.To think that the Canadians sent the neo Nazis all of that “non lethal” aid. Useful idiots, just like the British. If China tries to buy their oil sands, the US will “liberate” Canada and have the US military literally take over their resources.

      Now emperor Obama is going to bomb Syria without Congressional approval, violating US law, and without the legally elected Assad’s permission, in violation of international law. The US are the “exceptionals” that has become what Dr Paul Craig Roberts states “a fascist police state” that violates laws at home and abroad with impunity and with no shame. The American people and the rest of the world are getting sicker by the day of it. Even the knuckle heads and useful idiots that bought into the “demonize Russia” campaign are beginning to notice the new posture and militarization of the police. The pigs now use a data base to get clues and what people to pull over (when they are not hiding in speed traps or issuing parking tickets, jay walking tickets, homeless people pushing a shopping cart (a 100 dollar fine in my city), etc etc sometimes with a generous application of violence or bullets (the last one I saw…this guy with Huntington’s diease, where you lose your motor function, was walking his kids to the park. They thought he was under the influence of narcotics and beat the shit out of him, you can hear the poor guy gurgling on his own blood). Then the seizure of houses and property for drug offenses. And people wonder why people like them are against legalization.

      The new role of the pigs=steal money from people in any and every way they can to try and prop up chronic budget shortfalls due to an ever eroding tax base/economy in permanent contraction. It will only get worse from here. When the oil dries up and the few cars that are navigating the potholes on the roads with a military escort, they will have to find new ways to steal money from people. Try to imagine that. The shoe lace patrol? The shoe tread inspection check points? The bicycle tire inspections? When people have to walk or ride a bike, I can just see it. “Your shoe laces are not properly tied” or “the tread has worn too thin” and of course, a 5,000 dollar fine “for your own good” (except it won’t be dollars, whatever the new medium of exchange is)

    • Janos Skorenzy September 17, 2014 at 2:42 pm #

      Sad. Liberalism leads to the death of nations – as does Capitalism left to itself. No wonder Liberalism is the guiding philosophy of the Corporate world. The far left fantasies about what Fascists they are – and refuses to notice that they have the same views on mass immigration as the Leftists themselves.

      It may go this way here too as our Government sells of the resources to their Chinese overlords. As long as the Corporations and Banks don’t have to pay seems to be all that matters. The Land and the People of America are just their ATM. The more a person understands the current situation, the more they will come to appreciate some aspects of Fascism or Traditional Nationalism a la Edmund Burke or Russell Kirk.

      • No1kiwi September 17, 2014 at 3:19 pm #

        Jan,

        “Liberalism leads to the death of nations” LOL

        Tell that to the Swedes my friend.

        “The far left fantasies about what Fascists they are” WTF,

        What is your source supporting your fantasies about those of us who don’t buy the neocon right-wing psychobabble..

  49. Frankiti September 16, 2014 at 5:48 pm #

    Human constitution imposes in the heads and hearts of man a pining for a future that never comes. It simply does not exist. There is no shoe dangling before the drop. People here await Dionysius’s sword hanging like a thread over human civilization. It shall not fall. You can take any point in human history and most assuredly many people of that age could point at something that would portend disaster. The 80’s had its accompanying Soviet threat and the idyllic 50’s had Americans living under the threat of nuclear annihilation. The Romans shuddered at the whisper of the Barca clan marching onto the peninsula. In short there exists no human birthright, save death. Contrary to popular belief, nobody is promised a vague biological chance at reproduction. By birth you are sentenced to death. Pick any historical event, or any simple occurrence and it is true in this moment as it was 10 billion years ago and 10 zillion years into the future. I typed these words at this moment. It was, is, and will always be true. Live now.

    • beantownbill. September 16, 2014 at 7:15 pm #

      Frankiti, this is my philosophy, too. I remember in the 1950’s having nuclear bomb drills at school. We went into the basement and tucked our heads down. As if it would have made a difference. Then in high school, I remember a girl crying hysterically because a man who got a lot of publicity predicted the world would end that day.

      Strange, isn’t it, that we live under the threat of many extinction level events, but it has never happened to us? At least not so far in our lifetimes. I live my life one day at a time, and que sera, sera.

      BTW, it is the sword of Damocles that hangs over us, although I much prefer Dionysius’ sword.

      • Frankiti September 16, 2014 at 8:25 pm #

        It’s Damocles’s predicament but alas it’s Dionysius’s sword… day by day, moment by moment… be your best and do what is right.

  50. nsa September 16, 2014 at 9:15 pm #

    Hey Beanie,
    Still awaiting your apology for your scurillous ad hominem. Did you know my uncle died at Auschwitz? He was drunk and fell out of the guard tower…….

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  51. Civility118 September 16, 2014 at 9:20 pm #

    Almost makes me feel nostalgic for those innocent days before the exact day of 9/11/2001, when at work I watched the 2nd plane crash into the WTC on a lobby tv, thinking the first one was an accident but bewildered by the second.

    A stranger from out of nowhere suggested it must be terrorism.

    “Terrorism?”, I replied.

    The word was so foreign in my mouth.

    This, followed by wars in places that required me to find on bigger maps that had nothing to do with how to drive to the latest Wal-Mart or Cosco, so I might know where my family might be safe if an all out war came to my Land of Great Kitchen Appliances, salad shooters optional.

    Wonderful essay, thanks.

  52. johnmaysonus September 16, 2014 at 10:10 pm #

    I’m glad to see someone else agrees with me about the 1990s being a trashy decade. As I’ve often said before, most of what Jim says are things I’ve longed believed, but was never able to articulate them.

    Maybe it was where I was living (a trailer trash town in east central Florida) but it seemed to be the 1990s was the decade when redneck went mainstream.

    Everything from the strip malls that popped up like mushrooms after a storm to the crap in Walmart and on television and radio was bland, uninspiring, and coveted by millions for reasons I still don’t understand.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 16, 2014 at 10:38 pm #

      Yes, Capitalist Man is a beast. The red necks are victims of a system that has outsourced their jobs and mocked their source of spiritual sustenance – leaving them with nothing but their unreconstructed selves. And the same thing continues at other levels. Did you see this: Urban Outfitters made a Kent State sweat shirt that looks like it’s blood stained. Tastelessness is no obstacle if there is money to be made – and in fact it is exactly what sells because of it. The lust for money is like consuming porn: the consumer gets smaller and smaller the more they focus on the moment of pleasure, which vanishes as it comes into being.

      http://news.msn.com/us/urban-outfitters-pretends-bloodied-kent-state-sweatshirt-was-just-vintage-1?ocid=ansnews11

      We need a Vampire Hunter like Abraham Lincoln to hunt these purveyors down…..

  53. UnstoppableFarceImmovableAbject September 17, 2014 at 1:41 am #

    “I don’t see how climate change is directly responsible for those Arab Spring events.” – Pro

    Hey there, P2C.

    What I wrote is that climate change is a genuine driving force for the troubles in the ME. What you reworded and questioned is that you “don’t see how climate change is directly responsible for those Arab Spring events.”

    Very simply, food is becoming scarily expensive over there (here too).

    Massive droughts directly caused by climate change are forcing rural farmers into the cities, taxing the already corrupt regimes of the region’s ability to keep their polities intact. Now their peoples have direct cause for protest and revolt – they’re just beginning to starve.

    Enter meddlesome foreigners seeking to set their own “National Interests” in play. Enter the foreign assassins posing as members of the public, killing that same public, all amid a given dictator’s social crackdown attempt; hence, coup d’etat blunders/successes and whatever the fuck else ensues.

    And climate change is not happening soon but now. U.S. parallels to the ME include Cali and Texas. Although, our immense wealth enables us to languish in political folly and continually subvert genuine protest. American’s don’t truly have it in them to protest or revolt, not until it’s too late I’ll bet.

    So where you would attribute disasters in the ME to simple political sideshow gone awry, I believe uncloaked but ignored natural events to be the more powerful, subtler driving force. I believe those people have nothing to loose now, and so what we’re witnessing with ISIS makes perfectly strange sense. Influxes of refugees and or ISIS-type marauders spilling onto other strained land masses make the effects of climate change entirely self-evident.

    I could give a shit about all the other competing narratives. I happily leave the freak show captions to those with far more time on their hands.

  54. pkrugman September 17, 2014 at 3:50 am #

    “Although, our immense wealth enables us to languish in political folly and continually subvert genuine protest. American’s don’t truly have it in them to protest or revolt, not until it’s too late I’ll bet.” –UFIA

    Is Sept. 21, 2014 too late? That is three days from now.

    The People’s Climate March that will happen that day in NYC will show you that Americans do have it in them to protest… before it’s too late.

    http://peoplesclimate.org/march/

    • BackRowHeckler September 17, 2014 at 8:03 am #

      How will all these upper middle class ‘environmental activists’ be traveling to this vaunted rally? SUV, chauffered limo, trains powered up by diesel?

      A few years back Al Gore showed up at CCSU for a global warming speech, flew into Bradley on a 747, made the trip to New Britain in a caravan of huge vehicles with tinted windows. I personally witnessed his goons shove people out of the way to make space for The Great One, thinking at the time, ‘Who the f-ck coming, Caesar Augustus’

      ==brh

      • No1kiwi September 17, 2014 at 3:23 pm #

        Brh,

        Maybe they will be taking public transport, driving their Toyota Prius, or their electric car…or walking.

  55. progress4what September 17, 2014 at 5:26 am #

    “So where you would attribute disasters in the ME to simple political sideshow gone awry, I believe uncloaked but ignored natural events to be the more powerful, subtler driving force.” – ufia –

    Nice counterpoint, ufia. You’re thinking more long-term and subtle than I, in this regard. And you’re probably right to do so.

    Which means that Kerry, the haircut in search of a brain as JHK refers to him – is correct that climate change is a greater danger than ISIS, ISIL, ISLAM, ebola, and everything else put together. Or, to wrap your point back on itself – climate change is the CAUSE of all these things, and many worse things to come.

    Of course, that doesn’t mean anything will really be done about climate change until it’s too late. It already is too late, most likely.
    The Obama administration is making some noise about restrictions on coal burning INSIDE the US, for example. Which means that US electric companies will make a noisy, expensive switch to natural gas. And that really only means that US coal will be dug in the US and exported by (oil-burning!) ship – only to be burned somewhere else.

    Meanwhile, immigration continues to GROW the US population, grow the US carbon footprint, and increase CO2 production.
    This leads to more global climate change, more global refugees, more pressure on the US to admit more legal and illegal immigrants, while it reduces resiliency inside the US, and reduces food exports from the US.

    Rinse and repeat until collapse.

    The floor is now open for someone* to move these deck chairs into an arrangement he finds more pleasing, here on CFN Titanic.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • BackRowHeckler September 17, 2014 at 7:54 am #

      P2C

      Great Britain signed onto the climate change agenda in a big way, cheered on by BBC. No conventional power plants have been approved in decades, windmills built all over the place.

      The result: a headline in FT of London several weeks ago about brownouts and blackouts in the south of England, not enough electricity being generated to keep things going, some of the highest electricity rates in the world.

      As JHK points out quite eloquently in TLE almost 10 years ago, there is no replacement for petroleum, natural gas and coal. That’s what they are finding out in England right now.

      –brh

  56. FincaInTheMountains September 17, 2014 at 8:35 am #

    No nuclear waste: Fuel of future produced at Russia’s high-tech underground plant

    http://rt.com/news/188332-mox-nuclear-fuel-production/

    Russia’s ‘Breakthrough’ energy project enables closed a nuclear fuel cycle and a future without radioactive waste. The first batch of MOX nuclear fuel has been manufactured for the world’s only NPP industrially power generating breeder reactors.

    The first ten kilograms of the mixed-oxide fuel (MOX) – a mixture of plutonium and uranium dioxides (UO2 and PuO2), have been industrially produced by Russia’s nuclear monopoly, Rosatom, at the Mining & Chemical Combine (GKhK) in the Krasnoyarsk region.

    A world first, tablets of the fuel of the future have been put on serial production and are destined for Russia’s next generation BN-800 breeder reactor (880 megawatts), currently undergoing tests at the Beloyarskaya nuclear power plant.

    The production line, now undergoing start-up and adjustment, was assembled in a mine 200 meters underground and will become fully operational by the end of 2014.

  57. progress4what September 17, 2014 at 9:02 am #

    Yeah backrow. Something else they are finding out in Great Britain is that immigration and “multiculturalism” is deadly to the native born lower classes. Of course, native born US blacks could have told them that and saved them a lot of trouble.

    The “loverboys” of Rotherham use the charge of “racism” to deflect police away from them, as a deliberately planned strategy.

    “http://www.unz.com/pfrost/rotherham-the-search-for-answers/

    Yes, the whole issue is a messy ball of wax. The worst part is the reluctance not just to discuss it but even to think it through, the result being that the proposed solutions have only a vague connection to the actual problem, which is neither “racism” nor “Islamism.”

    What then is the problem? It’s the mass migration of certain communities from an environment where behavior is subject to certain checks and balances to one where these are virtually absent.

    Why do you think Pakistani parents want their daughters to wear headscarves or at least dress modestly? Are they being slaves to hidebound custom? Or is it because they come from a society where many single men are, in fact, sexual predators?

    And that’s just one aspect of a much larger problem. Humans have adapted to local circumstances in many different ways, and these adaptations involve mental traits with moderate to high heritability. Things like time orientation, monotony avoidance, anger threshold, strength and nature of the sexual bond, and so forth. Such differences keep us from becoming interchangeable units in a global community. Each human and each community is a product of adaptations to specific circumstances, and what works in one set of circumstances may not work so well in another.

    • progress4what September 17, 2014 at 9:23 am #

      post should have been in quotes
      sorry’bout that

    • BackRowHeckler September 17, 2014 at 10:08 am #

      P2C pick up a copy of ‘A Troublesome Inheritance, Genes, Race and Human History’, by New York Times writer Nicholas Wade, Penguin, 2014. It was reviewed in the WSJ and NYT review of books this summer.

      It explains a lot about what you are talking about in your above post.

      –brh

    • No1kiwi September 17, 2014 at 3:29 pm #

      p4w,

      “It’s the mass migration of certain communities from an environment where behavior is subject to certain checks and balances to one where these are virtually absent”.

      Oh, you mean those thousands of poor sods who are trying take a boat from Somalia and Libya, to Italy.

      Come on p4w, your postulation of the problem does not hold water!

  58. FincaInTheMountains September 17, 2014 at 9:08 am #

    While humanity is still working on efficient ways of storing electric energy for transportation, a Fischer–Tropsch process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer%E2%80%93Tropsch_process could use excessive heat of BN-800 breeder reactors to transform any source of carbon – coal or even atmospheric CO2 – into high-quality synthetic fuel (gasoline or diesel fuel) for intermediate step to fully-electrical cars.

    The world does not face energy problem, we face lack of political will problem.

  59. stelmosfire September 17, 2014 at 10:48 am #

    My Momma always said “Stupid is as stupid does!” Quote from Forrest. I try my best to not be stupid ! It don’t always work! Sometimes I cut my fingers off!

  60. UnstoppableFarceImmovableAbject September 17, 2014 at 10:51 am #

    “Of course, that doesn’t mean anything will really be done about climate change until it’s too late. It already is too late, most likely.” -Pro

    Yes sir, I wholeheartedly agree, and nice summations of the points in our exchange. I wish I could do that. ;>)

    BRH has it half right when he criticizes the bourgeois liberal class and their vaunted Frankenstein-esque political icons for merely pretending to give a fuck about disastrous ecological changes… or anything else. They don’t mean what they say, none of them, no matter the class or political bent, not even heckler.

    I see proof of this everyday where I work. What the people spend their daily dollars on tells us all we need to know about where this society’s real interests and concerns reside. Consumption.

    One of these days I’ll share with ya some stories about how people spend thousands on their Smartphone each year and fail to use even a fraction of its utility, wondering month after month why they’re so financially strapped. This is why I don’t nitpick about what politicians pretend to stand for… just watch the voter/consumer and everything becomes clear.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • M. Bessette September 17, 2014 at 1:49 pm #

      In re to the last reply you left the other day: To be clear, you find fault with an argument that uses “liberal” as a qualifier only when it implicates criticism you commend? I’m not casting doubt on your anti-liberal/anti-bourgeois sentiments; it’s just that the posture of ironic detachment and bemused contempt has historically been cultivated by progressive liberals like JHK and HL Mencken before him. That’s why I also find your haughty, presumptive dismissal of my position as that of another folksy, naive dupe of the ruling cliques quite telling. What’s more interesting is how you side-stepped the argument so as to reinforce your claim that the “fighting spirit” has vanished. That no viable social movement has materialized is hardly the same thing as arguing that “no one truly cares about the injustices of the Elite any longer”.

    • progress4what September 17, 2014 at 11:03 pm #

      Thanks for the comps, ufia.

      And I’ll look forward to that post about smartphones!

  61. contrahend September 17, 2014 at 10:58 am #

    While humanity is still working on efficient ways of storing electric energy for transportation, a Fischer–Tropsch process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer%E2%80%93Tropsch_process could use excessive heat of BN-800 breeder reactors to transform any source of carbon – coal or even atmospheric CO2 – into high-quality synthetic fuel (gasoline or diesel fuel) for intermediate step to fully-electrical cars.

    …about the best idea I’ve seen in eons – take troublesome CO2 from the atmosphere and turn it into gasoline.

    our warming problem being somewhat solved by technology?

    gotta love the technoWest

    welles in brazil

  62. beantownbill. September 17, 2014 at 11:23 am #

    Technology has shrunk the world, meaning that differing cultures are mixing together. This can only result in a period of great friction and unrest as a new social equilibrium struggles to establish itself.

    We have made such a consistent, long-term series of bad decisions in every arena that it is no wonder so many believe in a NWO conspiracy. I’m not one of them. I think the consistently terrible choices we’ve made are a result of unmitigated greed, addiction to power and moral degradation into over-the-top hedonism and corruption. We don’t need to postulate a NWO to explain our current situation.

    One example out dozens of poor decisions is our awful energy policy, such as it is. We don’t make a major effort at conservation and overlook practical solutions to the issue. This is because energy providers want to continue to reap huge profits and have the public consume their product – fossil fuels. Through bribery of government officials and expenditure of large sums of money on Bernys-type propaganda, they have largely succeeded. It doesn’t take a NWO conspiracy to accomplish this. Look at the simplest answer: Occam’s Razor.

    • FincaInTheMountains September 17, 2014 at 12:38 pm #

      “We don’t make a major effort at conservation and overlook practical solutions to the issue.”

      What exactly are you talking about? Getting water in your house twice a week so you have to implement expensive water-storage and pumping facility doubling or tripling your water bill?

      Or getting a scheduled electrical blackouts (or even worse – unscheduled) so you have to implement expensive electrical backup systems such as power inverters or generators doubling or tripling your power bill and introducing major inconveniences to your daily life?

      Conservation, my ass. Better infrastructure is the answer. Nuclear energy produced by forth-generation breeder reactors. Large water management facilities. Or back to stone age.

      • beantownbill. September 17, 2014 at 1:32 pm #

        Hey, I’m on your side. What I mean is that we need to consume less energy until alternate sources are on-line. Given the length of time it takes to reach that point, shale extraction is not profitable, and sources of supply are shaky at best because of geopolitical considerations, I believe it would be wise to pay attention to our energy budget.

        • BackRowHeckler September 17, 2014 at 2:10 pm #

          Bill, if you are still looking in …

          please indulge the change of subject.

          I know you are following casino developments up your way.

          I read the Globe on Sunday and they cover the issue pretty good.

          In light of the 4 big casinos closing in Atlantic City, including the one that cost $3 billion just 2 years ago, do you think casinos in Mass. is still a good idea? That one near Boston will be built soon. It seems like the day of the gambling casino as a panacea and a big moneymaker is on the wane. Do you think its a little late in the game for Mass. to be taking this route?

          –brh

  63. pkrugman September 17, 2014 at 11:59 am #

    “How will all these upper middle class ‘environmental activists’ be traveling to this vaunted rally?” — BRH

    They are not all upper middle class, but you ask a good question.

    Here is a 34 second video showing multiple ways to get to the march, none of which use fossil fuels.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTF9IkkB21M

  64. contrahend September 17, 2014 at 12:08 pm #

    We don’t make a major effort at conservation and overlook practical solutions to the issue.

    not so a’tall. germany recycles about 80% of its garbage, and is digging up old dumps to reclaim usable materials.

    plus it’s getting a ton of energy from solar and other renewables.

    kontrahend

    • FincaInTheMountains September 17, 2014 at 12:43 pm #

      “plus it’s getting a ton of energy from solar and other renewables”

      plus it’s getting million tons of energy from Russian gas over North Stream.

      solar is good for show only and special cases. can’t seriously run any industry on solar.

    • michigan_native September 17, 2014 at 1:47 pm #

      I believe Germany is the country that produces the most energy of any other country in terms on renewable energy. However, keep in mind they had a good head start at it. They also have free, quality healthcare. See what a difference it makes when your country doesn’t squander the national purse on the military, on killing, on maintaining the hegemony of the empire?

      • No1kiwi September 17, 2014 at 3:43 pm #

        native,

        “free quality Healthcare”… WHAT A CONCEPT!!!!

        Like they have in Canada, and in all other OECD nations.

        Be fair though…it’s not free…you do pay for it with your taxes…its goddam socialism I tell you!!!

        However, studies show that the Canadians pay half what we merican’s do for their healthcare, and have better statistical outcomes.

        Also, Medicare, which is paid for by our taxes, has 3% overhead

        The vampire bloodsucking Health Insurance overhead is 20%!

        Single payer, Medicare for all is the way to go. Dump the immoral, vulture Health Insurance Companies.

      • MisterDarling September 18, 2014 at 12:00 am #

        “See what a difference it makes when your country doesn’t squander the national purse on the military, on killing, on maintaining the hegemony of the empire?”-MI Native.

        Yes, this is a fair assessment. The principle of not wasting a national budget on counterproductive, corruption-prone B-S even works when you scale it down.

        For example, Costa Rica and Mauritius actually have HDI’s “high” in the neighborhood of decent (better than parts of the USA).

        They have small budgets, are surrounded by mismanaged hell-hole nations and yet they are live-able nations.

        It all comes down to priorities.

        Go figure…

        /s

  65. pkrugman September 17, 2014 at 12:29 pm #

    “Meanwhile, immigration continues to GROW the US population, grow the US carbon footprint, and increase CO2 production.” — P4W

    There is robust data showing that immigrants produce less carbon emissions than their native-born citizen counterparts. The 10 highest carbon-emitting cities have an average immigrant population below 5 percent, while the cities with the lowest carbon footprint have an average immigrant population of 26 percent. Clearly, immigrants are not to blame for the U.S.’s large climate footprint.

    http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/04/19/466998/immigrants-global-warming-false/

    The US military is responsible for the most egregious and widespread pollution of the planet.

    While, official accounts put US military usage at 320,000 barrels of oil a day, that does not include fuel consumed by contractors, in leased or private facilities, or in the production of weapons. The US military is a major contributor of carbon dioxide.

    P4W, your family is part of the problem since you have said many of your family are in the military. Until you publicly, on CFN, condemn the United States military’s much larger carbon footprint, you cannot be taken seriously when you condemn poor brown immigrants’ carbon footprint, which is less than native born Americans like your family.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • BackRowHeckler September 17, 2014 at 2:19 pm #

      Come on now PK, you’re just busting balls!

      I know you like to be provocative, but my God man, there has to be a limit!

      brh

  66. BackRowHeckler September 17, 2014 at 2:18 pm #

    Full disclosure here, when I comment on global warming and climate change, you are reading something from someone who barely passed earth science in 9th grade, and in college and graduate school only took bare minimum science electives, just enough to graduate.

    –brh

  67. contrahend September 17, 2014 at 2:19 pm #

    solar is good for show only and special cases. can’t seriously run any industry on solar.

    for practical purposes, solar didn’t exist even 15-20 years ago, now Germany gets up to 70% of its electricity from it *on some days* when the sun actually shines there.

    can’t argue with success – it’s incremental, to be sure, but where they’ve gotten to from zero speaks volumes of the real potential.

    Spain’s biggest source of electricity production came from wind in 2012.

    it’s that old saying ….first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you…

    seems to be the stage we’re at now, stage 3.

    stage 4 is…then you win

    Now I’m hearing talk of pulling CO2 from the air and making gasoline from it? kunstler is dead wrong about technology being a dream.

    kontrahend

  68. Cold N. Holefield September 17, 2014 at 2:49 pm #

    Maybe IS/ISIS can do a beheading video addressing global warming — I for one would like to know their policy stance on climate change, wouldn’t you?

  69. Cold N. Holefield September 17, 2014 at 2:54 pm #

    See what a difference it makes when your country doesn’t squander the national purse on the military, on killing, on maintaining the hegemony of the empire?

    This is an excellent point. Without a military, Germany will be a Russian oblast in a decade or two, so the Krauts better get all the free healthcare they can before the Little Green Men arrive.

    • MisterDarling September 17, 2014 at 11:24 pm #

      Germany has one of the most technologically advanced and professional military forces in the world.

      Additionally:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

      They are fully nuclear capable (material and ‘kit-prepped’ for any eventuality). They can pop out and launch nuclear weapons ‘on demand’.

      Furthermore, the logistics of attacking the German nation conventionally are prohibitive – for Russia (or the USA, for that matter).

      A tough nut to crack … A jawbreaker actually, under almost any conditions.

  70. progress4what September 17, 2014 at 10:53 pm #

    “Oh, you mean those thousands of poor sods who are trying take a boat from Somalia and Libya, to Italy.
    Come on p4w, your postulation of the problem does not hold water!”
    – no 1 kiwi –

    My postulation of the problem does not hold water? Huh?

    You wanna’ take another go at that? Apparently I don’t speak Kiwi all that well, because I’m not clear on what you’re trying to say.

    And I’m certainly not saying that I agree with that whole article that you responded to. I thought it was provocative, and soundly reasoned. Some of the comments are quite enlightening. That’s really as far as I meant to go with it.

    This isn’t our father’s immigration, kiwi. What’s happening now is too large and too fast to be compared to anything in the history of humanity. It’s unsustainable.. How many Somalis is too many – how many Italians is too few? Do the Italians not have a right to say something forceful about slowing all this migration down for a while?

    And I can’t help but think you just might have something you might be able to add to this. Spit it out, man!

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  71. Buck Stud September 17, 2014 at 11:07 pm #

    Where have all the alpha males and females gone? Fascinating article from the one and only, Miles Williams Mathis:

    http://mileswmathis.com/redpill.pdf

    Apologies in advance to all the Redpill clan.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 18, 2014 at 9:33 pm #

      Quite a good piece in the main. He’s right: these guys never apply the title alpha to women – but beauty without spirit is always going to be lacking. And it’s thrown around far too casually as it applies to men. He denies people in government can be alpha. I’d say they are alphas who have followed a different road than he did – dark alphas if you will. He seems to be throwing a moral element in that feels a bit foreign to the basic concept – even if I like his moral vision.

      Towards the end of the article he goes further astray. Quality matters in when it comes to personal happiness. But you need quantity if you want to survive. A high quality slice of bread is great, but a loaf of low quality bread will give you more. Just so with society: you need quantity of people and you need geniuses to guide them. One doesn’t replace the other. You can’t have quality without quantity – unless you want to practice genetic engineering in a more advanced future. And even then, the genius will still depend on more ordinary people unless robots and computers can take of his needs. Da Vinci drew helicopters but couldn’t go out and build one. Society needed to catch up and that took centuries.

      The end is the lowest point. This Alpha doesn’t have a good grasp of statistics. Ten percent of women are tens – by definition? He’s confusing an aesthetic fact with mere numbers. Ten percent of women are not the most beautiful specimens of female physicality. Compare it with IQ. Say for convenience that 150 is the highest IQ. Do ten percent of people have an IQ of 150 or above? Obviously not. The dome of the Bell Curve is at 100 for Whites. The number at 150 is pretty small – smaller than the number of people who have IQ in the 70’s on the left hand of the curve. Likewise, the number of pug uglies is higher than the tens. Really, really beautiful women are rare. One who lives in Hollywood or Manhattan might get confused since the Beauties flock to such places from everywhere seeking to make a living from their looks.

      • Buck Stud September 19, 2014 at 3:48 pm #

        “One who lives in Hollywood or Manhattan might get confused since the Beauties flock to such places from everywhere seeking to make a living from their looks.”

        Did I miss something or was that exactly his point–that seeking to make a living from looks is the equivalent of posing as a simpering department store mannequin? IOW, hardly the top flight stuff which he was alluding to.

        I’m sure you didn’t miss the point though as you have made similar observations in past. For example, your lament of women tracing the outer contours of yoga traditions. They learn postures only to shape figures with zero consideration of the inner gear.

  72. progress4what September 17, 2014 at 11:14 pm #

    “P4W, your family is part of the problem since you have said many of your family are in the military. Until you publicly, on CFN, condemn the United States military’s much larger carbon footprint, you cannot be taken seriously when you condemn poor brown immigrants’ carbon footprint, which is less than native born Americans like your family.” – pk rug man –

    Wow, PK – you may have reached* a new CFN record for ad hominems, strawmen, false equivalencies, and moral platitudes – with this post. Congratulations!

    And thanks for the link to ThinkProgress. I read them occasionally, myself. Their comment boards are pretty unbalanced. Take a look at the one for the article you linked. At least 1/3 of the commenters are using words like “racist and bigot” to describe the sponsors of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) television ad. And there is only ONE (count it, one!) comment out of the entire thread that presents an, even slightly, countervailing view. Amazing, right? Is this evidence of TP censorship, or evidence of a small biased TP readership?

    Anyway, paul, I’m not going to waste our time trying to debate a ThinkProgress article giving TP opinions about a TV ad from CIS, based on research produced by a third party. I’d rather look at the research upon which the ad was based.

    Here are excerpted bullet points from an overview of the study:

    ***The above figures do not include the impact of children born to immigrants in the United States. If they were included, the impact would be much higher.

    ***Assuming no change in U.S. immigration policy, 30 million new legal and illegal immigrants are expected to settle in the United States in the next 20 years.

    ***In recent years, increases in U.S. CO2 emissions have been driven entirely by population increases as per capita emissions have stabilized.”

    And here’s the link http://www.cis.org/GreenhouseGasEmissions

  73. progress4what September 17, 2014 at 11:27 pm #

    One more thing before I clock out for the night.

    I’m always looking for a better news feed, news aggregator, or whatever you’re supposed to call the damn things.

    Right now I’m liking NewsWhip, because they are, supposedly, totally unbiased – in that they link to news articles that are trending rapidly upward on news sites and social media. These articles tend to run about 50% entertainment and sports, with the remainder split between politics and what I’d call “real” news. So, it gives one a good look at what issues the general public is really following at any given time.

    http://www.newswhip.com/World

    Anybody got something better?

  74. MisterDarling September 17, 2014 at 11:45 pm #

    “Oh, you mean those thousands of poor sods who are trying take a boat from Somalia and Libya, to Italy.
    Come on p4w, your postulation of the problem does not hold water!”-kiwi.

    Hmmm… Here we are – you and I – at this immigration policy ‘thing’ again. As one commenter has already mentioned, immigration isn’t what it was in the Post-WW2 decade.

    Yes, they are “poor sods” but the time for taking on more trainees is in the past – for the foreseeable future.

    Consider:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2719023/Exodus-Africa-Migrants-arriving-Europe-boat-year-100-000-mid-August-2-500-dock-Italy-24-hours.html#ixzz39mnJK2rl

    OUT of Africa, Indeed! ;]

    PS., do not think for an instant that I am ‘okay’ with what happened this week off the Maltese coast. The perp’s need punishment, but the idea of propping the door open to Europe is not going to work.

  75. MisterDarling September 18, 2014 at 12:17 am #

    By the way, there are *o t h e r* issues in play out there, that have the power to knock all sorts of plans sideways.

    Logarithmic… literally:

    http://i.imgur.com/kglPln1.png

    You have all been warned:

    http://www.wired.com/2014/09/r0-ebola/

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  76. UnstoppableFarceImmovableAbject September 18, 2014 at 2:01 am #

    “To be clear, you find fault with an argument that uses “liberal” as a qualifier only when it implicates criticism you commend?” – M-B

    You need to be more clear than that.

    “…I also find your haughty, presumptive dismissal of my position as that of another folksy, naive dupe of the ruling cliques quite telling.” – M-B

    Telling of what exactly?

    The above is your own characterization, not mine. Though at this point in my understanding, I will cop to feeling haughty, presumptive, and dismissive of people who think ’60s era parades will antagonize Change.

    Also, I have no idea of whether you’re the folksy sort, and I doubt that you are naive. If I have to call it, I’d say you’re thoroughly well read (surely more so than me) on matters discussed here and, what’s worse, totally unwilling to get yourself truly dirty/bloody in a real challenge against the Elite. I sincerely believe it’s now or never – and will bet on the latter happening.

    To be clear, I have no reverence either way for individuals with conservative or liberal dispositions. I base my assessment on what I encounter when dealing with the general public – on actions. I engage daily with affluent and working poor alike, and I have zero faith in all, and I’ll self-sacrifice for none.

    I’ll also admit to once holding both liberal and conservative viewpoints on a range of issues, many of which have been refuted or even discarded for visiting here and elsewhere. I was never much interested in social philosophy to begin with, but given the true nature of the system in which we live, I find it wholly untenable to keep piling redundant protoplasm onto the Global Social Cruise Ship.

    I say, let this bitch sink, long as I get to keep my seat in front of the band, right alongside all ya’ll.

    “What’s more interesting is how you side-stepped the argument so as to reinforce your claim that the “fighting spirit” has vanished.” – M-B

    Side-stepped what argument? Alright then, show me an example of the fighting spirit among the proclaimed political activists of today, specifically among the effete, unitiated academic-types.

    For example, search YouTube for an interview between Chris Hedges and Derrick Jensen a short time ago… listen to the two of them preaching to my generation about the need for revolt; listen to Hedges squirm as he contradicts his body of written work, as he begins to agree with Jensen that the time for extreme and potentially violent resistance/revolution is now. Then listen to the two excuse themselves from the front lines, opting instead to be Sideline Sages, destined for the fabled leader archives. Pathetic.

    It’s really quite easy to write eloquently and passionately about the fight, when blood lost won’t be your own, isn’t it.

    • M. Bessette September 18, 2014 at 1:11 pm #

      Insisting on fitting everything into narrow, conceptual boxes is convenient, yet self-serving. That I’m a 60s-era
      parade patsy is news to me since much of the hyped protests smack of the same clownish, yippie vibe that was all the rage back then. And contrary to the benighted H Zinn, protests and demonstrations betray the utter lack of political democracy, not the evidence of it. Beyond that, when you stress stoking the flames of real emotion, its reminiscent of the pathos of the Weathermen who thought the working-class youth would join them in droves after a few molotov cocktails exploded.

      But why all this concern about showing one’s bloody badge of authenticity in order to attain “Change” from someone who’s so proud to wave the flag of resigned misanthropy? Is it that knowing that only a select few can pass muster vindicates your own comfortable complacency while serving to denigrate the everyday sacrifices countless others make?

  77. pkrugman September 18, 2014 at 2:42 am #

    “Yes, they are “poor sods” but the time for taking on more trainees is in the past – for the foreseeable future.” — Mister Darling

    Translation: My immigrant forebears arrived here long ago. We have done well, and we are now slamming the door shut for the rest of you.

    • progress4what September 18, 2014 at 6:23 am #

      You do realize that a statement such as “we are now slamming the door shut for the rest of you,” is a moral platitude – designed to stifle honest and necessary debate concerning a nation’s immigration policy.

      Or don’t you realize this?

  78. Therian September 18, 2014 at 5:07 am #

    I live in the only place in America more delusional than Las Vegas i.e., the San Francisco Bay Area. They’re building high-rises full of $3000/month apartments even though tech wages are falling unless you’re a developer or a high-level manager. This place is going to be chock-a-block with ghost towns when the high tech boom is dead … and it is already on borrowed time. EMC, Ford Aerospace, and Oracle are laying off. Most technology is utter bullshit anyhow. It’s about using propaganda to convince people to be hipsters and buy gizmotrons they have no use for.

    Also, we have no fucking water. The downtown of Stanford Univ. has no bookstores, music stores, CD stores, or anything other than cell phone stores, VC firms, banks, and ridiculously overpriced restaurants … none of which make any money because the rentier mentality here is starving out everyone.

    I’m moving to Oregon. It has water. Even Portland’s ordinary suburbs have music and book stores. What would possess someone to think the SF area is “desirable” given all this and the idea that a $1.5M home is a “fixer-upper”? The glamor places in the US are what are full of plastic status-mongers.

    Jim has a perpetual bee in his bonnet about Walmart but the rather ordinary towns which contain those stores (and Home Depots, etc.) seem to be full of people who are much easier to stomach than the Manhattans, the Palo Altos, the San Franciscos, the Orange Counties, the Seattles (and all their tony suburbs), and the ghastliness of class stratification in Dallas and Houston.

    When I move, I’ll be sure to avoid Portland’s “Nob Hill” and all of its bullshit sops to the landed gentry.

    • Social Distress Guy September 18, 2014 at 10:27 am #

      Palo Alto, Stanford’s downtown, really seems stripped of any intellectual life, as does most of Silicon Valley, partly a victim of high rents, I expect.

      If the real estate “boom” was our greatest misuse of capital, then the startups are a terrible misuse of intellectual capital.

      • MisterDarling September 18, 2014 at 3:04 pm #

        re | “If the real estate “boom” was our greatest misuse of capital, then the startups are a terrible misuse of intellectual capital.”-SDG.

        This is the strongest argument against the idea that QE can be paid for ‘infinity’: the _opportunity cost_ of funding comprehensive waste of every resource, and of the human capital needed to regenerate, fix or at least mitigate the mess when its over.

        Civilizations do not survive by eating themselves, and that’s exactly what’s happening.

      • Therian September 18, 2014 at 6:04 pm #

        The startups are a tragic misuse of intellectual capital. For example, places like Amazon use statisticians (these days known as “data analysts”) to figure out your buying patterns so that they can send you endless “nag” emails to try to lure you into more and more buying. These statisticians are working on some fancy models, believe you me!!

        Data analytics, more and more, is being used by mid-sized and large firms to do exactly the same i.e., coerce more buying. It won’t work and these mathematicians are often smart enough to do far more useful work in other sectors (like for the CDC, as actuaries, for NOAA as climate modelers, etc.). Instead their huge brains are used by and for Madison Avenue.

        By the way, your take on Palo Alto as being stripped of any intellectual life is right on the money. The rentier class is even pushing well-to-do people up against a wall of absurd mortgages/rents so the perception of a lot of ANGER is palpable. On my brief, recent vacation to a friend in Beaverton, OR I was struck by how much healthier that community was and how the people seemed to enjoy day-to-day existence.

        The “glam” spots in America are notable by their lack of simple happiness of existence. People are too busy being financial gerbils on a treadmill to pay the $6000 mortgage on a $1.3M fixer-upper that would be $200K in the rest of America.

    • AKlein September 18, 2014 at 2:41 pm #

      Therian, your characterization of SF really does seem spot on to me. I chuckled at your term “gizmotron” and your exposing of the bullshit surrounding “technology”. When I visit Orange County the one word which comes to my mind is vapid. The only people there worth talking to – for the most part – are the Mexicans. Taking a cab to Orange County airport the cabbie, a Mexican, wistfully reminisced that the whole area was once orange groves, whence the name of the county. Well, no more. Alas.

      • Therian September 18, 2014 at 6:08 pm #

        Funny … I have a friend in Orange County who also wants to escape “paradise” [sic]. Of all the places I’ve been in CA, the OC is more like Palo Alto than any other place I’ve been. However, architecturally, OC is even more sterile than Palo Alto and that’s saying something. Neighboring towns like Mountain View have beautiful performing arts centers while Palo Alto has a big fat nothing. Palo Alto is like a town that has collective Asperger’s Syndrome and they don’t have a clue about how to build a socially inviting culture.

    • MisterDarling September 18, 2014 at 3:26 pm #

      re | “Also, we have no fucking water. The downtown of Stanford Univ. has no bookstores, music stores, CD stores, or anything other than cell phone stores, VC firms, banks, and ridiculously overpriced restaurants … none of which make any money because the rentier mentality here is starving out everyone.”-Therian.

      You’re spot on – and I’m *well* acquainted with SF and The Peninsula communities. My biggest chuckle was watching techies flee the stucco dingbat apartments of Mountain View for hip little places in ‘The City’… With the inevitable result(s).

      😉

      About the “no fucking water” part: Actually the SF-Bay Area has an enormous amount of _gravity fed_ ready-to-drink water from Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir.

      The ‘scarcity” people talk about results from an interlocked pile of absurd scams:

      Water diverted to grow _rice_ for the Japanese ‘market’. The Japanese refuse to eat American rice because they think that it’s sub-standard, so they let it rot in warehouses, or they give it to hungry Africans. Then why do they buy it, you ask? Because they *have* to due to a WTO agreement. This is fresh drinking water literally flushed into the ocean for nothing.

      The other large-scale ‘scarcity’ creating water scam is PG&E lobbying the state government to drain Hetch-Hetchy – and thus bankrupt the city-owned public utility company supplying water at an affordable price – so that they can get paid by the taxpayer to build a lot of smaller reservoirs across the state requiring pumping and purification facilities, et al. – from which they will sell water at a premium markup.

      After the posited crash and collapse, we’ll be able to take a proper shenanigan-free inventory. Right now though, there are far too many f**k-heads blocking the view.

      • Therian September 18, 2014 at 6:18 pm #

        Growing rice and citrus in areas of CA that get 5-8 inches of rain per year is batshit crazy, pardon my French. No crop requires more water than rice, fields of which must be flooded. Citrus trees in CA and AZ is also schizoid because these are not low-water-use trees.

        You’re right about Hetch-Hetchy and it’s good water but even the Hetch isn’t at its usual 90% of capacity. I don’t know if you’re aware of this but 17 towns in CA this year have had to have water TRUCKED IN. That’s right! Some larger towns like Santa Cruz barely escaped this fate. There’s NOAA evidence that this “Exceptional Drought” might actual be more normal than what has occurred for the last several decades. When one thinks about it, it’s very precarious that we NEED a volcano to go off in the southern Pacific (leading to an El Nino year) to get a year with more than 15 inches of rain in the coastal valleys and a whopping 10 inches in Bakersfield which normally gets 5.

        I’m probably going to be an Oregonian within six months. It was an eye opener how much more communal the townspeople seemed to be. For a rich place, the SF Peninsula seems singularly miserable!!

  79. progress4what September 18, 2014 at 6:50 am #

    “I live in the only place in America more delusional than Las Vegas i.e., the San Francisco Bay Area.” – therian –

    Nice analysis of the Bay area economy, therian. If what you are saying is correct, the area is becoming overdue for a hard crash. Could be interesting, hey?

    Oregon has some cool physical geography, and a lot of little nooks and crannies in which to make a home in an uncertain future. Good luck!

    On another note, therian, you said something on the ADR that was interesting, but JMG wouldn’t put through my comment about it.. (This happens a lot over @ ADR, I’ve decided – Posts that don’t conform to JMG’s “magic spell?” for the future simply disappear, before posting, and without a single word from the Druid. Has that happened to you yet, K-Dog? It probably will.)

    Anyway, my question to you was to ask you to consider the possibility that those “white racists” which you were denouncing in your ADR post were not already making an honest attempt to do what JMG is always recommending. IOW, “collapse now and avoid the rush.”

    It’s interesting that the same people who praise the “strong culture” of US immigrant and minority groups are quick to label those same cultural traits “white supremacy,” when these traits are found to occur among lower class whites.

    Your thoughts please, therian?

    • ozone September 18, 2014 at 8:34 am #

      P4W,
      A brief aside concerning ADR’s comment policy (and nothing to do with the points you bring up):

      “Courteous, concise comments relevant to the topic of the current week’s post are welcome, whether or not they agree with the views expressed here, and I try to respond to each comment as time permits. Long screeds proclaiming the infallibility of some ideology or other, however, will be deleted; so will repeated attempts to hammer on a point already addressed; so will comments containing profanity, abusive language, flamebaiting and the like — I filled up my supply of Troll Bingo cards years ago and have no interest in adding any more to my collection; and so will sales spam and offers of “guest posts” pitching products. I’m quite aware that the concept of polite discourse is hopelessly dowdy and out of date, but then so are a good many other things we will have to preserve, or laboriously reinvent, on the long road down from Hubbert’s peak. Thank you for reading The Archdruid Report! — JMG”
      (+)
      You can use some HTML tags, such as , ,
      Comment moderation has been enabled. All comments must be approved by the blog author.”

      I don’t see anything mysterious about this, regardless of what you’ve “decided”. The guy moderates his blog comments; do the same for yours and quit complaining about it please; it makes you sound petulant. (Not something you’d wish to be known for, I’m sure.)

      • ozone September 18, 2014 at 8:37 am #

        (Sorry for the weird, green italics! Wha’happen?)

      • Janos Skorenzy September 18, 2014 at 1:36 pm #

        So if Prog was Black and complained about something, would it still be petulance?

        You just animated one of the classic techniques of the Overlords: any complaining by White Men is to be mocked. Good internalization, preppy.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 18, 2014 at 1:40 pm #

      Darwin said acquired characteristics are not passed down directly. But what is acquired and what is innate? Are the mother’s antibodies given in the womb or later via the breast milk? Did we lose a biological treasure trove by giving up this practice?

    • Therian September 18, 2014 at 6:23 pm #

      What is ADR? Maybe someone over there has the same handle I have here but I don’t know what ADR is or who JMG is.

      Therefore, I don’t recall making the comment attributed to me. Perhaps you can explain what the acronyms stand for. I am on other blogs but I seriously doubt that I would ever post anything about “white racism” because I think it’s a canard … EVERY race is racist. We’re merely the only ones not favoring our own race.

      I think there must be another Therian somewhere with ethnic and political views that are a long ways from mine.

      • progress4what September 18, 2014 at 11:00 pm #

        Too weird, therian.

        Looks like I stirred up a tempest in the CFN teapot for naught!

      • progress4what September 18, 2014 at 11:04 pm #

        Acronmys are Arch Druid Report
        with author John Michael Greer

        Sorry ’bout that. I hate it when people use acronyms without defining them also. I was just that sure there couldn’t be two Therians.

        Here’s a link – good author – excellent mind – has his blind spots, like all of us.

        This is last week’s post:
        http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2014/09/technological-superstitions.html

        • Therian September 19, 2014 at 9:54 am #

          Well, I guess the mystery goes on because I, admittedly in some haste, scrolled down all 258 responses to that post and could find no “Therian” on the response list for the Arch Druid Report in the month given by your link. Hmmm.

          In any case, if the “Therian” over there is yammering on about “white racists” you can be certain that the other “Therian” is not me. I find the entire idea of “White racism” to be a canard in year 2014. Indeed, when a black person or Hispanic person does ill to a white person, we don’t send out equivalents to Sharpton or some La Raza member to be publicly indignant.

          After the Ferguson, MO incident there were almost unpublicized incidents in other parts of America of groups of blacks mugging or killing non-black shopkeepers in other parts of America. That’s the problem with the way the mainstream media controls our “indignancy switch”. We’re so accustomed to blacks committing mayhem that it gets virtually no ink. A white guy/woman does the same to a “man of color” and there’s howling from sea to shining sea.

          Whites have many problems right now, not the least of which is our slow descent into underclass status while immigrant Asians and Indians outperform our kids in school and ace our kids out of high paying jobs. We’ve got our problems but, as a unit, our rates of murder and mayhem don’t even approach those of the black community which might explain why Western cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and the good parts of Los Angeles have much higher per capita numbers of Indians and East Asians relative to cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, Detroit, and so on. They’ve decided they’d much rather put up with Caucasians and Mexicans than they would the inner city blacks of the east.

          Of course, Detroit is a model for how black citizens and governance can create a city more dangerous than Baghdad. Detroit and Saginaw are now such war zones that you can buy a house for $2000 in many areas. They’re literally almost giving ’em away.

          • progress4what September 19, 2014 at 11:37 am #

            One more thing. Be sure you see my post to you at the bottom of the thread, Therian.

            Wouldn’t want to lose a post because one of us is misapplying the “nested comments” feature, would we?
            Howdy Ozone!

            BTW, there are about to be 24 uses of he handle “therian” in this week’s CFN, when searched by Chrome. Amazing.

            Is that what 15 minutes of fame looks like, these days?
            JK (just kidding)

            Everybody laugh. HOHO!!!! Laughter has survival value.

  80. BackRowHeckler September 18, 2014 at 8:47 am #

    Many good posts in this comment section this week, almost as interesting as Jims original post. A lot of different viewpoints from across the spectrum, well written and thought out, and not much rancor.

    I’ve heard some people call for JHK to change this comment section or eliminate it altogether. That would be a mistake as it detract from the overall site.

    –brh

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  81. FincaInTheMountains September 18, 2014 at 9:20 am #

    Russia may adopt new economic policy
    The Governor of Belgorod Savchenko gave a speech with proposals to adopt new 3-year economical plan aimed at strengthening Russian economic independence. The highlights are:
    1. Building 50,000 km of moderns auto roads with total cost at 10 trillion rubles
    2. Building annually 130-150 million square meters of living space
    3. Replacing at least 4 trillion in finished goods from imports to domestic products.
    4. Creating at least 1 million additional jobs
    The financing of new projects is supposed to be made available at 3% using independent from IMF emission of ruble by Russian Central Bank.
    I guess American and American-induced European sanctions are starting to work. Russia is waking up from liberal economic slumber.

    • WW September 20, 2014 at 5:51 am #

      10 trillion rubles, the entire GDP of Russia is about 75 trillion. A lot of debt would have to be created to finance that. As for expanding living space by that amount for a population whose growth was 0.23 percentin 2012. Property bubble anyone!
      Still a three year plan beats the old five year soviet plans I suppose!

  82. FincaInTheMountains September 18, 2014 at 9:42 am #

    Current Russian Central Bank rule allows it to emit rubles ONLY in exchange for purchased dollar or euro denominated “paper” of US and some European countries, in other word Russian CB acts a mere “Currency Board” and Russian currency – ruble – as painted over dollar.

    So Russian companies are forced to seek foreign investment which is in fact Russian money lent back at a much higher percent.

    Breaking that “Currency Board” IMF rule would be indeed a revolutionary act by Russian Central Bank.

  83. progress4what September 18, 2014 at 9:53 am #

    “I don’t see anything mysterious about this, regardless of what you’ve “decided”. The guy moderates his blog comments; do the same for yours and quit complaining about it please; it makes you sound petulant. (Not something you’d wish to be known for, I’m sure.)”
    – ozone –

    Well, O3, thanks for the shoutback. But, whoa dude, what you said to me sounds a little harsh – like I hit a hidden nerve with you. Care to elaborate? Maybe we can help each other, here.

    Besides that, I’ve always been cognisant of the Druid’s stated comment policy. And nothing I’ve submitted for posting over there should have run afoul of it. And I didn’t think much about my “lost” post to Therian, as it was late in the druid’s week by the time I wrote it and I assumed that some electronic glitch ate it.

    But this week I wrote a response to “juhana,” over at ADR. And I wrote it early in the week, gave it a day to post. Nothing happened so I edited it for clarity and timeliness and resubmitted. Nothing.
    Then I streamlined it some more and resubmitted it twice. (The second time was due to a computer hiccup @ my end; so I’m sure it got through at least once.) And with this final submission I told the druid that I didn’t expect the comment to be posted, but I did ask for an explanation of the problem.

    IOW, jmg could have told me, “too off-topic, too much hammering of an earlier point, or something.” He did not do so.

    ====================

    I’ve got that post stored around this ol’ laptop somewhere. I might post it out here at CFN later on in JHK’s week. It was about “tribalism” in a declining future – which is something that I think JHK has greater insight and clarity of vision upon, than does the druid.

    Anyway – what do you think, now?

    • ozone September 18, 2014 at 10:34 am #

      It’s really not worth the time to speculate on the evaporation of your posts to him. It’s quite obvious they don’t meet the stated criteria of the comment policy. What’s he owe you anyway? Seems to me you’ve got unlimited “column inches” right here, without any kind of censoring or moderation whatever!

      The “nerve” you’re hitting here is that you’ve decided to complain about something that involves reading a blogger’s mind concerning what they consider germane or not… and doing it over and over, as if that condition should change to satisfy you and your viewpoints.
      Life ain’t fair, and the internet certainly reflects that, in spades. I know you can deal with that if you just take a couple breaths. Nothing is stopping you from posting a link here to the article, then trying to get discussion of it going here. (You’re giving the impression that you’d rather have “another set” of posters address your concerns; almost as if you’re “not getting anywhere” with the ones here. Get me? Personally, it’s not my concern, but it is irritating to repeatedly read through complaints that [quite likely] will never be resolved to your satisfaction. –See: nested comments.)

      Sorry for harshness and brevity in the previous reply; on to other pressing things! Next week then.

      • Janos Skorenzy September 18, 2014 at 1:49 pm #

        I hate Ozone, but so what? Who am I? Odin wants Ozone by His side during the Fimbul Winter. The very intensity of his Hatred gives him a kind of striking purity. No doubt he “inherited” this from his Puritan ancestors: not genetic but memetic.

        So it’s not his hatred that’s the problem, but who he hates and why. In other words, everything else. Combatting these errors is what Odin has tasked me with. A thankless task? Only in this world. And not entirely either. There is the joy of battle and the lulz as compensation.

  84. progress4what September 18, 2014 at 10:13 am #

    OK, I just checked the beehives and the girls aren’t quite yet out and about. And I’m not going in there until they are. So that gives me time to post this thing that JMG rejected. And kudos to kunstler for being such an accepting editor, IMO!

    “Personal to Juhana. Welcome back! Your hard-edged and tribal view of the present is something ALL of us here need to ponder for an uncertain future
    .

    All humans have the genes for tribalism. The dominant upper 50% mainstream in the United States (including yours truly) has made it our mission to completely deny and obscure this fact since at least the end of WWII. Lubricated with a lot of petroleum, and the wealth pump of empire that showered the United States with amazing prosperity – we came close to succeeding.

    Ah yes, but JMG and many others tell us that our prosperity will reach an end. Juhana argues convincingly that without the prosperity, tribalism will return; indeed is ALREADY returning. I find this a logical argument – though I wish it were not so. Many on this blog seem to think that wishing will make it not be so – but ONLY in this one area. Interesting, isn’t it?

    So I suppose that I’m looking for some sort of spell or mechanism to ward off tribalism. Failing that, I feel a need to prepare myself and my family for something that may well be inevitable. Because, I suspect that even the most erudite and “liberal” among us would be desperately searching for a tribe, any tribe; should a few meals be missed, or some other severe social stress impinge.

    Sometimes, though, all it might take to induce tribalism is a little too much ethanol. This hit the news this weekend:

    “The owner of the house … got involved and claimed he was struck by Bristol Palin several times.

    “At this point, he’s up against nearly the whole Palin tribe: Palin women screaming. Palin men thumping their chests. Word is that Bristol has a particularly strong right hook, which she employed repeatedly, and it’s something to hear when Sarah screams, ‘Don’t you know who I am?”

    http://www.eonline.com/news/578532/sarah-palin-track-palin-and-bristol-palin-involved-in-drunken-fight-at-snowmobile-party-reports

    And I’m begging your indulgence to post this, JMG. This is a serious topic, and I think including the adventures of the Sarah Palin family is a nice interjection of humor. Plus, many here at ADR seem not to follow “the news,” and thus might appreciate a look at how Alaska’s political and economic elites quickly turn tribal when dealing with prosperity and alcohol. It is frightful to consider how these same elites will deal with collapse.”

    – progress4what, in rejected post to ADR –

    • Janos Skorenzy September 18, 2014 at 2:14 pm #

      Is Juhana advocating for her tribe or just tribalism in general? And is her tribe the Latino?

      A fine comment by my lights but of course I would say that wouldn’t I? (this his how my critics seek to prove me wrong – by saying I sound like myself. In terms of polemics, Liberalism has really become nothing more than a circle jerk)

      I modified my comment above about breast milk, deleting any objectionable material that may have offended you. I hope you will respond since Biology is your specialty and you know more about it than I do in general. Just remember, the title of Darwin’s classic is not just “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection” – there is a second clause to wit “or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life”.

      The Juhanas think their tribe is superior to ours. I think our Tribe is superior to theirs. May the best tribe win. And that is final problem with Liberalism: it gives up on the battle for life, refusing to take its own side against other tribes. Instead it goes to war against its own people – even allying with other tribes against them. Thus from the biological pov, it is ruinous, the worst of all possible worlds. Glad you are partly out of the cult. Please continue.

    • MisterDarling September 18, 2014 at 2:55 pm #

      Progress,

      re |

      “Ah yes, but JMG and many others tell us that our prosperity will reach an end. Juhana argues convincingly that without the prosperity, tribalism will return; indeed is ALREADY returning. I find this a logical argument – though I wish it were not so. Many on this blog seem to think that wishing will make it not be so – but ONLY in this one area. Interesting, isn’t it?”-prog4.

      I’m in agreement with ‘Juhana’. When times get lean, the general population band in together in smaller cliques for competitive advantage. It’s a standard feature of constrained environments (disaster areas, war-zones, refugee camps, prisons).

      The cause of the scarcity doesn’t matter as much as the type and intensity of the constraint.

      I do *not* look forward to the return of tribalism. There’s a reason why intelligent people have sought out the cities, the sea-lanes and international trade-zones for the past 2500 hundred years (at least). It’s simply more interesting.

      “So I suppose that I’m looking for some sort of spell or mechanism to ward off tribalism. Failing that, I feel a need to prepare myself and my family for something that may well be inevitable. Because, I suspect that even the most erudite and “liberal” among us would be desperately searching for a tribe, any tribe; should a few meals be missed, or some other severe social stress impinge.”-prog4.

      Orlov wrote eloquently and comprehensively about this in Five Stages of Collapse.

      Paraphrased, he wrote that people who had been close friends in the pre-Collapse milieu would not recognize each other, as they adapted to their new circumstances – becoming “different versions” of themselves.

      I’ve seen this sort of thing happen with my own eyes.

  85. pkrugman September 18, 2014 at 11:13 am #

    P4W, your post to ADR is poorly written, off-topic, and racist.

    I am not the least bit surprised it was rejected by JMG. I wish you had not posted it here on CFN.

    But then we are different. My tribe is a rainbow family and I will not be excluding anyone from my multicultural tribe on the basis of race. All immigrants of all races and colors are welcome. You are also welcome as I don’t discriminate against whites. Some of my best friends are white.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • Janos Skorenzy September 18, 2014 at 1:59 pm #

      Translation: My Tribe is no Tribe. My Nation is no Nation. Only those who reject Tribe can be in my Tribe. Only those eschew America can be Americans. Therefore: the people who are the most American are those who are the least American: Black African Muslim immigrants right off the boat.

      Can it get any richer? The beggar is proud of his rags…

      • stelmosfire September 18, 2014 at 8:55 pm #

        You should enjoy this read Vlad.

        http://www.unz.com/isteve/chimps-and-chumps/

        • stelmosfire September 18, 2014 at 9:12 pm #

          Another good read,

          http://westhunt.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/empire-of-the-ants/

          I’ve seen insects in action and believe me humans can’t hold a torch to them. Obviously we are of a somewhat higher intellect. But they perfected it millions of years before we came up the evolutionary ladder.

          • Janos Skorenzy September 18, 2014 at 9:58 pm #

            Yes the social insects don’t know what they’re doing but they sure as hell know how to do it.

            We seem to be a lot more like the Chimps in general. I read the other day that they have to compete with Gorillas for the same food while the Bonobos have their own area with no Gorillas and fewer predators. So people could act like Bonobos but what would happen? They’d have their women and lands taken by the people who are Chimpish.

            Hey, you know a lot about materials. I have a black iron frying pan that is infected with rust. I can scrub it away but it immediately begins to come back. Is there anything I can do or should I just throw it away?

  86. volodya September 18, 2014 at 11:40 am #

    On this business of JMG’s comment section, I think the odds of getting a comment posted are better if it’s on topic and especially if you refer to specific points he makes in his current week’s commentary. I suspect that quite a few don’t make the cut as his comment section is pretty short. Regardless, his blog is worth spending time on.

  87. Cold N. Holefield September 18, 2014 at 12:50 pm #

    Many good posts in this comment section this week, almost as interesting as Jims original post. A lot of different viewpoints from across the spectrum, well written and thought out, and not much rancor.

    I’ve heard some people call for JHK to change this comment section or eliminate it altogether. That would be a mistake as it detract from the overall site.

    ==brh

    I’d like to second this adulation.

    Great job team!

    Drinks all the way around, and a little something extra in your paycheck this week for a job well done.

    Now, back to muddying those waters — time’s a wastin.

  88. pkrugman September 18, 2014 at 10:31 pm #

    For Obama to maintain control of the Senate it turns out these were the magic words:

    “pursuant to K.S.A. 25-306b(b)”

    Good news for immigrants! Good news for America!

  89. progress4what September 18, 2014 at 11:15 pm #

    Janos and others –

    “Juhana” is a fascinating writer over at ADR. He’s Finnish, has traveled all over the world working as a skilled tradesman. (welder or machinist, maybe?) He had a good week of comments last week, some of you would enjoy reading some of his stuff.

    Here’s a quote of his that I saved from an earlier week: “So when clumsy political machinery starts to groan and decisions are made, then it is each for his own people. Afterwards we can be friends again. No grey areas there. Only and truly only in the West that particular trait in person is seen as an virtue, not as vice, abandoning your own kin… So I dislike political belief system, not the believers. I grew up in communal housing area, I believe people call them “projects” in the USA, and when talking about protecting your own kin there are NO grey areas for kids living in the projects…”

    ====================

    Regarding breast milk and antibodies-
    I haven’t done any work in immunology since the late ‘80’s, but these basics should be unchanged. Your friend is correct that antibodies pass from mother to child thru breast milk. However, a more important transfer of “maternal immunity” passes from mother to child across the placenta. Thus the child will be immune to whatever the mother is immune to. Breast feeding certainly could help this process, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Maternal immunity only lasts for a few months after delivery, by the way.

  90. progress4what September 18, 2014 at 11:22 pm #

    “I’m in agreement with ‘Juhana’. When times get lean, the general population band in together in smaller cliques for competitive advantage. It’s a standard feature of constrained environments (disaster areas, war-zones, refugee camps, prisons).

    (snip)

    I do *not* look forward to the return of tribalism. There’s a reason why intelligent people have sought out the cities, the sea-lanes and international trade-zones for the past 2500 hundred years (at least). It’s simply more interesting.” – mister d –

    Very nice post, MD. I agree with all of it. As far as Orlov goes – yeah, I have read him, and see ample evidence for his first 3 stages of collapse beginning to manifest inside the US. The 4th stage will be horrible, and that’s where people without tribe or family are likely to discover that friends and acquaintances are of no help.

    I depart (with fingers crossed!) from belief in Orlov’s 5th stage – the collapse of family. I know Orlov saw it as the USSR collapsed, and I’m sure it will be very widespread in the US. BUT – I’m already taking what steps I can to build and increase my family networks, in hopes that we can avoid some of the worst of it.

    The difference may be that I’ve seen family done right. My dad’s huge extended family is what got all of them through the hard times of the Great Depression in the deep south. My own dad dropped out of 8th grade to get a job sawmilling with an uncle – to help feed his own family. To this day, I’ve got one surviving uncle who would do just about anything for me, just because I’m his brother’s son, and a trusted family member. I keep their sacrifices and love in mind constantly, and hope that I’ll have the courage and the discipline to do the same, should my own family require it of me.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  91. progress4what September 18, 2014 at 11:28 pm #

    “P4W, your post to ADR is poorly written, off-topic, and racist.” – pk –

    You know, pk, I took a mental inventory this morning and discovered I only needed to be called “racist” 100 more times by anonymous poster using ad hominems to derail an internet discussion – before I’d be cured. Now it’s only 99 more. Thanks!

    And again – would you care to point out a factual error in my conjectures regarding tribalism and economic collapse? That would be more purposeful than the name-calling.

    While we’re at it, you haven’t pointed out any substantive errors in the CIS website link I posted yesterday. We might both learn something if you’d take an honest look.

    Substantive errors, please. Not a trivial pursuit.

  92. UnstoppableFarceImmovableAbject September 18, 2014 at 11:41 pm #

    M. Bessette,

    Thanks for playing the game for a coupla posts. At this point we’ll only continue talking past each other, so I’ll cede your points and let it rest. I’m merely a spectator here and will go dormant again shortly.

    As to your recognition of my own complacency, I’ll just say that what you’re really witnessing are the ordinary remnants of the anger stage. With regard to these issues, and in the relatively short time that I’ve been familiarizing myself with them, I’ve managed to pass through the early phases of grief rather quickly, thankfully.

    After anger comes acceptance, so they say. I sincerely hope that whatever you choose to invest your energy in during The Long Emergency manifests into some sort of meaningful outcome for you and yours.

    See you around,

    -UFIA

    • M. Bessette September 19, 2014 at 10:57 am #

      Fair enough and happy trails. I’ll just end on a couple of quotes:

      The end of hope … is an open vein in a warm bath.

      It was not granted you to complete the task … and yet you may not give it up.

  93. pkrugman September 19, 2014 at 3:51 am #

    P4W,

    Thanks for playing the game for a coupla posts. At this point we’ll only continue talking past each other, so I’ll let it rest. I’m mostly a spectator here and have no desire to post as frequently as you do.

  94. Janos Skorenzy September 19, 2014 at 5:45 am #

    http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/09/17/Doctor-Govt-Tight-Lipped-on-Respiratory-Virus-May-be-From-Illegals

    Ebola may be coming over the border too. And the people from the infected areas still have the right to travel here without quarantine. Nay more: there’s mounting evidence that Ebola is now airborne. Whom the Gods wish to kill, they first drive mad.

  95. BackRowHeckler September 19, 2014 at 9:05 am #

    In Guinea 8 Ebola workers, including 2 journalists, visiting villages to educate the natives on prevention measures, were found with their throats slit, the bodies thrown into the village latrine, being chewed up by rats.

    What risks are the 3000 man American military contingent going into West Africa facing other than the obvious risk of contracting the disease itself? If you recall in 1992, the events that led up to the fierce battle in Somalia documented in the film ‘Black Hawk Down’, were precipitated by famine, and the American forces were on a humanitarian mission along with the UN to bring in food and medicine. (Jesse Jackson announced it was the first time in history the white man had aided Africans. Remember that?) It ended up with 18 US soldiers dead, including one being stripped naked and the body being dragged around the streets behind a truck. I remember how critical everyone was when USA Today ran a photo of this event on its front page.

    Speaking of disease, beside the respiratory virus mysteriously springing up in our schools, not caused by unscreened illegals dropped in here, suddenly emerging are cases of scabies, TB, and meningitis. I don’t ever remember anything like this. A few years ago I had to take in a young nephew whose parents were having problems. To place him in the local school I needed a birth certificate, immunization records, medical records, affidavits as to the identity of the parents, reason why he was here, and a bunch of other stuff. Why as American citizens did we have to go thru all that when illegals, who don’t even belong here, get a free pass?

    One more thing. ISIS, who John Kerry once again says has nothing to do with Islam and are not Muslim, is fixin to slice off another head. And a head cutting off plot was just broken up in Australia. Question: in 1944 was the American Secretary of State stating the Waffen SS had nothing to do with National Socialism? In 1957 was the Secretary of State stating the Red Army had nothing to do Communism? The is the goddamdest military campaign I’ve ever seen. No soldiers involved, and you cannot even say who the enemy is.

    –brh

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • Janos Skorenzy September 19, 2014 at 1:25 pm #

      I made the same point on another post. During WW2, were we allowing mass number of Germans to immigrate here? Justifying it by saying Nazism had nothing to do with Germany? Obviously not.

      Needless to say, I haven’t changed my viewpoint of WW2. I’m just validating your principle and using this as an example. I was just reading last night about Bomber Harris. The Americans bombed industrial centers during the day and the English bombed civilian populations at night. So much for conscience. As Lewis Mumford pointed out, the bombing of civilian populations which began during WW1, showed a profound decline of Western Civilization – a reversion to “total war” as practiced long ago in the Middle East.

      • BackRowHeckler September 19, 2014 at 9:04 pm #

        Vlad you’re familiar with Lewis Mumford? i’m impressed.

        On a site like this I’d think the name Lewis Mumford would come up more often.

        brh

  96. progress4what September 19, 2014 at 10:52 am #

    Here you go therian, the post from “therian.”
    It was the tail end of August, time flies.

    “Therian said…

    A side bar to the disaster that is coming is that foreigners who have entered in the USA in the last 20 years have a REAL sense of community and greatly assist the businesses and communities of their ethnicities. Meanwhile, people born in the USA are as divided, apathetic, fat, stupid, and uncivic minded as they have ever been. Whatever is left of America after the inevitable economic and resource wars are lost by EVERY participating country will NOT look like the America that existed 50 years ago. White supremacists frankly look a bit silly in this kind of environment because, as a whole, they’re the class that’s taking a dive to a permanent lower class status. Anyone who doubts this should read Charles Murray’s “Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010″ to set themselves straight.”

    http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2014/08/dark-age-america-population-implosion.html?showComment=1409556014816#c7833432845539325328

    Gotta’ run. I’ll be Bach.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 19, 2014 at 1:18 pm #

      I read it, did Therian? Are all White Communities now “White Supremacists”? The author never called them that. And even if they were racially conscious (which they aren’t), how does that make them “White Supremacists”? This is just more pernicious Liberal trash talking, equating being objective with taking the sides against his own people.

      One may attain to objectivity in the physical sciences. But when it comes to human things? No. Nor would it be a good thing if you could. A Man has to choose ultimately – even if he is a social scientist and uses those methods to analyze mass behavior. At the end of the day, he is still a man and must choose a side. Therian has chosen to be a traitor as has the Druid. I think the Druid edits his own posts too. A while back I tried to find the one where he said dreamily that he wished he could live to see the Chicano/Asian culture that will arise in the West Coast. But since I had drawn attention to it, he deleted it.

      Sending our jobs overseas was a traitorous act btw. Economics aren’t politically neutral either. Economics is the body of the nation. Can you go up to someone, strike them and then say, “I like you as a person, I just don’t like your body.” Christianity believes that the whole person is both body and soul. That they let this happen with nary a whisper is scandalous – an inability to reason according to their own premises at the level of principle.

  97. volodya September 19, 2014 at 12:37 pm #

    Interesting thing this Scotland result. 55% no, 45% yes.

    Well, The boys at Westminster say there will be devolution of powers to Scotland.

    Um, I hate to bring this up in case none of them over there haven’t thought of it (though I’m sure it occurred to them) but
    Scotland has its own legislative assembly. And so this Scottish assembly will have sole jurisdiction on certain matters. But Scotland also has Members of Parliament in London. Will Scottish MPs in London still have voting rights on those same matters? Won’t this be an asymmetry in powers among Scottish vs non Scottish members of parliament in London? Like running your own kitchen and having a say in how your neighbor runs his.

    So what to do? How about taking away voting rights from Scottish MPs in London on those matters that the Scot parliament has sole power over?

    Also this, go whole hog on federalizing the UK just like the US. Give England and Wales and Northern Ireland each their own parliaments that run their own areas of jurisdiction. Just like US states. Also this, get rid of that absurd House of In-breds.

    Or how about this: quick fucking around and just rip off the damn bandage. If Scotland can vote to secede can Britain not vote to expel? At some point having the UK twist itself in jurisdictional knots over a 10% of the population just gets to be too much of a pain in the ass. Quit edging Scotland out the door and just throw them out. Be done with it.

    If you have a situation where 45% of the Scots want out then there is a problem that will plague the UK for years. Now that you’ve had a referendum on secession you’ve set a precedent. You’ve said that the UK is divisible. Won’t this issue come back to haunt again and again? Just one more distraction when it can’t afford one.

    Hmm… distraction. Maybe from the perspective of the governing elites regardless of party affiliation that’s the whole point of it?

    • MisterDarling September 19, 2014 at 4:13 pm #

      “Or how about this: quit fucking around and just rip off the damn bandage. If Scotland can vote to secede can Britain not vote to expel? “-v.

      Now, this is an interesting idea…

      😉

      • Frankiti September 19, 2014 at 8:08 pm #

        “The Scots are nothing more than self-aggrandizing pu***es” -Michael Collins

  98. StillFarmin September 19, 2014 at 3:35 pm #

    THIS is the Kunstler I love and admire.

    Nobody has a better handle on the toxic wastewater of our domestic consumer chagrin.

    Kudos, Jim.

    I write this on the day [the Cayman Islands field office of] Alibaba got sold to the suckers, and the little royal-ites in Glasgow got suckered into selling their souls.

    A top, or a bottom? Maybe both.

  99. michigan_native September 19, 2014 at 4:03 pm #

    Today on AOL news. 1 out of every 4 americans favor secession. http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/19/exclusive-angry-with-washington-1-in-4-americans-open-to-seces/20964947/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing9%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D532384

    There is a youtube interview where Greg Hunter has this guy on who insists the shit will hit the fan before December of this year, talks about gold and silver and how the price has been manipulated and how the power is shifting east. One of several interviews on his show “watch dog america’ that are worth checking out. Too bad youtube videos are not permitted here. They really drive the reality home

    So one out of four favors secession. Does anyone think that number will not jump closer to 4 out of 4 when the shit hits the fan, when gas gets cut off (at the pump and for heat at home), jobs evaporate, and the austerity programs fail to put people in homes that have food on their table. I am convinced this is why the NDAA was passed along with the so called patriot act, why the NSA is spying on every one, why the police are being militarized, why the DHS purchased billions of rounds of hollow points, etc.

    The government knows the collapse is close at hand, and that people will want to secede from those crooks in Washington. They know there will be mass civil unrest. So they intend to force everyone against their will from wanting to secede from the union by imposing martial law. I see a great deal of blood shed flowing in the streets in the years ahead.

  100. pkrugman September 19, 2014 at 4:26 pm #

    “The is the goddamdest military campaign I’ve ever seen. No soldiers involved…” –BRH

    BRH, do you really believe Obama when he says there are no American boots on the ground in a combat role?

    When there are American planes providing close ground support in a combat, you better believe there are American boots on the ground.

    Not just anybody can call in an airstrike. The jet pilot, who is going 500 miles an hour, needs to receive the information in a defined format. The people trained to do that are wearing American boots and it doesn’t matter one bit if they are gay, bisexual or transgendered. What matters is that Americans are on the ground calling in the airstrikes so they do not hit American or friendly forces.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • Cold N. Holefield September 19, 2014 at 4:32 pm #

      But if they’re female and are menstruating they may need to change their blood-soaked apparatus thus distracting them from calling in the airstrike.

      Men don’t have that problem, although I suppose men could be caught off guard masturbating when the airstrike needs to be called in, so it’s a wash.

      You’re right afterall. Good point. Let the women and gays murder and maim in the name of equal opportunity and country. That’s what makes America a great. Everyone can have a go at the killing game.

    • BackRowHeckler September 19, 2014 at 6:29 pm #

      1898-1918 beginning with Emory Upton, thru Theodore Roosevelt and John Pershing the Idea was to build an army of riflemen. Pershing thought American elan and the Springfield 03 rifle could carry the day against the German army on the western front, and in this he was largely correct.

      Now the emphasis is in another direction. We are not hearing about an army of riflemen from Obama and Hagel, no, but a PC army of homosexuals, tranvestites and women. Several weeks ago I there was a report that DoD is ‘investigating the problem’ of too many white males in combat leadership positions, which would have to be corrected.

      –brh

      • No1kiwi September 19, 2014 at 9:18 pm #

        brh,

        You really are a piece of work…..you and old Cold Hole both!

        I dare you to walk into a bar in Tacoma, Wa., home of the US ARMY 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat team, and throw out that the US Army is a ” PC army of homosexuals, tranvestites and women”.

        I don’t think you would be posting on this site for a few months in hospital.

        • MisterDarling September 20, 2014 at 1:39 am #

          OR,

          To save on travel time and precious post-peak oil fuel usage, they could just get on up to Jefferson County NY, walk into any bar outside of Fort Drum (Home of 10th Mountain Infantry) and say something along those lines.

          It might be an interesting night for them… Probably wind up getting posted on YouTube…

          LOL

          🙂

          Cheers!

  101. progress4what September 19, 2014 at 10:40 pm #

    Ozone, internet discussion forums magnify differences. You may remember about two years ago that another poster and I got into an absolute verbal brawl. You, ozone, offered to set up a duel and you offered to be my second, as I recall. Do you remember the topic. I do, quite specifically. It concerned how many acres were necessary to pasture a mule. As it turned out, I met that poster in the real world, and by now we have met a couple of times – as well as chatted by email, and on the phone. We get along very well, and with mutual respect.

    My point is that as long as thoughts are expressed without abusive language or recourse to insult and ad hominem – then everything should be open to discussion, and differences should be considered to be resolvable. That certainly seems to be JHK’s policy.

    I am actually amazed at how well this place runs itself and seems to generally respect the wishes of the host. For example, JHK asked that YouTubes not be posted. That was months ago, yet his wishes are still being followed. Michigan Native just mentioned it again this week.

    =========================

    Somebody mentioned Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, upthread.
    I was there during the spring snowmelt a few years ago. It was late in the evening, near dark, and the crowd was gone for the day. I could, literally, feel the vibration of the dam structure, even into the underlying bedrock , caused by the enormous energy of that discharging water. Quite amazing. This video (which is not my own) does not begin to do it justice, but it’s a start.

    And I’m going to attempt to post it as a link, instead as an embedded image. Because (here I go reading minds again!) I’m relatively sure that JHK doesn’t like the big YouTube “embedded?” boxes, and not that he minds if his readers share links to videos.

    Of course I could be wrong. If so, I apologize.
    And I could screw this up, but I won’t know until I try it.

    http://youtu.be/-B2ZLKO6z_o

    One minute video of Hetch Hetchy overflows.

    • MisterDarling September 20, 2014 at 1:52 am #

      re | Hetch-Hetchy:

      SF not only has a fantastic source of readily potable drinking water available from a city-owned public utility, it nearly had it’s own publicly-owned clean power from it as well:

      http://www.counterpunch.org/2001/07/06/the-people-s-power/

      The punch-line to the story is that that last four miles of cable, that would have made the whole deal possible was discovered recently – buried about a mile from the PG&E switching station near the dam.

      Investigators assessed that it had probably been there for about 80 years…

      Gotta love those ‘free market’ capitalists.

  102. progress4what September 19, 2014 at 11:01 pm #

    Backrow, I hope you don’t mind me stepping in here. I’m not trying to fight all your battles for you, but I’ve got to logout pretty quick at be gone ’till Sunday. And no 1 kiwi teed this one up so well that I’ve got to swing at it!

    “I dare you to walk into a bar in Tacoma, Wa., home of the US ARMY 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat team, and throw out that the US Army is a ” PC army of homosexuals, tranvestites and women”.”
    – no 1 kiwi, to brh –

    I agree, kiwi, that might now end too well for backrow.

    HOWEVER – if you add just two little words to the speech and send backrow in as follows:

    “I dare you to walk into a bar in Tacoma, Wa., home of the US ARMY 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat team, and throw out that the US Army is – -TURNING INTO – – a ” PC army of homosexuals, tranvestites and women”.

    Then soldiers would be buying him drinks all night.
    I might buy a round myself.

    =============================

    By the way, you were going all negative on “assault weapons,” principally the AR-15, as I recall.

    Are you aware that the AR-15 shoots 5.56mm ammunition? IOW, the bullet diameter is only .003mm larger than that of a .22 caliber rimfire rifle? (yeah, much higher muzzle velocity, but stick with me, please) And are you aware that semi auto rifles are freely available for civilian use and purchase in the US that are much, much more powerful than the AR-15?

    I mean – MUCH more. Check out this .50 caliber monster.
    http://serbu.com/50bmg/semi_auto.php

    I wouldn’t want to lug it around – but THAT is a powerful weapon.

    Also, I saw where there was a viable plot by Muslims in Australia to kill civilians. Looks like law enforcement got it stopped this time. I hope they are always so lucky. It’s too bad, though, that the Australian government disarmed most of their civilian population back in the ’90’s, isn’t it?

    So yeah, I suspect the 2nd Amendment will stand unmodified for a few more years, yet.

    • No1kiwi September 20, 2014 at 4:22 am #

      p4w,

      There is a good post on The World Socialist Web Site today..( Yeah, I know, I’m a pinko bed-wetting commie..LOL).

      It suggests that the so-called plot to behead Aussies has real shabby evidence. 800(!) cops were used to arrest 12 guys, and then they let all but 1 free!

      http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/09/19/raid-s19.html

      The writer goes as far as suggesting that this was a false flag incident organized by the Aussie intelligence to gin up support for Aussie participation in Obama’s Iraq3.0.

      “The raids combined police on the ground, the closure of streets, forcible entry of homes, helicopters in the air, accompanied by saturation media coverage. They resulted in the arrest of one man, who, it was claimed, on the basis of one phone call, was involved in a plot to randomly seize a member of the public, behead them and have the gruesome execution posted on YouTube.

      Subsequently, it emerged that the word “beheading,” which was featured in all the media coverage in Australia and internationally, was never used during the alleged phone call.

      The misreporting and outright falsifications, however, served their political purpose in helping stampede public opinion in the US, Australia and internationally behind the renewed “war on terror.” The timing could not have been more fortuitous, coming on the eve of Australian forces being dispatched to the Middle East”

      The writer is suggesting that this was a “false flag” incident organized by the Aussie intelligence to gin up support for Aussie participation in Obama’s Iraq 3.0.

      • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 1:58 pm #

        You may be right about this – and still be wrong overall. You do believe in the Jihad, right? And the need for us to protect ourselves? And the main way of doing that is to end all Muslim immigration. Instead we let them swarm in even as we are supposedly fighting them in their own lands.

  103. progress4what September 19, 2014 at 11:18 pm #

    “Thanks for playing the game for a coupla posts. At this point we’ll only continue talking past each other, so I’ll let it rest….”
    – paul krugman attempts to emulate ufia –

    You’re wrong, pk. We’re not talking past each other at all.

    We are talking about immigration. You are for it. I am against it.

    I am asking you to give me any positive reasons for high rates of US immigration that do not involve moral platitudes or the desirability of high US economic growth.

    You are choosing not to give any positive reasons.
    (It probably is because there ARE no positive reasons that meet those two criteria, but stick with me, please.)

    Instead, you are using insulting language and ad hominem attack.

    I do believe that may be all you have on this topic.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 1:13 am #

      Have you read any Edward Abbey? Mention his name to those Greer and his army of Druidical Zombies – it’ll be like showing them a crucifix. Here’s some ammo for starters.

      http://www.radixjournal.com/journal/2014/9/17/edward-abbey-and-the-other-america

      • BackRowHeckler September 20, 2014 at 8:23 am #

        Edward Abbey, ‘Lonely are the Brave’?

        Later a film starring Kirk Douglas. It was a great movie.

        Without Edward Abbey there might not have been ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest’ or ‘Sometime a Great Notion’.

        Found this book ‘Twilight of Abundance’, David Archibald, 2014, right up our alley here on the CFN.

        How many Divisions has Obama lined up so far from foreign governments for his war against ISIS? It might take an integrated force of 100,000 to defeat that terrorist army. When President Bush pushed Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1992 he did it with an Army of 650,000. And I’d say this ISIS Army is much more determined and lethal than that Iraqi Army was 25 years ago.

        –brh

        • No1kiwi September 20, 2014 at 10:12 am #

          brh,

          650,000..wow..I looked it up on Wiki, and you are about right!

          ..and to think we are now proffering that we will defeat ISIS with no boots on the ground…preposterous!

          Mind you, I’m for ZERO military action in Iraq

          SAY NO TO IRAQ 3.0.

          These ISIS clowns will burn themselves out. It’s pretty difficult to have a long term successful Society when your only acquired skill is killing and destroying.

  104. Pucker September 20, 2014 at 1:36 am #

    What do you think of the Neanderthals? At some point, some Neanderthal must have said: “Jesus H. Christ…we’re not gonna make it drag’n around these big swing’n dicks!”

  105. Cold N. Holefield September 20, 2014 at 9:23 am #

    I dare you to walk into a bar in Tacoma, Wa., home of the US ARMY 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat team, and throw out that the US Army is a ” PC army of homosexuals, tranvestites and women”.

    I don’t think you would be posting on this site for a few months in hospital.

    Oh, I see. The new & improved equal-opportunity Riflemen are really a thinly-disguised American version of the infamous Brown Shirts. The Brown Shirts, first and foremost, were gay although they were prejudiced about allowing women into the ranks in their effort to terrorize civilians into submission.

    http://www.whale.to/b/rohm_h.html

    While Adolph Hitler is today recognized as the central figure of Nazism, he was a less important player when the Nazi machine was first assembled. Its first leader was Ernst Roehm. Homosexual historian Frank Rector writes that “Hitler was, to a substantial extent, Roehm’s proteg” (Rector:80). Roehm had been a captain in the German army. Hitler had been a mere corporal. After World War I, Roehm was highly placed in the underground nationalist movement that plotted to overthrow the Weimar government and worked to subvert it through assassinations and terrorism. In The Order of the Death’s Head, author Heinz Hohne writes that Roehm met Hitler at a meeting of a socialist terrorist group called the Iron Fist and “saw in Hitler the demagogue he required to mobilize mass support for his secret army” (Hohne:20). Roehm, who had joined the German Worker’s Party before Hitler, worked with him to take over the fledgling organization. With Roehm’s backing, Hitler became the first president of the party in 1921 (ibid.:21) and changed its name to the National Socialist German Worker’s Party. Soon after, Rossbach’s Storm Troopers, the SA, became its military arm. In his classic Nazi history, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, author William Shirer describes Roehm as “a stocky, bull-necked, piggish-eyed, scar- faced professional soldier…[and] like so many of the early Nazis, a homosexual” The Pink Swastika by Scott Lively and Kevin Abrams.

    Betraying his roots in the “Butch” faction of the German “gay rights” movement, Roehm viewed homosexuality as the basis for a new society. Louis Snyder writes that Roehm “projected a social order in which homosexuality would be regarded as a human behavior pattern of high repute…he flaunted his homosexuality in public and insisted that his cronies do the same. The Pink Swastika by Scott Lively and Kevin Abrams.

    The favorite meeting place of the SA was a “gay” bar in Munich called the Bratwurstglockl where Roehm kept a reserved table (Hohne:82). This was the same tavern where some of the earliest formative meetings of the Nazi Party had been held (Rector:69). At the Bratwurstglockl, Roehm and associates-Edmund Heines, Karl Ernst, Ernst’s partner Captain Rohrbein, Captain Petersdorf, Count Ernst Helldorf and the rest-would meet to plan and strategize. These were the men who orchestrated the Nazi campaign of intimidation and terror. All of them were homosexual.

    Indeed, homosexuality was all that qualified many of these men for their positions in the SA. Heinrich Himmler would later complain of this: “Does it not constitute a danger to the Nazi movement if it can be said that Nazi leaders are chosen for sexual reasons?” (Gallo:57). Himmler was not so much opposed to homosexuality itself as to the fact that non- qualified people were given high rank based on their homosexual relations with Roehm and others. For example, SA Obergruppenfuhrer (Lieutenant General) Karl Ernst, a militant homosexual, had been a hotel doorman and a waiter before joining the SA. “Karl Ernst is not yet 35,” writes Gallo, “he commands 250,000 men…he is simply a sadist, a common thug, transformed into a responsible official” (ibid.:50f). The Pink Swastika by Scott Lively and Kevin Abrams.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • BackRowHeckler September 20, 2014 at 12:57 pm #

      Very informative, Cole.

      The background of the Nazis is not widely known, and in this political climate it might not be too politically correct to point it out.

      Well done!

      –brh

      • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 1:19 pm #

        Very funny. The National Socialists crushed the SA when they were no longer convenient. Tell the Truth.

        Hitler’s political guru was Dietrech Echart not Roehm.

        I have no idea if your Edward Abbey is the same one I’m talking about. Or if you are just trying to derail some valuable information about America’s greatest environmentalist.

        You refused to answer my querry about my black iron frying pan. Is this significant? We must become humble enough to share information about the humblest of things – since life abides in the hummus. The words are connected for a reason. We are brothers to the clay BRH, and clay is brother to the pan.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 1:51 pm #

      Many Jews fought in Hitler’s army – some with distinction. Go to 13:24 or watch the whole thing and deprogram yourself about other things as well. The Nazis and the Zionists worked together to move the Jews to Palestine.

      http://thegreateststorynevertold.tv/portfolio/part-4-cultural-clash/

      As you know, Berlin and other German cultural centers were inundated with porn before the Nazis took over. Hitler investigated and found Jews were behind it. He drove them out of business. Are you against this? Think Jews aren’t massively involved in American porn? Does that make it ok in your silly little book?

  106. Cold N. Holefield September 20, 2014 at 10:56 am #

    Has anyone seen or heard from K-Pad?

    I hope ISIS wasn’t successful in recruiting him. He fits the profile pf a typical ISIS recruit as do a handful of other commentators at this space.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 1:54 pm #

      He probably got a job. As the Prophet Smohalla said, “My followers will not know work for men who work cannot dream.”

      We must learn to work without working. To make money by playing, just like playing Monopoly perhaps.

  107. beantownbill. September 20, 2014 at 12:26 pm #

    @brh:

    Lonely are the Brave is one of my top favorite movies. What a great film! I believe it was released in 1962. If so, that was a great year for Westerns because “Ride the High Country” with Joel McCrae and Randolph Scott also came out that year. That movie is also one of my all-time favorites. It was the first movie Sam Peckinpaugh directed.

    In an earlier post you wanted to know about the new Boston area casino. The timing is awful. The gambling industry is really hurting, as the economy is tanking and discretionary income is falling rapidly. The new casino won’t be ready until at least 2017, if ever (just because a developer/operator has been announced doesn’t guarantee a casino will be built). There’s still permits to be gotten and referendums in surrounding cities to be held.

    In light of 4 casino closings in Atlantic City and Foxwoods on the verge of bankruptcy, I wouldn’t bet on a casino being profitable in Boston. Btw, I was born in Everett, the city in which the project will be located.

    • BackRowHeckler September 20, 2014 at 12:53 pm #

      Thanks for the comeback Bill. Much appreciated.

      On Wednesday the WSJ ran a photo of the closed up Trump Casino in Atlantic City. I wonder what they’re going to do with those buildings?

      I never went to the casinos here in CT, not because I’m against gambling, but because I know I’d like it … probably too much.

      -brh

      • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 1:30 pm #

        I’ll never forget the story about Trump trying to drive an old woman out of her home so he could build his casino there. He tried everything fair and foul: she refused. She wanted to die in her own home. Finally he built the Casino around her home. A wonderful story where an ordinary person defeated a titan. She must have gotten a lot of help from someone.

        Trump is one of the few in the popular spotlight willing to talk about trade deficits and the need to reform them. This is a way of talking about tariffs without using the dread word. Yet because of stories like this, I can’t trust the man at all. Wish I could but it just make him seem toe slimy, too big business, too American.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 1:23 pm #

      Good news indeed. Gambling is a very destructive industry that serves (preys upon) desperate and unhappy people. Glad so many people have had the strength to abstain now as conditions worsen.

    • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 1:25 pm #

      After the persecuted Revere for having a few slot machines. They should go to war with each other. Sparta against Athens, Revere against Everett.

  108. MisterDarling September 20, 2014 at 1:31 pm #

    Meanwhile, back in that *other* warzone that we’re still evacuating from:

    Afghanistan is demanding (another) bailout. America’s “civilizing mission” is complete;

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-official-says-the-government-has-nearly-run-out-of-money-needs-us-bailout/2014/09/16/73d9e0fe-3daa-11e4-b0ea-8141703bbf6f_story.html

    • No1kiwi September 20, 2014 at 3:03 pm #

      Mr.D,

      To hell with them!

      Haven’t we poured enough $ into that hell forsaken place?

      No road building in Afghanistan…build roads in Spokane, Wa.

      No more building schools in Afghanistan…build schools in Detroit.

      No more training their “military”…train peace workers in Africa.

      No more weapons for these corrupt assholes..

      Get the fuck outa there…tomorrow.

      • MisterDarling September 20, 2014 at 6:51 pm #

        “Get the fuck outa there…tomorrow.”-kiwi.

        They are working on it, they’re just woefully behind schedule and over-budget – and that was _before_ the POTUS added that last ten-thousand ‘boots on the ground’ to the evacuation manifest.

        It’s going to be interesting to watch the mad dash at the end of the year. I expect RT and Al-Jazeera will be all over it.

        Cheers!

  109. Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 2:18 pm #

    Cheerleader heroes defy the ACLU tyrants who tried to ban prayer. In the moment of silence they said the Lord’s prayer. Out load. This is the true exercise of the First Amendment. They are the equals of William Tell or William Wallace of George Washington.

    http://clashdaily.com/2014/09/rebel-yell-cheerleaders-united-defiance-school-ban-exciting-crowd/

    • No1kiwi September 20, 2014 at 3:59 pm #

      Janos,

      I recognize your right to the free expression of your religion….

      Why can’t you recognize that others should be free of having it shoved down our throats?

      I get so tired of this religious bullshit.

      And while you’re at it, take “In God we Trust” of off my money…and get this “God” out of my Pledge of Allegiance!

      • No1kiwi September 20, 2014 at 4:44 pm #

        Furthermore….

        Obama ending his executive declaration of more war with words that the military-industrial shills have managed to turn into an obscenity: “May God bless our troops, and may God bless the United States of America” ……drives me crazy!

        Hurray! God bless more bombs, and “mission accomplished”, and a million Iraqi dead, and birth defects in Fallujah. God bless torture. God bless the CIA. God bless baby killers!

        I find myself on the edge of outrage, the edge of despair, groping for language to counter my own incredulity that the God of War is on the verge of another victory and Planet Earth and human evolution gets fucked over once again.

        • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 5:16 pm #

          George Washington said it best. Roughly: Only deeply educated men, strangely formed, can be moral without religion.

          You may or may not meet this criterion, I don’t know. You do seem strangely formed.

          More broadly, yes many of the Founder were Agnostics, Masons, or Deists. None of them was dumb or dogmatic enough to be an Atheist. But these doubters never spoke out against Christianity. They knew the people need a religion. Jefferson even published “The Jefferson Bible” – the New Testament with all the miracles taken out. Christ as a mere moral teacher. This was only for his friends. He didn’t seek a wide distribution or to change what he knew people needed. If he had a religion, it was probably Masonry.

          So? So you are wrong. People have the right to practice Christianity in the public square. That’s the Tradition of our Nation, of that region, and of that school. And no bunch of Jews and Liberals have the right to say anything about it. The girls are heroes. And if you try to oppose them, you make yourself into a zero in our eyes.

          • No1kiwi September 20, 2014 at 5:53 pm #

            Janos,

            …..And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly……. (Matthew 6:5–8)

            I think old Mathew was saying something about keeping your dam prayers to yourself!

            These girls would have not only pissed me off, but old Matthew would have opposed them as well. I dunno..maybe old Matthew was a zero.

        • alphie September 21, 2014 at 9:02 am #

          Don’t feel bad No1kiwi many Christians are self -righteous, overbearing and intolerant of anyone who doesn’t think exactly like them. Some will belittle people with labels like leftists and liberals as if you can sum up a person in one word. Some are very paranoid seeing the devil behind every rock and tree and like to herd people into groups as in “Jews”. This person is to be avoided at parties. Don’t worry Janos it’s a nonalcoholic party.

          • Janos Skorenzy September 21, 2014 at 2:34 pm #

            Don’t worry Alph, most American Christians are insane, many of them in the same way you are. Most Catholics don’t believe in Catholicism and do believe in abortion – and in worshiping minorities. Other Christians are free of this and instead wosrhip America and bizarrely enough, the people who have driven Christianity out of the public square, the same ones who crucified Christ.

    • MisterDarling September 20, 2014 at 6:53 pm #

      I’m generally in favor of Cheerleaders, Cheerleading and Cheerleaders ‘acting-up’.

      Huzzah! for them, I say.

      • Janos Skorenzy September 21, 2014 at 3:15 am #

        Get a load of old Kiwi. We Christians have been doing it all wrong for 2000 years until he set us straight. He’s not a rotten old limey, but rather a great guy!

        Seriously, his little epistle is at about the same level as Leftists trying to tell us the 2nd Amendment meant having a militia with no private gun ownership allowed. Finally after decades of this nonsense they gave up and admitted everyone knew they were lying. They weren’t sorry about lying of course but just that it didn’t work. Lying is par for the course with Liberals and Leftists.

        • alphie September 21, 2014 at 9:21 am #

          We get it Janos, you’re perfect and we’re not. Whoa is me I’m not like Janos. Thank God!

          • No1kiwi September 21, 2014 at 1:08 pm #

            alph,

            Thanks for lending a hand buddy!

            Sometimes it gets lonely fighting these Christians. And I say “Christians”, rather than just lumping all religions together, because Christians seem to be the worst with this in-your-face attitude.

            “I’ll pray for you”…grrrh, it drives me nuts!!!! Take your prayers and shove them where the sun doesn’t shine!

            This “God Bless America” drives me apoplectic!

            I see it on bumper stickers, in letters to editor in our local newspaper,at sports events,and hear it at the end of every politicians speech. My wife swears I am going to have a heart attack…..(!)

            I’m not religious, or even spiritual, but my God would certainly not be blessing perpetual war, 45million children living below the poverty level, and 30,000 homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings per year due to our crazy gun culture.

            Belittling people with labels like leftists and liberals is bad enough, but ranting that leftist lying is par for the course is absurd and beyond the pale, and adds nothing to any discourse.

          • Janos Skorenzy September 21, 2014 at 2:35 pm #

            Yes you are far from perfect. To realize one’s errors is the first step to overcoming them. So good on you Alph!

  110. pkrugman September 20, 2014 at 2:45 pm #

    No1kiwi, I agree with you that we should not be doing anything militarily in Iraq. But the ISIS manipulation of Americans’ emotions will probably achieve their goal of provoking more American boots on the ground. That is what they want. They want American taxpayers to pay for transporting American troops to Iraq and Syria, so they can kill them. It is the same thing Bin Laden did successfully which resulted in thousands of American soldiers dying.

    “These ISIS clowns will burn themselves out. It’s pretty difficult to have a long term successful Society when your only acquired skill is killing and destroying.”

    I do not agree with this. ISIS is a complex mixture of several groups, one of which is the Bathist military that George W. Bush purged… so they could find their way to ISIS.

    Turns out the ex-Bathists are able to provide education, social services, medical services, and utilities to keep the lights on. The ex-Bathists are not only skilled at killing and destroying. They are providing helpful services in whole cities in Iraq right now.

    http://ciceromagazine.com/tag/isis/

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
    • BackRowHeckler September 21, 2014 at 1:01 am #

      Hey PK, is ISIS getting enough to eat over there?

      The reason I ask is this book I’m reading ‘Twilight of Abundance’ posits the Middle East and North Africa is in serious population overshoot and most of its food is imported, a condition which is not going to last forever.

      He also says global cooling since 1998, due to a dimming sun, causing shorter growing seasons globally, is having serious implications on worldwide grain production, and these MENA nations can expect a serious dieoff from famine sooner rather than later. How is ISIS feeding an army of 30,000, and also the civilian populations under its control? Where’s the chow coming from? That land they have conquered doesn’t seem too fertile, no, not much black topsoil, and very little water. What can grow in that?

      brh

  111. Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 5:21 pm #

    So much depends upon a rusty black iron frying pan. The pan is dying – it’s very substance giving way to oxidation, the bane of so many things. Can it be cured? Can America be cured? Or will it continue to corrode, and be changed into something other than it is and was meant to be?

  112. pkrugman September 20, 2014 at 6:23 pm #

    Janos, you can fix your black iron frying pan:

    “Most commonly neglect or moisture results in what’s termed “profile rusting,” which can be seen and felt on the cookware. Thankfully, profile rusting is easily removed at home in an afternoon.”

    Here are the instructions:
    http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-restore-a-rusty-cast-iron-skillet-cleaning-lessons-from-the-kitchn-203086

    • Janos Skorenzy September 20, 2014 at 10:29 pm #

      Thanks Krugs. We try to cure beasts and machines, why not useful objects too?

  113. BackRowHeckler September 20, 2014 at 10:52 pm #

    Vlad this black frying pan metaphor of yours … what the hell are you talking about?

    • Janos Skorenzy September 21, 2014 at 3:06 am #

      I was just trying to ask some advice about my actual frying pan – but none of my friends would answer me so I made it into a metaphor so as not to waste the energy I had already put out. Then Krugman came to my aid and now it’s over with.

      Often the simplest answer is the correct one. Google Occam’s razor. This is also the way to read Whitman and many other poets: literally. Don’t grasp at the meaning, let it come to you indirectly with the flow of words and rhythm.

      • Janos Skorenzy September 21, 2014 at 3:24 am #

        In other words, the deeper or “poetic” meaning is not separate from the mundane meaning, but hidden or overlaid within it. Sometimes a frying pan is “just” a frying pan – as if a frying pan isn’t amazing in and of itself….

  114. pkrugman September 21, 2014 at 11:34 am #

    “…is ISIS getting enough to eat over there?” — BRH

    Careful, BRH. Being concerned for the well being of ISIL could get you in trouble. 🙂

    You mention population overshoot. ISIL doesn’t seem concerned.

    ISIL is pro-immigration. They are actively recruiting immigrants to their Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, using social media to gain fighters and manipulate Americans like you into a fearful kneejerk support for more boots on the ground in ISIL territory in order to kill American soldiers.

    Our soldiers should stay home where they are safe from ISIL. ISIL will not go beyond the Levant region. (hence the name)

    • No1kiwi September 21, 2014 at 1:23 pm #

      Pk,

      According to Fox New’s retired four-star Army general…….

      “The militant insurgent group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is the “most serious threat” the Middle East has had since the al-Qaida terrorists of the 9/11 era, and poses a “growing menace” to the United States, said General Jack Keane,.retired four-star Army General

      “Actually, it dwarfs what the so-called 9/11 al-Qaida used to be,” Keane told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” on Monday. “This is a growing menace to the United States. And it already is a menace to the Middle East,” the added.”

      They didn’t mention that old Jack is a strategic adviser to Blackwater, or Xe., or Academia…. Or that he currently sits on the board of directors of MetLife, General Dynamics, AlliedBarton .

    • No1kiwi September 21, 2014 at 2:40 pm #

      pk,

      I sobering post I read on another blog this morning….

      “Whether or not US soldiers are on the ground is not the issue. They have all volunteered to kill and be killed for money.The issue is that our tax dollars are being used to kill, maim, rape, and plunder people who did not volunteer for those activities”

  115. progress4what September 21, 2014 at 7:34 pm #

    “Sometimes it gets lonely fighting these Christians. And I say “Christians”, rather than just lumping all religions together, because Christians seem to be the worst with this in-your-face attitude.”
    – no 1 kiwi –

    That’s a fascinating attitude, no 1. When I first read it I almost laughed aloud thinking, “Wow, that no1kiwi needs to go to walk into a bar in Riyadh and make the same statement about the local religion, ‘muslims seem to be the worst with this in-your-face attitude.'”

    I think you’d find out there are more “persistent?” beings that proselytizing US Christians.

    Besides that, where are all to these fearsome Christians accosting you, no 1? My home is visited by the occasional Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostals, and Mormans. I always make time in my day to talk to them before offering them a polite, “I’m not interested.”
    (The Mormons are my absolute favorite from a survival perspective.)

    Not once have I had someone of any Christian faith chase me around while being “in-my-face.”
    Amazing.

    ==============================

    And I’m not seeing a whole lot of positive God-talk, on the internet, not even a whole lot of it on many of the collapse websites, such as this one. Ozone once asked me, “Why is religion relevant to peak oil?”

    My answer was that I saw religion (in this case Baptist Christianity) work as an integral part of the sustainable farming community of my grandparents when I visited in my youth. And that I know religion would work the same way in sustainable communities of the future, post-collapse.

    I’m pretty certain that Christianity and Judaism will be ready to go again, if and when today’s prosperity ends. Extreme prosperity has not been good for any organized faiths in the West.

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  116. progress4what September 21, 2014 at 7:39 pm #

    “ISIL is pro-immigration. They are actively recruiting immigrants to their Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant…” – pkrugman –

    That’s another negative about immigration, pk, one I had truly not thought of until just now.

    Thanks!

  117. progress4what September 21, 2014 at 8:02 pm #

    One piece of CFN trivia, before I quit for the week.

    That YouTube of Hetch Hetchy had 195 views when I first linked to it. It now has 203 views. Since it was posted to YouTube in 2012, chances are pretty good that the 8 new views in just two days are from CFN posters who saw my link.

  118. pkrugman September 21, 2014 at 11:18 pm #

    “ISIL is pro-immigration. They are actively recruiting immigrants to their Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant…” – pkrugman –

    “That’s another negative about immigration, pk, one I had truly not thought of until just now.” — P4W

    P4W, are you another ISIL sympathizer like BRH who is worried ISIL might not have enough to eat?

    ISIL’s pro-immigration stance will destroy ISIL… and you think that is negative?

    Thousands are immigrating, streaming to ISIL to join the ranks and fight with ISIL. How will all those people be fed, asks a concerned BRH?

    I am saying ISIL is pro-immigration and that is a good thing because it will destroy ISIL… but you think that is a negative?

    Get your story straight, Georgia boy. Do you or do you not want ISIL to collapse? If you do, then you had better be pro-immigration as that is the route to ISIL’s destruction… which is not a negative.

    Immigration is not a negative when it destroys your enemies. Immigration is only a negative when it threatens your racist selfish white privilege here in the homeland.

    But it is too late, you know. This USA is changing and thriving and becoming more and more multicultural, multiracial, and full of Mexicans, Muslims, and immigrants from all over the world. Millions and millions and millions and many more to come.

    It is now my America, an America which I love, an America which apparently has left most of you old white guys full of resentment and nostalgia for yesteryear when it was your America. Those days are not coming back… not ever coming back.

    You can accept America as it is, or you can buy your multiple years’ worth of emergency rations and go underground where you belong… with you weapons and your bible and your little family tribe, a tribe full of military men, sucking off the teat of the United States government, receiving their checks from the United States government, all the while bitching about the United States government.

    What a bunch of hypocrites. Black man in the White House and y’all think the country has gone to hell. It would be funny if it weren’t so pathetically hypocritical.

    And now, wait for it… the gnashing of teeth and the accusations that P. K. Rugman is a hater… because I simply describe what it happening and I am happy about the changes… change I can believe in.

    I voted for Obama twice and do not regret my votes. I love my President. Me and mine are in the majority. Demographics and immigration trends are in favor of my America, not yours. It does not make me a hater to appreciate the trends and love the multicultural America that y’all criticize every week.

    Yeah, I know. Moral platitudes. OK, I have morality. I admit it. I embrace ALL races and cultures, including the waning white culture, so I am allowed to utter platitudes.

  119. pkrugman September 21, 2014 at 11:53 pm #

    Speaking of the Era of Bad Feeling, Russia must be feeling bad right now. The world’s largest oil company, Exxon, is not going to be helping Russia get its oil because of Obama’s sanctions. Obama has Putin by the balls. It is going to be a cold winter indeed.

    “U.S. sanctions against Russia over its involvement in the Ukraine require the removal of U.S. workers on projects in the Russian Arctic and other select locations by September 26.”

    • nsa September 21, 2014 at 11:55 pm #

      Why don’t you just blow your dusk queen hero and lick her clean…..

  120. pkrugman September 22, 2014 at 2:20 am #

    I would call today’s climate march in NYC a success since it cost the oil companies millions of dollars.

    “The family whose legendary wealth flowed from Standard Oil is planning to announce on Monday that its $860 million philanthropic organization, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, is joining the divestment movement that began a couple years ago on college campuses.

    The announcement, timed to precede Tuesday’s opening of the United Nations climate change summit meeting in New York City, is part of a broader and accelerating initiative.”

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  121. progress4what September 22, 2014 at 9:06 am #

    “ISIL’s pro-immigration stance will destroy ISIL… and you think that is negative?” – pkrugman –

    You’re really twisting in the wind these days, pk. The desperation is visible in you.

    So let’s paraphrase your lines:

    “The Federal Government’s pro-immigration stance will destroy the United States – and you think that is a positive!” – pk real meaning –

    The rest of your diatribe alternates between moral platitude and hate for present-day US society – to which you are beginning to admit.

    And multi-culturalism is a lie, by the way. New York City, to pick the most obvious example – LOOKS multi-cultural, until you examine living patterns and demographics. At the street level, large sections of New York are as segregated by race as the worst immigrant barrio in small town Arizona. I’ll find you a map, if you’re interested.

  122. progress4what September 22, 2014 at 9:19 am #

    http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/index.html

    Here you go. Look at any city in the US to see ‘multi-culturalism” in all of its self-segregated glory.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. » Lifting The Fog Of Pretense - September 15, 2014

    […] Submitted by James H Kunstler via Kunstler.com, […]

  2. Lifting The Fog Of Pretense | DailyDeceit - September 15, 2014

    […] Submitted by James H Kunstler via Kunstler.com, […]

  3. Today’s News September 15, 2014 | The One Hundredth Monkey - September 15, 2014

    […] Submitted by James H Kunstler via Kunstler.com, […]

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  4. Lifting The Fog Of Pretense - Techhic - September 15, 2014

    […] Submitted by James H Kunstler via Kunstler.com, […]

  5. Mendocino County Today: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 | Anderson Valley Advertiser - September 16, 2014

    […] by James Kunstler […]

  6. Roger Baker : America: You’ve got three more years to drive normally!, Part 2 | The Rag Blog - October 1, 2014

    […] driving anxiety is quite likely by then. It could be less than three years; James Howard Kunstler gives us two years for reasons similar to […]

  7. Roger Baker : America: You’ve got three more years to drive normally!, Part 2 | The Rag Blog | Olduvaiblog - October 3, 2014

    […] driving anxiety is quite likely by then. It could be less than three years; James Howard Kunstler gives us two yearsfor reasons similar to […]

  8. America: You’ve got three more years to drive normally! – Part 2 | Damn the Matrix - October 5, 2014

    […] driving anxiety is quite likely by then. It could be less than three years; James Howard Kunstler gives us two years for reasons similar to mine. Wait until they discover that the shale oil producers have never […]

    Support this blog on PatreonSupport this blog on Substack
    Support this blog via Patreon or Substack
  9. Poetic Ammo Father Mp3 – Hunt Sodak - December 15, 2017

    […] The Era of Bad Feeling – Kunstler – James Howard Kunstler is the author of many books including (non-fiction) The Geography of Nowhere, The City in Mind: Notes on. […]