Can We Still Save America?

Today we're faced with a whole litany of troubles. It seems that we just jump from crisis to crisis every day. Sometimes it feels like its hour to hour! Many of us have all but stopped listening to the media's "Crisis du Jure", which attempts to tell us who to hate today and what causes or issues we should be for or against. We just can't take another minute of this negativity anymore. So, what do we do?

They whip our passions using fake patriotism, images of charred houses, and the ubiquitous impoverished children and heartbroken women. We turn to distractions like our "smartphones", video games, brain dead television programs which conditions us when to clap or laugh thanks to their programmed laugh tracks.

We even focus on sports to the point of obsession. Our discussions often become so intense you'd think we had a financial stake in the outcome. Why? Because we know that ultimately the outcome of some game doesn't really affect us. Our attention has carefully been turned away from the issues which truly matter such as rising prices, the declining value of our hard earned dollars or the loss of any benefits  we may happened to have had.

We work longer and harder and earn  less. Did you know that today's average worker's income, after adjusted for inflation,  has the same buying power as it did in 1979? Prices haven't remained the same, and hence finding households where both adults work, and some are holding down two or three jobs!

In fact, we now bring home less than our parents or even grandparents did in the 1970's! When adjusted for inflation, worker wages have only increased 15%. At the same time, the income of CEOs and their ilk have increased 1,209 % since 1979.At the same time taxes and prices continue to rise and yet multi-billion dollars conglomerates pay little or nothing. Do you think that's right?

Divisions among class, race, religion, and ethnic group are worse now than they have in decades. As long as we're divided and fighting among ourselves, it's so much easier to control us while they are free to pull the strings. After all, as long as we're fighting each other, the ruling elite can do as they please. Face it,  those with the real power are playing our manufactured fears like a fiddle from Hell. 

The mainstream media publishes or slants the stories the ruling class wants us to hear. Propaganda is all about perception. Wars, for instance, are usually framed in such colorful phrases  such as "freedom", "democracy", "free enterprise", "obligation " and "duty". They try to  connect our revolutionary war to whatever cause their pushing in order to create a link. It's almost always accompanied by imagery intended to play on our emotions and patriotism. But just how sincere is their message?

More often than not, the answer is it isn't.  Everything always comes down to economics. It's often about forcing a sovereign nation to open its markets to U.S. and Western corporations under the not so subtle veil of a U.S. military invasion.  If it weren't, then why do we prop up undemocratic autocracies like Kuwait or Saudi Arabia just as we did for South Vietnam, Iran, Cuba, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Nicaragua or Panama. Iraq and Nicaragua were praised as allies until they stopped following directions.

Take for instance Iraq. Saddam Hussein (who we helped into power) invaded Kuwait, a key provider of oil and gas. That triggered a rise in prices. So, after a propaganda campaign to manufacture consent by the American People, we were fed a bunch of BS about  promised democratic reforms by the Kuwaiti monarchy such as allowing women to vote and sharing power. You know what happened after we "liberated" Kuwait? Nothing.

Most of these were the result of coups following democratic elections in which we didn't like the outcome.  In their place, we installed ultra conservative military juntas who opposed anything democratic! However, invasion isn't always or even mostly the end result.

In the majority of cases good old bribery and kickbacks do the trick in the form of economic aid. Of course, this works both ways such political donations to various foundations, insider tips on stocks or seats on boards of directors, or being hired as a "consultant".  It's called "pay to play" and the typical American doesn't have the cash to feed the pot.

We talk about being the land of opportunity, yet so many family farms and "mom and pop" businesses are forced to close because of big box stores. Did you know that only 4 companies control 65% of the food market or that other four control 95% of the world's fertilizer and seeds? That represents 65% of the global food supply. Nationally only 5 banks dominate the U.S. financial market---Chase Bank, Bank of America, U.S. Bankcorp, Wells Fargo, and Citibank. 

Just six corporations dominate the pharmaceutical industry and can virtually dictate the price of medication (as an aside, several medical industry research studies have been published which show that 70% of the price increases of prescription medication are not supported by medical research or demand). Shareholders of "Big Pharma" stock saw a 400% increase in payouts from 2000 to 2018.  Government regulations attempt to regulate our ability to cultivate our own gardens or collect rainwater. It's all about dependence.

While the largest producers of oil and gas are Russia and OPEC, the U.S. is a strong contender, yet, when we talk about those companies with control over the spigot, 10 companies overwhelming dominate the market. Together they represent roughly 90% of oil and gas market.

Any new green technology is quickly bought up or "boo hooed" as unpractical  and back up using paid for research papers. That doesn't mean there aren't windmill farms and the like, but there are too few to make much of a difference. They use their influence to divert federal aid from projects that would improve mileage or lower energy costs.  

We now have five corporations controlling 96+% of our media from print and digital to radio and TV. They are behind the shows we watch nightly, the movies we see, the games we play, and even our access to the internet. Just five technology companies dominate 33% of the global technology market, and so the story goes.

Many of these conglomerates have more money than some countries. When comparing economies of size, Apple's revenue is larger than the individual economies of Italy, Canada, Brazil, Russia, Australia, Spain, and others. Microsoft is financially bigger than nine countries including Russia, South Korea, and Mexico. The same goes for Amazon, Facebook, and Saudi Aramco. Only seven nations still has economies larger than these corporations --- U.S., China,  India, and the UK, but that doesn't mean their governments are in control.  

Is it any wonder then that America has undergone a silent coup in slow motion and become a corporatocracy? It was done in such a way that most Americans never even noticed.  And the best part about this silent slow motion coup is that there are those who still denied it ever happened. That's when you know your coup was successful.

The "Republic" is held up as mask to pacify the naive. Our new "America, Inc" is managed by a handful of these meg-rich individuals --- aka "Oligarchs" (or plutocrats if you prefer).  They serve the interest of Wall Street, not Main Street America. Both political parties are quite literally bought and paid for. Consider the "Citizens United" blunder for instance.

Corporations are nothing more than legal fictions. But under Citizens United, they don't have just the same rights as you and I do (an absurdity in itself), but more. How so? Because money is now defined as "free speech" and  you can bet that they have far than we do. Secondly, these "fictional persons" can donate basically whatever they feel like to a issue, party or individual.

Ordinary citizens are capped at an insignificant  $1000 in donations per election cycle. Compare that to Bloomberg Lp which donated just under $93 million to Joe Biden in 2020. The Las Vegas Sands gambled $45 million on Trump . Congressional Leadership PACS (basically "slush funds") received a total of $40.5 million dollars from Big Business, with most of that going to the Republican Party. But what about unions?

The power of organized labor has been broken since the 1960's. Once, they were protected workers and were actively involved in social issues. Nowadays, they are more interested in keeping workers on production lines rather than picket lines. When it comes to donations, corporations give nearly ten dollars for every dollar unions give.

Look at illegal immigration. This has been a national security crisis since the 1980's. That's over 40 years ago. If government really wanted to resolve the issue you'd think four decades would be ample  time. The truth is that they never had any real intentions to resolve the problem. The influx dilutes the workforce, thus driving down wages and benefits (and in some cases, eliminating them altogether). 

It makes employees more concerned about keeping a job than improving their working conditions.  What the ruling class wants is a workforce just smart enough to keep their heads down, do their job, and don't ask questions, which happens to be exactly what public education has participated in creating--- a dumbed down workforce of economic serfs. An unengaged citizenry allows those in power the freedom to do as they please without interference.

Writing legislation has become increasing a corporate lobbyist function rather than that of Congress while using their large staffs to reviewing proposed bills and make recommendations to the House or Senate member on how to vote on any given issue. That frees up the elected representative to spend more time raising money for party leadership.

These corporate lobbyist are also known to provide first rate perks, grease palms, and most importantly, underwrite their elections and provide opponent research.  No wonder members of Congress  have a 98% reelection rate despite having an approval rating of 13% (in November 2013 it was 9%). Think about those numbers for a moment. These are Soviet Era rates! This is what you'd expect in the old Soviet Politburo, China's National People's Congress, or North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly.  They are the percentages of failed democracy.

It's obvious therefore why there's no shortage of willing takers! Why else would already wealthy individuals spend millions for a job that pays just $174,000 or less than what an medium size company president makes? A sense of civic duty? Noblesse oblige?  As the expression goes, the winners write the history...and the game rules. So, in case you're keeping score,  the American People aren't winning. Is there anything we can do to save any part of our remaining Republic?

Well, the answer is a qualified "yes", but there's very little time remaining in the hourglass of our once great nation. Key is that we have to stop bitching and actually do something. We need to stop voting for the "lesser of two evils". Evil is evil. We need to break up the political duopoly. We need to think and vote outside the box. 

While we may be too late to save the federal government, we should focus our efforts on local and state elections. We need to support third parties and Independent candidates in any way we can. We need to force state legislatures to permit citizen initiatives (if you already have one, count yourself lucky). We need to press for term limits, changes in our campaign financial requirements, adding third party and Independent representative to local boards of election.

We need to eliminate partisan offices on non-policy making offices such as county clerk or attorney, the offices of Secretary of State, Agriculture, or Treasure. Newly elected officials should be required to resign from whatever party they belong to and take an oath to represent everyone in the district, not just fellow partisans.

We must build stronger local communities and demand more from our boards of education, police department, as well as reforming our taxing authorizes. No rate or taxes increases without voter approval. While these are just a handful of changes we can make, to set back and do nothing is not an option any more. You don't have to do all of them. Pick one. Get involved. Be the change we must have. It's time to come home to our roots.

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Open Secrets: Top Contributors to JoeBiden, 2020 Cycle

Open Secrets: Top Contributors to DonaldTrump, 2020 Cycle

The World's Tech Giants, Compared to the Size of Economies

The Top 10 Oil Companies in the World

Who Controls The World's Food Supply?

For most U.S. worker, real wages havebarely budged in decades

CEO pay slightly declined in 2022

Who owns the world's largest pharmaceutical companies? 

Who are the Players in the Pharmaceutical Industry (Big Pharma)?

Calling It As It Is: The State of American Politics

Let's just come out and say what we all intuitively know. America is going to hell in a handbasket on roller skates down a greased hill. America has been engaged in a race to the bottom for decades now. The Democrats and the Republics still pretend they're in charge and know what they're doing, but the fact is that they don't have a clue.

The media is not about reporting the facts. It's about entertainment. It's owned by a mere five corporations whose job it is to perpetuate the myth of "fairness" and "balance". It's a farce and we all know it and for some reason we play along.

Our "Republic" is an illusion. We don't have a "Republic" any longer. It's all smoke and broken mirrors. America's great experiment in a constitutional democracy long ago succumbed to the power of money. Just like Ancient Rome which subtly slipped from a representative Republic to a militaristic empire led by an emperor and corrupt senate, America now hides behind a similar facade.

Thanks to partisan gerrymandering, unlimited terms, a "winner-take-all" political system, and Citizens United, politicians are openly and legally bought and sold. Both parties are mere extensions of the  corporate factions which own them. Their lobbyists write the bills that our pretended "representatives" are suppose to do.

They've turned the political system into a vote for the lesser of two evils, which is still not just a vote for evil, but also corrupted the election system to keep out third parties and Independents, who are the nation's largest political bloc.  No wonder the U.S. placed 30th out of 35 of the OECD nations in voter turnout (OECD is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development which is the world's leading economically developed countries).

America is a neo-fascist Corporatocracy, and like any good corporation, it has a board of directors who are beholden to no one but themselves. It seeks to control through manipulation by the media and manufactured crisis's to keep us confused and frustrated. It's all about control. Be it control of assets, resources, or you and me. They use intimidation to get what they want, be it an individual, a business, or a country. They will use any means at their disposal, often leaving chaos or carnage in their wake. 

When someone comes along and attempts to lift the veil and display the mechanisms of power, they swiftly shut them down using various strategies ranging from "shadow blocking" or "disappearing" them from social media, financially ruining them, discrediting them through innuendos and outright lies to character assignations (such as Trump or the January 6th protests) and even the real thing (ie: a "Jeffery Epstein suicide"). They play for keeps. You and I and our opinions mean absolutely nothing. 

With election season fast approaching, we can expect to hear the same pollster generated and test group approved speeches about how they're going to "stand up" to the status quo or change this and that. With the average American shelling out an average of $3500 more than last year (thanks to inflation) while big corporations are making record profits, these Beltway elites roll up their sleeves, take off their $1000 suit coats, loosen their hundred dollar ties, don blue jean and sneakers or cowboy boots and pretend their "one of the people". We know better. They're not fooling anybody. We are a necessary inconvenience they have to tolerate every two or four or six years. 

A recent Rasmussen poll showed that 3/4 of Americans are unhappy with the direction this country is going.  That's 3 out of every 4 voters. President Biden is viewed a doddering old man totally out of touch with reality. His approval ratings have ranged from the upper twenty percent range to the low thirty's.

To put it another way, 70%+ of Americans, regardless of registration, disapproval of his handling of issues. At his lowest, Trump still polled higher.  On the world stage, opinion of Biden ranges from pity and embarrassment to contempt and fool. Respect, however,  doesn't comes up much.  

Incidentally, the highest approval rating for America's direction was in 1999 with 71% under Bill Clinton and our lowest was 7% in 2008 during the world financial crisis and U.S. recession under George W. Bush's tenure.

Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris doesn't fare any better. In fact, she's viewed as among one of the worse VP's in recent history with a 52% disapproval rating according to a RealClearPolitics' poll. To make matters worse, at least for Democrats, is the fact that with Biden's decreasing cognitive facilities, is the prospect that Kamala could be a lame duck replacement should Biden be forced to resign!

Could you imagine? A Trump redux in 2024 is looking like a good distraction strategy, which may be the reason the corporate media is still trying to keep him in the public eye in order to take the public's mind off the current disaster unfolding in front of them.

As an aside, the above Rasmussen poll also showed that 54% of voters though Kamala Harris was unqualified to be Vice President.  45% of those didn't think she was qualified for high office at all! Additionally, the poll showed a 57% disapproval of Ms. Harris in general, with 47% strongly disliking her.  Among the Harris "hold-their-nose" respondents, 79% were (unsurprisingly) Republican. 17% were Democrat, and 49% were Independent.

Congress, regardless of corporate party ownership, isn't doing any better. Recent numbers show an 18% approval rating (some polls show 20%). Either way, that means roughly 80% of Americans think Congress sucks! Wanna know what's even funnier (a sick twisted sort of way)? Last year, Congress was all giddy when they had a 20 year high approval rating of 36%! That still means that the majority of the nation thinks they're idiots and they're happy about it!

Our opinions of most institutions aren't much better. According to a February 22 Pew Report, just 29% of Americans feel good about doctors and the medical industry while 78% still have a fair amount of confidence. The same holds true for scientists. When it comes to the military, it's not much different. 25% have a moderate amount of confidence while 74% trust the military.

With all the high profile shootings over the past few years along with the "peaceful" Breonna Taylor and George Floyd riots, police officers garnered a 31% "no confidence" rating.  That still leaves a fairly high amount of trust rating. Of course, that figure will vary greatly from place to place.

When it comes to religion, it looks like most don't have a prayer. 45% have no faith in them at all. However, 55% still have at least some confidence in "those of the cloth".  When it comes to school principals, 35% didn't make the grade. 55% got a passed.

In a unrelated Gallup Poll, only 36% of adults had any confidence in the education system in general, which means an overwhelming 64% have little or no trust in our education system. But the "good" news is that the 36% is up from a low of 30% in 2016, which is the highest in eight years.

When it comes to the media, 60% of those surveyed placed no trust in the media regardless of format (including newspapers and television). A pathetic 6% still believed what they were told with the balance having little faith in the media (excluding this blog of course) while the balance was on the fence.  

As for business leaders in general, it wasn't any better.  Only 4% said they had any trust in business (which includes Wall Street) while a whopping 60%  had no confidence in our current business leadership (and presumably our current business model) while the rest express some trust.

As for politicians, only 24% had any faith in them at all. Of that, a sad 2% had a lot of faith in them (I wonder if they were related to someone in office?) while a gobsmacked 76% said no way no how. When it came to wealth inequality, a Hill-HarrisX poll showed that a clear majority of Americans---56%---thought that wealth inequality was a serious problem facing the country.

The poll, which was broken down by political registration, indicated that 77% of Democrats wanted to impose higher taxes on the wealthy while just 35% of Republicans did. America's largest voting bloc, Independents, disagreed with 55% in favor of raising taxes on those who could afford it the most.

As an aside, 3 in 5 voters also favor raising taxes on Big Business and Wall Street, which is some badly needed positive news for Biden's infrastructure plan  (I'm sure the corporate lobbyists who write the bills will be sure to find a way to exempt themselves and their paymasters).

So, where does that leave us? Obviously, we're in deep kimchi as a nation. Economically, we're in decline with China on the cusp of becoming the world's biggest economy with countries like India and Brazil not that far behind. Politically, our influence globally isn't worth much (especially after our 20 year failure in Iraq and Afghanistan), while, like Rome in its Late Republic Period, we still have a powerful but exhausted military. The days of our self-appointed world's policeman and moral arbitrator are over.

Internally, we have some very major issues, and sadly for our allies like Japan, South Korea, and the EU, as well as those dependent on U.S. aid to keep their economies afloat, it's time for us to turn inward if we're to survive as a nation.  

We have an open border to our south which is being flooded by illegal immigrants; most of whom not equipped for a life in America. They don't speak the language. They lack a proper education or job skills, and come with no means to support themselves, leaving grossly overtaxed working class Americans to again foot the bill.

Crime is not only a exponentially growing problem, but our judicial system is in desperate need of reform along with our correctional system. Our infrastructure is crumbling under our feet and tires. Our public transportation system is literally a joke around the world. We're not just years behind most countries, we are decades behind! Our healthcare system is 27th in the world and we're the only developed nation whose life expectancy  is actually declining along with quality of life.

When it comes to education, we don't even make it into the top tier (we typically rank at the bottom of the second tier). Too much emphasis is placed on getting a college education (and with it massive debt), especially for those with unmarketable degrees or with majors like "Women's Studies"  or "African Studies".  Where are the trade schools? We desperately need people proficient in carpentry, machine shop, welding, plumbing, HVAC, auto body, etc. Trade degrees are fast, low cost and high paying.  

Lastly, our entire political system is on life support and history has its cold hand on the plug. Our elections are an illusion. Instead of the U.S. sending monitors to third world country to monitor the validity of elections, monitors are coming here from other countries!

Freedom of speech and expression are in serious trouble. Tolerance of opinion is virtually nonexistent. We talk about "canceling" people who disagree with us.  Social media platforms "fact check" (code for censor) and shadow block us  in order to stifle public discourse.

Corporations literally own and control the political system thanks to judicial mistakes like Citizens United. Political parties pick their voters through gerrymandering instead of us picking our representatives. Third parties and Independents are frozen out of elections through unfair and illegal election laws. Wage inequality and an unfair tax code are eating away at our core.

Unlimited terms ensure virtual lifelong terms, which are often passed down like some royal appointment. How can we have a 98% reelection rate of incumbents with perpetual 80% disapproval rating?  Our "winner-take-all" system ensures that only one segment has a voice. The question is not how much more can we take, but how much longer we will take it?

 

If you want to know more, please take a look at the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read A/O. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you!

 

Gallup Poll: Three-Quarters of Americans Dissatisfied With Country's Direction

What does America think of Kamala Harris?

Last Trump Job Approval Rating 34%; Average Is Record-Low41%

Biden's job approval falls to lowest level of his presidency amid war and inflation fears

Congressional Approval Sinks to 18% as Democrats SourFurther

 

Confidence in Public Schools Rallies

Americans Trust in Scientists, Other Groups Declines

Poll: 56 percent say wealth tax is part of  solution to inequality

  

The Slap Heard Around the World

The slap heard around the world. No, I'm not talking about that sissy slap Will Smith meekly threw at comedian and presenter, Chris Rock, at the Oscars. I'm talking about the verbal slap President Biden threw at Russian president Vladimir Putin while visiting Poland. Biden referred to the Russian president as a "butcher".

The head of state of every nation is expected to act with a certain amount of decorum when speaking to or about any other leader, especially one in which they are not at war with, and particularly when they are trying to bring hostilities between two warring factions to an end.

Referring to Putin as a "butcher" is not going to make him take heed to anything else Biden says, whether it's about peace or not. In fact, the only reason to call names like that is if you're actually trying to provoke a fight, which some think Biden is. What's more is that President Biden had previously referred to Putin as a "war criminal".

Whether or not Putin is a "war criminal" is not up to Biden. It's a charge that only the International Court of Justice ("World Court") at The Hague can determine. Secondly, Biden's comment  completely dismisses Putin's reasons for the invasion, which for those not paying attention, was entirely about national security and NATO's disruption of the region would bring should the Ukraine be admitted into the NATO and be permitted to station troops, tanks, aircraft. Most of all, the missiles which would be placed on Russia's border or pointed at point blank range towards Russia's largest naval base in Sebastopol.  All this begs the question, what's going on here?

A few weeks ago, President Biden mentioned at a meeting of the U.S. Business Roundtable that a "New World Order" was inevitable, and added that the U.S. "must" lead it. As we explained in a earlier article, a New World Order is all about creating a single global economic system with the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency, meaning that all global trade would use the dollar as the preferred currency.

This increases the value of the dollar on the world market and strengthens the U.S. economy. However, it also weakens the Euro, the Russian ruble or the Chinese yuan, which devalues the U.S. debt (the U.S. is world's top debtor nation). It would also control the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, meaning that the U.S. would be central power player when it comes to loans to various governments.

The New World Order also creates a single world legal system, which includes trade agreements. It would require nations to subjugate their national authority to this supranational agency, which would be under the auspices of the United Nations. Naturally, the U.S. would be the dominant power leading this arrangement if Biden has his way.

Some would say that's totally fair. After all, the U.S. is the primary guarantor of money loaned to the IMF or World Bank. It's also the nation most responsible for keeping the UN afloat. In 2020, the U.S. alone gave the United Nations 22% of its entire budget. China was second with just 12% while Japan donated 8.5%. The way the New World Order is presently configured, other nations like China, Russia, or the EU, would be regulated to second tier status on financial matters.

However, not everyone is willing to play along. Some nations, while willing seeking economic trade, don't want to go along with these rules. They don't want to subjugate their national sovereignty to any other country or supranational organization. It's worth noting that those nations just so happen to be on our economic "hit list" and often labeled as "enemies of democracy". We're talking nations like Iran, China, Venezuela, and Russia.

Let's take China for instance. It is the second largest holder of U.S. debt behind Japan (and it's worth noting, that China is Japan's largest creditor). It doesn't want to subjugate its currency to the dollar. In fact, it's quite happy with the present economic system. Why? Because it's winning.

The U.S. is declining as a world superpower. China is poised to surpass the U.S. as the world's largest economy by the end of this decade. Its infrastructure is continuing to grow (albeit at a pace some economists say it can't sustain), and massively updated its military. It's done this through a system of controlled capitalism in which the State maintains a sustainable interest in each business. It oversees any international agreements to ensure that they meet China's long term goals.

Nevertheless, it is acquiring control over resources throughout the world. It has been hyper-aggressive in its intrusion into fishing waters claimed by India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines. It has warned these and other nations (including the U.S.) to stay out of the South China Seas.

China has not only reiterated its claim to the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which had been Japanese since 1895, but also territory on the Chinese/Indian border around Tibet. China has even gone to the extent of actually building islands in the South China Sea which appear to serve as military fortifications or listening sites.

In terms of international resources, Chinese corporations are aggressively expanding nearly everywhere. However, it's in Africa and South America that its interests are particularly focused. China depends on imports for over half of its key mineral needs such as gold, silver, zinc, copper, and more exotic minerals like germanium and rhenium. The trouble is that the U.S. as well as some other countries, need these same minerals too. Control of these minerals control innovation, which in effect controls economies.

The U.S., while mineral rich, still must import about 24 key minerals to meet its needs. Of these, we are in competition with China for 11 of these. In addition, China is a primary importer of 9 out of 13 minerals, which include cobalt, indium, bismuth, and 17 rare earth elements ("REE"); all of which are important in the manufacturing of batteries, computer chips, automobiles, and electronics. China is also going after timber, farm land, and fresh water, which is becoming increasingly more scarce.

As competition grows, so also grows the need for military might to protect the production and shipment of these products. The military has become key to the acquisition of these and other resources like oil and gas ("might makes right"). Closer at home, while we continue to pick up the lion's share of the costs to keep the UN going, China has been focused on acquiring control of key UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  

China has been actively pursuing control of groups like the World Health Organization (which has been aggressively investigating the origin of the Covid-19 virus), the World Bank, the IMF, UN's Higher Commission on Human Rights, and the World Intellectual Property Organization. It is also attempting to expand its influence into Interpol. China now controls four of the 15 most important agencies within the UN, whereas no other country controls more than one. 

Although China and Russia have been "frenemies" , China is not likely to let Russia sink under all the massive sanctions imposed on it by the U.S. and EU. However, it will not try to alienate the West either. For the moment, that's where its economic bread and butter lies.

Both countries have echoed each other's claims of secret U.S. intervention around the world aimed at reducing Russian or Chinese influence. One of Putin's original claims was that the U.S. was behind the 2013 "Maidan Uprising" in the Ukraine which coincidentally removed a pro-Moscow government and replaced it with the current pro-West and pro-NATO Zelenskiy government.

Russia has expressed its opposition  to a "New World Order" government since the collapse of the Warsaw Pact in 1989, a reiterated again in 1991 with the implosion of the Soviet Union. In 1989, the Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev sought assurances from Western leaders not to expand NATO into former Warsaw Pact nations. 

Gorbachev was seeking to rebuild the trust broken in 1946, following the end of WWII, and find ways to reintegrate Russia into Europe, even applying to become a member of the EU and NATO, which included accepting that, at least for the time being, there would be one global superpower (Russia joined the "Partnership for Peace" in 1991).

Although Gorbachev was promised by President Bush that NATO wouldn't advance "one centimeter", by 1991, all of the Eastern Europe was a member of the EU and NATO. Russia has fought the advancement of a "New World Order" ever since.

Fyodor Lukyanov, one of Putin's foreign policy advisers, has stated that this "unipolarity" of a single world superpower gave the United States an rare historic opportunity to remake the world in its image; an opportunity it squandered. Today, according to Lukyanov, the world must become "multipolar", with multiple spheres of influence. 

He makes the point that rather than trying to create a world modeled on American styled democracy, that nations and their cultures be allowed to develop in their own way, whether its democratic, theocratic, or whatever.  The U.S. notion that "one size fits all" has failed just as surely as Soviet style Communism.

Others in Putin's circle argue that Russia should stop trying to integrate into West and, instead, focus on being a hybrid between East and West, while, as was pointed, China increasingly views itself a merger between communism modeled on Stalin and Mao plus Confucianism which made the collective  stronger than the individual.  Reminds me of the Borg.

President Biden's name calling will solve nothing. His verbal slapping of Putin will have no positive impact on the crisis in the Ukraine, nor will it help the Ukrainian people. It does, however, make him look like an outdated old fool. The war in Ukraine may prove to be mistake. It certainly hasn't gone as Putin's advisers had planned. But it does demonstrate Putin's frustration over his nation's security and the attempt by the U.S. led West to impose its stamp on the world...and Russia. America's time in the sun is coming to end as it has with all great empires before.  

However, Russia and China are governed by autocrats while America, and by extension the West, is ruled by its own Oligarchs who have transformed the U.S. from a constitutional Republic into a growing neo-fascist Corporatocracy.  None of this bodes well for the masses. The ordinary people of the world, who made the riches of the Oligarchs possible, must ensure than any change serves our interests first.

The future will not be dominated by one or even two or three superpowers. The world will once again splinter into perhaps many "points of light" to borrow from President G.W. Bush, and with it, we will see a reordering of alliances---political, economic, and military--- as well as ethnic, racial, and religious, which will hopefully bring humanity closer, but that will only happen if everyone has a seat at the table.

If you want to know more, please take a look at the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read A/O. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation.  

 

 

China, United States, and competition for resources thatenable emerging technologies

 

Russia's and China's plans for a new world order

China Doesn't Want a New World Order. It Wants This One

Rare earth element facts

'Creeping Capture' : How China is trying to 'control' global bodies like UN, WHO

A Pale Horse

I loathe to write this. Somehow the act of doing so seems to bring this specter a reality that I so desire to deny it. I am reminded of tales of which I've read about the Black Death which took place in 14th Century Europe whereby individuals infected with the virus would sew themselves into their death shrouds and simply wait. The plague killed almost a 1/3 of the entire population. Modern DNA studies indicate that the plague originated in Central Asia and was introduced into Europe by merchant ships traveling from the Middle East who unknowingly brought with them infected rats. In some ways, that same introduction remains the same. Ebola, the specter I am referring to, has been introduced into the world by air commerce from West Africa, where it had been previously contained. Up until a few months ago, the US was fairly insulated from this modern plague by restricted air travel, however, Obama permitted its introduction. As of this writing, there is no central command structure in place to oversee the containment or the treatment of this killer.

These individuals were faith based volunteers who knowingly assumed the risk by entering the infected region to treat other individuals when they themselves became infected. Rather than treat them there by transferring the necessary medicines and equipment (which could have also treated those living in the infected areas), Obama agreed to bring those aid workers here, and in doing so, has now indirectly caused the possible infections (and certainly the quarantines) of dozens of others against prevailing medical wisdom and national security considerations. Bearing in mind that the fatality rate is approximated 50%, potentially no one is safe. Any infections or deaths in the US as a result can be laid squarely at the feet of President Obama. As present, treatment is in the hands of each state, with the Atlanta Center for Disease Control in Georgia acting as sort of the standard bearer (while Texas, at this point, is being held up nationally as the "bad example" of what not to do). Meanwhile, the National Center for Disease Control (CDC) merely acts in an advisory role; providing specialist on a "as needed" and if requested basis. This is potentially a global crisis; certainly a potential national one. There needs to be a central command with centralized procedures established. Perhaps Obama's heart was in the right place, his head wasn't and it's from there that a president, or any leader of a country must ultimately govern.

Obama will certainly will go down in history as a standout president, and by standout I mean one of the one dimensional cardboard standouts you see in malls and movie theaters. He has been a failure in everything he's done. His only success, if you want to call it that, has been pretending to what he is not. He received a Nobel Peace Prize for accomplishing absolutely nothing, but pretending to offer absolutely everything. I don't know if this more indicative of the phoniness of the criteria or to fact that he should have received the Golden Globe Award instead for best portrayal of the American President (which, by the way, Michael Douglas should have won in the movie by the same name).

Perhaps he isn't to be blamed. He is surrounded by countless sycophants like actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who recently gushed all over him at a political fundraiser like some witless weak kneed fool , and doubtlessly made many regret attending (and for those struggling with the term "sycophant", think of it as cross between a groupie and a kiss-up). He is proof that just because one is able to do something, that one needn't but thanks to the power of advertising and its ability to manipulate people, in this case voters, into thinking, amid the glitz and stage management, that weaknesses is strength and empty rhetoric and catch phrases can pass for knowledge or experience, we drank the Kool-Aide. But, let us move from the blame to the cause and see where this errant of Death has travelled thus far.

History/Origins

The origins of the Ebola Virus appears to be from the common fruit bat. Somehow the fruit bat has been able to act as the carrier or

"reservoir" of the virus without itself becoming infected. Animals and ultimately people became infected through direct and possibly indirect contact with the fruit bat. The first known cases of the infection was in Nzara in the South Sudan (incidentally , dead fruit bats with the virus were found nearby at a burnout cotton factory where they lived). 284 people became infected with the virus, of which 151 died. Since then, the virus has spread to the Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), near the Ebola River from whence the deadly virus takes its name (as an aside, it was in the same region that HIV--Aids--began to make its presence felt starting in the late 1970's/early 1980's). Since 2000, there has been approximately 3 or 4 major outbreaks in Uganda and the Congo Republic, resulting in the infection of around 1000 people, of which most have died. Since then, the virus has rapidly spread from Central Africa to the West African nations of Guinea, Sierre Leone, and most notably, Liberia. To date, there has been in the neighborhood of 8376 reported cases, or which just under half, or 4024, have died including 214 healthcare workers.

The virus is listed as a Biosafety Level 4 pathogen, the highest and most dangerous level as ranked by the CDC, and is spread by and through bodily fluids of all types including salvia, blood, semen, feces, sweating, or even sneezing. Contamination takes place when some of the fluids enter a potential host through cuts, scraps, the eyes, nose, mouth, sexual contact, and so forth. Symptoms are reported to be initially similar to influenza, and include a sudden high fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting. Later, as the virus spreads, the symptoms become much worse bleeding can begin from essentially every opening, along with a systematic failure of the body's organs. Once infected, depending on available care, age, or overall health before infection, patients typically live only a few weeks. Until recently, not much more than quarantining the victims and making them as comfortable as possible was all that could be done. Healthcare workers have had to wear biohazard suits and limit contact as much as possible (and then afterwards, the biohazard suits are destroyed, usually by burning).

Near Term

Despite the near 50% mortality rate, there are some experimental drugs which may limit or reverse the virus have been developed and show promise. Only a few humans have been successful treated so far, but we're a long way yet from mass production in case of a massive outbreak. In the interim, common sense sanitation procedures such as washing hands with soap and hot water, proper cooking of all foods, especially meats, covering your face when you cough or sneeze, using sanitizers, etc should become a matter of routine. There are also indications that heat (30 to 60 minutes at 140F/60C) can help kill the virus as well as the use of bleach based cleaning supplies typically used in most hospitals (the virus has known to remain active when left on counter tops for up to three days). Where Texas has failed was in its containment through quarantine of the suspected individual(s), proper removal of bodily fluids, and disposal of items such as towels, wash cloths, and bed sheets. Now, it is in a state of catch-up and hoping its mishandling doesn't results in further spread of the virus or in any additional deaths.

Airport personnel, including air crews and airport security, are also screening passengers, especially those who may be showing possible symptoms or maybe from infected regions. Hopefully, this will be expanded to include bus terminals and bus drivers. And once again, this is yet another argument for securing our southern border. Still, this may not be enough, but it's a start. Until additional steps can be takes, we all need to be more vigilant.

Long Term

"When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come and see!” I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth". (Revelation 6:7-8 KJV), and so the Pale Horse rode forth to join his demonic companions according to John of Patmos---the White Horseman proclaiming peace while it conquers; the Red Horseman which spreads wars; and the great equalizer, the Black Horseman of Death. Where will the hooves of the Pale Horse fall next?

While Ebola continues to wreak havoc on West Africa, so far no reports of outbreaks have been reported by the world's most populous nation, China. Given the rural nature of China, such an outbreak could have devastating consequences. To help reel it in before it spreads east, China has donated US $38 million dollars along with medical teams totaling 59 workers to the infected nations (the US contribution has, so far, been $138 million). In addition, China has donated $2 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) and another $2 million to the African Union.

India, the world's second most populated country is on guard against possible entry of infected individuals following a recent scare. 17 employees of an Indian company arrived from in Mumbai from West Africa. While all 17 were quarantined, 16 were ultimately released while one was held due to an high fever. However, to date, no widespread cases have been reported. Like China, India is densely populated in its cities while remaining largely rural, relatively poor with substandard sanitation conditions. An outbreak would likely spread rapidly and proved deadly on a massive scale. However, while India has been more forthcoming as to its efforts to restrict travel to and from West Africa, China has typically remained silent on its efforts. Meanwhile, the WTO has warned Southern Asian nations of the possibility of an Ebola outbreaks given its travel and trade hubs, and large numbers of migrant workers from West Africa.

Perhaps the greatest risk for a potential outbreak is Europe, which has essentially an open door policy regarding immigrations, which tends to be largely from Africa and Turkey; the Czech Republic just reported a possible case. Most recently, Spain reported a healthcare worker---a nurse---became infected with the deadly virus (as an aside, she had also just recently take a healthcare test alongside some 20,000 people at the time she began running a low grade fever and was possibly contagious) and two other healthcare workers are being watched. Spanish authorities report that a total of approximately 50 individuals are now under surveillance.

Russia, which hasn't reported any infections thus far, not only appears to be prepared with all the necessary precautions, but according to Russian Health Minister, Veronika Skvortsova, they anticipate three possible vaccines to be ready within the next six months. One of vaccines was developed from an inactive strain of the deadly virus and another one is ready to move forward with clinical trials. Canada's Public Health Agency (PHAC) has stated that Ebola's threat remains "very low", while it too has stepped up precautions along with providing international assistance to the affected countries.

While European nations are moving to take precautions, such as ensuring there are ample medical supplies and secure quarantine areas, as well as monitoring of airports, train stations, their actions have been uneven and slow, and like the US, nothing is being done regarding their immigration issue; Europe, in part, relies on low skilled workers from Africa and Turkey for many of its low paying menial jobs. because many of these individuals do not speak the language of the host country or has much interaction outside their localized enclaves, thus reporting and ultimately treatment may prove to be difficult. Accordingly, the WTO has warned European leaders to expect possible new cases.

Latin America has thus far fared better. Only one case has been reported, that in Brazil, which has proven to be negative. The individual had recently arrived from Guinea and was immediately quarantined. After no symptoms appeared, the individual was released. While most Latin America governments consider the threat of Ebola low, most have taken steps to deal with any potential cases, with Argentina taking the lead. One case of Ebola was reported in Mexico, however, the story later proved to be false. The biggest threat nevertheless, appears to be to those living in the extreme poor Caribbean nations, such as the West Indies, Haiti or Granada primarily because of their poor economic conditions and lack of adequate sanitation standards, including food handling and drinking water as well as close West African connections. Cuba, however, because of it positive history regarding healthcare may be better situated to deal with any possible outbreaks.

In addition, there's the concern of possible carriers crossing the US-Mexican border. Recently, as many of you will recall, approximately 60,000 children were illegally abandoned on the US border; some of these children were also sick. While most of these were your run-of-the-mill illnesses, a few were infected with illnesses we haven't seen in generations in the country and several had illnesses which could not be identified. Thanks to the Obama Regime, most of the illegals have vanished into the Heartland of America, while a few of the sick children were literally whisked away in the night by US agents to parts unknown according to State authorities.

Conclusion

According to African myth, the Abiku were human devouring demons. Among their powers was the power of disease and plagues. While Western Christianity has the Pale Horseman, both represent the unseen enemy of Man--- pestilence, famine, and disease in whatever form it appears. We have the technology and ability to fight back whereas our ancestors did not. It's power lay largely in the fear of the unknown. They had little or no knowledge about germs, bacteria, sanitation, proper food preparation (though the concepts of Halal and Kosher preparation, as well as the use of salt and spices learned from East were a start). Ebola, for all the terror and misery it holds, may offer Mankind an opportunity to work together to stop a non-discriminating killer. Like HIV/Aids, it may show they we have more in common that not; certainly when it comes to what kills us we do.

The world has shrunk. There are no places where we are safe any longer. Nevertheless, we must take active precautions now. We must practice common sanitation sense like washing our hands with soap; proper waste disposal; adequate clean drinking water. We must develop and provide sufficient healthcare. Old superstitions regarding vaccinations or treatments must be consigned to the past, as must misguided religious dogma regarding birth control. Meanwhile, governments must exert strong border security to contain possible carriers. Common sense regarding the transportation of potential carriers outside of infected countries must be balanced against the dangers of accidental spreading of diseases to whole populations. Clearly in the US cases, the Obama Regime failed in that regard, as has the State of Texas. To borrow from Aldous Huxley's aptly titled 1931 book, this is indeed a "brave new world" and though it takes place in 2040, but we may be closer to another book, Michael Crichton's 1969 bestseller "The Andromeda Strain" if we don't act as one. So dear reader, what will it be?


WTO says East Asia at risk of Ebola
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/10/who-says-east-asia-at-risk-ebola-20141010123924783609.htm

China Seeks Influence in Africa, Pledges Extra $32 Million to Ebola Fight
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/09/19/China-Seeking-Influence-in-Africa-Pledges-an-Extra-32-Million-to-Ebola-Fight

Ebola scare raises its head in Mumbai-Delhi
http://indianexpress.com/photos/picture-gallery-others/ebola-scare-raises-its-head-in-mumbai-delhi/3/

More Cases of Ebola in Europe Unavoidable: WTO
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/07/ebola-europe_n_5945146.html

Latin America Prepares Hospitals , Airport Screenings to Fight Ebola Threat
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/08/18/Latin-America-Prepares-Hospitals-Airport-Screenings-to-Fight-Potential-Ebola-Threat

Here's Where Ebola Could Spread next
http://www.wnd.com/2014/10/heres-where-ebola-could-spread-next/

Ebola outbreak fuels Concerns over health risk along US-Mexican border
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/05/ebola-outbreak-fuels-concerns-over-health-risks-along-us-mexico-border/

US Prepared for Ebola...10 Patients At A Time
http://www.wnd.com/2014/10/u-s-prepared-for-ebola-10-patients-at-a-time/