Ok; those of you who have read Dojo Rat for a while recognize that we discuss martial arts, political arts and the art of living simply. Today is the day for Political arts. I have been very hopeful since the Presidental election, and have not posted a political rant lately.
But frankly, I am f'in sick of Republican propaganda that currently fills the air. After nearly ten years of Republican rule (since they took the Senate in '98), they have succeded in crashing the system. We are f'ked. And they still blather on about corporate tax cuts etc.
From George Washington's Blog, Here is how bad things could get:
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Growing List of Officials and Experts Warn of Depression-Induced Violence
The number of high-level officials and experts warning that the economic crisis could lead to revolt and revolution world-wide - even in the U.S. - is growing every day:
The U.S. Army War College in November warned in a monograph [click on Policypointers’ pdf link to see the report] titled “Known Unknowns: Unconventional ‘Strategic Shocks’ in Defense Strategy Development” of crash-induced unrest:
The military must be prepared, the document warned, for a “violent, strategic dislocation inside the United States,” which could be provoked by “unforeseen economic collapse,” “purposeful domestic resistance,” “pervasive public health emergencies” or “loss of functioning political and legal order.” The “widespread civil violence,” the document said, “would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security.”
“An American government and defense establishment lulled into complacency by a long-secure domestic order would be forced to rapidly divest some or most external security commitments in order to address rapidly expanding human insecurity at home,” it went on.
“Under the most extreme circumstances, this might include use of military force against hostile groups inside the United States. Further, DoD [the Department of Defense] would be, by necessity, an essential enabling hub for the continuity of political authority in a multi-state or nationwide civil conflict or disturbance,” the document read.
Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair said:
"The global economic crisis ... already looms as the most serious one in decades, if not in centuries ... Economic crises increase the risk of regime-threatening instability if they are prolonged for a one- or two-year period," said Blair. "And instability can loosen the fragile hold that many developing countries have on law and order, which can spill out in dangerous ways into the international community."***
"Statistical modeling shows that economic crises increase the risk of regime-threatening instability if they persist over a one-to-two-year period."***
“The crisis has been ongoing for over a year, and economists are divided over whether and when we could hit bottom. Some even fear that the recession could further deepen and reach the level of the Great Depression. Of course, all of us recall the dramatic political consequences wrought by the economic turmoil of the 1920s and 1930s in Europe, the instability, and high levels of violent extremism.”
Blair made it clear that - while unrest was currently only happening in Europe - he was worried this could happen within the United States.
[See also this].
Former national security director Zbigniew Brzezinski warned "there’s going to be growing conflict between the classes and if people are unemployed and really hurting, hell, there could be even riots."
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned the the financial crisis is the highest national security concern for the U.S., and warned that the fallout from the crisis could lead to of "greater instability".
Others warning of crash-induced unrest include:
The head of the World Trade Organization
The head of the International Monetary Fund
Senator Christopher Dodd
Leading economist Nouriel Roubini
Leading economist John Williams
Top trend researcher Gerald Calente
(D.R.) What are you doing to prepare?
Links to above references at Blog link above
5 comments:
Like you, I'm also sick of the Republican lies about the economy and their revisionist history regarding the Great Depression.
If you listened to them, you'd think Americans just waited patiently and united for the Depression to end.
Truth is, there were riots, demonstrations, disturbances. There were active Communists who argued that the Depression was proof that capitalism was a failed system. And because there were so many people out of work and hungry, they were making some major inroads into the mainstream of American society.
And contrary to popular belief, World War II did not end the Depression. Roosevelt's New Deal was bringing it to an end. Even with some stumbling blocks along the way, like the Recession of 1937, everything Roosevelt did was an improvement over Hoover.
The trouble with WWII was that it took resources away from the American people. Sure, Americans were working again, but paper, metal, rubber, groceries, gasoline and other petroleum products were being diverted to the war effort. Just talk to anyone who lived in that time about rationing.
My late father-in-law told me that the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, his father went out and bought new tires for every vehicle on the family farm. He even bought extra tires and tubes which he hid away.
The reason was that his grandfather put off buying new tires for the family car 20-plus years earlier. Then World War I hit and rubber products were diverted for that war effort. As a result, the family drove around on paper-thin bald tires for the duration of that war.
G.O.P.
Greedy Obstructionist Party
As far as preparation, I am stocking up on extra canned goods when I go to the grocery and making sure the guns are in working order. My next goal is to stock up on a year's supply of dog food.
We live in a remote rural location, so the supply line could potentially dry up. I'm thinking fuel for trucks and chainsaws etc., but even with stabilizer fuel does not last that long.
We have tons of Deer on the hoof, half-dozen organic farms including cattle and sheep ranches, lots of good seafood available for the taking. I am thinking about doing another post on this, especially as spring comes on and the little farms are in their prime.
I hope they burn Wall Street to the ground. I really do.
And Bernie Madoff makes me sick. Some kid gets caught with a joint and it's with him his whole life. Madoff steals 50 BILLION dollars and the US gov says, "Bernie, can we fetch you your slippers?"
It just makes me sick.
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