tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post4492185019374068175..comments2024-03-02T00:39:32.453-08:00Comments on From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog: Jenna Orkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812985825726850202noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-46061245966965958092008-11-28T14:56:00.000-08:002008-11-28T14:56:00.000-08:00I am so well aware of both peak oil and the climat...I am so well aware of both peak oil and the climate change scenarios. For God's sake, I was a physicist on the Antares Project in the 80's out in Los Alamos and later a professor of ethnology. I am aware. But I also question. I question long, hard and deeply. Do you? To what extent is global warming going to effect us? The answer is conjecture. To what extent are we the cause of this warming? The answer is conjecture. Will this warming continue or reverse itself, whether we change what we perceive our contributions to the problem or not? More conjecture. Peak oil. More conjecture. Yes, we have seemingly reached that point, but then, use of oil is dropping dramatically, which happens when economies reverse in masse.<BR/>And other things will come online. Who could have thought, in the early 1800's that there would be a substance available to allow for all these vehicles to run about the planet? Not very many people at all. Or that synthetic rubber would be developed and allow us to continue to pursue the battles necessary to win the Second World War? Without rubber we were finished by 1942!<BR/>So, yes, I do not write out of ignorance. I don't however, claim to be correct. I just foresee the future a bit differently than yourself. And it is likely, and very hopefully, that I am more accurate in my assumptions than you are Paula.<BR/>Most Sincerely,<BR/>JamesAuthor, Script Writer, Filmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13490668379736111466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-41100555348096043602008-11-27T17:01:00.000-08:002008-11-27T17:01:00.000-08:00James wrote: "This is a financial upheaval of enor...James wrote: <I>"This is a financial upheaval of enormous proportions, but not the end of life as we know it."</I><BR/><BR/>Clearly you must be either unaware of, or willfully ignorant of, both peak oil and climate change. The financial crisis is the least of anyone's worries and that is not what I'm addressing.Paulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09570741749870851058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-21260506680870112742008-11-27T08:33:00.000-08:002008-11-27T08:33:00.000-08:00I keep getting these feeds, of commentary from Mik...I keep getting these feeds, of commentary from Mike's blog, and I don;t know why. And on my Gmail account where I get nothing else. A mystery, but hardly worth investigating, since I get some humor out of reading the stuff. People, we are not being struck by an astroid of monumental crushing size (yet). No 5/5/2000 kind of pole shift is predicted or expected. And Cormac McCarthy's pulitzer prize winning novel about survival on a post apocalyptic landscape is pure fiction of the most idiotic kind. There is not going to be a 'remnant' or bunches of 'remnants' across the land.<BR/>This is a financial upheaval of enormous proportions, but not the end of life as we know it. There is always going to be money. In some fashion. It is just to damned convenient to do away with. Getting rid of money, because it 'falls out of fashion' is as likely as getting rid of the wheel for the same reason. However, the form of that new money will be interesting, and the avenue we find to reach it might be problematic for awhile. Yes, we need to pull together and live with the support and cooperation of those nearby, at least for awhile. So stop with the 'end of times' crap. We are not living 'below a crumbling dam' and the people who had boats in New Orleans certainly did survive. It was the people who had nothing to keep them afloat or could not swim (not to mention those that were just too frightened to even try) that had to be flown out by helicopter. <BR/>Fear the right things. Plan for the worst thing, but within reason. If we go into a 'wilderness state' as some on this site are predicting, it is not going to matter how you planned. You are not going to survive. A few of us will, because of prior life experience you do not want in your supply, and equipment which you do not want to keep around you because you would not know how to apply such if you had it. But is important that you smile on this Thanksgiving Day and thank all those around you for being there. We need one another and the greatest positive thing that is going to come out of all this is simply that. The exiistentialism we have adopted as we have advance (in this culture) has taken us away from warmth and toward isolation. We need to get back to caring about those whom we are among. <BR/>None of this means that an astroid is not coming on 12/12/2012 to wipe us out, but, until such time, lets live with some enjoyable understanding, compassion and bliss. Happy Thanksgiving.Author, Script Writer, Filmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13490668379736111466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-61810498445438257322008-11-26T09:19:00.000-08:002008-11-26T09:19:00.000-08:00In The Light wrote: "Proclaiming a goal... what an...In The Light wrote: <I>"Proclaiming a goal... what an interesting can of worms your peeking into. I don't suggest any of us proclaim a goal. Why? Because life is not a cut and dry formula: we're here, do x y and z to get to there, and presto, that's our goal, all is good, let's do it.... <BR/><BR/>"As Daniel Quinn said, the author of a wonderfully insightful and enlightening book called Ishmael, said, 'There is no one right way to live.'<BR/><BR/>"Forget about the goal.<BR/><BR/>"You're already alive in it."</I><BR/><BR/>Thanks, I'm very familiar with the primitivist literature and am rather quite persuaded by the primitivist view. I'm not talking about declaring a single right way to live; I'm talking about an overriding goal to inform whatever actions those of us who keep track of the cartography might decide to take. Mike wrote of openings the chaos creates of which we can take advantage toward our own ends. I agree completely but if everyone has a different goal it dilutes our effectiveness. Some people want to bring down civilization altogether; some people want to create insular "communities" to the exclusion of everyone else; some people (a la Sanford Weill) want to position themselves to be the next rulers; some people want to do away with money and live in some kind of non-monetary utopia. The goal within the "peak oil movement" (for lack of a better term) currently is supposedly "relocalization," but this is a terribly misleading word -- "relocalization" adherents like to think of their work as "building lifeboats" on a sinking Titanic, but in fact what they are doing is building lifeboats in the shadow of a crumbling dam while encouraging everyone else to do the same. This is not a worthy goal.<BR/><BR/>Trobador wrote: <I>"To answer Paula, here it is: The ultimate goal is TO STRENGTHEN NETWORKS OF EXCHANGE OF SERVICES BETWEEN PEOPLE. PERIOD. In the absence of cash, people will still need to exchange services among themselves."</I><BR/><BR/>Okay so if this is the goal, what are the missions that can get us there? I really think there needs to be a conversation about this, because it's going to be some while before anyone is excused from their Federal Reserve Note obligations... taxes, debts, rents, mortgages, and medical treatment are just a few of the things that cannot be paid with networks of exchange between people. Eventually we will get to the point when Federal Reserve Notes, or whatever national currency might be implemented in its place, fall out of usage; until then, what do we do? This is what I mean by building a lifeboat in the shadow of a crumbling dam. Moreover, the openings Mike points out are not especially suited to actions that will bring about networks of exchange between people... this does not alleviate any immediate pain and therefore does not draw more people into the networks. Personally, I think surviving the next 10-15 years should be the goal, not planning for whatever comes after.<BR/><BR/>You know, the more I think about it the more I realize the "lifeboat" metaphor is really misplaced. A lifeboat implies that everything else will sink while we remain at level. This is not the case; we are not floating on an ocean that will sustain us if only we can get off the sinking ship. We're at the bottom of a hierarchy that is crashing down on us from above. When the levees broke in New Orleans, lots of people had lifeboats and it did them no good. They still died. The people who survived were rescued by helicopters that came down from above. Perhaps what we need are not lifeboats, but hot-air balloons.<BR/><BR/>Trobador wrote: <I>"Look at the mafia from Sicile, it is still in operation despite the numerous attempts to break it."</I><BR/><BR/>I submit that the Sicilian mafia survives because it operates very successfully in the currency acceptable to government, banks, and bribable officials. If they attempted to operate on their own currency, or through barter only, they would be merely a strange and violent ethnic group that <I>still</I> requires national currency to pay its taxes and the like.<BR/><BR/>Shorebreak wrote: <I>"Here's something that I recommend to anyone whose trying to get a handle on what's truly happening: If you have RSS feeds set up, take the next step and set up a relational database."</I><BR/><BR/>For anyone on a Mac, there is a fantastic database application called <A HREF="http://www.devon-technologies.com/" REL="nofollow">Devonthink</A> that's built on an AI kernel which you can manipulate pretty much however you want. I used it extensively a few years ago when I was studying for my journalism degree (a decision influenced by Mike & Al, btw). It's not PROMIS but it saves loads of time for anyone whose work involves datamining.<BR/><BR/>Regarding site stats: <A HREF="http://www.google.com/analytics/" REL="nofollow">Google Analytics</A> is free and VERY comprehensive. It requires only pasting a small tidbit of code into some part of your site that appears on every page, for example a header or footer, and from there it will update your stats every 24 hours. It might already be integrated with Blogger since its owned by Google. Worth checking into if you need site stats.Paulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09570741749870851058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-73487691299041396452008-11-25T12:05:00.000-08:002008-11-25T12:05:00.000-08:00Shiner,With all due respect, Catherine Austin Fitt...Shiner,<BR/><BR/>With all due respect, Catherine Austin Fitts agrees with me. I don't see why it's so hard for others to recognize the obvious:<BR/><BR/>http://solari.com/blog/?p=1823<BR/><BR/>Also, my opinions were solid before Alex Jones discovered the internet. As for what you can find "everywhere", most places I see have a limited scope or they've focused on tangents and offshoots of the real threat. Ask the average Alex Jones listener to define Fabianism and you'll recognize how little is understood by them concerning the construct that we're facing.<BR/><BR/>If time were my friend (and it's not!) I could pull a broad assortment of .gov and .org websites who's collective agenda and core-centric leadership affiliations delineate a clear and concise path and tinmeline towards economic and policy integration to be governed by supranational organizations.<BR/><BR/>I don't see how that marginalizes the Fed, but so be it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-72305949323883495622008-11-25T09:24:00.000-08:002008-11-25T09:24:00.000-08:00What an interesting debate between NB Patton (3:58...What an interesting debate between NB Patton (3:58PM) and Hikikomori (3:23pm) in the blog titled <B>"Judging me, judging Obama </B>!!! For the one that did not read it, go and read.<BR/><BR/>The 2 bloggers have 2 different perceptions of Obama's last appointments and decisions . <BR/><BR/>These 2 divergent opinions could in many ways lead to either life or death. Who's right? Or is it possible that both of them have a pint of truth in their argument ? This reading should enrich your own perception of the current situation and feed your actions' mode. It did for me.<BR/><BR/>Hikikomori is saying mostly that OBama is careful in his appointments and is mostly feeding the wolfe while preparing the protection of the sheeps (which we hope) and that we need to be patient and give the man a chance. <BR/><BR/>TB Patton is responding to Hikikomori with sharp arguments that convey the message that actions by the people are urgently needed, especially given US history and the latest appointments from Obama. He summarizes his argument with the following citation: <I> "It is better to die on your feet, than to live on your knees."</I><BR/><BR/>What to make out of these 2 perceptions? Well, first of all, I would definitely take the 2 protagonists in my camp as they seem to be of good willing and secondly because they balance each other with their opinion/approach. <BR/><BR/>One (Hikikomori) is being cautious about expedient move against a possible "protector" (Obama) of the people, and the other (TB Patton) being cautious of not providing an other opportunity to the possible "protector", as he could throw the last blow to the people of America, like old rulers did in the last 200 years or so. <BR/><BR/>What's your take on it?<BR/><BR/>Again, I insist that in light of the above, the ultimate winner will definitely be the one that builds, maintains, consolidate and protects any means that can allow people to better support each other in the wake of a scarcity in public services (other than military). <BR/><BR/>Peace on all of you.<BR/><BR/>PS: Sorry about my english, it is not ma native language.trobadorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03450974382476441741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-19509186654488536062008-11-25T08:27:00.000-08:002008-11-25T08:27:00.000-08:00Shorebreak you may think you have came to these co...Shorebreak you may think you have came to these conclusions on your own but I seriously doubt it. I have read EVERYTHING in your post elsewhere on the web. Your post could have been/was taken word for word from Alex Jones' website.<BR/><BR/>I am positive most of the things you believe are evidence have to be stretched to reach your conclusions. I have always been able to easily find a more logical explanation to explain your types "evidence".<BR/><BR/>In the 70's their were slick comic books spouting this crap. In the 80's and 90's there were slick videos. <BR/><BR/>Who paid for this stuff?<BR/><BR/>More importantly why is the Federal Reserve's real crimes always included with all this conjecture? Could it be to marginalize anyone who catches on about the FED. It works. When you include the FED with all the NWO crap you are playing directly into the bankers hands. <BR/><BR/>People like you Shorebreak are the bankers best allies. <BR/><BR/>Even if you are 100% correct it does not matter. Saying stuff that sounds crazy will never break the FED. We have at least 30 years of proof i'm right about that.<BR/><BR/>Personally I wish all you guys would just stifle it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-70168353943558329002008-11-24T15:58:00.000-08:002008-11-24T15:58:00.000-08:00Hikikomori,How did you get that from anything I sa...Hikikomori,<BR/><BR/>How did you get that from anything I said?<BR/>You absolutely have me pegged wrong.<BR/>And you never referenced anything I said for your the basis of your reasoning so I can't offer a meaningful rebuttal other way than saying; - I feel your understanding of my stance on these issues is incorrect.<BR/><BR/>Now, lets discuss what You <I>said.</I><BR/><BR/>You said:<BR/><I>"Yes, Obama is loading his gun. That's his job now. What do you expect? Continue waving his flag? The cabinet has to be filled up and he has to arm himself to be able to do his enormously hard job."</I><BR/><BR/>Nope, I didn't expect him to continue waiving his flag. But we're supposed to be duck hunting and he is loading a belt into an M249,... Don't dig too deep with my silly metaphor, all I am saying is that I don't buy this BULLSHIT notion that Obama's presidency will bring any change! Sure, the collapse and chaos of the economy and peak oil will create opportunity. My point has nothing to do with that, my point is that Obama and his current cabinet pics are representatives of the old game. If you are excited about the possibility for change via collapse and chaos thats FINE, so am I!! But don't say that the change is coming from Obama. He will just happen to be the puppet in the spot light.<BR/><BR/>You Said:<BR/><I>"Do you think that he went for office with secret desire to serve TPTB instead of the people, just like Bush did?"<BR/>"IMHO, Obama understands that in order to keep sheep safe he has somehow to feed the wolf too. It's a compromise. It's reality, whether we like it or not."</I><BR/><BR/>I'm not 100% sure either way, are any of us? But I still have the capacity to reason,... Its hard for me to believe that presidents aren't aware of the basic truths your average FTW reader is... And if you think they ARE, then "feeding the wolf" in any form is treasonous.<BR/>The quote reads "LIBERTY OR DEATH", not; "LIBERTY OR QUAZI FREE IS GOOD ENOUGH CAUSE I'M SCARED!" And I agree that the reality of our corrupt pushover government is there, but if we the people don't like it enough, we CAN effect its change in many ways. So I disagree with the absolute "like it <I>or not</I>" part.<BR/><BR/>You said:<BR/><I>"I don't think that anyone in his place could do much better. If we are really going down so badly, I hope that with Obama in office it will be easier for us, ordinary people, rather than if there would be another neocon."</I><BR/><BR/>Lord give me strength to be tolerant and nice... Are you for real? Red/Blue, it DOESN'T matter!! We need someone in there that will FLIP THE BIRD to the banks and corporations! You don't know anybody that could do a better job? How about Ron Paul? How about Cynthia McKinney? She was on the ticket in California! With the Republicans our civil liberties were taken away in the name of physical security, with the Democrats our civil liberties will probably be taken in the name of financial security. And they will also probably attempt to seriously limit the efficiency of our last means of defending those liberties; Arms.<BR/><BR/>You Said:<BR/><I>"Your revolution would bring only more trouble. I don't believe in its success. Wise people, if they ever shoot, they shoot only when all the other options are exhausted. Otherwise They will take it as a perfect excuse to demonize and use force against us. I don't subscribe to the idea of preventive wars."</I><BR/><BR/>First; Not until ALL other options are exhausted? You just said that a "wise" person would consider the unjust rape, enslavement, and execution of everyone he cares about including himself before considering violence on option... I truly hope you just didn't think that one out fully before you hit send.<BR/><BR/>Second; I didn't say storm the white house today, I said its time to voice our opinion about the men behind the curtain of all this! Peaceful demonstration is the "revolution" I am promoting for the time being.<BR/><BR/>Third; You said "preventive" I believe you meant "preemptive",... preemptive in what way?! When is a violent revolt "preemptive"? When is a revolt the ethically correct option for any republic?<BR/>When your civil liberties are being stripped? (Check). When your constitution is being routinely violated? (Check). When your government is an obvious puppet to private banks and corporations? (Check). When your government is actively engaged in empire building and the murder of innocent people? (Check). When the separation of powers is totally ignored and decisions are made by fiat? (Check). When the very process designed to effect the change we need (elections) is manipulated by the same corporations, from the media to the ballot counts? (Check).<BR/>Need I go on?<BR/>This nation was founded because the money issuance power was taken away from the colonies. Where they wrong? Where they "unwise" because they didn't exhaust ALL other options? This fight should have happened 95 years ago before TPTB succeeded in turning the people in this country into fat, ignorant, drones with a prime directive of entertaining themselves. The Department of Education?! Wait, when did the Federal Government gain an Education power?<BR/><BR/>You Said:<BR/><I>"And if Obama would ignore reality, who can be sure that he wouldn't meet JFK's fate?"</I><BR/><BR/>Extraordinary theory; We should accept tyranny because TPTB might harm you if you don't. Sorry, cowardice doesn't mesh well with my core values.<BR/>I can only leave you with some inspiration from the past, and since I already used Patrick Henry...<BR/><BR/>"It is better to die on your feet, than to live on your knees." -ZapataNB Pattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04339736221383309321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-19406432091323304972008-11-24T15:36:00.000-08:002008-11-24T15:36:00.000-08:00Fascinating blog and comments. Long may it last.I...Fascinating blog and comments. Long may it last.<BR/><BR/>Interesting times!FlannelFactoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07603055899635606183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-71529575843820230442008-11-24T15:27:00.000-08:002008-11-24T15:27:00.000-08:00Yep, EddieYou do misunderstand me completely. And ...Yep, Eddie<BR/><BR/>You do misunderstand me completely. And calling me a sellout is not "constructive criticism". It's an insult. You just don't get it and I won;t waste a second trying to explain something you don't want to understand.<BR/><BR/>You might start by making yourself President, constructing a cabinet of your own and specifying a ste-by-step plan to change the way money works. Let's ee what you can come up with. That is exactly what I am building on this blog.<BR/><BR/>And we have the best shot to do it we've ever had.<BR/><BR/>God have pity on those with ni imagination or vision.<BR/><BR/>MCRMCRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05338936496305240656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-65540669193471870052008-11-24T11:44:00.000-08:002008-11-24T11:44:00.000-08:00thanks, lawrence.people may need to be reminded th...thanks, lawrence.<BR/><BR/>people may need to be reminded that email addresses usually don't come through on blogger.Jenna Orkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812985825726850202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-62099130425799135992008-11-24T11:22:00.000-08:002008-11-24T11:22:00.000-08:00Let's see...The same man who wrote an impressive b...Let's see...<BR/><BR/>The same man who wrote an impressive book wherein he names Dick Cheney as suspect #1 in the 9/11 attacks now claims TPTB are being run by the crisis, and not the other way around?<BR/><BR/>The same man who once referred to the Democrats as the Genoveses and the Republicans the Gambinos claims TPTB to be vulnerable?<BR/><BR/>And...<BR/><BR/>The same man who continuously warns his readers to watch the Fed, to understand how money works, and who coined (no pun intended) the phrase "Until you change the way money works, you change nothing" rejects the claim that the same people, doing the same things, playing the same game are responsible for our current plight?<BR/><BR/>Sorry MCR, but I'm not buying it. Maybe I'm missing something, I don't know. Whether or not you choose to endorse any particular political ideology is unimportant to me...but to see what I've determined to be a wholesale departure from the core principles of your past - the principles that made FTW shine will brilliance - is beyond disappointing.<BR/><BR/>The only situation that can render TPTB to irrelevance is widespread disassociation from the State and all of its actions. As long as you hold on to the belief that you can change the plantation by first becoming a slave you will forever be doomed to working the fields. <BR/><BR/>(Please understand my comments are meant as constructive criticism and not the actions of a Troll.)Eddie Willershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01520747897445042952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-64087152833906217802008-11-24T11:21:00.000-08:002008-11-24T11:21:00.000-08:00Jenna,Yes. That is me. The Lawrence of Vermont wh...Jenna,<BR/>Yes. That is me. The Lawrence of Vermont who met with two of my favorite people in New York for lunch. Yes, it is frightening but somewhat moderated by the fact that I am not in Vermont now, but in Reno. Still, this is a Blue state too, there are a lot of retired Military in this town. It always amazes me that these fellows I see everyday seem so "normal" and intelligent and funny and friendly and yet they have this weird and unexplainable Republican Party cult attitude. Their eyes glaze over and they follow the party line. Reminds me too much of the Nazi mob mentality of the late 30's.<BR/><BR/>It is wonderful to see Mike back in form again. His writing flows smoothly and on focus and mirrors the outrage I feel at what is going on. And, you both have my Email, write and visit anytime you want a Holiday.<BR/><BR/>[No need to publish this comment. Your choice. I just wanted to reply to your note to me]Lawrence Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04206188165400582945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-80087399461279194412008-11-24T10:15:00.000-08:002008-11-24T10:15:00.000-08:00Mark Robinowitz wrote: I didn't say that Choss...Mark Robinowitz wrote:<BR/><BR/> I didn't say that Chossudovsky aligned with the racists, but that<BR/>he inadvertently allowed them to post crap on his website, with<BR/>predictable results -- he got smeared in the media for the alleged<BR/>association with Holocaust deniers, perhaps the worst possible<BR/>way to be portrayed in public. When playing chess, it is a good idea to think ahead a few moves.<BR/> Web based forums that allow anyone to post anything risk attracting racists and/or government disinformation agents who seek to discredit the website managers or promote their own hateful agendas.<BR/> Many websites have had this problem if they focus on controversial topics while allowing anyone to post anything.<BR/> 9/11. Israel / Palestine. War on Iraq.<BR/><BR/>www.oilempire.us/forums.html has a few examples.<BR/> Moderating any controversial forum takes a lot of energy and time.<BR/> There's a difference between editing and censorship.<BR/> It seems likely that bad actors posted racist stuff on Global Research's forum and immediately had media attention directed toward the crap that they posted there.<BR/> Hopefully some of the Holocaust deniers are merely covert propagandists who don't actually believe their lies. We don't<BR/>need people who praise Hitler to tell us about Israeli imperialism,<BR/>that is a classic false dichotomy. One can simultaneously support Palestinian rights and also recognize the truth of the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews and other groups. The slow motion genocide of Palestine does not justify Holocaust denial, and the reality of the Holocaust does not justify the occupation of Palestine.<BR/> www.oilempire.us/holocaust-denial.html<BR/> It's sad that Global Research denies Peak Oil, since some material on that website is brilliant.<BR/> One of the best articles on Global Research is a valuable perspective for contemplating the shift in elite policies as represented by the incoming Biden / Obama administration.<BR/><BR/> www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7693<BR/> The Post-Bush Regime: A Prognosis<BR/> By Richard K. Moore<BR/> Global Research, December 27, 2007<BR/><BR/> A more interesting topic than this predictable smear campaign is the recent capture by "pirates" of the Saudi oil supertanker. This seems to validate predictions that soon-to-be President Obama will increase the importance of the Africa Command (AFRICOM).Jenna Orkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812985825726850202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-2078184739080635672008-11-24T10:02:00.000-08:002008-11-24T10:02:00.000-08:00lawrence,are you the lawrence who once took me and...lawrence,<BR/><BR/>are you the lawrence who once took me and mike to lunch? bcs if you are, your comment is particularly worrying as you live in one of the bluer states.Jenna Orkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812985825726850202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-35629642329879254552008-11-24T10:01:00.000-08:002008-11-24T10:01:00.000-08:00Paula said: "Asymmetric economic warfare doesn't r...Paula said: "Asymmetric economic warfare doesn't require a leader... but it does require a goal, so those who wish to participate can engineer their own independent missions in its service.... I see the openings and I understand, to some degree, how to engineer independent, small missions. But I don't know what the goal is. I'm wondering... does anyone? Has it been defined anywhere?<BR/><BR/>To answer Paula, here it is: The ultimate goal is TO STRENGTHEN NETWORKS OF EXCHANGE OF SERVICES BETWEEN PEOPLE. PERIOD.<BR/><BR/>In the absence of cash, people will still need to exchange services among themselves. <BR/><BR/>In a context of social upheavel they will need each other. In a context of reduction of public services, people will need each other. So what's the point?<BR/><BR/>Look at the mafia from Sicile, it is still in operation despite the numerous attempts to break it. It was able to stay active because:<BR/>1-They were counting only on themselves<BR/>2- Leaders could be easily replaced (family clan structure)<BR/>3- They found an independent way of finding ways to survive.<BR/><BR/>We can speculate ad nauseam on why, how, where and when the economic crash will occur, but the key discussions that should occur is on how to reinforce our own network of exchanges.trobadorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03450974382476441741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-91625576551359805882008-11-24T07:27:00.000-08:002008-11-24T07:27:00.000-08:00Mike - I'm fully up to speed. I've been watching F...Mike - I'm fully up to speed. I've been watching FTW for years, in addition to all of the other sources I follow. You, Stan, Catherine via Solari, Matt, ASPO, OPEC, SCO, etc, etc. I picked up Rubicon (you're welcome!) when it first hit the shelves. I enjoyed it, BTW. Very informative. I've been following, my friend. As closely as anyone, short of sitting alongside of you. And lest I forget, I've also been paying close attention to Jenna.<BR/><BR/>As I clearly stated before, I don't argue with the fact that we're facing collapse. Our differences are closer to a chicken/egg issue than anything else. <BR/><BR/>Here's something that I recommend to anyone whose trying to get a handle on what's truly happening: If you have RSS feeds set up, take the next step and set up a relational database. Use something simple like Microsoft Access. Find data types that work for you - people, government, finance, NGO, media, etc. Follow your feeds and populate the database. Watch your mind get completely blown away when you look at the results after a few years and a clear, concise picture of players, timelines, and agendas comes into view.<BR/><BR/>As for others who point at a drift away from free market capitalism as a sign that the NWO is failing, you're demonstrating a complete failure to grasp the objective. Your conclusions are diametrically opposed to the goals of central banking monoplists. Think, people. Why does a corporatist need capitalism when he controls a nations finances? Nationalisation is their goal. Those who claim that Chavez stands against corporatist goals simply do not understand the goals.<BR/><BR/>As for globalization being dead, emerging regional economies have always been the goal.Go back to TGC and look careflully at the strategies. Open up a MEFTA map and see where the EU and ASEAN borders are, as weighed against current conflict. Look at what APEC is currently saying about "protectionism".<BR/><BR/>I'll openly admit to everyone reading this a clear and present challenge that I face. The challenge is to remain clear in my thinking, judgement, and rationalization process while simultaneously reviewing and assessing as much relevant data as possible. Why is that a challenge? Because there's a lot of compelling arguments out there. <BR/><BR/>What's the key to unbiased review and assessment? <BR/><BR/>The key is to never subscribe to a specific philosophy or ideology without being 100% open to accepting another that proves to be superior to my current leanings. I will never again look for information that supports my philosophy. Instead, I simply look for information, then I weigh all of it rather than weighing only what supports my current ideological bent.<BR/><BR/>So, I've already stated where I stand. As Mike has stated, he's not about to educated new readers by re-writing years worth of FTW material. To the same extent, I'm not about to sit here and spend hours of time compiling easily found links and data to support my beliefs. Besides, I've learned not to align my beliefs with the thinking and theories presented by others. I buy in when I see the dots and establish my own connections. One thing that I've learned is that I can key in on a base group of contacts, and depending upon how I've built my contacts I can get two 100% accurate sets of data that each paint a very compelling picture of what's happening - and each can be quite different and unrelated. My goal is to uniquely identify the brush strokes like Peak and others. But in order to apply meaning and focus, I need to fit them into the larger evolving and dynamic canvass.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good work and keep digging. I'll keep watching and I'll continuing learning. But I watch a lot. A whole lot. I respect and accept the beliefs of all the folks here. Mine are simply different. Among other things, I'm a student of learning. I present my views primarily for consideration, not as a claim to the truth. Ultimately, we are each responsible for our own determination of truth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-17689091019134381712008-11-23T22:10:00.000-08:002008-11-23T22:10:00.000-08:00Part of my investment strategy for the future, wha...Part of my investment strategy for the future, whatever it is, is spending a significant amount of time on physical fitness. Investment in gold or stocks or land or wood burning stoves will serve little if one doesn't make the investment in one's health. <BR/><BR/>As part of that strategy; I go six days a week to a gym where I live which is populated primarily by seriously right wing military types. (It is the only decent gym in town.) I am reminded daily that there are a lot of very angry people who are not at all happy about the new administration and will never give Obama and his team the benefit of a chance. It really comes as a shock every time I overhear the conversations. I am encouraged by the remarks by Mike and other on this blog, but reminded too that those who "lost" the election have a great deal of hatred for the team that must try to solve this mess.Lawrence Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04206188165400582945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-47108405901225654702008-11-23T20:13:00.000-08:002008-11-23T20:13:00.000-08:00Want a quick and dirty tracking device for your bl...Want a quick and dirty tracking device for your blog to see who widely read you are? Check out this:<BR/><BR/>http://clustrmaps.com/<BR/><BR/>nice world map with points of origin of readers. Cheap and quick to insert then we can ALL see where your reader come from.martypantsROKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02715498411918397559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-83010067734716000352008-11-23T19:55:00.000-08:002008-11-23T19:55:00.000-08:00I just wanted to add a comment directed toward Pau...I just wanted to add a comment directed toward Paula's post.<BR/><BR/>Proclaiming a goal... what an interesting can of worms your peeking into. I don't suggest any of us proclaim a goal. Why? Because life is not a cut and dry formula: we're here, do x y and z to get to there, and presto, that's our goal, all is good, let's do it.<BR/><BR/>Life is, i'll say this explicitly, <I> an experiment </I>. It always has been, it always will be. And forgetting that is what happened to the current powers that be... And look at what is happening to them now...<BR/><BR/>Consider Mike's journey. Goal oriented living can get you pretty unhappy and pretty unhealthy. Now look at him: He knows where he's going, he knows how to get there, but rarely (if ever) do you hear him proclaiming these days what we all need to do. Living right now, living right here is what is important.<BR/><BR/>As Daniel Quinn said, the author of a wonderfully insightful and enlightening book called Ishmael, said, "There is no one right way to live."<BR/><BR/>Forget about the goal.<BR/><BR/>You're already alive in it.<BR/><BR/>Matin_the_lighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09025968259497325388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-21353861101335031522008-11-23T17:35:00.000-08:002008-11-23T17:35:00.000-08:00MCR wrote to 'john':I wrote a 600 page book with a...MCR wrote to 'john':<BR/><BR/>I wrote a 600 page book with a thousand footnotes and published a<BR/>newsletter and large web site for eight years explaining it. I also<BR/>made three DVDs as well. With regrets, I cannot start over again. I suggest that you get and read my book, "Crossing the Rubicon".<BR/><BR/>MCRJenna Orkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812985825726850202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-18163074327378423722008-11-23T17:34:00.000-08:002008-11-23T17:34:00.000-08:00MCR wrote:Please respond to what I have written an...MCR wrote:<BR/><BR/>Please respond to what I have written and not what you think I said. I have NEVER, EVER said that there was going to be a one-world<BR/>government or a one-world economy. It will be impossible. Shorebreak<BR/>isn't up to speed on the work we've done. George Orwell had it right in "1984". There will be different continental and regional economies and governments and they will be quite different from each other. For sure there will be a North American regional economy but it won't ultimately be NAFTA like. NAFTA is a globalization model superimposed on North America. For at least five years I have been screaming that<BR/>globalization is dead. D-e-a-d! Geography is a force as powerful as<BR/>gravity now that the energy to operate it fades. As energy diminishes there will be a corresponding shift of power based on geography, whether one speaks in terms of continents or counties. Regional currencies are already taking shape (as are local currencies). The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has already done much of the ground<BR/>work for China's sphere of influence. Although Michel Chossudovsky did amazing and brilliant work over the years, he and I parted ways about four years ago. He aligned with Holocaust deniers (Mark Robinowitz did a brilliant job on this) and he has dug himself into the indefensible<BR/>position of saying that Peak Oil is not real. I will always salute<BR/>Michel's pioneering work from 2000 through 2004. But, in my opinion, a<BR/>brilliant man under great stress turned into a backwater he will never emerge from.<BR/><BR/>I truly appreciate that so many of you get that I will not return to<BR/>seven-day, 70 hour weeks and I generally cringe at well-intentioned and sincere newbies who ask questions that would require me to go back and recapitulate and redo work I spent decades on. I appreciate that<BR/>so many of you do not try to deluge me with individual questions. I have a good life now and am in really good health -- after serious challenges. It's up to me to enforce that. I keep my email address secret because waking up to "friends" who pepper me with questions left me little time to take care of myself and I paid the price for that. But here's a comment on the dollar issue.<BR/><BR/>Everyone in the media conveniently forgets what happened before the<BR/>collapse became apparent. First the dollar shrank to $1.50 against the Euro. What happened? Inbev bought Anheuser Busch with strong Euros. Now that at least one automaker and Citigroup are going to liquidate, do you think the foreign buyers would like to bid on an inevitable liquidation sale against a strong or a weak dollar? I can already see new pressures mounting to drive the dollar down again. Even with deflation. Maybe Alwaleed wasn't so foolish to up his stake in Citi. Another little run on the dollar and, when the time comes, Citi's largest shareholder (a Saudi Prince) will have first choice on individual assets. On the other hand, plummeting oil prices may have<BR/>doomed the Saudi monarchy.<BR/><BR/>[Regarding the blog: We are really hampered here. I know that<BR/>improvements are needed but I don't have the money or time right now. I will after my new book is out. We are also hampered because FTW's last, short-lived webmaster was part of the operation to sabotage us in Ashland. He posted a forged article from me intended to discredit me while I was in Venezuela. He left, refusing to give me or Jenna the administrative password to the blog so there is little we can do at the moment. The blog is working fine and we're very widely read. How widely? I can't say because we don't know. We have no tracking devices of any kind a that's really OK with with me. I get my feedback in other ways. I will deal with the blog in time. Right now I am negotiating the new book, doing research and taking care of me and Rags.]<BR/><BR/>MCRJenna Orkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812985825726850202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-90269522511790801242008-11-23T16:10:00.000-08:002008-11-23T16:10:00.000-08:00Mike, I can't thank you enough for continuing to p...Mike, I can't thank you enough for continuing to post. Thank you dearly for all the work you have done, and although I see the high price you have paid personally, I am so happy you are continuing to just publish your thoughts. Best, DaveDave Crosslandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16200727887354260838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-50005510409917459822008-11-23T15:23:00.000-08:002008-11-23T15:23:00.000-08:00Once there lived a dragon in a palace. Just as all...Once there lived a dragon in a palace. Just as all dragons he was an evil one and people lived in constant terror. Time after time a hero would arise, come to the dragon and fight him in his palace. People would wait outside with hope. But after each fight dragon's servant would come out and announce: Rebel has fallen. Hail dragon!<BR/><BR/>Always.<BR/><BR/>But one time, one hero defeated dragon. And while he's been marvelling at dragon's riches, he heard dragon's servant shouting outside: Rebel has fallen. Hail dragon!<BR/><BR/>The hero looked at the mirror and saw himself turning into a dragon...<BR/><BR/><STRONG>NB Patton</STRONG>, seems like you're expecting a messiah. A perfect messiah from above, coz he cannot come from below, coz the system would filter him out. He has to come from above, from outside, delete the old corrupt system and install completely new, clean one.<BR/><BR/>That's not real.<BR/><BR/>Yes, Obama is loading his gun. That's his job now. What do you expect? Continue waving his flag? The cabinet has to be filled up and he has to arm himself to be able to do his enormously hard job.<BR/><BR/>You don't like his bullets? Well, any kind of bullets aren't an object of admiration, especially if they're aimed at you. BUT -- is Obama aiming at you? That's what IMHO you get wrong.<BR/><BR/>Do you think that he went for office with secret desire to serve TPTB instead of the people, just like Bush did?<BR/><BR/>IMHO, Obama understands that in order to keep sheep safe he has somehow to feed the wolf too. It's a compromise. It's reality, whether we like it or not.<BR/><BR/>I don't think that anyone in his place could do much better. If we are really going down so badly, I hope that with Obama in office it will be easier for us, ordinary people, rather than if there would be another neocon.<BR/><BR/>Your revolution would bring only more trouble. I don't believe in its success. Wise people, if they ever shoot, they shoot only when all the other options are exhausted. Otherwise They will take it as a perfect excuse to demonize and use force against us. I don't subscribe to the idea of preventive wars.<BR/><BR/>Even if you would manage to overthrow Obama -- whom would you offer in his place? He should be acceptable to the people. Obama went through enormous pains to gain such a huge support, and you think it is so simple to find a suitable substitution in people's minds and hearts just because you think he invited some wrong people?<BR/><BR/>I'm glad that Mike eventually admitted that he wouldn't be able to manage the system, given the opportunity, coz he doesn't know how to control it. Years ago I a bit worried that he criticizes almost everyone in power. It's easy to criticize, but it's hard to come up with some <EM>realistically</EM> constructive solutions. And if Obama would ignore reality, who can be sure that he wouldn't meet JFK's fate?<BR/><BR/>First of all we have to resist tyranny in ourselves.Hikikomorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03378378068968846630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22903415.post-34900821098432579182008-11-23T15:22:00.000-08:002008-11-23T15:22:00.000-08:00Message for Nick,First, welcome to the club. Secon...Message for Nick,<BR/>First, welcome to the club. Second, do finish reading Rubicon. Don't feel like you "missed" anything. You're awake and aware now. That's what matters. Also, in your study of 9/11 don't get hung up on details of what exactly did or did not happen when or where. Those debates are going to rage on forever. The lesson of 9/11 is about the big picture. Once you've got that that's all you need. It sounds like you've already got it.<BR/>Additionally, once you've got it, your time and energy are best invested in preparing for tomorrow, not lamenting yesterday. That's what It's about (In my humble opinion)<BR/>Finally, Yesterday was the 45th anniversary of an important historical event. We should pause for a moment and contemplate it.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09885290580443734888noreply@blogger.com