Page 57 of 76 FirstFirst ... 7475455565758596067 ... LastLast
Results 841 to 855 of 1128

Thread: Collapse

  1. #841
    Retired Member Hungary
    Join Date
    10th July 2018
    Posts
    1,862
    Thanks
    4,696
    Thanked 8,908 Times in 1,858 Posts
    https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nat...g-attractions/

    Previews of Coming Attractions

    How reassured were you by Joe Biden’s speech to the nation Thursday night? The more his managers pretend that he’s in charge of anything, the more unlikely it actually seems. So, they wound him up — Adderall would be my guess, to fortify the attention span — and rolled him out like the mummy of Amenhotep III, and one could just imagine the leaders of this-and-that foreign nation cringing (or cackling) in their seats to see this embodiment of collapsing America go through his spiritless ritual motions.

    Mostly what did not fly is the idea that the Covid-19 virus can still be used as a cattle-prod for herding citizens into feedlots of compliance — Americans are buffalos, not steers. They are determined now to take care of business, and the main business of people with any initiative will be to rig up some sort of gainful occupation while the lumbering old systems break down. They will do it despite orders to operate at fifty percent capacity, or close at nine o’clock, or be handcuffed by rinky-dink regulations. They’ll have to get creative to figure out ways around all the official impediments to making a living. This group of the not-yet-undead will resist further attempts to restrict their liberty and to steal the fruits of their own enterprise to pay for other people’s failures or lack of enterprise.

    The federal government is one system visibly working to destroy itself with epic giveaways of money it pretends to command and the Covid-19 Stimulus bill will only accelerate its loss of credibility. A $1,400 check won’t “solve” the problem of someone a year behind on mortgage payments or rent. It sure won’t solve the problems of their creditors and landlords. And if you think shortchanging that class of people is a good idea, you’re beating a path straight to the death of credit per se, and then of our money, the dollar, which is based on credit.

    Taxpayers are not so stupid that they’ll fail to notice who is being asked to bail out bankrupt states, irresponsible cities, and pension funds and there’s going to be trouble over that. The trouble will express itself both in political strife and in the further decay of the relationship between work and wealth. It means a collapsing standard of living for most people. Turning the one-shot $1,400 into a monthly Guaranteed Basic Income can only be a short-term shuck-and-jive when a loaf of bread goes from $5 to $15 to $50 — which can happen easily, and quickly, too, as lots of “free” money chases crashing productivity. Wait for it.

    Meanwhile, the party in charge of things is squandering the last of its moral authority in stupid and tyrannical Woke crusades against free speech and free thought. They went after Washington and Jefferson last year. This month, it’s a purge of cartoon characters, starting with an auto-da-fé over at the Warner Brothers’ Loony Toons lot. Disney better watch out because they’ll be coming after Mickey Mouse next — for “acting white.” Which brings us to the 800-pound gorilla in the room: the abysmal condition of race relations in the USA, expressly sponsored by the Democratic Party.

    The Left’s promotion of the supreme “conspiracy theory” du jour, that “white supremacy” stifles and suppresses people-of-color in everything they endeavor, has inspired provocations so dastardly that they are driving the country to racial war. The rioting and looting season is upon us again, and the perfect stage-set for the opening offensive is Minneapolis, where the trial of officer Derek Chauvin just kicked off this week. Black Lives Matter is marshalling its troops outside the courthouse to intimidate jurors and threaten mob violence against an outcome they may not like.

    The facts of the case suggest that former officer Chauvin has a sturdy defense, starting with Minneapolis Police training films that show officers how to apply the same knee restraint that Chauvin used on George Floyd. It was in their instruction manual, too. Add to that the forensic reports that show fentanyl levels in Mr. Floyd’s bloodstream several times above what would likely kill a normal person, plus meth, plus marijuana. He had an enlarged heart and was Covid-19 positive at the time of his death. And, of course, he was not complying with the cops’ orders during his arrest, which is exactly what led to him being physically subdued.

    None of that will matter to BLM because the video of Mr. Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck was such a perfect poster for the white supremacy meme, whatever the reality of the situation was, and it’s just too rich in coercion value to let go of. I’d predict trouble in the streets no matter which way the Chauvin trial ends up, just because energies are up and the weather is good. It will be infectious in cities across the nation again because the dividend of getting to loot is such a temptation, and last time that happened, the authorities did nothing to stop it.

    How will it go this time? By now, shop-owners in Minneapolis (and elsewhere) must have gotten the message that the police are not interested in defending their places of business — their bosses, the politicians, ordered them not to. Some business owners may opt for defending their property themselves. Imagine the cognitive dissonance that will make for as Nancy Pelosi’s Congress tries to pass new gun control laws. If Joe Biden is even around, will he step up and tell BLM and Antifa to cut it out? Or will he just ignore all that as he did during the election campaign last year? Half the country, at least, won’t stand for it anymore.

    In the meantime, Gawd knows what will be happening in financial markets and banks as all that new money floods an economy that can’t produce enough to absorb it. Racial war and runaway inflation… not a good recipe for political continuity.

    *

  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Chris For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (13th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (13th March 2021), Octopus Garden (13th March 2021), Wind (13th March 2021)

  3. #842
    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
    Join Date
    3rd April 2017
    Location
    Earth I
    Posts
    12,191
    Thanks
    36,640
    Thanked 43,100 Times in 11,915 Posts
    Previews of Coming Attractions

    This deserves a Flatout Silly Rating
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

  4. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Emil El Zapato For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (13th March 2021), Chris (13th March 2021), Octopus Garden (13th March 2021), Wind (13th March 2021)

  5. #843
    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
    Join Date
    3rd April 2017
    Location
    Earth I
    Posts
    12,191
    Thanks
    36,640
    Thanked 43,100 Times in 11,915 Posts
    Ok, I get this guy after doing a little research on him ...

    He's an angry in the closet homosexual that is very typical of many conservatives. He's running from himself. He's created his own double-bind existence in order to feel in control of a world where he has never been at home. Ain't nothing gonna change him.
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

  6. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Emil El Zapato For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Chris (13th March 2021), Octopus Garden (13th March 2021), Wind (13th March 2021)

  7. #844
    Retired Member Hungary
    Join Date
    10th July 2018
    Posts
    1,862
    Thanks
    4,696
    Thanked 8,908 Times in 1,858 Posts
    Quote Originally posted by NotAPretender View Post
    Ok, I get this guy after doing a little research on him ...
    https://jandeane81.com/newreply.php?...ly&p=842036778
    He's an angry in the closet homosexual that is very typical of many conservatives. He's running from himself. He's created his own double-bind existence in order to feel in control of a world where he has never been at home. Ain't nothing gonna change him.
    Are you talking about Kunstler? I think you have him wrong...

    I am actually a bit of an expert on him as I've read most of his non-fiction books, have been following him since 2008 and we corresponded for a while. I think he is a great guy, though as he got older he definitely turned more towards the right end of the political spectrum.

    My interest in him is purely regarding his collapsitarian credentials, as well as his seminal work in new urbanism. If you read his 2005 book, The Long Emergency, he predicted an awful lot that has since come to pass, not least the peak of conventional oil production and associated financial market distress, the rise of piracy, the climate emergency, the 2008 financial crisis and the list goes on. I don't agree with his politics, but on the big issues, he has been right on the money, so I would take him seriously.

  8. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Chris For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (13th March 2021), Wind (13th March 2021)

  9. #845
    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
    Join Date
    3rd April 2017
    Location
    Earth I
    Posts
    12,191
    Thanks
    36,640
    Thanked 43,100 Times in 11,915 Posts
    Peak oil was actually predicted by M. King Hubbert but admittedly, his theory wasn't given much credibility. The rest was very likely credible, but he's gone off the rails for whatever reason. I know he's divorced from Jennifer Armstrong, I couldn't find a record of any children. He's prototypical gay, by the look and by vocation/avocation.
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

  10. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Emil El Zapato For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Chris (13th March 2021), Wind (13th March 2021)

  11. #846
    Retired Member Hungary
    Join Date
    10th July 2018
    Posts
    1,862
    Thanks
    4,696
    Thanked 8,908 Times in 1,858 Posts
    Quote Originally posted by NotAPretender View Post
    Peak oil was actually predicted by M. King Hubbert but admittedly, his theory wasn't given much credibility. The rest was very likely credible, but he's gone off the rails for whatever reason. I know he's divorced from Jennifer Armstrong, I couldn't find a record of any children. He's prototypical gay, by the look and by vocation/avocation.
    Not sure what that has to do with anything, but OK.

    Hubbert may have predicted Peak Oil, but he didn't predict the 2008 financial crisis and how it would be preceded by a historic spike in oil prices. Most economists still haven't noticed how peak (conventional) oil almost brought the whole financial system crashing down. We know from Hank Paulson that we were hours away from disaster and total financial collapse. Then we had unconventional oil (shale and sands mostly), which kept the party going for a bit longer, at a considerable overall loss, I might add. Now that party has ended too and covid came at an opportune time to mask the effects, since most people are holed up at home watching Netflix and not burning much fuel. Once the pandemic's over and people start burning whatever available fuels are left, it will be a mighty spike in oil prices, before another financial crash, which will probably be a permanent reset of living standards, at much lower levels than people are used to. In fact this was a theme at the Davos meeting last year and people have termed it "The Great Reset".

    Forget about buying new cars or even driving them, most people will be happy if they can make it to the local food bank for their daily serving of slop. It will be grim times.

  12. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Chris For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (13th March 2021), Octopus Garden (14th March 2021), Wind (13th March 2021)

  13. #847
    Senior Member Canada
    Join Date
    30th October 2017
    Posts
    1,075
    Thanks
    4,638
    Thanked 5,099 Times in 1,080 Posts
    Kunstler's comments about Floyd are reprehensible.

    The manual of the Minneapolis Police Department states that neck restraints and chokeholds are basically reserved for when an officer feels caught in a life-or-death situation

    Experts viewing the footage suggest that it was more likely a case of “street justice,” when a police officer seeks to punish a suspect by inflicting pain for something done to the officer during the arrest.n. There was no apparent threat of that nature in Mr. Floyd’s detention.
    New York Times

    From Counterpunch:

    However, I have a much more serious problem with Too Much Magic. Although this book is essentially a book about the consequences of an empire gone amok, an empire which Kunstler truly despises, the author devotes little or no attention to the Empire itself, its foreign policy, or the fact that the Pentagon is arguably the largest consumer of oil in the world.

    How is it possible to write about peak oil and never mention our nation’s 1,000 military bases in 153 countries, the risk of war with Iran, U.S.-Israeli hegemony in the Middle East, and the competition between China and the United States for natural resources worldwide? It’s almost as though Kunstler has written 245 pages about the American Empire but never acknowledged that it is indeed an empire.


    https://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08...nial-of-death/
    Last edited by Octopus Garden, 13th March 2021 at 22:55.

  14. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Octopus Garden For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Chris (14th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (14th March 2021), Wind (13th March 2021)

  15. #848
    Super Moderator Wind's Avatar
    Join Date
    16th January 2015
    Location
    Just here
    Posts
    7,206
    Thanks
    33,712
    Thanked 27,303 Times in 7,219 Posts
    Reads like right-wing propaganda to me, Chris. I'm sure this would be accepted well in Avalon.

  16. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Wind For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Chris (14th March 2021), Elen (14th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (14th March 2021), Octopus Garden (14th March 2021)

  17. #849
    Retired Member United States
    Join Date
    7th April 2015
    Location
    Patapsco Valley
    Posts
    14,610
    Thanks
    70,673
    Thanked 62,025 Times in 14,520 Posts
    Biden has surprised Beau. He expected, perhaps, a continuance of the Obama Administration.

    I still don't see any dementia. Biden has had a lifelong struggle with stuttering. Dementia might well bring that back in force. Biden's stuttering is no worse than it's been, and better in many ways.

    It happens now and again, as I still get befuddled when I'm uncomfortable or embarrassed.

  18. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Dreamtimer For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Chris (14th March 2021), Elen (14th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (14th March 2021), Octopus Garden (14th March 2021), Wind (14th March 2021)

  19. #850
    Senior Member Canada
    Join Date
    30th October 2017
    Posts
    1,075
    Thanks
    4,638
    Thanked 5,099 Times in 1,080 Posts
    Mild dementia makes Machiovellianism pretty much impossible. So it's not all bad!

  20. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Octopus Garden For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Chris (14th March 2021), Dreamtimer (14th March 2021), Elen (14th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (14th March 2021), Wind (14th March 2021)

  21. #851
    Super Moderator Wind's Avatar
    Join Date
    16th January 2015
    Location
    Just here
    Posts
    7,206
    Thanks
    33,712
    Thanked 27,303 Times in 7,219 Posts

  22. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Wind For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Chris (14th March 2021), Dreamtimer (14th March 2021), Elen (14th March 2021)

  23. #852
    Retired Member United States
    Join Date
    7th April 2015
    Location
    Patapsco Valley
    Posts
    14,610
    Thanks
    70,673
    Thanked 62,025 Times in 14,520 Posts
    I saw that. And I've also seen that with Reagan and Clinton and Bush. I'm not trying to make light. Candidates can lose primaries for flailing over names.

  24. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Dreamtimer For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (14th March 2021), Chris (14th March 2021), Elen (14th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (14th March 2021), Wind (14th March 2021)

  25. #853
    Retired Member Norway
    Join Date
    2nd July 2015
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    5,065
    Thanks
    73,935
    Thanked 23,318 Times in 5,067 Posts
    Quote Originally posted by Dreamtimer View Post
    Biden has surprised Beau. He expected, perhaps, a continuance of the Obama Administration.

    I still don't see any dementia. Biden has had a lifelong struggle with stuttering. Dementia might well bring that back in force. Biden's stuttering is no worse than it's been, and better in many ways.

    It happens now and again, as I still get befuddled when I'm uncomfortable or embarrassed.
    Stuttering/stammering is not easy...it shows how brave he is when challenging himself to speak in front of millions of people. I give him credit for that alone.

  26. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Elen For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (15th March 2021), Chris (14th March 2021), Dreamtimer (14th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (14th March 2021), Wind (15th March 2021)

  27. #854
    Retired Member United States
    Join Date
    7th April 2015
    Location
    Patapsco Valley
    Posts
    14,610
    Thanks
    70,673
    Thanked 62,025 Times in 14,520 Posts
    Quote Originally posted by Octopus Garden View Post
    Mild dementia makes Machiovellianism pretty much impossible. So it's not all bad!
    Lolol. That's some hilarious bright-side thinking.

  28. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Dreamtimer For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (15th March 2021), Chris (14th March 2021), Elen (14th March 2021), Emil El Zapato (14th March 2021), Wind (15th March 2021)

  29. #855
    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
    Join Date
    3rd April 2017
    Location
    Earth I
    Posts
    12,191
    Thanks
    36,640
    Thanked 43,100 Times in 11,915 Posts
    Now that you got some people's attention Chris ... perhaps we can learn something about M. King Hubbert's 'economic philosophy' which is probably still 100 years ahead of its time.


    Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6vXHPZ0GQU


    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    That's a doctored video ... ForWhateverItsWorth category ... and Kuklinski is still a dick ...

    Richard Kuklinski - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org › wiki › Richard_Kuklinski
    Richard Leonard Kuklinski (/kʊˈklɪnski/; April 11, 1935 – March 5, 2006) was an American serial criminal and murderer (hired hitman). Kuklinski was engaged in criminal activities for most of his adult life. He ran a burglary ring and distributed pirated pornography.

    For my money Biden might be a flubbering mindless vegetable, but so far he's done a hell of a lot better job than our former Golden One... That should teach us all a lesson in 'serious' critical thinking.

    He's not dodging media in my estimation, he might be but he's passing bills, working, and making presentations related to such work.
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

  30. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Emil El Zapato For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (15th March 2021), Chris (14th March 2021), Elen (14th March 2021), Wind (15th March 2021)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •