Seeing Chaos,
It is hard to see clear patterns to what looks like the fog of war in the opaque world of political and financial elites. We should do what we can do in our own relations. The smoke and fire and shouting in the distance will affect us soon enough.
The Purpose of Decadence and the Pleasures of Coercion, Jim Kunstler
(The center did not hold. There is a pervasive social disintegration. Restructuring along new lines always takes decades. Create simple things that work, like bikes and gardens.)
Societies may not exactly be organisms with intentions, but they move in a particular direction because they are emergent phenomena. That is, they are self-organizing according to the circumstances and forces they are subject to at a certain time and place in history. Decadence is specifically the decay of social and cultural boundaries, a process that is manifestly accelerating now. Both sides of the political spectrum are acting out this dynamic, with the vacuum in the middle sucking vitality out of each side. The Left has become a kind of pagan religion of sacred victims and victimhood, collecting sacred injuries and martyrs. Its dark secret, though, is that these sacred things are only straw-dogs and wicker-men. The real animating motive for the Left these days is simply the pleasure of coercion, of exercising the power to punish their adversaries and watch them suffer. The Trump Right also enjoys the writhings and sufferings of its adversaries, squashed bug style, as it goes forth in the quixotic battle to bring back 1962 at all costs. Both the Left and the right show not a little sadism in their methods. In the background of these histrionics, the great groaning machine of Modernity lurches toward collapse — not the end-of-the-world as many foolishly imagine, but the end of a phase of history when things that used to work, don’t. At a certain point, we’ll have to try other ways of being with each other on this planet, and then for a while things will come together again. http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/purpose-decadence-pleasures-coercion/
Representative Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaii calls for a return to Glass-Steagall, The Banking Act of 1933, which served to stabilize American finance from then until it was revoked in 1999, about 9 years before something unstable happened as a direct result. (She's dressed in Red in this picture. This is a bipartisan effort. Keep watching Tulsi. She's a "Democrat".) https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-lawmakers-call-reinstatement-glass-steagall
"Trump Drives a Wedge in the EU", Mish Shedlock, with some excellent commentary. Trump is pushing what seems wobbly, in the cases of EU structure, which never became stable. The EU is now clearly disintegrating. (He is also poking the massive Chinese debt Ponzi scheme here and there, in various ways. It is in American interests to have the EU, and/or China collapse first. Trump wants to push-what-is-soon-to-fall. It is classic method of those who wish to maintain control.) https://mishtalk.com/2017/01/31/trump-drives-a-wedge-in-the-eu/
German Finance Minister (and career deep state Sith lord) Wolfgang Schauble agrees with Trump that "the Euro is too low for Germany". It is, of course, too high for Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-02-05/schauble-agrees-trump-euro-too-low-germany-blames-mario-draghi#comment-8951428
Grexit? This time? This spring? Greeks have been financially crushed, and further crushing is demanded by the EU. It is not possible for Greek Democracy to bleed Greeks more. Germany would probably not resist Grexit. It would be harsh. What new alliances would be open to Greeks? What would the losses to banks look like? Which banks? Which countries? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/03/grexit-greece-debt-crisis-eu-germany-us
Italeave? Italy has had worse economic losses in the EU than Greece, and steadily, the whole time. Italy really needs the Lira back, and Italians know it and the 5-star movement supports Italian nationalism, with European cooperation, but a currency the can devalue to pay debts and compete in manufacturing. https://mishtalk.com/2017/02/03/assessing-iexit-italy-increasingly-likely-to-abandon-the-euro/
Syria, Cradle of Civilization and Pivot of Global Power Games: Thanks Eleni. This is a really complex opening to endgame negotiations. The Saudis and Gulf Sheikdoms want their military forces in carve-outs of Syria. The US and Saudis have openly entertained this, ignoring Syrian sovereignty. Iranian interests are at odds with the sheiks. Iran has thousands of years of historical perspective. Russia and the US seek detente', though there is internal factional infighting. Little discussed here is Israel. Israel wants the Golan Heights oil and gas; will have it; will play very hard and as dirty as necessary. http://21stcenturywire.com/2017/01/30/syria-cradle-of-civilization-and-pivot-for-the-global-power-games/
Ukrainian government attacks Donbass to sabotage US/Russia rapprochement http://www.moonofalabama.org/2017/02/ukraine-coup-government-tries-to-sabotage-us-russia-rapprochement.html
US Navy Seal attack on Yemen was a debacle planned for months, that Obama "couldn't OK because it needed a moonless night". The botched slaughter happened on Trump's watch. The element of surprise was lost, Osprey troop transport destroyed, ambush set up, women and children, including 8 year old American girl killed, rescue-team had to extricate our heroes, including the seal-martyr... Moon of Alabama looks into as much detail as possible. Trump was supposed to stop this stupid, evil shit, right? Just how did this get approved? Who benefits? http://www.moonofalabama.org/2017/02/crazy-ideas-about-the-us-attack-in-yemen.html
In the interview, Bill O’Reilly asked if Trump respects Russian President Vladimir Putin, to which the he replied, “I do respect him. Well, I respect a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I’ll get along with them.” After O’Reilly asks why, Trump answers: "He is the leader of his country. I say it’s better to get along with Russia than not, and if Russia helps us in the fight against ISIS – which is a major fight – and the Islamic terrorism all over the world, that’s a good thing. Will I get along with him? I have no idea.” O'Reilly pressed Trump on his statement, saying, "But he's a killer though. Putin's a killer." Trump shrugged the comment off, saying: “There are a lot of killers. We’ve got a lot of killers. What, do you think our country is so innocent?” (BOOM! Interrupting the SUPER BOWL? HUGE!) https://www.rt.com/usa/376357-trump-putin-interview-killer/
The Greenland ice sheet is melting 6 times faster than predicted by current models. Huh? Wuzzupwiddat? http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/02/greenland-ice-sheet-melting-600-percent-faster-predicted-current-models.html
Unreliable Forecaster
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