We are officially a Banana-Republic.
I have long been saying, as have others, that we are headed into an era of Banana Republicanism. It started with Reagan, who innitiated supply-side, debt instead of taxes, NAFTA, the great sell-out to China, and a general optimistic meanness. In 2007-2008, we went through a major crash in the economy, from which we haven't really recovered. The inequality between the wealth of the rich and the paltry wealth of the poor has only widened, and accelerated. This is why #occupywallstreet arose, but was partly undone by the same old divide-and-conquer tactics of the bankster elite, as through Soros-funded black-lives-matter, and violent false flags and exhausting little wars. Behind the smoke and mirrors, we were destined to become poorer. One day, I predicted, there may be starving kids with swollen stomachs, and flies in their eyes, within our own borders. And so, we have been becoming a Banana Republic - as symbolised by the election of Trump and a majority-Republican government. Because of greed and stupidity in both parties, we went from the hopeful populism of Bernie Sanders, to the anti-immigration, etc., angry populism of Donald Trump. I will refine my definition of Donald Trump in a later post - how he has largely been misrepresented, partly by his own fault. The gist of the present post is the symbolism, backed by the GOP, and the DNC establishment, points towards one big mess in America. We have been edging into another "Gilded Age," ever since Reagan, while our Empire has been hemorrhaging power and money. We have built up American mega-corporations to become Chinese and global juggernauts. And now, we are indebted to them - the moneyed globalists. One day, they will try to force overt austerity on us, taking our cash, and so forth. Thus, like a third world country, we are beholden to the now-outsiders. These capitalist exploiters.
What will the world look like, when we squabble together in squalour and disease? It will probably look like life during the 1700's, when pirates ruled the waves. I have recently watched the Canadian mini-series, "Moby Dick," (staring William Hurt), and also RLS's, "Treasure Island". (More on the former later). Both Ahab and Long John Silver were charming, controllaholic psychopaths, (like the nut downstairs).
Life will be like being on a terrible old ship with such fools, with too much salt and too little vitamin C. The social dynamics become wanton and base. The logics of death rules the hearts of all - all desperate for just one little, "slice of heaven." At the helm will be a confused, LIBERTINE billionaire, who may eventually don a peg-leg, just to complete the nightmare. Like Ahab and Long John, he will find that he has bitten off more than he can chew.
The, "Treasure Island," movie had me asking the question: "If you forgive the Devil, are you in league with the Devil?" Or, are you just being a good Christian-sort - like someone who would give a thirsty Hitler a glass of water in the desert, even though that person somehow knows that Hitler will slaughter Jews, et al? Chew on that one, until we discuss this all again.
One message given by RLS is that even the elite are as corrupt as the pirates. That mirrors our age fairly well. There is one part in the movie where a good thought is offered: YOU CANNOT SEPARATE COMMERCE FROM THE HARM IT MAY DO TO OTHERS, int he profiteering. I liked this so much, that I transcribed the entire convo in the movie, here for you:
Long John Silver: "Now, you did a deal with the professor of divinity over there... Something about cheese and a bible... So you can do a deal with me!"
Squire Trelawney: "There will be no deal with you!"
Long John Silver: "I'm the only one left alive who owns this gold - who earned this gold! And ownership is nine-tenths of the law!"
Squire Trelawney: "Possession is nine-tenths of the law!"
Long John Silver: "But that's a different law... not one I like."
Squire Trelawney: "I don't care what you like! I don't care about the law! You're a thief - and a murderer! You've brought peril and destruction to this... this whole enterprise!... All this... this... this mirror here... And These sacks... This chest... Or These coins... They're now legally mine, in my possession - & in my ownership, because I have taken them through my venture and risk!"
Captain Smollett: "Trelawney. The risk you took was with other men's lives."
Squire Trelawney: "I was talking about risk financial."
Captain Smollett: "Which does not exist, separate to men's lives, however you try to insulate the thought that it might. This is contraband, sir, stained thick with blood. And when we get back to England, if we manage to get off this island, it will be handed over as such."
What will the world look like, when we squabble together in squalour and disease? It will probably look like life during the 1700's, when pirates ruled the waves. I have recently watched the Canadian mini-series, "Moby Dick," (staring William Hurt), and also RLS's, "Treasure Island". (More on the former later). Both Ahab and Long John Silver were charming, controllaholic psychopaths, (like the nut downstairs).
Life will be like being on a terrible old ship with such fools, with too much salt and too little vitamin C. The social dynamics become wanton and base. The logics of death rules the hearts of all - all desperate for just one little, "slice of heaven." At the helm will be a confused, LIBERTINE billionaire, who may eventually don a peg-leg, just to complete the nightmare. Like Ahab and Long John, he will find that he has bitten off more than he can chew.
The, "Treasure Island," movie had me asking the question: "If you forgive the Devil, are you in league with the Devil?" Or, are you just being a good Christian-sort - like someone who would give a thirsty Hitler a glass of water in the desert, even though that person somehow knows that Hitler will slaughter Jews, et al? Chew on that one, until we discuss this all again.
One message given by RLS is that even the elite are as corrupt as the pirates. That mirrors our age fairly well. There is one part in the movie where a good thought is offered: YOU CANNOT SEPARATE COMMERCE FROM THE HARM IT MAY DO TO OTHERS, int he profiteering. I liked this so much, that I transcribed the entire convo in the movie, here for you:
Long John Silver: "Now, you did a deal with the professor of divinity over there... Something about cheese and a bible... So you can do a deal with me!"
Squire Trelawney: "There will be no deal with you!"
Long John Silver: "I'm the only one left alive who owns this gold - who earned this gold! And ownership is nine-tenths of the law!"
Squire Trelawney: "Possession is nine-tenths of the law!"
Long John Silver: "But that's a different law... not one I like."
Squire Trelawney: "I don't care what you like! I don't care about the law! You're a thief - and a murderer! You've brought peril and destruction to this... this whole enterprise!... All this... this... this mirror here... And These sacks... This chest... Or These coins... They're now legally mine, in my possession - & in my ownership, because I have taken them through my venture and risk!"
Captain Smollett: "Trelawney. The risk you took was with other men's lives."
Squire Trelawney: "I was talking about risk financial."
Captain Smollett: "Which does not exist, separate to men's lives, however you try to insulate the thought that it might. This is contraband, sir, stained thick with blood. And when we get back to England, if we manage to get off this island, it will be handed over as such."