Randall's Blog

I have started a few blog posts in the last few months that I can't seem to finish. My frustration/anger/disgust and fear levels are rising -

It's early 2012, in the coming months we will be subjected to yet another painful presidential election and the accompanying congressional contests. I have made it clear that I don't intend to vote for Obama for a second term. The knee-jerk reaction of Democrats and liberals is to question why I want Michelle Bachmann or Mitt Romney to be president. Well, I'm sick of this ever more pointless charade every 4 years. I don't want to be lectured about the realities of our current political system - thank you but I'm well aware of this reality. I'm also aware of a much more important reality - we need real fundamental change in our society (and throughout the world) and it will never come from the corporate-sponsored Democrats or the corporate-sponsored Republicans. Everything Ralph Nader has been saying about how little difference there is between them is true - they are the problem, not the solution. I'm not going to waste time detailing all the ways Obama has betrayed the progressive voters that elected him to office, it's has been done elsewhere, all you have to do is open your eyes to the truth. I will say that Obama has been quite effective in maintaining the status quo. Everything he has done has kept the current power structure intact from the healthcare industry to Wall Street to the Banksters to the military/security/prison industrial complex. He has served the interests of the elite at the expense of the vast majority of ordinary people. Obama does not deserve our votes.

As friends and family already know, I mention the apocalypse on a regular basis. I believe that this has caused some confusion and so now I will attempt to clarify what I mean when I say "apocalypse." I'm not referring to biblical prophecy, I don't believe the men who wrote the Bible had any gift or ability to see the future. The only resemblance between what is written in the Bible and the events that are unfolding today are the result of the fact that human nature has not changed in the last 6000 years and so the same motivations and frailties that people had in the past we also have now. I'm also not referring to any Mayan prophecy. If things go bad in the year 2012 I believe this would just be a coincidence.

There are, however, a combination of events occurring which are unprecedented on a global scale. This “perfect storm” of circumstances have created a very dangerous situation for humankind. I have detailed them previously and many other writers have discussed peak oil, climate change, soil depletion etc. so I won't go into details. I don't think it's a coincidence that the global financial situation is destabilizing at this time as well because these factors are all interrelated. Here are some links that explain what's going on in greater detail and more eloquently than I would be able - please consider reading this and this and this and listening to this long but excellent interview with Chris Hedges:

The reaction to these multitude of issues we are facing is quite variable. I've talked to people in each group. The denialists believe all these issues are made up and there is unlimited oil, resources etc. for humans to grow indefinitely. This fiction is fed and maintained by right-wing conspiracy theorists and others whose financial gain depends upon maintaining the status quo. Although I certainly understand people's skepticism it's important to be judicious and careful with skepticism so as not to be misled by powerful interests. The classic example of this was how the tobacco industry maintained and fed skepticism amongst the public about the health risks of smoking. People wanted to believe that the addictive products they were consuming were not harmful and so it was in the interests of the tobacco industry to dispute, fund research and otherwise muddy the waters so that the clear dangers of smoking were obscured. My own personal guide to skepticism includes economic motives as the most important factor when determining when the truth is being obscured.

Other people, have a hard time hearing about these issues. It's not that they deny their existence, it's just that the truth is difficult to accept and contemplate. I imagine many Europeans in the 1930s had the same difficulty in accepting the ugly truth about the Nazis. Many people could see what was coming and warned others. The ones that heeded the warning and left were a lot better off than those that refused to believe it or didn't want to hear it and stayed. In our current situation there is no place to run to. Our problems are global in nature - we can't escape. We either learn how to live on this planet sustainably and peacefully or will suffer very unpleasant future.

People are out in the streets protesting, which is a good sign. The "Occupy Movement" has changed the conversation from deficits and taxes to inequality and social justice. What will the Spring bring to this movement? I hope it expands in scope and grows in numbers. The elites fear this kind of protest. It's the same rage against a system that only works for the very wealthy (the 1% or the 0.1%) that has put people all over Europe on the streets. The global banking system is trying to strangle the people of the world into debt slavery and the people are resisting. Meanwhile it looks like Obama and Netanyahu are hell bent on starting WWIII by attacking Iran as a distraction. Since none of the economic problems were actually fixed over the last few years I guess this should be expected. 2012 will be a crazy year and I'm not looking forward to it...