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How Empires End
Submitted by Jeff Thomas via Doug Casey's International Man blog,
“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.” – Thomas Jefferson
Histories are generally written by academics. They, quite naturally, tend to focus on the main events: the wars and the struggles between leaders and their opponents (both external and internal). Whilst these are interesting stories to read, academics, by their very nature, often overlook the underlying causes for an empire’s decline.
Today, as in any era, most people are primarily interested in the “news”—the daily information regarding the world’s political leaders and their struggles with one another to obtain, retain, and expand their power. When the history is written about the era we are passing through, it will reflect, in large measure, a rehash of the news. As the media of the day tend to overlook the fact that present events are merely symptoms of an overall decline, so historians tend to focus on major events, rather than the “slow operations” that have been the underlying causes.
The Persian Empire
When, as a boy, I was “educated” about the decline and fall of the Persian Empire, I learned of the final takeover by Alexander the Great but was never told that, in its decline, Persian taxes became heavier and more oppressive, leading to economic depression and revolts, which, in turn led to even heavier taxes and increased repression. Increasingly, kings hoarded gold and silver, keeping it out of circulation from the community. This hamstrung the market, as monetary circulation was insufficient to conduct business. By the time Alexander came along, Persia, weakened by warfare and internal economic strife, was a shell of an empire and was relatively easy to defeat.
The Tang Dynasty
Back then, I also learned that the Tang Dynasty ended as a result of the increased power amongst the eunuchs, battles with fanzhen separatists, and finally, peasants’ revolts. True enough, but I was not taught that the dynasty’s expansion-based warfare demanded increases in taxation, which led to the revolts. Continued warfare necessitated increasing monetary and land extortion by the eunuchs, resulting in an abrupt decrease in food output and further taxes. Finally, as economic deterioration and oppression of the citizenry worsened, citizens left the area entirely for more promise elsewhere.
Is there a pattern here? Let’s have a more detailed look—at another empire.
The Spanish Empire
In 1556, Philip II of Spain inherited what was regarded as Europe’s most wealthy nation, with no apparent economic problems. Yet, by 1598, Spain was bankrupt. How was this possible?
Spain was doing well but sought to become a major power. To achieve this, Philip needed more tax dollars. Beginning in 1561, the existing servicio tax was regularised, and the crusada tax, the excusado tax, and the millones tax were all added by 1590.
Over a period of 39 years (between 1559 and 1598) taxes increased by 430%. Although the elite of the day were exempt from taxation (the elite of today are not officially exempt), the average citizen was taxed to the point that both business expansion and public purchasing diminished dramatically. Wages did not keep pace with the resultant inflation. The price of goods rose 400%, causing a price revolution and a tax revolution.
Although Spain enjoyed a flood of gold and silver from the Americas at this time, the increased wealth went straight into Philip’s war efforts. However, the 100,000 troops were soon failing to return sufficient spoils to Philip to pay for their forays abroad.
In a final effort to float the doomed empire, Philip issued government bonds, which provided immediate cash but created tremendous debt that, presumably, would need to be repaid one day. (The debt grew to 8.8 times GDP.)
Spain declared bankruptcy. Trade slipped to other countries. The military, fighting on three fronts, went unpaid, and military aspirations collapsed.
It is important to note that, even as the empire was collapsing, Philip did not suspend warfare. He did not back off on taxation. Like leaders before and since, he instead stubbornly increased his autocracy as the empire slid into collapse.
Present-Day Empires
Again, the events above are not taught to schoolchildren as being of key importance in the decline of empires, even though they are remarkably consistent with the decline of other empires and what we are seeing today. The very same events occur, falling like dominoes, more or less in order, in any empire, in any age:
- The reach of government leaders habitually exceeds their grasp.
- Dramatic expansion (generally through warfare) is undertaken without a clear plan as to how that expansion is to be financed.
- The population is overtaxed as the bills for expansion become due, without consideration as to whether the population can afford increased taxation.
- Heavy taxation causes investment by the private sector to diminish, and the economy begins to decline.
- Costs of goods rise, without wages keeping pace.
- Tax revenue declines as the economy declines (due to excessive taxation). Taxes are increased again, in order to top up government revenues.
- In spite of all the above, government leaders personally hoard as much as they can, further limiting the circulation of wealth in the business community.
- Governments issue bonds and otherwise borrow to continue expansion, with no plan as to repayment.
- Dramatic authoritarian control is instituted to assure that the public continues to comply with demands, even if those demands cannot be met by the public.
- Economic and social collapse occurs, often marked by unrest and riots, the collapse of the economy, and the exit of those who are productive.
- In this final period, the empire turns on itself, treating its people as the enemy.
The above review suggests that if our schoolbooks stressed the underlying causes of empire collapse, rather than the names of famous generals and the dates of famous battles, we might be better educated and be less likely to repeat the same mistakes.
Unfortunately, this is unlikely. Chances are, future leaders will be just as uninterested in learning from history as past leaders. They will create empires, then destroy them.
Even the most informative histories of empire decline, such as The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon, will not be of interest to the leaders of empires. They will believe that they are above history and that they, uniquely, will succeed.
If there is any value in learning from the above, it is the understanding that leaders will not be dissuaded from their aspirations. They will continue to charge ahead, both literally and figuratively, regardless of objections and revolts from the citizenry.
Once an empire has reached stage eight above, it never reverses. It is a “dead empire walking” and only awaits the painful playing-out of the final three stages. At that point, it is foolhardy in the extreme to remain and “wait it out” in the hope that the decline will somehow reverse. At that point, the wiser choice might be to follow the cue of the Chinese, the Romans, and others, who instead chose to quietly exit for greener pastures elsewhere.
Editor’s Note: Unfortunately there’s little any individual can practically do to change the trajectory of this trend in motion. The best you can and should do is to stay informed so that you can protect yourself in the best way possible, and even profit from the situation.
This is what Doug Casey’s International Man is all about: helping you cut through the smoke and mirrors while making the most of your personal freedom and financial opportunities around the world. The free IM Communiqué is a great place to start.
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Nero fiddled...
Obama golfed...
And the red death held sway over all.
< Slowly at first, then all at once.
< With a wimper not a bang.
How USSA empire will end.
STEP 8.5. "Central bankers monetize government debt, while blowing massive bubbles to delude and fool the population."
STEP 10.1
rise of an all powerful church in the area that collapsed...
usually run by the same elite that caused the collapse in the first place..
THEN THE TERROR REALLY BEGINS...
BITCHEZ!
Empires end because they are empires. They can't be sustained. No nation has that kind of cash. Imperialism is a model that is doomed to fail.
I works as long as it can expand and extract more from those it conquers than it pays to conquer them. Eventually, though, you just run out of rich places to pillage and infrastructure set up to pillage cannot be sustained.
we should ask, how did the republic end.
Anyone who's been to Versailles knows why the French Revolution took place. Not saying they were an empire, but it fits the theme.
Glubb had it all outlined in "The Fate of Empires".
We're in the DeathThroughsnow.
The real question is who will be the conquerer?
THe thing about Casey is that he's got his own little Galt's Gulch to hide out when the shit hits the fan.
The rest of us are fucked.
If Casey thinks he and his buddies can show up later, to try and run things when the dust settles, I'll just punch him in the tits and tell him to go back to South America.
Empires end when their strategies for energy capture and conservation become subject to the law of diminishing returns.
- Robert Newman
No down vote from me since your statement adds to the flow but your blog is still lame.
These simple histories are kept out of sight -- to fool the population!
http://www.showrealhist.com/RHandRD.html
The beatings will continue until moral improves.
The beatings will continue until the music stops.
There, fixed it for ya.
The beatings are the music and the music never stops.
FIFY
Time for another masque
America is a hollow shell of what it once was, plated in fools gold
Bush whacked off and snorted coke. Oboner smoked pot and sucks cock.
Caligula lives!!!
Where's my horse marriage certificate?
Hail Caligula
Booms and busts are an integral part of human farming. When one civilization collapses, another rises and the same farmers profit. It's easy when you fund all sides.
Rican
not true...wealth changes hands, those who understand what is happening can do well and the rulers sometimes lose their heads...so cheer up! Don't be so fatalistic. Figure out what is happening and be a survivor.
Whoa, I've never gotten cheered up here before. Thanks!
Yeah we could use that a little around here!
Never let a crisis go to waste doesn't just apply to criminals from Chicago. You see it coming. Don't let it go to waste.
The entire flaw with this article is that all nations are in the same or worse shape than America. So, whatever happens to America will affect the planet. Who will buy all that crap that Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea, Phillipines, Central America, Mexico, Canada make for the USA? Answer, no one. Europe will be ok, as long as Russia doesn't mow them down. This leaves Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. Take your pick.
Africa, hands down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIisB1OyDOc
All those places that currently build/produce "crap" are more than capable enought to produce more functional and usefull items.. manufacturing is already there and ready to go. Provided they can source/buy/trade some of that stuff for the raw materials needed to produce said stuff, those places will do fine when the western world is falling apart at the seams.
Clinton diddled
Paul Kennedy's book, the Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, explained all this before
some people see after facts only..
the Occupy Wall Street and Ferguson breakdown is to small yet but promising
They were both similarly dismantled through the prejudices of stupid people. Once the middle / working class gets on board it's all over.
Working class?haha They are quickly becoming a minority. Better look to the poor rising up. There will be plenty of people there.
What was that concept about bread and circuses?
I say bull! The powers that be want to see these public demonstrations to give cause of fears in the general public. Their aim is power and anything that causes public fears empowers them further. They are causing all of this shit. Do you think they don't know what they are doing?
The solution is to simply quit particating enmass. Don't make a target, don't create a boogeyman for them to use.
Just fucking stop. Sure it will be hard and requires greater organization than we have ever seen but anything else will fail. If our goal is freedom and liberty the first thing we must determine at what cost we are willing to pay. I contend that our primary problem is that few value it much more than a free phone. This is our test, how much do we want it. We can envision some Wallace type character leading the charge in self sacrifice, but the reality is that all we require is the sacrifice to unity for a common cause. Can it happen? I doubt it.
Bullshit. If people like you supoorted those movements, things would change. But you're too comfortable in your life and can't bring yourself to associate with "others".
So you believe Obama would take a hike if we just had bigger public demonstrations? Or maybe if we burned and looted a bit more? They will NEVER abdicate their power. We must act economically with rejection of their policies where ever we can. Do not borrow money. Remove our money from banks. Refuse to buy financial instruments like stocks and bonds. We know all of this is their base of corruption and it is maintained because a lot of people make money from it, even though it is still THEIR money. Just fucking stop. Standing in the street does nothing but advance the militarization of the police and increase their budgets. Remove their power, don't think they will surrender it.
I believe the People will eventually march on Washington en mass and remove the current Tyrant by force, yes. 5 million people should do the trick. He won't have a choice. But you will get to see Michelle the tranny run like a man across the White House lawn.
Yes, I tend to agree - 5 million people of whatever political makeup banging on pots and pans in a mass demonstration of anger and demanded immediate change - that would make a difference. Only if it is non-violent and declared as such.
Along with a bunch of Public Marshals ready to take out the gubbamint snipers on the rooftops in DC, as in the street demonstrations in Kiev.
You guys are dreaming. We all tend to think demonstrations make a difference because of what happened in the 60's and 70's. There was a big difference then. Then, the media was relatively free and reported on the demonstrations, putting it up on the MSM and treating it like it was big deal. Remember when Bush whanted to invade Iraq? Huge demonstrations all over the country. They were ignored by the media and made no difference at all.
I believe the only thing that we can do is to use our efforts to awaken others. the internet is useful for this. How many people have you woken up to the what's really going on in the past few years? This is where the power is, and it is what will make a difference. If you wake up 1-2 people a year, it will (and already is) changing the world.
Demonstrations are a waste of time. OWS's only accomplishment was that they engaged and woke some people up. The demonstration part of what they were doing was a failure.
I agree that demonstrations are completely useless. The Govt has protest and free speech zones, making protests completely managed and a running joke.
I can get 5 friends to agree on a time and place for drinks sometimes, you want to muster 5 million?
The only thing I can think of is to observe and learn from OFA and ACORN. Forget that they're evil for a minute and realize what they've been to accomplish. We can learn from that and use those same tactics for the benefit of liberty.
Back in the 60's and '70's I formulated a simple metric to determine, AT THE TIME, which "movements" or "issues" would be successful. What you do is you look at a media presentation of the "crowd" (mob? demonstrators?) and compare the numbers (percentages?) of gnarly dudes, and hot babes. The higher the ratio of garly's to babes, the less likely it is that the issue will go anywhere. Conversly, the more hot babes in the news film the more likely the issue will progress and have at least some success.
Now at the time I didn't know WHY this metric worked - but it seemed to. Lately I think I may have discovered the reason. The more hot babes in a crowd, the more non-gnarly dudes are attracted to it - the "bees to nectar" syndrome. The more ngdudes get involved, the more babes show up, the bigger the crowd, etc.
Do most of the people in the crowd give a rat about the issue? I'd suggest that it's entirely possible that the majority of the people in the crowd (any crowd, really, once the size rises above a small group) don't even know what the issues are. All they know is their hormones are ragin' and they see multiple "targets of opportunity"!!!
OWS? "hot babes"? Nope. Gnarly dudes? In bunches. And there's your reason OWS failed.
get out while you can
The US could solve its debt problems in ten minutes with a Goods and Sevices Tax and/or world priced tax on gasonline. If every other country can do it why cant the USA. American Exceptalism?
JF
read the article, the camel can only bear so much weight, the American taxpayer is already past the point.
Forget the formula but past a certain level revenues do not increase even if rates are raised.
Why don't we just tax every bank and investment account 50%? That will set things right. And after that, we can impose a national property tax, maybe 50% of the value of your home and property. And after that, a national ad volrem tax on everything you own where the tax assessor shows up at your home and decides what to take for the state. After all, you didn't build that, so fuck you. The government has greater needs. And they will take care of you for sure, one way or another. Then, after you are "taken care of," they will have a death tax, and take what remains. You can't use it in the grave, after all.
Really, the solutions are quite straight forward. Don;t you agree?
Why do they need to tax, when they can print?
Just curious ....
Faceplant.....
RIPS
Exactly. That is why the article describes the path from sound money depletion through taxation to fiat that can then be issued at will with no restraint. All part of the same continuous process.
Well, the Federal Reserve owns the printer and has the concession on printing money. They don't appear to see the value in printing without charging someone interest.
If we were to end the FED and return the control of the printing to the Federal Gov't, kind of like the constitution says, THEN you might be able to have gov't print instead of tax. Altough I doubt that they would not screw that up as well, given their propensity to grow gov't at every opportunity.
They do print, stealing about 10% yearly of the value of whatever currency you have through inflation
But by taxing, and forcing you to pay their taxes in their currency, it forces you to work for their currency, thus giving their otherwise worthless currency value
You can minimize this by:
not keeping your savings in their currency (precious metals come to mind)
not working for currency (anything you can grow, make, repair yourself for yourself and yours is out of their loop)
I see what you did there.
America's layout is predicated on cheap gas. Without it it'll all fall apart.
um...no
why not look at the other side of that equation? specifically, let's do away with profligate spending by governments and the criminally insane idiots who vote for more free shit at the "other guy's" expense (read taxation)
sorry, but your ten minute solution doesn't work in the real world, and how do we know this? because that's what is happening right now. Taxing one sector of society (gasoline consumers) and spending it on another sector of society (those with more votes)
thanks for playing, please try again.
Hey duder. The USA has consumption taxes on gasoline. It is a flat tax. Something about the Eisenhower interstate highway fund.
The progressive income tax has roots with lenin,stalin, putin and other boogeymen.
I find this very interesting because gasoline consumption has collapse in the USA...and so pretty have prices now.
The other thing missing from the article is how monied interests "stick it to the man" like Buffet is doing with Burgher King, etc.
One of the reasons why taxes were so low throughout much of US history is because we really didn't have much in the way of a Central Government.
Even at the height of the Cold War (the 50's) most of the largesse went into projects who's overwhelming purpose was to generate economic activity and "growthiness" using economics as the "weapon" to win the Cold War.
Not saying it worked...just saying "never been an election in US history that hasn't had as it's primary focus jobs, jobs, jobs."
Gas prices have collapsed?
Gasoline consumption hasn't collapsed. The graph I'll bet you are thinking of is that of U.S. Total Gasoline RETAIL Sales by REFINERS. Yes, that one has fallen off a cliff but only because the refiners have mostly gotten out of the retail business over the last decade or so.
DUH, your reading and comprehension skills are non existent.
Obviously you didn't pay attention to the article. The great empires all tried raising taxes to pay the bills. And it didn't help save the empire, increased taxes helped kill the empires.
Another reason your stupid tax idea won't work is because the effin politicians are continually spending more than they take in via taxes. They are spending addicts.
If you are 100% sure that those revenues will be available tomorrow (even though we know they won't) there is no reason NOT to just spend like a crack head with a winning lottery ticket.
I think the other major flaw in the "I feel undertaxed" argument is that the seminal event in the USA in the last 100 years was not World War I or World War II but the Great Depression.
"The time when Government failed." We have on a debt basis "a lot more Government now than then." And of course unlike then we also have a policy of Too Big to Fail.
That implied "reality" says to me any Big Spending Benders have some serious hoops to jump through before they can be applied...
Why in the world would anyone want to give this or any other gov. more money?
Fucking idiot?
I have met them before, they really believe that crap. The mind boggles.
I've met them, as well. I once worked with a guy who deeply believed we would all be better off if the government controlled most aspects of our lives.
I reminded him that those in government are just people who are no better at making decisions than anybody else. He disaagreed.
We didn't get along too well, and so I looked at him and said, "Well, what if that government person controlling your life was me?"
The look on his face was priceless. It had never dawned on him THAT was one possible outcome in his utopian scenario.
Damn brilliant !!!!!!!
Yes. Simple but pure genius. These people are idiots. I cannot imagine what goes on their simple minds.
This should be the most upclicked comment in the history of Zero Hedge.
Every other country does it, and they're all in debt too, so obviously it fixes nothing.
Bubba event!
coming Soon!
What are you trying to do? I've been around long enough to spot a con-artist. Try again, thanks for playing!
Speaking of the end. I wonder why this guy was spared a skull splitting SWAT team.
Gun Shop Owner Says He’s Been Forced to Turn Over 165 Customer Records — Why He Fears ‘Door-to-Door Confiscation’ Could Be Next
“Palumbo claimed he was told by an undercover officer that police first considered raiding his business with an armed SWAT Team to retrieve the records. The lead investigator, however, opted to take a more peaceful approach, he said.”
Mike & Molly TV Series... Promulgating Fat citizen fantasies of being emergency capable, emergency workers, and emergency police force personnel... nothing to see here.
Back to games, computers, & TVs.
Nuff Said.
Rule #1- Never converse with cops. They are looking for someone to pin a crime on. They don't much care about justice, they just wanna close the case, and move on to the next victim.
It's important to note that police FIRST considered raiding his business. I dunno Palumbo, he may be a crook, and he may be a stand-up guy.
I do know this: The cops can ruin you in one encounter. Plan accordingly.
I'll say it once more- NEVER TALK TO COPS, there is no outcome that is good for you for doing so.
Several reasons why you Dont Talk to Police
Very interesting!
Yeah, I ran across that vid awhile ago, after I'd already learned the hard way that the dude is actually quite right. IIRC, he had a deputy or some such as a guest who corrobotated everything he said.
As you say very interesting!
You may think you're assisting in an investigation, when in fact the cops are building a case against you. Fuck 'em!
If you can't describe exactly where you were or what you were doing on the night of January 13, 2007, you're a suspect! I don't fucking know where I was on 1/13/07! Do you?
Just don't answer, the burden of proof is on them. Even if you say you don't remember, they'll use that against you.
They'll say well, if you refuse to talk, you must be hiding something, Their ability to make convincing arguments about your silence is severely inhibited by... your silence.
It's a shite state of affairs dude(ette?) but it's the world we live in.
Think what you may about Michael Greer, he has published a lot of similar information about the fall of empires. http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/
Spain prepares for an autumn of discontent by buying €1bn of riot gear
. http://t.co/dtjD4fVO8R
The price of war, in treasure or lives, is never part of the leadership equation.
strikes back!
Those who look closely understand that it is not the 1% at the top stealing the icing off the cake, but the much smaller .1% or .01% that are skewing the numbers and overreaching. Much of this can be attributed to the ability of those in control "changing the rules" and positioning themselves to benefit at every corner.
I contend the biggest problem is the massive growth in crony capitalism and corruption in Washington. In our busy and complex world we have found it impossible to watch all the moving parts. More on this subject in the article below.
http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-empires-collapse.html
bleat. bleat, bleat.
The 99.99% vs the 0.01% ?
If there's ever a contest, I don't think those will be the teams.
The contest I fear will be between within the 99.9%. They have bet everything on divisiveness, relying on us to be too busy fighting among ourselves to care about .1%.
Corruption is served by complexity. Just looking at banking laws makes it apparent that transparency is the last goal in mind. Every law incorporates hundreds and thousands of pages of rules and their exceptions designed to deliberately create opacity. Its universal and absolute.
http://www.rexresearch.com/glubb/glubb-empire.pdf
Hell ... we're already here.
As Lord Byron said:
The paintings titled "The Course of Emprie" also speak volumes......
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Course_of_Empire
Absolutely. And every huckster in history has used the promise of defeat for the human condition as their lever to tyrannical power. Always saving us from ourselves at only the cost of our liberty. We all claim to want freedom until we discover the cost. Thank god for credit!
Very nice! Thank you for the quote and the art.
U.V. Thank you for the posting "The Course of empire" I didn't know of its existence. Excellent companion to Byron's insight contained in those few lines. Again, thank you. Milestones
Obomba on Iraq and no boots on the ground.
"If you like your head....you can keep it."
"All happy Empires are alike; each unhappy Empire is unhappy in its own way."
But this time its different!
Eventually the greed and gross incompetence of those elitists, who claim to lead, overcomes them. Real leaders do not take, they give ... and empower. Faux leaders cannot inspire the people they depend on and instead try to enslave them ... which in the end has always proven to be futile and self destructive. People first withdraw consent and then they may rebel outwardly ... and it impossible for the slave masters, incorrectly believing the slaves to be inferior, to overcome their arrogance and lack of foresight.
Lol ... and predicting actions through data will not help them. They will refuse to believe the data because their arrogance and paradigms compel them to believe that the slaves are not as worthy or capable as them. No wonder they keep their war on the people secret, coming as a thief in the night to steal freedom.
They have no honor.
nothing new under the sun
Bobby Flay is a King !!!!!
Okay serious question here. If we are on such a bad trajectory, what would be a good country to consider moving to? Boring, stable, etc. Do you guys have a favorite or two in mind?
It depends on your job skills and capital. Some places are easier to get visas to live there but you have to have some business. The better ones in Europe are harder to impossible to get into.
Cheaper places? Costa Rica, Panama. Doug Casey is pushing Northern Agentina because the Argies are more like Europeans than the rest of Latin America. Uraguay is one of the best. If things turn to shit - this is where the Bush klan is going.
Iceland.
That's the question alrighty. Depends on your timeframe. You can probably go hide some place like Canada, you can probably find a nice life for a generation or two in some small town on the Italian coast. You can set up for self-sufficiency in almost any flyover state within the US!
But if the US goes down in a big way it will probably drag down civilization planet-wide, plus or minus clouds of radiation circling the globe and a nuclear winter. Tradition says you're better off anywhere in the southern hemisphere if things go that way. But pity the fool who felt this way thirty years ago and settled in the most out of the way place he could find, the Falkland Islands, about a year before it hit the fan there. You never know.
Queen of the fake ISIS beaheading videos = Rita Katz
http://libyaagainstsuperpowermedia.org/2014/09/07/queen-of-the-fake-bin-...
http://bigdanblogger.blogspot.com/2012/05/queen-of-fake-bin-laden-videos...
Congressman Paul Findley's book "They Dare to Speak Out" explains many of these tactics of those who tried to suppress anyone who starts to tell the truth about US disastrous foreign policy in support of Israeli aparthied, occupation, and ethnic cleansing. He also argues that the huge resources they put in this are needed because they are trying to suppress the truth; suppressing the truth needs far more resources and money.
Who says Al Qaeda takes credit for a bombing? Rita Katz. Who gets us bin Laden tapes? Rita Katz. Who gets us prettymuch all information telling us Muslims are bad? Rita Katz? Rita Katz is the Director of Site Intelligence, primary source for intelligence used by news services, Homeland Security, the FBI and CIA. What is her qualification? She served in the Israeli Defense Force. She has a college degree and most investigative journalists believe the Mossad “helps” her with her information. We find no evidence of any qualification whatsoever of any kind. A bartender has more intelligence gathering experience.
Almost simultaneous to Rita Katz’s arrival in the US in 1997, MEMRI (Middle East Media Review Institute was founded in 1998 by Yigal Carmon, a former colonel in Israeli military intelligence, and another Israeli Meyrav Wurmser (yes, the wife of Iraq war perpetrator Wurmser). They translate Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, and Persian print and video pieces into English and provide major news outlets (that are on their wavelength) free of charge.
Nothing more than another CAIR rectum snooter. Yawn
LOL! If you did a little homework or had a few braincells, you would find out that CAIR is a phony Saudi front group with friends like NeoCon islamist Grover Norquist. Norquist is plugged into Saudi/AIPAC NeoCon puppets like Schumer, McCain, Rubio, Graham and the rest.
CAIR is the unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy land Foundation case in US v. Holyland Foundation NTex. CAIR and AIPAC are fellow travelers? Phony front group doing real damage to American liberties. "NeoCom Islamist"...you are crazier than a shythouse bat. DingfckingDong
And Findley has directly represented CAIR you big dummy.
http://www.wnd.com/2011/10/355445/
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/politics/83799/norquist-radical-islam...
http://www.newswithviews.com/Nelson/kelleigh155.htm
Grover Norquist is a close friend of CAIR. He is directly connected to Neocons like Rubio, McCain, Lindsey Graham, Schumer and the other AIPAC gang. You have been played. Stop being so naive and stop shilling for AIPAC. CAIR is scum like Norquist and AIPAC.
by ADMIN on MAY 27, 2006
in 2006,KHALAF AL HABTOOR,MC - KHALAF AL HABTOOR,MC - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE),UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE)
Foreign Coordination
Date: May 27, 2006
Title: Al Habtoor Group: Paul Findley presents his new book to Khalaf Al Habtoor
Full Text:
Dubai 27th May: Paul Findley, well known US author and former longtime member of the US Congress recently visited Dubai with the delegation from CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations). During that time he has taken the chance to meet his old friend Khalaf Al Habtoor, Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, to present him with a signed copy of the third edition of his book: “They Dare To Speak Out.” It is said to be the first book, which criticizes the strong influence of AIPAC (American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee) on American politics, policy and also institutions like universities. According to Findley, the Israeli lobby and their actions cause massive effects on US foreign policy and even on congressional, senatorial and more over on presidential elections. Specific case studies and documentations support his opinion on AIPAC. In addition to this, the book includes details on the current administration and for the first time, brings together new voices speaking out, among which are former U. S. President Jimmy Carter, U. S. Representative Cynthia McKinney, Senator Robert Byrd, prominent Arab American Dr. Ziad Asali, Rabbi Michael Lerner, and journalist Charley Reese.
Khalaf Al Habtoor has also hosted a lunch last week for the high-profile visitors from the CAIR delegation, among them the Honorable Paul Findley, the Honorable Larry Shaw, US Senator, Don Meyers, Washington DC public relations firm Hill & Knowlton, Nihad Awad Hammad, Communication Director and Co-Founder of CAIR, Cary Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR Communication Director and Founder of CAIR, Dr. Parvez Ahmed, CAIR Board Chairman, Dr. Ahmed Al-Akhras, CAIR Board Vice-Chairman and Dr. Nabil Sadoun, CAIR Board member (GULF NEWS has reported). On that occasion, Paul Findley stayed behind to discuss Pan-Arab/US relations and interests with the Chairman and how organisations such as Al Habtoor Group can contribute to that understanding. Said Mr Al Habtoor ‘Our company has benefited from the tremendous growth of Dubai and UAE which is helped by the efforts of the peoples of many nations and faiths. I am certain that experience can be applied to help understand and solve most of the tensions that exist between our bretheren the US and in the Arab world.’ Mr Findley has now returned to the US to continue his work and writing but will continue to visit whenever, as he said ‘…time and good health permit…’.
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Dubai Businessman Gives $1M to College to Honor AntisemiteBy Charles Johnson1/11/08 9:50:43 am • Views: 1,044
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http://i.po.st/static/v3/img/set-16.png); background-position: 0px -238px;"> Sharehttp://i.po.st/static/v3/img/ra1-icoset.png) -98px 0px no-repeat;"> 1Antisemitic ex-Congressman Paul Findley, a Saudi sycophant whose rabid articles were purged from the ArabNews web site, has a friend in Dubai who’s giving Illinois College $1 million to honor the old Jew-hater: Dubai exec’s donation honors critic of U.S. policy on Israel.
Notice how the Chicago Tribune soft-pedals Findley’s insane conspiracy-mongering bigotry.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/28564_Dubai_Businessman_Gives_$1M_to_College_to_Honor_Antisemite
Silence Of The Poodles
By Former Rep. Paul Findley
July 6th, 2006
Words spoken years ago by George W. Ball, a distinguished diplomat, author and champion of human rights, have vivid, new currency: “When Israel’s interests are being considered, Members of Congress act like trained poodles. They jump dutifully through hoops held by Israel’s lobby.” In the same interview, Ball said, “The lobby’s most powerful instrument of intimidation is the reckless charge of anti-Semitism.” Sadly, his words ring true today, verified by my own experiences and those of many of my colleagues in the U.S. legislature.
Ball could have added that, except for exuberant praise of Israel, the poodles remain mute as they jump through the hoops, lest they lapse into free speech and say something that will spoil their chances for re-election.
The fear of being charged with anti-Semitism outranks all other worries that bedevil politicians, and the lobby has marketed it so efficiently that a wall of silence shields the American people from awareness of the lobby’s ac
http://davidduke.com/rep-paul-findley/
Read more at http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/28564_Dubai_Businessman_Gives_$1M_to_College_to_Honor_Antisemite#73W9H00vE8ZDEMBM.99
The Saudis and Israel work together and are close friends. They have been trying to take out Assad and Syria while killing Syrian Christians and other innocent Syrians along with the USA, Qatar, Jordan and Turkey by using their ISIS goons.
Go back to being a lackey for Obama. You sound like US military, State Dept or some gov worker who loves and supports Obama like the Pentagon does. They are all Obama's boys.
Not all Muslims are evil. Muslims in Egypt have been protecting Coptic Christians from your Obama's Muslim Brotherhood. Hezbollah and the Syrian Army have been protecing Syrian Christians in Syria. The ones your ISIS friends have been killing. The same people behind the killing of Americans at Benghazi.
Little Green Footballs? LOL! No one goes there anymore. The guy that runs it is a douchebag.
Cannot come soon enough.
Tradition 9 of AA does a better job than all the world's governments put together.
Kids aren't taught accurate or meaningful history because "education" is controlled by the state, which is going to slant history, social studies, and economics to it's own benefit.
Ok Ok how bout this: what if the military personnel that are pissed to high heaven go in and arrest the 600 or so people behind the NWO and replace governments with open source software that is based on Tradition 9 of AA and the Constitution of the United States of America and a single law that anyone with more than 10 million gets sacrificed in public.
As far as colleges are concerned I don't agree with the author.
Pretty good article, oversimplifies of course, nobody really has Hari Seldon's Rules of Psychohistory worked out yet but I'm sure it has a chapter on the true meaning of too much golf.
But it is not Governments alone, the elite 1% are busy looking after themselves.
1) Tax havens provide a repository for the hoarding of elites
2) A corrupt banking class in Wall Street and the City
3) Business leaders keeping profits for themselves and not increasing wages or investing
It is not just the political elite that are the problem now.
in the story of purim , the jewish scroll of ester in the old testament.---the LAST LINE OF THE WHOLE STORY IS THAT THE PERSIAN KING RAISED TAXES.
the escalating persecution in the persian empire of people attempting to scapegoat jews was driven by the empires demand for more revenue. some suggested to kill the jews and take the property ( like hitler did) instead, antiochus king of persia put out a writ that jews were permitted to carry weapons to defend themselves from pogroms. and instead, chose to raise taxes on everyone to pay for his wars.
such was the story of the persian jews. there are very few jews left outside israel in the east. the arab middle east has almost no jews left whatsoever, but there remain a few tens of thousands of persian jews, a testament to the underlying civilized culture of persians. it is unfortunate that our world is as fucked up as it is. what can you do.
every empire is torn between raising taxes to preserve an empire that becomes incrasingly expensive to maintain; and simply 'giving up' the top dog position. sometimes, this even means taking the risk of being over-run by nearby growing empires.
game of thrones is a bitch, especially for the peasants of all creeds and races.
the real question is why is this systemically a behavior throughout history? why? because CONQUEST is a systemic trait of historical compeition. if you cannot borrow money to CONQUER, THEN YOU ARE AFRAID OF WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE ELSE DONE.
THUS THE HIGHEST DEMAND FOR CREDIT ALWAYS COMES FROM MILITARY AGRESSORS. THE HIGHEST SUPPLY OF CREDIT WILL BE FOR PEOPEL WHO WILL BE MOST AGGRESSIVE IN PRODUCING WEALTH WITH THEIR YIELD.
PRIOR TO INDUSTIRALIZATION AS A RAPID METHOD OF ACHIEVING HIGH YIELDS, THE HIGHEST YIELDS WERE MOST EASILY OBTAINED THROUGH CONQUEST. AND INDUSTRIALIZATION HASN'T REALLY CHANGED THE DYNAMICS OF CONQUEST.
THE HIGHEST RETURNS ARE THROUGH CONQEUERING/STEALING PROPERTY AND TERRITORY AND ALL THE RIGHTS THAT COME WIHT THAT.
Sadly, "optimism" and "denial" are hard-wired into the human psyche.
When all those bad things begin to happen that Doug Casey points out and which lead to a gathering catastrophe, a majority of people see them as "a blip" and refuse to accept that the good days are over. It's far less difficult and less painful to go into denial and choose to believe that things will get better if only we give the government more time to sort them out, thru war, higher taxes, phony terror laws and more jackboot police statism. Or most often, all of them.
Those with foresight and skills of logical analysis who step back and see what's happening are way ahead of the masses but are ridiculed and vastly outnumbered. "Shoot The Messenger"comes into play.
I've lost count of how many ZH-ers who have said that when they discuss events reported on ZeroHedge, their family and friends all think they're mad. I know the problem well, not just in geo-political and economic terms but in many other aspects of life.
It has always caused me to question: how exactly do you explain your greater foresight and wisdom when the masses and plebs don't accept it because they don't understand it?
That is where we are today in the Western world and particularly in the Anglo-American Empire. The end is in sight. There is no way back. As Tyler often says "it's never different this time". Despite the masses - and of course those in power with a vested interest - who would have you believe otherwise.
But predicting the final date is a fool's game due to the inventiveness of the political elites to give the walking dead one more injection to keep it breathing and delay its demise a little bit longer.
Pretty much every major country is now very close to, at, or already beyond point #8. So whereever you are (except maybe for Californians) the grass won't be much greener yonder. This is global, and when it all blows up, god have mercy. # got phyzz ?
Beat the rush - apply for a Scottish passport now!
Go off-planet.
Its not safe or even safer for you now , but it will be for your grandchildren .
Humans optimize on grandchildren .
See
http://andreswhy.blogspot.com/2005/08/solar-shield-and-hilsch-blasters.html
andreswhy.blogspot.com/2014/09/rogue-swan-tech.html
So we are at stage 10 to 11 - Merry Christmas everyone...
USA is missing 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11.
They need to raise taxes and monetary policy to the point of economic destruction - it is not happening society wide, just the middle class at this point. It will take a few more years to tick 3, 4 and 6.
Rumblings are beginning. FBAR, FATCA, $2400 to renounce and so on. It is beginning.
When the fee to renounce reaches $10k to $50k, then it's too late, or you could just walk back across the Sonoran Desert, heading south instead of North.
The smart thing is to go quietly, don't renounce, just leave. File the stupid paperwork, get a second passport anywhere, and don't return. If you are old, get it renewed one last time, and then leave for good. If you won't claim Social Security, then just leave and screw the paperwork.
The window for leaving the USA has slowly begun to close - leave now or risk being trapped.
the ussa has a big choice in NOV.... the destiny of the country for starters... a super tanker can be turned around...but you have to move the rudder and it takes a long time to take effect. two more terms of insane libtards running the ship and that is the end...
your really showing your ass.. if you summarize our problems along the hegalian dialectic bs of libs vs repubs. turn off the fox, and limbaugh d00d.
and maybe, just maybe.. you can learn to think for yourself...
I don't agree that Persia was 'easily beaten'.
At Arbela the last of three major battles the Alexander and Darius had, Alexander had 30,000 troops and the Persinas over 100,000.
The military victory was not 'easy'.
I don't know much about that battle, however 30,000 took 100,000? Sounds like they were slaves. When you are a slave, who really gives a shit anyway?
Anything out of Doug Casey's shop as suspect unless he's finally ready to admit that the PM markets are being manipulated at the COMEX and the LBMA.
Great article. You state, "if our schoolbooks stressed the underlying causes of empire collapse". Our hidden Jesuit rulers don't exactly want the public to understand how empires collapse. They don't want people to understand sound (backed by gold) money. How it reigns in war mongering and the preserves liberties, rights, jobs and the middle class.
While our hidden Jesuit rulers control and censor both our education and media, it's their poisoning agenda that sets the preconditions for capture and control. Because of the web, a vast store of knowledge is available for anyone to make up for their defective and manipulated education.
Unfortunately because toxic injury produces anxiety, depression and a blind allegiance to the establishment, large segments are captured and lost forever and will never seek out and find the truth.
For any of you who haven't run across this, check out Joseph Tainters work: "The Collapse of Complex Societies". Wiki has a good one page summary you'll see in your search. See if you can pinpoint where we are on the curve. It's not pretty.
I agree that corruption in government is perhaps the primary problem.
Elitist theory states that nothing happens in a vacuum, empires do not just fall, there is always a long string of bad choices that lead to the fall. If Elitist theory were in vogue instead of Marxist class warfare theory people would know these things.
Runaway corruption cannot be stopped with an "oath" to follow our Constitution without teeth. If it did, there would be no need of local police, married people would always be faithful and popes would live in poverty. Unfortunately the human condition is such that if we are not held to law, morals or manners... when our self interest come into conflict with them, we choose short sighted self interest. We are no longer "self interested rightly understood."
The trajectory the US and all of the Western world is on is why I wrote my Book The Fourth Branch. A Fourth Branch builds on Montesquieu's third branch idea. A Fourth Branch would pull the power to enforce law on the elite from the Executive branch and invest it in a new branch, a Fourth Branch. It would police the political elite holding them to our Constitution and their own laws. With the draconian efficiency of a police state, all government phones would be recorded and released at the earliest possible time, all offices would be under constant surveillance and the records released as soon as possible, nothing in government would happen in the dark with a properly functioning Fourth Branch. Moreover a Fourth Branch would be an “overriding legal authority” when politicans are caught abusing their offices, ala Al Gore blatantly abusing campaign finance laws.
In the book I describe how a Fourth Branch could theoretically work, why we need one, the probable outcome, the dangers and how to implement one, etc... Since I didn't write it to make money, but to "save the world," I have made it 80% free.
Get it here; https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/277193
you are a naive person to believe there is some 'perfect' political system.
that is like saying there is some 'perfect' termist nest , or 'perfect' ant hill.
societies are swarms of primartes acting with specialized classes and with specialized skills and knowledge. there is cheating in anti-hills and termite nests too.
there is no perfect solution. the classes all have feedback mechanisms to place checks upon one another. the intra-class members all put checks and balances on one another.
there is no perfect system. and the idea you can create one is silly.
who watches the watchers? there is NO solution to this. it is inehrent in the structure of hierarchy that at some point the buck stops somewhere, the feedback loops breakdown and the risk and benefit ultiamtely lies with the person in charge. the queen bees are the queen bees.
tax revenue is not declining
No, just what that same dollar of tax revenue will buy, or pay for, or used for bribery, extortion and blackmail by and for politicians, September 9, 2014 vs what it bought 1-2-3-4-5 to 25 years ago.
So in that sense, the true value of the revenue which is the only factor that counts, it has.
Individual Size and Reach socially, economically and politically + Private free unencumbered business and commerce = Success!
The only thing that screws that up is too large central Government. It did with Spain, England, China, Russia and now America. Great Empires die because of Bureaucracy and the size and scope of their central greed. (Look @ DC it's health compared to most of Americas citizens and their environment!
But, THIS time will be different.
so flip the coin
global warming move to Canada
global cooling move to Mexico
should be apparent by 2020
which way the wind blows
doesn't really matter to me.....
Great observations. Thank you!
However, I am more concerned with civilization than empire. How much is empire and civilization intertwined?
I don't think the passage of empire necessarily leads to loss of civilization, particularly given technological advancements.