Watching the Launch of SpaceX's Dragon is like taking a look at the future of commercial space flights. The future is now, but we are unaware of the full impact in history til years later. [Photo credit: James Fink]
little snippets of life—thoughts from my brain
Stephen Wiltshire was mute when he was diagnosed with severe autism at the age of three. He began communicating through his drawings after being sent to Queensmill School in London, and with the support of his special-needs teachers, gradually learned to speak. Wiltshire has the uncanny ability to draw and paint detailed landscapes and cityscapes entirely from memory.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul warned the House that he is "convinced the time is now upon us that some Big Events are about to occur," and that will cause liberty to go "into deep hibernation."
Paul told the House:"These fast-approaching events will not go unnoticed. They will affect all of us. They will not be limited to just some areas of our country. The world economy and political system will share in the chaos about to be unleashed. There are reasons to believe this coming crisis is different and bigger than the world has ever experienced. Instead of using globalism in a positive fashion, it's been used to globalize all of the mistakes of the politicians, bureaucrats and central bankers," Paul continued.
Our arrogance and aggressiveness have been used to promote a world empire backed by the most powerful army in history. This type of globalist intervention creates problems for all citizens of the world and fails to contribute to the well-being of the world's populations. Just think how our personal liberties have been trashed here at home in the last decade. Paul outlined the history of the current economic crisis and alluded to key events such as the inception of the Federal Reserve System, the creation of the Bretton-Woods Monetary System, and the creation of a "dollar bubble".
"This bubble is different and bigger for another reason." Paul argued. "The central banks of the world secretly collude to centrally plan the world economy. I'm convinced that agreements among central banks to "monetize" U.S. debt these past 15 years have existed, although secretly and out of the reach of any oversight of anyone--especially the U.S. Congress that doesn't care, or just flat doesn't understand."
Ron Paul, the Congressman also confronted Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke over what he described as a 35 plus year dollar bubble, telling him "You are probably the biggest taxer in the country", citing the inflationary fiat money system as the most unfair and regressive form of taxation there is.
Don't denouce Marx & Engel til you've read them. The workers, entrepreneurship, and industry is the foundation of society. In case the global elites are attempting to create this Socialist world view.
Every man or woman has the natural right to try, at least pursue his or her dreams. Success is never a right, nor opportunity to pursue it ---but only to try.
I remembered reading an old article about Sarah Palin, about an Alaskan speaking in a frighten whisper that Palin is racist-sexist-vindictive and mean. Anne Kilkenny says, "McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President. There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she. However, there's a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it." The Alaskans called her Sarah "Barracuda".
I have thought about the reason(s) why they called her Sarah "Barracuda", besides being a calculating and frank politician. Sarah Palin's views are extremist and she is out of the mainstream, let alone methodical in her political manueverings. What's the difference between Palin and a Muslim fundamentalist? Sarah Palin uses radical Christianity to justify the attrocities committed in Iraq and that is what Muslims exremists do ---use religion to justify the act of war.
The founding fathers made statements on the separation of Church and State ... the religious right in the Republican party has become the dominant influence in America's government.
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"The vices of those who govern and the weakness of the governed will soon bring it to ruin. Then the people, tired of its representatives and of itself, will either create freer institutions or soon fall back at the feet of a single master." - Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy of America
From my own observations, while following the Atlanticist Council, I learned that Responsibility-to-Protect is a perfect mechanism for NATO or could be .... The problem with the R-to-P is that it could be used as a tool for regime change. The third pillar under R-to-P states that the International community has a responsibility to intervene when states fail to protect its population from crimes against humanity, including the collective use of force through the UN Security Council. China and Russia vetoed the Security Council decision on Syria:
There needs to be a mandate through the UN Security Council to intervene on behalf of Syria. Also, there is or should be a 4th pillar, as in the steps to deal with the aftermath---reconstruction after the military intervention. I was keen on a humanitarian agenda of the R-to-P, that I failed to realize the inherent dangers of using the R-2-P agenda for regime change.
When writing earlier about Syria, I mentioned Kosovo. The difference between Kosovo and Syria is that there was a real crisis in Kosovo and the international community didn't need a UN mandate to intervene. The international community took it upon their own behalf to intervene militarilty to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity, and mass attrocities...
I personally wonder if NATO has the balls to oust the dictator Assad, if & when the situation in Syria deteriorates. The international community has the Right-to-Protect---military intervention when crimes against humanity becomes mass attrocities. "Diplomatic efforts must win. If diplomacy fails, war results," and unquote.
I wrote a previous blog post about China becoming a formidable military power. The United States is using a strategy of engagement, sending their military to the Asia-Pacific in order to engage the Chinese military might, so that the country does not intimidate its neighbors over resources, and possess the South China Sea. The engagement strategy with another military power will continue spending on the Defense budget, but there will be cutbacks in US military spending. There has already been cutbacks. The NATO forces are also cutting their own military spending.
The US is cutting back by moving a majority of its forces out of Afghanistan-Iraq and Europe. By leaving Europe, the US-NATO led forces will concentrate on the Asia-Pacific and the rest of the Middle East---the world's energy corridors. Asia and Mideast are important regions in the coming years due to resource constraints and Iran as a threat for over the next decade. According to the Professor at the University of Chicago, John Measheimer:
"There is an important dimension to America's geopolitical situation: the state of the world economy. We are now undergoing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It appears we have avoided another Great Depression, but the damage to the Western economies have been enormous. One can never be sure we won't go back in the other direction. The United States is looking for ways to reduce or at least slow down spending on Defense."
America alone spends above 200trillion on the world's largest military force. About twice as much spending on the US military during WWII. The NATO-led forces could share some of the burden and responsibility in world peacekeeping efforts, in my opinion.
"All of this is to say that in the face of an increasingly powerful China, continued trouble in the Middle East, and a slow and painful end to the great recession. It is possible that the United States [NATO-led forces] will leave Europe and concentrate its limited resouces in Asia and the Middle East."
