ClubOrlov: America's Achilles' Heel
This is an excerpt from an excellent article. Access the full article via the link.
There is no question that the Americans will continue to try to create mischief around the world, “touching” vulnerable, exploitable countries, for as long as they can. But there is another question that deserves to be asked: Do the Americans “touch” themselves? Because if they do, then the next candidate for extreme makeover into a bombed-out wasteland might be the United States itself. Let's consider this option.
As the events in Ferguson, and more recently in Baltimore, have indicated, the tensions between African-Americans and the police have escalated to a point where explosions become likely. The American “war on drugs” has been essentially a war on young black (and Latino) men; about a third of young blacks are behind bars. They also run a high risk of being shot by the police. To be fair, the police also run a high risk of getting shot by young black males, causing them to be jumpy and to overreact. Given the gradually collapsing economy—close to 100 million working-age Americans are unemployed (“outside the labor force,” if you wish to split hairs)—it would seem that for an ever-increasing chunk of the population cooperating with the authorities is no longer a useful strategy: you get locked up or killed anyway, but you get none of the temporary benefits that come from ignoring the law.
There is no question that the Americans will continue to try to create mischief around the world, “touching” vulnerable, exploitable countries, for as long as they can. But there is another question that deserves to be asked: Do the Americans “touch” themselves? Because if they do, then the next candidate for extreme makeover into a bombed-out wasteland might be the United States itself. Let's consider this option.
As the events in Ferguson, and more recently in Baltimore, have indicated, the tensions between African-Americans and the police have escalated to a point where explosions become likely. The American “war on drugs” has been essentially a war on young black (and Latino) men; about a third of young blacks are behind bars. They also run a high risk of being shot by the police. To be fair, the police also run a high risk of getting shot by young black males, causing them to be jumpy and to overreact. Given the gradually collapsing economy—close to 100 million working-age Americans are unemployed (“outside the labor force,” if you wish to split hairs)—it would seem that for an ever-increasing chunk of the population cooperating with the authorities is no longer a useful strategy: you get locked up or killed anyway, but you get none of the temporary benefits that come from ignoring the law.
I watched much of the Russian ceremonies and was surprised by the difference between their 70yr vs that of us and Britain.
“Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations...entangling alliances with none”―Thomas Jefferson. I see nothing in that quote about nation building, overthrowing the blue meanies or making the world safe for democracy.
Our current foreign and military policies are insane, and are destroying America as we know it. The truly frightening thing is, on present form, the country looks set to elect either a Democrat or a Republican who are promising more of the same. Anyone who points out the insanity is marginalized and relegated to the intellectual attic. If Thomas Jefferson were alive today, he would have trouble getting a blog off the ground.
I will read your post tonight. My days are now mired in the irrationality of billing 'health insurance'.
- US media controlled by a few companies - This is true, but the Internet makes it easier than 20 years ago to get foreign and alternative news outlets.
- So many African Americans incarcerated - This is two separate problems: racism and the drug war / criminal justice system. The racism is getting better. The drug war is as bad as ever, but Russia is just as bad about having a huge chunk of its population behind bars or on probation of some sort. I completely agree with the author, though, that the drug war is undermining rule of law. I don't agree with the racial interpretation of the problem.
- US economy - It always could be better, but people still flock to the US for opportunity.
I just realized this is the same Orlov of Reinventing Collapse. In that book he takes problems he sees in the US and says the US central planners are facing the same problem Soviet central planners faced. He doesn't realize there are no central planners to the extent the Soviets had them.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2TKWGAZOLB...
I understand the motivation for posting articles like this as a warning that we don't want to get any more central-planned than we already are.