OUT OF CONTROL

The govt will give nearly $1 trillion to the Pentagon. They pledge billions to Ukraine to continue making war with Russia.

Meanwhile, they cut food stamps and medicare programs.

This is a sure sign of total moral decay. This Empire be falling.

ADIOS, GRINGOS

The EU countries suffer greatly while trying to maintain the “sanctions” imposed on Russia. Through political and economic pressure from the US, the EU is forced into a policy that results in misery and hardship for many of its own citizens. Essentially, in an effort to please the US, they go against their own national interests!

And they don’t like it. The sanctions strategy has had little effect on Russia, which is thriving in other markets. Instead, it’s the West that feels the pain. Cutting off Russian oil is madness. “Capping” the price of Russian oil is madness.

This week Chinese premier Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia. It was immediately clear that the Saudi’s lavish, over-the-top welcome ceremony was in deliberate contrast to the recent luke-warm, barely cordial reception granted to Biden.

The message from both these events is loud and clear: The era of US global hegemony is over.

MAIN NARRATIVE: Terrible Russia . . . and China too. ENEMIES!

10 months ago Russia invaded Ukraine, part of an on-going conflict that stretches back over two hundred years. Ukraine was part of Russia, then it wasn’t, then it was — and so on several times. All last century Ukraine was part of Soviet Union.

The current Ukraine trouble began in 1991 with the collapse of Soviet Union, and Eastern countries, like Ukraine, became “independent.” At that time, US, UN and NATO promised Russia NATO would not “move one more inch east.”

They lied. Little-by-little, NATO crept closer to borders of Russia and right into Poland. All this time, Russia warned the West about Ukraine — that it would never tolerate NATO bases in Ukraine, mainly because of its position on Russia’s southern border and command of Black Sea. For Russia, it was vital that Ukraine remain neutral.

But US kept pushing at Ukraine anyway, even to arranging a coup in 2014. With evident possibility of Ukraine membership in NATO, Russia had no choice but to invade and force a neutral policy on Ukraine.

BUT the Western media, especially in the US, responded immediately with loud screams of TERRIBLE RUSSIA – HEROIC UKRAINE! The “news” programs from these outlets give no history or context to the conflict, and concentrate only on the brutality of Russian invasion and the brave, heroic defense of the Ukrainian people. All Western countries condemned Russia and applied “sanctions” designed to hurt Russian industry and economy.

And yet, all these loud media outlets had completely forgotten that just recently the US had invaded Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Somalia, and others, without a single peep of protest from this same media, and with no countries punishing the US with sanctions, including Russia and China. In fact, US mainstream media played a significant role in promoting wars and “regime changes.”

This difference in “perspective” is so outlandish and obvious as to qualify as a giant absurdity. Indeed, some absurdities are so big we cannot properly grasp the true scale, and in this way they become nearly “invisible.” Yet, these absurdities slip into the subconsciousness and create cognitive disturbance and emotional stress.

Even worse, this giant absurdity is imposed constantly, day-by-day, on the minds and hearts of millions. This is where most Americans get their information — by watching and listening to TV and internet “news.” This is not surprising, since nearly 55% of these people — all US adults — demonstrate reading comprehension at lower than 6th grade.

This makes a majority of US population vulnerable to misinformation, manipulation, and distraction — all part of the mass program of Agnotology.

According to several sociological theories, particularly Emil Durkheim, societal disintegration leads to violence and conflict, especially in societies with high rates of anomie, such as the US.

It’s prudent to remember that the American Dream has also been a nightmare for some — such as Indians, Africans and Landless. But now the 400 year nightmare has reached critical mass . . . in a country with 500,000,000 guns.

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ROOTS

I don’t live in the US, but I study and read about it every day. At this particular moment there are unprecedented levels of violence, homicide, suicide, drug addiction, overdose, homelessness, poverty and the biggest wealth gap in its history.

This is shocking and sad. But it helps to remember the roots of US white society, way back to the Puritans, who literally reenacted the Inquisition on north american soil and stamped their DNA on the incipient white culture. The descendants of these people celebrated slavery and killed the Indians.

Whatever is happening today is not surprising, but inevitable.

Se Vende

The one crucial fact Americans can’t see — the reason why they don’t have nice things — is because their politicians are for sale . . . and they’re very expensive. 96% of Americans can’t afford one.

CUIDADO: NEVER SAY NEVER, OR HOW GOING CRAZY SAVED MY LIFE

My experience in US army is perfect example of cognitive dissonance.  Before Vietnam I was an air-headed high school graduate interested only in girls, parties and cars.  Every day I pledged allegiance to the flag, believed my country was the best in the world, the most democratic, the most moral.  Most importantly, the accumulation of 18 years of education and cultural indoctrination became the foundation of my personal identity, who I was.

13 months in Vietnam destroyed the myths of my country and all the lofty qualities it claimed.  Here was a grave betrayal — a giant contradiction — of everything I had been taught.  In the face of brutal madness against the Vietnamese, I rejected all allegiance to my country.  At the same time I lost a substantial part of myself, the person I had once been.

Living a contradiction, becoming part of one, delivers a shock to the psyche; with “reality” so easily shattered how is it possible to count on anything?  On what philosophy or principle do I anchor my personal identity? 

With no sense of purpose and no hope of finding one, drugs became a tempting escape.  Illusions and daydreams are much better than “reality.”  Besides, it doesn’t really matter.  I don’t expect my perspectives on the world to have any impact anywhere.  Still, I can’t help myself from participating somehow, a feeble attempt to fight the Power Elite.

Quantum mechanics tells us that particles inhabit different spaces at the same time, which means never say never. 

PRESIDENT BIDEN ASKED ME TO TELL YOU HE HAS FOND MEMORIES OF HOW YOU SMELL

Katrín Jakobsdóttir, prime minister of Iceland, met with Anthony Blinken in her office.  Her top aide filmed the exchange and I obtained a copy.

KJ:  Welcome, Mr. Blinken.

AB:  Thank you, prime minister.  You look quite lovely today.  How about dinner later?

KJ (rolling her eyes):  What do you want, sir?

AB:  I want to talk to you today about Russian aggression around the world.  We hope you’ll cooperate with us in condemning Russia for bothering Ukraine, hacking into our systems, committing terrible human rights abuses . . .

KJ:  Excuse me, Mr. Blinken, the US is bombing several different countries as we speak.  There are 6000 US troops inside Syria stealing the oil.  I see only American aggression.

AB:  Yes, well, uh, we’re exceptional.

HOOP DE POOP: MIND CONTROL

The fact that climate disruption and mass extinction occur at the same time should scare the pants off every human on Earth.  Our survival depends on the weather and the environment, and both are quickly falling apart, sometimes right before our eyes.  Yet, the vast majority of us carry on with business as usual, still locked into lifestyles of consumption.

How do we account for such an absurd condition?  Why is this obvious contradiction generally accepted, or ignored?  Or are we so badly informed we can’t even see it?  Either way, what might be the mental/emotional effect of living with an absurdity?

I want to take a closer look at how mass media controls the public mind, how they use information to induce social psychological effects and influence peoples’ attitudes and behaviors. I want to begin by introducing Mr. Edward Bernays.  

The world was changed forever when the universal clockworks arranged for Edward Bernays and his mind control theories to appear in the US at the same time as the birth of mass communications.  Bernays used the mass media to stir up patriotic fervor among Americans and create fear and hatred for the terrible Hun.  He was the nephew of Freud, had learned his teachings and focused his propaganda campaign on common human reactions to fear and flattery. He enjoyed such wild success that he wrote a book about it, which, it turns out in hindsight, proves to be one of the key elements in shaping modern social organization.

Bernays claimed govts could create a near-utopia simply by using mass communications to mold and control the minds of its citizens.  Here’s a quote from his book:  “If we understand the mechanisms and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing it.  In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.”

Nothing could be clearer.  This is the beginning of mass indoctrination of the US population.

For the next two decades private and public messages flowed into the minds of millions, encouraging consumerism, hope and patience.  Radio programs interrupted their “shows” frequently for product advertisements and govt announcements, all carefully crafted to influence peoples’ thinking.  Even the “shows” are designed to present a particular lifestyle or idea; for example, “justice” came to be symbolized as the good guys (usually police) beating the bad guys, demonstrating that “justice” is indeed blind, fair and in the good hands of govt.  This is a major theme of the dominant narrative recited every day by millions of school children; “with liberty and justice for all.”  But our personal experience reveals the contrary; “justice” often depends on level of wealth, skin color, identity and gender.  This contradiction plays a key role in mind control and, as an absurdity, contributes to cognitive dissonance.

Equally important, Bernays perfected the process of conferring psychological value to consumer products.  For example, when tobacco companies appealed to Bernays for help in selling more cigarettes, he devised a novel way to capitalize on the incipient feminist movement surrounding women’s right to vote.  He organized a large group of women, Suffragettes and their supporters, and had them parade proudly down 5^th Avenue smoking cigarettes, while the assembled media recorded the “news” – made more dramatic by crowds of jeering, laughing men and scowling police.  The women demonstrated their right to smoke openly, publicly; to make a personal choice, to be independent.  Smoking for women took on the psychological value of a defiant act, definitely political. 

Tobacco sales took off!  To make a bad pun – it was a Lucky Strike.  A modern-day example of cigarette “imaging” is the Marlboro cigarette, always associated with cowboys, horses and the great outdoors.  But, of course, despite their large, colorful “images,” cigarettes are merely bits of tobacco wrapped in paper.

There are key psycho-social factors at work here, most planted into the population at birth and reinforced through a lifetime of rewards and punishments.  The main lesson is this; as one individual among a multitude, our position and movement in life depends on how others perceive us; for example, grades in school or performance at work.  This makes us vulnerable to the constant cultural mantra to decorate our lives and bodies with things that reflect who we are.  But it also encourages individuality, instead of community.

It’s often the product’s image that induces purchase, rather than utility or even necessity.  People buy things they don’t need all the time, mainly because consumers seek identity through the products they consume.  Or, put differently, the products shout out their identity, their image, hoping to attract “like-minded” consumers. 

Endowing inanimate objects with values and personalities is absurd.  Yet nearly 3 US generations grew up watching slick, targeted advertisements, and now the absurdity is taken for granted, accepted, absorbed. 

People identifying with products carries over into identifying others by the value and amount of what they consume.  These identities are often classified officially by the govt; the category “extreme poverty” identifies people that consume almost nothing, while the “superrich” possess unlimited means of consumption.

From this social/philosophical perspective, the value of humans is often inferred by the level of their consumption.

World war 2 introduced a new twist in mind control when mass communications became an element of “national security,” and the government increased its involvement considerably.  Radio programs from that time are often interrupted by long, patriotic appeals for recycling, ration drives, selling and buying “war bonds,” etc.  Also, “news reels” and newspapers reported daily about heroic American actions, along with generous attention to German and Japanese atrocities.  Once again these efforts proved highly successful, particularly in preparing the public for the atomic bombing of Japan (racism had been a definite factor). 

After the war there emerged a new “enemy” – communism.  In the face of this “threat,” Alan Dulles, Director of the CIA, and President Truman decided to continue the information control program.  The plan was for the CIA to feed stories and “exclusives” to select media outlets as a “secret source,” with the general object of instilling love for the USA and fear for its “enemies.”  Dulles initially called the program “Operation Mockingbird,” with plans to expand through recruitment and training of journalists.  (The first media outlet recruited into this program was the New York Times in 1947.)

The potent combination of Bernays’ theories and the resources of the CIA created a powerful media onslaught against communism, the mind control program’s first big success, leading to mass hysteria, arrests and executions.  Another notable success occurred in 1954 when United Fruit Co. ran into trouble with the newly elected Guatemalan president Jacobo Arbenz and his land reform programs.  CIA Director Dulles and his brother John Foster, US Secretary of State, owned shares in UF and their law firm represented the company.  They were sympathetic to UF’s grievances against Arbenz, but unable to act publicly. 

UF hired Mr. Bernays to conjure one of his magical media campaigns and convince the public and the congress that President Arbenz was a communist, and therefore evil.  In a wild media blitz, Bernays sent journalists from Time, Newsweek, New York Times and Chicago Tribune to Guatemala to “observe and report.”  Not surprisingly, their “reports” provided plenty of evidence that Arbenz was a rabid communist, and that he had struck a sneaky blow against American capitalism.  With congress and public duly informed, there was little protest when CIA engineered a coup, kicked out Arbenz and ushered in the generals.  At once, the new govt of Guatemala reinstated UF plantations and welcomed all US investments.

In the 60s and 70s, with growing evidence of link between smoking and cancer, tobacco companies launched a series of media campaigns announcing the results of their own “scientific studies,” stirring up doubt in the minds of millions of smokers, encouraging them to keep smoking.  (Such corporate maneuvers teach us a valuable lesson; they will not let public well-being get in the way of profits.) 

This “science against science” strategy is used regularly by govts and private industry.  One obvious example is the thick cloud of contradictory information surrounding climate disruption – with everything from near-term extinction to hoax.  Former President Donald Trump stated several times publicly that “climate change is a hoax,” or “a Chinese conspiracy,” and he speaks to millions of followers. 

Online platforms promote or debunk every climate theory imaginable, many sponsored by corporate entities, “think tanks,” or NGOs.   Groups of people or “movements” coalesce around these different ideas and produce a multitude of debates backed up by “studies.”  The result is public anger and passion directed against each other, rather than govt and corporate leaders. 

The most dangerous effect is sowing public ignorance and doubt about the true level of danger we face.  Also, mainstream media is fond of telling us that we can expect serious climate and weather effects “toward the end of the century.”  Thus, with plenty of time to “combat climate change,” these mainstream outlets emphasize technological solutions and a future of fabulous machines.  The implication here is that with patience and technology we can preserve our culture of consumption.     

With a confused and ignorant population, wealthy special interests continue to promote consumerist lifestyles, including continued burning of petroleum.  In fact, very few Americans are aware that their military is the biggest polluter on the planet.  Also, by suppressing critical information, private interests avoid a widespread sense of urgency or clamor for change. 

Most Americans agree “the climate is changing” and that humans are responsible, but they know little beyond these broad concepts.  The myriad interconnecting mechanisms of Earth’s eco-systems – from micro to macro – can only be described by hard science, and cannot be squeezed into a 30-second news story, or a 15 minute YouTube video. 

To reiterate the point; the power of mass communications is used to indoctrinate the public, and that this indoctrination is fully intentional.  This is important because it challenges the relevance of Marx and his ideas about class and class consciousness.  Marx wrote over a hundred years ago and could not imagine anything like the modern world – with constant 24/7 bombardment of electronic information, all of it controlled by the economic elite, all of it designed to create a mindset of consent and compliance.  Marx never imagined a world where people became so indoctrinated they eagerly embrace the ideals of their rulers, and any idea of “class” becomes alien, especially in a culture with no sense of unity or togetherness.  Another difficulty with Marx is the vast unequal distribution of wealth, which is erasing divisions of “class” and evolving into a medieval caste system.  

The most effective means of controlling a population is to train it to control itself.  US citizens are not only victims of powerful mind manipulation from the media, but another key element is the on-going program of “agnotology” – the deliberate inducement of ignorance by funding cuts in public education and driving up costs of college.  In the last fifty years average cost of four years of college soared 3,009%, well beyond the means of most young people.

Limited access to quality education – from grade school onward – results in significant segments of the population lacking crucial information, which makes them more vulnerable to govt and private manipulation.  The result is a populace badly educated and regularly brainwashed.  This is disturbing in a society that possesses over 400 million guns.  

Nearly all media outlets are owned by only 5 giant corporations, virtually eliminating the possibility of independent information reaching the general public.  The consequences are immediate and profound.  With a compliant and ignorant population the rulers are free to pursue whatever policies that ensure US hegemony abroad and corporate dominance at home, even though these policies result in a deterioration in the quality of life, not only for US citizens, but the entire planet. 

Over half the US federal budget goes into the Pentagon, leaving meager amounts for housing, education, social services and health care.  In this context there exist multiple absurdities.  Here’s only one – the US Air Force spent 1.7 trillion dollars on its new F35 super fighter jet and it still can’t fly right; at the same moment there are over half a million homeless living on the nation’s streets and sidewalks, and 50 million people living in poverty. 

Such a giant social/economic contradiction is absurd, and these absurdities abound in US military operations, where “humanitarian intervention” means bombs and rockets, totally contrary to “humanitarian.”  (The cognitive and emotional impact of participating in deadly absurdities may contribute to the record high rates of depression and suicide among US military veterans, with an average of 18 veteran suicides per day.)

After the events of 9/11 2002 military costs skyrocketed when the US invaded and occupied several different countries.  The Bush administration, with full media cooperation, framed the collapse of the World Trade Center as an “attack against America, against our way of life.”  Islamic “evildoers” were responsible, and the “mastermind” lived somewhere in Afghanistan.

The govt and mass media cranked up a loud campaign demanding revenge and “justice.”  Still reeling from shock and fear, Americans favored the invasion of Afghanistan against the terrible Taliban, the new enemy in the “war against terrorism.” 

The Bush administration dearly wanted to invade Iraq as well, yearning to control a crucial geo-political oil-rich country.  But the reasons weren’t so clear to US citizens.  This required another concerted media campaign.  Mainstream media featured govt spokespeople portraying Saddam Hussein as a “grave threat to the US.”  Generals and State Department officials appeared before cameras and insisted that Iraq busily pursued “weapons of mass destruction,” some pointing to nuclear warheads, others claiming deadly chemicals.  February 5, 2003, Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, performed a key role in the mind control program by facing the world and claiming “hard evidence” that Iraq was making weapons of mass destruction.  He held up a small glass vial half full of a yellow material and claimed it was enough “anthrax” to cause “many casualties.”  Videos and photos of this moment are famous; the vial of yellow substance playing its part in the stagecraft, like sleight of hand – the hocus-pocus of mind control.  (Years later, when it was clear there were no weapons of mass destruction and never had been, Mr. Powell expressed his “deep remorse” at this performance and called it “a low point in my career.”)

The mass indoctrination managed to sway public opinion in favor of an invasion of Iraq, and congress gave “permission.”  This deliberate manipulation of information resulted in horrific consequences – not only for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, but also US citizens who pay for the wars in taxes, tears and blood.  Both invasions and occupations continue today, costing billions per day and still crushing lives.  So far, the US govt has borrowed over 10 trillion dollars to keep all its military operations moving, which requires buying and burning 20 million gallons of fuel a day. 

At the time of this writing, 6 thousand US troops occupy Syrian oil fields, pump out the oil and sell it.  The same country that holds sacred the ideals of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness makes war on foreign people and steals their resources.  This contradiction reveals another absurdity, and it occurs every day in broad daylight. 

For decades the TV and print media dominated the flow of information to the public, allowing a fairly smooth runway to launch mind control programs.  But with the wide-spread availability of internet the idea of “mass communication” took a hyper-quantum leap.  “Social media” platforms allowed millions of strangers to “connect” and interact directly, bypassing mainstream media, causing a revolution in social behavior, values and beliefs. 

The explosion of online outlets moves beyond the control of the wealthy elite, but this doesn’t matter.  The internet acts like a giant electronic cornucopia offering every imaginable belief or interest, fracturing the population into millions of different narratives.  Like-minded people connect, form groups and clamor for attention within a cyber-cacophony of noises and images, all flashing by in seconds. 

People find a particular discourse that reflects their values and beliefs, join the group or website and focus on it.  With the help of giant online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, people create electronic comfort zones populated with those they choose. Their personal identity is rewarded with recognition and validation from hundreds or thousands of “friends,” providing positive reinforcement.  Also, it offers release and relief for those holding unpopular or bizarre ideas – things they would never tell Mom or the neighbor.  This is a tempting escape from the “real world,” where our presence inside the mass of humanity renders most of us anonymous and invisible.

Like most tools, the internet is a double-edged creation – introducing as many positive elements as negative.  It encourages connections across cultures, promoting understanding and tolerance; yet it also gives space to threads of rabid hatred and calls to violence.  It opens up a whole universe of information, much of it accurate and supported by peer-reviewed studies, but it also presents an inverted, mirror image of “science” that is shady, crazy or wrong, much of it invented by special interests. 

Meanwhile, as humans fight among themselves and expel mountains of waste, Earth systems react to the abuse.  Eco-systems usually suffer unseen and quietly, but sometimes with a roar.  In Feb. 2021, a cold wave swept down the middle of the US and deep into Texas, severely disrupting the lives of millions.  This extreme weather event was a direct result of the warming in the Arctic and the distortion of the jet stream winds.   Since weather distortions continue and increase, such events will happen again.

However, human societies now face a disruptive event on a global scale, the COVID-19 pandemic.  The covid virus primarily attacks the respiratory system, but other organs may also be effected.  Most infected people experience mild symptoms, others are hit more severely and require hospitalization, and some die.  After a year, as the virus races around the world, countries and govts still struggle to respond. 

Nothing has introduced such disruption into human societies since the 2^nd world war.  Except this time there’s a common enemy, a virus, and the victims are humans.  In the first spasmodic responses, each country went its own way, with governments issuing different mandates and proclamations according to their own “experts.”  A year of hindsight makes clear that govt leadership and cultural ideals play key roles in  successfully controlling the virus.  Some countries do well, others badly; in some cases, inept leadership led to mass confusion and unnecessary deaths.

Once a virus gets a firm foothold on a population it begins to mutate about every two weeks, sometimes enhancing its abilities to infect.  This greatly complicates prevention and treatment.  At this writing, India experiences a major wave of infections with nearly four hundred thousand cases per day.  Many other countries, including the US, also experience high numbers of infections.

The response in the US turned political quickly, with governors and mayors and senators and congresspeople and the White House making declarations about “shut-downs,” mask-wearing and distancing, many of which contradicted each other.  And because “science” is now suspect (and easily faked), citizens’ attitudes toward the virus tended to cluster around political beliefs or other social values.  In fact, even in the effort to fight the virus, Americans fight each other over mask-wearing or “social distancing” – sometimes punching and kicking, or shooting and killing. 

There’s no question the pandemic causes deep disruption across the world, with a forced restructuring within each country and rearrangement of international relations.  With this in mind, it’s worth remembering that outbreaks of corona viruses, including SARS and MERS, involve transmission from animals or insects to humans.  Now, with climate disruption and mass extinction, there is immense stress on Earth’s ecosystems; animals and insects are moving around because habitats are failing.  This includes humans, with over twenty million people displaced yearly from extreme weather, moving to other areas, creating more congestion.  As animals, insects and humans shift their survival ranges and behavior patterns, chances of contact and contagion increase. 

Immunologists and scientists fully expect other such outbreaks in the future, including diseases long dormant and frozen in the permafrost but now re-awakening as the ground melts.  Also, more heat means more moisture in the air and this leads to more flooding, stimulating insect populations and the diseases they carry.

The Earth is more than water, dirt and rock; it’s also the atmosphere, the overarching envelope of essential, life-giving gases.  The flora and fauna evolve over eons, adapt, survive, become dependent on the finely tuned balance of all Earth systems, from micro to macro.  When disruption occurs to upset the balance, the repercussions reverberate through all living things.  But the current velocity of this change does not allow any species time to adapt. The result is extinction.  Earth’s atmosphere is sick and getting sicker, and this exerts great stress on all ecosystems, including human societies. 

Is this a “Chicken Little” performance?  An acorn hit Chicken Little on the head and she believed “the sky is falling, the sky is falling.”  Henny-Penny, as she liked to be called, gathered together quite a group of followers on her “sky is falling” crusade.  But, as we all know, the sky is not falling.

The sky is heating.  With the 20 to 30 year lag time in effects of carbon on the atmosphere, the next decade will come down like a hammer, especially after 20 years of intense warfare.  And this carbon will remain in the atmosphere for the next few thousand years.  The prognosis is not good.  We need emergency treatment, go into intensive care.

The solution will not be found in technology or “sustainable alternatives,” but inside our minds, how we think.  The Earth is our Mother. 

THE WAY WE WERE: THE WAY WE ARE

I freely admit to my baby-boomer status, even though the boomer generation garners a bit of hostility these days. I can’t cop to any guilt or innocence about my boomerhood, since I had nothing to do with where and when I was born. However, I can say this; in hindsight, looking back from the year 2020, I appreciate the privileges and advantages I enjoyed growing up during those times. In fact, compared to social/economic conditions currently in the US, my upbringing and formal education had been easy and painless. Especially, I might add, because I was born with white skin.

Tuition at the University of Minnesota in 1970 was around $300 per quarter, depending on how many “credits” one carried. I rented a small, one-bedroom efficiency for around $95 a month. The GI Bill, a student loan of $3000 and a part-time job got me through undergrad and grad school.

Since then, the average cost of college has jumped an incredible 3,009%. During the same time period, the average rent in the US increased by nearly 70%. These numbers become even more significant when we consider that real average household income during this time increased by only 17%!

Obtaining a student loan is an option, but often requires co-signers or guarantors, usually the parents. But the high tuition costs demand loans in the tens of thousands — the average student loan debt in 2020 is over $32,000.

Graduates must find jobs immediately because it’s payback time, with interest. The average student loan payment is around $400 a month, which means a payment schedule stretched out to at least 7 years! The total US student debt — $1.6 trillion — is the second highest household debt, just behind mortgages. This combination of extremes renders “higher education” beyond the reach of millions of kids, simply because of limited resources.

This highlights the class boundary structure in the US, which is rapidly becoming a CASTE system as these boundaries harden. Many studies indicate that people born and raised within a particular class tend to remain within that class their whole lives.

This is especially true in the year 2020 with “classes” largely replaced with only two groupings — a tiny top and a broad bottom. The bottom is highly visible, easily identified — from tent cities on sidewalks to suburban mac-mansion debt loads — but the top wealthy manage to remain nearly invisible.

The mega-riches of Wall Street built on the ruins of Main Street — a top-heavy structure teetering on a weak foundation. This is the gross consequences of rabid capitalism; self-destruction. It’s happening rapidly right before our eyes.

LET US SKIP DOWN THE BUNNY TRAIL AND TUMBLE INTO THE HOLE

Since my last post the world has taken a radical turn into mysterious territory.   Just three months ago the economy tore itself apart into 2 giant sectors — Wall Street, and everyone else.

The numbers on the Dow Jones sparkled and shined, reaching high levels, in spite of record levels of corporate debt.  The Fed came to the rescue with massive injections of new cash, turning over billions to the biggest banks and corporations.

Meanwhile, the average American suffered from record personal debt levels and stagnant wages.  Nearly 50% of American workers make only an average of $10.43 an hour.  Yet, average rents in most urban areas can be $1500 a month or higher!

This means both Wall Street and Main Street suffered.  But Wall Street “suffered” only momentarily as they were bailed out by the Fed creating billions of dollars out of thin air, working the printing machines overtime.  Main Street, however, where 90% of the population lives, did not get bailed out and endured record levels of suicides, overdoses, drug addiction, debt crises, evictions, homelessness, hunger.

AND THEN, at that moment, with both economies spinning out of control, the terrible VIRUS struck!

By now anyone following the news knows the history of the corona virus and it’s rapid spread around the world.  It is now June and the “pandemic” is still in full force.

However, controversy surrounds the virus on all sides and is divided into 2 main narratives; one, medical and scientific; two, political.

As always, with anything threatening millions of lives, particular interests become involved and overwhelm the debate with power and money, just as happened with tobacco industry counter-campaign in the 50s and 60s, and what we see today in the corporate campaign to control the climate disruption issue.

Apart from all the theories about the virus, including that it’s a “hoax,” it’s a fact that millions of people lost their jobs, an income.  And it happened suddenly, without warning — from one day to the next — with people “quarantined” in their homes and most businesses closed.

After nearly 3 months tensions build, people get bored, angry, domestic abuse escalates.  Some groups demonstrated in state capitols, armed to the teeth, demanding that businesses “open” and they can recover their jobs.  Meanwhile, the only money millions receive during these months is a “stimulus check” for $1200.

AND THEN, in the midst of this tension and mumbo-jumbo, a cop in my hometown of Minneapolis killed an unarmed, handcuffed black man right in front of cameras.  Boom.  The tension boiled over and thousands hits the streets.

So far, for me, this has been a sad and fabulous shitshow.  Living way out here on the edge, I can only witness what’s going on; my participation is peripheral. For this I thank all gods every day.

The great and powerful US empire reels drunkenly around on the world stage, confused and angry, holding a 16 gauge shotgun.

Everyone wants to get out of the way!