Where Will You Be When the End Game Begins?

Hat tip Suzanna

By Cognitive Dissonance

www.TwoIceFloes.com

 

Sometime after oh dark thirty it will begin, the previously cocked trigger suddenly released to wreck havoc throughout the world’s financial system. Like an intricate and interwoven design made entirely of standing dominoes, all it takes is a slight disturbance to knock one off its base and start the cascade of toppled consequences running down the line.

With the benefit of hindsight it will be seen that the trigger itself was not the killer. Instead, sometime later, a specific projectile will be (most likely falsely) identified as the blunt instrument which tore economic flesh asunder and quickly bled the system of ‘liquidity’ faster than a slash to the femoral artery. Too late to make a difference, tourniquets will be applied to stem the red tide. Sadly, all it will accomplish is to extend economic life long enough to enable a final frenzy of looting before the bloody end.

And the totalitarian end game will have only just begun.

 

End Game

Where will you physically be when the end game begins? If you are not there when it begins, you will most likely never get there.

A socioeconomic system, if healthy and vibrant, can usually withstand extremely rough handling and even intentionally directed assault. A severed lifeline, while certainly a devastating shock to the organism, can and will be survived simply because adequate resources and flexibility remain within the structure which can be quickly marshaled while emergency repairs are made.

But a compromised entity already deathly ill, continuously pumped with toxic drugs and stimulants, stressed beyond compare by various Rube Goldberg financial devices, constantly monitored and regulated to assure compliance to artificial standards no natural system would ever adhere to, is always one disturbance away from disaster.

Thus the stage is set for the dark thirty triggering event.

While several likely scenarios can be put forward regarding the sequence of events that might follow the triggering (as well as the trigger itself) the precise chain of events is ultimately of little importance since a million and one fingers are resting on the trigger and several trillion dominoes await their inevitable fall. The socioeconomic weapon will be fired, of this there is little doubt. The more penetrating, and ultimately personal, question is of what intensity and duration are the intended consequences.

I sincerely fear a long term mass casualty event of such strength and scope as to be inconceivable, therefore impossible, for the average cloistered mind to comprehend. Even those of us presently reading this article believe we have a heightened, some might say enlightened, perspective and understanding of the coming trials and tribulations.

We do not. And quite frankly, we cannot.

I say this with great conviction by way of my interaction with, and study of, living examples…those who lived through and carried the lifelong scars of the Great Depression of the 1930’s. While just about any American over the age of 60 has talked to, or heard stories of, older family members who survived that decade plus of sustained hardship and deprivation, as a financial planner and broker I worked directly with many who suffered the most in the area of greatest damage, their personal financial affairs.

The best way to describe this class of people, an entire generation in fact, is that of walking wounded who are deeply scared by post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More than ‘just’ suffering from the effects of a horribly maiming bomb blast, these survivors carried the burden of having been completely demoralized and abandoned by every institution they ever came to believe in. Seventy plus years after the fact, the remaining few still hold little trust in anything they cannot hold in their hands or create with their own sweat and blood.

Talk about a lost generation.

Thankfully for the powers-that-be who presently guide us into dark territory, that generation, along with its vivid memories and stark warnings, is rapidly dying off. There is nothing more annoying than attempting to run the train off the tracks while those in the back seats are rabble rousing with dire warnings of impending doom, death and destruction. Into the valley of death rode the 6 billion.

As they say in poker, this nearly extinguished generation is a ‘tell’, a sign, a marker unmistakably warning in no uncertain terms where we are headed is not where we want to be. This alone should be sufficient for any critical thinker to settle his or her affairs and remove themselves from the clearly marked ground zero, your local (sub) urban center where any semblance of independence and self sufficiency is a pipe dream of the self deluded mind. It is well past time to move to where we have a chance of regaining some (even limited) control over our food, water and (safer) space.

 

Time is running out

Time is not on your side. When exactly do you posistion yourself for the next phase of Empire’s collapse?

 

This is not to say we should bunker in, both physically and mentally. In fact I speak of just the opposite. As I have expressed time and time again, while bunkering might tide us over nicely for a short duration event of a few months or even a year, at some point we must come up for air and interact with the local population.

If at that point we have not integrated ourselves into the community, an extremely unlikely event if we were actually bunkering, it will be exponentially more difficult to do so after the fact. At best, if we are seen as a threat they will shun us and leave us to our own devices. At worst we will be treated as a dangerous nuisance animal that must be eliminated or neutralized for the community’s greater good.

If the community, already dealing with great stress and turmoil, finds ‘us’ of less value than our ‘stuff’, they will take our stuff and leave our rotting carcass behind. We will be outsiders and must prove our worth to the others. In a devolving socioeconomic situation a cohesive community must work together as equals while providing similar and equal value to the whole in order to survive. Those alien to the area will be quickly cast off if they do not measure up.

But there is more, so much more, to the unfolding totalitarian equation. One must be willingly deaf, dumb and blind not to hear the propaganda on the boob tube, understand the game theory being played out and see the bleak writing on the wall.

Any oppressive and controlling regime, whether it is defined as the elite, the one percent, shadow government, deep state, corpocracy, fascism or whatever label we use to mindlessly identify, compartmentalize and thereby cognitively diminish, will use any and all means at its disposal to defend itself when it perceives itself under attack. And the term ‘attack’ is loosely defined to encompass any perceived danger real, imaginary or falsely concocted.

To view the increasingly hostile police state which America is rapidly becoming as anything other than an oppressive and controlling entity readying itself for war upon its population is to expose the reader’s appalling denial of the glaringly obvious. This is nothing short of an emotional and intellectual defect that is severely debilitating and potentially terminal. The danger is clear and present and growing on a daily basis. If this cannot be seen for what it is, the observer remains hopelessly mired in the bargaining phase of their denial.

Then again never underestimate the time, energy and effort seemingly intelligent and worldly people will invest in constructing an alternative reality they wish to believe in. As a corollary, never underestimate the time, energy and effort an oppressive and controlling regime will invest in promoting an alternative reality the population wishes to believe in.

A self deluded populace is more easily controlled and directed than one whose sticks and stones, when used in anger, may break the elite’s bones. If the population wants to believe in fairy tales, give them fairy tales they can love, honor, cherish and defend. If they don’t, convince them they should believe by any means possible.

The genius of those who are constructing the underlying superstructure of the police state is their cunning ability to do so under the unflinching glare of the midday sun. Problem, reaction, solution is their trade craft, the government bureaucracy their blunt instrument, a corrupted legislature the enabler and creator of the unconstitutional and immoral laws, a co-opted and controlled press their sympathetic choir and the judiciary the final fraudulent arbiter of the chains that bind. Make no mistake about it, every ‘government’ at war with its people makes certain its actions are ‘just and lawful’, particularly when they are patently not.

When viewed from the point of view of the disinterested and detached, the inevitable is obvious. The only purpose for power is to use the power…or have it used against its own creator. Therein lays its absolute ability to corrupt absolutely. Clearly the rapidly increasing capacity of the powers-that-be to surveil, subvert, suppress, subdue, subsume and slaughter is self evident to all but those who are desperate not to see. Or, in what is more likely the case, are either paid not to see or wish to continue to be paid if blindness is feigned and cooperation assured.

 

See No Evil

The Empire demands compliance. Why would you possibly think your ‘End Game’ options will still exist when the End Game begins?

 

This is why, at least at this moment, we would not be able to strike directly at the heart of the diseased beast, for it will be our fathers, family and friends who will defend ‘it’ from us. The Empire is exquisitely designed and constructed to be empowered when physical force is used against it. Both the physical structure of its ramparts and the perverted psychology of its defenders are strengthened and emboldened when physical force is applied. Active resistance, when directed towards the Empire, is our own worst enemy.

The only way physical force has any chance of working against the Empire is when applied in overwhelming numbers against all vulnerable borders on a continuous basis. Since this requires great sacrifice by the population at large, Jane and Joe will only turn to these devices as a last resort, when all hope is lost and abject desperation sets in.

Even then, the controlling elite are expert at employing propaganda and psychological operations to turn Jane against Joe, thereby minimizing the effectiveness of the opposing force. One must be competently conditioned to kill on command in great numbers with ruthless efficiency to be considered an effective fighting force. Quite frankly an angry mob is the exact opposite, making it very easy to turn each upon the other since the only driving force of the mob is blind emotional outburst easily subverted and misdirected.

Below are some sobering thoughts to ponder regarding human psychology and armed resistance to the Empire.

  • Organized revolution requires both the will and a way. And by ‘way’ I mean money. Any money procured by, or offered to, a resistance always comes with strings attached. Often the money comes directly from the controlling elite itself via back channels designed to subvert, misdirect or implode the resistance. Or it might come from an enemy of the Empire, thereby making you a proxy and not an independent force. Someone’s bitch, plain and simple.

 

  • Essentially, when outnumbered and outgunned guerrilla tactics are usually employed. Basically you are fighting fire with even more devastating fire. If you have any moral qualms with using the methods of Empire against the Empire, this fight isn’t for you. To convince yourself otherwise will only destroy you from within.

 

  • If you aren’t ready to declare war on your community, don’t even consider this path. Ninety percent of the population is hopelessly compromised, whether spiritually, morally, medically or pharmaceutically, psychologically, financially or ideologically. To believe otherwise is to engage in self deception. The vast majority will never oppose the Empire in any consistent or meaningful way.

 

  • Even worse, in the words of Morpheus, “You have to understand. Most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so helplessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it.  This is so much more than a quote from some silly Hollywood movie. This is a universal psychological truth used to the significant advantage of the Empire. While the puppeteers are a relative few, they leverage the minds of millions far more effectively than if the bodies were simply cannon fodder.

 

  • Any serious degradation or collapse of the system will not weaken, but rather strengthen, the Empire, if only because it is accelerating the endgame towards the present day. Those compromised by the system will beg the corrupt system to save them from the collapsing system, a fool’s errand vigorously pursued by unprepared and panicked fools along with the ever present groveling sycophants.

 

  • Desperate men do desperate things. Our mistake is assuming that when the downward spiral accelerates the core elite will be among the desperate. Those pursuing a plan of divide and conquer while reaping the spoils will not panic when it’s playing out as expected. Socioeconomic chaos is their friend, not yours or mine.

 

  • While the endgame may be accelerating, it will not conclude quickly. These long period cycles of madness require many years, even decades, to complete its rotation only to begin the cycle once again. Since the insanity of a decaying and corrupt Empire is constantly renewed and invigorated by new blood from below, its lifespan is far longer than yours and mine. The name of the game is survival, not gloriously wasted death or indefinite incarceration.

 

  • The greatest danger to us and our loved ones is not (just) the violent thrashing of the expiring Empire, but our refusal to deal frankly and honestly with our own personal shortcomings and denial. Our unwillingness to soberly assess ourselves and our surroundings circumvent any proactive response by us to a worsening situation. To think one can shelter in place within the confines of the corral is shear lunacy. To believe one can effectively time their escape to greener pastures just ahead of the initial imposition of the financial lockdown is not dealing with reality, other than one produced by the self deceived.

 

The reason most of us remain frozen in place like jack-lighted deer is our reluctance to recognize the severity of our situation and the capacity for further degradation. Quite frankly, this reduces us to little more than rationalization and justification to explain our near total inaction, other than possibly stockpiling. Ultimately our ‘plan’ is to cheer on a systemic collapse in the hope those in power will be deposed and a new regime arises from the ashes to rebuild the Empire from the tattered remains of its glorious capitalist past.

At best this is wishful thinking, at worst suicidal. There is madness afoot, a debilitating energy that permeates all that lives, not just the ‘bad’ guys and gals. In the vast majority it expresses as obsessive compulsive behavior, in some it manifests in the form of a sociopath or psychopath, with others various combinations of the seven deadly sins (greed and pride/ego especially) rise to the surface, in still others fear and cowardice prevails. Great personal and collective courage is required to overcome the disaffected ‘self’. And during times of mass delusion and hysteria, courage is in chronic short supply.

Courage

Do we wait for the water to boil or make our move now? Our biggest enemy is not our surroundings, but our ‘self‘.

 

I am fully aware all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. I do not propose nothing be done. But the choices are not limited to either charging directly into withering rifle fire or remaining huddled behind phantom cover in the hope we survive. There are many equally viable alternatives, including (at least partial) withdrawal to begin the process of starving the beast.

Make no mistake about the following. The power of the Empire has not yet waned to the point where it will be toppled by its own arrogance, hubris or blind greed. It has miles to go, and lives to destroy, before it sleeps. Any weakness displayed by the Empire will be compensated for by even greater transgressions against the population. The lie we tell ourselves is we are not participating in strengthening the Empire by simply going about our daily business while drafting, and possibly even implementing, contingency plans A, B and C.

The Empire cares little about the plans of individual mice and men. So in this respect the illusion of safety within the anonymous pack emboldens inaction. But to believe we are not contributing to the Empire because of our status as an individual snowflake flatly denies our involvement in the avalanche. Empire does not require willing participation, just involvement plain and simple. The more our contribution is reduced, the less dependent we become, the less contributory we are.

The ugly, and self evident, truth is the vast majority of us wish to partake of the spoils of Empire while denying Empire and the means by which it acquires the spoils. We know any significant change to our living arrangement involves dislocation, deprivation and uncertainty. We pontificate about high moral aspirations while decrying the despicable greed and self interest of the elite and powerful. Yet our perceived ‘enlightened’ self interest dictates our own (in) action even if it ultimately undermines us as well as our family and friends.

Who are we kidding if not our ‘self’?

As stated previously, Mrs. Cog and I do not have the answers, let alone a firm understanding of all the questions. What we believe we know is extremely personal in nature, but can be universally applied. Either we declare powerless victimhood by doing little to nothing while awaiting the ‘sign’ to engage Plan B, or we execute a living breathing plan of action here and now by changing nearly everything about our lives and begin the process of reclaiming our personal sovereignty one step at a time.

To change the world I must first change myself. To approach this in any other manner is to adopt the techniques and mindset we decry as dishonest, disingenuous and corrupt. I have come to realize the approaching trials are about so much more than just survival. This is about personal growth and spiritual transformation, of reaching for and achieving a higher plain of existence greater than the lowest common denominator, the heart of the fraud the Empire promotes and which “We the People” are addicted to and dependent upon.

And this, I suspect, is what truly holds so many people back.

For to break from the herd and look squarely in the mirror requires a fearless self examination and assessment, precisely what we are conditioned to avoid at all costs in our mindless pursuit of self absorbed consumerism. The promoted myth is simple enough; when we exit the education indoctrination system the only remaining items left to pursue are specific skills required to further our ‘career’, which in turn provides the money to pay the debts that support the self destructive consumer lifestyle.

Turning our back on this meme and consciously choosing a life of more focused labor and dedication to self sufficiency and independence is not aligned with the bargain we struck with the system back when we entered grade school all those years ago. I made a deal with the devil in return for a life of leisure when I hit age 65. To question this fundamental ‘truth’ requires us to question everything, something very few of us are willing to do.

Are you?

 

06-05-2016

Cognitive Dissonance

 

Dark Skies

Either you posistion yourself before the skies darken or you are left groping in the dark.

 

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41 Comments
Francis Marion
Francis Marion
June 5, 2016 11:22 am

Right. On. The. Money.

“You have to understand. Most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so helplessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it.” This is so much more than a quote from some silly Hollywood movie. This is a universal psychological truth used to the significant advantage of the Empire. While the puppeteers are a relative few, they leverage the minds of millions far more effectively than if the bodies were simply cannon fodder.”

When you factor complexity alongside this FACT the truth becomes evident. There will be no glorious revolution like the US forefathers had some 250 years ago.

The future for us is asymmetrical. It is about preparing ourselves spiritually and physically (how is your health?). It is about becoming less dependent on the systems around you. And it is about being prepared to fight in a manner that the puppeteer is NOT prepared for.

Anonymous
Anonymous
June 5, 2016 11:35 am

The “end game” has already begun.

Do you know where you are?

KaD
KaD
June 5, 2016 11:43 am

http://www.truthandaction.org/americas-first-muslim-city-council-gradually-implements-sharia-law/

Nigerian Islamists burning 86 children alive met with Obama silence

Fiatman60
Fiatman60
June 5, 2016 11:59 am

OMG spot on!! The self assessment is the real key. If you can’t look at yourself and study to identify your weaknesses in yourself……. your doomed. Knowing and understanding your weaknesses and working to evaluate a situation where your personal weakness could undermine you in any situation is absolutely critical, to overcoming situations that can harm you. (deer in the headlights scenario)

This post was a GOOD one!!

Wip
Wip
June 5, 2016 12:59 pm

If you can’t grow your own food, have access to fresh water and pay property taxes, how?

bb
bb
June 5, 2016 1:05 pm

If you can survive the first couple months you will better able to deal with The future hard times. Provided your health holds up .I hope I am at home with mom.I have enough food and water for about a year for both of us plus little bb.I will have my M1a loaded and ready to fire plus my AKs and ARs.I think I could hold off the Zombie hordes for a while. I know I could stop a riot with just a few shots.

My fear is the police or national guard trying to disarm white neighborhoods. I have made up my mind I am not going to let anyone take my guns. I have told my mom.She understands.I would hate to fire on the police but I will if I have to.I am not going to be defenseless no matter what happens.Most of my neighbors are armed and think the way I do.This is my plan for now.

NickelthroweR
NickelthroweR
June 5, 2016 1:34 pm

Greetings,

Posts like this always get my attention because I am fascinated by how others believe that this will play out. It is all fantasy until the rubber meets the road because the thing that gets you is usually the event that no one was thinking about or preparing for. I present Venezuela as an example.

The mini empire that is Venezuela sits on top of a huge supply of oil but the people that manage that oil were not prepared for the price of oil to fall by 60%.

If a year or two of low oil prices wasn’t bad enough, the primary source of electricity is now unreliable as a drought has lowered water levels to the point that the hydroelectric dam that supplies electricity is at best an on again/off again source of power.

The drought has made it difficult to grow food and the people with the food wish to be paid in a currency other than the Bolivar.

Who could have thought up that scenario and how could anyone plan for it? My only guess is that as famine sets in, people with rush the borders and Venezuela will be a place no one will want to rule over.

Unknown
Unknown
June 5, 2016 2:16 pm

“The name of the game is survival, not gloriously wasted death or indefinite incarceration.”

“The reason most of us remain frozen in place like jack-lighted deer is our reluctance to recognize the severity of our situation and the capacity for further degradation.”

“For to break from the herd and look squarely in the mirror requires a fearless self examination and assessment, precisely what we are conditioned to avoid at all costs in our mindless pursuit of self absorbed consumerism”
_________________________

My college roommate was an alcoholic. I was one of his only friends who stuck with him to the bitter end. I first watched him lose his career and his family. Then later I saw him become broke and homeless on his way to dying alone in an apartment that I obtained for him. He was 52 years old.

In chapter five of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), it speaks to those who are unable to benefit from the AA “Twelve Step Program” because they lack the capacity to be honest with themselves. I believe this was my friend’s problem. It was his unwillingness to face himself, especially in light of the insanity of his alcoholism. In retrospect, I also believe his pride played a part. In any case, I had no idea how to help him. Even today, I often wonder if I merely enabled him. I still don’t know.

My now deceased college roommate once told me something he learned in AA called “running the tape”. This is when an alcoholic, just prior to taking his first drink in a potential relapse, “runs the tape” in his mind regarding what will happen after taking the drink. If one is honest, they will realize taking the first drink will result in going right back to where they were prior to starting the AA program (i.e dire straits).

For the last several years, I have been considering what is going on in our country and world, and measuring the overall consequences (and momentum) of events. I have been “running the tape” and, in my mind, through the years, I have contemplated every single concept as presented within the above essay. Even though I have a knack for planning and strategy and can usually figure out the most efficient way(s) to get from “point A” to “point B”, when it comes to the future and what is coming down, I can only see “dead ends” at every turn.

This has resulted in a paralysis of sorts in my life. It is not from turning away from truth. It is from facing it squarely, looking outward, considering future options and seeing no way out.

Going against the Government, no matter how organized the militia, will result in failure due to an overwhelming and superior force of “shock and awe”. The sheep won’t join the fight. No way. And, given today’s surveillance capabilities there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Even though we commenters speak here on TBP, with false bravado, about going down in “blaze of glory”. Truth is, it will be more like going down in complete failure with blood on our faces and shit in our pants. Or, we will be caught off guard, betrayed, captured and fade from existence in a FEMA camp or similar.

Two (2) cinematic examples come to mind:

1.) In the movie “Braveheart” when the King of England throws his son’s male lover from the window and his son tries to fight the king only to be bitch slapped like a little girl.

2.) And in the movie “Saving Private Ryan” toward the end when US soldiers are being completely decimated while trying to save the bridge from the Germans – there is part where the young guy with a loaded weapon and all of the ammo has a panic attack and sits down on the stairs – while his fellow soldier upstairs is out of ammo and being stabbed by a German.

In # 1 above, we are the King’s son (and lover) and the Government is the King.

In # 2 above, a lot of us have become that soldier on the stairs. Paralyzed and afraid. Like a “jack-lighted deer”.

In reading this article, I am wondering if one of the reasons I have become a “paralyzed on the stairs” is because I have been holding on too much to that which I have. Maybe a little too proud of my material things. Maybe wanting too much to believe the illusion of retirement. Maybe a little too concerned of what others think. Maybe fear of leaving my home. Maybe fear for my family. Or fear of the unknown.

I found this essay to be very profound in its straightforward honesty, acute perception and its overall depth and breadth. It fact, it rocked me to my foundations today because it articulates what I have been obsessing over for years.

I haven’t drink in the last 30+ days. Reading this article makes me want to have one now. But I won’t. Instead, I am going to be more honest with myself. Even if requires me to “question everything”. And, I will continue taking action. God help us all.

Boat Guy
Boat Guy
June 5, 2016 2:20 pm

Starving the beast is a Nobel endeavor that will sadly destroy oneself in the process. As you have stated to many are addicted or dependent on their own indenture”enslavement”, like the police that enforce many laws or actions they know are immoral and unjust “JUST DOIN MY JOB” . Sadly these minions are to ignorant to understand Nuremberg and we can only hope they will eventually find themselves dangling from the rope many loyal NAZI’s stretched after assuming following orders is no excuse . The clock is ticking and time is short , the question is like the break the ice game , which block will be the one that brings it all crashing down?

bb
bb
June 5, 2016 2:35 pm

Nicole Thrower , I gave you a thumbs down. Bet you want to know why .Those people voted for socialism out of their own ENVY and GREED knowing Damn well what the consequences would be for others in the country but they didn’t care.

Just like blacks in this country that voted for Obama the second time . They knew he is a Marxist , probably a faggot but that didn’t matter. They wanted revenge against white population for things that might have happened centuries ago. Now they piss and moan about no jobs , crime ,drugs and anything else they can dream up. I say fuck these vile bastards in both countries. Elections have consequences. Let them rot in their utopianism.

IndenturedServant
IndenturedServant
June 5, 2016 2:39 pm

Hopefully resting comfortably in my grave:

[imgcomment image?w=550[/img]

Francis Marion
Francis Marion
June 5, 2016 2:57 pm

bb,

How are you holding up?

Stucky
Stucky
June 5, 2016 3:04 pm

Unknown

You should get 50 thumbs up on your commentary, insightfully written.

Me? I’m dead meat IF the shit hits the fan in my lifetime —- “if” cuz it now seems reasonable to me that this pile of shit can be kicked down the road forever. I’ve lived a good life, all things considered, and I ain’t afraid of dyin’, no, I ain’t scared of dying.

Stucky
Stucky
June 5, 2016 3:06 pm
NickelthroweR
NickelthroweR
June 5, 2016 3:24 pm

@BB,

It doesn’t matter whether or not those people voted for Socialism as the event that is taking them out is, in my opinion, a Black Swan event.

Two of my favorite books are The Black Swan and Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.

As a matter of fact, those two books sits right next to each other on my bookshelf and demonstrate beyond any shadow of any doubt the following:

a. the thing that gets you is the thing you didn’t think possible and
b. people will ALWAYS act in the most ridiculous way possible whether it is hunting witches or believing that Tulips have more value than an entire family estate.

Socialism or not, Venezuela is having its Black Swan event which is an event that, for them, can only destroy a socialist nation because that is what Venezuela is – a socialist nation. What is currently destroying Venezuela wouldn’t destroy us because we live under a different set of rules. Our destruction, when it comes, will blindside everyone as some cog in the machine that no one ever paid any attention to will come flying off and take down the entire system.

Now that the wheels have come off of the bus, we get to see act two which is the Madness of Crowds. The mob has a mind of its own and that collective mind is insane and capable of any amount of foolishness. How far that foolishness goes is what we will witness next but I am of the opinion that many people will begin voting with their feet as they will look to other people to provide for them as their socialist state can no longer provide and will soon have to use extreme levels of force against their own people.

We look at their situation and wonder how a nation that sits on top of more oil than any other nation can want for electricity. For us, the rest of the world will wonder why we turned to cannibalism when our fictitious 1’s and 0’s money vanished into the ether.

M.I.A.
M.I.A.
June 5, 2016 3:29 pm

“Another fine mess you got me into” Ollie

Overthecliff
Overthecliff
June 5, 2016 4:56 pm

Very thought provoking post. My first reaction is that I am pretty old and it doesn’t make much difference to me. My second reaction is that I can’t make much difference in the great scheme of things. Third? A little revenge would be sweet on the way out.

Grog
Grog
June 5, 2016 5:50 pm

NickelthroweR,

I agree with your idea about the “…because the thing that gets you is usually the event that no one was thinking about…”. Most of my working has involved mechanical mechanisms. In the days I still rode motorcycles, once I hit and empty beverage can somebody had thrown out of the window, the car preceded me in the adjacent lane. With the turbulence left behind the car, the can rolled around in an unpredictable fashion. I did my best to avoid the hazard but my front tire hit the can and as I passed over the can I heard a bump and then a skittering sound. Simple corrections proved difficult while steering to the left. As I slowed to inspect, I noticed that the kick stand was dragging the ground. I stopped in an empty parking lot to see what could be done, but the kickstand would not stay locked in position while up or down. Fortunately, I didn’t have far to travel, so I held the kick stand up with my boot. When I got it home I could see that the retention spring had been broken.

Who would have guessed?

These events are well known, especially in the Military and aviation industries. At logged hours of operation, some parts are required to be replaced with new. Even then, there are failures, and these parts are certified in every step of manufacture. Some pieces are destruction tested out of a group of parts. All parts are calibrated, measured and inspected all the way down the line. And still there are failures.

bb
bb
June 5, 2016 6:25 pm

Francis Marion , thank for asking. Got to go back to the hospital Monday to see a Surgeon .My Ribs are ok but my stomach muscles won’t work anymore on the right side. I have damaged the nerves that tell the muscle what to do.As a result the muscle has collapsed. Looks like a hernia but they say it’s a hematoma . They are different but look similar.

I guess I will know Monday what’s going to happen.

NickelthroweR
NickelthroweR
June 5, 2016 6:27 pm

@Grog

These days I do a lot of electrical engineering which makes Taleb’s book that much more relevant. As someone that builds complex systems, I am always working to isolate different portions of the design so that when something fails it doesn’t take out everything. My current units have 8 individual circuit boards in them so that when the failure does come my customers only need to send me back the failed module. Doing this does not stop an event from taking out the unit but just limits the damage in both time and cost.

Over time I have learned better ways to isolate failure but preventing failure just isn’t possible. This is the problem with Venezuela at the moment as there are no tripwires in their system as the socialists have put all the parts on a single circuit board. When the government runs everything, an incompetant government is in a positioon to ruin everything.

Finally, had a different crisis appeared, say, like an invasion, that Venezuela is a socialist nation might have provided an advantage since government has the means of production under its control and all of the people that are registered for their free stuff can be easily rounded up and put into the fight.

Like I said, the thing that gets you is the thing you didn’t even know was possible.

bb
bb
June 5, 2016 6:41 pm

Unfolding , nice post .The only ones I worry about are my mom ,my cat and maybe my x wife. The only thing I worry about is the police or national guard going house to house trying to disarm people. If that happens I and my neighbors will have to make a decision.

I am not a soldier or a fighter but I don’t think I will let myself or my neighbors be disarmed . Charlotte NC has a big intercity black population which is full of violent criminals. Just watching the News any given night will verify this.I am not going to allow these savages anywhere near my mom’s house.
I’m 54 years old .Don’t have much time left anyway. My mom is in her 70s .I hope I got enough time to gets us out of Charlotte up to western NC mountains.

bb
bb
June 5, 2016 6:45 pm

Nickel Thrower , explains yourself . Give examples of what we might not see coming.Honest question.

Maggie
Maggie
June 5, 2016 7:02 pm

I will be right here with my beloved animals and my husband. We are one of the very few people from our original “prepper” group who are really where we intend to be.

We done good.

NickelthroweR
NickelthroweR
June 5, 2016 7:24 pm

@BB

Well, if you know it is coming then you can prepare for it so most anything I can think up is probably something people are working to prevent. If I had to wildly speculate, though, then my guess is that some sort of technology that we will come to depend on will turn on us in a way nobody could have thought possible.

As an example, I give Superbugs.

Chinese hog farmers decided that they could better keep their hogs alive if they mixed Colistin in with their food. Colistin is the antibiotic of last resort for us humans but, fuck it, lets just feed it to pigs and see what happens.

Naturally, bacteria living in hogs have developed a gene that provides them with an immunity to Colistin. So what?!? I mean, these are bacteria living in hogs so it shouldn’t concern me, right?

Wrong. Other bacteria, bacteria that can very much harm humans have started “adopting” this gene which is an event that no one saw coming. Now gonorrhea and pneumonia don’t have to worry about taking the time to evolve and adapt but can just adopt this gene that the Chinese so graciously provided for us. This is happening right now.

I’m not willing to call this a Black Swan because people have been warning us about superbugs for a while.

The thing that gets us will hit like that but it will be something few have thought about and we’ll stand there powerless in front of it.

Maggie
Maggie
June 5, 2016 7:34 pm

[NickelthroweR says:

@Grog

These days I do a lot of electrical engineering which makes Taleb’s book that much more relevant. As someone that builds complex systems, I am always working to isolate different portions of the design so that when something fails it doesn’t take out everything. My current units have 8 individual circuit boards in them so that when the failure does come my customers only need to send me back the failed module. Doing this does not stop an event from taking out the unit but just limits the damage in both time and cost.

Over time I have learned better ways to isolate failure but preventing failure just isn’t possible. This is the problem with Venezuela at the moment as there are no tripwires in their system as the socialists have put all the parts on a single circuit board. When the government runs everything, an incompetent government is in a position to ruin everything.

Finally, had a different crisis appeared, say, like an invasion, that Venezuela is a socialist nation might have provided an advantage since government has the means of production under its control and all of the people that are registered for their free stuff can be easily rounded up and put into the fight.

Like I said, the thing that gets you is the thing you didn’t even know was possible.]

At the risk of inviting EC to lambaste me for telling my AWACS stories again, I will tell you a short tale about this very thing. When I was flying in an operational squadron (instead of teaching and evaluating, which means “watching someone else work and telling them what to do”), I seemed to end up flying on a certain jet (as an airborne radar tech) that had some real issues with a certain frequency band after an air refueling. But only when I was on the jet. If another radar tech flew, then the problem didn’t seem to come up.

Two Klystron Power Assemblies and One High Voltage Transformer later, I was chatting with one of the ground radar maintenance technicians (the ones who REALLY were technicians) over a cold beer at the club and after the usual teasing about being “Miss Big White Parts”* to all the guys in maintenance, we talked about the Gremlins that cause strange behavior in an electronic system by equipment that should be operated by simple on/off pulses.

Long story short: It turned out to be that my first instructor had taught me that HIS technique for making sure the power was completely disconnected from the Rotodome (antenna assy) was to reach his hand into the wall where the switch was turned off and make sure there were no loose cables or wires near the “Big Power Line.” It was something that had become second nature to me and since it was not something everyone HAD to do, I didn’t “teach” it to students, but I always checked. Even if I was giving a checkride.

So, when I ran my hand along the power line to feel for wires or lines that should NOT have been there, I was touching a three-phase cable that fed an enormous amount of power to that radar system. It was, of couse, in standby, with the potential for power there without actually volts flowing.

One of the phases was weakening (if you don’t understand electrical phase, just think of three ropes wound or braided together to make a stronger rope holding up a tank. If one of the ropes frays and weakens, the break of that rope might cause a sudden load on the other two smaller ropes that causes them to break due to unexpected stress) which meant that the power was spiking. My simple touch on that cable at Air Refueling preparation put a bit more tension on the weakened wires and caused power fluctuations that caused the KPAs and HV Pwr assy to burn up due to power spikes.

The next time I was the radar technician on that jet, there was a horrendous crackle in my headsets and by the time I opened the door to peek into the lobe, the entire section of the plane was without power and I could smell burnt insulation. The three phase power line dropped a phase, which increased the load on the other two alternating lines and the spike caused the line to burn into two pieces. After I got fire equipment and a mask (I hated those fucking emergency drills, but I will say I was glad I’d put that mask on so many times) I went down and could see that “something” had burned, but not what it was.

The next day, I went out to maintenance and took a look. Seeing a power line that is basically the size of your forearm burned and severed by the power spike generated by 8 engines is sobering. The spike burned a small hole in the side of the jet. Right above the Liquid Oxygen Canister that serviced the entire plane.

The equipment was rearranged a bit after that, since the “Lessons Learned” made it into the archives. But, that was the thing that “almost got me” which was the thing no one had thought of.

*When you think KPA or HV Assy on an AWACS, think of a 250 gallon hot water heater that lays on its side with about 25 to 30 connections to other equipment. Big. White. Parts.

Francis Marion
Francis Marion
June 5, 2016 8:16 pm

bb,

That’s unpleasant.

Here’s something to cheer you up: I hematoma’d both my knees playing hockey when I was a kid. Charged a guy from one side of the rink to the other (coming out of the penalty box), clipped him wrong and ended up knees first into the boards (at full rampage). In those days we wore a lot lighter pads than they do know. Mine did nothing to stop the damage. I had to wander around on crutches for weeks and was forced to sit to pee. Humiliating. And entirely due to my own stupidity. 🙂

Don Levit
Don Levit
June 5, 2016 8:31 pm

I enjoyed the essay and the remarks
In particular Unknown struck a core with me
“Running the tape” is what I try to do in difficult circumstances
I ask myself “how might your actions play out?”
If it can lead to self destruction or an unsustainable livelihood I need to pursue a different course
The question to ask is “not what the future may bring?”
We should realize this is God’s garden and we should ask ourselves what we can do to make this place one where God would like to dwell

NickelthroweR
NickelthroweR
June 5, 2016 9:13 pm

@Ghost,

Thank you for sharing that one with me. I’ve always thought that even though the Navy and Airforce lived easier lives than us Army guys, I firmly believe that the Navy/Airforce had to deal with reality in ways that we never had to. After all, if you are floating out in the ocean or in a submarine then an unexpected surprise takes on a whole new meaning. The same would hold true for those flying around at 35,000ft.

Robert Gore
Robert Gore
June 5, 2016 10:14 pm

A hit-you-right-between-the-eyes great article. Thank you Suzanna for posting it. I reposted it on SLL.

hardscrabble farmer
hardscrabble farmer
June 6, 2016 6:22 am

That was a sober assessment.

Great comments as usual, and I thank God for having a place like this where I am not alone in my thoughts regarding the obvious realities of our time and place.

That said it should be remembered that despair is a by-product of inaction rather than external forces. You can always do something in every circumstance. I may not like the way things have turned out, but this is the time I was born into and I can do what I am able in that context. There has always been a comfort for me in the ZeroHedge motto- “On a long enough timeline the survival rate for everyone drops to zero” specifically because it reminds us that our only real value on Earth is what we do with the time we have.

A little while back my oldest son was in a situation with a number of his peers that put him at risk. He made the split second decision to take action while the rest of them did nothing and he was the only one who escaped without harm. While I had reason to question his judgment concerning how he got into the predicament, I was very proud that he was able to make the call in an instant in order to avoid the consequences everyone else faced due to their lack of resolve and poor decision making. Most people do not have the ability to think for themselves and to trust their instincts but rather go along with the crowd and sometimes that works to their benefit. When it doesn’t there is nothing for them to rely on internally, no real survival plan and that’s true for the vast majority.

The things we can do to make a difference in our own lives are not that complicated nor are they difficult when practiced- be aware of your surroundings, be truthful in all things, work hard at every task, maintain composure, act rather than be passive, provide for yourself whenever possible, do for those close to you as often as you can, keep your word, become a a jack of all trades rather than a specialist- those are the kinds of tools that will enable you to be an active participant in your own life rather than a spectator in the larger world.

There is a better way to live than the one we’ve come up with. It is up to us to choose it for ourselves or someone will choose for us.

Maggie
Maggie
June 6, 2016 7:44 am

It is ridiculous that all this technology turns us into spectators in our own lives, HSF.

Maggie
Maggie
June 6, 2016 7:46 am

Is it in Fahrenheit 451 when the fireman’s wife is nagging him because they can’t afford the fourth wall of their home turned into viewscreen? Then, she would be able to have lines and a role in the soap opera that surrounds her.

That is what all these folks walking around viewing their lives and changing stations with the swipe of a finger seems to me. People without lines to say in their own lives.

overthecliff
overthecliff
June 6, 2016 9:43 am

bb good luck today. It is in the hands of God. Everything is.

diogenes
diogenes
June 6, 2016 9:58 am

All I know is that “serious prepping” requires a lot of cash just like retirement. I plan to go down with the ship. Stocking up some food and stacking silver and lead. (stealing a phrase from someone on this site)

susanna
susanna
June 6, 2016 11:44 am

hello,
see HSF above. I am choosing to view this time in history
as a “second chance.” A chance to break from the herd…
and create a new path. Rather than fear and loathing of
coming doom and gloom…treat each new day as a gift, and
take the opportunity to become a better person. Further,
there is a chance to form new relationships and be truthful,
trustworthy and helpful. I love it. Regarding prepping?
Pretend you are a poor rural resident or farmer and threat of
a really bad winter is predicted. Lay in some provisions…
a few extras in case shipments are delayed or you are
snowed in. Gov is unreliable and corrupt, so get ready to take
care of yourself. Really, that is all one can be expected to do.
And by “yourself” I include family and good trusted neighbors.

bb, what the heck happened to you? Get hit by a car?
Your situation is solvable. The hematoma(s) will be drained
and dried. The muscles will be shorn up with a type of girdle
appliance that will be custom made to prevent skin irritation.
This will take a little time and patience on your part, but you can
do it. Read all the books you have wanted to read, as you rest
and recuperate. Six weeks acute phase…six months later you will
be over it entirely. The excess (unpd by insurance) $ due? If the
hospital will not work with you, then wait for it to go to collections.
Cooperate immediately and offer them $5-$20./month. This works.
God speed on your course and good recovery.

Suzanna RN

Rise Up
Rise Up
June 6, 2016 12:56 pm

Speaking of madness of crowds and situational awareness, a short story:

When I used to commute on the DC Metrorail, one day at one of the stops during the height of peak ridership, there was no capacity on the incoming train so it just passed through without stopping. Over the course of the next 10 minutes, that station, already standing-room only capacity, got even more crowded, with people perilously close to the platform edge of the tracks. I recognized the potential for harm and worked my way through the crowd to an escalator which lead to a perpendicular train line above, which there was ample space to view the platform below and be safely out of the jostling crowd. Hardly anyone else took my approach and just remained there to be continuously squeezed like sardines in a can. I waited for a couple of trains to pass through to the point the platform was less crowded and then got on a less occupied train. Guess most of those people just could not wait 15 minutes for a safer situation.

Thankfully, I don’t have to use DC Metrorail to commute anymore. They are going to be even more crowded and slower because they neglected maintenance over some 15 years and now have a situation where electrical work is necessary on many transformers (last year a woman died of smoke inhalation due to a track fire). Some rail lines will be affected (up to 70% less train cars per line), putting a strain on MetroBus alternatives that can only provide a fraction of commuters vs. rail lines.

Crumbling infrastructure? Yup.

ILuvCO2
ILuvCO2
June 6, 2016 3:38 pm

Excellent look into the unknowable future. The only qualm I would have is this:

“Seventy plus years after the fact, the remaining few still hold little trust in anything they cannot hold in their hands or create with their own sweat and blood. Talk about a lost generation.”

Soooo, isn’t that what may of us are striving to get back to? Gold, silver, garden, hunting, raising food etc etc ?? That is not “lost” in my book. But that is just being picky on an essay with many great insights.

I think this is a kick in the pants for me. Given that 1) I bought my house 8 years ago at the height right before the bubble, 2) looks like another bubble is soon to rear its ugly head and 3) prices for homes in my area are almost back up to the top, I have decided to:

-put my house on the market, take the proceeds and pay off all credit cards and buy some gold and silver
– Rent a home down the road available, very rural, 50 acres, for four years until owners are ready to come back and my kids are out of school.
– after 4 years and another housing bubble, pick up a rural property with land at fraction of the cost, with 401k money, since I will be 59 1/2 by then and will not incur the 10% penalty.

Well, that’s the plan. One at least has to try, but who knows. As hsf said, I am trying to choose for myself rather than have the future be chosen for me.

It’s all in God’s hands in the end.

starfcker
starfcker
June 6, 2016 6:01 pm

Great plan, ILuvCO2. Plenty of people should be thinking that way. To get out at the top of the market, just remember the actual top of the market (the price point where you can actually sell your property) may be considerably lower than what the realtor thinks. Don’t be greedy. Bank the win, as in, it ain’t a win until you bank it.

starfcker
starfcker
June 6, 2016 6:40 pm

Nickle, do five minutes of research. There is no drought in venezuala. Just a bunch of economic hitmen dumping all the water in the ocean, just like california. Want to destabilize an oil rich country? Playbook is already written. Jim, you’ll love this guy, his style is similar to yours.

More revelations on Venezuela’s “drought” and the Guri Dam

Maggie
Maggie
June 6, 2016 7:42 pm

When you are selling a home, you should determine the lowest price you can get and still feel like you broke even and made up some of the improvements. Nick and I did that and it helped us sell the house quickly and it moved it off the market where other homes were priced $20K above ours on the same street.

We could have priced it in that range and negotiated, but by pricing it to sell, we were able to honestly tell the people interested that we hoped to be in our new home by the end of the year and that was worth the lowered price. It worked.

Bob
Bob
June 7, 2016 11:14 am

So, Rome will not collapse in a decade.