First off, for purposes of proper understanding, let us agree that we are an empire, and have been since the end of WW2. Let us then agree that we are not just an empire, but a Military Industrial Empire, with at least 1,000 bases in over 100 different countries. What has been news to this writer and the majority of our citizens is the fact that we have troops in 90% of African countries. Of course, we all know of our vast military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq . . . for too long to even comprehend, as well as our illegal drone attacks on too many nations.
Timothy A Guzman has written an important new piece, now posted on many sites (originally on Silent Crow News) which this writer found on Global Research News (November 3, 2017 ): A Currency War Will Escalate as China’s ‘Petro Yuan’ is Set to Challenge the U.S. Military-Backed ‘Petro Dollar.’
Guzman shows in a layman’s way of understanding how the U.S. dollar has been used for generations in oil and natural gas transactions worldwide. Factor this in with the action in 1971, under Nixon, when we no longer backed our dollar with gold, going against the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement. This actually gave us the ability to print dollars as we saw fit, thus weakening the rest of the world’s strength in international commerce. Our superior military kept our jackboot on the financial throat of the rest of the world, so to speak. Thus, along with other uses of our power both economically and militarily, the oil and natural gas producing nations continued to trade in our dollars, making the gods of Wall Street happy.
China is about to throw the financial monkey wrench into this mix, by getting the oil and natural gas producing nations to trade in its gold backed Yuan. Sadly, as Groucho Marx yelped in Duck Soup: ” This means WAR!” Guzman explains how when Saddam Hussein announced plans to sell his oil in euros, well before March of 2003, the Cheney/Bush cabal schemed and lied us into that war. Then in 2011, when Gaddafi announced his plan for a gold backed African currency for, among other things, his oil sales . . . NATO destroyed Libya and stuck a knife up his ass . . . literally! Guzman worries that with this new development our nation may just resort to a near future war to preserve the petrodollar and this empire.
Isn’t it time to understand, dear Amerikan neighbors, that we need to pull back our Military Industrial Empire and radically readjust our behavior worldwide? We can show the Chinese and the rest of the world that we need not plant our flag all over, by closing those 1,000 bases, bringing our personnel home, and most importantly, DRASTICALLY CUTTING THIS OBSCENE MILITARY SPENDING! Imagine what can be accomplished with an extra $300+ billion each year here at home. We could stimulate this economy for all working stiffs to the Nth degree! We could have real national healthcare, without the private insurance predators. We can have an infrastructure works program that would dwarf the one initiated by FDR during the 1930s . . . creating more jobs than our people could even handle . . . and without relying on privatization. Nonprofit community mortgage banks could be jumpstarted, charging only what the overhead costs would be. This would make more of our friends and neighbors able to afford a home, rather than pay rent to some absentee predator landlord . . . a term right out of the feudal era. Each and every year of having that $300+ billion to spend on truly Making America Great Again, and not the Military Industrial Empire, would see so many great programs and safety nets available.
The Chinese and the Russians would perhaps then wish to have us join them in the new Silk Road partnerships they are forming, as equal and fair participants. After all, our history of American ingenuity is a powerful tool for us to use, isn’t it? Once the threat of force is released, anything will be possible.
Philip A Farruggio is a semi-retired baby boomer born and bred in blue collar Brooklyn, NY. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn longshoremen, and educated at ‘free tuition’ Brooklyn College, class of ’74. Philip has written over 300 columns since 2001 and his work is found on many fine progressive sites like World News Trust, Nation of Change, Information Clearinghouse, Intrepid Report, Sleuth Journal, Dandelion Salad, Counterpunch and Dissident Voice. He can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net.
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Turning Amerika into America
Posted on November 7, 2017 by Philip A Farruggio
First off, for purposes of proper understanding, let us agree that we are an empire, and have been since the end of WW2. Let us then agree that we are not just an empire, but a Military Industrial Empire, with at least 1,000 bases in over 100 different countries. What has been news to this writer and the majority of our citizens is the fact that we have troops in 90% of African countries. Of course, we all know of our vast military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq . . . for too long to even comprehend, as well as our illegal drone attacks on too many nations.
Timothy A Guzman has written an important new piece, now posted on many sites (originally on Silent Crow News) which this writer found on Global Research News (November 3, 2017 ): A Currency War Will Escalate as China’s ‘Petro Yuan’ is Set to Challenge the U.S. Military-Backed ‘Petro Dollar.’
Guzman shows in a layman’s way of understanding how the U.S. dollar has been used for generations in oil and natural gas transactions worldwide. Factor this in with the action in 1971, under Nixon, when we no longer backed our dollar with gold, going against the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement. This actually gave us the ability to print dollars as we saw fit, thus weakening the rest of the world’s strength in international commerce. Our superior military kept our jackboot on the financial throat of the rest of the world, so to speak. Thus, along with other uses of our power both economically and militarily, the oil and natural gas producing nations continued to trade in our dollars, making the gods of Wall Street happy.
China is about to throw the financial monkey wrench into this mix, by getting the oil and natural gas producing nations to trade in its gold backed Yuan. Sadly, as Groucho Marx yelped in Duck Soup: ” This means WAR!” Guzman explains how when Saddam Hussein announced plans to sell his oil in euros, well before March of 2003, the Cheney/Bush cabal schemed and lied us into that war. Then in 2011, when Gaddafi announced his plan for a gold backed African currency for, among other things, his oil sales . . . NATO destroyed Libya and stuck a knife up his ass . . . literally! Guzman worries that with this new development our nation may just resort to a near future war to preserve the petrodollar and this empire.
Isn’t it time to understand, dear Amerikan neighbors, that we need to pull back our Military Industrial Empire and radically readjust our behavior worldwide? We can show the Chinese and the rest of the world that we need not plant our flag all over, by closing those 1,000 bases, bringing our personnel home, and most importantly, DRASTICALLY CUTTING THIS OBSCENE MILITARY SPENDING! Imagine what can be accomplished with an extra $300+ billion each year here at home. We could stimulate this economy for all working stiffs to the Nth degree! We could have real national healthcare, without the private insurance predators. We can have an infrastructure works program that would dwarf the one initiated by FDR during the 1930s . . . creating more jobs than our people could even handle . . . and without relying on privatization. Nonprofit community mortgage banks could be jumpstarted, charging only what the overhead costs would be. This would make more of our friends and neighbors able to afford a home, rather than pay rent to some absentee predator landlord . . . a term right out of the feudal era. Each and every year of having that $300+ billion to spend on truly Making America Great Again, and not the Military Industrial Empire, would see so many great programs and safety nets available.
The Chinese and the Russians would perhaps then wish to have us join them in the new Silk Road partnerships they are forming, as equal and fair participants. After all, our history of American ingenuity is a powerful tool for us to use, isn’t it? Once the threat of force is released, anything will be possible.
Philip A Farruggio is a semi-retired baby boomer born and bred in blue collar Brooklyn, NY. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn longshoremen, and educated at ‘free tuition’ Brooklyn College, class of ’74. Philip has written over 300 columns since 2001 and his work is found on many fine progressive sites like World News Trust, Nation of Change, Information Clearinghouse, Intrepid Report, Sleuth Journal, Dandelion Salad, Counterpunch and Dissident Voice. He can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net.