The Weltanschauung Polka

If one only scans the news, one could be forgiven for thinking the world is a very complex place that is quickly spinning out of control.  However, a relatively simple scenario explains the whole thing: the petrodollar.

Some readers may be rolling their eyes and reaching for the mouse, but hear me out.  We can link just about every major event and trend in the world to this one simple concept.

In August of 1971, then-president Richard Nixon took bold steps to create a global reserve currency out of the dollar, known universally as the "petrodollar".  He disposed of the dollar's convertability to gold under the Bretton Woods agreement, and established wage and price controls to battle run-away inflation in the US>

At around the same time, OPEC shut off the oil spigot to the US, and sent gasoline prices from 45 cents per gallon to well over a dollar in a matter of months - not to mention odd-even lines at the gas pumps in a rather bizarre rationing scheme.

This all led to the petrodollar, a deal with the devil to make the dollar the only currency that could buy oil on the global market.  The deal with OPEC was that they would only sell oil for dollars and deposit their loot in US banks.  The Federal Reserve would guarantee at least a 3% annual return through controlled inflation on the deposited balances.

In the meantime, the US began handing out gobs of dollars in development grants through what John Perkins (listen to Radio Far Side interview) described as "economic hitmen", as well as other kinds of subsidies called "international aid" to ensure that everyone had a ready supply of dollars to spend with OPEC.

In order to control all of these new dollar transactions, a system called SWIFT was set up in 1973, to clear international transactions.  It expanded to a worldwide system for all financial trade clearing and if you've ever transferred money internationally, then you know that you need the SWIFT code of the receiving bank as a kind of address, along with the account number, to complete the transfer.  It also is a key function of credit card transactions, especially overseas.

All was fine and good for about 25 years - until...

A few folks started getting uppity and wanting to trade oil (and other stuff) in currencies other than the dollar.  Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, and Mahmoud Ahmadinijad of Iran all decided they wanted to accept something other than dollars, which could only be used to buy American trinkets, and gosh, there were a lot of other countries to trade with out there in the Big Bad World.

Well, it shouldn't take the aware reader more than a few seconds to look at that list and match it up with global events since 1990 (Desert Storm - Gulf War).  Every one of those countries have either been invaded, destabilized, or vilified by the US.

Along comes Russia, who in cahoots with China, decide it would be nifty if they could start their own financial clearing system that would allow multiple national currencies, as well as keep their transaction histories out of the hands of US banks, who under the SWIFT system know what everyone is spending and everything everywhere.

So Russia and China form the BRICSA bloc of nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) to create their own clearing system, as well as alternatives to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have been the primary outlets for US grants and "foreign aid".  In other words, they were directly threatening pretty much the entire petrodollar system and backing it up with Russia's vast petroleum reserves (no need for OPEC to buy oil).

And what do we see in the headlines?  Russia being demonized, China being threatened, India's economy destabilizing, political turmoil in Brazil, and racial upheaval in South Africa, not to mention a decades-long attempt to crater Iran and Syria because they are bosom-buddies with Iran and have some oil that they are also willing to sell for other-than-US-dollars.

Afghanistan, you ask?  Oh, that's because the Taliban were stamping out the opium trade, which threatened the US black budget world.  That's a side-show to the rest of this mess.

Yes, nearly every major hot-spot in the world right now has something to do with threats to the petrodollar system, which has created fabulous wealth for a select few and a financial system that makes virtually every transaction on the planet the morning report down at the Federal Reserve.  That's a lot of power and wealth under direct attack, and those folks are not going to release their control without a fight.

Oh, and ISIS and the Islamic terror parade?  That's basically a private army for the petrodollar system that is used to destabilize petroleum-rich Mid-East nations, and wreak havoc on countries that get out of live with the US petrodollar empire.  They are controlled and funded by the Saudis, who have a vested interest in the petrodollar system, since the royals live a lavish lifestyle on the back of it.

King Salman's recent Asia tour was little more than a show of wealth and a "good cop" ruse - to the US "bad cop" routine - to try and keep China and the rest of the region in line with the petrodollar system and out of Russia's oil fields.  He handed out plenty of toys and trinkets to buy a lot of goodwill.

Even Donald Trump knows which side of the toast the butter is on.  Whatever his rhetoric during the campaign, he has tread lightly since being sworn in, so as not to ruffle the petrodollar system or slow down the efforts to prop it up.  If anything, he is busily re-branding the Petrodollar Wars to make them a bit more palatable to the American public, who are growing tired of war and have little or no clue about the reasons for all of it.

Before pouring your cup of morning java and opening your news reader, begin with a five-minute mantra of, "It's all for the petrodollar."  Then, when you start scanning the day's headlines, it will all suddenly seem much clearer.

Sure, it's all about oil, but it goes much deeper than that.  It's about the global financial system and the de facto empire built on the petrodollar.

Imagine you were in control of a multi-trillion dollar empire and your subsidiaries were starting to get restless and threatening to take your client list and go rogue.  What would you do?

That, in a nutshell, is the Global Financial Crisis and the War on Terror.

It's Revolting!

It really helps me get a grasp on reality once in a while to listen to Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage.  It often takes a healthy dose of non sequitur to reboot after reading the "news."  This world has gone completely off its rockers.

Here's how you know things are changing at a very profound and meaningful way: remember those Bundy brothers who took over a government office in Oregon, and one of the members was shot dead in a field in cold blood?  Well, they've been acquitted of all charges.  A few years ago, juries would have bought the government rubbish and sentenced these guys to life in prison.  Now, they aren't even spanked.  FULL ACQUITTAL.

This one case shows a profound change in the political sea-state of the USSA.  People aren't buying the party line and are turning against the government in nearly every possible way.  When folks start shooting back at cops, anti-government activists get full acquittals and broadcast network ratings are falling 10% to 20% year-over-year, there is a deep and unstoppable change coming, folks.

Maybe the fluoride in the water is weaker, or folks are buying good filters?  Maybe the anti-depressant craze is waning?  Maybe so many folks have been so shat upon that nutters like me are starting to make sense?  Whatever the reason, all the things that have been assumed for at least a few generations are no longer valid.

Remember the days when the Republican party represented the corporate bosses and landed gentry, and the Democratic party was the blue-collar, working man's champion?  Have you looked around America lately?  If you haven't heard Trump's Gettysburg Address, then you are missing one of the most significant landmarks in the American Revolution 2.0.  If you missed Michael Moore -yes, THAT Michael Moore - stumping for Trump, then you have not witnessed one of the most significant about-faces in American culture in decades.

What so many people are missing, because they are focused on Trump and the election, is the fact that a real, true revolution is underway.

I grew up with a grandfather and father who both told me the revolution was coming.  My father, the politician and historian, fed me full of triggers to watch for, so that I would recognize it when it arrived.  I have spent a fair amount of my life watching and waiting for those signs to appear.

They have appeared.

Not only have the corporate, political, religious and media self-appointed elites run themselves up on the rocks, but a man like Donald Trump has become a catalyst for a vast ground-swell of discontent.  Regardless of who wins the election, the tide has turned and it won't stop until it has run its course.  Even if Hillary's cabal succeeds and rigging every possible outlet and gets herself installed, she won't be able to take a breath without millions running to plug the holes in her head.

What is so unique and fascinating to me, though, is that the revolution is NOT local, regional or even national - it is GLOBAL.  This is an historic moment when the people of Earth - and not their enslavers - are coming together as the HUMAN race.  And the thing is, now that the masses have had small tastes of victory, they want a LOT more.

Brexit was a major victory.  Despite all the dire warnings, such as we are hearing regarding a Trump election, the Brits voted to opt out of globalism, and they economy is thriving because of it.

Here in Jakarta, an ethnic-Chinese Christian governor was elected a couple of years ago and started reforming government and eradicating/punishing corruption.  It's working so well that the Old Guard Islamic power-brokers are mounting national protests against a governor, and its having the opposite effect and the masses are rallying to protect the one person finally standing up to the entrenched powers.

The Philippines just told the US to go jump in the ocean.  If you don't have an historical concept of the bombshell that was dropped, go back and read about the Spanish-American War and why the US has been in the Philippines for the past century or so.

The Ukraine "revolution" was a complete washout.  The Russian "hack" attack was spotted instantly as a fraud.  The Trump "touchy-feely" scandal flopped.  The Icelandic Pirate Party is winning.  The EU is crumbling.  The BRICSA are creating their own financial system.  The International Banking cabal is on the run in nearly every country they have controlled for decades.

Everywhere you look, the Decrepit World Order is crumbling into dust, just like Daddy Bush and Henry Kissinger.

Win or lose, Trump doesn't matter.  His job is done.  He has rallied forces that will not stop now, short of a massive ET invasion - which I understand is in the works.

The revolution is upon us.  Quick!  Get the popcorn and picnic lunches ready.  Make sure the beer is chilled.  The next couple of years are going to be fun, no matter how you slice it.

The Global Con Game

Don't know if you've noticed, since not many folks are talking about it, but all of the major countries either having problems, or are on the US shit list are members of the BRICSA bloc of nations.

In case you are a bit behind, the BRICSA is a somewhat loose association between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICSA).  Over the years, they have built up amenable trade and cultural ties, and have tried to synchronize policies in such a way as to benefit and promote the member countries.

The latest BRICSA efforts have centered around creating a new financial clearing system to compete with the ubiquitous SWIFT system, and the essentially Western lap-dog JSCC system in Japan.

Why is this important?  Well, SWIFT handles nearly all the major inter-nation settlements for securities, bank transfers, credit card purchases, and so forth.  Basically, SWIFT is the world's financial system.  Without it, most major economies would simply shut down, because backing the SWIFT system are, for the most part, seven major players who insure the transactions.  For instance, if the US needs to transfer a few billion bux to China on account, one of the players will insure the transaction at value for the few seconds it takes between hitting "enter" and the blips showing up at the other end.

The SWIFT system is enabled by a fleet of secure satellite transponders and the most intimidating (not really the largest and no one is sure if the strongest) military forces on Earth.  It is this system that is the fundamental underpinning of US hegemony since the last World War, and the primary reason that the US dollar is the world's reserve currency.

Along come these BRICSA upstarts who understand the power and influence exerted by the SWIFT system, and they decide they are going to take a stab at making a parallel system that is not beholden to Western power centers, specifically the seven groups who underwrite the transactions.

Well, the Western banksters ain't having none of that.

Since the moment Russia and China announced their intentions to create this new financial system (about five years ago), Russia has been on the NATO target list, China's South China Sea activities have gained increasing attention at the Pentagon, India is suddenly not as chummy as it used to be, and Brazil...well, we'll get to that in a minute.  As for South Africa, hell no one's paid any attention to them since the end of Apartheid.

Most of the world's big geo-political problems can be traced back to this one thing: replacing SWIFT.  If you have any doubts about who runs the Western powers, just look at the Western militaries and their behaviors since the SWIFT system came under close scrutiny.

NATO has suddenly gotten all up in Russia's face.  US covert operations stirred up the Ukraine.  The US navy and air assets have been buzzing around the South China Sea like disturbed hornets and sea lice.  India is suddenly not the hot IT paradise it once was.  And Brazil...well...

Brazil was given the Olympics a few years back as reward for being such good boys and girls and playing nice in the US sandbox.  But, when Brazil started getting uppity and electing people like Dilma Rouseffe, who dared to think her country could be a little more independent, POOF!  Along comes the Zika virus, which first made headlines in Brazil, and where most of the severe cases (so we are told) are at the moment.  Next thing you know, Rouseffe is impeached, folks start pulling out of the Olympics and Brazil is close to being stuck with a huge bill if the games are cancelled due to...um, Zika, yeah Zika.

This whole mess is quite obvious from a certain point of view. Of course the media won't connect the dots because the wizard doesn't want you peeking behind the curtain.

Brazil is receiving special attention because, 1) it is over a barrel with the Olympics, and 2) it is in the US backyard, where other powers are not allowed to play.  You see, the US has this thing about keeping South America and Europe tied tightly to its apron strings.  That's why Venezuela was dealt with so harshly, and Obama made a hurried trip to Argentina for the first time in his administration (the Chinese are making big investments there), and why a bankster (there is no former) is in the lead for president of Peru.

Of course, the BRICSA are fighting back.  All this immigration mess?  Yup, you guessed it.  Just turn the US' and EU's lax immigration laws and policies back on them.  Quiet.  Subtle.

As for the US, we have Killary, whom everyone knows is in the bankster pocket, but Trump?  Well, guess what?  All those billions he brags about?  Gosh, they could all vanish with a keystroke, and he still has to use the SWIFT system to move his bux around, no matter how independent he thinks he is.

In the end, nearly every single problem in the world for the past five years can be traced back to competing financial systems.  The Western oligarchs have gotten used to controlling to world's money, and they won't give up easily.  Think Al Capone, but on a far grander scale.

We are witnessing turf wars, plain and simple, though played out on a global scale, with a game of Risk thrown in for good measure.  Armies move around and deploy, satellite ground stations get built over here, man-made islands appear over there, national economies rise and fall based on whose turf they want to play in.

On the one hand, it's a ridiculous mobster game, but on the other, there are a lot of innocent folks who will get caught in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Remember the shakedown of 2008-9?  Now, imagine this: a couple of well-heeled guys walk into your shop and say, "Pay us some protection money, 'cause I wouldn't want to see your business fall apart or nuttin'."  Same thing.  Gee, Congress, don't wanna pay up?  Ooh, did you feel the economic earthquake just now?  Better hurry or we won't be able to protect you much longer.

It's all one big alphabet soup: SWIFT, JSCC, US, EU, TPP, TTIP, BRICSA...

But it all boils down to one thing: it's an international game of gangsters and mafia, and we are all pawns.  They have the power to destroy nations who don't play along - on either side.  The Big Question is, who will win?  The next question is: how many of us will get crushed in the stampede?