Great video by Carol Rosin spokesperson for Wernher von Braun's
Carol Sue Rosin (born March 29, 1944; Wilmington, Delaware) is an award-winning educator, author, leading aerospace executive and space and missile defense consultant. She is a former spokesperson for Wernher von Braun and has consulted to a number of companies, organizations, government departments and the intelligence community. She is the current President of the Institute for Cooperation in Space (ICIS) which she co-founded with Alfred Webre. Dr. Rosin has received the support of various prominent individuals such as U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich,[1][2] and Hon. Paul Hellyer, a former Canadian Minister of National Defence. She is also a witness for The Disclosure Project.[3]
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Principles of International Law Recognized in the Charter of the Nürnberg Tribunal and in the Judgment of the Tribunal
I thought it would be wise to educate world citizens about the rules of law regarding unjust or unprovoked wars. After World War II the Allies tried and convicted those responsible for the atrocities to humanity and damages to a countries infrastructure due to the unbridled aggressive nature of their respective countries. I think everyone regardless of what country you live in should understand these principles and try to educate others if their respective country is in violation of these International Laws.
Otherwise, when the time comes and your asked what side you stood for and why you did nothing to prevent the war or the atrocities, it will be based on your convictions and yours alone.
“Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny”
(a) Crimes against peace:
(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;
(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).
(b) War crimes:
Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to, murder, illtreatment or deportation to slave-labour or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war, of persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.
(c) Crimes against humanity:
Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other inhuman acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds, when such acts are
done or such persecutions are carried on in execution of or in connection with any crime against peace or any war crime.
Otherwise, when the time comes and your asked what side you stood for and why you did nothing to prevent the war or the atrocities, it will be based on your convictions and yours alone.
“Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny”
Principles of International Law Recognized in the Charter of the Nürnberg Tribunal and in
the Judgment of the Tribunal
the Judgment of the Tribunal
Principle I
Any person who commits an act which constitutes a crime under international law is responsible therefor and liable to punishment.Principle II
The fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law.Principle III
The fact that a person who committed an act which constitutes a crime under international law acted as Head of State or responsible Government official does not relieve him from responsibility under international law.Principle IV
The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him.Principle V
Any person charged with a crime under international law has the right to a fair trial on the facts and law.Principle VI
The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:(a) Crimes against peace:
(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;
(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).
(b) War crimes:
Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to, murder, illtreatment or deportation to slave-labour or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war, of persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.
(c) Crimes against humanity:
Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other inhuman acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds, when such acts are
done or such persecutions are carried on in execution of or in connection with any crime against peace or any war crime.
Principle VII
Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity as set forth in Principle VI is a crime under international law.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
A true cost of war.
How is this for factoring a cost for war.
What does this mean to our economy and will the U.S. still continue down this path?
Cost of War
What does this mean to our economy and will the U.S. still continue down this path?
Cost of War
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Commentary on Carter's Energy Policy
Carter Tried To Stop Bush's Energy Disasters - 28 Years Ago
by Thom Hartmann
In his recent news conference, George Bush Jr. suggested that our nation's "problem" with high gasoline prices was caused by the lack of a national energy policy, and tried to blame it all on Bill Clinton. First, Junior said, "This is a problem that's been a long time in coming. We haven't had an energy policy in this country."
This was followed by, "That's exactly what I've been saying to the American people -- 10 years ago if we'd had an energy strategy, we would be able to diversify away from foreign dependence. And -- but we haven't done that. And now we find ourselves in the fix we're in." As is so often the case, Bush was lying.
Consider President Jimmy Carter's April 18, 1977 speech. Since it was given nearly three decades ago, when many of the reporters in Bush's White House were children, it's understandable that they don't remember it. But it's inexcusable that Bush and the mainstream media (which, after all, has the ability to do research) would completely ignore it. It was the speech that established the strategic petroleum reserve, birthed the modern solar power industry, led to the insulation of millions of American homes, and established America's first national energy policy. "With the exception of preventing war," said Jimmy Carter, a man of peace, "this is the greatest challenge our country will face during our lifetimes."
He added: "It is a problem we will not solve in the next few years, and it is likely to get progressively worse through the rest of this century. "We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and grandchildren.
"We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. By acting now, we can control our future instead of letting the future control us." Carter bluntly pointed out that: "The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation." He called the new energy policy he was proposing, "[T]he 'moral equivalent of war' -- except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy."
When Carter had become president three months earlier, the nation was still recovering from the "oil shock" of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, and scientists were realizing our nation was just then hitting the point of domestic peak oil production predicted more than a decade earlier by scientist M. King Hubbert. (The rest of the world is hitting the Hubbert Peak right now.) As Carter noted in his speech, "The oil and natural gas we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are running out. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about six percent a year. Imports have doubled in the last five years. Our nation's independence of economic and political action is becoming increasingly constrained." Hubbert had predicted that the peak of oil production for the USA would come in the 1970s, and it did, hitting us with a shock.
"The world has not prepared for the future," said Jimmy Carter. "During the 1950s, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940s. During the 1960s, we used twice as much as during the 1950s. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of mankind's previous history." Hubbert said we must begin to conserve. Carter agreed.
"Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth," he said, a point that is still true. "We waste more energy than we import. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan and Sweden." Carter directly challenged the fossil fuel and automobile industries. "One choice," he said, "is to continue doing what we have been doing before. We can drift along for a few more years. "Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. Our cars would continue to be too large and inefficient. Three-quarters of them would continue to carry only one person -- the driver -- while our public transportation system continues to decline. We can delay insulating our houses, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste. "We can continue using scarce oil and natural gas to generate electricity, and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process."
But that would be unpatriotic, anti-American, and essentially wrong. Who but a traitor sold out to special interests, or an idiot, would countenance such insanity?
The year 1977 was a turning point for America. If we didn't make clear and rapid progress, we would face painful times ahead. The Saudis would have their fingers around our necks. We'd face war in the Middle East to secure future oil supplies. "Now we have a choice," Carter said. "But if we wait, we will live in fear of embargoes. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs."
Failure to act in the 1970s and 1980s would inevitably lead to a time when the only way to maintain our lifestyle would be to rape our planet and seize control of oil-rich nations in the Middle East. If we didn't begin to develop alternatives like solar power, and dramatically reduce our consumption of fossil fuels, then, Carter said, even our cherished personal freedoms would be at risk. If we continued to simply follow past policies that enriched the oil industry and the Saudis, instead of becoming energy independent, Carter said, "We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment."
If we failed to develop alternative sources of renewable energy and conserve what we have, the alternative could be nasty. As Carter pointed out: "We will have a crash program to build more nuclear plants, strip-mine and burn more coal, and drill more offshore wells than we will need if we begin to conserve now. Inflation will soar, production will go down, people will lose their jobs. Intense competition will build up among nations and among the different regions within our own country. "If we fail to act soon, we will face an economic, social and political crisis that will threaten our free institutions."
Carter's speech drew a strong reaction from the Saudis and the oil industry. Think tanks soon emerged - many whose names are today familiar - to suggest there was really no energy problem, and they led the charge to establish a permanent right-wing media in the US. Within two years, Saudi citizen and oil baron Salem bin Laden's sole US representative, James Bath, would funnel cash into the failing business of the son of the CIA's former director, political up-and-comer George H. W. Bush. With that money from the representative of Osama Bin Laden's half-brother, George Bush Jr. was able to keep afloat his Arbusto ("shrub" in Spanish) Oil Company. And he would be in the pocket of the bin Laden and Saudi interests for the rest of his life. But Carter was incorruptible.
"We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly," he said. "They will say that sacrifice is fine, as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable, or unfair, or harmful to the country. If they succeed, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing." But that would be wrong. It would be un-American. It would lead to future oil shocks, and the probable death of American soldiers in Middle Eastern oil wars. Instead of caving in to the Saudis and the oil industry, Carter said: "There should be only one test for this program: whether it will help our country."
Two years later, as the bin Laden family's sole US representative was bailing out George Bush Junior's failing oil business, Jimmy Carter gave another speech on energy, further refining his national energy policy. He had already started the national strategic petroleum reserve, birthed the gasohol and solar power industries, and helped insulate millions of homes and offices. But he wanted to go a step further. "I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States," Carter said on July 15, 1979. "Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 -- never. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. The generation-long growth in our dependence on foreign oil will be stopped dead in its tracks right now and then reversed as we move through the 1980s..." In addition, we needed to immediately begin to develop a long-range strategy to move beyond fossil fuel.
Therefore, Carter said, "I will soon submit legislation to Congress calling for the creation of this nation's first solar bank, which will help us achieve the crucial goal of 20 percent of our energy coming from solar power by the year 2000." But then came the Iran/Contra October Surprise, when the Reagan/Bush campaign allegedly promised the oil-rich mullahs of Iran that they'd sell them missiles and other weapons if only they'd keep our hostages until after the 1980 Carter/Reagan presidential election campaign was over. The result was that Carter, who had been leading in the polls over Reagan/Bush, steadily dropped in popularity as the hostage crisis dragged out, and lost the election. The hostages were released the very minute that Reagan put his hand on the Bible to take his oath of office. The hostages freed, the Reagan/Bush administration quickly began illegally delivering missiles to Iran.
And Ronald Reagan's first official acts of office included removing Jimmy Carter's solar panels from the roof of the White House, and reversing most of Carter's conservation and alternative energy policies.
Today, despite the best efforts of the Bushies, the bin Ladens, and the rest of the oil industry, Carter's few surviving initiatives have borne fruit.
It is now more economical to build power generating stations using wind than using coal, oil, gas, or nuclear. When amortized over the life of a typical mortgage, installing solar power in a house in most parts of the US is cheaper than drawing power from the grid. (Shell and British Petroleum are among the world's largest manufacturers of solar photovoltaic panels, which can now even be used as roofing shingles.) And hybrid cars that get 50-70 miles to the gallon are increasingly commonplace on our nation's highways. Instead of taking a strong stand to make America energy independent, Bush kisses a Saudi crown prince, then holds hands with him as they walk into Bush's hobby ranch in Texas. Our young men and women are daily dying in Iraq - a country with the world's second largest store of underground oil. And we live in fear that another 15 Saudis may hijack more planes to fly into our nation's capitol or into nuclear power plants.
Meanwhile, Bush brings us an energy bill that includes eight billion dollars in welfare payments to the oil business, just as the nation's oil companies report the highest profits in the entire history of the industry. Americans struggle to pay for gasoline, while the Bush administration refuses to increase fleet efficiency standards, stop the $100,000 tax break for buying Hummers, or maintain and build Amtrak. George Bush Jr. is arguably right that gas prices are spiking because we don't have an energy policy. But instead of blaming Clinton, he should be pointing to the Reagan/Bush administration, and to his own abysmal failures over the past four years.
Thom Hartmann's bestselling book on peak oil is titled "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight, published by Random House/Three Rivers Press. His articles archive is at www.thomhartmann.com/commondreams.shtml.
by Thom Hartmann
In his recent news conference, George Bush Jr. suggested that our nation's "problem" with high gasoline prices was caused by the lack of a national energy policy, and tried to blame it all on Bill Clinton. First, Junior said, "This is a problem that's been a long time in coming. We haven't had an energy policy in this country."
This was followed by, "That's exactly what I've been saying to the American people -- 10 years ago if we'd had an energy strategy, we would be able to diversify away from foreign dependence. And -- but we haven't done that. And now we find ourselves in the fix we're in." As is so often the case, Bush was lying.
Consider President Jimmy Carter's April 18, 1977 speech. Since it was given nearly three decades ago, when many of the reporters in Bush's White House were children, it's understandable that they don't remember it. But it's inexcusable that Bush and the mainstream media (which, after all, has the ability to do research) would completely ignore it. It was the speech that established the strategic petroleum reserve, birthed the modern solar power industry, led to the insulation of millions of American homes, and established America's first national energy policy. "With the exception of preventing war," said Jimmy Carter, a man of peace, "this is the greatest challenge our country will face during our lifetimes."
He added: "It is a problem we will not solve in the next few years, and it is likely to get progressively worse through the rest of this century. "We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and grandchildren.
"We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. By acting now, we can control our future instead of letting the future control us." Carter bluntly pointed out that: "The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation." He called the new energy policy he was proposing, "[T]he 'moral equivalent of war' -- except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy."
When Carter had become president three months earlier, the nation was still recovering from the "oil shock" of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, and scientists were realizing our nation was just then hitting the point of domestic peak oil production predicted more than a decade earlier by scientist M. King Hubbert. (The rest of the world is hitting the Hubbert Peak right now.) As Carter noted in his speech, "The oil and natural gas we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are running out. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about six percent a year. Imports have doubled in the last five years. Our nation's independence of economic and political action is becoming increasingly constrained." Hubbert had predicted that the peak of oil production for the USA would come in the 1970s, and it did, hitting us with a shock.
"The world has not prepared for the future," said Jimmy Carter. "During the 1950s, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940s. During the 1960s, we used twice as much as during the 1950s. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of mankind's previous history." Hubbert said we must begin to conserve. Carter agreed.
"Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth," he said, a point that is still true. "We waste more energy than we import. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan and Sweden." Carter directly challenged the fossil fuel and automobile industries. "One choice," he said, "is to continue doing what we have been doing before. We can drift along for a few more years. "Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. Our cars would continue to be too large and inefficient. Three-quarters of them would continue to carry only one person -- the driver -- while our public transportation system continues to decline. We can delay insulating our houses, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste. "We can continue using scarce oil and natural gas to generate electricity, and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process."
But that would be unpatriotic, anti-American, and essentially wrong. Who but a traitor sold out to special interests, or an idiot, would countenance such insanity?
The year 1977 was a turning point for America. If we didn't make clear and rapid progress, we would face painful times ahead. The Saudis would have their fingers around our necks. We'd face war in the Middle East to secure future oil supplies. "Now we have a choice," Carter said. "But if we wait, we will live in fear of embargoes. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs."
Failure to act in the 1970s and 1980s would inevitably lead to a time when the only way to maintain our lifestyle would be to rape our planet and seize control of oil-rich nations in the Middle East. If we didn't begin to develop alternatives like solar power, and dramatically reduce our consumption of fossil fuels, then, Carter said, even our cherished personal freedoms would be at risk. If we continued to simply follow past policies that enriched the oil industry and the Saudis, instead of becoming energy independent, Carter said, "We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment."
If we failed to develop alternative sources of renewable energy and conserve what we have, the alternative could be nasty. As Carter pointed out: "We will have a crash program to build more nuclear plants, strip-mine and burn more coal, and drill more offshore wells than we will need if we begin to conserve now. Inflation will soar, production will go down, people will lose their jobs. Intense competition will build up among nations and among the different regions within our own country. "If we fail to act soon, we will face an economic, social and political crisis that will threaten our free institutions."
Carter's speech drew a strong reaction from the Saudis and the oil industry. Think tanks soon emerged - many whose names are today familiar - to suggest there was really no energy problem, and they led the charge to establish a permanent right-wing media in the US. Within two years, Saudi citizen and oil baron Salem bin Laden's sole US representative, James Bath, would funnel cash into the failing business of the son of the CIA's former director, political up-and-comer George H. W. Bush. With that money from the representative of Osama Bin Laden's half-brother, George Bush Jr. was able to keep afloat his Arbusto ("shrub" in Spanish) Oil Company. And he would be in the pocket of the bin Laden and Saudi interests for the rest of his life. But Carter was incorruptible.
"We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly," he said. "They will say that sacrifice is fine, as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable, or unfair, or harmful to the country. If they succeed, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing." But that would be wrong. It would be un-American. It would lead to future oil shocks, and the probable death of American soldiers in Middle Eastern oil wars. Instead of caving in to the Saudis and the oil industry, Carter said: "There should be only one test for this program: whether it will help our country."
Two years later, as the bin Laden family's sole US representative was bailing out George Bush Junior's failing oil business, Jimmy Carter gave another speech on energy, further refining his national energy policy. He had already started the national strategic petroleum reserve, birthed the gasohol and solar power industries, and helped insulate millions of homes and offices. But he wanted to go a step further. "I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States," Carter said on July 15, 1979. "Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 -- never. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. The generation-long growth in our dependence on foreign oil will be stopped dead in its tracks right now and then reversed as we move through the 1980s..." In addition, we needed to immediately begin to develop a long-range strategy to move beyond fossil fuel.
Therefore, Carter said, "I will soon submit legislation to Congress calling for the creation of this nation's first solar bank, which will help us achieve the crucial goal of 20 percent of our energy coming from solar power by the year 2000." But then came the Iran/Contra October Surprise, when the Reagan/Bush campaign allegedly promised the oil-rich mullahs of Iran that they'd sell them missiles and other weapons if only they'd keep our hostages until after the 1980 Carter/Reagan presidential election campaign was over. The result was that Carter, who had been leading in the polls over Reagan/Bush, steadily dropped in popularity as the hostage crisis dragged out, and lost the election. The hostages were released the very minute that Reagan put his hand on the Bible to take his oath of office. The hostages freed, the Reagan/Bush administration quickly began illegally delivering missiles to Iran.
And Ronald Reagan's first official acts of office included removing Jimmy Carter's solar panels from the roof of the White House, and reversing most of Carter's conservation and alternative energy policies.
Today, despite the best efforts of the Bushies, the bin Ladens, and the rest of the oil industry, Carter's few surviving initiatives have borne fruit.
It is now more economical to build power generating stations using wind than using coal, oil, gas, or nuclear. When amortized over the life of a typical mortgage, installing solar power in a house in most parts of the US is cheaper than drawing power from the grid. (Shell and British Petroleum are among the world's largest manufacturers of solar photovoltaic panels, which can now even be used as roofing shingles.) And hybrid cars that get 50-70 miles to the gallon are increasingly commonplace on our nation's highways. Instead of taking a strong stand to make America energy independent, Bush kisses a Saudi crown prince, then holds hands with him as they walk into Bush's hobby ranch in Texas. Our young men and women are daily dying in Iraq - a country with the world's second largest store of underground oil. And we live in fear that another 15 Saudis may hijack more planes to fly into our nation's capitol or into nuclear power plants.
Meanwhile, Bush brings us an energy bill that includes eight billion dollars in welfare payments to the oil business, just as the nation's oil companies report the highest profits in the entire history of the industry. Americans struggle to pay for gasoline, while the Bush administration refuses to increase fleet efficiency standards, stop the $100,000 tax break for buying Hummers, or maintain and build Amtrak. George Bush Jr. is arguably right that gas prices are spiking because we don't have an energy policy. But instead of blaming Clinton, he should be pointing to the Reagan/Bush administration, and to his own abysmal failures over the past four years.
Thom Hartmann's bestselling book on peak oil is titled "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight, published by Random House/Three Rivers Press. His articles archive is at www.thomhartmann.com/commondreams.shtml.
A President's Proposed Energy Policy
Here is a speech by President Jimmy Carter who made the effort to try and change our energy policies back in 1977. He met a lot of resistance and was eventually replaced with more lenient President who supported the oil industry. We had a choice in what direction to take decades ago and now many of the issues stated in this speech have come to fruition.
I guess we can only blame ourselves for allowing corporate profits and greed run our country rather than logic and reason.
--------------------------------------------------------
Jimmy Carter delivered this televised speech on April 18, 1977.
Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem unprecedented in our history. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge our country will face during our lifetimes. The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly.
It is a problem we will not solve in the next few years, and it is likely to get progressively worse through the rest of this century.
We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and grandchildren.
We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. By acting now, we can control our future instead of letting the future control us.
Two days from now, I will present my energy proposals to the Congress. Its members will be my partners and they have already given me a great deal of valuable advice. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and to make sacrifices.
The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation.
Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war" -- except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy.
I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. The 1973 gasoline lines are gone, and our homes are warm again. But our energy problem is worse tonight than it was in 1973 or a few weeks ago in the dead of winter. It is worse because more waste has occurred, and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. And it will get worse every day until we act.
The oil and natural gas we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are running out. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about six percent a year. Imports have doubled in the last five years. Our nation's independence of economic and political action is becoming increasingly constrained. Unless profound changes are made to lower oil consumption, we now believe that early in the 1980s the world will be demanding more oil that it can produce.
The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day and demand increases each year about 5 percent. This means that just to stay even we need the production of a new Texas every year, an Alaskan North Slope every nine months, or a new Saudi Arabia every three years. Obviously, this cannot continue.
We must look back in history to understand our energy problem. Twice in the last several hundred years there has been a transition in the way people use energy.
The first was about 200 years ago, away from wood -- which had provided about 90 percent of all fuel -- to coal, which was more efficient. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution.
The second change took place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. Nearly everyone who is alive today grew up during this age and we have never known anything different.
Because we are now running out of gas and oil, we must prepare quickly for a third change, to strict conservation and to the use of coal and permanent renewable energy sources, like solar power.
The world has not prepared for the future. During the 1950s, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940s. During the 1960s, we used twice as much as during the 1950s. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of mankind's previous history.
World consumption of oil is still going up. If it were possible to keep it rising during the 1970s and 1980s by 5 percent a year as it has in the past, we could use up all the proven reserves of oil in the entire world by the end of the next decade.
I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld. You may be right, but suspicions about oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum.
All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. In a few years when the North Slope is producing fully, its total output will be just about equal to two years' increase in our nation's energy demand.
Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. World oil production can probably keep going up for another six or eight years. But some time in the 1980s it can't go up much more. Demand will overtake production. We have no choice about that.
But we do have a choice about how we will spend the next few years. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth. We waste more energy than we import. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan and Sweden.
One choice is to continue doing what we have been doing before. We can drift along for a few more years.
Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. Our cars would continue to be too large and inefficient. Three-quarters of them would continue to carry only one person -- the driver -- while our public transportation system continues to decline. We can delay insulating our houses, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste.
We can continue using scarce oil and natural to generate electricity, and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process.
If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we do today.
We can't substantially increase our domestic production, so we would need to import twice as much oil as we do now. Supplies will be uncertain. The cost will keep going up. Six years ago, we paid $3.7 billion for imported oil. Last year we spent $37 billion -- nearly ten times as much -- and this year we may spend over $45 billion.
Unless we act, we will spend more than $550 billion for imported oil by 1985 -- more than $2,500 a year for every man, woman, and child in America. Along with that money we will continue losing American jobs and becoming increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions.
Now we have a choice. But if we wait, we will live in fear of embargoes. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. Within ten years we would not be able to import enough oil -- from any country, at any acceptable price.
If we wait, and do not act, then our factories will not be able to keep our people on the job with reduced supplies of fuel. Too few of our utilities will have switched to coal, our most abundant energy source.
We will not be ready to keep our transportation system running with smaller, more efficient cars and a better network of buses, trains and public transportation.
We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment. We will have a crash program to build more nuclear plants, strip-mine and burn more coal, and drill more offshore wells than we will need if we begin to conserve now. Inflation will soar, production will go down, people will lose their jobs. Intense competition will build up among nations and among the different regions within our own country.
If we fail to act soon, we will face an economic, social and political crisis that will threaten our free institutions.
But we still have another choice. We can begin to prepare right now. We can decide to act while there is time.
That is the concept of the energy policy we will present on Wednesday. Our national energy plan is based on ten fundamental principles.
The first principle is that we can have an effective and comprehensive energy policy only if the government takes responsibility for it and if the people understand the seriousness of the challenge and are willing to make sacrifices.
The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. An effective conservation program will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
The third principle is that we must protect the environment. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems -- wasteful use of resources. Conservation helps us solve both at once.
The fourth principle is that we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. We can protect ourselves from uncertain supplies by reducing our demand for oil, making the most of our abundant resources such as coal, and developing a strategic petroleum reserve.
The fifth principle is that we must be fair. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, every interest group. Industry will have to do its part to conserve, just as the consumers will. The energy producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer.
The sixth principle, and the cornerstone of our policy, is to reduce the demand through conservation. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. Conservation is the only way we can buy a barrel of oil for a few dollars. It costs about $13 to waste it.
The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement costs of energy. We are only cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford.
The eighth principle is that government policies must be predictable and certain. Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. This is one reason I am working with the Congress to create a new Department of Energy, to replace more than 50 different agencies that now have some control over energy.
The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are more plentiful. We can't continue to use oil and gas for 75 percent of our consumption when they make up seven percent of our domestic reserves. We need to shift to plentiful coal while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy.
The tenth principle is that we must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy we will rely on in the next century.
These ten principles have guided the development of the policy I would describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday.
Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals, to measure our progress toward a stable energy system.
These are the goals we set for 1985:
--Reduce the annual growth rate in our energy demand to less than two percent.
--Reduce gasoline consumption by ten percent below its current level.
--Cut in half the portion of United States oil which is imported, from a potential level of 16 million barrels to six million barrels a day.
--Establish a strategic petroleum reserve of one billion barrels, more than six months' supply.
--Increase our coal production by about two thirds to more than 1 billion tons a year.
--Insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings.
--Use solar energy in more than two and one-half million houses.
We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. Our plan will call for stricter conservation measures if we fall behind.
I cant tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. But I think most of you realize that a policy which does not ask for changes or sacrifices would not be an effective policy.
This plan is essential to protect our jobs, our environment, our standard of living, and our future.
Whether this plan truly makes a difference will be decided not here in Washington, but in every town and every factory, in every home an don every highway and every farm.
I believe this can be a positive challenge. There is something especially American in the kinds of changes we have to make. We have been proud, through our history of being efficient people.
We have been proud of our leadership in the world. Now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example.
And we have been proud of our vision of the future. We have always wanted to give our children and grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we've had. They are the ones we must provide for now. They are the ones who will suffer most if we don't act.
I've given you some of the principles of the plan.
I am sure each of you will find something you don't like about the specifics of our proposal. It will demand that we make sacrifices and changes in our lives. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful -- but so is any meaningful sacrifice. It will lead to some higher costs, and to some greater inconveniences for everyone.
But the sacrifices will be gradual, realistic and necessary. Above all, they will be fair. No one will gain an unfair advantage through this plan. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. We will monitor the accuracy of data from the oil and natural gas companies, so that we will know their true production, supplies, reserves, and profits.
The citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury.
We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly. They will say that sacrifice is fine, as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable, or unfair, or harmful to the country. If they succeed, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing.
There should be only one test for this program: whether it will help our country.
Other generation of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. I have faith that meeting this challenge will make our own lives even richer. If you will join me so that we can work together with patriotism and courage, we will again prove that our great nation can lead the world into an age of peace, independence and freedom.
Jimmy Carter, "The President's Proposed Energy Policy." 18 April 1977. Vital Speeches of the Day, Vol. XXXXIII, No. 14, May 1, 1977, pp. 418-420.
I guess we can only blame ourselves for allowing corporate profits and greed run our country rather than logic and reason.
--------------------------------------------------------
Jimmy Carter delivered this televised speech on April 18, 1977.
Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem unprecedented in our history. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge our country will face during our lifetimes. The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly.
It is a problem we will not solve in the next few years, and it is likely to get progressively worse through the rest of this century.
We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and grandchildren.
We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. By acting now, we can control our future instead of letting the future control us.
Two days from now, I will present my energy proposals to the Congress. Its members will be my partners and they have already given me a great deal of valuable advice. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and to make sacrifices.
The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation.
Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war" -- except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy.
I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. The 1973 gasoline lines are gone, and our homes are warm again. But our energy problem is worse tonight than it was in 1973 or a few weeks ago in the dead of winter. It is worse because more waste has occurred, and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. And it will get worse every day until we act.
The oil and natural gas we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are running out. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about six percent a year. Imports have doubled in the last five years. Our nation's independence of economic and political action is becoming increasingly constrained. Unless profound changes are made to lower oil consumption, we now believe that early in the 1980s the world will be demanding more oil that it can produce.
The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day and demand increases each year about 5 percent. This means that just to stay even we need the production of a new Texas every year, an Alaskan North Slope every nine months, or a new Saudi Arabia every three years. Obviously, this cannot continue.
We must look back in history to understand our energy problem. Twice in the last several hundred years there has been a transition in the way people use energy.
The first was about 200 years ago, away from wood -- which had provided about 90 percent of all fuel -- to coal, which was more efficient. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution.
The second change took place in this century, with the growing use of oil and natural gas. They were more convenient and cheaper than coal, and the supply seemed to be almost without limit. They made possible the age of automobile and airplane travel. Nearly everyone who is alive today grew up during this age and we have never known anything different.
Because we are now running out of gas and oil, we must prepare quickly for a third change, to strict conservation and to the use of coal and permanent renewable energy sources, like solar power.
The world has not prepared for the future. During the 1950s, people used twice as much oil as during the 1940s. During the 1960s, we used twice as much as during the 1950s. And in each of those decades, more oil was consumed than in all of mankind's previous history.
World consumption of oil is still going up. If it were possible to keep it rising during the 1970s and 1980s by 5 percent a year as it has in the past, we could use up all the proven reserves of oil in the entire world by the end of the next decade.
I know that many of you have suspected that some supplies of oil and gas are being withheld. You may be right, but suspicions about oil companies cannot change the fact that we are running out of petroleum.
All of us have heard about the large oil fields on Alaska's North Slope. In a few years when the North Slope is producing fully, its total output will be just about equal to two years' increase in our nation's energy demand.
Each new inventory of world oil reserves has been more disturbing than the last. World oil production can probably keep going up for another six or eight years. But some time in the 1980s it can't go up much more. Demand will overtake production. We have no choice about that.
But we do have a choice about how we will spend the next few years. Each American uses the energy equivalent of 60 barrels of oil per person each year. Ours is the most wasteful nation on earth. We waste more energy than we import. With about the same standard of living, we use twice as much energy per person as do other countries like Germany, Japan and Sweden.
One choice is to continue doing what we have been doing before. We can drift along for a few more years.
Our consumption of oil would keep going up every year. Our cars would continue to be too large and inefficient. Three-quarters of them would continue to carry only one person -- the driver -- while our public transportation system continues to decline. We can delay insulating our houses, and they will continue to lose about 50 percent of their heat in waste.
We can continue using scarce oil and natural to generate electricity, and continue wasting two-thirds of their fuel value in the process.
If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we do today.
We can't substantially increase our domestic production, so we would need to import twice as much oil as we do now. Supplies will be uncertain. The cost will keep going up. Six years ago, we paid $3.7 billion for imported oil. Last year we spent $37 billion -- nearly ten times as much -- and this year we may spend over $45 billion.
Unless we act, we will spend more than $550 billion for imported oil by 1985 -- more than $2,500 a year for every man, woman, and child in America. Along with that money we will continue losing American jobs and becoming increasingly vulnerable to supply interruptions.
Now we have a choice. But if we wait, we will live in fear of embargoes. We could endanger our freedom as a sovereign nation to act in foreign affairs. Within ten years we would not be able to import enough oil -- from any country, at any acceptable price.
If we wait, and do not act, then our factories will not be able to keep our people on the job with reduced supplies of fuel. Too few of our utilities will have switched to coal, our most abundant energy source.
We will not be ready to keep our transportation system running with smaller, more efficient cars and a better network of buses, trains and public transportation.
We will feel mounting pressure to plunder the environment. We will have a crash program to build more nuclear plants, strip-mine and burn more coal, and drill more offshore wells than we will need if we begin to conserve now. Inflation will soar, production will go down, people will lose their jobs. Intense competition will build up among nations and among the different regions within our own country.
If we fail to act soon, we will face an economic, social and political crisis that will threaten our free institutions.
But we still have another choice. We can begin to prepare right now. We can decide to act while there is time.
That is the concept of the energy policy we will present on Wednesday. Our national energy plan is based on ten fundamental principles.
The first principle is that we can have an effective and comprehensive energy policy only if the government takes responsibility for it and if the people understand the seriousness of the challenge and are willing to make sacrifices.
The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. An effective conservation program will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
The third principle is that we must protect the environment. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems -- wasteful use of resources. Conservation helps us solve both at once.
The fourth principle is that we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. We can protect ourselves from uncertain supplies by reducing our demand for oil, making the most of our abundant resources such as coal, and developing a strategic petroleum reserve.
The fifth principle is that we must be fair. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, every interest group. Industry will have to do its part to conserve, just as the consumers will. The energy producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer.
The sixth principle, and the cornerstone of our policy, is to reduce the demand through conservation. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. Conservation is the only way we can buy a barrel of oil for a few dollars. It costs about $13 to waste it.
The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement costs of energy. We are only cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford.
The eighth principle is that government policies must be predictable and certain. Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. This is one reason I am working with the Congress to create a new Department of Energy, to replace more than 50 different agencies that now have some control over energy.
The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are more plentiful. We can't continue to use oil and gas for 75 percent of our consumption when they make up seven percent of our domestic reserves. We need to shift to plentiful coal while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy.
The tenth principle is that we must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy we will rely on in the next century.
These ten principles have guided the development of the policy I would describe to you and the Congress on Wednesday.
Our energy plan will also include a number of specific goals, to measure our progress toward a stable energy system.
These are the goals we set for 1985:
--Reduce the annual growth rate in our energy demand to less than two percent.
--Reduce gasoline consumption by ten percent below its current level.
--Cut in half the portion of United States oil which is imported, from a potential level of 16 million barrels to six million barrels a day.
--Establish a strategic petroleum reserve of one billion barrels, more than six months' supply.
--Increase our coal production by about two thirds to more than 1 billion tons a year.
--Insulate 90 percent of American homes and all new buildings.
--Use solar energy in more than two and one-half million houses.
We will monitor our progress toward these goals year by year. Our plan will call for stricter conservation measures if we fall behind.
I cant tell you that these measures will be easy, nor will they be popular. But I think most of you realize that a policy which does not ask for changes or sacrifices would not be an effective policy.
This plan is essential to protect our jobs, our environment, our standard of living, and our future.
Whether this plan truly makes a difference will be decided not here in Washington, but in every town and every factory, in every home an don every highway and every farm.
I believe this can be a positive challenge. There is something especially American in the kinds of changes we have to make. We have been proud, through our history of being efficient people.
We have been proud of our leadership in the world. Now we have a chance again to give the world a positive example.
And we have been proud of our vision of the future. We have always wanted to give our children and grandchildren a world richer in possibilities than we've had. They are the ones we must provide for now. They are the ones who will suffer most if we don't act.
I've given you some of the principles of the plan.
I am sure each of you will find something you don't like about the specifics of our proposal. It will demand that we make sacrifices and changes in our lives. To some degree, the sacrifices will be painful -- but so is any meaningful sacrifice. It will lead to some higher costs, and to some greater inconveniences for everyone.
But the sacrifices will be gradual, realistic and necessary. Above all, they will be fair. No one will gain an unfair advantage through this plan. No one will be asked to bear an unfair burden. We will monitor the accuracy of data from the oil and natural gas companies, so that we will know their true production, supplies, reserves, and profits.
The citizens who insist on driving large, unnecessarily powerful cars must expect to pay more for that luxury.
We can be sure that all the special interest groups in the country will attack the part of this plan that affects them directly. They will say that sacrifice is fine, as long as other people do it, but that their sacrifice is unreasonable, or unfair, or harmful to the country. If they succeed, then the burden on the ordinary citizen, who is not organized into an interest group, would be crushing.
There should be only one test for this program: whether it will help our country.
Other generation of Americans have faced and mastered great challenges. I have faith that meeting this challenge will make our own lives even richer. If you will join me so that we can work together with patriotism and courage, we will again prove that our great nation can lead the world into an age of peace, independence and freedom.
Jimmy Carter, "The President's Proposed Energy Policy." 18 April 1977. Vital Speeches of the Day, Vol. XXXXIII, No. 14, May 1, 1977, pp. 418-420.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Addicted to War
This is worth looking at if you wonder why the U.S. is going broke and we lack the funding for schools, infrastructure, social security, etc.
War Video
War Video
Views on War by Victor Hanson
Here is some insight from an academic who has some views on war from a Commonwealth event.
Bottom line, we humans are confrontational at times and we will use war to meet a nations objectives.
------------------------------------------------
Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Author, The Father of Us All
Hanson is here to tell us how war has created the world as we know it – and how war will frequently change to suit our needs. He explores our conflicts from the terrorist bombings of September 11 and Iran to ancient Athens and the U.S. Civil War. Hear this decorated author describe a fundamental component of human history in an enlightening evening.
Bottom line, we humans are confrontational at times and we will use war to meet a nations objectives.
------------------------------------------------
Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Author, The Father of Us All
Hanson is here to tell us how war has created the world as we know it – and how war will frequently change to suit our needs. He explores our conflicts from the terrorist bombings of September 11 and Iran to ancient Athens and the U.S. Civil War. Hear this decorated author describe a fundamental component of human history in an enlightening evening.
These are the cards I was dealt by the Divine and I’ll play them from where I sit right now.
I see a lot of things happening in the U.S. that make my skin crawl, especially here in California. At various stages I have planned to relocate to a variety of countries including Honduras before the coup took place but, because of family, friends, and associates I’ve developed a love for over the years I found it unlikely I’d leave for my own personal gratification. I’m now helping take care of my elderly parents after what they have done for me over many years and California became their heartfelt home to end their final years.
In light of what’s happening in the world and the U.S. I think many Americans are thinking, why stick around. After reading about what the Palestinians go through on a recurring basis I often wondered why they stick it out, day after day. It would probably be somewhat easier for them to leave and try their best someplace else. Dealing with white phosphorus, depleted uranium, contaminated drinking water, incursions etc. is not my idea of a place to raise a family or live a fulfilling life. But nonetheless, they continue to struggle on and maintain some semblance of community. In their hearts this is their home and they WILL withstand a host of abuses before letting a group of wayword souls (I have other words but this is the most Politcal Correct I could come up with) destroy their heritage. The Apache tried to do the same thing and to some degree succeeded. They have some good size reservations close to their homeland, if that is any conciliation. Although, Geronimo's head ending up in the East Coast somewhere.
When looking at the world I think about how I can make it better at a personal and community level, which is why I decided to work on, developing sustainable communities. A good example of this is the Eden Project in England and the Masdir city in Abu Dhabi. I’m now developing connections with China and the Philippines as well. We can all make a difference no matter where we are in the world and it may be difficult at times but we adjust and move forward.
For those of us that want a better country we need to get more involved at the community level which is where things can start. We have so much to gain and so much to lose if we do not participate in making the world a better place for all humans no matter where one calls home.
"All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hours toil. The fight to the finish spirit is the one... characteristic we must posses if we are to face the future as finishers."
Henry David Thoreau
With Gratitude,
Zurdo
In light of what’s happening in the world and the U.S. I think many Americans are thinking, why stick around. After reading about what the Palestinians go through on a recurring basis I often wondered why they stick it out, day after day. It would probably be somewhat easier for them to leave and try their best someplace else. Dealing with white phosphorus, depleted uranium, contaminated drinking water, incursions etc. is not my idea of a place to raise a family or live a fulfilling life. But nonetheless, they continue to struggle on and maintain some semblance of community. In their hearts this is their home and they WILL withstand a host of abuses before letting a group of wayword souls (I have other words but this is the most Politcal Correct I could come up with) destroy their heritage. The Apache tried to do the same thing and to some degree succeeded. They have some good size reservations close to their homeland, if that is any conciliation. Although, Geronimo's head ending up in the East Coast somewhere.
When looking at the world I think about how I can make it better at a personal and community level, which is why I decided to work on, developing sustainable communities. A good example of this is the Eden Project in England and the Masdir city in Abu Dhabi. I’m now developing connections with China and the Philippines as well. We can all make a difference no matter where we are in the world and it may be difficult at times but we adjust and move forward.
For those of us that want a better country we need to get more involved at the community level which is where things can start. We have so much to gain and so much to lose if we do not participate in making the world a better place for all humans no matter where one calls home.
"All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hours toil. The fight to the finish spirit is the one... characteristic we must posses if we are to face the future as finishers."
Henry David Thoreau
With Gratitude,
Zurdo
Monday, May 17, 2010
The one percent solution for solving the worlds problems.
I came across this while reading a host of articles sent to me from friends and associates and thought I'd put this in my blog for posterity. See my comments after the article.
==================================
THE ONE PERCENT
an except from an article by Gordon Duff
In a world of “think tanks” and “postion papers,” of universities devoid of academic freedom and endless political espousements from rodeo clown hate mongering propagandists, those who “get it” may only be 1%. They won’t be the richest, the most righteous nor are they likely to be famous. They will define courage, sacrifice and honor because these are terms they would never use, not for themselves or others. Those who know all war to be economic and all “news” to be lies are of the 1%.
A “one percenter” asks where the $65 billion in heroin profits from Afghanistan went. A “one percenter” asks why $275 billion in pentagon fraud is discovered but swept under the rug a day later. A “one percenter” watches planes crash into the twin towers and may think terrorism but then watches Building 7 mysteriously flow into the ground, “pulled” somehow magically at a moments notice and knows a game is afoot. A “one percenter” will immediately turn on the TV, wait for the pre-scripted harangues to begin and predict the road to totalitarianism at home, war abroad and the eventual economic “pump and dump” collapse everything was staged to bring about.
When a “one percenter” hears the word “patriot” or sees a flag or bible, he cringes, knowing a scoundrel is afoot. If a new world is built, it is the one percent that will do it.
Gordon Duff is a Marine Vietnam veteran. A 100% disabled vet. He has been a featured commentator on TV and radio including Al Jazeera and his articles have been carried by news services around the world. He has been a UN Diplomat, defense contractor and is a widely published expert on military and defense issues. This article first appeared in Veterans and Foreign Affairs Journal.
Source
=======================================
My commentary which I posted on his website:
How many people does this one percent comprise of in the world population? If you use the current figure after some google research it equates to about 67,000,000 souls that see things differently than 99% of the world. I’m thinking it is more than this; otherwise those 67mil can easily be subjugated to retaliation by the ruling ~5 percent (just a guestimate) and their 94 percent followers. Especially since the one percenters probably have little resources or means to make a huge difference if the 5 percenters do not want them to muddy the waters for establishing their current goals and objectives. What the one percenters probably realize is courage, honor, and integrity will come under fire from all angles and without some serious mental armor they may succumb to the lifestyle of materialism, greed, and debauchery simply because it can be the path of least resistance. Unfortunately their inner soul may be corrupted to the point they will never be able to live with themselves if they believe in the Divine and the eternal hereafter and my guess is they do. Another point is what can happen if they are too successful. In my view, the modus operandi is to have people try to take them out, Ghandi, MLK, Hugo Chaves (whoops they missed him), etc. I’m all for changing the world by reason, logic, and adherence to the truth but should this be so difficult? Why shouldn’t the ruling elite begin by showing us how it’s done? Give us some firm examples by walking the walk. I really don’t want to hear any more rhetoric by highly paid bimbos or narcissistic sycophants and hopefully most people are starting to wean themselves of this as well. Let the ruling class take a step to protecting the "1 percent" if this is something they desire in the world. Frankly the "1 percenters" can only serve as muses for the ones wanting to see the changes necessary for the survival of the species if this is what the objective is. My guess is, it’s not, and since WAR is very profitable and diminishes the human population I think they will continue down this path and not want to make changes in their lifestyle which makes them far too uncomfortable. Hey, giving up all the babes, dudes, children, drugs, WAR parties, etc can be a shock to their system and will not be given up lightly or without a fight. Of this I can assert with impunity.
==================================
THE ONE PERCENT
an except from an article by Gordon Duff
In a world of “think tanks” and “postion papers,” of universities devoid of academic freedom and endless political espousements from rodeo clown hate mongering propagandists, those who “get it” may only be 1%. They won’t be the richest, the most righteous nor are they likely to be famous. They will define courage, sacrifice and honor because these are terms they would never use, not for themselves or others. Those who know all war to be economic and all “news” to be lies are of the 1%.
A “one percenter” asks where the $65 billion in heroin profits from Afghanistan went. A “one percenter” asks why $275 billion in pentagon fraud is discovered but swept under the rug a day later. A “one percenter” watches planes crash into the twin towers and may think terrorism but then watches Building 7 mysteriously flow into the ground, “pulled” somehow magically at a moments notice and knows a game is afoot. A “one percenter” will immediately turn on the TV, wait for the pre-scripted harangues to begin and predict the road to totalitarianism at home, war abroad and the eventual economic “pump and dump” collapse everything was staged to bring about.
When a “one percenter” hears the word “patriot” or sees a flag or bible, he cringes, knowing a scoundrel is afoot. If a new world is built, it is the one percent that will do it.
Gordon Duff is a Marine Vietnam veteran. A 100% disabled vet. He has been a featured commentator on TV and radio including Al Jazeera and his articles have been carried by news services around the world. He has been a UN Diplomat, defense contractor and is a widely published expert on military and defense issues. This article first appeared in Veterans and Foreign Affairs Journal.
Source
=======================================
My commentary which I posted on his website:
How many people does this one percent comprise of in the world population? If you use the current figure after some google research it equates to about 67,000,000 souls that see things differently than 99% of the world. I’m thinking it is more than this; otherwise those 67mil can easily be subjugated to retaliation by the ruling ~5 percent (just a guestimate) and their 94 percent followers. Especially since the one percenters probably have little resources or means to make a huge difference if the 5 percenters do not want them to muddy the waters for establishing their current goals and objectives. What the one percenters probably realize is courage, honor, and integrity will come under fire from all angles and without some serious mental armor they may succumb to the lifestyle of materialism, greed, and debauchery simply because it can be the path of least resistance. Unfortunately their inner soul may be corrupted to the point they will never be able to live with themselves if they believe in the Divine and the eternal hereafter and my guess is they do. Another point is what can happen if they are too successful. In my view, the modus operandi is to have people try to take them out, Ghandi, MLK, Hugo Chaves (whoops they missed him), etc. I’m all for changing the world by reason, logic, and adherence to the truth but should this be so difficult? Why shouldn’t the ruling elite begin by showing us how it’s done? Give us some firm examples by walking the walk. I really don’t want to hear any more rhetoric by highly paid bimbos or narcissistic sycophants and hopefully most people are starting to wean themselves of this as well. Let the ruling class take a step to protecting the "1 percent" if this is something they desire in the world. Frankly the "1 percenters" can only serve as muses for the ones wanting to see the changes necessary for the survival of the species if this is what the objective is. My guess is, it’s not, and since WAR is very profitable and diminishes the human population I think they will continue down this path and not want to make changes in their lifestyle which makes them far too uncomfortable. Hey, giving up all the babes, dudes, children, drugs, WAR parties, etc can be a shock to their system and will not be given up lightly or without a fight. Of this I can assert with impunity.
Wisdom from a man of comedy.
George Carlin had his views and certainly made no bones about stating his opinions. If you listen carefully isn't this what the founding fathers believed. Disregard the profanity, it is his way of communicating to those that criticize words but are willing to kill innocent men, women, and children for profit with some horrendous weaponry in the name of security, God, and the American way. I think humans are smart and can solve many issues if we could focus on what's important to survive as a species and start thinking rather than reacting to emotional diatribes from our current media puppets.
George Carlin on War
George Carlin on War
Sunday, May 16, 2010
WAR IS A RACKET
Everyone in the world should own this book.
===============================
WAR is a racket. It always has been.
It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.
A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.
In the World War [I] a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.
How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug-out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets? How many of them parried a bayonet thrust of an enemy? How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?
Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few – the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.
And what is this bill?
This bill renders a horrible accounting. Newly placed gravestones. Mangled bodies. Shattered minds. Broken hearts and homes. Economic instability. Depression and all its attendant miseries. Back-breaking taxation for generations and generations.
For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it. Now that I see the international war clouds gathering, as they are today, I must face it and speak out.
Again they are choosing sides. France and Russia met and agreed to stand side by side. Italy and Austria hurried to make a similar agreement. Poland and Germany cast sheep's eyes at each other, forgetting for the nonce [one unique occasion], their dispute over the Polish Corridor.
The assassination of King Alexander of Jugoslavia [Yugoslavia] complicated matters. Jugoslavia and Hungary, long bitter enemies, were almost at each other's throats. Italy was ready to jump in. But France was waiting. So was Czechoslovakia. All of them are looking ahead to war. Not the people – not those who fight and pay and die – only those who foment wars and remain safely at home to profit.
There are 40,000,000 men under arms in the world today, and our statesmen and diplomats have the temerity to say that war is not in the making.
Hell's bells! Are these 40,000,000 men being trained to be dancers?
Not in Italy, to be sure. Premier Mussolini knows what they are being trained for. He, at least, is frank enough to speak out. Only the other day, Il Duce in "International Conciliation," the publication of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said:
"And above all, Fascism, the more it considers and observes the future and the development of humanity quite apart from political considerations of the moment, believes neither in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace... War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the people who have the courage to meet it."
Undoubtedly Mussolini means exactly what he says. His well-trained army, his great fleet of planes, and even his navy are ready for war – anxious for it, apparently. His recent stand at the side of Hungary in the latter's dispute with Jugoslavia showed that. And the hurried mobilization of his troops on the Austrian border after the assassination of Dollfuss showed it too. There are others in Europe too whose sabre rattling presages war, sooner or later.
Herr Hitler, with his rearming Germany and his constant demands for more and more arms, is an equal if not greater menace to peace. France only recently increased the term of military service for its youth from a year to eighteen months.
Yes, all over, nations are camping in their arms. The mad dogs of Europe are on the loose. In the Orient the maneuvering is more adroit. Back in 1904, when Russia and Japan fought, we kicked out our old friends the Russians and backed Japan. Then our very generous international bankers were financing Japan. Now the trend is to poison us against the Japanese. What does the "open door" policy to China mean to us? Our trade with China is about $90,000,000 a year. Or the Philippine Islands? We have spent about $600,000,000 in the Philippines in thirty-five years and we (our bankers and industrialists and speculators) have private investments there of less than $200,000,000.
Then, to save that China trade of about $90,000,000, or to protect these private investments of less than $200,000,000 in the Philippines, we would be all stirred up to hate Japan and go to war – a war that might well cost us tens of billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives of Americans, and many more hundreds of thousands of physically maimed and mentally unbalanced men.
Of course, for this loss, there would be a compensating profit – fortunes would be made. Millions and billions of dollars would be piled up. By a few. Munitions makers. Bankers. Ship builders. Manufacturers. Meat packers. Speculators. They would fare well.
Yes, they are getting ready for another war. Why shouldn't they? It pays high dividends.
But what does it profit the men who are killed? What does it profit their mothers and sisters, their wives and their sweethearts? What does it profit their children?
What does it profit anyone except the very few to whom war means huge profits?
Yes, and what does it profit the nation?
Take our own case. Until 1898 we didn't own a bit of territory outside the mainland of North America. At that time our national debt was a little more than $1,000,000,000. Then we became "internationally minded." We forgot, or shunted aside, the advice of the Father of our country. We forgot George Washington's warning about "entangling alliances." We went to war. We acquired outside territory. At the end of the World War period, as a direct result of our fiddling in international affairs, our national debt had jumped to over $25,000,000,000. Our total favorable trade balance during the twenty-five-year period was about $24,000,000,000. Therefore, on a purely bookkeeping basis, we ran a little behind year for year, and that foreign trade might well have been ours without the wars.
It would have been far cheaper (not to say safer) for the average American who pays the bills to stay out of foreign entanglements. For a very few this racket, like bootlegging and other underworld rackets, brings fancy profits, but the cost of operations is always transferred to the people – who do not profit.
CHAPTER TWO
WHO MAKES THE PROFITS?
The World War, rather our brief participation in it, has cost the United States some $52,000,000,000. Figure it out. That means $400 to every American man, woman, and child. And we haven't paid the debt yet. We are paying it, our children will pay it, and our children's children probably still will be paying the cost of that war.
The normal profits of a business concern in the United States are six, eight, ten, and sometimes twelve percent. But war-time profits – ah! that is another matter – twenty, sixty, one hundred, three hundred, and even eighteen hundred per cent – the sky is the limit. All that traffic will bear. Uncle Sam has the money. Let's get it.
Of course, it isn't put that crudely in war time. It is dressed into speeches about patriotism, love of country, and "we must all put our shoulders to the wheel," but the profits jump and leap and skyrocket – and are safely pocketed. Let's just take a few examples:
Take our friends the du Ponts, the powder people – didn't one of them testify before a Senate committee recently that their powder won the war? Or saved the world for democracy? Or something? How did they do in the war? They were a patriotic corporation. Well, the average earnings of the du Ponts for the period 1910 to 1914 were $6,000,000 a year. It wasn't much, but the du Ponts managed to get along on it. Now let's look at their average yearly profit during the war years, 1914 to 1918. Fifty-eight million dollars a year profit we find! Nearly ten times that of normal times, and the profits of normal times were pretty good. An increase in profits of more than 950 per cent.
Take one of our little steel companies that patriotically shunted aside the making of rails and girders and bridges to manufacture war materials. Well, their 1910-1914 yearly earnings averaged $6,000,000. Then came the war. And, like loyal citizens, Bethlehem Steel promptly turned to munitions making. Did their profits jump – or did they let Uncle Sam in for a bargain? Well, their 1914-1918 average was $49,000,000 a year!
Or, let's take United States Steel. The normal earnings during the five-year period prior to the war were $105,000,000 a year. Not bad. Then along came the war and up went the profits. The average yearly profit for the period 1914-1918 was $240,000,000. Not bad.
There you have some of the steel and powder earnings. Let's look at something else. A little copper, perhaps. That always does well in war times.
Anaconda, for instance. Average yearly earnings during the pre-war years 1910-1914 of $10,000,000. During the war years 1914-1918 profits leaped to $34,000,000 per year.
Or Utah Copper. Average of $5,000,000 per year during the 1910-1914 period. Jumped to an average of $21,000,000 yearly profits for the war period.
Let's group these five, with three smaller companies. The total yearly average profits of the pre-war period 1910-1914 were $137,480,000. Then along came the war. The average yearly profits for this group skyrocketed to $408,300,000.
A little increase in profits of approximately 200 per cent.
Does war pay? It paid them. But they aren't the only ones. There are still others. Let's take leather.
For the three-year period before the war the total profits of Central Leather Company were $3,500,000. That was approximately $1,167,000 a year. Well, in 1916 Central Leather returned a profit of $15,000,000, a small increase of 1,100 per cent. That's all. The General Chemical Company averaged a profit for the three years before the war of a little over $800,000 a year. Came the war, and the profits jumped to $12,000,000. a leap of 1,400 per cent.
International Nickel Company – and you can't have a war without nickel – showed an increase in profits from a mere average of $4,000,000 a year to $73,000,000 yearly. Not bad? An increase of more than 1,700 per cent.
American Sugar Refining Company averaged $2,000,000 a year for the three years before the war. In 1916 a profit of $6,000,000 was recorded.
Listen to Senate Document No. 259. The Sixty-Fifth Congress, reporting on corporate earnings and government revenues. Considering the profits of 122 meat packers, 153 cotton manufacturers, 299 garment makers, 49 steel plants, and 340 coal producers during the war. Profits under 25 per cent were exceptional. For instance the coal companies made between 100 per cent and 7,856 per cent on their capital stock during the war. The Chicago packers doubled and tripled their earnings.
And let us not forget the bankers who financed the great war. If anyone had the cream of the profits it was the bankers. Being partnerships rather than incorporated organizations, they do not have to report to stockholders. And their profits were as secret as they were immense. How the bankers made their millions and their billions I do not know, because those little secrets never become public – even before a Senate investigatory body.
But here's how some of the other patriotic industrialists and speculators chiseled their way into war profits.
Take the shoe people. They like war. It brings business with abnormal profits. They made huge profits on sales abroad to our allies. Perhaps, like the munitions manufacturers and armament makers, they also sold to the enemy. For a dollar is a dollar whether it comes from Germany or from France. But they did well by Uncle Sam too. For instance, they sold Uncle Sam 35,000,000 pairs of hobnailed service shoes. There were 4,000,000 soldiers. Eight pairs, and more, to a soldier. My regiment during the war had only one pair to a soldier. Some of these shoes probably are still in existence. They were good shoes. But when the war was over Uncle Sam has a matter of 25,000,000 pairs left over. Bought – and paid for. Profits recorded and pocketed.
There was still lots of leather left. So the leather people sold your Uncle Sam hundreds of thousands of McClellan saddles for the cavalry. But there wasn't any American cavalry overseas! Somebody had to get rid of this leather, however. Somebody had to make a profit in it – so we had a lot of McClellan saddles. And we probably have those yet.
Also somebody had a lot of mosquito netting. They sold your Uncle Sam 20,000,000 mosquito nets for the use of the soldiers overseas. I suppose the boys were expected to put it over them as they tried to sleep in muddy trenches – one hand scratching cooties on their backs and the other making passes at scurrying rats. Well, not one of these mosquito nets ever got to France!
Anyhow, these thoughtful manufacturers wanted to make sure that no soldier would be without his mosquito net, so 40,000,000 additional yards of mosquito netting were sold to Uncle Sam.
There were pretty good profits in mosquito netting in those days, even if there were no mosquitoes in France. I suppose, if the war had lasted just a little longer, the enterprising mosquito netting manufacturers would have sold your Uncle Sam a couple of consignments of mosquitoes to plant in France so that more mosquito netting would be in order.
Airplane and engine manufacturers felt they, too, should get their just profits out of this war. Why not? Everybody else was getting theirs. So $1,000,000,000 – count them if you live long enough – was spent by Uncle Sam in building airplane engines that never left the ground! Not one plane, or motor, out of the billion dollars worth ordered, ever got into a battle in France. Just the same the manufacturers made their little profit of 30, 100, or perhaps 300 per cent.
Undershirts for soldiers cost 14¢[cents] to make and uncle Sam paid 30¢ to 40¢ each for them – a nice little profit for the undershirt manufacturer. And the stocking manufacturer and the uniform manufacturers and the cap manufacturers and the steel helmet manufacturers – all got theirs.
Why, when the war was over some 4,000,000 sets of equipment – knapsacks and the things that go to fill them – crammed warehouses on this side. Now they are being scrapped because the regulations have changed the contents. But the manufacturers collected their wartime profits on them – and they will do it all over again the next time.
There were lots of brilliant ideas for profit making during the war.
One very versatile patriot sold Uncle Sam twelve dozen 48-inch wrenches. Oh, they were very nice wrenches. The only trouble was that there was only one nut ever made that was large enough for these wrenches. That is the one that holds the turbines at Niagara Falls. Well, after Uncle Sam had bought them and the manufacturer had pocketed the profit, the wrenches were put on freight cars and shunted all around the United States in an effort to find a use for them. When the Armistice was signed it was indeed a sad blow to the wrench manufacturer. He was just about to make some nuts to fit the wrenches. Then he planned to sell these, too, to your Uncle Sam.
Still another had the brilliant idea that colonels shouldn't ride in automobiles, nor should they even ride on horseback. One has probably seen a picture of Andy Jackson riding in a buckboard. Well, some 6,000 buckboards were sold to Uncle Sam for the use of colonels! Not one of them was used. But the buckboard manufacturer got his war profit.
The shipbuilders felt they should come in on some of it, too. They built a lot of ships that made a lot of profit. More than $3,000,000,000 worth. Some of the ships were all right. But $635,000,000 worth of them were made of wood and wouldn't float! The seams opened up – and they sank. We paid for them, though. And somebody pocketed the profits.
It has been estimated by statisticians and economists and researchers that the war cost your Uncle Sam $52,000,000,000. Of this sum, $39,000,000,000 was expended in the actual war itself. This expenditure yielded $16,000,000,000 in profits. That is how the 21,000 billionaires and millionaires got that way. This $16,000,000,000 profits is not to be sneezed at. It is quite a tidy sum. And it went to a very few.
The Senate (Nye) committee probe of the munitions industry and its wartime profits, despite its sensational disclosures, hardly has scratched the surface.
Even so, it has had some effect. The State Department has been studying "for some time" methods of keeping out of war. The War Department suddenly decides it has a wonderful plan to spring. The Administration names a committee – with the War and Navy Departments ably represented under the chairmanship of a Wall Street speculator – to limit profits in war time. To what extent isn't suggested. Hmmm. Possibly the profits of 300 and 600 and 1,600 per cent of those who turned blood into gold in the World War would be limited to some smaller figure.
Apparently, however, the plan does not call for any limitation of losses – that is, the losses of those who fight the war. As far as I have been able to ascertain there is nothing in the scheme to limit a soldier to the loss of but one eye, or one arm, or to limit his wounds to one or two or three. Or to limit the loss of life.
There is nothing in this scheme, apparently, that says not more than 12 per cent of a regiment shall be wounded in battle, or that not more than 7 per cent in a division shall be killed.
Of course, the committee cannot be bothered with such trifling matters.
CHAPTER THREE
WHO PAYS THE BILLS?
Who provides the profits – these nice little profits of 20, 100, 300, 1,500 and 1,800 per cent? We all pay them – in taxation. We paid the bankers their profits when we bought Liberty Bonds at $100.00 and sold them back at $84 or $86 to the bankers. These bankers collected $100 plus. It was a simple manipulation. The bankers control the security marts. It was easy for them to depress the price of these bonds. Then all of us – the people – got frightened and sold the bonds at $84 or $86. The bankers bought them. Then these same bankers stimulated a boom and government bonds went to par – and above. Then the bankers collected their profits.
But the soldier pays the biggest part of the bill.
If you don't believe this, visit the American cemeteries on the battlefields abroad. Or visit any of the veteran's hospitals in the United States. On a tour of the country, in the midst of which I am at the time of this writing, I have visited eighteen government hospitals for veterans. In them are a total of about 50,000 destroyed men – men who were the pick of the nation eighteen years ago. The very able chief surgeon at the government hospital; at Milwaukee, where there are 3,800 of the living dead, told me that mortality among veterans is three times as great as among those who stayed at home.
Boys with a normal viewpoint were taken out of the fields and offices and factories and classrooms and put into the ranks. There they were remolded; they were made over; they were made to "about face"; to regard murder as the order of the day. They were put shoulder to shoulder and, through mass psychology, they were entirely changed. We used them for a couple of years and trained them to think nothing at all of killing or of being killed.
Then, suddenly, we discharged them and told them to make another "about face" ! This time they had to do their own readjustment, sans [without] mass psychology, sans officers' aid and advice and sans nation-wide propaganda. We didn't need them any more. So we scattered them about without any "three-minute" or "Liberty Loan" speeches or parades. Many, too many, of these fine young boys are eventually destroyed, mentally, because they could not make that final "about face" alone.
In the government hospital in Marion, Indiana, 1,800 of these boys are in pens! Five hundred of them in a barracks with steel bars and wires all around outside the buildings and on the porches. These already have been mentally destroyed. These boys don't even look like human beings. Oh, the looks on their faces! Physically, they are in good shape; mentally, they are gone.
There are thousands and thousands of these cases, and more and more are coming in all the time. The tremendous excitement of the war, the sudden cutting off of that excitement – the young boys couldn't stand it.
That's a part of the bill. So much for the dead – they have paid their part of the war profits. So much for the mentally and physically wounded – they are paying now their share of the war profits. But the others paid, too – they paid with heartbreaks when they tore themselves away from their firesides and their families to don the uniform of Uncle Sam – on which a profit had been made. They paid another part in the training camps where they were regimented and drilled while others took their jobs and their places in the lives of their communities. The paid for it in the trenches where they shot and were shot; where they were hungry for days at a time; where they slept in the mud and the cold and in the rain – with the moans and shrieks of the dying for a horrible lullaby.
But don't forget – the soldier paid part of the dollars and cents bill too.
Up to and including the Spanish-American War, we had a prize system, and soldiers and sailors fought for money. During the Civil War they were paid bonuses, in many instances, before they went into service. The government, or states, paid as high as $1,200 for an enlistment. In the Spanish-American War they gave prize money. When we captured any vessels, the soldiers all got their share – at least, they were supposed to. Then it was found that we could reduce the cost of wars by taking all the prize money and keeping it, but conscripting [drafting] the soldier anyway. Then soldiers couldn't bargain for their labor, Everyone else could bargain, but the soldier couldn't.
Napoleon once said,
"All men are enamored of decorations...they positively hunger for them."
So by developing the Napoleonic system – the medal business – the government learned it could get soldiers for less money, because the boys liked to be decorated. Until the Civil War there were no medals. Then the Congressional Medal of Honor was handed out. It made enlistments easier. After the Civil War no new medals were issued until the Spanish-American War.
In the World War, we used propaganda to make the boys accept conscription. They were made to feel ashamed if they didn't join the army.
So vicious was this war propaganda that even God was brought into it. With few exceptions our clergymen joined in the clamor to kill, kill, kill. To kill the Germans. God is on our side...it is His will that the Germans be killed.
And in Germany, the good pastors called upon the Germans to kill the allies...to please the same God. That was a part of the general propaganda, built up to make people war conscious and murder conscious.
Beautiful ideals were painted for our boys who were sent out to die. This was the "war to end all wars." This was the "war to make the world safe for democracy." No one mentioned to them, as they marched away, that their going and their dying would mean huge war profits. No one told these American soldiers that they might be shot down by bullets made by their own brothers here. No one told them that the ships on which they were going to cross might be torpedoed by submarines built with United States patents. They were just told it was to be a "glorious adventure."
Thus, having stuffed patriotism down their throats, it was decided to make them help pay for the war, too. So, we gave them the large salary of $30 a month.
All they had to do for this munificent sum was to leave their dear ones behind, give up their jobs, lie in swampy trenches, eat canned willy (when they could get it) and kill and kill and kill...and be killed.
But wait!
Half of that wage (just a little more than a riveter in a shipyard or a laborer in a munitions factory safe at home made in a day) was promptly taken from him to support his dependents, so that they would not become a charge upon his community. Then we made him pay what amounted to accident insurance – something the employer pays for in an enlightened state – and that cost him $6 a month. He had less than $9 a month left.
Then, the most crowning insolence of all – he was virtually blackjacked into paying for his own ammunition, clothing, and food by being made to buy Liberty Bonds. Most soldiers got no money at all on pay days.
We made them buy Liberty Bonds at $100 and then we bought them back – when they came back from the war and couldn't find work – at $84 and $86. And the soldiers bought about $2,000,000,000 worth of these bonds!
Yes, the soldier pays the greater part of the bill. His family pays too. They pay it in the same heart-break that he does. As he suffers, they suffer. At nights, as he lay in the trenches and watched shrapnel burst about him, they lay home in their beds and tossed sleeplessly – his father, his mother, his wife, his sisters, his brothers, his sons, and his daughters.
When he returned home minus an eye, or minus a leg or with his mind broken, they suffered too – as much as and even sometimes more than he. Yes, and they, too, contributed their dollars to the profits of the munitions makers and bankers and shipbuilders and the manufacturers and the speculators made. They, too, bought Liberty Bonds and contributed to the profit of the bankers after the Armistice in the hocus-pocus of manipulated Liberty Bond prices.
And even now the families of the wounded men and of the mentally broken and those who never were able to readjust themselves are still suffering and still paying.
CHAPTER FOUR
HOW TO SMASH THIS RACKET!
WELL, it's a racket, all right.
A few profit – and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.
The only way to smash this racket is to conscript capital and industry and labor before the nations manhood can be conscripted. One month before the Government can conscript the young men of the nation – it must conscript capital and industry and labor. Let the officers and the directors and the high-powered executives of our armament factories and our munitions makers and our shipbuilders and our airplane builders and the manufacturers of all the other things that provide profit in war time as well as the bankers and the speculators, be conscripted – to get $30 a month, the same wage as the lads in the trenches get.
Let the workers in these plants get the same wages – all the workers, all presidents, all executives, all directors, all managers, all bankers –
yes, and all generals and all admirals and all officers and all politicians and all government office holders – everyone in the nation be restricted to a total monthly income not to exceed that paid to the soldier in the trenches!
Let all these kings and tycoons and masters of business and all those workers in industry and all our senators and governors and majors pay half of their monthly $30 wage to their families and pay war risk insurance and buy Liberty Bonds.
Why shouldn't they?
They aren't running any risk of being killed or of having their bodies mangled or their minds shattered. They aren't sleeping in muddy trenches. They aren't hungry. The soldiers are!
Give capital and industry and labor thirty days to think it over and you will find, by that time, there will be no war. That will smash the war racket – that and nothing else.
Maybe I am a little too optimistic. Capital still has some say. So capital won't permit the taking of the profit out of war until the people – those who do the suffering and still pay the price – make up their minds that those they elect to office shall do their bidding, and not that of the profiteers.
Another step necessary in this fight to smash the war racket is the limited plebiscite to determine whether a war should be declared. A plebiscite not of all the voters but merely of those who would be called upon to do the fighting and dying. There wouldn't be very much sense in having a 76-year-old president of a munitions factory or the flat-footed head of an international banking firm or the cross-eyed manager of a uniform manufacturing plant – all of whom see visions of tremendous profits in the event of war – voting on whether the nation should go to war or not. They never would be called upon to shoulder arms – to sleep in a trench and to be shot. Only those who would be called upon to risk their lives for their country should have the privilege of voting to determine whether the nation should go to war.
There is ample precedent for restricting the voting to those affected. Many of our states have restrictions on those permitted to vote. In most, it is necessary to be able to read and write before you may vote. In some, you must own property. It would be a simple matter each year for the men coming of military age to register in their communities as they did in the draft during the World War and be examined physically. Those who could pass and who would therefore be called upon to bear arms in the event of war would be eligible to vote in a limited plebiscite. They should be the ones to have the power to decide – and not a Congress few of whose members are within the age limit and fewer still of whom are in physical condition to bear arms. Only those who must suffer should have the right to vote.
A third step in this business of smashing the war racket is to make certain that our military forces are truly forces for defense only.
At each session of Congress the question of further naval appropriations comes up. The swivel-chair admirals of Washington (and there are always a lot of them) are very adroit lobbyists. And they are smart. They don't shout that "We need a lot of battleships to war on this nation or that nation." Oh no. First of all, they let it be known that America is menaced by a great naval power. Almost any day, these admirals will tell you, the great fleet of this supposed enemy will strike suddenly and annihilate 125,000,000 people. Just like that. Then they begin to cry for a larger navy. For what? To fight the enemy? Oh my, no. Oh, no. For defense purposes only.
Then, incidentally, they announce maneuvers in the Pacific. For defense. Uh, huh.
The Pacific is a great big ocean. We have a tremendous coastline on the Pacific. Will the maneuvers be off the coast, two or three hundred miles? Oh, no. The maneuvers will be two thousand, yes, perhaps even thirty-five hundred miles, off the coast.
The Japanese, a proud people, of course will be pleased beyond expression to see the united States fleet so close to Nippon's shores. Even as pleased as would be the residents of California were they to dimly discern through the morning mist, the Japanese fleet playing at war games off Los Angeles.
The ships of our navy, it can be seen, should be specifically limited, by law, to within 200 miles of our coastline. Had that been the law in 1898 the Maine would never have gone to Havana Harbor. She never would have been blown up. There would have been no war with Spain with its attendant loss of life. Two hundred miles is ample, in the opinion of experts, for defense purposes. Our nation cannot start an offensive war if its ships can't go further than 200 miles from the coastline. Planes might be permitted to go as far as 500 miles from the coast for purposes of reconnaissance. And the army should never leave the territorial limits of our nation.
To summarize: Three steps must be taken to smash the war racket.
We must take the profit out of war.
We must permit the youth of the land who would bear arms to decide whether or not there should be war.
We must limit our military forces to home defense purposes.
CHAPTER FIVE
TO HELL WITH WAR!
I am not a fool as to believe that war is a thing of the past. I know the people do not want war, but there is no use in saying we cannot be pushed into another war.
Looking back, Woodrow Wilson was re-elected president in 1916 on a platform that he had "kept us out of war" and on the implied promise that he would "keep us out of war." Yet, five months later he asked Congress to declare war on Germany.
In that five-month interval the people had not been asked whether they had changed their minds. The 4,000,000 young men who put on uniforms and marched or sailed away were not asked whether they wanted to go forth to suffer and die.
Then what caused our government to change its mind so suddenly?
Money.
An allied commission, it may be recalled, came over shortly before the war declaration and called on the President. The President summoned a group of advisers. The head of the commission spoke. Stripped of its diplomatic language, this is what he told the President and his group:
"There is no use kidding ourselves any longer. The cause of the allies is lost. We now owe you (American bankers, American munitions makers, American manufacturers, American speculators, American exporters) five or six billion dollars.
If we lose (and without the help of the United States we must lose) we, England, France and Italy, cannot pay back this money...and Germany won't.
So..."
Had secrecy been outlawed as far as war negotiations were concerned, and had the press been invited to be present at that conference, or had radio been available to broadcast the proceedings, America never would have entered the World War. But this conference, like all war discussions, was shrouded in utmost secrecy. When our boys were sent off to war they were told it was a "war to make the world safe for democracy" and a "war to end all wars."
Well, eighteen years after, the world has less of democracy than it had then. Besides, what business is it of ours whether Russia or Germany or England or France or Italy or Austria live under democracies or monarchies? Whether they are Fascists or Communists? Our problem is to preserve our own democracy.
And very little, if anything, has been accomplished to assure us that the World War was really the war to end all wars.
Yes, we have had disarmament conferences and limitations of arms conferences. They don't mean a thing. One has just failed; the results of another have been nullified. We send our professional soldiers and our sailors and our politicians and our diplomats to these conferences. And what happens?
The professional soldiers and sailors don't want to disarm. No admiral wants to be without a ship. No general wants to be without a command. Both mean men without jobs. They are not for disarmament. They cannot be for limitations of arms. And at all these conferences, lurking in the background but all-powerful, just the same, are the sinister agents of those who profit by war. They see to it that these conferences do not disarm or seriously limit armaments.
The chief aim of any power at any of these conferences has not been to achieve disarmament to prevent war but rather to get more armament for itself and less for any potential foe.
There is only one way to disarm with any semblance of practicability. That is for all nations to get together and scrap every ship, every gun, every rifle, every tank, every war plane. Even this, if it were possible, would not be enough.
The next war, according to experts, will be fought not with battleships, not by artillery, not with rifles and not with machine guns. It will be fought with deadly chemicals and gases.
Secretly each nation is studying and perfecting newer and ghastlier means of annihilating its foes wholesale. Yes, ships will continue to be built, for the shipbuilders must make their profits. And guns still will be manufactured and powder and rifles will be made, for the munitions makers must make their huge profits. And the soldiers, of course, must wear uniforms, for the manufacturer must make their war profits too.
But victory or defeat will be determined by the skill and ingenuity of our scientists.
If we put them to work making poison gas and more and more fiendish mechanical and explosive instruments of destruction, they will have no time for the constructive job of building greater prosperity for all peoples. By putting them to this useful job, we can all make more money out of peace than we can out of war – even the munitions makers.
So...I say,
TO HELL WITH WAR!
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WAR is a racket. It always has been.
It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.
A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.
In the World War [I] a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.
How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug-out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets? How many of them parried a bayonet thrust of an enemy? How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?
Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few – the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.
And what is this bill?
This bill renders a horrible accounting. Newly placed gravestones. Mangled bodies. Shattered minds. Broken hearts and homes. Economic instability. Depression and all its attendant miseries. Back-breaking taxation for generations and generations.
For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it. Now that I see the international war clouds gathering, as they are today, I must face it and speak out.
Again they are choosing sides. France and Russia met and agreed to stand side by side. Italy and Austria hurried to make a similar agreement. Poland and Germany cast sheep's eyes at each other, forgetting for the nonce [one unique occasion], their dispute over the Polish Corridor.
The assassination of King Alexander of Jugoslavia [Yugoslavia] complicated matters. Jugoslavia and Hungary, long bitter enemies, were almost at each other's throats. Italy was ready to jump in. But France was waiting. So was Czechoslovakia. All of them are looking ahead to war. Not the people – not those who fight and pay and die – only those who foment wars and remain safely at home to profit.
There are 40,000,000 men under arms in the world today, and our statesmen and diplomats have the temerity to say that war is not in the making.
Hell's bells! Are these 40,000,000 men being trained to be dancers?
Not in Italy, to be sure. Premier Mussolini knows what they are being trained for. He, at least, is frank enough to speak out. Only the other day, Il Duce in "International Conciliation," the publication of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said:
"And above all, Fascism, the more it considers and observes the future and the development of humanity quite apart from political considerations of the moment, believes neither in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace... War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the people who have the courage to meet it."
Undoubtedly Mussolini means exactly what he says. His well-trained army, his great fleet of planes, and even his navy are ready for war – anxious for it, apparently. His recent stand at the side of Hungary in the latter's dispute with Jugoslavia showed that. And the hurried mobilization of his troops on the Austrian border after the assassination of Dollfuss showed it too. There are others in Europe too whose sabre rattling presages war, sooner or later.
Herr Hitler, with his rearming Germany and his constant demands for more and more arms, is an equal if not greater menace to peace. France only recently increased the term of military service for its youth from a year to eighteen months.
Yes, all over, nations are camping in their arms. The mad dogs of Europe are on the loose. In the Orient the maneuvering is more adroit. Back in 1904, when Russia and Japan fought, we kicked out our old friends the Russians and backed Japan. Then our very generous international bankers were financing Japan. Now the trend is to poison us against the Japanese. What does the "open door" policy to China mean to us? Our trade with China is about $90,000,000 a year. Or the Philippine Islands? We have spent about $600,000,000 in the Philippines in thirty-five years and we (our bankers and industrialists and speculators) have private investments there of less than $200,000,000.
Then, to save that China trade of about $90,000,000, or to protect these private investments of less than $200,000,000 in the Philippines, we would be all stirred up to hate Japan and go to war – a war that might well cost us tens of billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives of Americans, and many more hundreds of thousands of physically maimed and mentally unbalanced men.
Of course, for this loss, there would be a compensating profit – fortunes would be made. Millions and billions of dollars would be piled up. By a few. Munitions makers. Bankers. Ship builders. Manufacturers. Meat packers. Speculators. They would fare well.
Yes, they are getting ready for another war. Why shouldn't they? It pays high dividends.
But what does it profit the men who are killed? What does it profit their mothers and sisters, their wives and their sweethearts? What does it profit their children?
What does it profit anyone except the very few to whom war means huge profits?
Yes, and what does it profit the nation?
Take our own case. Until 1898 we didn't own a bit of territory outside the mainland of North America. At that time our national debt was a little more than $1,000,000,000. Then we became "internationally minded." We forgot, or shunted aside, the advice of the Father of our country. We forgot George Washington's warning about "entangling alliances." We went to war. We acquired outside territory. At the end of the World War period, as a direct result of our fiddling in international affairs, our national debt had jumped to over $25,000,000,000. Our total favorable trade balance during the twenty-five-year period was about $24,000,000,000. Therefore, on a purely bookkeeping basis, we ran a little behind year for year, and that foreign trade might well have been ours without the wars.
It would have been far cheaper (not to say safer) for the average American who pays the bills to stay out of foreign entanglements. For a very few this racket, like bootlegging and other underworld rackets, brings fancy profits, but the cost of operations is always transferred to the people – who do not profit.
CHAPTER TWO
WHO MAKES THE PROFITS?
The World War, rather our brief participation in it, has cost the United States some $52,000,000,000. Figure it out. That means $400 to every American man, woman, and child. And we haven't paid the debt yet. We are paying it, our children will pay it, and our children's children probably still will be paying the cost of that war.
The normal profits of a business concern in the United States are six, eight, ten, and sometimes twelve percent. But war-time profits – ah! that is another matter – twenty, sixty, one hundred, three hundred, and even eighteen hundred per cent – the sky is the limit. All that traffic will bear. Uncle Sam has the money. Let's get it.
Of course, it isn't put that crudely in war time. It is dressed into speeches about patriotism, love of country, and "we must all put our shoulders to the wheel," but the profits jump and leap and skyrocket – and are safely pocketed. Let's just take a few examples:
Take our friends the du Ponts, the powder people – didn't one of them testify before a Senate committee recently that their powder won the war? Or saved the world for democracy? Or something? How did they do in the war? They were a patriotic corporation. Well, the average earnings of the du Ponts for the period 1910 to 1914 were $6,000,000 a year. It wasn't much, but the du Ponts managed to get along on it. Now let's look at their average yearly profit during the war years, 1914 to 1918. Fifty-eight million dollars a year profit we find! Nearly ten times that of normal times, and the profits of normal times were pretty good. An increase in profits of more than 950 per cent.
Take one of our little steel companies that patriotically shunted aside the making of rails and girders and bridges to manufacture war materials. Well, their 1910-1914 yearly earnings averaged $6,000,000. Then came the war. And, like loyal citizens, Bethlehem Steel promptly turned to munitions making. Did their profits jump – or did they let Uncle Sam in for a bargain? Well, their 1914-1918 average was $49,000,000 a year!
Or, let's take United States Steel. The normal earnings during the five-year period prior to the war were $105,000,000 a year. Not bad. Then along came the war and up went the profits. The average yearly profit for the period 1914-1918 was $240,000,000. Not bad.
There you have some of the steel and powder earnings. Let's look at something else. A little copper, perhaps. That always does well in war times.
Anaconda, for instance. Average yearly earnings during the pre-war years 1910-1914 of $10,000,000. During the war years 1914-1918 profits leaped to $34,000,000 per year.
Or Utah Copper. Average of $5,000,000 per year during the 1910-1914 period. Jumped to an average of $21,000,000 yearly profits for the war period.
Let's group these five, with three smaller companies. The total yearly average profits of the pre-war period 1910-1914 were $137,480,000. Then along came the war. The average yearly profits for this group skyrocketed to $408,300,000.
A little increase in profits of approximately 200 per cent.
Does war pay? It paid them. But they aren't the only ones. There are still others. Let's take leather.
For the three-year period before the war the total profits of Central Leather Company were $3,500,000. That was approximately $1,167,000 a year. Well, in 1916 Central Leather returned a profit of $15,000,000, a small increase of 1,100 per cent. That's all. The General Chemical Company averaged a profit for the three years before the war of a little over $800,000 a year. Came the war, and the profits jumped to $12,000,000. a leap of 1,400 per cent.
International Nickel Company – and you can't have a war without nickel – showed an increase in profits from a mere average of $4,000,000 a year to $73,000,000 yearly. Not bad? An increase of more than 1,700 per cent.
American Sugar Refining Company averaged $2,000,000 a year for the three years before the war. In 1916 a profit of $6,000,000 was recorded.
Listen to Senate Document No. 259. The Sixty-Fifth Congress, reporting on corporate earnings and government revenues. Considering the profits of 122 meat packers, 153 cotton manufacturers, 299 garment makers, 49 steel plants, and 340 coal producers during the war. Profits under 25 per cent were exceptional. For instance the coal companies made between 100 per cent and 7,856 per cent on their capital stock during the war. The Chicago packers doubled and tripled their earnings.
And let us not forget the bankers who financed the great war. If anyone had the cream of the profits it was the bankers. Being partnerships rather than incorporated organizations, they do not have to report to stockholders. And their profits were as secret as they were immense. How the bankers made their millions and their billions I do not know, because those little secrets never become public – even before a Senate investigatory body.
But here's how some of the other patriotic industrialists and speculators chiseled their way into war profits.
Take the shoe people. They like war. It brings business with abnormal profits. They made huge profits on sales abroad to our allies. Perhaps, like the munitions manufacturers and armament makers, they also sold to the enemy. For a dollar is a dollar whether it comes from Germany or from France. But they did well by Uncle Sam too. For instance, they sold Uncle Sam 35,000,000 pairs of hobnailed service shoes. There were 4,000,000 soldiers. Eight pairs, and more, to a soldier. My regiment during the war had only one pair to a soldier. Some of these shoes probably are still in existence. They were good shoes. But when the war was over Uncle Sam has a matter of 25,000,000 pairs left over. Bought – and paid for. Profits recorded and pocketed.
There was still lots of leather left. So the leather people sold your Uncle Sam hundreds of thousands of McClellan saddles for the cavalry. But there wasn't any American cavalry overseas! Somebody had to get rid of this leather, however. Somebody had to make a profit in it – so we had a lot of McClellan saddles. And we probably have those yet.
Also somebody had a lot of mosquito netting. They sold your Uncle Sam 20,000,000 mosquito nets for the use of the soldiers overseas. I suppose the boys were expected to put it over them as they tried to sleep in muddy trenches – one hand scratching cooties on their backs and the other making passes at scurrying rats. Well, not one of these mosquito nets ever got to France!
Anyhow, these thoughtful manufacturers wanted to make sure that no soldier would be without his mosquito net, so 40,000,000 additional yards of mosquito netting were sold to Uncle Sam.
There were pretty good profits in mosquito netting in those days, even if there were no mosquitoes in France. I suppose, if the war had lasted just a little longer, the enterprising mosquito netting manufacturers would have sold your Uncle Sam a couple of consignments of mosquitoes to plant in France so that more mosquito netting would be in order.
Airplane and engine manufacturers felt they, too, should get their just profits out of this war. Why not? Everybody else was getting theirs. So $1,000,000,000 – count them if you live long enough – was spent by Uncle Sam in building airplane engines that never left the ground! Not one plane, or motor, out of the billion dollars worth ordered, ever got into a battle in France. Just the same the manufacturers made their little profit of 30, 100, or perhaps 300 per cent.
Undershirts for soldiers cost 14¢[cents] to make and uncle Sam paid 30¢ to 40¢ each for them – a nice little profit for the undershirt manufacturer. And the stocking manufacturer and the uniform manufacturers and the cap manufacturers and the steel helmet manufacturers – all got theirs.
Why, when the war was over some 4,000,000 sets of equipment – knapsacks and the things that go to fill them – crammed warehouses on this side. Now they are being scrapped because the regulations have changed the contents. But the manufacturers collected their wartime profits on them – and they will do it all over again the next time.
There were lots of brilliant ideas for profit making during the war.
One very versatile patriot sold Uncle Sam twelve dozen 48-inch wrenches. Oh, they were very nice wrenches. The only trouble was that there was only one nut ever made that was large enough for these wrenches. That is the one that holds the turbines at Niagara Falls. Well, after Uncle Sam had bought them and the manufacturer had pocketed the profit, the wrenches were put on freight cars and shunted all around the United States in an effort to find a use for them. When the Armistice was signed it was indeed a sad blow to the wrench manufacturer. He was just about to make some nuts to fit the wrenches. Then he planned to sell these, too, to your Uncle Sam.
Still another had the brilliant idea that colonels shouldn't ride in automobiles, nor should they even ride on horseback. One has probably seen a picture of Andy Jackson riding in a buckboard. Well, some 6,000 buckboards were sold to Uncle Sam for the use of colonels! Not one of them was used. But the buckboard manufacturer got his war profit.
The shipbuilders felt they should come in on some of it, too. They built a lot of ships that made a lot of profit. More than $3,000,000,000 worth. Some of the ships were all right. But $635,000,000 worth of them were made of wood and wouldn't float! The seams opened up – and they sank. We paid for them, though. And somebody pocketed the profits.
It has been estimated by statisticians and economists and researchers that the war cost your Uncle Sam $52,000,000,000. Of this sum, $39,000,000,000 was expended in the actual war itself. This expenditure yielded $16,000,000,000 in profits. That is how the 21,000 billionaires and millionaires got that way. This $16,000,000,000 profits is not to be sneezed at. It is quite a tidy sum. And it went to a very few.
The Senate (Nye) committee probe of the munitions industry and its wartime profits, despite its sensational disclosures, hardly has scratched the surface.
Even so, it has had some effect. The State Department has been studying "for some time" methods of keeping out of war. The War Department suddenly decides it has a wonderful plan to spring. The Administration names a committee – with the War and Navy Departments ably represented under the chairmanship of a Wall Street speculator – to limit profits in war time. To what extent isn't suggested. Hmmm. Possibly the profits of 300 and 600 and 1,600 per cent of those who turned blood into gold in the World War would be limited to some smaller figure.
Apparently, however, the plan does not call for any limitation of losses – that is, the losses of those who fight the war. As far as I have been able to ascertain there is nothing in the scheme to limit a soldier to the loss of but one eye, or one arm, or to limit his wounds to one or two or three. Or to limit the loss of life.
There is nothing in this scheme, apparently, that says not more than 12 per cent of a regiment shall be wounded in battle, or that not more than 7 per cent in a division shall be killed.
Of course, the committee cannot be bothered with such trifling matters.
CHAPTER THREE
WHO PAYS THE BILLS?
Who provides the profits – these nice little profits of 20, 100, 300, 1,500 and 1,800 per cent? We all pay them – in taxation. We paid the bankers their profits when we bought Liberty Bonds at $100.00 and sold them back at $84 or $86 to the bankers. These bankers collected $100 plus. It was a simple manipulation. The bankers control the security marts. It was easy for them to depress the price of these bonds. Then all of us – the people – got frightened and sold the bonds at $84 or $86. The bankers bought them. Then these same bankers stimulated a boom and government bonds went to par – and above. Then the bankers collected their profits.
But the soldier pays the biggest part of the bill.
If you don't believe this, visit the American cemeteries on the battlefields abroad. Or visit any of the veteran's hospitals in the United States. On a tour of the country, in the midst of which I am at the time of this writing, I have visited eighteen government hospitals for veterans. In them are a total of about 50,000 destroyed men – men who were the pick of the nation eighteen years ago. The very able chief surgeon at the government hospital; at Milwaukee, where there are 3,800 of the living dead, told me that mortality among veterans is three times as great as among those who stayed at home.
Boys with a normal viewpoint were taken out of the fields and offices and factories and classrooms and put into the ranks. There they were remolded; they were made over; they were made to "about face"; to regard murder as the order of the day. They were put shoulder to shoulder and, through mass psychology, they were entirely changed. We used them for a couple of years and trained them to think nothing at all of killing or of being killed.
Then, suddenly, we discharged them and told them to make another "about face" ! This time they had to do their own readjustment, sans [without] mass psychology, sans officers' aid and advice and sans nation-wide propaganda. We didn't need them any more. So we scattered them about without any "three-minute" or "Liberty Loan" speeches or parades. Many, too many, of these fine young boys are eventually destroyed, mentally, because they could not make that final "about face" alone.
In the government hospital in Marion, Indiana, 1,800 of these boys are in pens! Five hundred of them in a barracks with steel bars and wires all around outside the buildings and on the porches. These already have been mentally destroyed. These boys don't even look like human beings. Oh, the looks on their faces! Physically, they are in good shape; mentally, they are gone.
There are thousands and thousands of these cases, and more and more are coming in all the time. The tremendous excitement of the war, the sudden cutting off of that excitement – the young boys couldn't stand it.
That's a part of the bill. So much for the dead – they have paid their part of the war profits. So much for the mentally and physically wounded – they are paying now their share of the war profits. But the others paid, too – they paid with heartbreaks when they tore themselves away from their firesides and their families to don the uniform of Uncle Sam – on which a profit had been made. They paid another part in the training camps where they were regimented and drilled while others took their jobs and their places in the lives of their communities. The paid for it in the trenches where they shot and were shot; where they were hungry for days at a time; where they slept in the mud and the cold and in the rain – with the moans and shrieks of the dying for a horrible lullaby.
But don't forget – the soldier paid part of the dollars and cents bill too.
Up to and including the Spanish-American War, we had a prize system, and soldiers and sailors fought for money. During the Civil War they were paid bonuses, in many instances, before they went into service. The government, or states, paid as high as $1,200 for an enlistment. In the Spanish-American War they gave prize money. When we captured any vessels, the soldiers all got their share – at least, they were supposed to. Then it was found that we could reduce the cost of wars by taking all the prize money and keeping it, but conscripting [drafting] the soldier anyway. Then soldiers couldn't bargain for their labor, Everyone else could bargain, but the soldier couldn't.
Napoleon once said,
"All men are enamored of decorations...they positively hunger for them."
So by developing the Napoleonic system – the medal business – the government learned it could get soldiers for less money, because the boys liked to be decorated. Until the Civil War there were no medals. Then the Congressional Medal of Honor was handed out. It made enlistments easier. After the Civil War no new medals were issued until the Spanish-American War.
In the World War, we used propaganda to make the boys accept conscription. They were made to feel ashamed if they didn't join the army.
So vicious was this war propaganda that even God was brought into it. With few exceptions our clergymen joined in the clamor to kill, kill, kill. To kill the Germans. God is on our side...it is His will that the Germans be killed.
And in Germany, the good pastors called upon the Germans to kill the allies...to please the same God. That was a part of the general propaganda, built up to make people war conscious and murder conscious.
Beautiful ideals were painted for our boys who were sent out to die. This was the "war to end all wars." This was the "war to make the world safe for democracy." No one mentioned to them, as they marched away, that their going and their dying would mean huge war profits. No one told these American soldiers that they might be shot down by bullets made by their own brothers here. No one told them that the ships on which they were going to cross might be torpedoed by submarines built with United States patents. They were just told it was to be a "glorious adventure."
Thus, having stuffed patriotism down their throats, it was decided to make them help pay for the war, too. So, we gave them the large salary of $30 a month.
All they had to do for this munificent sum was to leave their dear ones behind, give up their jobs, lie in swampy trenches, eat canned willy (when they could get it) and kill and kill and kill...and be killed.
But wait!
Half of that wage (just a little more than a riveter in a shipyard or a laborer in a munitions factory safe at home made in a day) was promptly taken from him to support his dependents, so that they would not become a charge upon his community. Then we made him pay what amounted to accident insurance – something the employer pays for in an enlightened state – and that cost him $6 a month. He had less than $9 a month left.
Then, the most crowning insolence of all – he was virtually blackjacked into paying for his own ammunition, clothing, and food by being made to buy Liberty Bonds. Most soldiers got no money at all on pay days.
We made them buy Liberty Bonds at $100 and then we bought them back – when they came back from the war and couldn't find work – at $84 and $86. And the soldiers bought about $2,000,000,000 worth of these bonds!
Yes, the soldier pays the greater part of the bill. His family pays too. They pay it in the same heart-break that he does. As he suffers, they suffer. At nights, as he lay in the trenches and watched shrapnel burst about him, they lay home in their beds and tossed sleeplessly – his father, his mother, his wife, his sisters, his brothers, his sons, and his daughters.
When he returned home minus an eye, or minus a leg or with his mind broken, they suffered too – as much as and even sometimes more than he. Yes, and they, too, contributed their dollars to the profits of the munitions makers and bankers and shipbuilders and the manufacturers and the speculators made. They, too, bought Liberty Bonds and contributed to the profit of the bankers after the Armistice in the hocus-pocus of manipulated Liberty Bond prices.
And even now the families of the wounded men and of the mentally broken and those who never were able to readjust themselves are still suffering and still paying.
CHAPTER FOUR
HOW TO SMASH THIS RACKET!
WELL, it's a racket, all right.
A few profit – and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.
The only way to smash this racket is to conscript capital and industry and labor before the nations manhood can be conscripted. One month before the Government can conscript the young men of the nation – it must conscript capital and industry and labor. Let the officers and the directors and the high-powered executives of our armament factories and our munitions makers and our shipbuilders and our airplane builders and the manufacturers of all the other things that provide profit in war time as well as the bankers and the speculators, be conscripted – to get $30 a month, the same wage as the lads in the trenches get.
Let the workers in these plants get the same wages – all the workers, all presidents, all executives, all directors, all managers, all bankers –
yes, and all generals and all admirals and all officers and all politicians and all government office holders – everyone in the nation be restricted to a total monthly income not to exceed that paid to the soldier in the trenches!
Let all these kings and tycoons and masters of business and all those workers in industry and all our senators and governors and majors pay half of their monthly $30 wage to their families and pay war risk insurance and buy Liberty Bonds.
Why shouldn't they?
They aren't running any risk of being killed or of having their bodies mangled or their minds shattered. They aren't sleeping in muddy trenches. They aren't hungry. The soldiers are!
Give capital and industry and labor thirty days to think it over and you will find, by that time, there will be no war. That will smash the war racket – that and nothing else.
Maybe I am a little too optimistic. Capital still has some say. So capital won't permit the taking of the profit out of war until the people – those who do the suffering and still pay the price – make up their minds that those they elect to office shall do their bidding, and not that of the profiteers.
Another step necessary in this fight to smash the war racket is the limited plebiscite to determine whether a war should be declared. A plebiscite not of all the voters but merely of those who would be called upon to do the fighting and dying. There wouldn't be very much sense in having a 76-year-old president of a munitions factory or the flat-footed head of an international banking firm or the cross-eyed manager of a uniform manufacturing plant – all of whom see visions of tremendous profits in the event of war – voting on whether the nation should go to war or not. They never would be called upon to shoulder arms – to sleep in a trench and to be shot. Only those who would be called upon to risk their lives for their country should have the privilege of voting to determine whether the nation should go to war.
There is ample precedent for restricting the voting to those affected. Many of our states have restrictions on those permitted to vote. In most, it is necessary to be able to read and write before you may vote. In some, you must own property. It would be a simple matter each year for the men coming of military age to register in their communities as they did in the draft during the World War and be examined physically. Those who could pass and who would therefore be called upon to bear arms in the event of war would be eligible to vote in a limited plebiscite. They should be the ones to have the power to decide – and not a Congress few of whose members are within the age limit and fewer still of whom are in physical condition to bear arms. Only those who must suffer should have the right to vote.
A third step in this business of smashing the war racket is to make certain that our military forces are truly forces for defense only.
At each session of Congress the question of further naval appropriations comes up. The swivel-chair admirals of Washington (and there are always a lot of them) are very adroit lobbyists. And they are smart. They don't shout that "We need a lot of battleships to war on this nation or that nation." Oh no. First of all, they let it be known that America is menaced by a great naval power. Almost any day, these admirals will tell you, the great fleet of this supposed enemy will strike suddenly and annihilate 125,000,000 people. Just like that. Then they begin to cry for a larger navy. For what? To fight the enemy? Oh my, no. Oh, no. For defense purposes only.
Then, incidentally, they announce maneuvers in the Pacific. For defense. Uh, huh.
The Pacific is a great big ocean. We have a tremendous coastline on the Pacific. Will the maneuvers be off the coast, two or three hundred miles? Oh, no. The maneuvers will be two thousand, yes, perhaps even thirty-five hundred miles, off the coast.
The Japanese, a proud people, of course will be pleased beyond expression to see the united States fleet so close to Nippon's shores. Even as pleased as would be the residents of California were they to dimly discern through the morning mist, the Japanese fleet playing at war games off Los Angeles.
The ships of our navy, it can be seen, should be specifically limited, by law, to within 200 miles of our coastline. Had that been the law in 1898 the Maine would never have gone to Havana Harbor. She never would have been blown up. There would have been no war with Spain with its attendant loss of life. Two hundred miles is ample, in the opinion of experts, for defense purposes. Our nation cannot start an offensive war if its ships can't go further than 200 miles from the coastline. Planes might be permitted to go as far as 500 miles from the coast for purposes of reconnaissance. And the army should never leave the territorial limits of our nation.
To summarize: Three steps must be taken to smash the war racket.
We must take the profit out of war.
We must permit the youth of the land who would bear arms to decide whether or not there should be war.
We must limit our military forces to home defense purposes.
CHAPTER FIVE
TO HELL WITH WAR!
I am not a fool as to believe that war is a thing of the past. I know the people do not want war, but there is no use in saying we cannot be pushed into another war.
Looking back, Woodrow Wilson was re-elected president in 1916 on a platform that he had "kept us out of war" and on the implied promise that he would "keep us out of war." Yet, five months later he asked Congress to declare war on Germany.
In that five-month interval the people had not been asked whether they had changed their minds. The 4,000,000 young men who put on uniforms and marched or sailed away were not asked whether they wanted to go forth to suffer and die.
Then what caused our government to change its mind so suddenly?
Money.
An allied commission, it may be recalled, came over shortly before the war declaration and called on the President. The President summoned a group of advisers. The head of the commission spoke. Stripped of its diplomatic language, this is what he told the President and his group:
"There is no use kidding ourselves any longer. The cause of the allies is lost. We now owe you (American bankers, American munitions makers, American manufacturers, American speculators, American exporters) five or six billion dollars.
If we lose (and without the help of the United States we must lose) we, England, France and Italy, cannot pay back this money...and Germany won't.
So..."
Had secrecy been outlawed as far as war negotiations were concerned, and had the press been invited to be present at that conference, or had radio been available to broadcast the proceedings, America never would have entered the World War. But this conference, like all war discussions, was shrouded in utmost secrecy. When our boys were sent off to war they were told it was a "war to make the world safe for democracy" and a "war to end all wars."
Well, eighteen years after, the world has less of democracy than it had then. Besides, what business is it of ours whether Russia or Germany or England or France or Italy or Austria live under democracies or monarchies? Whether they are Fascists or Communists? Our problem is to preserve our own democracy.
And very little, if anything, has been accomplished to assure us that the World War was really the war to end all wars.
Yes, we have had disarmament conferences and limitations of arms conferences. They don't mean a thing. One has just failed; the results of another have been nullified. We send our professional soldiers and our sailors and our politicians and our diplomats to these conferences. And what happens?
The professional soldiers and sailors don't want to disarm. No admiral wants to be without a ship. No general wants to be without a command. Both mean men without jobs. They are not for disarmament. They cannot be for limitations of arms. And at all these conferences, lurking in the background but all-powerful, just the same, are the sinister agents of those who profit by war. They see to it that these conferences do not disarm or seriously limit armaments.
The chief aim of any power at any of these conferences has not been to achieve disarmament to prevent war but rather to get more armament for itself and less for any potential foe.
There is only one way to disarm with any semblance of practicability. That is for all nations to get together and scrap every ship, every gun, every rifle, every tank, every war plane. Even this, if it were possible, would not be enough.
The next war, according to experts, will be fought not with battleships, not by artillery, not with rifles and not with machine guns. It will be fought with deadly chemicals and gases.
Secretly each nation is studying and perfecting newer and ghastlier means of annihilating its foes wholesale. Yes, ships will continue to be built, for the shipbuilders must make their profits. And guns still will be manufactured and powder and rifles will be made, for the munitions makers must make their huge profits. And the soldiers, of course, must wear uniforms, for the manufacturer must make their war profits too.
But victory or defeat will be determined by the skill and ingenuity of our scientists.
If we put them to work making poison gas and more and more fiendish mechanical and explosive instruments of destruction, they will have no time for the constructive job of building greater prosperity for all peoples. By putting them to this useful job, we can all make more money out of peace than we can out of war – even the munitions makers.
So...I say,
TO HELL WITH WAR!
Link to buy book
Friday, May 14, 2010
Oil Rig Gusher is a disaster of great magnitude, period.
This is worth reading if you want information on the Oil Rig Gusher
By far the best write up I've come across and it is mind boggling.
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The BP Deep water horizon, Macondo Well Blowout. and what we are facing in the Gulf.
I want to try and put in simple terms what we are facing as far as what is coming in this potentially catastrophic well blow out event. It's going to be a long post, but an important one, it is of critical importance if you are not fully aware as you can be of what is going on, what the action plan is and what is taking place, because this event may very well affect us all...as in GLOBAL. There is a lot of partial truths..a lot of falsehoods, a lot is not being said and a lot of lies are out there, I think we all see this...we all want some answers...we all want to have a grasp of what is happening. First of all, don't feel bad if you don't understand what is going on or feel sort of lost, this is an extremely complicated event. I hope I can inform people and give them some basic factual knowledge and I never ever mean to "Talk down" to anyone...I only want to inform and hope everyone that wishes to learn does learn...I also hope the "pros" fact check me and assure all that I do say is true and factual and if is not...then speak up......and also add in regardless.
With that being said I will try and instill the sense of urgency and seriousness that I personally feel about this....this is a bad one people...we are close...real close and all this is a very real, present and IMMINENT Danger. Trust me when I tell you that people who know are scared of this, it is THAT bad. People who deal with things that would scare most people half to death they deal with as a matter of course every single day...men who operate enormous machinery that most of us will never see or ever be around....I run and own some pretty big stuff...bigger and more powerful than cars or trucks, but the scale of some these oil and gas industry machines?...they dwarf these things...things so huge that most buildings cannot house them.....literally gargantuan equipment and all that is associated with it, huge forces and the people who operate these monsters?...they are worried, very worried....and they rarely worry, if ever....and I am worried...which is also not the norm.
This is an edge of the abyss situation that we are facing in my opinion. Forget what you see now...this oil slick is minuscule in order of magnitude of what could happen..what is near to happening and what ABSOLUTELY WILL HAPPEN if it cannot be stopped. I cannot impress this enough...NEAR...because it truly is near. You probably sense it...know that this could go big...well it can...and although you might not understand exactly what is going on you can understand that we are not being told everything and it is difficult to form a clear picture. I hope to make some things clear and give people enough of an information handle to "get it".
First, "What happened":
Simply put, this well had a "blow out" what that means is that explosive high pressure gas rose through the well pipe up from miles under the sea and the pressure blew off all the well control gear, valves etc etc. In this case...it also ignited and exploded, destroying the deep water horizon drill rig and killed 11 men. The reasons for this are certainly complex and will be argued on a technical level, forensic examination and investigation will be done to the most minute detail and certainly some reasons will be found and likely some questions will still remain. Changes industry wide will be implemented etc etc but all anyone needs to know right now is that this well system failed in some way to handle the immense pressure of the gas that infiltrated the well system...and all, or enough, of the complex safety systems failed. There will be time for blame later, there is an urgent matter at hand and what I want to focus on is what is left, what is happening and what is being done about it...
What is left of the well system and what is down there:
The well system doesn't really begin at the bottom or the top of the system itself. Where it really begins is at the well head which is the interface of the earth and the hole in the ground. The drill system goes up...the well bore system goes down...I call them systems because they are complex animals...the actual complexity is something not to be concerned with right now...but it is at that interface where the battle of man vs earth really begins.
Fighter earth is pretty simple..oil or gas..which man wants...mostly under massive pressures and in this case, very much so..held far away in a cavity tucked away which earth can easily hold under these enormous pressures...fighter man above?...not so simple....because we must use complex machines, valves and pumps etc etc to create our own pressure to combat earth and drive through and pierce that cavity and take the oil and gas. We create incredible pressures with dense fluids (mud) to equalize what earth does naturally...when they become out of balance?...we lose the fight...earth beats us and up shoots the "product" and we go boom or splash. To combat this if it does happen, we use what is called a "blow Out Preventer" or BOP for short....this is one of the few pieces left down there now and it attach's to well head...it's our first line of defense..and this is the "safety system" that you hear failed in this instance...
A subsea BOP is not a minor piece of equipment that might be merely the size of your refrigerator or a truck...in fact the one down there now is 60 feet tall and weighs 450 tons...that's 6 stories tall easy and it is a Massive piece of equipment....to give you all an idea?...I have some pictures of one that is probably an exact copy of the one on this well. Same company made it..and it's on a very similar site with almost identical specs...so this will be almost exactly it...right down to the "Yellow pod" which is it's control/brain...it's a huge piece of complex gear..here is what one looks like...
LMRP seperated to transport:
boponbarg
All together on a flat bed:
bopontruk
The bop is like a big hollow assembly "Stack" with hydraulics attached to it that fire big sharp piece of steel called shear rams across the hollow that can snip the drill pipe clean off and seal the hollow shaft, like a dog nail clipper, but it stays closed.
The drill goes through the BOP assembly which really consists of two pieces...the bop and LMRP..."Lower Marine Riser Package" the LMRP sits on top of the bop which is what the "Riser" attach's too and they are both hollow stack ups with rams that fire to seal the well off.
The "Riser" is a very large and thick steel hollow tube that "rises" to the surface and attach's to drilling equipment. The drill goes through the Riser...then the Lmrp..and then the bop...enters the earth and drills down. The drill is also hollow because it makes it lighter...so when you hear "Drill pipe"...it is because the long drill "shaft" is really a hollow pipe with a drillbit on the end. You have probably heard these terms used a lot lately, so now you know basically what they are.
All 3 pieces do remain on the sea floor, although not fully intact or workable as to what they were made for...and all 3 come into play as to what is now happening...and what will happen.
I will base the following on the facts as presented to me as I know them to be real and true. If anyone wants to play....it's all gone man!!!...IT'S A GIANT HOLE IN EARTH AND A VOLCANO MAN!!! or...it's all fake like the mooon landings!...all a show! or ZOMFG there is a million PSI down there and it's tapped in a quadrillion cubic feet of gas!!!...then I suggest you all use your own bullshit detectors and decide for yourselves what is real or not...and if any of the latter was true?...well...then there is no need to bother with reading this anyway...
What happened when the well blew out was that the bop failed to close...it should have snipped off the drill pipe and we wouldn't be here...but it didn't....I believe it tried to...but it didn't have the power to or something went wrong...I believe it is partially closed and perhaps squished the drill pipe some and is helping to restrict the flow...no one outside of BP really knows and maybe they even don't...but it failed for whatever reason...So the well blows up gas and oil...then explodes on the rig...2 days later the rig sinks...the well is blowing gas and oil up the whole time. When the rig sinks, the riser pipe is still attached to both the BOP and the rig, the drill pipe is still inside the riser pipe..a pipe inside a pipe.....it gets all bent up and twisted as the entire rig falls to the sea floor...sometime along the way down the riser and drill pipe inside it break off from the wreckage somewhere along that 5000 foot long pipe. It snaps apart and oil and gas start gushing out the end opposite the BOP. The portions closer to the well BOP are bent up from the crash and the end attached to the bop assembly?...stays attached, but it is bent over...the rig wreckage comes to rest on sea floor about 1500 feet away from the well, no longer connected to it....the pipes still attached to the well are gushing out oil even though it's mostly "kinked" up like a bent up garden hose and damaged....
And now...begins the fight against the open leaking well...
So of course this is a disaster...but BP owns a leaking well so they must act on that. They deploy ROVs to see what is going on...but I'm sure they already know...they have an out of control well at 5000 feet deep in the Gulf that is gushing oil...it's only a matter of "How bad"...at first it might not have been "real bad"...but it is now...and I will tell you why later...so BP tries to close the bop again with ROVs hitting failsafe dead kill valves...they fail...they cannot close the bop rams....maybe the drill pipe is bent to hell in there...maybe it's just too weak or damaged now, maybe it's a bad build...but it won't close..and it would appear they have given up trying...The whole time...oil and gas is rushing through as much as all the restrictions allow, those restrictions being the kinks in the hose...the maybe squished up pipe inside the bop and the partially closed snip system...but it is gushing oil and gas through under the high pressures of the well....leaking out causing the "oil slick spill".....but this is far from the only problem...
Oil as it comes up from the earth is not exactly "clean"....in fact..it has a fair amount of crud in it....sand, hydrocarbons, other solids...and these impurities, they are abrasive...just like sand paper...or more like a "Sand blaster" in this case...so this abrasive mix of oil, crud and gas is rushing through the steel tubing and the machinery of the BOP under enormous virtually inexhaustible pressure...and it's chewing away the steel pipes and parts that are holding it back from rushing more...wherever there is a kink or something in the way?...there is the force of the abrasive fluid slowly eating it, wearing it away, same for whatever leak that has high pressure fluid blasting through it...which may not be the ones you see, but ones inside what is left of the pipes that the fluid is really shooting out of or past.
So the "Leaks" get bigger because they are being eroded away, when that happens?...more fluid gushes past and they get eaten more, the faster it can leak, the more it will eat, the more it chews away, the faster it goes like a dam made of ice slowly but surely melting....and it will eventually go faster and faster until all the parts are worn thin enough that they will fail and explode off and the gusher will be more and more open...until it's wide open...no restrictions...THAT is inevitable, it WILL happen if this well cannot be stopped from flowing, it is only a matter of time and how much time is only a guess...but one thing that is certain...it will continue to gush more and more until it does eat everything away and is wide open.
Right now there are guesses as to how much flow is actually gushing out, but suffice to say...it's a lot...there are figures from 5,000 Barrels Per Day to 100,000 BPD....some are from video analysis of the "Plume video", some are from surface area calculations of the "Seen oil" slick..but even BP says they are all just guesses and even they are not sure...but take for example a low range number...like 10,000 BPD...next week it will be 15,000 BPD...+5k....next 25,000BPD....+10....next 40,000BPD...+15...and will increase in a geometric progression until it is wide open...estimates of that wide open flow rate are also guesses but IMO it could easily be 100,000 BPD if it blows out completely....and IT WILL BLOW OUT COMPLETELY if it cannot be halted or if for some reason nature slows or stops, which is highly highly unlikely. Even if there is 25% gas it is still 75k BPD of oil...over 3 million gallons per day...a couple of Exxon Valdez spills PER WEEK...and I used conservative numbers as you see...so it could easily do much worse...in fact my estimate could be the "Best case"...as bad as it is. The "Gas" escaping presents a whole other set of problems which depending on how much gas could escape might even be worse....but for another thread...Right now it is overall flow and mixed "Product" gushing out...and nothing in this flow is good for anything.
So there are really only 3 major pieces left...the BOP assembly bolted to the well head, the Riser pipe which is a 21" diameter steel tube with 1 1/2" thick walls and the drill pipe laying inside it...both pipes broken off laying on the sea floor gushing out fluid. There were 3 "leaks"....now they say 2, because one was the drill pipe end which is broke off farther away from the well head and is sticking out of the riser pipe, they capped that off, so it probably did not have a lot pressure in that leak, in fact BP said it did not decrease the flow...which makes sense if it is just broken off and laying inside the larger riser pipe, just held in by being bent up.
The 2nd leak we see in the "Plume video"...it is obvious the main flow is coming out the large riser pipe still attached to the BOP, but the "Other leak"...we are not getting any video of...and THAT one?...it is very likely that there is a lot more pressure there, it may be smaller and thus flowing less overall, but chances are it's blasting out a lot faster. This leak is where the pipe is bent over at the top of the BOP assembly and we have heard little about it, really just graphics with an illustration of something shooting out, but it is THAT leak, which MUST BE GROWING and is near the first bad kink over, that is probably where the Pipe which is being eroded will fail and be blown off the blow out protector...and THAT is inevitable...it WILL happen and is only a matter of time before it DOES HAPPEN.
Behind every restriction the pressure is greater than in front of it. Just like your garden hose swells up behind a kink...this is no different...so when that restriction blows away...the flow will increase greatly.
That is what they are up against...a broken bop tower attached to the well head...a leaky bent pipe coming out of that...and a "corrosive" (abrasive) fluid under high pressure shooting out the leaks and eating it all away at the same time. The clock is truly ticking and the erosion of the components will not and cannot be stopped as long as it's flowing.
What are they doing to fight it:
We have seen the cofferdams, outhouse, top hat both fail. Not surprising really, what happened was the large dome clogged with ice/hydrates...when the gas from the well shoots out it is very cold...the whole area is also under massive pressures because it is 5,000 feet below sea level which is about 2,200 pounds per square inch of pressure..everywhere....those are conditions under which these "hydrates" can form...and they are forming, it is probably like a hydrate snow storm down there. Methane Hydrates are merely Crystal structures of methane gas trapped inside water ice. So the first "outhouse" got clogged with these ice structures they believe now because it too big, had too much seawater in it, so more chance to create ice...failed...left to the side on the sea floor...the next "Top Hat"...smaller size so less water to make ice...they also had hot water and anti-freeze pumping systems on both to stop ice formation...yesterday we learned that the "Top Hat" was "set back"...no explanation...also seems to be set aside like it just wouldn't work....today we learn that they intend to stick a smaller tube up inside the leaky pipe.
All 3 of these methods were never intended to, or ever could "Stop the Leaks". All they can do is suck up some of what has already leaked out using their 3 different methods. This is not a bad thing because it will gobble up as much oil as they can and that will be that much less that leaks out into the Gulf....how much less?...until they get one to actually function?...no one knows, but all 3 of these things are a sideline to the main problem and main mission, and THAT mission is to stop the leaks.
Here is a giant sized picture of what it ought to look like down there, it also shows the new "Tube insertion" sucker outer deal...woopeee!
[link to www.flickr.com]
BP knows they have they have a ticking time bomb, and how many ticks we get?...is only a guess, but they are well aware that is a finite number...and it's counting down unrelentingly 24/7...if you noticed...BP had the Bop's brain removed...there is a reason for this...and believe me when I tell you this is their number one priority mission and all these sucker domes are more to make regular people feel good about less oil leakage, Yay! save Flipper and tippy the turtle!.... but they are not the Alpha priority for the engineers whom are well aware that a far greater and inevitable danger looms.....maybe why these measures seem half assed to us...likely because they are..and ultimately even if they did work?...they wouldn't have anything left to work on for long because the riser pipe is going to be blown off the blow out protector and there Won't be any oil shooting out the pipe laying on the sea bed...because it will no longer be attached to the well...BP has plenty of manpower and money so they can throw some at those things and it will make people glad to see that they are doing something...but that's all it is...the real mission is a technological challenge and is taking some time to setup...so if we all saw nothing happening?...people would be berserk by now...so you get some candy while you wait for the real thing...
The real missions are two approaches to the same thing, ultimately killing this well...sealing it off with cement and heavy fluids in the well's bore itself...that is the ultimate goal...and it's the only thing that will stop this....
The first part is the "relief" wells, these are long term long range solutions with a time frame of 90 days to drill the wells given to us....one was started on May 3rd...a second one should be started soon. They will intersect the existing well down at about 18,000 feet below the sea floor and through them they will pump in dense fluid and cement...and hope they clog it and seal it off from below...another Transocean deep water drill rig is there doing that now..
ROBERT, La. - The ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig Development Drill III had begun operations for drilling a relief well Monday, May 3, 2010. A relief well is designed to drill down and intersect the existing well bore and pump heavy fluids and cement in to stop the leaking oil. Photo provided by Transocean.
[link to www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com]
They have released info that the first one was 9,000 feet down already...however..remember they have "turn" the drill...so to get 18,000 feet down and turn toward the existing well the actual length they must drill is longer...it also very tricky...they must hit the well bore that is there...it's been done before..but it is not too easy and it will take time....and time is one thing that is slowly ticking away....and if the well does blow wide open, which is inevitable...I would guess the task of clogging it becomes more difficult...because it rushes more fluid faster...they may have to wait for the second relief well to pierce through and capture more of the flow...I doubt anyone is really sure of what it might ultimately take, but in the only well blowout that was even close to this one, they did need 2 wells...and that one... was a weaker flow...
There was a blowout which was close to this... the IXTOC I blowout in the bay of Campeche in the Gulf of mexico. However much is very different...and this blowout now is very unique. The IXTOC I blowout is the largest accident spill/leak in History. It leaked an estimated 3.3-3.5 Million Barrels of oil...140 some odd Million Gallons. It flowed virtually full wide open for 9 months before they could stop it. They tried to close the bop, but it started to rupture valves and they had to open it to prevent it from being destroyed and ripped out completely from the well head, which would have made the task of capping it much much more difficult. The IXTOC I well blew out oil and gas at a rate of 10,000 - 30,000 Barrels per day...we may perhaps be at that rate already at the Macondo blowout...I doubt anyone is sure, but easily possible. One thing which is very different is that IXTOC I happened in 50 meters of water...about 165 ft deep....this one is in over 5,000 feet of water...divers can easily reach 165 deep...this is impossible at 5,000 ft...so everything must be done with remotely operated subs...making the task of working around the well head far more difficult.
[link to www.industry-tac.org]
The second and most important "Plan" is the top kill...or so called "Junk Shot"...this the BP engineers have been quietly working on and for the most part, it has been away from the eyes of the media, but make no mistake people, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. From the little I can find about this they have removed the control brain from bop, they did this so they can control some valves differently than how the stack was designed to control them. They have fabricated a "Manifold"..this is just a few pipes that can be shot into one depending on which one they choose to open, a multi-port type apparatus. They intend to fire the "junk" into the choke and kill valve ports, which are at the very bottom of the entire bop assembly. They are usually attached to the very top rams of the blow out preventer and if the giant snipper rams closed?...those posts send extreme pressure via heavy pipes to help seal off the bop system by using the wells own pressure against itself...it's all part of the failsafe system...which failed.
So what they do is fire the "Junk shot" into the partially clogged already bop through these valve ports...and hope it clogs it off a whole lot more or even completely, but clogged enough for them to mad dash pump kill fluids and cement down into the well, through the same ports ...if it works. The junk as silly as it sounds is made up of different sized pieces that can create the optimum "clogs"...yes it is hunks of old tires, golf balls, pieces of rope with knots in it and other stuff of all varying sizes and shapes...right now they are and have been trying to create the "recipe" that will work, and they will try several recipes until they either give up...or it works.
There are problems which may be associated with this...if the connection at the well opening where the bop attach's is damged?...it may fail, because the pressure is going to increase under the clogged bop because it will be holding back more pressure...like a now working cork.....and from the mechanics of this "Junk shot" really being almost irreversable...if it does begin to come unglued?...I doubt they could stop it, they might be able to open some valves and relieve the pressure...but all that leads to one thing...the whole well is even more open...blowing out more gush..
If the Top Kill/ junk shot / clogger fails to work...the only other short term remedy will be to literally saw off the top of the stack tower and try to attach an entire new bop on top of the old busted one...that includes all the possible damage coming into play of course...and it also includes the whole thing being virtually wide open...because the entire riser pipe must be sawed off to do this. At that point if there is any busted up pipe inside the old bop or chunks of crap, that may get blasted out...if the rams are partially out in the stream, they might get train wrecked...because they are worn already, they must be.
There is no doubt that some damage was done to the connection because 5000 feet of massive pipe was pushed, pulled, shoved and bent around when the whole thing came crashing down....how much damage or not or even if it is leaking there we are not being told, but 60 feet tall of 450 ton blow out preventer being pulled on by a 21" diameter heavy steel pipe with a gigantic ship on the other end is going flex and torque whatever it is connected to...that you can count on, whether it took it and is still ok, take a guess cause I don't know...I truly HOPE it's at least ok enough to handle the top kill shot...because if it isn't...we are in very serious trouble and no one is talking about the well casing run all the way down itself possibly being damaged anywhere along the way...if that happened?...then the whole thing could tear itself apart, blast out of the sea floor and there won't BE anything left to clog up...just a real deep hole that will get bigger and bigger blasting out more and more as it does...and who knows where that nightmare will take us...but you can count on it being nowhere good, that's for sure...it would guess it would be like nothing mankind has seen...because we might not survive that one....it's just that huge an unknown...a roaring hole into a massive oil and gas deposit...I doubt anyone can calculate where it would end, or how much damage would be done...but "LOTS" would be an understatement.....
Anything after the top kill shots is desperation time, because the well will have to be opened up a whole lot more than it is now for anything else to be accomplished. If the riser is worn down and tears off before the top kill happens, that new BOP may take over the shot as the primary mission...they are prepared to some degree for this and there is a new bop on the rig in position, that has been disclosed.
So this the "Plan"
Ongoing: drill relief wells the whole time.
1. Suck away what they can, if they can. This does NOTHING but remove "some" oil from entering the sea.
2. Top kill clog shot. If it works, they will pump in heavy "mud" and then cement immediately and the well will stop gushing, it will be effectively "Killed" sealed off, leak over. <<
3. New bop install. Saw the top off. If they get to this point the well is blowing out far more than it is now. They will have to put the new unit in place through that raging stream.....via remote subs...a very very difficult task to be sure. This is desperation time....
4. Relief wells connect and pump in fluid and cement and kill the well from 18,000 feet down...if they can, still a challenge....90 days out minimum from may 3rd when the first well began. They should be able to slow down the flow even if they cannot kill it with one well...the second well is 90 days away from...Sunday May 16th..
That's it guys...it's all we got and the situation is dire....aside from the extreme possibles like exploding a massive charge to crush the thing closed...and THAT IS being discussed...if it takes an atomic bomb to do it?...we may very well face a situation THAT desperate....this thing is an almost unimaginably powerful monster that we have just stabbed with a knife and spit in the face of.... and it's in a very weak cage, it doesn't sleep, it doesn't need to eat and it only gets stronger and more fierce as time goes by...it's going berserk and it's wrecking it's cage, tearing at it, screaming, bolts starting to pop loose and it's not going stop smashing and bashing anytime soon...oh and btw someone just handcuffed you to the bars and you cannot get away now.
I say this because the amount, the insane volumes, of gas and oil that could be released if this thing blows apart are truly of nightmare proportions...this one isn't in the south western gulf like the IXTOC blowout was...the GOM is sort of separated into two portions and the western side is sort of trapped...the Eastern side is not and the "Loop current" which connects to the "Gulf Stream" flows right through this side...it will carry the oil spillage out into the Gulf stream and all the way up the eastern seaboard all the way to the UK and Europe where it ends. There will be who knows how many cubic feet of gas released into the atmosphere and the surrounding area with an untold amount of toxins...the economic implications are dire...the fishing industry annihilated, beaches and tourism to them destroyed...and who knows what other effects there will be..it's a very very bad disaster to say the least...it's bad enough NOW...and THIS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT MAY HAPPEN...and WILL HAPPEN if they cannot stop this thing...you must get your head around that, nothing will stop this from blowing apart and going wide open if the rush of fluids cannot be halted, it is a CERTAINTY.
It's beyond our control as regular citizens really...we ALL should be screaming at our leaders that we do realize the consequences and to take this seriously...and I mean like War footing seriously, because it could get that bad....we can and should be aware of the historic nature of this thing because it IS being downplayed in the media...it could create mass panic if people really knew..and it still might if it does blow apart because there won't be any booms, any sucker hats or tubes or anything else that is going to do jack shit to stop it...it'll be like trying to blow a tidal wave away with a soda straw and everyone become well aware of just how weak and puny Man is compared to the forces of nature. If the well does cut loose? we are talking thousands and thousands of square miles of toxic crud....I'm not even sure the well drilling rigs would even be able to operate in the area...a massive rush of gas can sink ships...the gas is not breathable and it's Explosive too...One thunder storm comes by and a lightning strike?....BOOM...I'm sure the men working there realize they are probably in one the most hazardous work zones they have ever been in...I don't think it's an ELE or something of that order, but we don't need to be wiped out to be stuck enjoying a giant bowl of SUCK...for a very long time...
And all the while?...the wear out, blow apart countdown timer is ticking away on a huge time bomb that WILL go off, but no one knows when...and they are racing against it and it never stops ticking away....I truly hope we win that race...
I am telling you all this so that you will understand what we face..and also so that if you live near the Gulf you can make preparations for the possibilities...which could be incredibly bad...panic evacs or just plain mass panic, badass noxious fumes or worse...I guarantee that NO ONE knows for sure.
They really only have one shot here...and that is the top kill, Watch for it and pay attention, be aware what this all means to ALL OF US and I hope I explained things well enough to be understood by anyone. The top kill shot should be coming soon...I hope...as soon as possible....if you hear it failed...or if the well blew itself apart before they can do it...get the fuck ready, because Pandora's box is about to open wide and the closest thing to the SHTF for real that we will likely see in our lifetimes is about come charging out at full rampant force...and it's a very large and deep box....
Godspeed people.......
Link
By far the best write up I've come across and it is mind boggling.
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The BP Deep water horizon, Macondo Well Blowout. and what we are facing in the Gulf.
I want to try and put in simple terms what we are facing as far as what is coming in this potentially catastrophic well blow out event. It's going to be a long post, but an important one, it is of critical importance if you are not fully aware as you can be of what is going on, what the action plan is and what is taking place, because this event may very well affect us all...as in GLOBAL. There is a lot of partial truths..a lot of falsehoods, a lot is not being said and a lot of lies are out there, I think we all see this...we all want some answers...we all want to have a grasp of what is happening. First of all, don't feel bad if you don't understand what is going on or feel sort of lost, this is an extremely complicated event. I hope I can inform people and give them some basic factual knowledge and I never ever mean to "Talk down" to anyone...I only want to inform and hope everyone that wishes to learn does learn...I also hope the "pros" fact check me and assure all that I do say is true and factual and if is not...then speak up......and also add in regardless.
With that being said I will try and instill the sense of urgency and seriousness that I personally feel about this....this is a bad one people...we are close...real close and all this is a very real, present and IMMINENT Danger. Trust me when I tell you that people who know are scared of this, it is THAT bad. People who deal with things that would scare most people half to death they deal with as a matter of course every single day...men who operate enormous machinery that most of us will never see or ever be around....I run and own some pretty big stuff...bigger and more powerful than cars or trucks, but the scale of some these oil and gas industry machines?...they dwarf these things...things so huge that most buildings cannot house them.....literally gargantuan equipment and all that is associated with it, huge forces and the people who operate these monsters?...they are worried, very worried....and they rarely worry, if ever....and I am worried...which is also not the norm.
This is an edge of the abyss situation that we are facing in my opinion. Forget what you see now...this oil slick is minuscule in order of magnitude of what could happen..what is near to happening and what ABSOLUTELY WILL HAPPEN if it cannot be stopped. I cannot impress this enough...NEAR...because it truly is near. You probably sense it...know that this could go big...well it can...and although you might not understand exactly what is going on you can understand that we are not being told everything and it is difficult to form a clear picture. I hope to make some things clear and give people enough of an information handle to "get it".
First, "What happened":
Simply put, this well had a "blow out" what that means is that explosive high pressure gas rose through the well pipe up from miles under the sea and the pressure blew off all the well control gear, valves etc etc. In this case...it also ignited and exploded, destroying the deep water horizon drill rig and killed 11 men. The reasons for this are certainly complex and will be argued on a technical level, forensic examination and investigation will be done to the most minute detail and certainly some reasons will be found and likely some questions will still remain. Changes industry wide will be implemented etc etc but all anyone needs to know right now is that this well system failed in some way to handle the immense pressure of the gas that infiltrated the well system...and all, or enough, of the complex safety systems failed. There will be time for blame later, there is an urgent matter at hand and what I want to focus on is what is left, what is happening and what is being done about it...
What is left of the well system and what is down there:
The well system doesn't really begin at the bottom or the top of the system itself. Where it really begins is at the well head which is the interface of the earth and the hole in the ground. The drill system goes up...the well bore system goes down...I call them systems because they are complex animals...the actual complexity is something not to be concerned with right now...but it is at that interface where the battle of man vs earth really begins.
Fighter earth is pretty simple..oil or gas..which man wants...mostly under massive pressures and in this case, very much so..held far away in a cavity tucked away which earth can easily hold under these enormous pressures...fighter man above?...not so simple....because we must use complex machines, valves and pumps etc etc to create our own pressure to combat earth and drive through and pierce that cavity and take the oil and gas. We create incredible pressures with dense fluids (mud) to equalize what earth does naturally...when they become out of balance?...we lose the fight...earth beats us and up shoots the "product" and we go boom or splash. To combat this if it does happen, we use what is called a "blow Out Preventer" or BOP for short....this is one of the few pieces left down there now and it attach's to well head...it's our first line of defense..and this is the "safety system" that you hear failed in this instance...
A subsea BOP is not a minor piece of equipment that might be merely the size of your refrigerator or a truck...in fact the one down there now is 60 feet tall and weighs 450 tons...that's 6 stories tall easy and it is a Massive piece of equipment....to give you all an idea?...I have some pictures of one that is probably an exact copy of the one on this well. Same company made it..and it's on a very similar site with almost identical specs...so this will be almost exactly it...right down to the "Yellow pod" which is it's control/brain...it's a huge piece of complex gear..here is what one looks like...
LMRP seperated to transport:
boponbarg
All together on a flat bed:
bopontruk
The bop is like a big hollow assembly "Stack" with hydraulics attached to it that fire big sharp piece of steel called shear rams across the hollow that can snip the drill pipe clean off and seal the hollow shaft, like a dog nail clipper, but it stays closed.
The drill goes through the BOP assembly which really consists of two pieces...the bop and LMRP..."Lower Marine Riser Package" the LMRP sits on top of the bop which is what the "Riser" attach's too and they are both hollow stack ups with rams that fire to seal the well off.
The "Riser" is a very large and thick steel hollow tube that "rises" to the surface and attach's to drilling equipment. The drill goes through the Riser...then the Lmrp..and then the bop...enters the earth and drills down. The drill is also hollow because it makes it lighter...so when you hear "Drill pipe"...it is because the long drill "shaft" is really a hollow pipe with a drillbit on the end. You have probably heard these terms used a lot lately, so now you know basically what they are.
All 3 pieces do remain on the sea floor, although not fully intact or workable as to what they were made for...and all 3 come into play as to what is now happening...and what will happen.
I will base the following on the facts as presented to me as I know them to be real and true. If anyone wants to play....it's all gone man!!!...IT'S A GIANT HOLE IN EARTH AND A VOLCANO MAN!!! or...it's all fake like the mooon landings!...all a show! or ZOMFG there is a million PSI down there and it's tapped in a quadrillion cubic feet of gas!!!...then I suggest you all use your own bullshit detectors and decide for yourselves what is real or not...and if any of the latter was true?...well...then there is no need to bother with reading this anyway...
What happened when the well blew out was that the bop failed to close...it should have snipped off the drill pipe and we wouldn't be here...but it didn't....I believe it tried to...but it didn't have the power to or something went wrong...I believe it is partially closed and perhaps squished the drill pipe some and is helping to restrict the flow...no one outside of BP really knows and maybe they even don't...but it failed for whatever reason...So the well blows up gas and oil...then explodes on the rig...2 days later the rig sinks...the well is blowing gas and oil up the whole time. When the rig sinks, the riser pipe is still attached to both the BOP and the rig, the drill pipe is still inside the riser pipe..a pipe inside a pipe.....it gets all bent up and twisted as the entire rig falls to the sea floor...sometime along the way down the riser and drill pipe inside it break off from the wreckage somewhere along that 5000 foot long pipe. It snaps apart and oil and gas start gushing out the end opposite the BOP. The portions closer to the well BOP are bent up from the crash and the end attached to the bop assembly?...stays attached, but it is bent over...the rig wreckage comes to rest on sea floor about 1500 feet away from the well, no longer connected to it....the pipes still attached to the well are gushing out oil even though it's mostly "kinked" up like a bent up garden hose and damaged....
And now...begins the fight against the open leaking well...
So of course this is a disaster...but BP owns a leaking well so they must act on that. They deploy ROVs to see what is going on...but I'm sure they already know...they have an out of control well at 5000 feet deep in the Gulf that is gushing oil...it's only a matter of "How bad"...at first it might not have been "real bad"...but it is now...and I will tell you why later...so BP tries to close the bop again with ROVs hitting failsafe dead kill valves...they fail...they cannot close the bop rams....maybe the drill pipe is bent to hell in there...maybe it's just too weak or damaged now, maybe it's a bad build...but it won't close..and it would appear they have given up trying...The whole time...oil and gas is rushing through as much as all the restrictions allow, those restrictions being the kinks in the hose...the maybe squished up pipe inside the bop and the partially closed snip system...but it is gushing oil and gas through under the high pressures of the well....leaking out causing the "oil slick spill".....but this is far from the only problem...
Oil as it comes up from the earth is not exactly "clean"....in fact..it has a fair amount of crud in it....sand, hydrocarbons, other solids...and these impurities, they are abrasive...just like sand paper...or more like a "Sand blaster" in this case...so this abrasive mix of oil, crud and gas is rushing through the steel tubing and the machinery of the BOP under enormous virtually inexhaustible pressure...and it's chewing away the steel pipes and parts that are holding it back from rushing more...wherever there is a kink or something in the way?...there is the force of the abrasive fluid slowly eating it, wearing it away, same for whatever leak that has high pressure fluid blasting through it...which may not be the ones you see, but ones inside what is left of the pipes that the fluid is really shooting out of or past.
So the "Leaks" get bigger because they are being eroded away, when that happens?...more fluid gushes past and they get eaten more, the faster it can leak, the more it will eat, the more it chews away, the faster it goes like a dam made of ice slowly but surely melting....and it will eventually go faster and faster until all the parts are worn thin enough that they will fail and explode off and the gusher will be more and more open...until it's wide open...no restrictions...THAT is inevitable, it WILL happen if this well cannot be stopped from flowing, it is only a matter of time and how much time is only a guess...but one thing that is certain...it will continue to gush more and more until it does eat everything away and is wide open.
Right now there are guesses as to how much flow is actually gushing out, but suffice to say...it's a lot...there are figures from 5,000 Barrels Per Day to 100,000 BPD....some are from video analysis of the "Plume video", some are from surface area calculations of the "Seen oil" slick..but even BP says they are all just guesses and even they are not sure...but take for example a low range number...like 10,000 BPD...next week it will be 15,000 BPD...+5k....next 25,000BPD....+10....next 40,000BPD...+15...and will increase in a geometric progression until it is wide open...estimates of that wide open flow rate are also guesses but IMO it could easily be 100,000 BPD if it blows out completely....and IT WILL BLOW OUT COMPLETELY if it cannot be halted or if for some reason nature slows or stops, which is highly highly unlikely. Even if there is 25% gas it is still 75k BPD of oil...over 3 million gallons per day...a couple of Exxon Valdez spills PER WEEK...and I used conservative numbers as you see...so it could easily do much worse...in fact my estimate could be the "Best case"...as bad as it is. The "Gas" escaping presents a whole other set of problems which depending on how much gas could escape might even be worse....but for another thread...Right now it is overall flow and mixed "Product" gushing out...and nothing in this flow is good for anything.
So there are really only 3 major pieces left...the BOP assembly bolted to the well head, the Riser pipe which is a 21" diameter steel tube with 1 1/2" thick walls and the drill pipe laying inside it...both pipes broken off laying on the sea floor gushing out fluid. There were 3 "leaks"....now they say 2, because one was the drill pipe end which is broke off farther away from the well head and is sticking out of the riser pipe, they capped that off, so it probably did not have a lot pressure in that leak, in fact BP said it did not decrease the flow...which makes sense if it is just broken off and laying inside the larger riser pipe, just held in by being bent up.
The 2nd leak we see in the "Plume video"...it is obvious the main flow is coming out the large riser pipe still attached to the BOP, but the "Other leak"...we are not getting any video of...and THAT one?...it is very likely that there is a lot more pressure there, it may be smaller and thus flowing less overall, but chances are it's blasting out a lot faster. This leak is where the pipe is bent over at the top of the BOP assembly and we have heard little about it, really just graphics with an illustration of something shooting out, but it is THAT leak, which MUST BE GROWING and is near the first bad kink over, that is probably where the Pipe which is being eroded will fail and be blown off the blow out protector...and THAT is inevitable...it WILL happen and is only a matter of time before it DOES HAPPEN.
Behind every restriction the pressure is greater than in front of it. Just like your garden hose swells up behind a kink...this is no different...so when that restriction blows away...the flow will increase greatly.
That is what they are up against...a broken bop tower attached to the well head...a leaky bent pipe coming out of that...and a "corrosive" (abrasive) fluid under high pressure shooting out the leaks and eating it all away at the same time. The clock is truly ticking and the erosion of the components will not and cannot be stopped as long as it's flowing.
What are they doing to fight it:
We have seen the cofferdams, outhouse, top hat both fail. Not surprising really, what happened was the large dome clogged with ice/hydrates...when the gas from the well shoots out it is very cold...the whole area is also under massive pressures because it is 5,000 feet below sea level which is about 2,200 pounds per square inch of pressure..everywhere....those are conditions under which these "hydrates" can form...and they are forming, it is probably like a hydrate snow storm down there. Methane Hydrates are merely Crystal structures of methane gas trapped inside water ice. So the first "outhouse" got clogged with these ice structures they believe now because it too big, had too much seawater in it, so more chance to create ice...failed...left to the side on the sea floor...the next "Top Hat"...smaller size so less water to make ice...they also had hot water and anti-freeze pumping systems on both to stop ice formation...yesterday we learned that the "Top Hat" was "set back"...no explanation...also seems to be set aside like it just wouldn't work....today we learn that they intend to stick a smaller tube up inside the leaky pipe.
All 3 of these methods were never intended to, or ever could "Stop the Leaks". All they can do is suck up some of what has already leaked out using their 3 different methods. This is not a bad thing because it will gobble up as much oil as they can and that will be that much less that leaks out into the Gulf....how much less?...until they get one to actually function?...no one knows, but all 3 of these things are a sideline to the main problem and main mission, and THAT mission is to stop the leaks.
Here is a giant sized picture of what it ought to look like down there, it also shows the new "Tube insertion" sucker outer deal...woopeee!
[link to www.flickr.com]
BP knows they have they have a ticking time bomb, and how many ticks we get?...is only a guess, but they are well aware that is a finite number...and it's counting down unrelentingly 24/7...if you noticed...BP had the Bop's brain removed...there is a reason for this...and believe me when I tell you this is their number one priority mission and all these sucker domes are more to make regular people feel good about less oil leakage, Yay! save Flipper and tippy the turtle!.... but they are not the Alpha priority for the engineers whom are well aware that a far greater and inevitable danger looms.....maybe why these measures seem half assed to us...likely because they are..and ultimately even if they did work?...they wouldn't have anything left to work on for long because the riser pipe is going to be blown off the blow out protector and there Won't be any oil shooting out the pipe laying on the sea bed...because it will no longer be attached to the well...BP has plenty of manpower and money so they can throw some at those things and it will make people glad to see that they are doing something...but that's all it is...the real mission is a technological challenge and is taking some time to setup...so if we all saw nothing happening?...people would be berserk by now...so you get some candy while you wait for the real thing...
The real missions are two approaches to the same thing, ultimately killing this well...sealing it off with cement and heavy fluids in the well's bore itself...that is the ultimate goal...and it's the only thing that will stop this....
The first part is the "relief" wells, these are long term long range solutions with a time frame of 90 days to drill the wells given to us....one was started on May 3rd...a second one should be started soon. They will intersect the existing well down at about 18,000 feet below the sea floor and through them they will pump in dense fluid and cement...and hope they clog it and seal it off from below...another Transocean deep water drill rig is there doing that now..
ROBERT, La. - The ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig Development Drill III had begun operations for drilling a relief well Monday, May 3, 2010. A relief well is designed to drill down and intersect the existing well bore and pump heavy fluids and cement in to stop the leaking oil. Photo provided by Transocean.
[link to www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com]
They have released info that the first one was 9,000 feet down already...however..remember they have "turn" the drill...so to get 18,000 feet down and turn toward the existing well the actual length they must drill is longer...it also very tricky...they must hit the well bore that is there...it's been done before..but it is not too easy and it will take time....and time is one thing that is slowly ticking away....and if the well does blow wide open, which is inevitable...I would guess the task of clogging it becomes more difficult...because it rushes more fluid faster...they may have to wait for the second relief well to pierce through and capture more of the flow...I doubt anyone is really sure of what it might ultimately take, but in the only well blowout that was even close to this one, they did need 2 wells...and that one... was a weaker flow...
There was a blowout which was close to this... the IXTOC I blowout in the bay of Campeche in the Gulf of mexico. However much is very different...and this blowout now is very unique. The IXTOC I blowout is the largest accident spill/leak in History. It leaked an estimated 3.3-3.5 Million Barrels of oil...140 some odd Million Gallons. It flowed virtually full wide open for 9 months before they could stop it. They tried to close the bop, but it started to rupture valves and they had to open it to prevent it from being destroyed and ripped out completely from the well head, which would have made the task of capping it much much more difficult. The IXTOC I well blew out oil and gas at a rate of 10,000 - 30,000 Barrels per day...we may perhaps be at that rate already at the Macondo blowout...I doubt anyone is sure, but easily possible. One thing which is very different is that IXTOC I happened in 50 meters of water...about 165 ft deep....this one is in over 5,000 feet of water...divers can easily reach 165 deep...this is impossible at 5,000 ft...so everything must be done with remotely operated subs...making the task of working around the well head far more difficult.
[link to www.industry-tac.org]
The second and most important "Plan" is the top kill...or so called "Junk Shot"...this the BP engineers have been quietly working on and for the most part, it has been away from the eyes of the media, but make no mistake people, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. From the little I can find about this they have removed the control brain from bop, they did this so they can control some valves differently than how the stack was designed to control them. They have fabricated a "Manifold"..this is just a few pipes that can be shot into one depending on which one they choose to open, a multi-port type apparatus. They intend to fire the "junk" into the choke and kill valve ports, which are at the very bottom of the entire bop assembly. They are usually attached to the very top rams of the blow out preventer and if the giant snipper rams closed?...those posts send extreme pressure via heavy pipes to help seal off the bop system by using the wells own pressure against itself...it's all part of the failsafe system...which failed.
So what they do is fire the "Junk shot" into the partially clogged already bop through these valve ports...and hope it clogs it off a whole lot more or even completely, but clogged enough for them to mad dash pump kill fluids and cement down into the well, through the same ports ...if it works. The junk as silly as it sounds is made up of different sized pieces that can create the optimum "clogs"...yes it is hunks of old tires, golf balls, pieces of rope with knots in it and other stuff of all varying sizes and shapes...right now they are and have been trying to create the "recipe" that will work, and they will try several recipes until they either give up...or it works.
There are problems which may be associated with this...if the connection at the well opening where the bop attach's is damged?...it may fail, because the pressure is going to increase under the clogged bop because it will be holding back more pressure...like a now working cork.....and from the mechanics of this "Junk shot" really being almost irreversable...if it does begin to come unglued?...I doubt they could stop it, they might be able to open some valves and relieve the pressure...but all that leads to one thing...the whole well is even more open...blowing out more gush..
If the Top Kill/ junk shot / clogger fails to work...the only other short term remedy will be to literally saw off the top of the stack tower and try to attach an entire new bop on top of the old busted one...that includes all the possible damage coming into play of course...and it also includes the whole thing being virtually wide open...because the entire riser pipe must be sawed off to do this. At that point if there is any busted up pipe inside the old bop or chunks of crap, that may get blasted out...if the rams are partially out in the stream, they might get train wrecked...because they are worn already, they must be.
There is no doubt that some damage was done to the connection because 5000 feet of massive pipe was pushed, pulled, shoved and bent around when the whole thing came crashing down....how much damage or not or even if it is leaking there we are not being told, but 60 feet tall of 450 ton blow out preventer being pulled on by a 21" diameter heavy steel pipe with a gigantic ship on the other end is going flex and torque whatever it is connected to...that you can count on, whether it took it and is still ok, take a guess cause I don't know...I truly HOPE it's at least ok enough to handle the top kill shot...because if it isn't...we are in very serious trouble and no one is talking about the well casing run all the way down itself possibly being damaged anywhere along the way...if that happened?...then the whole thing could tear itself apart, blast out of the sea floor and there won't BE anything left to clog up...just a real deep hole that will get bigger and bigger blasting out more and more as it does...and who knows where that nightmare will take us...but you can count on it being nowhere good, that's for sure...it would guess it would be like nothing mankind has seen...because we might not survive that one....it's just that huge an unknown...a roaring hole into a massive oil and gas deposit...I doubt anyone can calculate where it would end, or how much damage would be done...but "LOTS" would be an understatement.....
Anything after the top kill shots is desperation time, because the well will have to be opened up a whole lot more than it is now for anything else to be accomplished. If the riser is worn down and tears off before the top kill happens, that new BOP may take over the shot as the primary mission...they are prepared to some degree for this and there is a new bop on the rig in position, that has been disclosed.
So this the "Plan"
Ongoing: drill relief wells the whole time.
1. Suck away what they can, if they can. This does NOTHING but remove "some" oil from entering the sea.
2. Top kill clog shot. If it works, they will pump in heavy "mud" and then cement immediately and the well will stop gushing, it will be effectively "Killed" sealed off, leak over. <<
3. New bop install. Saw the top off. If they get to this point the well is blowing out far more than it is now. They will have to put the new unit in place through that raging stream.....via remote subs...a very very difficult task to be sure. This is desperation time....
4. Relief wells connect and pump in fluid and cement and kill the well from 18,000 feet down...if they can, still a challenge....90 days out minimum from may 3rd when the first well began. They should be able to slow down the flow even if they cannot kill it with one well...the second well is 90 days away from...Sunday May 16th..
That's it guys...it's all we got and the situation is dire....aside from the extreme possibles like exploding a massive charge to crush the thing closed...and THAT IS being discussed...if it takes an atomic bomb to do it?...we may very well face a situation THAT desperate....this thing is an almost unimaginably powerful monster that we have just stabbed with a knife and spit in the face of.... and it's in a very weak cage, it doesn't sleep, it doesn't need to eat and it only gets stronger and more fierce as time goes by...it's going berserk and it's wrecking it's cage, tearing at it, screaming, bolts starting to pop loose and it's not going stop smashing and bashing anytime soon...oh and btw someone just handcuffed you to the bars and you cannot get away now.
I say this because the amount, the insane volumes, of gas and oil that could be released if this thing blows apart are truly of nightmare proportions...this one isn't in the south western gulf like the IXTOC blowout was...the GOM is sort of separated into two portions and the western side is sort of trapped...the Eastern side is not and the "Loop current" which connects to the "Gulf Stream" flows right through this side...it will carry the oil spillage out into the Gulf stream and all the way up the eastern seaboard all the way to the UK and Europe where it ends. There will be who knows how many cubic feet of gas released into the atmosphere and the surrounding area with an untold amount of toxins...the economic implications are dire...the fishing industry annihilated, beaches and tourism to them destroyed...and who knows what other effects there will be..it's a very very bad disaster to say the least...it's bad enough NOW...and THIS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT MAY HAPPEN...and WILL HAPPEN if they cannot stop this thing...you must get your head around that, nothing will stop this from blowing apart and going wide open if the rush of fluids cannot be halted, it is a CERTAINTY.
It's beyond our control as regular citizens really...we ALL should be screaming at our leaders that we do realize the consequences and to take this seriously...and I mean like War footing seriously, because it could get that bad....we can and should be aware of the historic nature of this thing because it IS being downplayed in the media...it could create mass panic if people really knew..and it still might if it does blow apart because there won't be any booms, any sucker hats or tubes or anything else that is going to do jack shit to stop it...it'll be like trying to blow a tidal wave away with a soda straw and everyone become well aware of just how weak and puny Man is compared to the forces of nature. If the well does cut loose? we are talking thousands and thousands of square miles of toxic crud....I'm not even sure the well drilling rigs would even be able to operate in the area...a massive rush of gas can sink ships...the gas is not breathable and it's Explosive too...One thunder storm comes by and a lightning strike?....BOOM...I'm sure the men working there realize they are probably in one the most hazardous work zones they have ever been in...I don't think it's an ELE or something of that order, but we don't need to be wiped out to be stuck enjoying a giant bowl of SUCK...for a very long time...
And all the while?...the wear out, blow apart countdown timer is ticking away on a huge time bomb that WILL go off, but no one knows when...and they are racing against it and it never stops ticking away....I truly hope we win that race...
I am telling you all this so that you will understand what we face..and also so that if you live near the Gulf you can make preparations for the possibilities...which could be incredibly bad...panic evacs or just plain mass panic, badass noxious fumes or worse...I guarantee that NO ONE knows for sure.
They really only have one shot here...and that is the top kill, Watch for it and pay attention, be aware what this all means to ALL OF US and I hope I explained things well enough to be understood by anyone. The top kill shot should be coming soon...I hope...as soon as possible....if you hear it failed...or if the well blew itself apart before they can do it...get the fuck ready, because Pandora's box is about to open wide and the closest thing to the SHTF for real that we will likely see in our lifetimes is about come charging out at full rampant force...and it's a very large and deep box....
Godspeed people.......
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