The View From The Farm By Walrus

Two weeks ago I moved from a city apartment to a Five bedroom house on Forty acres of farmland alongside a snow fed river. From my study as I write this morning I can see Four Kangaroos breakfasting next to my garden fence. From the kitchen while I made the coffee I watched wild fallow deer feeding near the river. My Nikon shutter click startles them from a hundred yards away. My friends know that I have been pining for return to this part of the country for what have been Twelve tumultuous years. That tumult was not only been driven by personal events but by increasing concern over international affairs and I am most grateful to Col. Lang and the Committee for providing me with   an education on many matters as well as confirming my suspicions that all was not well in Washington.

The proximate cause of this international tumult in my opinion is the last ditch attempt by the American elite to maintain a monopolar world, as described in the article"Neoliberalism is our Frankenstein" posted at The Atheneum by Col. Lang.

Neoliberalism is Our Frankenstein

To paraphrase a former Australian Prime Minister; America must now either crash through or crash since no one in Washington seems to be seems to be thinking about a "Plan B". Indeed, even talking about the possibility of doubting the wisdom  of the Washington consensus - Congress, the think tanks, the media commentariat and  their enablers is a career limiting act. To put that another way; presenting cold hard facts and sober argument that does not buttress the group think worldview of the Kagans, Krauthammers and Cheneys will get you fired.

This is the first component of a binary recipe for lethally stupid foreign policy. Please note that I use the word "Stupid" in the sense of Professor Cipollas definition - doing something that is both injurious to everyone including the perpetrator and also totally unexpected by its victims.

The Basic Laws Of Human Stupidity

The second component of our suicide cocktail is the overwhelming narcissism in American leadership. I have gone on, and on, about this subject and I apologise for restating my warnings. Narcissists are great haters. Everything is personal to them, all the time. They lack any shred of empathy. They have a massive sense of entitlement and hold themselves above any man made law. Nothing I have seen in President Obamas behaviour has shaken my belief that he suffers from this condition and of course his acolytes are also infected.

At the core of the Narcissist is a lack of self worth and a deeply distressed and traumatised child. In an attempt to salve this hurt they will literally do anything. For example an Australian Prime  Minister, spurned by his own party colleagues, brought down his own Government. My concern is that Obama may not wish to live in a world where he is not feted and reduced to a mere mortal and that instead he prefers to go down in history  as the author of this worlds destruction if he is not to be the leader of a unipolar American empire.

Unless there is some kind of circuit breaker event, perhaps a great natural disaster for example, I fear that the bellicose anti Russian stance will harden and when that happens war becomes a self fulfilling prophesy. What I am  now looking for are anti Russian pronouncements by formerly sober commentators, that would be the next step.

Now its time for breakfast and to help my neighbour yard his cattle for the market.

 

 

Comments

[Tyler]

Welcome to ranch lyfe.

[Scott]

I think this reading of Obama is way off. I would think Obama blindsided by Ukraine--was paying attention to Iran, left neocons in charge of European policy too long, politically has to be "tough" and is just waking up the potential dangers. I'm sure he doesn't like the racist portrayals coming from Russia. But he's a cool customer, with no desire to blow up the world, I assure you. He wants to get good in golf, which he cares about more than Ukraine. As he should!

[FB Ali]

Walrus,

If this is well-earned retirement, you've probably earned it.

If this is your "On the Beach" retreat, seems a nice place to watch the last few sunsets!

[Chris Rahimi]

What a cool place to live in by the sounds of it!