northstar4us

I wrote this in 2014. I didn’t think that I could forecast future history so well. Please read.

So here I am at 30,000 feet and I’m thinking to myself. How is this fully loaded and massively heavy aircraft even flying? It seems to defy logic that this should be even happening, yet here in sit with 139 other passengers flying 1100 miles to our destination. There are laws of physics, engineering and lots of other sciences at play keeping us all safe and comfortable. Yet should anyone of those laws, sciences or man made actions fail, disaster can happen in a heart beat. All of us on the plane believe we are safe, but unexpected problems can suddenly appear and our belief will instantly turn to terror. We all boarded the aircraft feeling no imminent sense of dread, but we are totally unprepared for a sudden change in events.

My thoughts change from thinking about a plane crash to thinking of the current situation we Americans find ourselves in. Gone is the peace a Pax Americana had brought to the world. For many of you, you have no knowledge of the post World War 2 era. I do because I am one of those baby boomers born after the war. The only two superpowers that came out of that conflict was the United States and Russia. Yet these two former allies soon turned against each other and so began the Cold War. Both nations developed nuclear weapons, practiced mock war against each other in separate military alliances. Yet, the fear of a nuclear apocalypse prevented either side from pulling the trigger. A balance of terror.

When China emerged from its civil war, the only threat they gave was a massive army of men, ill equipped and very backwards. Mao’s little red book, political purges and cultural revolution basically kept the red dragon at bay. They were not a modern country.

The world could live with the standoff and status quo. Despite smaller wars and disputes, the world was generally at peace. But there was a major difference between those who lived in the first world – the developed nations, and the second world – the developing nations. Those emerging countries wanted a slice of the pie that the first world had – better armaments for their militaries, a better daily life for their populations, and generally a secure existence for their political elites. An open society did not fit their vision as they had no history of this.

Well, the developed world was willing, for a price (or an alliance), to sell this developing world anything they wanted to foster that progress. So they were sold equipment, infrastructure, education and armaments. The unfortunate outcome is that they usually bought more armaments than anything else. The rulers became more despotic over their own people. Keeping the populace focused on hating America (really was an extreme envy coupled with hate) was a means of putting the focus on someone else other than their leaders and policies.

China even got back into the game. Realizing that it’s backwards society was becoming more out of step with the rest of the world, a new group of Chinese leadership began a long journey in modernization to compete in the world economic struggle. By stealing, copying or buying they have become a major force in our current era. Again, many of you are too young to remember that their army had to travel by horse or antiquated trucks. They had no Air Force to speak of, no space program, an uneducated and impoverished population, and no modern conveniences. This changed in the mid 1970’s.

Slowly, the concept of using cheap Chinese labor began to creep into the developed world’s planning. That had a two fold positive purpose. One, it collapsed the American manufacturing industry as the infusion of cheap labor meant American labor was no longer competitive. Two, Chinese industry began the role as the manufacturer of the world’s commodities. The industries and businesses that allowed the United States to win World War Two were outsourced to China. Literally America sold its birthright (industrial dominance) for a cheap pair of tennis shoes. No longer would America produce – it would consume.

China would take this infusing of monetary capital, knowledge and equipment to transform from a backwards country to world dominance in the blink of an eye, so to speak. No nation in history has changed as rapidly as China. In less than 20 years it went from poverty to abundance. From following to leading. It’s military from ineffective to formidable.

In that same period America went from individual liberty to collectivist. From richness to indebtedness. From leader to follower. It’s once great industries, from manufacturing to entertainment were sold off the Chinese. It’s once formidable military depleted.

This is a very sad commentary, but this is where we are at today. In our weakness, and in as smaller nations adopted nuclear technology, America is surrounded by petty dictators seeking the destruction of our nation. It is only a matter of time. As for Rome, so it is for America – the barbarians are at the gate.