Militarism at the Heart of US Gun Violence

[Toddsterpatriot]

Circa 1945

'The New Deal's ad hoc statism was eventually superseded by the real thing: the full-bore warfare state spawned by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Under the exigencies of total war, all of the tools of modern fiscal expansion and monetary manipulation were discovered, tested, amended, and perfected. But when peace came in 1945, the victory of these warfare state-inspired policy tools was neither complete nor immediate. Indeed, over the next quarter century the canons of financial orthodoxy found intermittent, and sometimes poignant, expression under President Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the long-reigning Fed chairman William McChesney Martin. Even President John F. Kennedy kept orthodoxy alive, at least in the Treasury Department and its international dollar policies.

So the road from Pearl Harbor to Richard Nixon's decision to default on the nationa's Bretton Woods obligation to redeem its debts in gold, eventually ushering in printing-press money and giant fiscal deficits, is important to retrace.
....
And rarely noted is that President Kennedy's first economic policy address was a ringing commitment to maintain the nation's Bretton Woods obligations and to defend the gold dollar.
....
The American Empire and the End of Sound Money....The London Gold Market Panic of October 1960: A Shot Across the Keynesian Bow
At the time, the London gold market was a genuine free market in which traders, both private parties and official institutions, could buy or sell gold at an auction price. It functioned parallel to the official Bretton Woods system under which transfers of gold among nations in settlement of payments imbalances occurred exclusively between central banks, and only at the official parities centered on $35 gold. The rub was that this gold settlement process under the official Bretton Woods was highly discretionary and political, not automatic and market driven as under the pre-1014 gold standard. Consequently, official gold settlements did not necessarily "clear the market" and fore immediate monetary tightening and economic adjustments in the deficit countries, as occurred under the classic gold standard mechanism.

Under dollar-based gold exchange standard, in fact, trading partners with dollar surpluses could be "persuaded" (by Washington) to forego the conversion of these dollars at the U.S. gold window. They were instead forced to accumulate short-term dollar claims which counted as monetary "reserve" assets.

As the hegemonic power during the early Cold War era, the United States self-evidently had the wherewithal to enforce a de facto policy of involuntary reserve accumulation. The overseas hoard of dollars piled up in foreign central banks was thereby steadily enlarged, even as the U.S. balance of payments deficits grew during the 1960s and remained uncured.

The one escape valve was the ability of countries with unwanted dollars to quietly swap them for gold in the London market. Accordingly, in the early days of Bretton Woods, bureaucrats at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) made efforts to get participants to outlaw private gold markets.

They recognized that someday official parities could be threatened if the free market price of gold diverged too far from $35 per ounce. But the presence of makeshift private gold markets in places like macau, Tangiers and Hong Kong, along with the steady clandestine sale of gold for desperately needed har currency by the Soviet Union, finally encouraged the Bank of England to reopen the old London gold market in March 1954.'
(Stockman, op cit )

'The New Deal's ad hoc statism was eventually superseded by the real thing: the full-bore warfare state spawned by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Under the exigencies of total war, all of the tools of modern fiscal expansion and monetary manipulation were discovered, tested, amended, and perfected. But when peace came in 1945, the victory of these warfare state-inspired policy tools was neither complete nor immediate

The US has used its creditor and debtor status to gain control of other countries's economies since the end of WWI. The gold standard never held in times of major conflicts, and once the US began its occupation of South Vietnam, it gave way completely.

Over the past few decades, international finance seems to have provided many of the same benefits as military occupation without the threat to social order we saw during Vietnam.

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson

"After World War II, the US created the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund IMF. These instruments were created as essential control mechanisms to control other countries financially.

"This became particularly apparent after the US abolished its gold-standard in 1971.

"Since then, the US has always sought to force other states to hold their own currency reserves in US dollars.

"That means that those governments must then obtain the money through the US Federal Reserve.

"To make it clear: You buy US government bonds, most central banks do not buy stocks or companies, they buy government bonds.

"At least that was the case until recently."

"Dollars have been pumped into the world economic cycle for a long time, also to finance the military spending of the United States. As a result, the private sector is in a fairly difficult position.

"So briefly stated: The US military spending is pumping a lot of dollars into foreign economies. Those central banks are told by the FED, they should hold these dollars, including central banks of Europe, central banks of the Third World, China and such.

"Then – in turn – to buy these US government bonds, the buying central banks then lend exactly those dollars back to the US Federal Reserve.

"In effect, these states are actually financing the US military budget. As you can see, this is a circular cycle. So: Foreign countries are paying the US military budget. This is the common unipolar policy of the United States."

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

Why does the US start so many wars?

"Is this the reason why the US government leads so many wars worldwide?

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson


"The United States lost almost the entire stock of US state gold during the Vietnam War.

"The problem: Keeping a war going is very expensive.

"The key is to balance the expenses.

"The limit is the balance of payments.

"In principle, the US has created all this about its own balance of payments deficit.



"How can the US now entertain its huge global military apparatus?

"They can only do that if the dollar value does not go down.

"That’s why the US has always been about keeping other countries from exchanging their dollars for gold.

"Therefore, the US saying: 'Please just hold the dollars, okay? Thank you.

"Or invest in our US Treasury bonds.”



"Basically, the US has often told the European Union (EU): 'Do not create your own deficit in balance of payments. Please do not create so many euros that the Euro will end up being a rival to the dollar. We only want countries that hold the dollar.'

"That’s a kind of tribute.

"These countries therefore finance the US balance of payments deficit."

Why does Communism fail every time it's tried?

Why does Communism fail every time it's tried?

Lack of a global reserve currency?

Not enough hired killers?
Why do you think capitalism kills everything it touches?

That's true, only an idiot would hold Russian or Venezuelan currency.

 

[miketx]

Circa 1945

'The New Deal's ad hoc statism was eventually superseded by the real thing: the full-bore warfare state spawned by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Under the exigencies of total war, all of the tools of modern fiscal expansion and monetary manipulation were discovered, tested, amended, and perfected. But when peace came in 1945, the victory of these warfare state-inspired policy tools was neither complete nor immediate. Indeed, over the next quarter century the canons of financial orthodoxy found intermittent, and sometimes poignant, expression under President Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the long-reigning Fed chairman William McChesney Martin. Even President John F. Kennedy kept orthodoxy alive, at least in the Treasury Department and its international dollar policies.

So the road from Pearl Harbor to Richard Nixon's decision to default on the nationa's Bretton Woods obligation to redeem its debts in gold, eventually ushering in printing-press money and giant fiscal deficits, is important to retrace.
....
And rarely noted is that President Kennedy's first economic policy address was a ringing commitment to maintain the nation's Bretton Woods obligations and to defend the gold dollar.
....
The American Empire and the End of Sound Money....The London Gold Market Panic of October 1960: A Shot Across the Keynesian Bow
At the time, the London gold market was a genuine free market in which traders, both private parties and official institutions, could buy or sell gold at an auction price. It functioned parallel to the official Bretton Woods system under which transfers of gold among nations in settlement of payments imbalances occurred exclusively between central banks, and only at the official parities centered on $35 gold. The rub was that this gold settlement process under the official Bretton Woods was highly discretionary and political, not automatic and market driven as under the pre-1014 gold standard. Consequently, official gold settlements did not necessarily "clear the market" and fore immediate monetary tightening and economic adjustments in the deficit countries, as occurred under the classic gold standard mechanism.

Under dollar-based gold exchange standard, in fact, trading partners with dollar surpluses could be "persuaded" (by Washington) to forego the conversion of these dollars at the U.S. gold window. They were instead forced to accumulate short-term dollar claims which counted as monetary "reserve" assets.

As the hegemonic power during the early Cold War era, the United States self-evidently had the wherewithal to enforce a de facto policy of involuntary reserve accumulation. The overseas hoard of dollars piled up in foreign central banks was thereby steadily enlarged, even as the U.S. balance of payments deficits grew during the 1960s and remained uncured.

The one escape valve was the ability of countries with unwanted dollars to quietly swap them for gold in the London market. Accordingly, in the early days of Bretton Woods, bureaucrats at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) made efforts to get participants to outlaw private gold markets.

They recognized that someday official parities could be threatened if the free market price of gold diverged too far from $35 per ounce. But the presence of makeshift private gold markets in places like macau, Tangiers and Hong Kong, along with the steady clandestine sale of gold for desperately needed har currency by the Soviet Union, finally encouraged the Bank of England to reopen the old London gold market in March 1954.'
(Stockman, op cit )

'The New Deal's ad hoc statism was eventually superseded by the real thing: the full-bore warfare state spawned by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Under the exigencies of total war, all of the tools of modern fiscal expansion and monetary manipulation were discovered, tested, amended, and perfected. But when peace came in 1945, the victory of these warfare state-inspired policy tools was neither complete nor immediate

The US has used its creditor and debtor status to gain control of other countries's economies since the end of WWI. The gold standard never held in times of major conflicts, and once the US began its occupation of South Vietnam, it gave way completely.

Over the past few decades, international finance seems to have provided many of the same benefits as military occupation without the threat to social order we saw during Vietnam.

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson

"After World War II, the US created the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund IMF. These instruments were created as essential control mechanisms to control other countries financially.

"This became particularly apparent after the US abolished its gold-standard in 1971.

"Since then, the US has always sought to force other states to hold their own currency reserves in US dollars.

"That means that those governments must then obtain the money through the US Federal Reserve.

"To make it clear: You buy US government bonds, most central banks do not buy stocks or companies, they buy government bonds.

"At least that was the case until recently."

"Dollars have been pumped into the world economic cycle for a long time, also to finance the military spending of the United States. As a result, the private sector is in a fairly difficult position.

"So briefly stated: The US military spending is pumping a lot of dollars into foreign economies. Those central banks are told by the FED, they should hold these dollars, including central banks of Europe, central banks of the Third World, China and such.

"Then – in turn – to buy these US government bonds, the buying central banks then lend exactly those dollars back to the US Federal Reserve.

"In effect, these states are actually financing the US military budget. As you can see, this is a circular cycle. So: Foreign countries are paying the US military budget. This is the common unipolar policy of the United States."

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

Why does the US start so many wars?

"Is this the reason why the US government leads so many wars worldwide?

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson


"The United States lost almost the entire stock of US state gold during the Vietnam War.

"The problem: Keeping a war going is very expensive.

"The key is to balance the expenses.

"The limit is the balance of payments.

"In principle, the US has created all this about its own balance of payments deficit.



"How can the US now entertain its huge global military apparatus?

"They can only do that if the dollar value does not go down.

"That’s why the US has always been about keeping other countries from exchanging their dollars for gold.

"Therefore, the US saying: 'Please just hold the dollars, okay? Thank you.

"Or invest in our US Treasury bonds.”



"Basically, the US has often told the European Union (EU): 'Do not create your own deficit in balance of payments. Please do not create so many euros that the Euro will end up being a rival to the dollar. We only want countries that hold the dollar.'

"That’s a kind of tribute.

"These countries therefore finance the US balance of payments deficit."

Why do buttstain traitors like you lie so much?

Why do buttstain traitors like you lie so much?

Even your memes are lies.

 

[badger2]

OP separates the concepts well in these posts. They can be processed more efficiently than posting a block of text. We are aware that Marxism itself is passe, but to call a complete block of text Marxist can't hold up to scrutiny: there's a lot of capitalist pathology to face up to in these texts.

 

[georgephillip]

OP separates the concepts well in these posts. They can be processed more efficiently than posting a block of text. We are aware that Marxism itself is passe, but to call a complete block of text Marxist can't hold up to scrutiny: there's a lot of capitalist pathology to face up to in these texts.

Richard Wolff is a life-long Marxist and long time critic of capitalism's many failures; he often compares socialism to capitalism's shadow:

MR Online | Capitalist Crisis, Marx’s Shadow

"Capitalist Crisis, Marx’s Shadow
Posted Sep 26, 2008 by Richard D. Wolff
Capitalism , Marxism Commentary

"Capitalism happens. When and where it does, capitalism casts its own special shadow: a self-critique of capitalism’s basic flaws that says modern society can do better by establishing very different, post-capitalist economic systems.

"This critical shadow rises up to terrify capitalism when — in crisis periods such as now — capitalism hits the fan.

"Karl Marx poetically called that shadow the specter that haunts capitalism."

 

[georgephillip]

The US has used its creditor and debtor status to gain control of other countries's economies since the end of WWI. The gold standard never held in times of major conflicts, and once the US began its occupation of South Vietnam, it gave way completely.

Over the past few decades, international finance seems to have provided many of the same benefits as military occupation without the threat to social order we saw during Vietnam.

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson

"After World War II, the US created the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund IMF. These instruments were created as essential control mechanisms to control other countries financially.

"This became particularly apparent after the US abolished its gold-standard in 1971.

"Since then, the US has always sought to force other states to hold their own currency reserves in US dollars.

"That means that those governments must then obtain the money through the US Federal Reserve.

"To make it clear: You buy US government bonds, most central banks do not buy stocks or companies, they buy government bonds.

"At least that was the case until recently."

"Dollars have been pumped into the world economic cycle for a long time, also to finance the military spending of the United States. As a result, the private sector is in a fairly difficult position.

"So briefly stated: The US military spending is pumping a lot of dollars into foreign economies. Those central banks are told by the FED, they should hold these dollars, including central banks of Europe, central banks of the Third World, China and such.

"Then – in turn – to buy these US government bonds, the buying central banks then lend exactly those dollars back to the US Federal Reserve.

"In effect, these states are actually financing the US military budget. As you can see, this is a circular cycle. So: Foreign countries are paying the US military budget. This is the common unipolar policy of the United States."

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

Why does the US start so many wars?

"Is this the reason why the US government leads so many wars worldwide?

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson


"The United States lost almost the entire stock of US state gold during the Vietnam War.

"The problem: Keeping a war going is very expensive.

"The key is to balance the expenses.

"The limit is the balance of payments.

"In principle, the US has created all this about its own balance of payments deficit.



"How can the US now entertain its huge global military apparatus?

"They can only do that if the dollar value does not go down.

"That’s why the US has always been about keeping other countries from exchanging their dollars for gold.

"Therefore, the US saying: 'Please just hold the dollars, okay? Thank you.

"Or invest in our US Treasury bonds.”



"Basically, the US has often told the European Union (EU): 'Do not create your own deficit in balance of payments. Please do not create so many euros that the Euro will end up being a rival to the dollar. We only want countries that hold the dollar.'

"That’s a kind of tribute.

"These countries therefore finance the US balance of payments deficit."

Why do buttstain traitors like you lie so much?

Why do buttstain traitors like you lie so much?

Even your memes are lies.

Even your memes are lies.

Nobody lies like Trump.

Donald Trump Tells 'Veterans Choice' Lie for 80th Time During Insane Speech

 

[miketx]

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

Why does the US start so many wars?

"Is this the reason why the US government leads so many wars worldwide?

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson


"The United States lost almost the entire stock of US state gold during the Vietnam War.

"The problem: Keeping a war going is very expensive.

"The key is to balance the expenses.

"The limit is the balance of payments.

"In principle, the US has created all this about its own balance of payments deficit.



"How can the US now entertain its huge global military apparatus?

"They can only do that if the dollar value does not go down.

"That’s why the US has always been about keeping other countries from exchanging their dollars for gold.

"Therefore, the US saying: 'Please just hold the dollars, okay? Thank you.

"Or invest in our US Treasury bonds.”



"Basically, the US has often told the European Union (EU): 'Do not create your own deficit in balance of payments. Please do not create so many euros that the Euro will end up being a rival to the dollar. We only want countries that hold the dollar.'

"That’s a kind of tribute.

"These countries therefore finance the US balance of payments deficit."

Why do buttstain traitors like you lie so much?

Why do buttstain traitors like you lie so much?

Even your memes are lies.

Even your memes are lies.

Nobody lies like Trump.

Donald Trump Tells 'Veterans Choice' Lie for 80th Time During Insane Speech

You are a deranged liar.

 

[georgephillip]

The US has used its creditor and debtor status to gain control of other countries's economies since the end of WWI. The gold standard never held in times of major conflicts, and once the US began its occupation of South Vietnam, it gave way completely.

Over the past few decades, international finance seems to have provided many of the same benefits as military occupation without the threat to social order we saw during Vietnam.

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson

"After World War II, the US created the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund IMF. These instruments were created as essential control mechanisms to control other countries financially.

"This became particularly apparent after the US abolished its gold-standard in 1971.

"Since then, the US has always sought to force other states to hold their own currency reserves in US dollars.

"That means that those governments must then obtain the money through the US Federal Reserve.

"To make it clear: You buy US government bonds, most central banks do not buy stocks or companies, they buy government bonds.

"At least that was the case until recently."

"Dollars have been pumped into the world economic cycle for a long time, also to finance the military spending of the United States. As a result, the private sector is in a fairly difficult position.

"So briefly stated: The US military spending is pumping a lot of dollars into foreign economies. Those central banks are told by the FED, they should hold these dollars, including central banks of Europe, central banks of the Third World, China and such.

"Then – in turn – to buy these US government bonds, the buying central banks then lend exactly those dollars back to the US Federal Reserve.

"In effect, these states are actually financing the US military budget. As you can see, this is a circular cycle. So: Foreign countries are paying the US military budget. This is the common unipolar policy of the United States."

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

Why does the US start so many wars?

"Is this the reason why the US government leads so many wars worldwide?

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson


"The United States lost almost the entire stock of US state gold during the Vietnam War.

"The problem: Keeping a war going is very expensive.

"The key is to balance the expenses.

"The limit is the balance of payments.

"In principle, the US has created all this about its own balance of payments deficit.



"How can the US now entertain its huge global military apparatus?

"They can only do that if the dollar value does not go down.

"That’s why the US has always been about keeping other countries from exchanging their dollars for gold.

"Therefore, the US saying: 'Please just hold the dollars, okay? Thank you.

"Or invest in our US Treasury bonds.”



"Basically, the US has often told the European Union (EU): 'Do not create your own deficit in balance of payments. Please do not create so many euros that the Euro will end up being a rival to the dollar. We only want countries that hold the dollar.'

"That’s a kind of tribute.

"These countries therefore finance the US balance of payments deficit."

Why does Communism fail every time it's tried?

Why does Communism fail every time it's tried?

Lack of a global reserve currency?

Not enough hired killers?
Why do you think capitalism kills everything it touches?

That's true, only an idiot would hold Russian or Venezuelan currency.

That's true, only an idiot would hold Russian or Venezuelan currency.

Trump’s Economic Sanctions Have Cost Venezuela About $6bn Since August 2017

"HOW MUCH OIL IS VENEZUELA CURRENTLY PRODUCING?
Venezuela’s crude production was between 734,000 and 1.05 million barrels per day (bpd) in June, according to secondary sources and self-reported figures quoted by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in its July oil market report. That compared to output of 3 million bpd at the turn of the century.

"HOW MUCH CRUDE AND REFINED PRODUCTS IS IT EXPORTING?
Venezuela exported nearly 933,000 bpd of crude and refined products in July, down 17.5% from June, according to data from PDVSA and Refinitiv Eikon. Exports sank 40% in February, the first full month after the sanctions were imposed."

Explainer: U.S. sanctions and Venezuela's trade and oil industry partners - Reuters

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

OP separates the concepts well in these posts. They can be processed more efficiently than posting a block of text. We are aware that Marxism itself is passe, but to call a complete block of text Marxist can't hold up to scrutiny: there's a lot of capitalist pathology to face up to in these texts.

Richard Wolff is a life-long Marxist and long time critic of capitalism's many failures; he often compares socialism to capitalism's shadow:

MR Online | Capitalist Crisis, Marx’s Shadow

"Capitalist Crisis, Marx’s Shadow
Posted Sep 26, 2008 by Richard D. Wolff
Capitalism , Marxism Commentary

"Capitalism happens. When and where it does, capitalism casts its own special shadow: a self-critique of capitalism’s basic flaws that says modern society can do better by establishing very different, post-capitalist economic systems.

"This critical shadow rises up to terrify capitalism when — in crisis periods such as now — capitalism hits the fan.

"Karl Marx poetically called that shadow the specter that haunts capitalism."

he often compares socialism to capitalism's shadow:

Socialism is more like the dump capitalism takes after "wings and beer night".

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

I love your Marxist sources.

Very convincing.

Why does the US start so many wars?

"Is this the reason why the US government leads so many wars worldwide?

Super-Imperialism at the Pentagon | Michael Hudson


"The United States lost almost the entire stock of US state gold during the Vietnam War.

"The problem: Keeping a war going is very expensive.

"The key is to balance the expenses.

"The limit is the balance of payments.

"In principle, the US has created all this about its own balance of payments deficit.



"How can the US now entertain its huge global military apparatus?

"They can only do that if the dollar value does not go down.

"That’s why the US has always been about keeping other countries from exchanging their dollars for gold.

"Therefore, the US saying: 'Please just hold the dollars, okay? Thank you.

"Or invest in our US Treasury bonds.”



"Basically, the US has often told the European Union (EU): 'Do not create your own deficit in balance of payments. Please do not create so many euros that the Euro will end up being a rival to the dollar. We only want countries that hold the dollar.'

"That’s a kind of tribute.

"These countries therefore finance the US balance of payments deficit."

Why does Communism fail every time it's tried?

Why does Communism fail every time it's tried?

Lack of a global reserve currency?

Not enough hired killers?
Why do you think capitalism kills everything it touches?

That's true, only an idiot would hold Russian or Venezuelan currency.

That's true, only an idiot would hold Russian or Venezuelan currency.

Trump’s Economic Sanctions Have Cost Venezuela About $6bn Since August 2017

"HOW MUCH OIL IS VENEZUELA CURRENTLY PRODUCING?
Venezuela’s crude production was between 734,000 and 1.05 million barrels per day (bpd) in June, according to secondary sources and self-reported figures quoted by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in its July oil market report. That compared to output of 3 million bpd at the turn of the century.

"HOW MUCH CRUDE AND REFINED PRODUCTS IS IT EXPORTING?
Venezuela exported nearly 933,000 bpd of crude and refined products in July, down 17.5% from June, according to data from PDVSA and Refinitiv Eikon. Exports sank 40% in February, the first full month after the sanctions were imposed."

Explainer: U.S. sanctions and Venezuela's trade and oil industry partners - Reuters

Only commies could take the largest oil reserves on the planet and end up with starvation.

 

[badger2]

Wolff's 'post-capitalist' economic system compares with Stockman's suggestions, above. Greenspan's moves at the Fed resonate well with shadows: Bernie Sanders as the now-you-see-it-now-you-don't middle tine of the ambiguous trident (Wikipedia) and one thing that makes socialism become impossible being surplus labor:

'Greenspan's Junk Economics: The China Price and the Fallacy of the Taylor Rule

The particular fancy that preoccupied the Fed chairman was that the consumer price index (CPI) trend rater of inflation dropped from around 4 percent before the 1990 recession to about 2.5 percent by the second half of the 1990s. Greenspan concluded that this was the result of a miracle of productivity and the Fed's skill at inflation fighting.

He therefore encouraged the open market committee to embrace a gussied up reincarnation of the Phillips curve trade-off between employment and inflation. The new monetarist variation was known as the Taylor rule, but it amounted to the same old demand-side error. It called for lower interest rates and a frotheir party on Wall Street on the pretext that reduced inflation and available slack in potential output justified easier money. But this reasoning was upside down. The Taylor rule was mathematical junk posing as monetary science.
....
Indeed, the "China price" deflated the cost of both imported goods and import-competitive domestic manufactures so sharply that the average U.S. price level should have actually been declining, not just rising less rapidly. Yet that did not happen. From December 1990 to December 2000 the average annual CPI increase was 2.7 percent, and exceeded 3 percent during the final two years.

Domestic price gains of nearly 3 percent annually were perverse because they thwarted the needed downward adjustment of domestic wages and production costs, an adjustment essential to preserving competitiveness and jobs. Moreover, monetary pass-through of the Asian deflation would have stretched the domestic buying power of nominal wages and bolstered real living standards.
....
Furthermore, 1994 was the fulcrum year when China radically devalued its currency and triggered the rise of a mercantilist export machine that was bound to further erode American working-class incomes. In a word, if the free market had its way, the curve on the home ownership graph after early 1995 would have headed down, perhaps eventually into the 50-60 percent range as nationwide capacity for home ownership fell steadily.'
(Stockman, op cit pp. 62-3 & 413)

 

[Meathead]

From February 2018:

Militarism at the heart of a violent culture

"AS THE president continued smearing millions of immigrants as violent gang members to justify racist deportations and a border wall, it happened again. A young white man entered a school, not far from where I graduated, and unloaded a legally purchased weapon of war, killing 17 innocent people in three minutes...."

"WE NOW need to expand the demand beyond gun control, and connect the issue of mass murder at home to state-sanctioned mass murder abroad.

"At age 19, shooter Nikolas Cruz has not lived a year of his life when the U.S. was not actively bombing or occupying other countries, and exporting war through lucrative weapons contracts.

"A teen who can't yet legally buy beer or rent a car was able to purchase a weapon made for tactical combat--but then again, the same legislators who allow the AR-15 to be sold more easily than a Bud Light have supported every U.S. war and every bloated military budget presented to them.

"The U.S.-manufactured ammunition that kills abroad kills just the same in Parkland, Florida.

"The crisis we have before us is not about rap music or video games, as has been charged in previous mass shootings.

"It is a capitalist crisis."

A crisis groomed since 1945 during which the Exceptional US has exterminated millions of innocent human beings from Korea to Kandahar.

Only someone as dense as Trump would be surprised when these chickens come home to roost.

Go to Chicago and get the guns from those militaristic thugs.

 

[badger2]

The Cruz brain was 19 year of age, and not yet fully developed. There are also plenty of undeveloped brains with guns in Shy.

 

[georgephillip]

From February 2018:

Militarism at the heart of a violent culture

"AS THE president continued smearing millions of immigrants as violent gang members to justify racist deportations and a border wall, it happened again. A young white man entered a school, not far from where I graduated, and unloaded a legally purchased weapon of war, killing 17 innocent people in three minutes...."

"WE NOW need to expand the demand beyond gun control, and connect the issue of mass murder at home to state-sanctioned mass murder abroad.

"At age 19, shooter Nikolas Cruz has not lived a year of his life when the U.S. was not actively bombing or occupying other countries, and exporting war through lucrative weapons contracts.

"A teen who can't yet legally buy beer or rent a car was able to purchase a weapon made for tactical combat--but then again, the same legislators who allow the AR-15 to be sold more easily than a Bud Light have supported every U.S. war and every bloated military budget presented to them.

"The U.S.-manufactured ammunition that kills abroad kills just the same in Parkland, Florida.

"The crisis we have before us is not about rap music or video games, as has been charged in previous mass shootings.

"It is a capitalist crisis."

A crisis groomed since 1945 during which the Exceptional US has exterminated millions of innocent human beings from Korea to Kandahar.

Only someone as dense as Trump would be surprised when these chickens come home to roost.

Go to Chicago and get the guns from those militaristic thugs.

Go to Chicago and get the guns from those militaristic thugs.

Too many greedy capitalists in the way

GAT Guns

"Welcome to GAT Guns, your complete Firearms Super Store and Shooting Center. Whether it’s our 63 shooting lanes, our 2000+ guns on display, or our multitude of training classes and services, GAT Guns is the one-stop-shop for all firearm related needs! Our professional staff is waiting to assist you in selecting the best firearm for your needs, and our instructors have classes scheduled on a variety of topics and techniques."

 

[badger2]

Army and Church: The Guns of Kaifeng-fu

'The development of gunpowder weapons was certainly one of the greatest achievements of the medieval Chinese world. One finds the beginning of it towards the end of the Thang, in the ninth century A.D., when the first reference top the mixing of charcoal, salpetre (i.e. potassium nitrate), and sulphur is found. This occurs in a Taoist book which strongly recommends alchemists do not mix these substances, especially with the addition of arsenic, because some of those who have done so have had the mixture deflagrate, singe their beards, and burn down the buildings in which they were working.

The beginnings of the gunpowder story take us back to those wilder shores of religion and liturgy which involved the 'smoking out' of undesirable things in general. The burning of incense was only part of a much wider complex in Chinese custom, fumigation as such (hsun).
....
Not only in peace, moreover, but also in war, the ancient Chinese were great smoke producers. Toxic smokes and smoke-screens generated by pumps and furnaces for siege warfare occur in the military sections of the Mo Tzu book (-4th century)....The whole story from beginning to end illustrates a cardinal feature of Chinese technology and science, the belief in action at a distance. In the history of naval warfare, for instance, one can show that the projectile mentality dominated over ramming or boarding, with its close-contact combat. Smokes, perfumes, hallucinogens, incendiaries, flames, and ultimately the use of the propellant force of gunpowder itself, form part of one consistent tendency discernible throughout Chinese culture from the earliest times to the transmission of the bombard, gun and cannon to the rest of the world about +1300.
....
From a silk banner in the musee Guimet, Paris, one of those found at the Tunhuang cave-temples in Kansu. The scene depicts the temptation of Buddha by the hosts of Mara, many of whose demons are dressed in military uniforms and carry weapons, all aiming to distract him from his meditation. One of them, wearing a headdress of three serpents, is directing a fire-lance (huo chhiang) at the seated figure, holding it with both hands and watching the flames shooting out horizontally. Here immediately we see the importance of the availability of a natural form of tubing, the stem of bamboo.'
(Joseph Needham, The Guns of Kaifeng-fu, Creighton Trust Lecture, University of London 26 Nov 1979)

 

[georgephillip]

Army and Church: The Guns of Kaifeng-fu

'The development of gunpowder weapons was certainly one of the greatest achievements of the medieval Chinese world. One finds the beginning of it towards the end of the Thang, in the ninth century A.D., when the first reference top the mixing of charcoal, salpetre (i.e. potassium nitrate), and sulphur is found. This occurs in a Taoist book which strongly recommends alchemists do not mix these substances, especially with the addition of arsenic, because some of those who have done so have had the mixture deflagrate, singe their beards, and burn down the buildings in which they were working.

The beginnings of the gunpowder story take us back to those wilder shores of religion and liturgy which involved the 'smoking out' of undesirable things in general. The burning of incense was only part of a much wider complex in Chinese custom, fumigation as such (hsun).
....
Not only in peace, moreover, but also in war, the ancient Chinese were great smoke producers. Toxic smokes and smoke-screens generated by pumps and furnaces for siege warfare occur in the military sections of the Mo Tzu book (-4th century)....The whole story from beginning to end illustrates a cardinal feature of Chinese technology and science, the belief in action at a distance. In the history of naval warfare, for instance, one can show that the projectile mentality dominated over ramming or boarding, with its close-contact combat. Smokes, perfumes, hallucinogens, incendiaries, flames, and ultimately the use of the propellant force of gunpowder itself, form part of one consistent tendency discernible throughout Chinese culture from the earliest times to the transmission of the bombard, gun and cannon to the rest of the world about +1300.
....
From a silk banner in the musee Guimet, Paris, one of those found at the Tunhuang cave-temples in Kansu. The scene depicts the temptation of Buddha by the hosts of Mara, many of whose demons are dressed in military uniforms and carry weapons, all aiming to distract him from his meditation. One of them, wearing a headdress of three serpents, is directing a fire-lance (huo chhiang) at the seated figure, holding it with both hands and watching the flames shooting out horizontally. Here immediately we see the importance of the availability of a natural form of tubing, the stem of bamboo.'
(Joseph Needham, The Guns of Kaifeng-fu, Creighton Trust Lecture, University of London 26 Nov 1979)

'The development of gunpowder weapons was certainly one of the greatest achievements of the medieval Chinese world. One finds the beginning of it towards the end of the Thang, in the ninth century A.D., when the first reference top the mixing of charcoal, salpetre (i.e. potassium nitrate), and sulphur is found. This occurs in a Taoist book which strongly recommends alchemists do not mix these substances, especially with the addition of arsenic, because some of those who have done so have had the mixture deflagrate, singe their beards, and burn down the buildings in which they were working.

Gunpowder was "...an accidental byproduct" of experiments seeking eternal life???

Gunpowder - Wikipedia

"The first confirmed reference to what can be considered gunpowder in China occurred more than three hundred years later during the Tang dynasty, first in a formula contained in the Taishang Shengzu Jindan Mijue(...) in 808, and then about 50 years later in a Taoist text known as the Zhenyuan miaodao ya....[7]

"Based on a 9th-century Taoist text, the invention of gunpowder by Chinese alchemists was likely an accidental byproduct from experiments seeking to create the elixir of life.[8]

"This experimental medicine origin of gunpowder is reflected in its Chinese name huoyao, which means 'fire medicine'.[9]

"The first military applications of gunpowder were developed around 904 AD.[4]

"The earliest chemical formula for gunpowder appeared in the 11th century Song dynasty text, Wujing Zongyao,[10] however gunpowder had already been used for fire arrows since at least the 10th century.

"In the following centuries various gunpowder weapons such as bombs, fire lances, and the gun appeared in China.[3]"

 

[badger2]

Yes, your reference #9, Andrade (2016). Below it on the wiki page is one that is more familiar: #11 Needham, The Gunpowder Epic, which is chock-full of taoist alchemical lore and esoterica. An example comes from Schafer's Pacing the Void: A T'ang* Approach to the Stars, where the taoist adept, Wu Yun (who made the Buddhists envious) writes,

This seamless crystal chromosphere
That long outshines the sun,
Will cure me of mortality
My final goal is won

Wu Yun's friend was Li Po, though this poem does not refer to gun powder per se, but to neidan "internal alchemy." * pronounced "tarng."

 

[badger2]

Having already mentioned Zizek's Army and Church in this thread, as well as capitalist monetary coercion in the world market, an expose by Avakian plumbs the depths of the pathology:

Militarism: Egoism of the Rescuer-Persecutor Syndrome

'It is also worthwhile looking at Jesus' parable of the Ten Pounds, in which a nobleman gives ten pounds of ten to his slaves and then, after a time, rewards or punishes them according to how they used this money -- whether they wisely invested it for foolishly squandered it. At the end of this parable -- which is supposed to be about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven and what will happen to the righteous and to the evil ones when that time comes -- the nobleman in the parable says: "But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them -- bring them here and slaughter them in my presence." (See Luke 19:1-27 -- what is quoted here is verse 27.) And not without reason, Christian Fascists in the U.S., including in the U.S. military, interpret that this parable, and in particular its concluding verse (Luke 19:27), as a declaration that those who do not recognize Jesus as Lord and savior will face merciless destruction when the Kingdom of Heaven arrives. In an interview with Tikkun magazine, Mickey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation describes the outlook of the Christian fundamentalists in the U.S. military: "They often quote Luke 19:27 when I speak to them. That's the Parable of the Pounds in which Jesus says: 'go out among the people, and bring back to me those who refuse to accept me as King over them, and slaughter them.' "
(Avakian B, Away With All Gods!, p. 17)

 

[georgephillip]

Having already mentioned Zizek's Army and Church in this thread, as well as capitalist monetary coercion in the world market, an expose by Avakian plumbs the depths of the pathology:

Militarism: Egoism of the Rescuer-Persecutor Syndrome

'It is also worthwhile looking at Jesus' parable of the Ten Pounds, in which a nobleman gives ten pounds of ten to his slaves and then, after a time, rewards or punishes them according to how they used this money -- whether they wisely invested it for foolishly squandered it. At the end of this parable -- which is supposed to be about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven and what will happen to the righteous and to the evil ones when that time comes -- the nobleman in the parable says: "But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them -- bring them here and slaughter them in my presence." (See Luke 19:1-27 -- what is quoted here is verse 27.) And not without reason, Christian Fascists in the U.S., including in the U.S. military, interpret that this parable, and in particular its concluding verse (Luke 19:27), as a declaration that those who do not recognize Jesus as Lord and savior will face merciless destruction when the Kingdom of Heaven arrives. In an interview with Tikkun magazine, Mickey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation describes the outlook of the Christian fundamentalists in the U.S. military: "They often quote Luke 19:27 when I speak to them. That's the Parable of the Pounds in which Jesus says: 'go out among the people, and bring back to me those who refuse to accept me as King over them, and slaughter them.' "
(Avakian B, Away With All Gods!, p. 17)

And not without reason, Christian Fascists in the U.S., including in the U.S. military, interpret that this parable, and in particular its concluding verse (Luke 19:27), as a declaration that those who do not recognize Jesus as Lord and savior will face merciless destruction when the Kingdom of Heaven arrives

Speaking of Trump...

The Trump effect is inspiring radical Christians in the U.S. military

"Donald Trump's election has led to such a steep rise in fundamentalist Christian evangelizing and religious bigotry in the U.S. armed forces that the matter is reaching the level of a 'national security threat,' according to information shared exclusively with Newsweek by an organization that represents and advocates for secular and minority religious views in the military."

Trump's coat and tie version of white supremacy translates well with radical Christians in the US military; maybe it's a good thing he dodged his fight in Vietnam?

 

[Rustic]

From February 2018:

Militarism at the heart of a violent culture

"AS THE president continued smearing millions of immigrants as violent gang members to justify racist deportations and a border wall, it happened again. A young white man entered a school, not far from where I graduated, and unloaded a legally purchased weapon of war, killing 17 innocent people in three minutes...."

"WE NOW need to expand the demand beyond gun control, and connect the issue of mass murder at home to state-sanctioned mass murder abroad.

"At age 19, shooter Nikolas Cruz has not lived a year of his life when the U.S. was not actively bombing or occupying other countries, and exporting war through lucrative weapons contracts.

"A teen who can't yet legally buy beer or rent a car was able to purchase a weapon made for tactical combat--but then again, the same legislators who allow the AR-15 to be sold more easily than a Bud Light have supported every U.S. war and every bloated military budget presented to them.

"The U.S.-manufactured ammunition that kills abroad kills just the same in Parkland, Florida.

"The crisis we have before us is not about rap music or video games, as has been charged in previous mass shootings.

"It is a capitalist crisis."

A crisis groomed since 1945 during which the Exceptional US has exterminated millions of innocent human beings from Korea to Kandahar.

Only someone as dense as Trump would be surprised when these chickens come home to roost.

Go to Chicago and get the guns from those militaristic thugs.

Go to Chicago and get the guns from those militaristic thugs.

Too many greedy capitalists in the way

GAT Guns

"Welcome to GAT Guns, your complete Firearms Super Store and Shooting Center. Whether it’s our 63 shooting lanes, our 2000+ guns on display, or our multitude of training classes and services, GAT Guns is the one-stop-shop for all firearm related needs! Our professional staff is waiting to assist you in selecting the best firearm for your needs, and our instructors have classes scheduled on a variety of topics and techniques."

Lol
Buy more guns and ammo... It doesn’t get any more American than that.
And someone else’s firearm ownership is none of your fucking business you spineless motherfucker.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Having already mentioned Zizek's Army and Church in this thread, as well as capitalist monetary coercion in the world market, an expose by Avakian plumbs the depths of the pathology:

Militarism: Egoism of the Rescuer-Persecutor Syndrome

'It is also worthwhile looking at Jesus' parable of the Ten Pounds, in which a nobleman gives ten pounds of ten to his slaves and then, after a time, rewards or punishes them according to how they used this money -- whether they wisely invested it for foolishly squandered it. At the end of this parable -- which is supposed to be about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven and what will happen to the righteous and to the evil ones when that time comes -- the nobleman in the parable says: "But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them -- bring them here and slaughter them in my presence." (See Luke 19:1-27 -- what is quoted here is verse 27.) And not without reason, Christian Fascists in the U.S., including in the U.S. military, interpret that this parable, and in particular its concluding verse (Luke 19:27), as a declaration that those who do not recognize Jesus as Lord and savior will face merciless destruction when the Kingdom of Heaven arrives. In an interview with Tikkun magazine, Mickey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation describes the outlook of the Christian fundamentalists in the U.S. military: "They often quote Luke 19:27 when I speak to them. That's the Parable of the Pounds in which Jesus says: 'go out among the people, and bring back to me those who refuse to accept me as King over them, and slaughter them.' "
(Avakian B, Away With All Gods!, p. 17)

And not without reason, Christian Fascists in the U.S., including in the U.S. military, interpret that this parable, and in particular its concluding verse (Luke 19:27), as a declaration that those who do not recognize Jesus as Lord and savior will face merciless destruction when the Kingdom of Heaven arrives

Speaking of Trump...

The Trump effect is inspiring radical Christians in the U.S. military

"Donald Trump's election has led to such a steep rise in fundamentalist Christian evangelizing and religious bigotry in the U.S. armed forces that the matter is reaching the level of a 'national security threat,' according to information shared exclusively with Newsweek by an organization that represents and advocates for secular and minority religious views in the military."

Trump's coat and tie version of white supremacy translates well with radical Christians in the US military; maybe it's a good thing he dodged his fight in Vietnam?

Ohhhhhh…..scary!!