Three Generations Of Banality

I read this essay today about US government employees who it says carry out policies which harm people around the world. It invokes Hannah Arendt's phrase "the banality of evil":

https://starkrealities.substack.com/p/ofacs-banality-of-evil-small-us-agency

It made me think of Ward Churchill's essay "Some People Push Back", On the Justice of Roosting Chickens, which suggested the people working in the World Trade Center on 9/11 were "little Eichmanns":

https://cryptome.org/ward-churchill.htm

I'll point no fingers at either group of employees. It's up to them and their families to decide their level of culpability, if any.

But all three publications now make me think about my own role as a former nuclear submarine officer, one of whose duties was to validate orders for the launching of nuclear weapons. Had such orders ever been given and executed on my watch, what would that have made me?

Some may say that anyone in such a position is hardly "banal"; after all, the whole point of our role would have been to literally unleash hell on earth. But to be honest, I never thought of it that way at the time. Unlike the recruiting slogan, it was just a job ... not really an adventure. [In fact, I admitted as much during my job interview with ADM Rickover.]

Right now there are hundreds of military officers out there who are ready, willing, and able to launch such weapons, complete with super-fuze warheads in a preemptive first strike attack against the latest putative "axis of evil". What should we call them? Will there even be anyone left to make such a determination once the missiles fly?

Shouldn't we all right now stop and think about what we're doing and what we might be called upon to do ... before the time comes? Or should we all just carry on doing our jobs efficiently, just following orders?

Nuclear War Fever

Here is a VERY important discussion about "Biden's" nuclear war strategy:

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/biden-nuclear-strategyi./

To call this a "preemptive strike technology" is TOTAL BULLSHIT. Super-fuze makes Trident a FIRST STRIKE WEAPON.

All the associated nonsense, including the decades-long demonization of Russia, is INTENTIONALLY crafted to make you think it's preemptive. Russia wouldn't have attacked us in a million years had we left them alone. We (at least the psychopaths that run the US) have been trying to goad them into a nuclear war ever since 1945. We're not "preempting" anything, we're PROVOKING.

Also note the linked report says nothing about the consequences of "winning" such a preemptive war. Even if the Russians only managed to launch a few weapons following a US attack, the immediate death toll would be huge, and the ultimate impact of the fallout from OUR weapons and the nuclear winter such a war would cause would probably kill most life on the planet.

And by the way, adopting such a nuclear strategy AND shooting at Russia's early warning radars make it MUCH more likely they might launch on warning.

Are you happy now?

Democracy Or Just Clinging To Power ???

Here is a discussion of the mess Democrats created by pulling Biden off the ballot at the last minute:

https://headlineusa.com/dem-secs-ballot-deadline-misinfo/

There was nothing "democratic" about how they chose their candidates.

If they cannot even handle a simple election, why should anyone think they can run the country?

Thought For Today - 08/25/2024

"Modernity gives people neither models for noble life nor examples of gallant death, nor compelling reasons for either." - John Attarian

After watching the DNC Convention, I can understand why TPTB don't want us to achieve either one. To them, we're no longer even cannon fodder and most are just useless eaters.

[To be honest, I didn't really watch their convention at all. Just saw some replay snippets, but that was enough for me.]

Landslide Coming ???

Here is an essay which predicts Kamala Harris may win the election:

https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2024/08/kamala-harris-may-well-win-the-white-house/

I heartily agree, and she may win by a landslide. I don't want her to win, but unlike Trump I can read the tea leaves.

He's been demonized for the past eight years, and too many people have bought into all the shade and dirt which has been thrown at him. In fact, they relish it:

Trump, you've been chumped - and I would not be surprised if you wind up in jail, too.

Who Has The Football ???

A reporter recently asked some US Air Force generals whether "Joe Biden" still could handle his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief when it comes to the possible use of nuclear weapons. This is one of the responses he received:

"I have no concerns with the current Commander-in-Chief and his abilities to give me lawful orders if required."

Source - https://www.mtracey.net/p/top-us-military-officials-wont-say

Oh I'm sure the orders would be "lawful", but would they be SANE? I suspect not. Just because he CAN do it doesn't mean he SHOULD.

As I've written before, the command and control system is designed and built to ensure "lawful" orders are properly received and executed, but I don't recall there being any provision for second-guessing or hindering the underlying decisions:

https://sainthoward.blogspot.com/2024/07/about-it-outage.html

We never should have started the current game of nuclear chicken, but it sure would be nice if someone in a position to do so would stop it before it gets any worse. And the final chance to stop it is BEFORE those "lawful" orders are ever given.

Nuclear Dreams

Apparently in an effort to meet "climate goals", the US will be shutting down its coal-powered generating stations and building more nuclear power plants:

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/us-coal-plants-shutter-renewed-focus-nuclear

Good luck with that. Ever since the Three Mile Island incident, new nuke plants either have been cancelled, or were WAY over budget and behind schedule. There are many reasons for that, but they all boil down to a lack of leadership at all levels. Without clear, sustained leadership, any "nuclear renaissance" is likely to fail.

We're being told that to facilitate the rebirth of nuclear power, the US will start to reprocess its spent nuclear fuel:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/business/us-plans-to-start-recycling-nuclear-waste-5707349 [behind a paywall]

But as you may be aware, the US previously tried but gave up on that idea in 1977. Will things be any different this time?

https://www.gao.gov/products/emd-80-38

And we still need to construct a working repository for high level nuclear waste, but the US also gave up on that project after a lame effort to build one in Nevada. Again, will we actually finish one this time around, or just give up again?

https://www.yuccamountain.org/

Having worked for 25+ years in military, DOE, and civilian nuclear energy programs, I can confidently predict that any progress will be slow, difficult, and very expensive.

And don't forget that any nuclear power plants which ARE likely to be built will be used to power the data centers so urgently needed to spy on us and keep TPTB in power. Once THAT is accomplished, all the other promises mentioned above are likely to be forgotten.

Once again, we'll go from "too cheap to meter" to "insufficient funds".

Haiku For The New Rome

Nero fiddled and

Kamala cackled - while their

cities slowly burned.

Tim Walz Vs. Tulsi Gabbard

It didn't take very long to hear the truth about Tim Walz (or is this just another case of "swift-boating"?):

https://www.wctrib.com/community/letters/the-truth-about-tim-walz

On the other hand, it apparently took quite some time for this to come out about Tulsi Gabbard:

https://uncoverdc.com/2024/08/04/fams-whistleblowers-report-tulsi-gabbard-on-quiet-skies-list

I can think of absolutely no valid reason why Tulsi should be subjected to such surveillance. Can you?

Not only is it nearly impossible to discover "the truth" about any politician, it's now possible to completely weaponize any and all government assets against them if they threaten or offend TPTB.

Our political system has been destroyed. Are you happy now?

By the way, IMO Trump should have picked Tulsi for VP. Just my two cents.

It's Hard Being A Troll

When I was in the first or second grade, my school put on a production of Three Billy Goats Gruff. For some reason (perhaps my stentorian voice) I was chosen to play the Troll.

At the time I thought it was an honor. I later realized being thought of as a Troll is kind of demeaning. I'm pretty sure now choosing me for the role was an indication of how easy it has been for people to trick me into doing things which really did not benefit me ... and sometimes were quite damaging. Go figure.

As you may have noticed, the biggest Troll in the world today is Donald J. Trump. He thinks being President is an honor, and it is. But in many respects, casting him in that role was, is, and will be the cause of his demise. Look how easy it has been to trick him into doing dumb, damaging things (e.g., choosing traitors as his advisors, getting people to take poisonous "vaccines", falling into "debate"/"interview" traps which make him look like a racist or insurrectionist, etc.). These are things from which he may never recover, and perhaps even land him in jail.

I may be one of the few, but I completely sympathize with him; I've been there, too, and once you're type-cast in that role, it's nearly impossible to break out of it.

Later in grade school, I was cast in the role of Ichabod Crane in a radio production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I wonder what they were trying to tell me with that?