I’m not sure who will take down America: Jihadists, hackers, Vlad Putin, or corporations. But, one thing is certain: The question is far from mute.
But, in all cases, the correct most pressing danger to America may be offshore bankers. Let me explain:
Because the US markets are not open, because of the holiday, I’ll keep my remarks this morning short – and to the point (for a change ) – as we consider not just “news” events, but the larger context of what our shared future will look like.
Jihadists: There have been a number of reports over the past week, primarily stemming from the Judicial Watch bulletin we covered in our Saturday Peoplenomics.com report for subscribers.
One thing is becoming clear: Jihadists are looking forward to the kind of future once held for pirates: Prison and perhaps worse. England is making first moves here, proposing a ban on returning jihadists.
And (for a country unable to articulate a policy on point) we seem to be doing exceptionally well as the US-backed government of Iraq claims to have ended the ISIS siege of a Shiite Iraqi city of Amerli.
OK, why would I blame tax haven banksters for for terrorism plans against the US and genocide in the Middle East?
Easy: In order to continue in operation terrorism groups rely on MONEY and that’s something that has been mighty slow to sink in. Including in the ME itself, although there are some signs recently that certain nations are beginning to connect checkbooks to terrorism besides US authorities here at home.
Hackers: As you know, I wrote an e-book on the threat Internet freedom (Broken Web The Coming Collapse of the Internet) and except for the minor nit about how fast it is all playing out, the number of hacks is increasing and the threat to America grows with it.
Last week, we were hearing about how US banks had been targeted.
But it doesn’t stop there: It also features such diverse projects as a full-on attack on Norway’s oil and gas business.
Oh, and should we mention all those nude pictures of celebs that we unleashed over the weekend?.
Hacking can be roughly divided into three camps: Experimental, malicious, and criminal. But underlying a lot of hacking is extortion and crime – all facilitated by what?
Secret, off-shore banks.
My single best argument against digital currency? Hackers…would you trust them with more than milk money?
Vlad Putin: The US and Western allies recently imposed sanctions on Russia for its conduct in Ukraine and now, under cover of holidays, the Russians have moved up their involvement in Ukraine.
This is no longer just a “border war” – it has turned into something more with the sinking of a Kiev-loyal border patrol boat…which may be the first decisively engaged naval action of WW III if things continue to escalate.
Russia sanctions imposed by the West – designed to defuse and hold the status quo of Eastern Europe – have failed, in large part due to what greedy group of people?
Yes, the offshore bankers, once again. Even as Australia prepares to tighten up on Russia banking escapades, it just means more shell companies will be moving more money for arms through the wide-open branches of offshore banks.
Corporate Shell Games: Yet another bombshell came out as the International Business Times reported that Microsoft was holding nearly $100-billion in cash offshore – an amount that could generate nearly $30-billion of US income tax payments.
Microsoft is far from alone, although saying (in effect) that everyone else is doing it is hardly the kind of moral leadership loyal Windows users are due. Strict compliance with US tax laws and closing down offshore accounts would costly (no doubt) but corporations seem in no particular hurry to come clean about their offshore activities.
Many Americans are Guilty, too: Although I am terrifically critical on the Obama administration on a wide range of strategic fails of epic size, including and especially the pending failure to maintain a border with Mexico, I’m honest enough to admit they are doing something right with regard to US nationals keeping money offshore and out of the taxman’s reach.
I’m no strangers to offshore finance. I was senior VP of one airline that depended primarily on the tax-free banking industry.
Yet over time it has become clear that I was on the wrong team – but that was 30-years ago.
Today there is ample, and growing evidence, that tax havens are aiding, abetting, and facilitating everything from jihadists, to failure of diplomacy, to outright tax dodging, to in-your-face crimes like narcotics trafficking.
If America wans to continue the fine tradition to Labor Days in the future, it’s time to turn our guns away from Ukraine, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Turn them instead on the well-heeled fellows in the Channel Islands, the ABC Islands, Turks and Caicos, and even Grand Cayman.
As long as “secret money” exists, it isn’t just a threat to one nations’ freedoms. It’s a direct challenge by the offshore elite to rational and democratic life on planet Earth.
Look through any book on modern history and behind many major scandals, you’ll find whom?
Yes sir: The [effing] Banksters.
More after this…
The Workers’ Paradise? Hahaha….
A few labor notes: We can’t help but see how Hong Kong might not get additional freedoms after their Chinese masters took a pass on loosening things up.
As a result, protests are expected. And if they turn violent, we’ll take that as continuing proof that China is more “Chinese elite friendly” than “worker-friendly.”
Of course, the working person’s outlook isn’t just dim in Chinese and its holdings – it’s a thorny problem throughout Asia according to an International Labor Organization story over here.
- Five out of 10 young workers in the region are self-employed.
- The average youth unemployment rate (relaxed definition) was 14.2 per cent. The lowest level was in Cambodia (3.8 per cent) and the highest in Nepal (28.9 per cent).
- The qualifications-work mismatch is high among young workers in all five countries, over one-half of young workers in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal are undereducated for the work they do.
- At least one in four working youth expressed a desire to change their job (Samoa was the exception to this).
- Agriculture and services are the main employment sectors for young people. In Bangladesh and Viet Nam industry is the primary sector for young women.
- Too many young people are not benefiting fully from the educational system. In Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal, more than 50 per cent of young people finished their education at primary level or below. In Viet Nam it is 31.9 per cent.
A worthwhile point to consider: Why is the world building more robots to replace more people when we don’t have enough well-paying jobs as is?
Seems to me that if the UN really wanted to show global leadership, they’d be going after offshore banks and limiting robotics and job automation, or at least proposing new economic models that accommodate decline in GNP /GDP without collapsing banks, leading to bailouts, leading to….
In truth, there is so much money in the hands of elites who don’t want general human progress, that we’re stuck with the road we’re on. And if too many people start to getting antsy, look for internet controls to come down globally. There’s no “happy” way out of this box.
Appalling Politics
I’d like to thank the people who put me on a mailing list to receive junk mail from the Ready for Hillary website.
Granted, I didn’t look at every item in the store, but how come no AstroGlide-like products? I mean this premise is ready, is it not?
Ures’ truly has made himself a personal promise: No votes for anyone over 50. We need more people in office who will be around to eat the consequences of their decisions in office.
Speaking of Big Hype
Did’jah see the paper that says the Arctic ice pack is growing (a lot) and not shrinking?
Just goes to show that your best source of science is not likely to be a politician with skin in the carbon game.
I get more reliable info from my editor, Zeus the Cat.
Disruptive Technology
We should take note that digital information has been sent directly brain-to-brain for the first time.
This is right up there with teleportation, I suppose. How do your spell H I V E M I N D?