2014 in L'Alpe di Siusi, fresh from the US and Australia.
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Current Moon Phase
THE AQUARIUS FESTIVAL 2022
16 FEBRUARY 2022
© Malvin Artley
Aquarius and elementals
Aquarius
The full moon
Sedna
The EU and NATO
Invasion Day
The schismOrcus and schisms
US super-imperialism
Japan and Germany as competitors
The Flying Dutchmen
Hegemony lost
Leonine Europe
Painted into the corner
Putin derangement syndrome
What Russia thinks
Establishment vs. Cabal
The Bear Patrol
Belt and Road developments
Final addenda
Is freedom just another word?
In closing
Greetings Everyone!
If you have watched the news at all in the past weeks you would no doubt have heard of the ‘immanent Russian invasion’ of Ukraine. The slated date and time has now come and gone. It was supposed to have happened (we were told breathlessly in the news) early this morning. I slept through it. Maybe I woke up and it is now February of 2023. Sorry to have missed all those letters, as well as the invasion. I joke, of course, but what the folks in Washington and London are doing is no joke. We will have a closer look at all that later in this piece, especially since the souls of the US and Russia express Aquarian energy. It is a rather fascinating thing, really, to look at how nations express their personalities and souls, and the degree to which one or the other dominates. What will follow here also is a look at how Europe, as in the EU, fits into all this and how the opposite sign to Aquarius – Leo – will eventually be a decisive factor in how Europe eventually pulls itself out of its present malaise. And speaking of Leo, we have just seen a major victory for Virginia Giuffre (with Leo Sun, Moon and Ascendant) and all victims of sexual assault, in her long battle with Prince Andrew over his association with Epstein (who didn’t kill himself) and Ghislaine Maxwell. The Prince chose the wrong person to pick a fight with when he went up against Virginia.
To local news, we have not had much of a winter here in Rovereto. Two heat domes at separate times have settled over northern Italy this winter thus far, preventing snow and precipitation in general and heading us toward a drought. Looking at the mountains in the distance the landscape is brown, much worse than I have seen in my short time here. If it continues on this path then the summer could be a dangerous time, as in wildfires. We just had a day of rain, though, and the mountains are blanketed in snow, which was a relief to see. It rained here in the city, but I’m not complaining. Along with that rain, which was a blessing, many of the people reading this letter will know by now of the immanent passing of one of the most esteemed members of the Western esoteric community, Michael Robbins. He is still hanging with us as of this writing, probably waiting for the exact time of the full moon today (as he would). He will be missed, but his legacy will live on. Many of us have had a long association with him, both outwardly and subjectively. There will be a bit more information about him and his legacy at the end of this letter. But since we are on the subject of Aquarius, we may as well dive right in. Michael was big on Aquarian group work and we see that dynamic working out in our communities and in world affairs as we slide ever-increasingly fully into the Aquarian Age.
Another name for the elementals is the ‘Baskets of Nourishment’. It is the elementals that go about their business of building the form/organ/body of which they are a part and transmitting the energy they receive to the greater functioning of the organ or body. They are the tiny, ultimate particles – atoms, cells, what have you – that form the constituent parts of every form. And the elementals do this with no consciousness of the larger plan of which they are a part, hence the name ‘The Blinded Lives’. But still, they have their purpose and they do their part until such time as the consciousness that ensouls the form withdraws its intention to exist in its present form, its work having been done. Thus, the elementals are returned to the great pool of life from which they came, enriched by the experience of their work, to take up new work when another soul calls on their participation. And thus it goes from lifetime to lifetime as souls take on work and experience until their ultimate goal and liberation is achieved. Knowing this, it is not difficult to see by analogy that we are very much like the ‘Blinded Lives’ of our planet, not knowing the greater Plan of which we are a part, yet going about our tasks day by day, contributing our part to the functioning of the society of which we are a part, gaining in experience, sharing in our collective karma, working off our individual karma (which are called ‘debts’ in Christianity) and returning to our source (higher Self) at the end of our lifetime task, there to wait until we are once again called upon for service.
Aquarius is ruled in modern astrology by Uranus,[2] the occult planet[3], which is felt and consciously utilized in a positive sense only when selfish desire is abandoned. Otherwise, the effects of Uranus are felt collectively and are felt as disasters by the individual who acts only selfishly, because the selfish desires can act against the greater will that guides any individual body or form. Uranus is seen thus as a corrective measure, pulling the rebellious entity back into the collective fold, or ejecting it altogether. Uranus transmits the 7th ray[4] (order and ritual magic) and the tendency of Uranus is always to introduce a new order. In that respect, Uranus governs revolutions and rebellions. In modern astrology, Uranus marks the individual as the pioneer, going often against the standard order in order to induce and introduce needed changes. In that respect Uranus is seen in its function as the ‘urge to better conditions’[5], – the urge to pursue spiritual enlightenment.
The full moon takes place on 16 February 2022 at 16:56 UT (3:56 am AEDT on the 17th). This full moon will be a moon wobble, meaning emotions will be running high, with the possibility of physical accidents, missteps and even disasters. The astrological moon wobble – when the Sun is conjunct the moon’s nodes at new and full moons or square the nodal axis – is not the same as the moon wobble as described by astronomers. The astrological moon wobble was first identified and catalogued by astrologer Carl Payne Toby. It is worth noting that all eclipses are moon wobbles, and we know what sorts of events and disasters can be signaled by eclipses. Good things can come of moon wobbles, too. What we have with this full moon is a moon wobble by square, with the Sun and Moon square the nodal axis and in an approaching square to Ceres, the latter in Gemini, indicating a turn of events. Ceres is conjunct the north node, pointing to a change toward a new direction, and we also find Sedna at the north node, in the final degrees of Taurus.
So, we have the combination of the full moon axis square the nodes, Ceres and Sedna. What could possibly happen? Following on from the Capricorn and Chinese New Year letters, we are likely to see events moving toward a resolution of the current manufactured crisis regarding Ukraine. And given the Sun is in Aquarius, this brings up some rather interesting considerations. Just so you know, Washington had told Putin to wait until the day of the full moon, as in today, to invade Ukraine. And the media trotted out the actual time the invasion was meant to start, quoting US intelligence sources – 1:00 am, or was it 3:00 am? The Russians must have overslept. So much for Western ‘intelligence’ services. Armchair warriors were disappointed. There will be no popcorn today. Sarcasm, to be sure, but we will have more on that as we go along here, because the implications and outcomes for Europe from the present crisis will be existential. That is not overstating the matter.
Sedna: Before we start our investigations into international affairs we take a quick look at Sedna, because it foreshadows events to come. Sedna first touches into Gemini in June of next year. When Sedna changes signs it marks the end of old world orders and the creation of new ones on the rubble of the old. We have the following, regarding Sedna:
“In general, Sedna represents a process, first of destruction, then of reassessment and then of reordering. The process demands determination and creative responses to evolving circumstances, to the point where there is sometimes the necessity for survival against the odds, and sometimes in the face of death. As a result, Sedna also reveals creative people, especially those who have faced the bottom – i.e., the depths of their despair – and then climbed their way back to success, using the ‘bottom experience’ as the springboard for their creativity.”
The EU and NATO: An imminent post on the blog site will examine the astrological indicators for the EU, resulting from the ‘imminent invasion of Ukraine’. But a preview of that astrology shows the EU to be in a precarious position now, which is plain enough to see even without astrology if we have been paying attention. There is now a clear choice for EU states – cut themselves off from Russia and face a future with diminishing returns and much-weakened EU/NATO membership, or engage in dialog and cooperation with both the East and the West, shunning the ideologues and vested interests in Washington and London. What has especially emerged over the last couple of months is that Washington wants to keep the EU and UK as markets, solely to itself. It is an untenable position for Europe and Europeans, no matter the nationality.
Another fact to emerge from the present crisis and over the course of last year is that NATO as an alliance has ended. This was evidenced in the unilateral decision to withdraw from Afghanistan by the US, which was supposed to be a NATO mission, showing who really runs NATO and then the Russian refusal to address security concerns with European NATO members, instead engaging directly with Washington and bypassing Europe. As the old saying goes, you don’t address the monkey. Talk to the organ grinder. The AUKUS deal ran along the same lines, shoving France out of the way, with Australia dutifully following the American diktat. It might interest fellow Australians to know ‘Scott from Marketing’ had Mike Pompeo on speed dial for two years while Pompeo was in office. Morrison had weekly contacts with Pompeo, both of them ‘good Christian’ lads, along with Mike Pence. We might wonder what effect that has had on Australia’s foreign policy toward China and on the AUKUS deal. We might also wonder how separate Morrison’s religion is from his politics and his decisions about the Australian state.
It is perhaps clear we have reached a point of decision when it comes to Europe, as well as between the US, China and Russia. The point has also been reached where Western public has to decide about its leadership, too – between an economy that builds one’s nation, trust in one’s government and advances the concerns of the people over those of vested interests. The large and growing protests we are seeing fits quite well with the Year of the Tiger, as in empowering the voice of the people and in speaking truth to power. We will look at that later in this piece. Overriding that, though, is what is taking place regarding Europe, because once Europeans decide to take hold of their own destiny and cultures, placing the US in the position of ‘just another country’, then our world will drastically change. All nations need to regain their sovereignty, being suzerain to none, if we are to move with grace into the Aquarian Age.
There appear to be two aspects to what is taking place, one domestic for the US and the other about Europe. The domestic side was just outlined by Jack Matlock, last US ambassador to the USSR:
“Maybe I am wrong – tragically wrong – but I cannot dismiss the suspicion that we are witnessing an elaborate charade, grossly magnified by prominent elements of the American media, to serve a domestic political end. Facing rising inflation, the ravages of Omicron, blame (for the most part unfair) for the withdrawal from Afghanistan, plus the failure to get the full support of his own party for the Build Back Better legislation, the Biden administration is staggering under sagging approval ratings just as it gears up for this year’s congressional elections.
Since clear “victories” on the domestic woes seem increasingly unlikely, why not fabricate one by posing as if he prevented the invasion of Ukraine by “standing up to Vladimir Putin”? Actually, it seems most likely that President Putin’s goals are what he says they are – and as he has been saying since his speech in Munich in 2007. To simplify and paraphrase, I would sum them up as: “Treat us with at least a modicum of respect. We do not threaten you or your allies, why do you refuse us the security you insist for yourself?”
The other side to the tensions has been outlined by several journalists and ambassadors in the know about US-Russia relations, and that side revolves around the US control over Europe, which it currently sees slipping. Both ideas are probably correct and combined for maximum effect. The Eurocentric argument runs thus:
“…the formula [for the creation of NATO, described below] has acquired today a greater import, and a new twist: To keep Germany ‘down and price uncompetitive’ versus U.S. goods; to keep Russia ‘out’ from being Europe’s source of cheap energy; and to keep China ‘fenced out’ from EU–U.S. trade. The aim is to contain Europe firmly within America’s narrowly defined economic orbit and compelled to forgo the benefits of Chinese and Russian technology, finance and trade – thus helping towards achieving the aim of barricading China within its borders.”
Aside from the US, the present tensions are about the relationship between Washington and Western Europe which has existed since the end of WWII, which is where we will primarily focus in this letter. The two most influential nations carrying the energy of Aquarius as a soul expression are now facing a crossroads in their individual destinies and their relationship for the near future. Those two nations are Russia and the United States. And it is that relationship which has held Europe in thrall since the end of WWII. These two world powers hold the destiny of the West in their hands for the immediate future, and perhaps for the remainder of this century. Why only the West, we might ask? What about the East? Well, we will come to that, but we start with the West.
Thus, a great evil was allowed to grow again across Europe, persisting to this day, where old antagonisms best forgotten were instead given pride of place again. Instead of dialog, separatism and antagonism were encouraged between the West and Russia, and by factions on both sides. We might say that WWII didn’t end, but instead morphed into an ideological/militaristic standoff between the so-called ‘West’ and Russia, much like what we see between the Koreas. ‘West’ is in half-quotes because in reality the greatest part of Russia is in fact European and has been a part of Western culture for many centuries.
Orcus and schisms: The dwarf planet Orcus has a particular emphasis on schisms and was in Gemini at the start of the Cold War. It was Washington and London who promoted the schism, both nations having strong Gemini characteristics. The actions of Orcus are primarily ideological and tests people and nations as to their ideals. It entered Cancer in 1954, affecting Washington, Turkey and New York. For example, that period was the height of McCarthyism in the US and led to McCarthy being denounced in Congress. Orcus entered Leo in 1980, which was most notable in Russia with the collapse of the imperial communist ideology and the Soviet Union, along with the introduction of neoliberal financial economics in the West with its emphasis on the ‘freedom of the individual’, private ownership and free markets. There is a whole story there regarding the rise of neoliberalism and the collapse of the Soviet Union, but we will leave that for now. Orcus entered Virgo in 2009 affecting Greece, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and France, most marked by financial crises. And Orcus will enter Libra in 2037, affecting China, Canada, Austria, Argentina and Scandinavia. We have not the space here to go into what happened in these places, but a quick search would prove revealing.
US super-imperialism: Coming back to what is in process of resolving between the West and Russia, we have to look instead at the relationship firstly at relations between Washington and London, and then the US and its supposed main allies – Germany and Japan. At the end of WWII, the US had the British over a barrel and the capitalists in the US forced the British to divest of their Sterling holdings by opening them to the world market. At the time the pound Sterling was only redeemable to London. This divestment was done by provisions within the Lend-Lease Act, and it had the effect of destroying the British Empire, in forcing the British to divest themselves of their colonial holdings in order to pay off the debt to the US. The Americans also told the British they could not devalue the Sterling to make it more competitive with the US dollar. What the US insisted upon, in essence, was predatory and coercive capitalism, the very thing of which they accuse China of doing today. Washington did a similar thing to Japan in the mid-1980s as they did to the British via the Plaza Accords. The World Bank and the IMF grew out of WWII and sealed American dominance over the financial fortunes of their ersatz allies. American attention then turned to the Global South.
Japan and Germany as competitors: But Japan and Germany are US allies, correct? That is what we are told. But allies are not generally thought of as being occupied nations. France, for instance, has no US military bases on its soil. The largest numbers of American bases, in order, are found in Japan, Germany, South Korea, Guam and Italy. We are told American bases are there to counter Russia and China and to protect our allies. Tensions toward Russia and China are kept high to justify the need for those bases, and we note the nations with the largest concentrations of those bases were all involved in major wars involving the US. Guam was taken from the Spanish during the Spanish-American war. However, referring to the discussion of NATO in the Chinese New Year letter, the expressed purpose of NATO, given the current fearmongering is in relation to Europe, was to keep Germany down (as in a vassal state of the US) and the Russians out of Europe. And the Americans play on the strong strain of Russo-phobia that still exists in parts of Germany, particularly in the west of Germany.
Why would Washington want to keep the Germans firmly under the American thumb? It is because Germany is the one European nation that can compete on equal terms with the United States in terms of manufacturing and finance. Russia can compete with the US in that regard, too, but the Russians will not be cowed to the US. And there are many German industrialists who want to do mutual trade with Russian interests, not to mention the cheap and plentiful Russian gas that would power German industry. Germany on the whole has better relations with Russia than some other nations in the EU. A union of Russo-German industrial might would be a direct challenge to the US and seal Europe as the main economic competitor with the US aside from China. This is the real reason why the hysteria out of Washington about a supposed Russian invasion of Ukraine has been amped up to levels not seen since 2014. Washington has been crying wolf about a ‘Russian invasion’ of Ukraine for eight years. But the clincher – the ‘smoking gun’ for the present manufactured conflict, if you will – was uttered by Biden just the other day:
“Speaking at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Biden said, “If Russia invades… again, then there will be [no] longer Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.” When asked how he would do that, he responded, “I promise you we will be able to do it.“
Maybe, or maybe not. If I were a German citizen hearing such an arrogant threat, though, I would be calling for the immediate withdrawal of American forces from Germany. In fact, such calls for America to leave are rising in Germany. But such is the hubris of the hawks in Washington. And it is notable that Nordstream 2 is a joint Russian, French, German, Dutch and Austrian initiative. So when Biden threatens the pipeline, he is threatening energy supply to much of Western Europe, as well as the security of those EU states. In fact, cancellation of Nordstream would hurt Europe far more than it would Russia. Perhaps the purpose behind Washington’s insistence on the Russian invasion is made clearer in the preceding points. When we speak of Aquarian souls and initiatives, then, which of the two largest nations with Aquarian souls is actually expressive of Aquarian ideals, seeking to cooperate for mutual benefit, and which one is being divisive and coercive? The answer should be clear enough. Then, there is a third nation seeking to express its Aquarian soul, and we find corporate and business interests of that nation in the consortium promoting Nordstream 2.
So the note of freedom was sounding in Dutch culture even in the 17th century. But their biggest role in the present day is with European integration and regional affairs. That said, The Netherlands also saw the founding of the now-infamous Bilderberg Group, whose expressed purpose these days is to “bolster a consensus around free-market Western capitalism and its interests around the globe“. It is not a group that promotes transparency and they abide by Chatham House Rule. Their meetings are held around the world. The Bilderbergs aside, the Netherlands may prove instrumental in the negotiations that are bound to be coming between European states, the US and Russia in the immediate future. The International Criminal Court is based in The Hague. Ban Ki Moon once said of the Netherlands:
“It is a leading progressive force in promoting the rule of law, disarmament, the peaceful settlements of disputes and sustainable development. The Netherlands is also a champion of human rights and gender equality and it is engaged on climate change and the post-2015 development agenda process.” Ki-Moon also went on to laud the Netherlands financial commitments to global governance as only one of five nations in the world, which has met its promised financial obligations to the United Nations. In regard to recent developments, the Dutch government is at the forefront of stunting the flow of European Islamic State recruits to Syria and Iraq.”
So, even though the Netherlands does not still have the international ‘reach’ and synthesizing influence of the US and Russia worldwide, they are one of the keys to European integration and should not be discounted when it comes to the Western world. Our main concern for this letter, though, is the relation between the US and Russia, two of the three nations (the third being Great Britain) that hold the keys to human development in consciousness into the near future.
Hegemony lost: From all the preceding, then, we see the US seeking to hang on to its post-Cold War economic hegemony by whatever means possible, seeing Russia as the main threat to Washington’s hold on Europe, all the while China is seen as the primary threat to US control over Japan and South Korea. Japan and South Korea would turn naturally to China as trading partners and would go to form one of the most powerful economic blocs in the world. In considering Aquarius, we also must consider its opposite sign, Leo, and that sign also plays strongly into what is evolving in Europe. The Leo European seats of power – Russia, France, Italy (with a double Leo emphasis), Berlin, London, Romania (on Ukraine’s border) and Geneva. All of these Leo places seek their own kind of independence and sovereignty and they are the key to Europe gaining its independence once again from the United States. For all the reasons just outlined, Germany is under intense pressure to be tough on Russia and to support the NATO narrative regarding Ukraine wholeheartedly. The German people disagree. And the German people will be the ultimate deciders of which way Germany seeks to chart its future.
Leonine Europe: In past discussions of Leo we have seen how deprivation and isolation will spur Leo types to development and growth and ultimately to leadership. It is as true of nations as it is of people. France under Macron is already seeking a path divergent to NATO and Washington. France and Italy recently signed their Quirinale Treaty (another immanent blog post), pledging cooperation and in the future perhaps spearheading the emergence of the Mediterranean economic cooperative bloc. But for now that is only conjecture. Italy (with its double Leo) recently signed on to the Belt and Road under the Cinque Stelle (5 Star) government. There were grumblings in the EU, Washington was not amused, Matteo Renzi was sent to that year’s Bilderberg meeting and Draghi was thereafter instated in Italy in a soft coup in which Renzi was involved. The BRI projects were summarily sidelined temporarily by Draghi (an avowed Atlanticist), though it is worth noting the plans have not been scrapped. Draghi is not stupid and sees which way the money is flowing. But the situation in Europe has to be decided first.
So, we have diverse and sometimes divergent Leo interests at play in Europe. We have the City of London with its misused Leo soul regarding financialized neoliberal economics and its secrecy locations (tax havens), Berlin with its own financial interests and standing for its freedom in terms of energy supply, France seeking independence in terms of its own security as well as seeking leadership in the EU, Italy (especially its industrialists) looking East for markets and cooperation, Geneva (connected with the world’s banking system) hosting the greatest number of international organizations in the world and as the seat of the WEF as well as spiritual groups, and Romania which is at present relatively quiescent, but which has a role to play in Eastern Europe and in the present crisis since it shares borders with Ukraine and Moldova. Romania is also a Belt and Road member and would play a role in any emerging Mediterranean economic bloc, being a Romance nation. That leaves Russia as a Leo nation and also as an Aquarian one, bridging the two signs.
A meeting of the UN Security Council was called by the US at the end of January to try to garner support for the US narrative, to no avail. In fact, they were rebutted by most of the nations in attendance, most diplomatically, of course (video). Olaf Scholz of Germany was just in Moscow for talks with Putin and gave a presser with Putin afterwards (video) where they reaffirmed friendly relations and stressed business and cultural ties between Germany and Russia, with both leaders stressing they want to avoid a war in Europe at all cost, stressing the need for dialog. From that presser we hear that business ties between Germany and Russia are very strong. That is yet another reason why sanctions against Russia will be watered down if they are attempted. Thus, we see the triumvirate in the EU is opposed to the escalation of the rhetoric out of Washington and London. We get the sense of a widening rift between Washington and the EU.
Putin derangement syndrome: We in the West have been sold the idea that one Vladimir Putin rules over Russia with an iron hand as an autocrat, decides whatever goes on in Russia, is the arch-nemesis of the West, that he covets Ukraine (they could at least spell his name correctly) and regaining the old Soviet empire, that he may be the richest man in the world (that idea truly is rich) and that he is waiting for the ground to freeze over (which is utter nonsense) so he can invade Ukraine. Hell will freeze over before Russia invades Ukraine. They would have to pay for it. Oh, and Putin and Russia supposedly weaponize everything, hacked the 2016 election in the US, is behind the truckers’ Freedom Convoy in Canada and dopes Russian athletes going to the Olympics. (The story of the controversy around Valieva is fishy at best, as in why did testing authorities wait so long? The timing of the revelation, the fact she is Russian and that she is so good, the tensions between Russia and the West now and so forth, lead one easily to suspect the episode is politically motivated. The girl is 15 and has been called the greatest female skater in history. Watch the video if you want to see excellent skating.) The Russians also have a nasty habit of hacking everything (Google ‘Russia hacked’). That would be one extremely busy and very powerfully evil man if he was the one pulling the strings. And one of the latest memes is that he is somehow closely connected with the WEF and their so-called Great Reset. (Putin is actually against the Reset.) But the preceding points are a small sample of what we are led to believe about Putin. Let’s take a deep breath and step back from America’s ‘Putin psychosis’.
Instead of Putin lording over Russia, he is in power because Russians in general approve of what he has done for Russia. And the Americans approved of Putin being made president of Russia in the first place, because they thought he would continue Yeltsin’s policies. Russia is not ruled by a single person, though. It is governed by a vast bureaucracy:
“Russian policy is made by professional bureaucrat-specialists resident in the extremely dense permanent Russian bureaucracy. These bureaucrats, part of the Russian civil servant class, are responsible for turning policy guidance into detailed implementation plans from which the resources needed for implementation are assigned, along with a timeline for completion of the task.
These implementation plans cut across ministries and are designed to consider all foreseeable variables. In short, Russian policy is the by-product of a process which represents the coordinated effort of a vast bureaucracy—the exact opposite of the individual “impulsivity” ascribed by McFaul, [Fiona] Hill, Kendall-Taylor, and others to Putin.”
We are also complicit for creation of the current prewar situation – by being weak and trusting our Western partners. Not anymore…NATO is not an immediate threat. We observed its fighting capabilities in Afghanistan. But we see it as a dangerous virus spreading bellicosity and thriving on it. Also it is obvious that the closer it comes to our borders the more dangerous it could become. Russia crushed all European coalitions trying to defeat Russia – the last led by Napoleon and Hitler. But we do not want another war. Even if not on our territory…
And then the most important bit:
There are a few ways to solve the narrow Ukrainian problem. Return of countries like her to permanent neutrality, legal guarantees by several key NATO countries not to vote ever for further expansion of the block…We do not want to humiliate Brussels by insisting on repudiating it’s erroneous plea for open-ended expansion of NATO. We all know the end of the Versailles humiliation. And, of course, [further to solving the Ukraine issue, there is the] implementation of the Minsk agreements.
But the task is wider: to build a viable system on the ruins of the present. And without resorting to arms, of course. Probably in the wider Greater Eurasian framework. Russia needs a safe and friendly Western flank in the future world competition. Europe without Russia or even against it has been rapidly losing its international positions. That was predicted by many people in the 1990s, when the Russian offer to integrate with, not in, we are too big and proud, was rejected. But there is always a chance.
Emphasis and bracketing added. We should note also that the Chinese system runs along much the same lines as Russia, as a vast bureaucracy with a chosen leader. If Xi Jinping chose to start acting against the wishes of the people and the CPC he would be out on his ear, with a ready replacement waiting in the wings. Neither China nor Russia are dictatorships, and what we perceive as autocracy is actually the machinations of their respective bureaucracies. It is much the same in Iran and in most democracies. And…this is true also of the United States, which also has a vast bureaucracy, typically called ‘Washington’, which is why nothing much seems to change as administrations come and go.
Establishment vs. Cabal: We call these government bureaucracies by many names – the ‘establishment’, the ‘deep state’ the ‘Blob’ and so on. The same is also true in London, the old hand in modern Europe at bureaucracy, tradition and ‘connections’, as recently described by Craig Murray. And then, we have Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, who achieved their current positions by ‘virtue’ of their ‘connections’ rather than by their merit. There is no Cabal that runs the world. What we have instead are entrenched factions in every nation that all play off against and with each other for gain. And within these groups are the majority of people who simply wish to serve their respective nations but who are hamstrung by the momentum and power of vested interests, by being kept in the dark either by willful ignorance, lack of interest or by being fed misinformation and for fear of losing their jobs if they speak out. There are also people who enter these established groups for their own self-interest. We see this consistently across the Washington-led West. Foreign secretaries like Liz Truss and Antony Blinken show the mediocrity of Western diplomacy. The former has almost no experience in foreign affairs and was recently ridiculed roundly for her performance at her meeting with Lavrov. The British press did as much as they could to prop her up. But her performance was only full display and duly noted across the world.
The Bear Patrol: There is a short video that gives a nice summary of what follows (video). Given there has been no invasion of Ukraine (Hell hasn’t frozen over yet), it would appear the ‘bear patrol’ in Washington is effectively doing its job. Actually, in a rather ironic twist, the team that has gamed all the Washington invasion
narrativescam is called the ‘Tiger Team’, we might guess in honor of the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Thus, in closing regarding the United States and before we move on to other topics, what is the Washington establishment gaining from its present war narrative? Washington is seeking a political ‘win’ from the crisis. They know full well (we hope) Russia has no intention of invading Ukraine. But other actors in the US are benefitting also. The American LNG industry benefits, especially if Europe is cut off from Russian gas, for instance. The victory would be short-lived due to the steep rise in energy prices that would ensue. But further:“What cannot be denied is that the war scare, with the media dutifully performing its stenographic role [now with egg on its collective face], has brought great advantages to the hawks…The increased deployments to Eastern Europe and arms sales to Ukraine gratify the interests of the military-industrial complex. The anti-Russia coalition, which draws as much from sheer ideological enmity as anything resembling self-interest, has advanced its campaign to gain legal authority from Congress to impose a total shutdown in relations with Russia…”
And finally,
“The cleverest feature of the administration’s approach is that, when there is no war, Biden and Blinken can claim that it was all due to them and their solid statesmanship. Deterrence has been successful! Our firm leadership made it so!”
Belt and Road developments: Moving to other matters, Argentina has just joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (video), looking for other ways to get out from under its growing debt. Argentina was one of those Latin American nations that underwent the Washington consensus economic shock therapy, resulting in what was hailed as an ‘economic miracle’. They have had enough of the so-called consensus. China and Argentina are linked astrologically, via their Libran personalities. But if you want to see what especially has Washington and London up in arms, a quick look at the maps of nations who have joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative and China’s major trading partners tells us why. Almost the whole of Africa has signed on, as well as all the major nations of South America aside from Brazil, almost all of Eastern and Central Europe, West Asia and New Zealand in Oceania. That is upwards of 145 nations, roughly ¾ of all the nations. That is a huge bloc of nations that have the potential to be able to bypass US sanctions and onerous IMF loans, as well as completely remaking the world’s financial system. And all this has happened since 2013, as in less than a decade. Is it any wonder the financial capitalists are alarmed? It gives us something to ponder in the immediate years ahead.
Final addenda: Speaking of monopolies and the health of ‘the world’s elementals’ (us in other words), Pfizer-gate, mentioned in the Chinese New Year letter, is slowly beginning to take shape. Pfizer’s profits have doubled since the start of the pandemic, with its profits now greater than the GDP of most countries. The CEO of Pfizer, trumpeting the success of the COVID vaccine, notwithstanding the huge profits made from it, was heard to say, “These successes have not only made a positive difference in the world, but I believe they have fundamentally changed Pfizer and its culture for ever.” He doesn’t know how correct he is – or perhaps he does. What he doesn’t see is what is coming in the near future, given Pfizer had been knocked back twice in two years on seeking further monopolization of the pharmaceutical industry, as happened during Obama’s last year in office, and the recent ordering of disclosure of documents related to the development of its COVID vaccine. Pfizer wanted those documents locked for 75 years. We might wonder why, as in what is there to hide? Secrecy begets curiosity and suspicion.
Pfizer’s income for last year was $81 billion. That’s an eye-watering tidy profit for a vaccine that was heavily subsidized by taxpayer money during its development and which should have been produced for the public good, ignoring the profit motive. Libertarians would disagree, but the public at large is not amused, seeing as the Big Pharma companies are some of the largest lobbying groups and donors to political campaigns in Washington. Pfizer has become one of the largest pharmaceutical corporations in the world via its mergers and acquisitions. As an example of the political clout Pfizer wields in US politics, they tried to have Helen Clark as Health Minister in New Zealand sacked (talk about foreign interference in a nation’s affairs!) because she opposed a free trade deal between the US and New Zealand that would have allowed Big Pharma to charge what they liked in Aotearoa for pharmaceuticals.
Is freedom just another word?: We cannot go past this letter without a brief look at the growing protests across the West regarding the COVID restrictions and the hardships those restrictions have produced in the general public. The most visible example of such protests has been the truckers’ Freedom Convoy in Canada, now into its third week. This has been a peaceful protest, in true Canadian style, and although it has inconvenienced many in Ottawa and other places, it has shown the true face of the Trudeau administration. Trudeau (who actually was part of the WEF Young Global Leadership organization) has shown a particular lack of leadership during the protests as well as a lack of courage in confronting both the protesters and the issues. He has just enacted Canada’s Emergency Powers act (video) which gives police wider powers and bypasses normal democratic procedures. It should be called the ‘Desperation Act’. The only emergency in Canada is the lack of leadership on the part of Trudeau. A real leader would be out talking with the protesters and addressing concerns. The leaders of some of Canada’s provinces are against the invoking of the Emergency Act, are beginning to lift restrictions and recognize that such acts by Trudeau will only harden attitudes against Canadian government policy.
Protests against mandates and economic troubles are on the rise across the West and will only worsen, primarily because the economic situation in the West worsens by the day. And yes, protests are supposed to be disruptive and to send a message to governments and vested interests. They are inconvenient. Get used to it. Monopoly interests (including governments) will balk against such public displays and seek to have them quashed, as we are seeing. There is an antidote to the neoliberalism we have now. We need more monopsony (power of the individual consumer) to counteract the monopolies that have taken shape over the past few decades. This is what we are seeing, for example, with the truckers’ convoy in Canada, who are using Bitcoin now to bypass the monopoly control (video) of the Canadian government and the monopolist tech platforms like GoFundMe, which is now run by venture capitalists and investment firms. Just be aware of where one puts one’s money, because tech platforms are some of the biggest campaign contributors in the US and many democracies. If real leadership had been demonstrated since the beginning of the truckers’ protest the situation may have already fallen from the news cycle.
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