Pacific Free Press was launched in March 2007 by Dutch-Canadian Richard
Kastelein of V.O.F. Expathos, in the Netherlands along with Chris Cook- CFUV radio journalist and Editor in Chief of Pacific Free Press. Cook is based in , Victoria, British Columbia.
The mission of Pacific Free Press is simple: to dig out nuggets of truth from
the slag-heap of lies, ignorance and witless diversion that has buried
public discourse today. Pacific Free Press provides a new venue for
disseminating hard news and insightful, fact-based analysis of the
harsh realities too often ignored or distorted by the mainstream press.
I think it should be pretty clear to all by now that regardless that the ruling elites of the planet know what’s in store for humanity, they do not intend to take the necessary steps to reverse the slide toward chaos. Yeah sure, lots of hot air to add to an already over-heated atmosphere but no steps of any consequence.
In fact, the actions of our ruling elites over the past decades have been the major contributor to the increasing immiseration and desperation of much of the world’s population, let alone the on-going destruction of our ecosphere. And the two conditions are inextricably intertwined, for it is only because of the increased exploitation of people and planet through the misnamed globalisation that we have arrived at our current predicament.
Yet in spite of what we now know is the inevitable end-product of out-of-control production and consumption, they still maintain that we can have our cake and eat it, or more precisely, that they can.
So what does this tell us about the gangsters who control our economies? There are only two conclusions one can come to:
One, they think they can survive using their wealth and technological power to survive relatively intact as a class or two, they don’t give a damn as long as they can continue to make a profit, today.
Now
even psychopathic ruling elites must surely have an instinct to survive
which leads one to conclude that they are prepared to sacrifice
billions of lives in order to preserve themselves and hopefully a
sufficient number of people to pick-up the pieces aprés la deluge.
I say this based not on despair or a fatalistic acceptance of the
inevitable but on an understanding of the ideology of the ruling class
and on the record of its past actions. Indeed, their bastardised
Darwinian ‘survival of the fittest’ philosophy impels one to this
conclusion. After all, ever since the 1970s, a neo-Malthusian ideology
has pervaded the thinking of our ruling classes, an ideology which says
that there too many (poor) people and all manner of programmes have
been formulated to curb the alleged fecundity of the working classes.
“…There are only two possible ways in which a world of 10 billion
people can be averted. Either the current birth rates must come down
more quickly. Or the current death rates must go up. “There is no other
way. “There are, of course, many ways in which the death rates can go
up. In a thermonuclear age, war can accomplish it very quickly and
decisively. Famine and disease are nature’s ancient checks on
population growth, and neither one has disappeared from the scene…. “To
put it simply: Excessive population growth is the greatest single
obstacle to the economic and social advancement of most of the
societies in the developing world.” — Robert McNamara, Oct. 2, 1979
Climate catastrophe would seem to add a third possible ‘solution’ and
indeed, it might even be preferable to war as it would appear to have
‘natural causes’.
McNamara’s statement was made almost thirty years ago, as part of the
Club of Rome’s prognostications on the future. Note that “excessive
population growth” is confined to the developing world and there is no
mention whatsoever of excessive growth in production in the developed
world, nor of the wealth made possible by poverty. McNamara, infamous
for his ‘spreadsheets of death’, that is to say, he performed the
calculations needed to figure how many tons of bombs needed to be
dropped on Vietnam in order to defeat the Viet Minh.[1]
In fact, the ideology of the ruling classes has not fundamentally
changed since the 19th century in spite of being dressed up in all
kinds of pseudo-scientific newsspeak. So for example, ideas based on
the racially and class-based hypotheses of eugenics of the ‘racially
fit’ that led to mass sterilisation and ultimately to the extermination
camps are but a stone’s throw away from the idea that it’s okay to
sacrifice the millions if not billions of people who are ‘surplus to
requirement’ when the global shit hits the fan.[2] It manifests itself
in scarcely veiled racist ideology about Africans on which I have
commented before in relation to the despicable Live 8.[3]
So deeply rooted is this thinking that it finds expression in every
aspect of state policy; on crime, education, health, housing, even
sexuality and of course, the environment. Implicit in state policies is
the notion that there are those amongst us who are genetically inferior
in some way and it is no accident that they are invariably poor and/or
badly educated. Thus the coming climate catastrophe has to be viewed as
a handy way of eliminating those who are ‘surplus to requirement’.
I mean, just how different is this from sacrificing millions in wars
for profit and resources, it’s really only a question of scale and, as
the effects of climate change speed up, the struggle for basic
necessities—water, food, and land—will add to the destabilising effects
of climate change.
And this is by no means a new idea, food (or lack of it) as a
political/economic weapon has been used many times by the Western
powers.
“Mandatory programs may be needed and we should be considering these
possibilities now," the document continued, adding, "Would food be
considered an instrument of national power? ... Is the U.S. prepared to
accept food rationing to help people who can't/won't control their
population growth?” — Henry Kissinger, ‘National Security Study
Memorandum 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S.
Security and Overseas Interests.’ Dec. 10, 1974.[4]
These struggles, which take place largely in the developing world, will
enable the leading capitalist states to step in and ‘take charge’. The
concept is no different from the current ‘failed state/rogue state’
idea and no doubt a new strategy of interception will be formulated
that will justify intervention based on ‘climate catastrophe’, that the
leaders of these ‘failed states’ are incapable of solving the problems
that confront them.
Of course, climate change will undoubtedly impact on the developed
world, especially those millions who live in the coastal regions but
consider the US government’s response, or rather lack of, to Hurricane
Katrina and you have a good idea of how the ruling elites will deal
with for example, rising sea levels especially where it impacts on the
poor. Benign neglect will undoubtedly be the order of the day.
[Of course, these views will never be stated openly but for example, we
see them expressed indirectly, for example about China and its rapidly
industrialising society, conveniently forgetting two things: it is the
West which has for the past two hundred years been spewing out
greenhouse gases and second, many of the industrial plants in China are
not only Western-owned corporations, moved there because the cost of
production is lower but also because the demand for the products
initially came from the West.]
Collectively, these are already called ‘resource wars’ by one facet of
the environmental lobby and it is instructive to note that those who
formulate the concept of ‘resource wars’ never mention capitalism as
the fundamental cause. As usual, it’s ‘the poor wot gets the blame.’
Closer to home, we see an even more paradoxical idea being promulgated,
namely the idea that we, that is, working people will have to reduce
our consumption of energy and resources without however any fundamental
transformation of the economy. It will, by some miracle known only to
the mandarins of capital, be business as usual.
How this thinking relates to the issue of the environment is most
revealing for rather than focus on the cause—unrestrained capitalist
production—instead we see a propaganda campaign directed at the
consumer who is being told effectively to clean up the mess caused by
capitalism by reducing consumption! It is in other words, yet another
version of blaming the victim only this time, after a lifetime of
convincing the population that ever-increasing consumption is the
solution to all that ails them, they are now being asked to ‘tighten
their belts’.
The question of how exactly, a reduction in consumption squares with an
economy based on ever-expanding production and consumption, is not even
stated let alone addressed. A fundamental question when you consider
that for example in the UK, over 60% of the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) is accounted for by consumer spending (financed largely by
credit-card debt), and spent largely on goods not even produced in the
UK but in the developing world.
And in the same breath, we are warned that ‘globalisation’ means
increased competition between producers, thus by some miracle we have
to compete in the race for markets whilst at the same time reducing
consumption. Again, the paradox of competition between producers and
the obvious necessity to reduce consumption of goods that are produced
merely for the sake of profit rather than real need, is not addressed.
Thus the issue of the underlying nature of the economy is not raised,
let alone addressed. It continues to be assumed that capitalism will
come up with a solution, the ‘market’ will deal with the problem,
although the fact that it’s a global problem cannot be escaped leads
commentators within the capitalist press to admit that a nation state,
by itself, cannot resolve the problem. At this point, the debate, such
as it is, grinds to a halt.
Take for example a recent editorial in the London Independent on this very question:
“… vested interests—fisherman and the oil industry—have for too long
distracted our attention from the urgent need to modify our behavior …
if we spend 1 per cent of global GDP now to reduce our emissions, we
can still enjoy formidable economic growth…”
The editorial ends with the following
“Climate change is an issue that cuts across traditional political
loyalties, class affiliations and economic interests.” — The Independent, Saturday, 4 November, 2006.
Note the choice of words; “distracted our attention”, “our behaviour”
and pointedly, “we can still enjoy formidable economic growth”. Thus
it’s our behaviour
that‘s the problem, not an economic system, a point reinforced by the
“we” of enjoy. No prizes for who the ‘we’ refers to as those most
affected by climate change don’t even get a mention. Thus there is no
reason to be worried, it’s still business as usual as far as the Independent is concerned.
And the final para echoes the standard line pushed by the capitalist
press when ‘our’ interests are threatened, namely that ‘we’ must all
pull together, the interests of big business and that of working people
are assumed to be identical. The assumption made by the Independent
that climate change is not a class issue or no economic interests has
no basis in reality, a point it even refers to when it talks about the
interests of the oil industry.
And to reinforce the point, the other object of the Independent’s
‘affection’, China, gets a mention under the heading, “China’s scramble
for Africa” where we read the following incredulous account
“… the influx of [Chinese] textiles, consumer goods and food products
may discourage the formation of home-grown industries in Africa … We
have tended to see the countries of sub-Saharan Africa only as
recipients of of aid on terms we decide.”
Anyone who has read Walter Rodney’s classic ‘How Europe underdeveloped Africa’ will know that for hundreds of years it has been Europe that has deliberately underdeveloped Africa, so the Independent has some nerve accusing China! And the same applies to the Independent’s reference to the ‘aid’ we allegedly give, ‘aid’ which pays back many times over via the conditions attached to the ‘aid’.
The Independent’s
approach is typical of the corporate media, things look grim but not to
worry, if we all pull together we can still have our cake and eat it.
quote: Thomas Hardy written by Art James,
December 06, 2006
"If a path to the better there be, it begins with a full look at the worst."
Thomas Hardy would agree with you. That concern of his/yours...(His) time was pre-oil energy. I realize blubber-whales lit the street-lights in the past. No one knows what will come and it's hurling toward us very quickly. The best prognosticators do warn to get ready and prepare for not better/but worst. Imagine, not being able pump gas to go to Walmart, McDonald's, flush the commode etc. Yea, the problems come and they will back-whip 'brownies' and dissident whites to grow food, haul their trash, guard their compounds, entertain as clowns their comanions and on.....on...and on.
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Re Thomas Hardy etc written by William Bowles,
December 06, 2006
Have you read Jack London's "The Iron Heel" written in 1910. Seems back then, they were already very aware of what capitalism is capable of and it describes very accurately what has already pretty well come to pass. It's available online as an ebook (free as part of the Gnu project).
Writings 
I think it should be pretty clear to all by now that regardless that the ruling elites of the planet know what’s in store for humanity, they do not intend to take the necessary steps to reverse the slide toward chaos. Yeah sure, lots of hot air to add to an already over-heated atmosphere but no steps of any consequence.
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Thomas Hardy would agree with you. That concern of his/yours...(His) time was pre-oil energy. I realize blubber-whales lit the street-lights in the past. No one knows what will come and it's hurling toward us very quickly. The best prognosticators do warn to get ready and prepare for not better/but worst. Imagine, not being able pump gas to go to Walmart, McDonald's, flush the commode etc. Yea, the problems come and they will back-whip 'brownies' and dissident whites to grow food, haul their trash, guard their compounds, entertain as clowns their comanions and on.....on...and on.