In Part One of this article
I detailed my inability to predict the timing of events during this Fourth
Turning, while maintaining the catalysts of debt, civic decay, and global
disorder continue to drive the world towards a cliff.
“Every
schoolchild will know what happened next, from the Oh-Ohs to the 2020s, as the
Fourth Turning unfolded—but academics will surely debate how and why it came to
pass. In his history, this great-great-grandson of today’s baby girl will
reflect on what the Fourth Turning came to mean for his own time and
generation. His history is not yet written. What will it be?” – Strauss & Howe
The Trump team is now poised to go on the offensive as this
Constitutional crisis intensifies and hurtles towards a violent conclusion.
Barr and Durham are busy building a case against the Obama administration and
their illegal activities before and after the election. As the election
approaches and Durham concludes his investigation, indictments handed down on
Clapper, Brennan, Comey or any of the other conspirators would lead to turmoil
not seen since the Civil War. No matter the result of the upcoming election,
neither side will accept the outcome.
This
country is irretrievably broken and there will be no compromise or negotiated
agreements. With Virginia Governor “Blackface” Northam attempting to overturn
the 2nd Amendment and forcefully confiscate lawfully owned
firearms from his citizens a modern-day Harper’s Ferry confrontation could be
in the offing. There are no viable political solutions to our current dilemmas.
It’s just a matter of when and where the conflict goes hot and blood is
spilled.
The
domestic turmoil and disintegration of societal norms is a big enough risk by
itself, but the international conflicts swirling across the globe add a
particularly dire dimension to the twelfth year of this Fourth Turning. As we
entered 2019 I thought the likely global recession would lead to further
international tensions and possible military conflict. The flooding of the
entire world with central bank produced liquidity has continued to shroud the
deteriorating economic conditions in the U.S, EU, China and Japan.
If trillions of fiat had not been electronically pumped into the
system during 2019, as the ruling oligarchs panicked at the thought of reality
setting in, the global economy would have crashed, along with stock markets
around the world. GDP only appears to be positive due to Fed money printing and
the government running trillion-dollar deficits. They have managed to delay the
inevitable crash, but they have only ensured it will be the worst in history.
I’ve found it fascinating how
the various factions have reacted to the assassination of Soleimani and the
subsequent reactions and over-reactions of the competing narratives. It
provides a window into the thought processes of Republicans, Democrats,
neo-cons, the left-wing media, Iranians, Iraqis, Israelis, Russians, and
Chinese. Soleimani has been described as a brutal terrorist responsible for the
deaths of over 600 American soldiers. He has also been given credit for
defeating ISIS in Syria. We’ve been told he was beloved by the Iranian people.
We are now being told he is despised by the Iranian people.
We were told this act by
Trump would lead to World War 3. Shortly thereafter, the initial Iranian
response was tepid, except for their military incompetence in shooting down a
civilian airliner. Iraq’s response was to demand all American troops leave.
Trump’s response was no, revealing we are actually an occupying force and not
an ally of Iraq. Israel quietly foments discontent and turmoil across the
region to keep the focus off itself. Russia and China support Iran economically
and militarily in order to offset Americans dominance of the region. Confusion
reigns.
The right is ecstatic over
the developments since the assassination. Trump is on the offensive. The
left-wing politicians and their media lackeys look like fans of terrorism and a
teetering religious extremist regime. The goal of the neo-cons is for regime
change in Iran, just as it was in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. Look how
well that worked out. Everything we touch in the Middle East turns to shit. We
were told taking out Sadaam Hussein and Gaddafi would lead to the glorious
democratization of these nations.
Instead it turned them into
dangerous, terrorist infested, hell holes where the population despises
America. We were unsuccessful in creating ISIS to bring down Assad in Syria,
with Russia and Iran doing the dirty work in destroying ISIS, and Trump taking
credit. No one knows what happens if Khamenei and his regime are overthrown.
But I’m sure the result won’t be what we were told it would be. Blood will
spill and society will disintegrate just like every country we have “helped”
achieve freedom.
It almost seems like that’s
the plan. None of the guys running these Middle East countries are good guys.
Of course, the guys running Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel are bad guys too,
but we aren’t bombing them or assassinating their leaders. As has been clearly
revealed during the ongoing coup attempt against Trump, the U.S. government/Deep
State/Surveillance State is overflowing with bad guys doing bad things around
the globe. Xi and Putin are brutal dictators who will resort to any tactic to
retain power and enforce their will upon the world scene.
Essentially, the so-called leaders
of this world are corrupt power-hungry arrogant oligarchs. The average Iranian,
Iraqi, Syrian, Russian, Chinese, and American are decent people trying to make
a living and enjoy some semblance of happiness during their short stay on this
planet. It’s our “beloved” leaders who create turmoil, wage wars, steal the
money of their citizens, exhibit hubristic pomposity in their actions, and
wield far more power than the people should allow them.
Anyone with an ounce of
critical thinking skills knows none of this is about freedom, democracy or
doing the right thing. It’s about oil and it’s about the military industrial
complex requiring enemies to keep the profits flowing. The tripe about America
being energy independent is easily sold to a dumbed down willfully ignorant
populace who believe any propaganda emanating from the boob tube. The shale
“miracle” is just another delusion built upon easy money pumped out by the Fed.
No one can make profits on shale oil at $60 per barrel.
The powers that be know the truth.
That is why the Deep State promotes global disorder, particularly in the
countries with the largest oil reserves – Venezuela, Iran and Iraq. By
installing puppets in these countries, the oligarchs are trying to ensure a
continued flow of cheap oil to power their military and keep their debt
saturated Ponzi scheme alive. Keep rooting for the good guys, except they don’t
exist. The world is filled with good people, governed and manipulated by bad
people.
The year we have entered has
all the makings of other historically important years which have fallen during
the eighty-year cycles ending in a period of crisis. Eighty years ago we
entered 1940, with World War 2 underway, the U.S. still experiencing the
effects of the Great Depression, and 65 million future deaths over a five year
period, as destiny and the generational configuration of the world assured the
destruction of the existing social order.
Eighty years before World War
2 was the somewhat eventful year of 1860. The American experiment was about to
go through the bloodiest most tumultuous five years in its history. Over
700,000 men, 8% of the fighting age males in the country, brutally killed in a
no holds barred fight to the finish. The country would never be the same, as
the Federal government assumed ever increasing power and states lost power.
Eighty years prior was 1780 as George Washington and his ragtag army of farmers
were on the verge of defeating Cornwallis and his professionally trained army.
A new nation was about to be born.
2020 is destined to be an
eventful year just by the fact it is a presidential election year. The result
of this election will not be accepted by the losers. The months leading up to
the election will be a circus. Propaganda, misinformation, and outright lies
will be spread like manure. Of course, voting will not alleviate the issues
which will continue to drive this Fourth Turning towards its climax – debt,
civic decay, global disorder.
We have entered the extreme
greed phase of this debt-based Ponzi scheme. The stock market is in the
blow-off stage, where earnings, valuations, and rational thinking are
meaningless. Momentum and a delusional belief in the infallibility of the Fed
are all that matter. Who knows how far it will go, but fear will eventually
rear its ugly head, and a cascading collapse will make a lot of useful
investing idiots very angry for the third time in the last two decades.
“Modern
fanaticism thrives in proportion to the quantity of contradictions and nonsense
it pours down the throats of the gaping multitude, and the jargon and mysticism
it offers to their wonder and credulity.” – William Hazlitt
As the daily chaos of our
modern existence hastens towards its tumultuous denouement, the masses are too
distracted by their iGadgets, non-stop social media trivialities, games of
sport, and ceaseless propaganda from corporate fake news media, to understand
they are being used and will bear the brunt of the coming storms. The system is
rigged, but the riggers are arrogant, and their arrogance will be their undoing.
The
continuation of the current lull in this greater depression is completely
dependent upon an ever escalating level of unpayable debt and an ever
increasing level of delusional belief by the willfully ignorant financial elite
that there will be no negative consequences to their deceitful actions. I
expect this bubble to burst during 2020, but I’ve been wrong for a long time,
so my level of confidence in this prediction is low. I am soberly convinced my
assessment for the remainder of this Fourth Turning in last year’s 2019 preview
still applies:
Based
upon history, the resolution will not be based on compromise, civility, reason,
or peaceful means. The combustible combination of unpayable debt, civic
anarchy, and global chaos are set to detonate, creating an era of maximum
darkness, death, destruction, and decisions. Making America Great Again will
require personal sacrifice, dreadful choices, survival skills, intelligent
decisions, and the courage to win at all costs.
I don’t know what events
will dominate the coming year, but I do know the intensity of hate and vitriol
will increase. I do know military conflict in the Middle East will expand. I do
know the political machinations in this country will surge as the election
approaches. I do know the Deep State will do everything in their immense power
to undermine Trump. I do know the Fed will QE and Trump will cheer every new
stock market record. I do know I will be lied to and propagandized by the
mainstream corporate media.
Lastly, I do know the risk of catastrophe rises as we approach the
climax of this crisis. The outcome is uncertain, but the trials awaiting will
surely test our strength and fortitude. I hope enough patriots will do the
right thing and lead the country to a new beginning.
“The
risk of catastrophe will be very high. The nation could erupt into insurrection
or civil violence, crack up geographically, or succumb to authoritarian rule.
Thus might the next Fourth Turning end in apocalypse – or glory. The nation
could be ruined, its democracy destroyed, and millions of people scattered or
killed. Or America could enter a new golden age, triumphantly applying shared
values to improve the human condition. The rhythms of history do not reveal the
outcome of the coming Crisis; all they suggest is the timing and dimension.”
– Strauss & Howe
Reprinted
with permission from The Burning Platform.
Copyright
© The Burning Platform
