BABYLON ON THE CHEAP
Part XXI
Rise or Fall of American Empire?
by
Doug Krieger
“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore…the merchants of these things, who became rich by her…will stand at a distance…weeping and wailing…for in one hour such great riches came to nothing…and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning…WHAT IS LIKE THIS GREAT CITY?…all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth!...for in one hour she is made desolate.”
What do the USS George H. W. Bush and the Emma Maersk have in common? WEALTH & POWER – to be exact (although the cost of the USS George H. W. Bush was $4.5 Billion and the Emma Maersk a paltry $145 Million). And, if you can’t SEE this, then you’re probably suffering from a rare disorder known as “narcissistic Americana myopia” (NAM) – an awful contagion contracted primarily in America (aka “americanus denial hyperactivity-disorder” or ADHD) but spread throughout the planet by the same hyper-active militarists and opulent merchandisers to the unsuspecting, mimickers, pleasure-seekers and, in sum, all who especially benefit from trading with “that Great City” so clearly identified in Revelation 18.
Berating those evangelical prattlers who deny America’s end-time role as Babylon the Great – the ultimate expression of Gentile World Power and the extremity of the King of Tyre’s acquisitions and fortune – has reached a refined and superlative expression on this web site. It is at the crux of the “Rise or Fall of American Empire?” in that it is the thesis of this author and a growing number of believers, as well as geopolitical, economic and social scientists, that never has there been such an amalgamation of riches gathered nor heaped up on behalf of fellow plutocrats by one such nation upon this globe as these United States of America!
Here the world buys and sells – here the WHOLE EARTH (at least its merchandisers) can be made rich through trading with her! Listen, as much as we’d like to sound the proverbial alarms that Babylon’s going through so-called “economic hard times” – it’s barely a burp, a slight disturbance in the force, a glitch in the indomitable apparatus of consumption – in brief: We’ll pass the gas of our present eating binge and regroup for the next food fest!
Before we examine through casual observation the complexity of America’s sell off and consequent extensions of globalization and general wealth integration throughout the world – remember these prophetic bursts from the prophet Ezekiel’s pen:
“There is no secret that can be hidden from you! With your wisdom and your understanding you have gained riches for yourself, and gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; by your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches” (Ezekiel 28:3-5).
You
see, the American moguls aren’t as dumb as they appear: Behold today’s “Oil
Barons” attest to their $55bn Quarter profits with grace, a smile, and a
thoroughly delighted bonanza for themselves (Chevron
alone had $6bn in profits and $83bn in revenues in just 3 months!). After
all, we outfoxed the Japanese in the “wealth wars” nigh 20 years ago and we
did a pretty good job bamboozling the old Soviet Union into submission, while
crowning Red China as our pool of cheap labor – now, come on, if that isn’t
wisdom and understanding, what is? Especially, given the luxurious notion
that the containers we send back allegedly empty to China are actually filled
with fiat currency—the same dollars loaned to us so we can consume all the
more…how else do you think you can purchase your home mortgage on the cheap?
Remember this, Babylon the Great in all her commercial zealotry persists until the final hour of her judgment – she’s a money maker par excel lance until she is consumed by fire during the Wrath of the Lamb (Ref. Revelation 18)! However, take no comfort in your 401K retirement packages - that doesn’t mean the world won’t face unparalleled economic anguish between now (the “beginning of sorrows” spoken of Matthew 24:7-8 and known by some as the “Birth Pangs of the Messiah” and/or the “Little Apocalypse”) and the commencement of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, and the tumultuous events and glorious revivals during that final week. Wealth disparity will stagger even the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, let alone that crowd of secretive merchants who make up the Federal Reserve – how did we amass such great fortune? Oh, we have a pretty good idea how it happened.
THE UPSET STOMACH OF BABYLON THE GREAT – CONSTIPATED or REALLOCATING RESOURCES?
The American prophetic pundits – whom from time to time I delight in brotherly excoriation – must dismiss with American superiority SOMEHOW in order to cash in on the secret rapture (validating their Gospel of Wealth and Prosperity). Since American is NOT in Bible prophecy—she must collapse and real soon. Right now, it looks like an economic implosion – but consider:
“At times like this, it’s worth reminding ourselves that we’ve been here before. In the 1970s, Americans grew up with two myths. First, that the Soviet Union would dominate the U.S. militarily; second, that the Japanese would dominate the U.S. economically. With the Soviet Union erased from the map, and the Japanese stock market below levels it traded at 17 years ago, both fears seem almost quaint. Yet today, the conventional wisdom that Brazil, Russia, India, and China -- the BRIC countries -- are set to dominate the United States is just as prevalent.
“The U.S. Economic Map: Size Matters – (Editor’s Note: Though a bit old, still holds relatively true for today…)
“In
the midst of a housing collapse and credit crunch, the impending doom of the
U.S. economy is taken as gospel. But look behind the headlines, and the
numbers tell a different story. The U.S. economy grew by 3.9% in the credit
turmoil-ridden third quarter -- following a 3.1% jump in the second quarter.
That means that the United States added the equivalent of a new Saudi Arabia
to its economy just since the beginning of April. And the fact that the World
Economic Forum ranked the U.S. economy the most competitive economy in the
world last week got little press. And even when it did, the #1 ranking of the
United States was explained away as a statistical mirage.
“This is not to say that the U.S. economy is in ship shape. But with all of the talk about China and India dominating our economic futures, it's worth reminding ourselves where these new economic challengers stand in comparison to the United States today. Despite the high economic growth rates of developing nations, the United States is by far the world's wealthiest nation as measured by GDP -- the broadest measure of economic wealth. And the rest of the world isn't even close. This year, U.S. GDP is projected to be $13.22 trillion. That means that the U.S. economy is as large as the next four-largest economies in the world -- Japan, Germany, China, and the United Kingdom -- combined.
“Underestimating the U.S. economy has become the new global financial sport. Yet the Japanese economy has not matched U.S. growth rates for at least the last decade. Europe celebrates triumphantly when its growth rate hits 2.5%. And for all the press they generate, China and India rank 34th and 48th, respectively in the World Economic Forum's global competitiveness index. The world has been counting out the United States as far as I can remember. The U.S. economic map provides a vivid reminder of just where the U.S. stands.” (The US Economic Map Vs. The World, Nicholas Vardy’s The Global Guru, August 3, 2008)
(See Also: GLOBAL COMPETITIVE REPORT)
What
the Global Competitive Report put out by the World Economic Forum (some 11,000
business leaders from 131 countries) indicates that Babylon has simply
reoriented her interior financial priorities, consolidating (as per
normal—where the rich get richer), while at the same time, making a few of the
merchants of the earth rich through trading with her, all the while, this
GALLOPING GLOBALIZER is gobbling up, rather soaking up, all that fiat currency
she keeps generating by selling her ever-burgeoning assets allegedly on the
cheap to the same merchants being made rich from trading with her in the first
place – i.e., WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND!
Whereas, be it known, that the same globalist measuring org. which views the USA overall “globally competitive” – also confirms that those trading with the USA have committed to them a “Global Enabling Trade Report” status wherein the following nation states are accorded top ratings for being the most open to trade – and that’s with, in the main, guess who?
“Geneva, Switzerland, 18
June 2008
“East Asian economies Hong Kong and Singapore occupy the top two positions in the Enabling Trade Index ranking, followed by Sweden and Norway, according to The Global Enabling Trade Report 2008, released by the World Economic Forum. Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand complete the top 10 list.
“The results bear witness to Hong Kong and Singapore’s openness to international trade and investment as part of their successful economic development strategy. Both countries have put into place customs administrations that are highly efficient in getting goods over borders. They are also endowed with well developed transport and telecommunications infrastructures ensuring rapid transit to final destination (Editor’s Note: GUESS WHERE?). These attributes are further supported by business environments that are conducive to the logistics and transport industry (Editor’s Note: Denmark makes the monster container ships and Hong Kong sends them back and forth from Asia to America.). Be it duly noted that the Scandinavian nation states – the lot of them – along with their Germanic buddies (Germany, Switzerland) and New Zealand tossed in for good measure – round up the Northern European stranglehold on who trades with whom around here – but NEVER FORGET – it’s the USA who’s made these guys the expert traders they’ve become (Don’t you just love the simplicity of our economic analysis?). Oh, and by the way, Canada’s in there because without the USA she’d be an economic midget—but trading with the USA has made her fat and sassy (good grief – three-quarters of her trade is with the USA). And, need I say more – when Denmark’s largest trading partner outside the EU is the good old USofA – and if you did a little research, you’d find the same thing happening with the lot of these top 10 traders—WE’VE MADE ‘UM ALL RICH!
“U.S. companies in Denmark - Past years have seen an increasing trend among foreign companies to establish branch offices and regional headquarters in Denmark. This is also the case for American companies. There are more than 350 U.S. subsidiaries or wholly-owned companies here. The United States is Denmark's largest trading partner outside the E.U., and the newly established American Chamber of Commerce in Denmark already boasts more than 200 members and is actively promoting U.S. business interests in Denmark.” (How to Open the Northern European Market, US Dept. of Commerce, BUYUSA.GOV)
To witness the expansion of world globalization – led by the 800-pound gorilla (affectionately so dubbed) of the USA – one can witness these ratings at ATKEARNEY. There is absolutely no way that the world will tolerate the economic demise of the United States of America—nor will the USA tolerate her own economic demise…so it’s time to invest in Americana!
THIS BUD’S FOR YOU!
So America should be crying in her beer—now that another one of her icons is sold off to the Belgians for a miserly $52bn gulp! Now look at this reasoning:
“In 2007, foreign investors put a record $414 billion into American enterprise — more than a 90 percent increase from the prior year. Five million Americans work for foreign companies set up in the U.S. Such workers earn about 30 percent more than their counterparts employed at U.S.-owned shops.
“And yet opportunistic politicians know they can court votes by playing to fears about free trade agreements and foreign companies operating on American soil.
“Some in Congress squealed before, during and after the InBev (the Belgian firm) merger. But the newly formed Anheuser-Busch InBev ranks as the world’s largest beer maker. Both firms already had huge reaches into foreign markets. Combined, they are anticipated to dominate. InBev vows that the 12 U.S. breweries of Anheuser-Busch will stay open — a pledge not in dispute as long as Americans keep drinking Bud.” (Foreigners buy America on the cheap – Mary Sanchez, Midwest Voice, July 21, 2008)
So Sanchez ignorantly concludes:
“As columnist Thomas L. Friedman has pointed out, ‘The world is flat.’ Technology, trade agreements and rising education rates in foreign countries are making the rest of the world far more competitive with the U.S. than we ever conceived it could be.
“This generation’s Sputnik moment is upon us — a nation that borrows to consume beyond its means sooner or later is going to have to sell its assets to foreigners. Let’s grasp that reality and redouble our efforts to be the best in the world. Because, right now, we as a nation are playing way beneath our abilities.
“And until we change that, America, this Bud simply is not for you.” (Ibid.)