A Hard Rain

James Howard Kunstler Blog ^ | 7 Oct 2019 | James Kunstler

[amorphous]

A lot of readers (some of them former readers now) have been angrily twanging me by email for writing about the three-year Resistance effort to un-do the 2016 election. I did not vote for Mr. Trump (or Mrs. Clinton) but I resent the coup mounted to overthrow him. I object to the bad faith and dishonesty of the Resistance. I object to the criminal misconduct among the federal bureaucracy, and the mendacity of its partners in the news media, and the hysteria they continue to generate — at the expense of other matters that concern our future.

The political disorder spooling out is the political expression of the long emergency that the nation faces as it finally encounters the limits to growth we were warned about decades ago. The techno-industrial phase of history is ending, and we are left only with inadequate fantasies for coming to terms with it and moving forward. The dynamic relationship between affordable energy supplies and the operations of money roils at the core of this predicament. They are undoing each other and the result will be a contraction of human activity. The big question we refuse to face is how to cope with contraction.

Beyond the ongoing orchestrated coup stands a reality-optional political Left consumed by serial hysterias, uninterested in truth, steeped in social despotism, and apparently willing to do anything to gain power. We should be very concerned with what they intend to do with that power. As they attempt to redistribute wealth, they will make the unhappy discovery that the wealth itself is subject to the wholesale contraction underway. The overvalued “assets” representing “money” hoarded by the “wealthy” will turn out to be figments of a runaway debt crisis. We have already debased the operations of banking, and the tokens that banks issue — currencies and securities — levitate over an abyss.

We already have plenty of evidence for what the Left will do to the principle of political liberty. Their shibboleths of “diversity” and “inclusion” really mean shutting down free speech and telling everybody how to think. They are less interested in “social justice” than in plain coercion, the pleasure they take in pushing people around. What’s worse is that they want to use government as the instrument for enforcing their will. I object to that not just on principle but because government itself will be subject to the same contraction affecting everything else. It simply won’t be able to compensate for all the other losses. Can we downscale its activities coherently, or will we make that journey violently, in some sort of civil war?

The Left seems to be opting for civil war. It is surely underway among branches of government and the administrative bureaucracy I call the Deep State. Barack Obama, John Brennan and others set the intel and police apparatus against Mr. Trump and the war goes on in the latest reckless campaign of “whistleblowers” who are no such thing, but rather agents provocateurs of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The Democrats in congress play a dangerous game with this as they attempt to engineer a non-impeachment impeachment — that is, without a vote by the whole House. To allow that vote would be a move to allow the opposition to participate in issuing subpoenas and seeing evidence, and the Democrats are bent on to preventing that. That ploy will provoke the White House to ignore their subpoenas and demands for documents on the principle that this mode of “Impeachment” is not legitimate.

The machinations of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff in this latest “whistleblower” affair pulsate with skullduggery. Are we to suppose that they will march out one “whistleblower” after another whose identity — or very reality — will remain secret through these proceedings? This is the sort of thing you get in Spanish inquisitions and soviet show trials. Until recently, all Americans had very firm objections to kangaroo courts and star chambers where the common-law safeguards of due process are thrown out the window. If the standoff goes to the Supreme Court, we’ll surely get yet another crusade to disqualify Justice Kavanaugh.

The Democratic Party is doing everything possible to destroy the legitimacy of these institutions — staring with elections themselves. The origins of the RussiaGate hoax will demonstrate that the party itself was behind “interference” in the 2016 election, and enlisted the help of several foreign governments in doing so. That is why they are so desperate to keep the level of hysteria amped to the max. The day may be not far off when a great and chilling silence falls over this mob as they look to the sky and see the indictments raining down.

[amorphous]

IMO, he nails it, except for, "and chilling silence falls over this mob as they look to the sky and see the indictments raining down".

~ ~ ~

James Howard Kunstler is the author of many books including (non-fiction) The Geography of Nowhere, The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition, Home from Nowhere, The Long Emergency, and Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology and the Fate of the Nation. His novels include World Made By Hand, The Witch of Hebron, Maggie Darling — A Modern Romance, The Halloween Ball, an Embarrassment of Riches, and many others. He has published three novellas with Water Street Press: Manhattan Gothic, A Christmas Orphan, and The Flight of Mehetabel.

[wastoute]

There is literally no way this nation can conduct an election next year that anyone will respect. None.

[Lurkinanloomin]

We swallowed the Kenyanesian Usurpation.

They think we will swallow anything.

[Lurkinanloomin]

The day may be not far off when a great and chilling silence falls over this mob as they look to the sky and see the indictments raining down.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That is the only peaceful resolution.
Restoring the rule of law.
Exposing the Kenyanesian Usurpation and ALL of its crimes.

[moovova]

...a gonna fall.

[Celerity]

“I did not vote for Mr. Trump (or Mrs. Clinton) but I resent the coup mounted to overthrow him.”

We’re not on the same team. He’s not welcome at the table.

... and should the author see me walking to him he would do best to cross the road.

[Theophilus]

I did not vote for Mr. Trump (or Mrs. Clinton) but I resent the coup mounted to overthrow him

I resemble this. Will read rest later.

[amorphous]

And I disagree with this:

~ ~ ~

"The techno-industrial phase of history is ending, and we are left only with inadequate fantasies for coming to terms with it and moving forward. The dynamic relationship between affordable energy supplies and the operations of money roils at the core of this predicament. They are undoing each other and the result will be a contraction of human activity. The big question we refuse to face is how to cope with contraction."

~ ~ ~

Contradiction of human activity results from "beast" governments growing to a point of unsustainability, and through centralized control, corrupt the natural flow of this activity.

Today, technology is key. Take it away, or limit it to a few, and human populations will be drastically affected. We must work together to solve our problems. It's why divide and conquer is so effective.

[Jack Black]

Kunstler was preaching doom and gloom on peak-oil for a decade. Then fracking happened. At first he tried to minimize it and pretend like peak oil as still real.

Then, eventually, he just shfted to writing about other things. Which is an improvement, because he's a smart guy in a lot of ways.

But as a futurist, accurately predicting future events, he's taken his shot and missed. Hopefully he's right about indictments falling like rain, but I wouldn't bet on it at this point.

[SanchoP]

Good article until the "D versus R" crap. DC is a massive leech sucking the life out of this nation.
No matter what you think of him personally,we have one man putting his wealth,family and honor in jeopardy for the American people A "throwback" to our founders that deserves not only our vote but our prayers and support.

[amorphous]

I completely agree. From here, I can’t see either side abiding by the outcome.

[gundog]

Some day a real rain will come, and wash all this scum off the streets. -Travis Bickle

[amorphous]

No matter what you think of him personally,we have one man putting his wealth,family and honor in jeopardy for the American people...

Personally, he's surprised me greatly. I know he has a lot of courage, and while I don't agree with everyone he has picked as advisors/staff, he's shown that he'll move 'em out if they don't perform. I also disagree with some of the methods he's using, such as tariffs, but I don't know the circumstances that drove him to use them.

And just today, I personally was glad to hear him call for "ending these endless wars."

Regardless, DJT is our best and last hope to MAGA. And no, we're not there yet.

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[amorphous]

I trust in technology and “free” enterprise to find solutions to our problems. We need those who warn us of problems ahead. Take a look at all the fracking sites out West on Google Earth, and it seems we’ve got a straw in every possible nook and cranny. So yeah, we need to be working on alternatives to oil from ground - maybe coal gasification/liquification is an answer, or some other tech. Whatever the solution is, free markets and bright people will find it, given the opportunity.

[Garth Tater]

"We swallowed the Kenyanesian Usurpation."

"They think we will swallow anything."


And we prove them right every day.

[SanchoP]

And just today, I personally was glad to hear him call for "ending these endless wars."

We're 0 for 5 since WW2. It's about time.

[cgbg]

Kunstler has excellent writing skills.

He gets confused from time to time, but just when you are about to give up on they guy he writes something brilliant.

This was one of his better columns.

[Lurkinanloomin]

deserves not only our vote but our prayers and support.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He deserves more than that.
He deserves a Congress that works with him to Make America Great Again.
He does not deserve back stabbing Bush League Republicans.
Only we can change that.

[moovova]

“Kunstler was preaching doom and gloom on peak-oil for a decade.”

Yes, I do remember his (and other’s) predictions. I was worried back then...not so much know. Just bought a gas guzzler truck. :-)