News on the Homefront
The United States hasn't had a battle engaged home front, well, since the end of the 19th century with Geronimo and his fellow Apaches battling across Arizona and New Mexico, although, they were both territories. I'm not sure that counts, certainly it was the Apache’s home front. Maybe you need to go back to the Civil War. Whichever case, this war in Europe, a war that should have never started is quickly being felt on the American home front and promises to be felt much harder.
Natural gas prices have risen to their highest since 2008. Looking at the bright side, it might mean the fracking boys finally turn a profit. The price rise doesn't stop the President and other officials from continually claiming to the Europeans US LNG can substitute Russian gas – No it can't.
Yesterday, oil went back well above a $100, the price of a couple weeks ago when the President nonstrategically announced the release of more oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Honestly, if this all wasn't so deadly serious, the President should have a drummer behind him providing a rimshot after each of his statements.
Back to the former Western Territories, the drought worsens. Lake Powell has hit the lowest levels since the Glen Canyon dam went up. “Federal officials” say a choice is to be made between water and electricity. One thing for certain, combined with soaring natural gas prices, the West and the rest of the home front is going to see big time electricity price increases this summer.
From our DC officials no talk about ending this no one wins stupid bloody war, the same talk that would have prevented it from starting. Instead, endless office chair, way behind the front lines, cowardly bellicosity for further insane escalation and spending trillions more on weaponry. DC has a sociopath mentality from the completely unaccountable use of 75 years of violent power.
In his beautiful History of the Conquest of Mexico (1843), William Prescott offers wisdom for the ages. Writing of the 1519 Spaniard massacre of five-thousand at the Mexican holy city of Cholula, Prescott concludes,
“It may teach us—it is one of the best lessons of history—that, since such are the inevitable evils of war, even among the most polished people, those who hold the destinies of nations in their hands, whether rulers or legislators, should submit to every sacrifice, save that of honor, before authorizing an appeal to arms. The extreme solicitude to avoid these calamities, by the aid of peaceful congresses and impartial mediation, is, on the whole, the strongest evidence, stronger than that afforded by the progress of science and art, of our boasted advance in civilization.”
The National Security State continually refused to talk to the Russians before the war and continues to do so now. At one time, Americans considered “the destiny of the nation” in their hands. An old republican dream would be the American citizenry insist their elected officials start talking to end this war. If these elected officials find it against their own interest to do so, vote every single one of them, regardless of gender, race, creed, or party out of office in November.