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Discussing the Balkans War on the sinking deck of the TitanicReader comment on item: Shaken Out of Complacency by COVID-19? Submitted by Michael S (United States), Apr 11, 2020 at 05:56 Discussing anything but the coronavirus, in the midst of this unprecedented world-wide upheaval, seems of doubtful utility at the moment. I compare the current pandemic with the sinking of the Titanic, because what we are experiencing now is akin to the hardly-noticed "bumping" into an iceberg. When the full implications of this crisis finally "sink" in, they will come in like a flood. 32% of those on the Titanic managed to be rescued and go on to experience the pressing issues of the greater world -- such as the Balkan Wars, which led to World War I. For 68% of those on board, it would be the last crisis they would have to deal with on planet earth. Having said that, I will talk about what you've described as today's "pressing" issues: 1. The EMP device. This may kill hundreds of millions of people, and completely re-orient civilization. That is certainly significant. On the other hand, a full-fledged nuclear exchange, with or without an EMP event to kick it off, would accomplish the same or more -- as could a number of other calamities, such as an even more deadly plague of disease, or a collision/ near miss with a celestial body. The convenient thing about an EMP attack, is that humans can presume to have some sort of control over it -- which we wouldn't have, if a Shoemaker-Levy-9-type collision were to strike planet earth instead of Jupiter. So, it is a threat, but one that is hard to quantify. 2. The demographic suicide of "Western" Civilization. A demographic shift is definitely in the works, and it is as you describe. I am rather fond of the demographics I grew up with, living in a country of largely an English Christian history and predominantly English and German gene pool. Those elements of my cultural millieu have been familiar and comforting; and it would be difficult for me to have to live in a different society, with different rules. Still, these things happen, and have always happened. What troubles me, isn't that the US is gradually being overrun with Mexicans (and Britain with South Asians, etc.), but that my Germanic Christian countrymen are espousing and living ungodly lives, which will ultimately lead to their ruin as people AND as a people. Life will never return to normal after the COVID-19 outbreak diminishes. We aren't just "appropriating" trillions of dollars to rescue our economy; we are inventing it out of thin air. Post-COVID, the dollar and every other world currency will not be based on anything real; it will essentially be worth whatever the US government says it's worth. As the Book of Revelations says, Rev 13: [16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: This is no longer something in the realm of eschatological discussion; it is near-future reality, coming to economies near you. Something else that will probably remain with us, long after the COVID crisis "ends", will be the world-wide rule by dictatorships -- surpassing the situation in 1939. De facto martial law is the order of the day right now, in nearly 200 countries. Understanding human nature for what it is, can we reasonably expect the world's leaders, having tasted the concentration of such power into their hands, to readily relinquish it? For icing on the cake, this crisis has, by and large, not led to an "era of good feelings" wherein nations, faced with a common enemy, have rallied to one another's aid. The US and China are now bitter enemies, the EU is under existential threat because of the unequal burden sharing by its members, and Turkey has come close to war with Russia over Idlib. The situation is similar to that just before the outbreak of WWII. Will we survive the Coronavirus Crisis long enough to savor an EMP disaster? I believe so. Zechariah even prophesied that sort of thing: Zech 14 That describes a nuclear holocaust, which would possibly be started with EMP attacks. And would people live to see the culmination of current "Anti-West" demographic trends? I expect that the trend lines will be re-drawn.
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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments". Daniel Pipes replies: 1. As I wrote in the article, EMP can come from the sun. I wonder if COVID-19 is quite so epochal. Reader comments (26) on this item |
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