What does "early" mean up there in Norway? When the sun is coming up?
Btw, when our kids were small, I very much enjoyed getting up very early on weekends, because that was basically the only time (except the commute by train) where I could read the newspapers.
Empire grows by first nourishing adversarial oligarchies which it eventually incorporates as their own. It is a combination of long term investments, indoctrination, economic integration, through series of tensions and wars, and finally deals which appear too good to refuse. At the end it makes more sense to join than go solo. Once a national oligarchy joins, there is no going back. A permanent separation from the geographic unit happens very fast through the divergence of oligarchical interests from people’s interests. This creates lots of confusion and befuddlement. How can American Oligarchy act against the American people’s interest? Or German, or any other imperial vassal? Precisely because of that divergence of interests. The People are allowing to be ruled by oligarchies whose interests have utterly diverged from theirs. It is very natural but unfortunate that people still think in terms of national frameworks, but the long term direction of their reality is entirely fashioned by Imperial Oligarchy, utterly divorced from the nation state. Nation states still exist but the future is no longer molded by them. During transition there may be anachronistic holdouts, some setbacks but there cannot be any real reversals.
There is no doubt in my mind that is true, but it also cannibalizes its nominal centers. This is manifested through toll booth economy. It desperately tries to place toll booths where there previously had been none. Public sector is gobbled up through private public “partnerships”. Another method is gobbling up small to middle sized businesses (particularly during crisis they create like COVID), and now they are ready to acquire all privately owned real estate. All part of “you will own nothing,…”. They will not rest until they place a toll booth on our derrières to charge us for each gaseous discharge.
You seem very productive these days! - where do you find the time for all these posts?
Well, you're very kind to read them and express appreciation for my efforts.
As to your question, well, I'm an early riser…
What does "early" mean up there in Norway? When the sun is coming up?
Btw, when our kids were small, I very much enjoyed getting up very early on weekends, because that was basically the only time (except the commute by train) where I could read the newspapers.
Well, fair question; 'early' means a bit after 5 a.m. (sunup is 4:30 right now).
I know exactly how it is with little kids…
Empire grows by first nourishing adversarial oligarchies which it eventually incorporates as their own. It is a combination of long term investments, indoctrination, economic integration, through series of tensions and wars, and finally deals which appear too good to refuse. At the end it makes more sense to join than go solo. Once a national oligarchy joins, there is no going back. A permanent separation from the geographic unit happens very fast through the divergence of oligarchical interests from people’s interests. This creates lots of confusion and befuddlement. How can American Oligarchy act against the American people’s interest? Or German, or any other imperial vassal? Precisely because of that divergence of interests. The People are allowing to be ruled by oligarchies whose interests have utterly diverged from theirs. It is very natural but unfortunate that people still think in terms of national frameworks, but the long term direction of their reality is entirely fashioned by Imperial Oligarchy, utterly divorced from the nation state. Nation states still exist but the future is no longer molded by them. During transition there may be anachronistic holdouts, some setbacks but there cannot be any real reversals.
Also, I think that 'empire' cannibalises the periphery/satrapies until it can't, which is when it turns inwards and starts consuming its own.
There is no doubt in my mind that is true, but it also cannibalizes its nominal centers. This is manifested through toll booth economy. It desperately tries to place toll booths where there previously had been none. Public sector is gobbled up through private public “partnerships”. Another method is gobbling up small to middle sized businesses (particularly during crisis they create like COVID), and now they are ready to acquire all privately owned real estate. All part of “you will own nothing,…”. They will not rest until they place a toll booth on our derrières to charge us for each gaseous discharge.