Countdown Israel
Spengler writing at PJ Media noted that Egypt had only about 100 days worth of food in stock. “It appears that Egypt has been running on reserves and failing to replenish stockpiles, mainly because the country remains desperately short of foreign exchange. A chronic shortage of diesel fuel and electricity, as well as shortages of vaccines for children, has plagued the Egyptian economy for the past year. The butane cylinders with which most Egyptians cook are in short supply, and the black market price has risen to ten times the subsidized official price. Egypt is billions of dollars in arrears to suppliers of diesel, butane, foodstuffs and other essential imports.”
Realizing they short on everything in Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood will naturally turn its attention to Israel. The Washington Post reports:
Egypt’s Islamist president vowed to work to stop Israel’s campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, calling it an “unacceptable aggression” and ordering his prime minister to travel to the territory in a show of support…
“The people of Egypt and its government stand with all its capabilities to stop this aggression to prevent the bloodshed and killing of Palestinians,” Morsi said in the televised comments, vowing to stand with Gazans “until we stop this aggression on them.”
“The Israelis must realize that this aggression we don’t accept and it can only lead to instability in the region and hurt security in the region,” he said.
Still Egypt must eat. The Center for American Progress depicts Egypt’s incapacity to feed itself as an American moral responsibility. “Helping Egypt is a matter of national security.”
As the world’s largest importer of wheat, Egypt is acutely vulnerable to any surge in food prices. Wheat prices have risen 47 percent over the last year and other staples are rapidly approaching dangerously high levels.
Food price inflation and volatility strike hard at the household budgets of average Egyptian families. Many of them spend 40 percent of their monthly income on food. As prices rise, purchasing power is eroded, and the recovery of Egypt’s fragile economy during the transition is slowed.
Ensuring Egyptians have access to a reliable and affordable food supply is an urgent priority for both Egypt and the United States. Regrettably, conservatives in the House of Representatives appear headed in a different direction and are slashing funding for international humanitarian assistance. This includes funding for emergency food aid, investments in women and small landholder farms, and efforts to combat climate change in some of the most vulnerable countries in the world.
These drastic and shortsighted cuts undermine our strategic relationships with allies such as Egypt, undercut the jobs and farms at home that rely on selling U.S. goods overseas, and lead to increased levels of global poverty and instability that threaten our national security.
The long term solution to Egypts economic implosion, the Center argues, is to fight Global Warming. “Climate change’s impact on world agriculture is projected to be severe. Egypt is at profound risk to the negative effects of climate change, including rising temperatures, prolonged drought, increased evaporation, and water consumption. Egypt is also vulnerable to rising sea levels leading to more intense flooding, the loss of key agricultural land in the Nile Delta, and the mass migration of 8 million people from rural to urban areas.”
There you have it: the two greatest causes of misery in the world today are the existence of Israel and Global Warming.
And American supply has become more important than ever. A drought in the Ukraine has removed it from the grain market even if Egypt could buy from it indefinitely. Russia may curtail shipments soon as it too must reserve its harvest for itself.
Wheat supplies in Russia, last season’s third-biggest shipper, and eastern Europe have declined as drought hurt crops this year, raising speculation that Egyptian demand would shift to western European and Western Hemisphere suppliers. … Russia last sold wheat to Egypt in a tender on Sept. 13, and more recently the north African country has favored supplies from countries including France and Argentina, data compiled by Bloomberg shows.
What seems beyond question is that Egypt is in risk of running out of fuel, food, and money soon unless America and the West meet their moral and environmental responsibilities. It is on course to run out of everything except weapons and hatred, commodities which seem to be in eternally abundant supply in the Middle East. Then its populace can commiserate in their misery with Jordan’s and Syria’s.
Authoritarianism seems like a winning form of government until one realizes that it can’t feed itself. America can feed itself for now, probably as a result of its evil and corrupt system. Doubtless it will do even better after an Obama second term reforms it.
The Three Conjectures at Amazon Kindle for $1.99
Storming the Castle at Amazon Kindle for $3.99
No Way In at Amazon Kindle $8.95, print $9.99
Tip Jar or Subscribe or Unsubscribe
Sounds like an excellent opportunity to do nothing, a fine time for some more leading from behind, and we’ve got just the guy to do it.
Eqypt is trying so hard to preserve its tourist business, by proposing to tear down its old infrastructure (pyramids, sphinx) and to demonstrate its superiority in movie critic excellence.
Maybe we could have Ben Bernanke show them how to create money out of nothing. Maybe Ben could buy Egyptian bonds?
We’ve had a drought here, too, but need all of our wheat and corn to make ethanol to meet EPA fuel standards.
What is the carbon footprint of a rocket launched from gaza, or a terrorist bomb? Maybe Egypt could fight global warming by stopping rocket and bomb attacks? Maybe 0bama can get the Egyptians to fight global warming by stopping all their military fuel use? Painting their camels white? Stop burning tires?
Can we trade wheat in exchange for all Egyptian arms and arrest of all islamists who say they want to destroy us? (their “abundant weapons and hatred”)
Maybe give them rice (susan) and Bernanke instead of wheat?
I seem to remember a GOP president feeding starving Somalis was a “moral responsibility” as well. That turned out great once a Democrat got keys to oval office.
“…the two greatest causes of misery in the world today is the existence of Israel and Global Warming.”
You forgot to include: “conservatives in the House of Representatives.”
I’m sorry but can someone explain to me why we need to support Egypt? So that they don’t turn into a country that is run by terrorist? Seems a bit late.
In other news it seems that Jesse Jackson Jr. knew that the gig was up so he did the honorable thing and faked his bi-polar for the past six months so that he could insure that he got disability once he was forced to resign. There is simply nothing these guys won’t do to stay on the government dole.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/20101351/jackson-jr-wont-resign-until-he-gets-disability-pay-exclusive
“There you have it: the two greatest causes of misery in the world today is the existence of Israel and Global Warming.”
I noticed RIGHT AFTER the election, my lefty friends are suddenly reviving the Global Warming/Climate Change nonsense despite it having been a complete non-issue during the campaign. I have to hand it to them, they know to press certain issues, and when to STFU when needed during election time.
So, what to do with Egypt? Let them stew in their Anti-American, pro-Islamist juices until it implodes, or use resources we don’t have to prop them up and avoid the whole area melting down? Seems to me we get bad results either way, but maybe we should give everyone get a little taste of reality without Uncle Sam saving their bacon. If Russia won’t ride in to save the day because they are holding onto their food, they won’t be able to exploit the situation too much. Hell, if the area does descend into anarchy, maybe we will be forced to actually use that abundance of oil we have right here, forever removing our need to kowtow to the crazy in the ME.
Sure, massive economic upheaval will result, but we all tend to think we are heading that way anyway, right? If a crisis is to come, should we not try to shape it as much as we try to take advantage of it? (Thanks, Rahm!)
According to Wiki-Propaganda: “Climate changes and/or overgrazing around 8000 BC began to desiccate the pastoral lands of Egypt, forming the Sahara.”
You see, eating meat 10 thousand years ago caused global warming but the debt has been passed onto the US.
As the Berlin wall was broken up and sold brick by brick perhaps the Egyptians could break the pyramids down stone by stone and sell them as well? Though, I suppose if they had that many rocks they would be ready to go to war with the Israel.
So which comes first in order of priority: free contraceptives for American women, or free wheat and fuel for Egyptians? Can we give out free phones, free gas, and subsidies to the very wealthy Big Bird and also support 80 million people who hate our guts?
And what money will we be using to accomplish all this? As it is, a majority of Americans are turning into Egyptians right before our eyes. It’s like they bypassed going French or even Greek, and straight to fellaheen. So we have — I don’t know — 160-170 million “Americans” trying to climb onto the gimme wagon, and we have to add an entire country of smelly depraved haters to our burden? Let me go through my pockets and see what I can do to help. maybe I can give up food or something. I mean, I really do want to be a good progressive, you know.
I say ship all the wheat and butane to make every Arab in the ME fat and happy for the rest of his days – to Saudi Arabia. Let them peacefully return to their ancestral homeland and remain there forever more.
I offer that the American Pork Council get to work right away on the issue of Egyptian hunger.
Re # 7. Don Rodrigo
“So which comes first in order of priority: free contraceptives for American women…”
I trust you are a gentleman, so women come first.
Be nice if the govt first solved the food distribution problem on Staten Island …
Not often mentioned…..
A MUST HAVE if there is any chance you might lose heat. Duraheat 23,000 BTU kerosene heater $139 at Home Depot. I’ve been saved by this three times already. It’s more valuable than a generator in cold weather.
/off topic off/
More likely something like threatening to “amend” (i.e., rip up) the peace treaty with Israel unless, unless….well, “Make us an offer.”
Works every time!
If Egypt is a security imperative for the US, more so for Europe. Time for Europe to step up. Let’s sell the Europeans all the wheat they wish to donate. CAP’s response shows that the presumption of the makers of US foreign policy recognizes no boundary between party or ideology.
Ah Yes, America has ben designated the worlds sugar daddy by the Center for American Progress. Does that mean we are going to get sc%&#ed again?
Let them eat flies, they have plenty of those.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (UPI) — Sediments in the Nile Delta record ancient droughts and fires, including a drought 4,200 years ago linked with the end of Egypt’s Old Kingdom, scientists say.
Ancient pollen and charcoal preserved deep in the sediment reveal the impact of droughts and fires during what is known as the pyramid-building time.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/08/16/Climate-effects-on-ancient-Egypt-examined/UPI-49961345146022/#ixzz2CKdjpq2P
This proves that only government can build that.
They can eat fetid goat intestines. I am pretty sure that camel toes have been outlawed.
This at Breitbart provoked no small amount of Schadenfreude:
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/11/15/Hamas-rally-broken-up-rocket
I would not give the Egyptians one dime or one grain of wheat. Allah is on their side? Fine. Whether they eat or starve is up to Allah. Inshallah (translation: as Allah wills) y’all.
And I think the idea that starving people who exist at a distance are dangerous is truly funny. Close up, yeah. But at a distance? One of the primary symptoms of starvation is lack of energy and stamina. As the old saying goes, “an army travels on its stomach.” Given any decent distance between you and them the starving people will never manage to get to you. Historically people who are in the midst of famines don’t invade anybody.
And what better way to demonstrate to the masses of the dry Arab Spring that Allah is not on the side of the Islamists than by hunger?
No aid, no food, cut it all off. And when they whine? Reply “Inshallah.”
Let ‘em eat obamaphones! (delicious AND nutritious, Yum!)
#9. Steeple: More specifically, send the product named “Potted Meat.” It contains every single part of the pig except its thoughts.
I am tempted to use the immortal words of Dick Cheney in response to Egypt’s situation: “So?”
Wheat prices are up 47%? What’s with that? The mainstream media has been telling me for the last four years that’s inflation is practically nonexistent.
Oh, and by the way:
A BOOM INDUSTRY FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR GOOD JOBS
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/hiring-inside-critical-industry-hurting-help-225945954.html
Note how Yahoo! plays it straight. “Recession Proof” is what these Obamacare jobs are, you see. Utter cluelessness about how we pay for these jobs when there is no extra real money left. Like I said, we’re bypassing the French, Spanish and Greek experiences and going straight to Egyptian.
23. Ed Anger
Wheat prices are up 47%? What’s with that?
And what’s with that 47% number that keeps popping up? If I were into numerology, I’d be in a frenzy.
I understand that Pharaoh Morsi is on his way to Gaza…he best watch his step…crossing the Red Sea.
What I don’t understand is if the Muslim Brotherhood controls Egypt AND Libya, why would they not look at their territory as 1 big territory? I mean, really. I have asked this before and no one has answered it.
I doubt that the Egyptian branch looks at the Libyan branch as a completely separate and democratically controlled entity. So, here I go again. I imagine they look upon these territories very much the same way Stalin look upon the Ukraine and their wheat. He confiscated it.
So, when we say Egypt is out of foreign currency reserves, in a pinch, why wouldn’t they leverage the $$ they get from Libya’s oil to buy food? Am I crazy for looking at it this way? I mean, how much ‘Brotherhood’ is the Muslim Brotherhood?
Now, if we do assume that they look at these territories as any conquering despot would, why wouldn’t they sum up their assets – a pretty strong military (Egyptian), combined with oil revenue (Libya’s), bordering the Suez, a friendly administration in the US for at least another 4 years.
Not bad if you think about it. I wonder what havoc they are going to cause.
Is this the Global Warming drought or the Global Cooling drought or the Joooos Did It drought?
Prominent in my missed opportunities campaign slogans file is the print radio TV and billboard ready, “You Don’t Owe Squat.”
“our strategic relationships with allies such as Egypt”
They said a funny.
Remember the Ants in TH White’s “The Once and Future King” and their world of Communism as perpetual war? “We are numerous and starving. Therefore we deserve more food so that we can become even more numerous and starving.” White there possibly evokes the nightmarish insanity of totalitarianism, which I think applies to Salafi Islam, more concisely and effectively than Huxley or Orwell did.
They need butane. How appropriate given that the Egyptians are dealing with Americans whose knowledge of the world was shaped by watching “King of The Hill.”
There is no need whatsoever for the USA to worry about feeding Egypt. After all, I am quite sure their brother Muslums in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and other oil producing states will organize a food fund to buy wheat on the open market and feed their brothers. Why should they ask the hated Infidel for anything? And if for some reason their brother Muslums cannot or will not help, why I am sure the enlightened peace loving Europeans will be glad to donate all the food and money required.
I have heard people in the Middle East and Europe say a hundred times, “yankee go home.” In this case, the request should be granted. The people of Egypt chose to vote for the Muslum Brotherhood, let them take the responsibility for that choice. As for the people of the Gaza strip, they willingly support Hamas. I hope Israel does to them what the Russians do to Chechneya, it would only be fitting.
The old bline–blank ‘em if they can’t take a joke comes to mind. If you’ve got enough calories to riot over an Internet video, we don’t need to send any more food to you.
Did not know that Russia was going to be short again this year. Inshallah it is then. They are going to threaten to tear up the peace treaty with Israel? Too freaking late. The treaty bars Egyptian armor in the Sinai. They are already there. Hamas rockets are landing in Tel Aviv, and I think that Israel is about 3/4 hacked off right now. They have a process that they call “mowing the lawn”, i.e. thumping on Gaza every so often when they become a threat to quiet them down for a while. That may be obsolete.
With Iran threatening nuclear attack, Hezbollah and Syria making noise along the Golan Heights and Jordan getting ready for another Obama diplomatic triumph in the ME [the Muslim Brotherhood taking over Jordan the way they did everywhere else during the "Arab Spring"], and with the sure and certain knowledge that a re-elected Obama will not only not help Israel if it is attacked, but will almost certainly pile on; Israel may be thinking a more drastic version of the 6 Day War.
I am not Israeli, nor do I play one on TV. My choice for Israeli action, assuming that my estimate of their capabilities is reasonably accurate; would be first to strike Gaza. Thump them silly [which would be a short thumping] with air and artillery, and then quickly move in ground forces. Not to search and destroy, but to forcefully remove every “Oscillating Coeur d’ Lion” from Gaza and drive them into the Sinai. As far as their care is concerned, Inshallah.
That will either occupy the Egyptian forces, or if they attack; the inevitable war is on, with the initiative in Israeli hands. No time for a longer conventional war against Egypt like in 1973; especially with the US at least going to refuse resupply and probably assisting the Muslims. Immediately after Egyptian hostilities occur; a single Jericho II missile with a nuclear warhead targeting the Aswan High Dam should be launched. 90%+ of the Egyptian power supply gone, followed shortly by the end of Egypt as an entity.
Then, if the shock value does not stop [temporarily] Muslim attacks on Israel, then it will be on. The strategic goal being then the destruction of the Ummah. Because existential war is going to happen whether Israel has the initiative or not.
No, I’m not a nice person.
Inshallah
Subotai Bahadur
Fellow Americans,
A soft heart can be a dangerous thing. Yes, they will starve and blame us for not feeding them. But to feed them will just ensure their continued hatred of us.
But if there is one thing more dangerous than domestic soft-heartedness, it is the international kind.
Not to worry about Egypt. According to RT (Russia Times), the EU is extending some $6 Billion in loans to Egypt – this while their Arab brethren in the Persian Gulf are sitting on hundreds of billions (at least). It wasn’t the struggling people in Greece, Spain, et.al. that made this decision, it was unelected European bureaucrats.
The insanity of Islamic nations has been explained in their adherence to religion that will always cripple them economically because it opposes innovation and ideas from outside the tribe, also they have been marrying cousins for centuries now. So I suppose the Center for American Progress must also be ran by inbred retarded sexual deviates?
shiver…
That gambit has been long postulated here at the BC…
Traditionally, (in ancient times), Cyrenaica was considered a part of Egypt.
Indeed, in the last decade Roman era graves have been found well west of the Nile — showing cross cultural linkage between the Grecco-Egyptian culture and Rome. (Think Ptolemaic Dynasty) These recently discovered graves show double motifs, of course. They span the generations.
And, of course, when the Arabs invaded Coptic lands — to establish Cairo — originally a ‘tent city’ — they kept on invading westward. ( circa the Seventh Century )
===========
Now, it is true that the Duck of Death held something like $ 200,000,000,000 in overseas assets… That’s enough to top up Cairo for 100 months.
===========
The question remains: will the West give those monies to Salafist powers? To Islamists?
===========
Lest it be forgotten: the MB is ENTIRELY dedicated to anti-Americanism. That’s been its core organizing principle for fifty-years.
Making Cairo an anti-ally.
===========
The High Aswan Dam is a dam of Damocles.
Meanwhile the Hostess company has played the Twinkie defense against a striking union.
In its own way the West is behaving like Egypt. The worse things get more obsessed politicians become with sexual politics, global warming, transfats and contraception. Ideology — of any sort — disconnects a person’s brain from reality. Reality is interpreted by this big defective interpreter program called progressivism.
The Egyptians are about to starve. But never mind — look — a squirrel. The only excuse the Egyptians have is that many in the West are no different in essence.
Number 31 SB:
The dam provides no more than 15 percent of Egypt’s energy supply.
Worthy target nonetheless.
Thanks Blert.
I agree about MB being anti-American. It is shocking that this administration doesn’t seem to think so, and they would probably give them pass. Thus, my point about what havoc they will create. I wonder if they would make a b-line to Saudi Arabia. AQ hates them.
Didn’t think about the High Aswan Dam.
The $200b must have been for prior oil. I would think it is a clean slate now with anything produced. Like Russia and BP, there will always be some other company right behind to try and move in.
During the “Arab Spring,” it appears the only crops planted were bombs and rockets. Now it’s the “Arab Autumn,” and the harvest is ready…
Perhaps they should have stuck to wheat and corn!
On the other hand, maybe some food assistance in a Climate Change approved form – ethanol – would be appropriate.
Under no circumstances should our jisya be increased (or for that matter, continued)!
Sounds like Egypt is in a good place if some unpleasantness should break out.
For many in the ME, the choice could soon come down to Iran which brings revolution and war or Turkey, Saudi Arabia and others who can bring food.
Not that any of them can be trusted.
Global warming or whatever schtick works in the environmental racket is part of the political left’s deliberate strategy to advance socialism in this country. I am not blogging now, but I wrote about this back in 2006 (see here: http://drsanity.blogspot.com/2010/09/postmodernism-and-left-perfect-storm.html). Leftist environmentalism, along with political correctness, multiculturalism, and enabling of overt terrorism are the four pillars of the strategy which have evolved since Marx’s proletariat failed to revolt under capitalism and became instead, “the middle class”. The subtle but persistent erosion of reason, truth, reality, and western civilization proceeds apace under the banner of postmodern philosophy.
I’m beginning to suspect that 47 is not a random number at all…
I agree with just about everybody, this seems like a splendid opportunity to practice some first-class international torpor. Perhaps we can appoint a committee to look into establishing a commission to appoint a working group to do some third-hand investigating of the situation. Then, some satellite-based geological surveys to point out some choice burial grounds for all the victims of starvation. I am a firm believer in the “you broke it, you bought it” school of international relations.
THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS MEETS THE IDF
I spoke to a member of the Center for American Progress the other day, and he explained why it is important that we feed hungry freedom fighters.
He admitted it’s not all our fault
And said something’s wrong with the gestalt
It’s the Right do you see
And the House GOP
All now wanting to follow John Galt
There are desperate people in lands
Where the Right simply washes its hands
Just because there are guys
Who would cut out our eyes
And who join up with al Qaeda bands
Then of course we must never forget
That enemies are friends not yet met
So let’s get on the side
Of the swift moving tide
It’s the winners on whom we must bet
But for now their economy stinks
Which is why if the USA blinks
And Israelis prevail
They will put all in jail
And no doubt they will blow up the Sphinx
For the world’s sake Israeli must go
They’re the cause of all trouble and so
We must give Egypt wheat
Till they’re back on their feet
Thus allowing their hatred to grow
I then asked him if murdering Jews
Had of late somewhat challenged his views
That he seemed to hold dear
And he said let’s be clear
It’s Israelis who kill that’s not news
As he walked away humming a tune
It was clear that the reckoning’s soon
For it’s thinking like this
Driving toward the abyss
Armageddon is climbing the dune
I hate to sound like a broken record, but I will say it again.
Stock up on food!
in for a penny in for a pound; if the israelis decide to to go nuclear they should take out every arab city, and all the oil fields. the world won’t react any differently to one nuke than to 50.
@31 subotai bahadur
As Dorothy Parker said, “if you don’t anything nice to say … Come sit by me!”
I guess USAid will ship grain in bags without the USAid logo, just like they do for Afghanistan. You wouldn’t want them embarassed by being seen to accept help from the Great Satan.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/us-delivering-humanitarian-aid-afghanistan-no-markings-indicating-its-us-aid
Gentlemen and Ladies, I am shocked no one has thought of this simple solution, “Let them eat cake”. But the spam idea voiced above sounds ‘appropriate’, too.
Have you noticed how Obama mentioned that global warming has increased more in the last ten years than expected?…NOT! No measurable warming in sixteen years.
The Wall Street Journal provides more detail on the BP criminal charge settlement, particularly naming the three men being charged. http://tinyurl.com/bwnrfzf
Don Vidrine and Robert Kaluza were the two Well Site Leaders, the de facto ship captains while the rig was latched onto the well. So the criminal charges regarding operating a ship are an outgrowth of that reality.
As to the misleading a congressman…
SO KURT MIX HAS NOT BEEN LINKED TO EITHER THE CHARGES OR THE SETTLEMENT!
FREE KURT MIX!!! HIS ONLY “CRIME” WAS TO BE CORRECT IN ASSERTING THAT THE WELL COULD HAVE BEEN SEALED IN MAY, COUNTER TO THE CLAIMS OF STEVEN CHU AND THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION.
BTW – Who is lying about the size of the spill, BP or the government that cannot find 1 million barrels of “missing” (i.e. non-existent) oil?
Force Obama and Holder to produce the internal White House emails they have been hiding regarding the drafting of the illegal drilliing moratorium during the “top kill” operation May 26-27, 2010!
On May 28 Thad Allen himself said, “they have been able to stop the hydrocarbons from coming up the wellbore” http://tinyurl.com/3ypjn89
The one thing that’ s being left out here is the mentality of faithful Muslims and the mythic status of the Muslim Brotherhood. Think for a second like an Egyptian Muslim, male, late twenties or early thirties. You may not like this thought experiment, but its the only way to attempt to see beyond our own POV and understand what will unfold in all probability.
Eventually, without some kind of major outside intervention, Egypt will collapse from economic distress and political incompetence. But before that happens, every last fiber of that young Muslim male will be strained to the breaking point to make the Muslim Brotherhood succeed. It will be painted by the MB as a religious duty, a fard, which cannot be questioned on pain not only of death, but of eternity in hell as well. Imagine yourself in this young muslim’s shoes … What would you do? And abandoning Islam is not really an option …
It will be hell inside Egypt before this is through. But if they are allowed to pass through this Muslim Brotherhood created hell, it will break the MB for good. It’s mythos will be dead. We can only hope no intervention stops the chaos as the Muslim Brotherhood burns itself out …
please read – ‘Turn out the lights, the party’s over’
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2012/11/turn-out-lights-partys-over.html
to read about the insanity of Israel providing gaza with electricity
Much can be explained about the past four years, and extrapolated into our future, once you understand that our President has more in common with the Muslim Brotherhood than with the American People.
Egypt is not going to starve-they will have to live on rice and beans, wheat and beans- plus some fruit for a while but that diet is very viable -particularly as they have high vitamin D synthesis because of their climate.
Spengler aka David P. Goldman lacks credibility among serious economists-he is always crying for doom and gloom for every nation-except one.
David P. Goldman was a major promoter and key member of the Lyndon LaRouche cult for more than 20 years http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_LaRouche.
Goldman admitted to this @ First Things-he had to
David P. Goldman is just pushing a new cult of doom and gloom and is an irrelevant propagandist.
The reality is that KSA, UAE, China and Qatar have bought and leased vast track of the most fertile land in Africa.
Africa -with industrial farming of GM crops and industrial transportation can easily feed a lot of the world population.
China, KSA, UAE and Qatar now control this industrialized agriculture in Africa
-they will use this massive resource to control regimes in Egypt and elsewhere.
We in the US and Canada also have vast potential for massive grain surpluses -beyond our domestic needs.
Grain is the new oil
-and you cannot eat oil
-nor can you live on bread alone
Let them eat pages of the Quran.
^^22. Vanguard of the Commentariat
I am tempted to use the immortal words of Dick Cheney in response to Egypt’s situation: “So?”
I’d opt for his comment to Patrick Leahy – “Go f*** yourself!”
As Captain James T Kirk once said; “LET them die.”
Or they can be nuked by Israel, whichever come first.
Let’s see-Many new legal pot users and no more Twinkies?
It is on course to run out of everything except weapons and hatred, commodities which seem to be in eternally abundant supply in the Middle East.
They’ll run out of hatred when they run out of people.
In its own way the West is behaving like Egypt. The worse things get more obsessed politicians become with sexual politics, global warming, transfats and contraception. Ideology — of any sort — disconnects a person’s brain from reality.
A consequence in both cases of people being taken care of by someone else. If you don’t earn your own bread, you forget how it is baked and what ingredients need to go into the dough. Then when you run out of bread, you don’t know any better than to join with the moonbats screaming at the bakers and farmers.
Ach. I’m tired of it all. Progressives can go to hell. At this point, the only ideology I have anymore is make everyone earn their keep.
In the Arab Spring
we were promised abundance for all
by robbing selected Omar
to pay for collective Abdul
But though Europe gave us Euros
there was no wheat our Euros could buy
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said
If you vote for Jihad you die.
12. Oznob – Thanks for the tip! I’ll pick one up tomorrow.
Victor (54),
They don’t have enough wheat, and are finding it increasingly hard to afford to buy it.
There are 84 million Egyptians growing at 2.4% per annum. 10% are Copts. They are less inbred than the islamic Eqyptians and are a higher proportion of admin positions. As Egypts tips over into starving chaos, the first thing the islamists will do will be to slaugther the 8 million copts. Egypt imports half its food. The other half requires water pumped from the Nile. Once diesel distribution fails, the pumps will stop. Egypt’s population will fall to a fraction of its carrying capacity – possibly eight million. 90% of Egyptian women have genital mutilation. It couldn’t happen to nicer people. The slaughter of the Copts is not going to go down well in the West. It will become difficult to view the islamistics in a positive light.
DA @ 62…
The islamists have effectively destroyed their tourist trade.
Any hot war with Israel will flat-line their Suez income — as insurance rates in that war zone will skyrocket.
Spengler predicts it’ll devolve into barbarity — which is logical. Egypt is but east of the Barbary Coast.
Some idea of how that’ll play out is already in evidence — in Somalia.
Western food aid has permitted the MENA zone to wildly overpopulate — infant mortality is their ‘solution’ to population ‘control.’
And, I don’t think that the West can possibly ‘solve’ their population growth nightmare.
These are peoples who live a Neolithic rules-set, who can’t fit in — whatsoever — in our societies.
They can, however, fill out the police blotter, and generally subsist on the public dole — in bitterness and vice. For they are just about 13,000 years-apart in their cultural norms. And more than you’d care to think is embedded within their DNA.
Rather like North American native populations, they’re not in anyway enthused about changing their way of life. Indeed, islamists/ Salafists would literally rather die than switch.
This gap is at the core of the muslims-vs-the-world war. They’re at war with everybody the only variation being just how ‘in your face’ they want to press it.
It is at the core of their belief that all others are wrong — and ought to bow down and conform — or die. That’s the end-game they’re all praying for.
It’s not a creed that has any shade of toleration in it.
Well, ya know how Egypt solved this problem about 4,000 years ago. They hired this clever Jewish fellow named Joseph … hmmm. Maybe they ought to look in their prisons and see if there are any Jewish or Christian slaves in there with the gift of prophecy and the know-how to run their country the way Joseph did for the Egyptian Pharaoh.
Heck, I’ll give it a try. I prophecy:
“That you will all starve the f**k to death if you don’t stop trying to kill off all the Jews and Christians. Give up on Islamic hate, on that fraud Mohammad. Make lasting peace with Israel and countries with both the food stuffs and free-market know-how to solve your famine problems, countries like the USA. Then you’ll eat, live long, and prosper.”
Heck, what do I know. That’s a waste of time. They’ll take one look at our Socialist-Muslim President and KNOW that the USA can’t save them.
#31. Subotai Bahadur
“Then, if the shock value does not stop [temporarily] Muslim attacks on Israel, then it will be on. The strategic goal being then the destruction of the Ummah. Because existential war is going to happen whether Israel has the initiative or not.”
Remember, Israel is run by European-refugee-Socialists. They aren’t your Jews of the House of David, though they have a few hearty fellows in their military.
The European Jews are the only reason the surrounding Arabs have been able to play their “kill a Jew” games of fun for sixty years.
I’m thinking that if the Eastern European and Russian Jews gain more power, the Arabs are in a heck of a lot of trouble, i.e. your scenario may come true.
But I’m with you: I think Israel’s existential existence will be at risk if they don’t pick a bully soon, and annihilate that threat. Certainly there are suicidal Muslims like the nuts running Iran, but when “there shall not be left one stone upon another” in Teheran, for example, the Palestinians and Hamas folks will become suddenly eager to sponsor bake sales to benefit Israeli war veterans.
I’d glass over Mecca and Medina, too. Yeah, the world will absolutely hate and condemn Israel, which is the status quo, but no one will touch Israel.
Wretchard #36:
What is extra absurd is that Hostess reached an agreement with it’s largest union, the Teamsters, but cannot reach an agreement with the Miller’s union, which only represents about 6000 of the 18000 company workers. They have permanently closed 3 plants due to the Millers union shutting them down and may have to shut the whole company down by next week if either the Millers don’t reach an agreement or the other workers agree to cross the picket lines.
So 6000 workers will cost 12000 others their jobs. I wonder if the Teamsters as well as other workers have given any thought to doing some blue-on-blue thumping?
#54 Victor
“The reality is that KSA, UAE, China and Qatar have bought and leased vast track of the most fertile land in Africa.
Africa -with industrial farming of GM crops and industrial transportation can easily feed a lot of the world population.”
Oh, gee, it sounds like time for another Soviet 5 year plan. Industrial farming and central planning! That worked pretty well for Russian self-sufficiency in the past; just need to starve off enough Ukranians and Poles and Moscow lives large. It kinda helps to be in the nomenklatura, though.
I don’t see the KSA, UAE, China, and Qatar managing an agricultural revolution in Africa to feed and control “a lot of the world population”. Three of the four of those entities are entirely bereft of any technological proficiency, no matter how many of their kids they send to MIT or Yale or Harvard; the hire their expertise from the West. The fourth, China, has a billion of it’s own “feeding problems”, and that’s the only “world” it’s really interested in feeding. You will NEVER see free ChinaAID rice bags on docks in large volumes in any country other than China. The Chinese are more of the “cash and carry, and send the hong bao to my PLA junfa please” kind of capitalists.
Famine is at the least, the short term realization. War brings famine. Islam has practiced war for the past 30 or 40 years, while their populations grew. Now they will reap famine.
The only question is, worldwide, who starves with them?
But, as the saying goes, thanks for playing.
Remember, that by leftist theology –
It is LITERALLY immoral for Arab and other nations NOT to leverage the assets they have against those who may need them, (i.e. maximize the price of oil) in order to serve the needs of their people.
It is LITERALLY immoral for the United States to even THINK about leveraging its assets (i.e wheat, etc) in order to serve the interests of the United States and its people. This is not just immoral, it would be an outright crime.
Here endeth the le(ft)sson.
60. Knight1
re:12. Oznob – Thanks for the tip! I’ll pick one up tomorrow.
Two important points to remember:
1. For quick, intense space heating Oznob is correct – the kerosene heaters are wonderful. As a side benefit, the top of the protective wire shield can hold a pot of water, etc. – during an ice storm and three days of power outage a few years ago I actually cooked some soups and stews in a pot on top of mine.
2. Caution – if they’re not set-up and burning properly they can produce deadly carbon monoxide (CO). I suggest you do some google searches on kerosene heaters, how to properly set them up, wick maintenance, and basic safety precautions, etc.. Lots of info out there and it can save your life.
Subotai Bahadur @ 31:
Having lived in Ashkelon twice (10km from Gaza) me neither. And I am not a Jew. Failed Roman Catholic educated by Benedictine monks. (You may know the place).
The unofficial national motto in Israel is: “Never again!”
They mean it.
wretchard @ 36:
And living in the DFW area I know the unions were strong-arming the Hostess because they would not agree to concessions to make sure the company could survive. (They did not want to contribute a penny to health-care or retirement) The 18,000 deserve to be on the street. Screw them.
impeach 0bama @ 52:
iO – They have been doing this for a long time. The power station is just south of Ashkelon. That is what good people they are and still the Paleosimians shoot rockets at them. The Israelis made the desert bloom and grow lots and lots of food. They ship it at cost to Gaza also. (Best oranges I have ever tasted)
Things are heating up in the world as the strong horses sense weakness in their enemies.
Perhaps we can airlift them carbon credits.