The new weapon that now has changed the world

Every so seldom, a new weapon comes along, that changes the world. Weapons that change the world can be measured by ease of use, cost, killing power, and anonymity.

1. Gunpowder changed the world.
Gunpowder made guns and bombs possible, which made killing many people by individual people, easy.

Prior to the invention of gun powder, killing was a mano a mano battle, requiring close, individual combat between (usually) men.

Today, an individual gun nut can kill 20, 40, 50 or more innocent people, at a distance, in a matter of seconds, using a rapid-fire gun. Or toss a grenade into a crowd.

Drive-by shootings are much easier to accomplish than, say, drive-by stabbings or poisonings.

2. The atomic bomb changed the world.
It allowed many thousands of innocent people to be killed by one person — the person who pushes the button.

The atomic bomb, in a strange irony, has helped prevent major wars, because to any but the most evil, suicide-driven, madman (or woman), the notion of atomic war is unthinkable.

And atomic weapons are sophisticated and expensive, so are unlikely to be controlled by an individual.

Thus, another world war has become slightly less likely, though not impossible, considering the type of tyrants that now rule many nations.

(Donald Trump asked, “If we have nuclear weapons why can’t we use them?” but he’s Trump.)

3. The Internet changed the world.
It currently is a powerful weapon, though it wasn’t designed to be a weapon. But it has made it possible for one person to change the lives of millions of innocent people, easily, quickly, cheaply, and often even anonymously.

And now for the new weapon that has changed the world:

4. The drone makes it possible for an individual to deliver death to anyone on earth, and destruction to any infrastructure on earth, quickly, silently, and cheaply, and possibly anonymously.

And there is no practical way to stop drones.

Bloomberg Opinion
Saudi Arabia Drone Attack Is a Strike at Oil’s Future
The audacious assault promises major disruption and sets the stage for a new and dangerous period for world oil markets.
By Liam Denning, September 14, 2019, 4:58 PM CDT

The oil market has shrugged off sanctions on Iran, exploding tankers and drones getting shot down over the Strait of Hormuz. But this weekend’s strike against Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq processing facility – perhaps the single most important piece of oil infrastructure on the planet – is of a different order.

Saudi Arabia said the attack affected 5.7 million barrels a day of output, or roughly half their production.

It is unclear whether the strike involved drone-fired weapons or missiles or a combination of them.

The prevailing mood in the markets before Saturday was one of uncertainty weighing on prices, largely related to the swings of the trade war and – with the sudden absence of John Bolton from President Donald Trump’s ear – whether sanctioned Iranian barrels would find their way back to the market.

Now, with Iranian-sponsored Houthi fighters in Yemen claiming responsibility for a strike at the heart of the Saudi Arabian economy – and U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo directly blaming Iran for the attack – a meaningful thaw that allows Iranian barrels to replace disrupted Saudi ones seems inconceivable.

What is clear is that the oil market has entered a new and dangerous period. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who spearheaded Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen, will almost certainly have to respond, especially if the attack really has knocked out a lot of oil supply for an extended period.

This escalation could be interpreted as Iran’s response to Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign – if Tehran can’t export, then neither should Saudi, may be the zero-sum thinking at play here. The chance of miscalculation and further escalation is very high.

Trump’s sensitivity to pump prices was established during 2018’s midterms, so a conflict-driven spike in the coming weeks and months could mean a flock of black swans for the oil market, ranging from releases of strategic reserves (Trump already called for this) to outright bans on oil exports.

There is a more existential issue to consider, too. One of the big themes being debated among Democrats ahead of Iowa is climate change. Yet, while polling suggests the issue resonates with an increasing proportion of Americans, history suggests it is pretty tough to get them to focus on energy issues unless, as in 2008, prices are high.

That could end up being the case in 2020, if it plays out against a backdrop of Middle Eastern conflict, high pump prices and consequent damage to economic growth.

You are not safe from a drone, not in your home, not in your car, not in a “good” neighborhood, nowhere.

If for whatever reason, or for no reason at all, someone wants to kill you or to damage your property, they simply could send a cheap drone over you and drop whatever — a bomb, a canister of poison gas, a toxic liquid, even political leaflets.  Anything, even a flamethrower.

Any day, any time, any place. And do it anonymously.

You have lost all security.

Oh, you say you moved to an expensive, safe suburb, with good schools and clean streets, and your house is equipped with the latest alarm systems, and plenty of police protection, and for years, there hasn’t been any violent crime within miles.

Sorry, but you no longer are safe. Any fool can buy a drone that will drop an incendiary on your roof, and burn your house to ashes — without his being seen anywhere near you.

Remember that waiter you undertipped five years ago? No, you don’t remember, but he does. And he’s been nursing the grievance ever since, and now he’s going to get even. You are about to be “droned.”

The drone is beyond even the AK-47, that turns cowards into killers. It essentially is invisible, remote, and accurate.

Don’t be surprised if the National Rifle Association tries to include “drone rights” as a Constitutional prerogative, and politicians begin to promise Texans that their drones never will be taken from their “cold dead hands.”

Don’t be surprised if a “drone magazine” (there already are a half dozen of them) promotes drones by their lethality (like the flamethrower drone.)

And there is nothing you can do about it. You can’t hide from it.

That is the brave new world in which you live.

Enjoy.

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty
Twitter: @rodgermitchell
Search #monetarysovereignty Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

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The most important problems in economics involve the excessive income/wealth/power Gaps between the richer and the poorer.

Wide Gaps negatively affect poverty, health and longevity, education, housing, law and crime, war, leadership, ownership, bigotry, supply and demand, taxation, GDP, international relations, scientific advancement, the environment, human motivation and well-being, and virtually every other issue in economics.

Implementation of The Ten Steps To Prosperity can narrow the Gaps:

Ten Steps To Prosperity:

1. Eliminate FICA

2. Federally funded Medicare — parts a, b & d, plus long-term care — for everyone

3. Provide a monthly economic bonus to every man, woman and child in America (similar to social security for all)

4. Free education (including post-grad) for everyone

5. Salary for attending school

6. Eliminate federal taxes on business

7. Increase the standard income tax deduction, annually. 

8. Tax the very rich (the “.1%”) more, with higher progressive tax rates on all forms of income.

9. Federal ownership of all banks

10. Increase federal spending on the myriad initiatives that benefit America’s 99.9% 

The Ten Steps will grow the economy, and narrow the income/wealth/power Gap between the rich and you.

MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY