H G Wells Sums things up

HG Wells 1906 visit The English novelist H G Wells visited The United States of America in 1906 and wrote several books from the experience…. ‘The Future in America’ 1906 and ‘The War in the Air’ 1908 the second being a very exciting book describing an air attack on New York and the city burning. But what fascinates me is a couple of observations Wells makes which fit into the context of my study of Myth America in connection with the paramount for the whole world- Oil Industry and Banking Industry. The comments are; ‘The typical American has no sense of state. I do not mean that he is not passionately and vigorously patriotic. But I mean that he has no perception that his business activities, his private employments are constituents in a larger collective process; that they will affect other people and the world forever; And cannot as he imagines begin and end with him’ And ‘America’s greatest problem was the pervasiveness of private ownership. ‘Until he land, he public services and the whole of the great economic processes could be rescued from the irresponsible control of private owners, injustice was institutionalized’ p298 Abroad in American Smithsonian 1976. These two comments are ends of the same staff. The destructive disconnect of miss named ‘Free Enterprise’ doing damage to USA and now consequently to the whole world. Climate Change coming from environmental destruction and the 20th Century Boom beginning now to go in the devastating –Bust Phase of the 21st Century. And the greatest tension in the reviewed elsewhere on another blog 2009 book Too Big to Fail comes when the CEO of Wells Fargo in the melting down of the US Banking and world financial system refuses a 25 Billion dollar bail out as part of a government buy out of the Nine biggest banks because he is fired up with the idea of individualism allowing business to be involved in everything including murder as long as America is: ‘Free Enterprise’. While accepting sixty years earlier in 1953 Iran Oil Crisis- (the largest eight world oil companies- five of them America based, and three Rockefeller) The Eight largest oil companies had come to this early critical acceptance that ‘Anti Trust’ ‘Anti Competitive Behavior’ while other industries could have those ideas and maybe restrictions- Oil Could Not because of the more important Need for Empire- Great Britain loosing empire because of it’s failure in Iran and handing over with a CIA stage coup- America taking the world stage with an oil back foremost world empire. All that happened then in 1953. So do I agree with an essentially Stalinist approach to the State owning the land and resources being advocated by H G Wells? Well yes do read in the Bible Genesis 41-47 and by the end of it- We have the world’s Strongest Ever State and Joseph sets it up! So I do agree this is wonderfully biblical! But while the Seven Oil Companies (‘The Seven Sisters’ A Sampson Hodders 1975 ) did arrive under the leadership of John D very early on at the need for the companies themselves to distribute the oil slow enough to keep high stable profits- and despite by my 1946-47-48 (Britannica year books informing me of the critical debate at that time) The price of oil was not held, not oil dribbled out at the restricted levels of 1944 and 1945 and thus by 1974/5 USA had peaked her production and went into decline and by the end of the 20th century the same place was being arrived at for the whole world. Yes the consequences are….. Well let me conclude this Myth America by saying the ‘Free Enterprise’ myth has lead to inevitable Civilizational Collapse.

The Post American Novel?

The Post American Novel? Joseph O’Neill author of the novel ‘Netherland’ 2008 speaking in an interview with Travis Elborough on a question about The Great Gatsby and the American Novel said….. “Netherland is clearly having some sort of conversation with The Great Gatsby saying goodbye to it perhaps and some of the notions associated with that wonderful book. This is be way of explanation of the fact that I actually see the book as a Post American Novel. It is told from the perspective of a man who has left America. Hans is over America even though he is still fascinated by it. Nick Carraway by contrast has moved back to the Midwest. I increasingly think that the integrity of the United States, the idea of the US as this special sealed off zone of opportunity and freedom is anachronistic. Globalization has undermined the exclusiveness of the American experience. It remains an extraordinary and exceptional place but our attitudes to it have changed. The veneration certainly isn’t what it used to be. I believe some of that has been precipitated by the behavior of the United States internationally in recent times.” The phrase that leaped off the page are the words: ‘The idea of the US as this special sealed off zone of opportunity and freedom is anachronistic’ There are two interwoven myths here. The special chosen myth and the isolation myth. That there could or would be this place called ‘The New World’ where people could safely ignore history-civilizational experience and proceed to success and freedom on the basis of The Declaration of Independence and live in isolation of the rest of the world. Well in answer to that O’Neill a self confessed rootless world citizen has given us a book on the unlikely topic of: Cricket- the people attempting against the odds to play that game in the city of New York. While the New York Times said of the book ‘The wittiest, angriest, most exacting and most desolate work of fiction about life in New York and London after the World Trade Center fell. I devoured it in three thirsty gulps that satisfied a craving I didn’t know I had’ And for those who wonder if I got paid to write this- Nah –It just helps me to enjoy the book more!

Washington calls New York to Empire

Washington calls New York to Empire. Nine years later- 1885- the grateful New Yorkers were pleased to give George Washington the freedom of the city , and in accepting the honor said…. ‘And that your state- at present the seat of the Empire…’ p34 Imperial City 1988 As a contributor to the New York Times pointed out that, ‘there are two things America is supposed not to have: an empire and a ruling class’. The United States gladly accepts its role as a super power and would not be anything else, but it is loath to acknowledge that a super power is merely a deodorized imperialist …The ruling class in this polity, like most others in history anywhere is that small segment of society which controls the bulk of the wealth and thus manipulates power and while there is wealth spread the length and breadth of the republic, most of the control is exercised in New York…. Roosevelt administration into the Federal Writers Project noted that because the money and the power had long been here, because national polices were created by that money and power, New York had for years been virtually the capital of the United States. In one of the most crushing comments that can ever be made about the anointed capital of any nation or about the politicians he dismissed Washington as ‘merely the loud speaker through which New York announced itself’….. As the FWP writer also remarked there had been moments when New York had turned humbly and gratefully to Washington for whatever succor the White House and Congress might afford (he mentioned 1932) By and large year in and year out New York is where the pace is set and where the memorable tunes are played when the imperial grandeur is most consciously on show where the citizens can be most patronizing and where the rest of the world makes for first to pay homage and to be impressed….. have been stung by New York’s high opinion of itself… a large painting entitled Capital City of the World or through the wisecrack of Gracho Marx- When it is 9:30 in New York it’s 1937 in Los Angeles. Modesty isn’t one of the virtues New York has ever seent he point in cultivating and when someone tries it in public the result can sound excruciatingly false. P336 Imperial City. New Zealand has since the beginning of her colonial period well understood Empire and so mid 1941 before USA said it would join the World War our top people were in Washington negotiating to become part of the American Empire- Essential as after Pearl Harbor and before the American lifeline was restored- We had no oil to run our vehicles !!! Thus we have been and continue to be faithful members of the American Empire although Chief Trade Negotiator – T. Grooser came on the TV yesterday after thousands had been in the streets protesting an attempt by USA to have US laws used to prosecute our business people as part of the TPPA – And said ‘our negotiators are stupid!’ Empire!