An Armed Standoff Over Blood And Soil

In case you've been fortunate enough to have avoided the US news cycle over the past fortnight, you've probably heard at least something about a man with the slightly odd name of Cliven Bundy. For those who don't know: Bundy is a rancher in Nevada who has been using federally-owned land to graze his cattle for the last two decades. The government claims that he owes millions of dollars in unpaid fines for doing so, and with Bundy showing no signs of paying up – not least because he claims not to believe in the authority of the US government – they sent the authorities to clear the area of Bundy's cows. Bundy was ready for them, as were a large number of supporters, all heavily armed and apparently ready to engage in an armed standoff with the government if necessary. In the face of the threat posed by these armed renegades, the government has backed down for now and allowed Bundy to continue grazing on federal land while also not paying his fines.

Cliven Bundy has now become something of a cause for celebration in right wing circles, who see the standoff as a great victory for freedom-loving patriots against a corrupt and oppressive government. Perhaps the strangest thing about this is that the right wingers actually have something of a point for once – there is indeed a discussion to be had about the fact that much of the land in the western United States is technically owned by the federal government. This land was, after all, stolen from the original Native American populations of the region, and we would be well-placed to start discussing who really 'owns' it.

But that isn't the point that Bundy actually wants to make, it's just a byproduct of his argument. It also isn't the issue for which Bundy will be remembered. Instead, Bundy will go down as a perfect symbol of the dark psyche of the American right wing. All of the classic tropes are there – an instinctive turn to guns and threats of violence whenever things go against them; a claim to be patriots while at the same time attacking the government and refusing to pay the taxes that support their fellow countrymen; and a belief in the superiority of white males and their right to do whatever they feel like doing without interference or the need to consider the rights of others.

This last point was amply demonstrated by Bundy himself in the days after the standoff. In an interview with the New York Times, Bundy essentially told reporters that black people were better off being slaves – they had a better family life, and some good honest work to do, he said; they didn't spend all their time on welfare. How does Bundy know about the lives of black people in today's America? Why, he once drove past some of them sitting outside a housing project, of course. A true expert, you'll no doubt agree.

And this illustrates a great problem with America – it still hasn't found a way to talk about land without getting it mixed up with issues of race and fear. White people who have owned their land for centuries – but only because of a legacy of slavery of black people and genocide of Native Americans – are scared of newcomers, scared of the way in which the federal government seems to accept such newcomers, and scared that the end result will be 'their' land being 'taken' from them. This lead to people arming themselves, clinging to their guns as a means of safety, and eventually – or so it seems – engaging in armed standoffs with the government in an attempt to defend their privilege. Sooner or later, America will need to discover a new language for discussing these issues of inequality and entrenched wealth and ownership, or moments like the Cliven Bundy standoff may become more and more common as the country continues to change faster than wealthy white people with guns believe it should.

[ Cliven Bundy, unpaid fines, US government, native american populations, american right wing, New York Times ]

Energy independence could finally bring about world peace

In an editorial recently published by the New York Times, author Kenneth Hersh and Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer suggest that America’s energy revolution will reshape the way the world embraces green technology, and perhaps even bring about world peace.

“The production process is complicated and expensive, and if the industry is not careful there can be risks to the environment,” they write. “But the potential is staggering. Significant domestic job growth and economic expansion have begun."

With more and more countries discovering rich deposits of shale and natural gas, energy is finally becoming democratized. No longer do a few oil moguls dominate the market. Instead, they’re forced to compete on a global scale. And as capitalism has proven in the past, competition can breed better prices for the consumer.

Energy independence also means domestic security. For example, as the U.S. improves its production and processing methods, they’ll rely less and less on foreign oil.

“As America drives toward a new era of energy self-sufficiency, Washington will be less willing to risk lives and spends billions on ensuring the free flow of oil and gas through dangerous places,” Hersh and Bremmer write. “That’s especially important for the Middle East — a region where Ottomans, then Europeans, and lately Americans have, for better and for worse, helped keep the peace. The United States isn’t about to abandon the region entirely, not with the global economy still so dependent on the flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s security at risk. But it’s natural that as America becomes less reliant on the Middle East for energy, Washington’s willingness to accept risks and burdens there will diminish, or at least become harder to justify in a fiscally constrained era.”

Hersh and Bremmer also hint that China is poised to fill the void left in the global market, and will begin exporting crude oil at higher prices. This will allow poorer countries to continue pumping carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, contributing to the already out-of-control climate crisis.

NRGLab has developed a number of cost-effective techniques for converting agricultural waste, natural gas, and even geothermal heat into clean energy. We’ve seen where the world is heading, and we want to help get it back on the right track. Investing in green technology is the smartest way to secure your financial future. Learn more by visiting nrglab.asia, or by following us on Facebook and Twitter.