Where Are We Now?

I am starting this blog as a way to chronicle the events in the world and in my little corner of the planet, Cascadia, as the crises of the Long Emergency begin to appear with increasing force and urgency. From where I sit, here are some of the major stories that are unfolding even as we speak:

• Global oil production is at least 2 or 3 years past peak, and it is highly possible that totally global energy production is past peak. This one fact will lead inexorably to economic and political disruptions for decades to come.
• The United States of America is more and more clearly an Empire in all but name, and a declining one at that. This Empire will refuse to collapse in an orderly manner, resulting in much hardship around the globe and at home.
• The grand experiment of Europe, the European Union and the Euro, is on its last legs. The ahistorical peace and prosperity that Europe has enjoyed since the end of World War 2 is fast becoming a relic as the normal pattern of European history reasserts itself.
• It is increasingly clear that the financial system of the Empire (and by extension, that of most of the world) is based on fraud and swindles. The system is past reform and will collapse, most likely in a very messy and damaging manner that will impoverish many ordinary people.
• Democracy in the Empire is a sham. The financial and corporate worlds control all the essential parts of government. The voice of the people is only allowed to manifest itself in government in topics that the corporate world does not care about, mostly hot-button social issues.