As these words are being written, the U.S. and its NATO allies continue to posture themselves in Europe and in the Middle East prior to the “big one” being kicked off.  As mentioned in previous reports and articles, the flash points are becoming much more defined: The Senkaku Islands, the Donbass Region of Ukraine, Syria, and the Korean Peninsula.  While the world watches, each side in these potential hot spots continues to build their forces in the regions and make preparations for conflict.  When we examine responses for those preparations, it is obvious that war is imminent.

The United States has been posturing troops in the former SSR nations on Russia’s Western border.  Supplies of tanks, artillery pieces, aircraft, ammunition, and American troops continue to pour into Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland, among others.  The posturing amounts to a regeneration of NATO/USSR Cold War lines with one major difference: with the SSR’s no longer in existence, the NATO lines are that much closer now to Russia.  Before those Soviet satellite nations provided a physical buffer, but those former buffers are now nations that openly host NATO and U.S. troops.

While claiming to have a ceasefire, the U.S. turns a blind eye to the fact that Russia is still pounding away at the “rebels,” as Newspeak terms them.  They’re really insurgents, trying to topple an established government that will not knuckle under to the likes of the Nulands and McCains as Ukraine did.  Furthermore, the Russians are backing Assad with no plans of pulling out of his corner.

Turkey is another matter, and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has been pushing the envelope with deployments of troops to the Syrian border and incursions that mimic “Fabian” tactics – small-scale, limited engagements comprised of small unit skirmishes and then a quick retreat back to the safety of the Turkish border.  Still, Turkey is amassing sizable numbers of men and large quantities of materials and it doesn’t take much cognition to deduce that Turkey is preparing to invade.  Recently President Vladimir Putin declared his willingness to use tactical nuclear weapons if faced with a Turkish and/or Saudi invasion of Syria.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is serious, as Russia proved with the Crimea in 2014.  Crimea is decried by the West as conquest and occupation, but this is not accurate: moreover, it’s a lie.  The U.S. attempted to institute a coup d’état by deposing the rightfully elected leader of Ukraine and inserting Yatsenuk.  They wanted to cut of Sevastopol, Russia’s strategic naval base that enables the Black Sea Fleet to enter the Mediterranean.  The West also paints a picture of imposed servitude over the populace, while “neglecting” to mention that almost 90% of Crimea are Russians ethnically, speaking Russian as their first language.

Russia didn’t play softball.  They won’t be playing wiffleball, either, when things kick off in Syria.  This is not to say there aren’t economic influences that prompt Russia to act; however, they are secondary to the aggressive and imperialistic actions taken by the phony coalition of NATO at the behest of the IMF and the Military-Industrial Complex.

Forbes recently posted a piece by Adam Ereli entitled “Putin’s Newest Satellite State,” in which the following is written:

 “…Russia quietly signed a sweeping air defense agreement with Armenia, accelerating a growing Russian military buildup that has unfolded largely under the radar.  It was the most tangible sign yet that Putin is creating a new satellite state on NATO’s border and threatening an indispensable U.S. ally [Turkey].”

Now Mr. Ereli is listed as a former deputy spokesman of the State Department, and his carefully-chosen words act as if Russia is the aggressor against Turkey.  He also wrote:

 “…as Russia’s war in Syria and pressure on Turkey has intensified…The growing Russian military presence in Armenia is but the latest indicator of a worrisome trend: Putin’s threat to NATO and America’s interests in Europe.”

Last check, Mr. Ereli, it was Turkey that shot down Russian aircraft and helicopters.  Not to mention the fact that with all of these NATO exercises and additional troop deployments, what is Russia supposed to do?  Not defend its interests?

Ereli finishes off his piece with this:

 “In July 2015, Turkey and the U.S. finalized an agreement to work cooperatively to combat Islamic State terrorists in Syria and Iraq.”

Perhaps Ereli is referring to the terrorists that the U.S. created, trained, and funded that have been wreaking havoc throughout the Middle East, now, since the Arab Spring began.  To address the more infuriating issue, the “unfolded largely under the radar” statement, there is nothing that is happening or has happened that is anything other than deliberate and purposeful.

Under the radar, such as TARS being removed from the Gulf Coast and Southern Border of the U.S.  Under the radar: the mothballing of planned Air Defense installations in Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European nations.  Under the radar, such as when Obama told Medvedev to tell Putin how he (Obama) would “have more leeway [with U.S. ICBM’s] after the election,” a statement as treasonous as they come.  Under the radar for the removal of the SR-71, the Tomahawk Cruise Missile, and the A-10 Tank Killer.  Under the radar for the cashiering of General Officers and Senior Noncommissioned Officers (the word “cashiering” being readily substitutable for the word “purging,” a more applicable and accurate term) from the U.S. military command structure.

The RAND Corporation recently released a study that concluded that Russian forces could overrun the Baltics in under 72 hours.  War games were run by RAND for several months in 2014-2015 and the studies concluded that the NATO forces were so ill-equipped and understrength that a loss would be inevitable.  An article published this month chronicles the gist of the RAND study, entitled If Russia Started a War in the Baltics, NATO Would Lose — Quickly, by Dan De Luce,

Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne).  Mr. Johnson is also a Gunsmith, a Certified Master Herbalist, a Montana Master Food Preserver, and a graduate of the U.S. Army’s SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape).  He lives in a cabin in the mountains of Western Montana with his wife and three cats. You can follow Jeremiah’s regular writings at SHTFplan.com.

This article may be republished or excerpted with proper attribution to the author and a link to www.SHTFplan.com.

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Forced Economic Free Fall the Precursor to Collapse: “The World Is About To Enter A Global Depression Unlike Anything Seen Before”

The Trigger: If This Ever Happens You Know You’re Days Away From Nuclear War

Jeremiah Johnson’s Green Beret Survival Guides

Researchers at the SETI Institute spotted something odd on New Year’s Eve over New Zealand. A stream of meteor showers appeared out of nowhere and now scientists around the world are scrambling to figure out where it originated and whether the parent body of that shower could be headed towards earth.

The shower, dubbed the Volantids, had not been seen before and has never been identified on previous radar observations, suggesting that a new, as of yet unknown object has now entered our solar system.

[Read more…]

(To say Hitler was a bit angry is an understatement. Now we may know why.)

It appears that historians may have finally figured out why Adolf Hitler was so incredibly angry and had to attack his perceived enemies with a multi-million strong military at the first sign of being challenged.

In their book Hitler’s Last Day: Minute by Minute, the authors note that the leader of the Third Reich had two genital abnormalities:

‘Hitler himself is believed to have had two forms of genital abnormality: an undescended testicle and a rare condition called penile hypospadias in which the urethra opens on the under side of the penis.’

The two conditions would go a long way to explaining why the tyrant had a fear of being seen naked and could account for his deep-seated fury.

His personal doctor Theodor Morell, a qualified urologist, is also believed to have noted Hitler’s hypospadias.

He is also understood to have given him hormones, amphetamines and cocaine in a bid to boost his sex drive with partner Eva Braun.

In December, researchers from the University of Erlangen say they had found documents that appeared to back up the claim that Hitler only had one testicle, long considered a myth.

Source: Daily Mail

(I vant you to tell everyvon. It is zis big!)

It was apparently common knowledge that Hitler was missing a testicle and during the war the allies came up with a marching song making fun of Little Hitler:

For decades it was alleged that Hitler had lost his testicle at the battle of the Somme during the First World War. 

The lyrics go: ‘Hitler has only got one ball, the other is in the Albert Hall. His mother, the dirty b****r, cut it off when he was small.’

A micro penis measures somewhere in the area of 1.2 inches and about one in 200 men reportedly suffer from the condition globally. Given the size, it may make sex awkward and difficult, which may explain why Hitler’s contemporaries report that he had an almost non-existent sex life:

People who knew Hitler also noticed he was not into sex with his mistress, Eva Braun.

Nazi architect, Albert Speer, who was tasked with designing his leader massive buildings, said after the war that it was very noticeable.

He said: “By no means would I describe Adolf Hitler as sexually normal in his relationships with women.

“In the case of Eva Braun in particular, it seems clear to me that aside from occasional passionate episodes there was no sexual activity at all for long periods of time.”

The adage that when men go to war they are really just trying to prove whose penis is bigger may well come into play here and it may explain why Hitler just had to have a bigger rocket than everyone else:

It makes us wonder, with all the wars being fought around the globe, is it possible that a much higher percentage of world leaders have a smaller-than-average penis size versus the general male population?

Also Read:

Eyewitness to Hitler Warns: “Keep Your Guns and Buy More Guns”

Yes, Hitler and Stalin Did Take The Guns

The Surprising Parallell Between Modern Germany and Pre-Hitler Germany

All Aboard the Auschwitz Express: “People Don’t Want to Believe It”

In case you haven’t heard, the Oregon state legislature has recently approved a new minimum wage, and Governor Kate Brown has already agreed to sign it. This minimum wage law will be very different from the wage laws of most states, in that it will vary on a region by region basis. There will be gradual increases in each city and rural county until the year 2022. At that point, the city of Portland will have a minimum wage of $14.75, smaller cities will be at $13.50, and rural areas will be at $12.50.

But for all their good intentions, the leftists that pushed this legislation through have no idea what they’re in for. It will be rife with unintended consequences. Take for instance, what happened in Seattle shortly after their city council approved a $15 minimum wage. Before the wage increase even went into effect, restaurants all over the city crunched the numbers for what it would mean to their bottom line, and shuttered their doors. And for those who are still employed, the minimum wage increase hasn’t really helped them at all. Here’s what two cleaning ladies told the Seattle Times last year:

The cleaning woman responded, “It sounds good, but it’s not good,”

“Why?” I asked.

“I lost my 401k, health insurance, paid holiday, and vacation,” she responded. “No more free food,” she added.

The hotel used to feed her. Now, she has to bring her own food. Also, no overtime, she said. She used to work extra hours and received overtime pay.

“What else?” I asked.

“I have to pay for parking,” she said.

I then asked the part-time waitress, who was part of the catering staff.

“Yes, I’ve got $15 an hour, but all my tips are now much less,” she said. Before the new wage law was implemented, her hourly wage was $7. But her tips added to more than $15 an hour. Yes, she used to receive free food and parking. Now, she has to bring her own food and pay for parking.

It’s simple economics really, which apparently the purveyors of the minimum wage have no knowledge of. They artificially raised the price of services across the board, and look what happened? The businesses that couldn’t afford it either shut down or laid off workers, and the businesses that could afford it simply shifted some money around by eliminating benefits and putting those dollars toward wages.

Big surprise right? We’ll probably see the same thing happen in Oregon before these wage increases are enforced. Businesses owners in that state are saying and thinking the same thing the restaurateurs were saying in Seattle last year.

What the supporters of a higher minimum wage just don’t get, is that it hurts poor unskilled workers the most. They want to believe that it will help these people attain a livable wage, but it won’t. In fact, when states or cities try to raise the minimum wage, it often forces their low skilled workers to move to different states for better work opportunities. The minimum wage is a job killer that takes work away from people who need it the most. And in any case, those who do still have a job now have to pay more for goods and services in certain industries, now that there is no cheap labor.

It also sets the bar too high for workers that lack experience. Think about it. Whenever a business hires a new employee, they’re taking on a big risk. It costs money to train new people, and they have no idea if these people will work out. The less experienced they are, the more risk it entails, and thus they pay these workers less money to hedge those risks. With any minimum wage, it’s difficult, and sometimes impossible, for the newest members of the job market to attain their first work experience. Is it any wonder why all over the developed world, the youngest demographics have the highest unemployment rates? Surely this is a contributing factor.

To those that support a higher minimum wage, or any minimum wage for that matter, this isn’t rocket science. At the end of the day, some jobs simply aren’t worth that much money, no matter how much you pout about how unfair the world is. And when you set a minimum wage, what you’re really doing it outlawing all jobs that are worth less than that arbitrary amount.

It sounds pretty dumb when you put it that way, doesn’t it?

Contributed by Joshua Krause of The Daily Sheeple.

Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshua’s reports at Facebook. Joshua’s website is Strange Danger .

Related:

What Prices Look Like Before and After A Mandatory Minimum Wage Increase

Gov Report: Up To ONE MILLION Jobs Will Be Lost Due to Minimum Wage Hike

Here It Comes Seattle: “Stupidity Has A Price”

The information in this article will be a short synopsis of how the Petrodollar was created, in order to allow the readers to tie in an understanding to the bigger picture we face today.  We have all seen the volatility in the oil markets and the steady, daily decline in the BDI (Baltic Dry Index), both of which indicate the disease affecting the global economy.  That disease is almost terminal; the policies surrounding the Petrodollar and its influence are major contributing factors to the rapidly-deteriorating world economies that are on the brink of crashing.

Oil is the most important commodity from an economic perspective, and from the drilling of the first oil well in 1846 in Azerbaijan, formerly known as Baku, the world has embraced the search for and use of it.  Today oil is to be found in every facet of life, from the plastic spoon to the gasoline pump.  John D. Rockefeller built an oil refinery in Cleveland, Ohio in 1863 and subsequently formed Standard Oil of Ohio in 1870.  At its peak, the company controlled the market domestically, owning 90% of the U.S. oil industry until the company was broken up in 1911.  The Supreme Court had deemed it a monopoly, and it separated into smaller firms.

Shortly after World War II, the oil-rich governments around the world began to despise American control over their resources; therefore, the largest producers nationalized the oil fields and their own levels of domestic production.  Saudi Aramco formed in Saudi Arabia became the recognized leader of crude oil production in the world.  Then in 1949, U.S. domestic production of crude oil could no longer keep up with the country’s industrial demands.  For the first time, the U.S. became an importer of crude oil.

In July of 1944, the Bretton Woods Conference (officially the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference) took place in New Hampshire.  The conference lasted for almost a month, and 730 representatives from the 44 allied nations participated in it.  After the conference was concluded, the postwar global financial structure had been decided: gold had been fixed for delivery by the United States at $35 per ounce, and each signing member of the participants agreed on a fixed rate of exchange for currencies.

Meanwhile for the next several decades, the deficit in trade rose in the U.S., along with price inflation that began to erode the confidence in the American structure.  As a result, France withdrew its gold stored with the Federal Reserve in 1967.  Then in 1971, Nixon closed the door by removing the ability of any member nation to convert into gold.  The dollar (used as the world’s reserve currency) was still the reserve; however, it was completely fiat at this point.  At this time, President Nixon dispatched Kissinger to Saudi Arabia with a scheme that made extortionists pale in comparison.

The ruling House of Saud in Saudi Arabia was offered a deal by Kissinger with four parts.

1. America’s military would guarantee protection of Saudi Arabia and her oilfields.
2. The U.S. would also sell the Saudis any weapons needed.
3. The U.S. would furthermore guarantee protection from Israel and the other countries of the region.
4. Finally, the Saudi family was ensured that they would rule in perpetuity.

In return for such “magnanimous” services, the Saudi Arabians would make sure that all oil sales were done only in U.S. dollars.  In addition, the Saudis promised to take their profits and invest them in U.S. treasuries.

The gold would not be needed.  With all oil being sold in U.S. dollars, the other nations were obliged to build up a supply of dollars on the fixed currency exchange to buy the oil.  The Saudis signed on to this in 1974, and shortly thereafter in 1975, the other oil producing countries of OPEC followed suit.  You may notice there was roughly a three-year hiatus for the former, a four-year gap in the latter.

There was a fly in the ointment: The Yom Kippur war of 1973, in which these previously-hesitant nations realized that Israel was a threat to them.  Immediately following this conflict, OPEC raised its price of crude oil by 70% and then cut levels of production by 5%, taking oil from $3.00 per barrel to $12 per barrel virtually overnight.  The embargo lasted from October 1973 to March of 1974, before pressure from the Nixon administration and the threat of Israel and other potentially threatening nations took effect.

So in 1975, the world’s demand for oil was skyrocketing, and all sales were now conducted in U.S. dollars, placing the U.S. over all of the world’s economy for decades.  The underlying illness was the festering fiat currency and the accompanying paradigm shift that saw the decline in American domestic manufacturing and the reduction of our economy to one that was consumer-based, until we reached the point we are today.  In the next article we will examine where the Petrodollar stands as the world’s currency reserve, and cover actions and leading indicators that help to forecast what will be coming down the pike.

Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne).  Mr. Johnson is also a Gunsmith, a Certified Master Herbalist, a Montana Master Food Preserver, and a graduate of the U.S. Army’s SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape).  He lives in a cabin in the mountains of Western Montana with his wife and three cats. You can follow Jeremiah’s regular writings at SHTFplan.com.

This article may be republished or excerpted with proper attribution to the author and a link to www.SHTFplan.com.

Also Read:

Forced Economic Free Fall the Precursor to Collapse: “The World Is About To Enter A Global Depression Unlike Anything Seen Before”

The Trigger: If This Ever Happens You Know You’re Days Away From Nuclear War

Collision Course: As Obama Weakens America, The Russians And Chinese Prepare

Jeremiah Johnson’s Green Beret Survival Guides