From the Monday Steem Desk, September 4th, 2017: The Steem Desk is Back! / Considering Leaving Japan (North Korean Fear Mongering and Military Police/Presence Increased) / Fall is Almost Here!
No, dear reader, the Steem Desk is not dead! After a brief August hiatus, we are back!
This IS the Monday Steem Desk for September 4th, 2017, coming at you from Tully's Coffee in beautiful Toyanogata, Niigata City, Japan! Let's dive in!
(Current Steem price at Coincap.io: $1.33 USD)
DPRK in the News: Is North Korea a Real Threat? (What I am actually watching for).
(These are actual military recruiters working the street corners here in Niigata, Japan. Article 19 of the Japanese constitution is currently being "reinterpreted" to allow Japan's military to take offensive action. How convenient for the US to have a partner in world domination in the East. Thanks to my friend K for the photo.)
As most of you probably already know, North Korea launched a missile directly over Japan last week. I was awakened early in the morning by the new national alert system on my iPhone, advised by the message appearing on my screen to take cover, because a missile was incoming. You can read my post about this experience here.
A few things struck me as strange about what happened that day, and about the official story reported by Japanese news media. First of all, the missile was not intercepted or destroyed, although the military ostensibly knew it was incoming. The reporters on TV that morning non-chalantly discussed a "missile flying overhead" and noted that the government had not shot it down or intercepted it.
Second, the new emergency alert system was anything but alarming. Of course when I read the message saying Missile, Missile, Take cover, I was a bit shaken up, but the initial warning tone that had woken me up was almost polite and somewhat unremarkable. The loudspeaker warnings in the street were disturbing, but there was something surreal about the whole thing, making it seem like a game.
The US news media has been amping up fears of the DPRK for years now, and the rhetoric used to report these latest missile launches has reminded me time and again of the rhetoric used by the news media and the President in 2003 to justify the invasion of Iraq (in connection with 9/11, even though none of the terrorists on board those planes were Iraqi). THIS IS WHAT I AM REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT.
I don't deny that North Korea may be a real threat, as unbelievable as that may seem, but this has all the watermarks of another media-sponsored propaganda campaign, designed to stir up public support for military intervention. I am reminded of the Gulf of Tonkin, 9/11, and the Northwoods Documents.
The media, both here and in the US, is now incessantly yammering about potential DPRK strikes on Tokyo or Guam (I would not want to be in Guam right now), and my eyes are open, hoping that no false flag event--or actual Korean attack allowed to happen by the US--happens. North Korea's National Anniversary is coming up, and news outlets in Japan (and in the states?) are dumping on the fear porn/war porn thicker than ever, it would seem.
Since the alleged missile launch (indeed, some of my friends are wondering if there even was one) I have seen a remarkable increase in police, and even military, presence on the streets and in the sky here in Niigata. My false flag sense is tingling. Of course it would make sense that after a missile launch the state would beef up security. Either way, I have to keep my family safe. I would be lying to say I am not considering a move to somewhere in the near future. Chile? Mexico? Who knows? Americans, what are your thoughts on the current tone in the media? Am I way off here?
In lighter, more positive news, Fall is almost here.
Bust out the pumpkin spice, white girls. Get yer goblin costumes, kids. Head to grandma's for that fantastic apple cider, and bust out your leatherbound journal. The season of leaves rustling, coffee sipping, and sitting serene and just a little bit lonely, but happy to be so, in University libraries at dusk, is here.
Wow. Yes. Sappy and romanticized, but whatever. I like fall. Looking forward to getting even more content published here on Steem as summer ends and some semblance of order/structure returns to my life. What about you, dear reader? What are your feelings, ideas, thoughts and goals for this coming Autumn?
Do let me know in the comments!
That's it, for now! Until next time, STEEM ON!!!
(Thanks as always for reading. If you missed the last installment of the Monday Steem Desk, you can find it here.
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
do u watch james corbett? doesn't he live in that area as well?
He lives down by Okayama, which is a decent distance away. His region didn't receive the alert as far as I can tell. But yeah, I love Corbett's work. Actually had him on my show once!
I wouldn't want to be over in that area of the world right now and if you can get out get out. I don't know where you should go, but if you make it to the United States even for a visit LMK and we will do a steemit meet up
That would be great. Thank you.
I should not assume, but I do assume you still have family in the Hoosier State.
Yeah, I do :)
Next time you visit LMK and we will do a steemit meet-up I have been wanting to do one since I heard about them. lol
If you're serious about moving, you might wanna move to Latin America. From my personal experience, I can recommend Chile, especially the countryside in the South is very peaceful. I'd stay clear of the capital region of Santiago. There's never a threat of war or terrorism in that region, just the more general insecurity.
Just be ready to adjust to the weird dialect of Spanish they speak there ;-)
Thanks. Yes, I've been thinking quite a bit about South America.
Does anyone have any evidence of a missile?
Does anyone have any evidence of anything at all?
Ever?
That is a good question.
Man, I really wanted to visit Japan some day, but after hearing about that missile I don't know. Aside from that, how do you like Japan @kafkanarchy84?
I love it. It's my home now. Makes me all the more angry we live under sociopathic tyrants and murderers.
The State sullies all that is good. Time to vacate worldwide.
Yeah it very unfortunate it just bums me out. sigh So much noise in the world right now. I try not to pay attention to that. So being that you live in Japan, are you very fluent in the language now? I've only taken Japanese in high school for 3 years but I'm slowly losing that.
I'm not super fluent, but I can get by in most conversations, in a very basic and conversational way. That's great that you studied Japanese.
I just want to be able to do something with the language. How did you end up in japan @kafkanarchy84.
I don't think your far off, tensions are very high atm. Just watched a video minutes before I read your article concerning the topic. If your interested:
Thanks, @droucil. I really appreciate it.
All major population centers are targets, unfortunately. The fear they're ramping up is designed to justify a greater police presence in higher concentration areas across the globe. I wonder if you're familiar with the elitist idea of a breakaway civilization. When one listens to the people who toss that idea around, one can get a better idea of what global elites are actually doing.
Moving from Japan is reasonable, as it's a US power which totally capitulated to Western ideals when they were bombed into near-oblivion. After that, it's less the country you move to, and more "where in it" you live, should SHTF, as the elites start to pull the plug. Living away from active bases, and large metropolitan areas is your best choice.
If you're really concerned, I recommend getting some acres in southern Montana or northern Wyoming. They aren't called "flyover states" by the regressives for nothing. Good morning though!
This is good advice. Thanks. The only thing about Montana or Wyoming is I'd probably end up living above some giant underground government military installment... Heh.
Nothing we know about tho - ya go with what ya know, right? Plus, you could just build your own underground installation there... plenty of people do, I'd assume.
True.
It's starting to look like nowhere in the world is very safe right now, and even travelling between countries is a dice roll away from the disaster. On a positive note - I do like fall too, in the UK Halloween is still relatively a minor event compared to other areas of the world - but we do have our Guy Fawkes night of big bonfires and excessive fireworks, which somehow ends up lasting for well over a week instead on one night!
It's hard to believe that it's really anything more than talk. But if it is, then...
Where we live, we're very susceptible to an attack and there wouldn't be anything we could do about it. Hopefully, I'm not being ignorant about it all, but at the moment, it doesn't worry me much.
Yeah, being in a large port city just across the pond is not exactly the best place to be.
I can't imagine that this city would be much of a target, but who knows? Honestly, I think it all comes down to Trump. And that's what makes me nervous.
Well, I feel it was the same with Bush, and the same with Obama (invasions, invasions, invasions). Trump is the extreme, and represents the extreme nature (no longer hiding true intentions) the state has taken on.
I'm more worried about being in the middle of a big war, or living in an occupied country (whether by US or NK military).
Niigata was one of the four original Atom bomb targets as well, so I can't really feel like I'm off the radar.
I tend to agree that Niigata wouldn't be an initial target, but it doesn't seem like a safe place to be if a war breaks out. Especially with China now opposing (if I am not mistaken) proposed US sanctions on NK. NK may not be a real threat, but the Chinese military is. And Russia certainly is.
Like you mentioned, with a brazen, reckless caricature of a leader at the helm of a brazen, brutal state, speacializing not in peace but in global conquest, the whole "stage" seems spooky at this point to me.
Please friend come to my country India. Our is a peace loving country, may not have any effect, if something happens. So please, I'm inviting you to India. What will happen to the leaders of the countries,they are the leaders in true sense of the term. Any way thanks for sharing, wish you good luck and good health and happiness friend, stay strong.