"One phenomenon all ponerogenic groups and associations have in common is the fact that their members lose (or have already lost) the capacity to perceive pathological individuals as such, interpreting their behavior in fascinated, heroic, or melodramatic ways. When the habits of subconscious selection and substitution of thought-data spread to the macrosocial level, a society tends to develop contempt for factual criticism and to humiliate anyone sounding an alarm."

- Andrew M. Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology

The presidential elections in the US are coming up soon. Many people argue for their chosen candidate to vote for. As usual it is Republicans vs. Democrats. Romney vs. Obama. I've written before about the futility of engaging in this circus side show that is designed to give the illusion of choice and simply re-enforces the prison without bars where people get distracted by the shadows on the wall in a global Stockholm Syndrome. It doesn't speak much for a "shift in consciousness" or "global awakening", especially if many self-proclaimed "spiritual" and "aware" folks still ignore the facts and are driven by identification and wishful thinking, participating in a system that is deeply ponerized.

Many scientists are quite happy to talk openly about a 'sixth extinction' being underway for the past 10,000 years or so because they blame humans for it. Blaming humans carries with it the anthropocentric implication that we are in some way immune to sudden extinction and can do something about the extinction of other species, if only we would change our 'global warming' ways! The true facts of the history of life on earth, however, suggest that, from 'nature's' point of view, humans are just one more species whose days are also numbered. Indeed, the historical record shows that nature has, time and again, proven itself very adept and creative at resetting the clock on even the most 'advanced' civilizations.

For those who don't want to read any further (or be confronted with the evidence), the nitty gritty is that, over the past few years, the celestial signs, in the form of an increasing number of meteorites/comet fragments invading our not-so-rarefied atmosphere, point to humanity being on the verge of an 'extinction-level event'.

Louisiana Explosion - Just one more in a long list

Sott.net has been tracking the startling increase in reports of meteorite/comet fragment sightings and impacts for at least 8 years, and there have been many hundreds of such reports in that time period. This alone should give us cause for concern. Check out the above link to get an idea of just how frequent meteorite/comet fragment sightings have become. Of course, you might say that this apparent increase could just be the result of us paying more attention, but the numbers don't lie. For example, browsing the right bar links on the above Sott.net blog, you'll notice that in 2004, 2005 and 2006, reports were consolidated into two month periods, and there were, on average, less than 10 sightings over that 2-month period. By contrast, in 2008, reports were plentiful enough to begin collating them into monthly records and, since then, their number has increased steadily.

Coming back to the present; over the past few days, several reports of meteorite/comet fragment sightings and impacts across the globe have been registered. However, I want to look at one specific event that occurred two days ago on Monday 15th October.

When I first saw the headline in the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal, I thought it was a joke and wondered if the WSJ had started publishing satirical pieces. But when it appeared to be genuine that the EU was this year's recipient of the Nobel peace prize, I checked to see which other mainstream propaganda outlets were carrying the story. To my surprise it was real and I was immediately reminded of the absurdity of the US government's war commander-in-chief (assassination 'kill list' to boot) receiving the prize in 2009.

My second reaction was to write a satirical piece, putting forward an equally unlikely candidate organisation for a peace prize such as the Federal Reserve or U.S. Congress. But it would have been too easy to mock the Nobel committee and, in any event, like many others, I really wanted to know the reason behind the choice. Reading some of the comments on The Telegraph and The Guardian, it's clear there is an overwhelming sense of bewilderment and frustration at what a farce the Nobel peace prize has become.

Now, It's pretty clear that the European Union is no Mother Teresa! But what on earth is the reason behind the EU winning the (formerly) preeminent international peace prize? Here are some ideas I've come up with so far:

1. The committee has been corrupted by political and corporate influences
2. The committee has been tasked with extending the limits of Orwellian double-speak
3. A publicity stunt
4. A smokescreen
5. An insiders' joke

John Major Jenkins has made a point of claiming to be the sole originator of the 2012 "Mayan galactic alignment" hypothesis. Jenkins has gone to great lengths to present himself as a scientist and his theories as based in hard science. But first:

I. Who is John Major Jenkins?

A. Background

Online Jenkins is touted as a "leading expert in the mysteries of ancient Mesoamerican cosmology and calendars."

He is also touted (and touts himself) as the "originator of the '2012 alignment theory'"

Jenkins describes himself as an "independent researcher who has devoted himself to reconstructing ancient Mayan cosmology and philosophy" and as "a visiting scholar, [who] has taught classes at The Institute of Maya Studies in Miami, The Maya Calendar Congress in Mexico, The Esalen Institute (more on that below), Naropa University and many other venues both nationally and abroad", though the term "scholar" should be read lightly as he apparently completed only one semester of college as stated in this online article: "How John Major Jenkins, Jonathan Zap and Terence McKenna met during a Weekend of High Strangeness in 1996":

A recent SOTT Focus article "The 2012 Collective Shift & the Secret History of End-Times Prophecies", written by yours truly, received some expected criticism. One such commentator was the renowned John Major Jenkins, himself. I was honored that Mr. Jenkins would consider little ol' me worthy of the hassle, to be honest. But as he has raised some complaints, the SOTT editors suggested that I respond accordingly. It's only right, after all.

John Major Jenkins, for those of you who don't know, is the principle architect of the December 21st, 2012 buzz. By his own admission, the idea didn't begin with him exclusively, however, Mr. Jenkins has taken the 'transformation 2012' concept to new heights with several books (eight, by my count) and a great deal of lectures and presentations, including at the Institute of Maya Studies, the Society for American Archaeology, and various universities - at least that's what he tells me. He has published and presented in a wide spectrum of venues and written a rather impressive number of essays on the topic. Mr. Jenkins has provided material for Joseph Gelfer's 2012 anthology (released in 2011), in a forthcoming anthology on archaeoastronomy by Benfer and Adkins (University of Florida Press), and his work has been debated in a discussion sponsored by Dr. Ed Barnhart at the Maya Exploration Center. AND - I'd like to mention in good will - his love of the Mayan community prompted him to help build a school in San Pedro, Guatemala.

It's safe to say that Mr. Jenkins is a heavy hitter in the "2012" arena, and that he has done his homework. I'm betting there is nothing I could possibly say that could contend with his expertise on the topic. So why the fuss about a few claims I made in an article? Surely a nobody like me poses no threat to the empire Jenkins has built? Well, as Laura Knight-Jadczyk has assured me on more than one occasion, and knows all too well: "Being attacked often means you're doing something right."

With the advent of the internet came the Information Age, where it has become possible to spread and find information about almost anything with unparalleled ease and convenience - information that, as little as a couple decades ago, would have been extremely difficult if not impossible for most people to obtain. More data than any one of us could ever assimilate is now at our fingertips, and news of most global events is available practically instantaneously. Where information is suppressed, it finds its way to the surface, sooner rather than later. We carry the internet around with us in super-powerful laptop computers and handheld devices, and culturally, in our everyday lives, we now spend more time online than not, whether for work or leisure.

Everything is plugged in! In a relatively short time-frame, our global society has become a vast network of information movers, like a giant brain network, processing and sharing data with our counterparts within this greater body of humanity. It's no wonder our collective paradigm is shifting and it's no wonder the deepest patterns of our subconscious/archetypal makeup - understood as ancient mystery teachings and prophecies, tales of power and spiritual allegories, epic adventure stories and legends of old - have emerged in the forefront of our consciousness, becoming compelling topics of interest.

For all those who may, despite Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's compelling argument at the UN yesterday, feel themselves teetering on the brink of falling for the foul-smelling propaganda about Iran and its "nuclear threat" to the world, there are a few things I'd like you to consider.

In the last 6 years or so, there have been literally dozens of official reports and comments about Iran's nuclear program, and virtually all of them have stated that there is no evidence that Iran is planning to develop a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly stated that there is no evidence that Iran has diverted uranium to a weapons program. In addition, the true power in Iran, the Ayatollah Khamenei, issued a Fatwa against nuclear weapons in 2005.

What Iran is doing is attempting to achieve a 'nuclear capability' involving nuclear power plants, medical reactors, etc. The problem for Israel (or so Netanyahu claims on behalf of all Israelis), is that once Iran achieves this 'nuclear capability' there is little to stop them from using that capability to ultimately produce a nuclear weapon, if they choose to do so.

Recent global events give me the distinct impression that those at the top of the pyramid of political and economic power want to see as much trouble in the world as possible. Assuming that to be the case, I find it very strange and counter-intuitive. I mean, you would think that self-interested leaders would prefer to maintain a status quo that provides them with so many privileges and luxuries that the rest of us only dream of. For them to act in ways that appear to stimulate revolutions, economic collapse and regional or global wars is extraordinary, at least to me, because it jeopardizes their position. But maybe it's my fault for forgetting that most at the top think and feel very differently than "the 99%", and that they have trouble with emotions that come naturally to the rest of us. When you're motivated by thrill-seeking and a thirst for power that knows no bounds, empathy and aversion to conflict don't exactly play a part in your worldview. Granted, they have their own psychopathic standards, but, nevertheless, something about their schemes does not sit right with me.

By now you are aware of the American-made trailer of a mysterious movie called The Innocence of Muslims that appeared on YouTube and depicted the prophet Muhammad as a murderous paedophile, and that is said to be the reason for recent riots and demonstrations across the Muslim world against the United States which resulted in the death, among others, of Chris Stevens, the US ambassador in Libya. Let us point out, first of all, that this simplistic explanation overlooks decades of imperialistic intervention of the US in the Middle East, either indirectly or directly through military involvement in Iraq, Libya and currently Syria; its support for dictators and regimes in the region notorious for the abuse of human rights, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia; and its demonization of Arabs and Muslims in general. It also ignores the very low economic and social standards of living that are common in the Middle East - and much of the world - that are a direct result of the US 'management' of its areas of influence. By sweeping all this history and social context under the rug, the Western audience is left to conclude that Muslims are irrational extremists.

On Thursday morning, 13th September 2012, early risers from all over the southwestern United States - California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico - were stunned by the appearance of a vivid luminescent trail high up in the atmosphere. Photos taken by residents reminded me of the glowing trail seen across the Caucasus on the 7th June 2012 (which I have written about here). My suspicion that we were looking at the arrival and overhead explosion of yet another meteor or cometary fragment (MoCF) solidified when I read some of the ridiculous claims of the US Army that they had test-fired a rocket/missile at 5.30am local time on the 13th of September.

Folks contacted law enforcement in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado to report "a crash". A sheriff's deputy in northern New Mexico said he witnessed "an explosion" and part of the object breaking apart from the main body. No one reported a trail moving from the ground upwards, just a very fast-moving dot in the sky that produced a very bright trail mid-atmosphere, indicating that nothing was launched from the ground.

Damage control quickly went into operation, with Associated Press reporting that:

The "explosion" was a normal separation of the first and second stages of the unarmed Juno ballistic missile that was fired at 6:30 a.m. MT from Fort Wingate near Gallup, N.M., said Drew Hamilton, a spokesman for the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range. The expended first stage landed in a designated area of U.S. Forest Service land.

The 11^th Anniversary of September 11^th, 2001 passed in all its political jingoistic sympathy-eliciting glory. With a patriotic backdrop, Romney and Obama used the solemn opportunity occasion to advance their election campaigns. Squeezing out tried-and-tested drops of advantage-taking from the 9/11 attacks, which continue to gift politicians' macabre and twisted vote-winning opportunities.

We are approaching the 13^th anniversary of a far less publicized event, yet arguably more significant in causing loss of life, suffering and misery to millions of innocent victims over the past decade.

On November 12, 1999 a $300 million lobbying effort by the banking and financial services industries lead to the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. The repeal separated commercial banks and investment banks thus freeing banks to expand into unsustainable speculative positions - prime examples being the devastating experiment with derivatives and subprime asset-backed securities. These high-risk, fraudulent ventures have resulted in the current financial crisis, global economic instability and what amounts to a 'Global Financial War' on innocent citizens taxed directly and by stealth-inflation to pay for the mistakes of the criminal banking mafia.

On the surface these events are not connected, but what similarities do they share?