Several of our clients have telephoned us recently asking what the ‘rare earth’ embargo by China is, and what it means to them. As per our advice during this entire event, we’ve suggested they turn off the tube, ignore the MSM, and go out and enjoy life. It’s nothing; although on a national scale may well help the US in the long run. Principal Keshawndra Johnson aptly discusses the situation. In her own words:
“It really grinds my gears to hear the media parroting democratic talking points; the only good thing about it is once you start to hear things like ‘chaos’ echoed you have readily identified a source NOT worth listening to. Our founding fathers placed freedom of the press (like freedom of speech) in our Constitution to codify a God-given right to put into print thoughts which might be critical of anything — including a government. The IDEA was the press would act as watchdogs; not as propagandists. At least today with competing media, one can hear the parrot-echo chamber bouncing around mainstream media using the same phrases and terms — and when one does can put that source on ‘ignore’ as being complete propaganda. It’s somewhat dangerous; what they’re doing is repeating a big lie such that with repetition some of the more gullible dupes and drones might start buying into it. A powerful few control most of the mainstream media coming into the United States; like 4 or 5 anti freedom (and globalist) companies. We can’t stop that, but we grow concerned when we hear one of OUR clients speak that way and do our best to deprogram him or her; being a victim of manipulation much like one gets drawn into a cult.
As for the ‘rare earth’ deal I scoff.
80 years ago today our greatest generation was approaching the end of World War II; V-E day is next month and V-J day is in August. Aside from the war between the states (which had a greater amount of American casualties but not global casualties), it was the most horrific, taxing, drawn out, bloodiest, and all out conflict our nation and the world had seen (or has seen for that matter). America and her allies won that war; doing so by superior fighting skills and training as well as American production. The key WAS American production. Which arguably won the war.
The absolutely amazing thing is, concerned that Germany was developing an Atomic Bomb (and would have a delivery vehicle in their rockets), America embarked on the Manhattan Project shortly after the onset of WWII. While the enormous resources of ships, guns, airplanes, tanks, ammunition, food and energy were being used to fight an all out global war, America managed what today would have been thought impossible. In 3 years–with an all out war and production maxed out America STILL managed to (almost overnight) build HUGE facilities in Hanford, WA, Los Alamos NM, and Oak Ridge, TN. These (especially Oak Ridge) were massive operations guzzling energy and pioneering a brand new area of physics no one had before contemplated. Specifically, Oak Ridge separated a fissionable isotope of a ‘rare earth’ (uranium-235) from its more inert isotope (U-238). No small feat in that they are both the same element so getting the tiny fraction of U-235 (0.7%) out of the 99-plus percent inert U-238 was extraordinarily difficult. Moreover, in reactors at Hanford an entirely new element was created (Plutonium-239–which is made by bombarding the plentiful U-238 with neutrons. Over a span of a few weeks the unstable U-239 double beta decays into the fissionable Plutonium 239. In fact some of the better reactor fuels use this to extend fuel life; slightly enriched Uranium fissions and through neutron capture the reactor generates more fuel). Plutonium is very toxic and difficult to work with but chemically separable from its base. At Oak Ridge, enrichment was done from raw Uranium ore where it was refined, changed to uranium hexaflouride (nasty stuff to work with) and in cascades and electronic separators enriched to get a workable bomb. The factory to do this was immense; you should go check out Oak Ridge sometime. As well as Hanford and how Plutonium is separated from Uranium. And how hard the physics was to figure out critical mass and the explosive array necessary to achieve fission efficiency (don’t worry; it’s on Wikipedia).
Meanwhile, scientists at Los Alamos worked tirelessly to try to figure out how to make the raw material fission and create a critical mass. Using theoretical physics as well as practical experiments. Tens of thousands of men and women were housed at all of these newly built facilities and the huge amount of ore and later refined uranium and plutonium was transported on primitive roads, railways, and in early aircraft. The thought of an interstate highway system was a decade in the future.
Point being that even while an all out war raged, it took THREE YEARS — THREE YEARS — to go from a cold start with nothing to having 3 workable nuclear weapons. Which would later end the war. Our nation did that in 3 years ! Built all the factories and infrastructure (including massive power plants), solved the physics, dealt with the extreme HAZMAT of the nuclear material, built the bombs, and trained crews how to employ it.
Now we’re worried about magnets ?!? You gotta be kidding me. Or that we can’t build a rare earth processing plant here in America in the next 6 months if we want to ? Give me a break !
Central Pennsylvania is beautiful; Diatomaceous and I often go to a friend’s cabin up there. He loves to shoot and has a backyard range set up where he shoots steel and can get around 400 yards (unusual in PA) to shoot his longer range rifles (and took a 7-point at 350 yards with a .270 Winchester with a mediocre scope up there). Along the way we go through many little towns; these towns are beautiful — but unfortunately now a part of the “rust belt.” I see at least 50 closed down factories along the way; factories that were the lifeblood of the town. More than economics, these factories provided a sense of purpose for those working there and a feeling of accomplishment. There are several abandoned glass factories in Kane, PA as well as James City. These once were booming, vibrant plants. Likewise the Pittsburgh-Corning plant in Port Allegany, PA was once the only glass block manufacturer in the nation. Like many, these were given away by globalists anxious to make a fast buck and give American autonomy away. No doubt that nations specialize in ability to produce goods and that shouldn’t be bridled, but this was something far more sinister. Money was blown into markets by the Fed and our manufacturing was deliberately sacrificed such that we could be part of a ‘global’ economy. With anti-gun, anti-American non-citizens worming their way into control of our sovereign nation. While at the same time draconian EPA regulations were made to ensure our heavy industry would be killed off. I don’t wear a tin-foil hat, but it’s pretty easy to see through the intent at this point; an attempt to turn the US into a nation of serfs. Buried in their iPhones, playing computer games, and drugged up by illicit narcotics transiting our border. While self-styled globalists would feed off the minions and steal their lives.
Thank God Americans rejected this and Trump came along. No wonder someone tried to kill him; he foiled the globalist’s plans.
And thank God many of these small factory towns still stand. St. Marys, PA is the sintered metal capital of the world. Although some of the furnaces have been silenced (once again due to feckless EPA rule nonsense), many still remain. And there’s more than abundant natural resources: power, coal, ore, and transportation for expansion. Likewise for the fledging sintered metal plants in Coudersport, PA.
The Pittsburgh-Corning plant in Port Allegany was abandoned in 2016. It offers wonderful access to natural resources, a source of cooling water (the head of the Allegheny River), plenty of power and access to utilities, a good location near the Marcellus shale NATGAS pipelines, a good transportation system, and plenty of good Americans willing to work. The site I think ideal for a rare-earth refining operation; potentially also manufacturing some of the rare-earths into strong magnets for motors in the US. And as an industrial consultant I am confident we could have a plant up and running within a year (provided the Trump administration got rid of the useless EPA and ‘environmental impact’ BS idiocy that might encumber it). Maybe 6 months. Kindly, I’m not against ‘clean air and clean water” (which is an obvious propaganda term), but fully recognize that we can have both in a rational “95-percent” engineering solution that not only gives us ‘clean air and water’–and preserves the status quo–but doesn’t encumber us with useless bureaucracy.
Problem is a balance must be made. A balance between a good standard of living and going insane. CO2 has never been a pollutant, nor has freon, but once we cleaned up the REAL nasties (heavy metals, mercury, particulates, SO2, NOx, etc.) the social constructionists and obstructionists were out of a job. So they needed a new target that was never ending and a reason to justify their crusade. As such they went after carbon; essential to life and emitted by every mammal. A never ending ‘problem’ in need of a corrupt ‘solution’. To this day these Marxists plague us. We can have it all; a clean operation (CO2 is not a ‘pollutant’) and incredible economic development. We need only be rational. Which the environmental Marxists are not.
What happened ? What happened between our nation winning WWII and the Manhattan Project and today ?
I’d like to say we got too soft. But that’s to some extent broad based propaganda.
We lost the ability to look at opportunity costs. And realize everything in life is a trade-off. Ya never get something for nothing. And that’s life. We listened to a MSM that was controlled by would be global elitists, crisis driven, and pushing an agenda. The information revolution resulted in sitting at the computer being outraged over something or other (or trying to figure out which toilet to use) — and that driving votes to elect people who weren’t Americans. We shifted from a culture that embraced tasks and deeds to one who embraced attention.
But it’s not too late. We can build those factories, we can restore American greatness. Every true American longs for a purpose; we’re pioneers, we defend ourselves and family, we build things, we till crops, we don’t as for help until it exceeds what WE can do OURSELVES. We don’t welcome a fight, nor do we back off from one when we’re forced into the situation. No one in the world can do what we can do.
The only thing we NEED is a government that gets out of the way. The thing that HAS changed is the incredible regulatory structure that has killed American industrial development. This has to go–like now. We don’t need ‘permits’ we don’t need ‘regulations’ we need to build. And have a sane government that meters REAL pollution while balancing that against progress. No more ‘environmental impact studies,’ no more reports no one is ever going to read, no more obstruction to development and an assurance it’s going to stay that way. That’s all we need.
And if that happens I guarantee you I’ll personally build a “rare earth” refining factory within the next year; delivering something equal to or exceeding what China can. And all the magnets you want.
If the best of our best can deliver an atomic bomb in 3 years, there’s nothing we can’t do. And we can give America everything China can in the same time frame. So if they don’t want to play ball, F..k them.”
As usual, we believe our Principal Keshandra is spot on. And believe her up to the task.
Diatomaceous-Johnson 
ššš
LikeLike