Dust Bowl memories stir across the US Great Plains

Hi, I know there have been a few threads on the drought in the US but nothing in the last month or so. I thought this article was a good one to bring to your attention. It covers the role of drought, a dwindling Ogallala Aquifer underground water supply, climate change and government farm programs.


Dust Storms in Kansas again

As you can see, the government policies have made this worse. Now I only have an undergraduate degree in an agricultural science, but even I can see what they have done wrong. There are ample examples of this sort of thing happening and in my opinion the government agency is guilty of either gross incompetence or, from a consipiracy theorist's point of view, purposely crippling America's breadbasket. This is water catchment management 101 stuff. It is sad to see the land in this state.

This site says:
www.ncdc.noaa.gov...

The three-year drought of the late 1980s (1987-1989) covered 36% of the United States at its peak. Compared to the Dust Bowl drought, which covered 70% during its worst year, this does not seem significant. However, the 1980s drought was not only the costliest in U.S. history, but also the most expensive natural disaster of any kind to affect the U.S. (Riebsame et al. 1991). Combining the losses in energy, water, ecosystems and agriculture, the total cost of the three-year drought was estimated at $39 billion. Drought-related losses in western Canada exceeded $1.8 billion dollars in 1988 alone.

Dust Goes To Washington

The blowing dust that blasted the High Plains in the 1930s was attributed not only to dry weather, but to poor soil conservation techniques that were in use at the time. In March 1935 (several weeks before Black Sunday), one of President Roosevelt’s advisors, Hugh Hammond Bennett, testified before congress about the need for better soil conservation techniques. Ironically, dust from the Great Plains was transported all the way to the East Coast, blotting out the sun even in the Nation’s capital. Mr. Bennett only needed to point out the window to the evidence supporting his position, and say, “This, gentlemen, is what I’ve been talking about.” Congress passed the Soil Conservation Act before the end of the year.

This is why I am saying it should not have happened again. You have government agencies that are charged with stopping it. What are they doing?

This has happened before, amongst other things that lead to the downfall of the previous world power:

Sicily and Africa were considered the breadbaskets of the Roman Republic. Later on Egypt was considered the breadbasket of the Roman Empire.

Ha! Who would want to farm in North Africa today?

Of course it is the common people who suffer.


Coming to a Main St near you?

I just finished watching the PBS 4 part documentary on the Dust Bowl that aired over there last year. Terrifying and inspiring at the same time, then terrifying again.

This bit was interesting because as we know, history always repeats itself, and like they say in the doco, "when your back is against the wall...." These were anti-government interference, independant farmers begging for marshal law
From 18:18 to the end


And the clincher: the first 8 seconds of this one explains how TPTB do it.

We have seen it again and again. Wake up world!

Genesis 47:14 As they bought grain, Joseph collected all the money and took it to the palace.
Gen 47:15 When all the money in Egypt and Canaan was spent, the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food! Don't let us die. Do something! Our money is all gone."
Gen 47:16 Joseph answered, "Bring your livestock; I will give you food in exchange for it if your money is all gone."
Gen 47:17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. That year he supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock.
Gen 47:18 The following year they came to him and said, "We will not hide the fact from you, sir, that our money is all gone and our livestock belongs to you. There is nothing left to give you except our bodies and our lands.
Gen 47:19 Don't let us die. Do something! Don't let our fields be deserted. Buy us and our land in exchange for food. We will be the king's slaves, and he will own our land. Give us grain to keep us alive and seed so that we can plant our fields."
Gen 47:20 Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for the king. Every Egyptian was forced to sell his land, because the famine was so severe; and all the land became the king's property.
Gen 47:21 Joseph made slaves of the people from one end of Egypt to the other.
Gen 47:22 The only land he did not buy was the land that belonged to the priests. They did not have to sell their lands, because the king gave them an allowance to live on.
Gen 47:23 Joseph said to the people, "You see, I have now bought you and your lands for the king. Here is seed for you to sow in your fields.
Gen 47:24 At the time of harvest you must give one-fifth to the king. You can use the rest for seed and for food for yourselves and your families."
Gen 47:25 They answered, "You have saved our lives; you have been good to us, sir, and we will be the king's slaves."
Gen 47:26 So Joseph made it a law for the land of Egypt that one-fifth of the harvest should belong to the king. This law still remains in force today. Only the lands of the priests did not become the king's property.

Like I said, it has happened before, it will happen again.


This bit has me wondering about America's place as the world's number one food producer.
From 2:24 to 4:50