The Fall of Rome : Bacteria

Previous Entries: 1 - Introduction

I do not hold to Ray Kurzweil's technological utopianism. In fact, I don't think things are going to get much better. Sure, we'll have flashier cell phones, smaller computers and more GM food but diseases are going to increase at a faster rate than medicine can fight them for the bare fact that the medical industry is fighting them. Anti-biotics were the miracle cure and are now feature prominently in every restroom, kitchen and clinic in America. Anti-biotics kill "germs" but "germs" is a mystery term for a superstition that things you can't see are bad for you. Yes, a superstition. I am not going to tell you that bacteria and viruses don't exist, that's not my point.

Think about this: 10% of your body mass[1] is not you -- cells that do not carry your DNA, they are independent bacteria in a symbiotic relationship. Without these bacteria, we cannot survive. Yet anti-bacterial agents are everywhere, supposing that killing all bacteria might hit the few which could be negative for human health. But we don't really kill all bacteria with anti-bacterial soaps and such, we kill the weak ones and it's usually the stronger ones that are dangerous, it's just the number of benign or helpful bacteria which the bad ones under control. With these out of the way, strong, dangerous bacteria can flourish. More people get sick and they get sicker than they would have because their immune systems (which include bacteria) are weakened due to the use of anti-biotics. Yet people keep buying consumer anti-biotics.

Not only that, but bacteria are wonderful examples of evolution. They quickly adapt and more resilient strains are formed. Anti-biotics are not only hurting us but helping bad bacteria evolve to be stronger. As medical science attempts to find ways to kill the bacteria we have, they are pushing bacteria to be hardier and hardier. The predator actually makes his prey stronger by culling the weak.

Actually, the primary source of anti-biotics is not through soaps and cleaners but through animal farming. Due to the massively increased strain on animals in industrial farms, disease is rampant. Thus heavy doses of anti-biotics are given to cattle, chickens and other animals universally (without regard for the individual) which makes it's way into our bodies through meat and dairy products. Chemical run-off is also causing huge problems in the water supply in certain areas. Organic farms shun these artificial immune systems and separate the animals into reasonable distances, opting to produce less per acre for the sake of the health of the animal and of the consumer. Buy organic for your health.

Pasteurization kills bacteria -- all bacteria. Lois Pasteur actually invented the process for the wine making industry, so they could kill the natural bacteria and use cultured bacteria of a known quantity and quality instead. This was also used as a solution before the invention of anti-biotics of how to deal with the increased disease inherent in industrialized farming. Milk was pasteurized to kill pathogens in it from diseased animals. The problem with this is that it also eliminates protective, benign bacteria and is now a "blank slate" for any number of different bacterias, some of them pathogenic and some of them just gross. For a number of reasons, many local US government and other countries have banned the sale of non-Pasteurized milk. Some people are coupling with dairy farmers to secretly buy raw milk (my grandma used to when my mom was younger) due to excessive government regulations which are actually hurting people. In some areas (such as my town) raw milk is not prohibited and sells in the local organic food-coop and elsewhere. If you consume dairy products, try to make sure they are raw.[3]

The US Government is even listening!

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee voted unanimously on October 20, 2005 that there was a lack of evidence supporting the benefit of consumer products including handwashes, bodywashes, etc. containing antibacterial additives over similar products not containing antibacterial additives.

• FDA "Facts About Antibiotic Resistance"
• CDC "Frequently Asked Questions" (about drug-resistant bacteria)

People survived for thousands and thousands of years without Pasteurization or anti-biotics. Many health problems are now caused by these "solutions". Traditional food is best.

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[1] - Dry body weight. Considering that the human body is at least 60% water, this means at least 4% of normal body weight is bacteria. E.g. a fit adult man weighing 150lbs has at least 6lbs of bacteria in their system.

[2] - CDC Contact FAQ

[3] - Response to CDC and FDA press releases warning about "dangers" of consuming raw milk

The Fall of Rome : Introduction

This begins a series of posts which relate to the fall of our modern Roman empire, the United States. The US's allies and dependents will also be severely effected. For example, if the US economy crashed today, what would China do since they are an export economy, largely to the US and other "first world" nations? Thus with the US's crash, China would crash and the effect would be severely felt around the world.

We are entering a new Dark Ages.

Nobody thought Rome would perish. It was the backbone of western civilization, but empires inevitably come and go. When the Western Roman Empire declined and fell, from the 300s to 400s, it threw the European world into darkness. Culture almost disappeared, no longer could Rome be depended on for trade and food sources, peoples had to find their way back to their local roots and learn to survive without her.

The United States will collapse. We are not the thousand year empire, we will probably crash before 250 years is up. Right now, we are beginning to feel the effects of high oil prices. Gasoline prices are over $4.00 and will likely hit $4.50 / gallon in a couple months. Food prices are skyrocketing as a result, small businesses are folding. Along with the mortgage crisis, these are hints that the empire is not as stable as we supposed it was (our memories are notoriously short). Ways to mediate this crisis are the problem of the next president but it will inevitably progress harsher and harsher.

So what we need to do is to insulate ourselves from this problem. This means keeping a buffer of food so that our food costs are evened out (and cheapened!) and, in case of a severe famine, we can survive until we can get our own food production (also an ideal). This is my series on what is going wrong with America and the rest of the "modern world" and what I am doing and what you can do to both fight it and save yourself from it's inevitable crash.

When it crashes, many thousands of people will die and chaos will ensue. We need to band together and strengthen our local communities in order to provide for our own needs. May God have mercy on us.

I do not know if this end of the global empire is going to be the end of the world, it will certainly be the end of the world as we know it. God has His own timings. However, know that the end of the world and Christ's triumphant return will happen so be prepared.

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; ' And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: ' For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
-- Rev 6:15-17 (KJV)