The America that I was born in is long gone. I am now fifty-eight years old, and I vividly remember the changes that came to America with each passing decade. Never has it been like it is now with so much happening so quickly. It is a time of wars and rumors of war. Gasoline and all petroleum products are skyrocketing in price, causing airfares and all forms of transportation to throw our country into a partial paralysis. Banks are failing, home values are decreasing, health care and college tuitions are out of reach for millions of people, and there is no relief in sight. Floods, fires, tornadoes, and other disasters have been breaking previous records. The average American is choking on credit card debt, and yet the people continue to feed their lusts for pleasure. There is gross dishonesty in government at all levels; and integrity and character are becoming non-existent. What is going on? These are all signs that an entire society is being groomed by the powers of hell to accept an answer man that is to rise up and lead them to accept and believe the ultimate lie that will seal them for all eternity.

Is all of this really happening? We can only live in denial for so long, and then reality becomes overwhelming. In California, so many people have lost their homes that parking lots have been converted into sites for the homeless who now live in their cars. There are twelve such large sites in Santa Barbara, California.  Others are springing up everywhere. It is all like a bad dream come true.

Thieves nationwide are stealing manhole covers and selling them for scrap metal now that heavy melt steel is selling for $519 dollars per metric ton. The gaping holes left when the covers are stolen have caused damage to many vehicles and injuries to children who have fallen in them. This has resulted in many lawsuits against the cities.  Grave robbing is also sweeping the nation as thieves carry off bronze markers and vases.  Even used fry oil, which is sold for recycling into biodiesel fuel, is being stolen throughout the country. 

These are desperate times, and America is beginning to look more and more like a nation on the brink of economic collapse and subsequent depression. On June 24th, 2008, violence broke out in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when over 3,000 people waited in line to receive free food vouchers.  How long will it be before food riots break out in all of our major cities? Government officials have now clearly stated that high food prices are permanent and will continue to rise dramatically!  Famine and drought are rapidly expanding worldwide, and many countries that now have much of our former wealth are now bidding high for our food. U.S.-grown wheat is also being given away through the United Nations, and North Korea recently received 37,000 tons of the 500,000 tons promised to them. 

On July 7th, 2008, Britain declared war on food waste. The government is telling food markets to cut out three-for-two sales and other sale pricing that would encourage people to stock up.  The subject of the impending food crisis was one of the main topics at the recent G8 Summit held in Hokkaido, Japan. But according to the London Daily Telegraph, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife were served twenty-four different dishes during the first day of the summit meetings. They also attended an event called blessings of the earth and sea social dinner, which consisted of eighteen dishes in eight courses, which included caviar, smoked salmon, Kyoto beef, and a “G8 fantasy dessert.” They also were served five different wines from around the world. Remember, the purpose of the dinner was “how to deal with the global food crisis.” We must also note that African leaders from Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Senegal were invited to the meetings but not to the dinner! 

In America, high fuel prices are affecting everything. Major airlines are increasing fares, charging extra for almost everything, and eliminating many jobs, including pilots. On June 23rd, United Airlines cut 950 pilot positions, and now other airlines are doing the same.  With this in mind, I was recently looking though some of my resource files, and I found an Associated Press article dated July 28th, 2007; just less than one year ago. The headline of the article read “Oil Near All-Time High, Over $77.”  In less than one year, the price of oil has doubled. On June 6th, 2008, the price of oil jumped 11 dollars per barrel in only one day!  In addition to that, Chakib Khelil, the president of the 13-nation OPEC cartel flatly stated, “There is no end to oil price rises.”  We also know that on June 1st, 2008, a close personal friend of President Bush, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia had the following announcement to oil consuming countries: “Get used to high oil prices.” 

Warnings are coming from everywhere. Already a year ago, the Bank for International Settlements declared, “We might soon face challenges last seen during the onset of the Great Depression.”  Now, the International Monetary Fund issued a warning on July 2nd, 2008, that some countries are now at a tipping point.  Sadly, some of the funds that have been hit the hardest are the retirement accounts of working Americans. Most 401 (k) retirement funds are now sinking dramatically.  On June 27th, 2008, the giant Barclays Bank of Britain issued the following statement to its clients: “Batten down the hatches for a world-wide financial storm! The U.S. Federal Reserve has allowed the inflation genie out of the bottle and let its credibility fall below zero.” 

It is already beginning to happen. Major banks are failing. On July 12th, 2008, the Pasadena-based IndyMac Bank failed. The bank had 32 billion dollars in assets and thirty-three branches, all of which were closed and taken over by the U.S. Government. Depositors have lost any deposit amounts in excess of 100,000 dollars, and the FDIC will need to pay out up to 8 billion dollars, which is about 15 percent of its entire reserves just from this one failure.  Customers stood outside the locked doors and were begging and pleading for their money, but to no avail. It all happened before, and now it is happening again; and it is only the beginning! How bad is it? On June 10th, 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that troubled U.S. banks are in such bad condition that they are turning to African banks for eleventh hour bailouts. Banks in Algeria, Angola, Libya, and Zimbabwe are being sought after to try to keep our American banks afloat. The title of the article is “U.S. Banks Go to Africa Begging.”