A
Th e
Component Manufacturing dverti$ dverti $ er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
Adverti$$er
January 2021 #13258 Page #106
Lumber Briefs By Matt Layman Publisher, Layman’s Lumber Guide
Lumber Market Forecast America’s Achilles Heel want to drift off topic for a bit. Last week we were advised that the U.S. was under a massive cyber attack. As of today, Sunday December 20, the attack is on-going, there is no determination of who is responsible, how deep the attack has penetrated, how to stop it, what its ultimate potential is, what its limits are, or what its purpose is.
I
We can speculate or deduce the purpose. America is undisputedly the most powerful military nation on earth. If an adversary wanted to take us down, it would be foolish to pick a fight requiring a toe-to-toe hardware clash. So how would a foe go about engaging in a winnable war against the U.S.? First, listen to what we consider the most important, nonnegotiable, and urgent component of our society. Bill Clinton revealed our Achilles heel and made it public with no protest. I’m not blaming Clinton for the weakness, rather identifying a marker that revealed to the world America’s revised foundational purpose. Was it freedom, defense, liberty, or democracy? No, those were just concepts regurgitated to justify questionable actions. In truth, as Clinton said, “IT’S THE ECONOMY...STUPID.” Every American adversary has known our weakness for decades... personal and national monetary power. China has been the most successful by making the world dependent upon it for both supply and consumption. The world is China’s pawn. Now let’s consider the state of affairs today. We are at war...cyber war. Is this a new war? Certainly not. In all likelihood it is a war that America started many decades ago for the purpose of espionage. The media is a vital war weapon...a tool used to sway public opinion to support spending. It has never been more obvious than 2020. Step back and see the big picture. Disruptions like terrorism and unwinnable wars like Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, man-made pandemics, cyber attacks are all diversionary tactics for the enemy to threaten and seize control of more power. Why? It is human nature. We have evolved to be naturally predisposed to fear, which is a by-product of evil. America’s Achilles heel is not the economy, it is the same as every nation on earth...self imposed fear. Until every soul overcomes all fears, this is how we exist. Is that even possible?
Housing When the Buzz Is Gone Recently I outlined the reasons why housing should be strong into early spring: basically supply shortage and urgency. I stopped short in early April for a reason. This housing buzz is dangerously infectious, just like the pandemic and the current lumber market. Folks are fearfully reacting. We have a housing shortage for one reason: Continued next page
PHONE: 800-289-5627
Read/Subscribe online at www.componentadvertiser.com
FAX: 800-524-4982