It is time for more truth telling. Most should agree by now the MAGA operation is in full swing and there is really no reason to be cryptic and flip floppy anymore.
We move from the world of agriculture into industry with an aluminum smelting operation located in the same rural area of the Bootheel. A rarity of a dirty, but important mill in the middle of nowhere that has provided 20-30% of domestic production for six decades.
There was a recent post made in a daily a month ago of a statement from Sen. Josh Hawley of MO lamenting the closure of an aluminum smelting plant in New Madrid County, MO; which is in the subject bootheel of southeastern MO from BIMD. The company’s biggest competitors are from China of course. The links below describe it and the situation.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/another-us-primary-aluminium-smelter-bites-dust-2024-01-26/
So how could the demise of this relatively unknown mill in farm country have such an impact that politicians would be jumping through hoops before the public to act concerned and involved in a resolution? The journey begins.
Understand Aluminum
We probably need a good primer on what aluminum is and its value to the world. See the link below.
https://www.xometry.com/resources/materials/what-is-aluminum/
The media, manufacturing, government and science all indicate aluminum is vital to the viability of our country as well as its defense. Is that true? The industry seems to think they are and reference government reports frequently such as in the links below.
https://www.aluminum.org/news/american-aluminum-essential-industry-moment-national-emergency
https://www.aluminum.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/TAA-Presidential_Policy_Brief.pdf
Common sense seems to indicate the industry is vital. As an example, the electricity grid is somewhat dependent on it to transmit the juice. Those pretty little EV’s that are going to save the planet are seemingly dependent on it in their manufacturing and operation as well as for the manufacture of all those gorgeous, environmentally sensitive solar panels and windmill blades.
Why There Is An Aluminum Smelting Mill In The Bootheel
We will now look at how the mill got there by understanding the founding company more – Noranda Aluminum.
Most would probably not know that this mill goes back well before BIMD in the region. The operation was originally called Noranda and was in business and thriving when I lived and worked in the bootheel. It was known throughout the area as the highest paying employer for the working man in that region. There was never a shortage of applicants for the few jobs that would open each year as people retired, became disabled or passed away. You can learn more in the links below.
Many steel, aluminum, etc. mills are located in more rural areas with lower land and facilities costs. Noranda locating their plant in the middle of the country in a rural area of the Midwest with low building costs, reasonable access to the Mississippi River, railroads, the interstate system and lower cost coal fired power would be a smart initial move. Labor costs would be lower and more well trained workers could be drawn from markets such as St. Louis.
What Noranda did not know is that a decade later the EPA would have a bigger hammer in pushing electricity providers to add expensive scrubbers and to use lower sulfur content coal in the area power plants from western states such as Wyoming. Which is exactly what happened to the power company I worked for in the area BIMD. It is as described in BIMD: Scoundrels, Part 2 in the obituary of attorney George K. Reeves of the Ward & Reeves law firm. Up to that time coal fired power companies in the state purchased coal from surface mining (strip mining) in their own state of Missouri as well as nearby Kentucky. My employer had contracted for years a portion of the electricity generated by Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s (AECI) coal plant known as the Thomas Hill Energy Center in Clifton Hill, MO today. AECI’s biggest customer was Noranda BIMD. With the EPA emphasis on lowering the sulfur dioxide during the period, they also eventually switched to Wyoming coal. This caused the rates to go up to all customers including Noranda. Eventually AECI could no longer handle the lower rates Noranda needed as well as supply requirements and a different arrangement was worked out with the much larger Ameren to do so.
All of that coal supply chain switching began an increasing of power rates over time, that combined with paying higher wages pushed costs and resulting Noranda product prices up. Another miscalculation of Noranda ownership was the zeal of which the uniparty and their globalist cohorts would support the thawing of relations with China and its own developing smelting operations. China, Inc. began to ramp up production over the years until it became less expensive for domestic customers to buy from them despite it taking longer to receive the product. China had then and still has no environmental constraints. They use coal fired electricity widely and have ample low cost labor. The Chi-coms do whatever they want to do. They simply kill people who cause trouble for them. Thanks to the clowns paving the way for the uniparty globalists who consequently jumped into bed with the Chi-coms, it was only a matter of time before Noranda failed.
Once again, America last. Remember that the groundwork for this was laid in the Nixon years by his utilization and belief in who? Henry Kissinger. This is a perfect illustration of the span of time necessary to complete fundamental change in governance, national economies, etc. It is not done in quick soundbites and through executive orders by the POTUS of the day. It is done in backrooms and through back channels by people with money and power at their disposal. They utilize the “intelligence” agencies and clandestine military operations to plant and carry out coups, revolutions and “national security” operations to effect their will on the unwilling. The legacy media (fake news) has always been just a propaganda arm of who holds the power behind the scenes that they shield from public scrutiny. We will address this more after the completion of BIMD as I focus more on Civilized War stories.
Here is some background relating to Noranda’s end times operations and bankruptcy. It entered the decline period of the life cycle a couple of decades before becoming a dead dog.
Current Company – Magnitude 7 Metals
Below is a link on the reopening of the mill as Magnitude 7 Metals some 2.5 years later.
Note that then MO Governor Greitens pushed legislation through to change the electricity pricing structure for industries similar to the subject that assisted it in reopening. See link below.
Economic lesson incoming. Anytime there is a restart of a deceased business in a mature industry such as aluminum smelting, there are requirements that must be met to ensure its success. First and foremost will always be meeting the basic needs of the business and its process/methods. The demise of Noranda three years before told the new ownership group what that was. For Magnitude 7 it would be sufficient capital, meeting current and anticipated EPA requirements, cheap and dependable source of power long term, lower cost labor, demand for product, and governmental support. Did the ownership have these primary issues covered?
Nope, not even close. They lit a match to their money and burned it. Our economic lesson to understand is that sometimes wealthy and/or highly successful people make stupid decisions because they become filled with pride or unduly enamored with the subject of their affections.
Politics And Jobs
The political posturing on both sides of the aisle this year relating to this mill has been interesting to say the least. After Sen. Hawley spoke out, MO AG Andrew Bailey jumped in to gain some political traction.
It is worth noting that AG Bailey mentions the company appeared to not act on offers that would have enabled it to continue operations. How viable those offers were is not discussed. A cursory review of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) company/employee related activities noted several filings in recent months. With the union contract involved, this would not be a surprise. It may have also contributed to the decision by the company’s ownership to shut down.
The following link of 2/21/24 gives a good perspective from the worker standpoint. It appears there may be attempts underway to find a resolution. However, some of the employees will never return to work at the mill regardless of what happens.
The current MO GOP governor, Mike Parson, vetoed a line item in the budget that would have provided the funding the keep the plant operating. I have no idea if Parson is truly MAGA or Uniparty. He appears he may be a convert to MAGA after the Mittens Romney fiasco of 2012. In my opinion it can happen and it explains PDT’s attitude towards other uniparty politicians at times. Some of them may appear to remain within uniparty control while serving as operatives and informants for the good guys. Another possible example of a MAGA convert from that Romney run is Sen. Bill Hagerty of TN. He has been 100% on the Trump train since 2016. Parson may be as well, I will defer to DePat and others who know current MO politics better than me.
The Brandon (Soetoro) administration has turned a blind eye to this company’s plight in pursuit of the “green” agenda since the plant uses a great deal of electricity provided by the use of carbon based fuels, primarily coal. They have also been squeezing the company on its emissions for awhile now. Their media lackeys continue to beat the pollution drum loudly. With China Joe involved we know what he wanted to happen. More on this is provided in links later in this story.
To survive the company once again needed access to lower power rates to operate profitably as well as funds to install equipment to clean emissions better. Here is a quote from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of 1/25/24 on the situation. Parson said at an event on Thursday, however, that when government partners with businesses, it has to be a good deal for taxpayers. “We’re not gonna bail anybody out of anything,” Parson said.
So having more dependence on communist Chinese suppliers for smelted aluminum is a good deal for taxpayers, Gov. Parson? Tax payers equal American citizens who strongly prefer to remain independent of communist China.
Regardless of the decision to resurrect Magnitude 7 or to allow it to die, it has been puzzling that the vast majority of all elected officials in state and federal offices throughout the country thought partnering with government and running the money printing presses at full throttle was a great idea to do back in 2008 with big banks, big insurance, auto manufacturing, etc. However, to do that with a relatively minuscule amount of funding from taxes for dirty industries vital to national security and infrastructure like the subject, steel mills, and such…well…they have more important uses for the money such as giving it to war pig industries and paying pensions in Ukraine.
Oh, c’mon, Gov. Parson. You are either posturing, still in the uniparty, or an idiot. That statement is too transparent to be effective.
The Truth Of The Situation
Not everything is as it seems or appears and this is one of those times in my opinion. At press time for this part of the story, the following scenarios appear to be possibly involved.
1) Even red state governors have been proven to cozy up to the money of China, Inc. to benefit their states and themselves at the loss of their personal integrity and national security. Parson may be making sure China’s position in the industry remains strong by ensuring American output reduces by 20-30% of its past levels.
2) The Democrat funding bill sponsor (Quade) may be playing politics as well. The major issue is access to lower costing energy to make the company’s operations competitive and profitable long term. If it is successful doing that and gaining labor contract concessions it will be able to afford to install equipment to clean emissions better. The reality is she may be posturing for the loss of 400 union jobs to rally the union vote in the upcoming elections while knowing the electric rates and EPA issues will keep it shuttered, which is what the Dems really want.
3) This plant shut down for a couple of years once before when Noranda owned it for similar reasons. It had twice the number of employees at one time compared to now. It would be expected that money could be saved from operations if wages are lower as the number of employees is right sized to the projected revenues. Rightsizing workforces can be much more difficult to get done and the costs of doing so higher when union contracts are involved. Guess what state passed the right to work law in recent years that did not exist with the current company’s restart or Noranda? Yup, Missouri. If Magnitude 7 bankrupts out of existence or otherwise sells assets at the site in liquidation; at some point it frees a new entity to purchase facilities for a restart later with the current union contract eventually terminating. A GOP controlled state legislature and governor might want to wait awhile for a potential buyer before they assist in negotiating new power rates as well as giving credits for emissions equipment.
Presently, I will take Door #3 – for the most part. There is a caveat. Timing is a critical issue and 2025 would be optimum for restart if PDT wins. With the rise of China, Inc. in the past few decades Noranda and the current company proved incapable of operating profitably as well as not responding to the EPA requirements The tariffs PDT imposed have not proven to be enough to turn it around primarily because of the electrical rates and secondarily because of the EPA.
But there was also an under-discussed factor. COVID destroyed product sales demand right after PDT’s tariffs were placed on China.
Moves and countermoves. This picture is far bigger than a small mill in the Bootheel.
Our economy was running at breakneck speed once PDT took over. COVID destroyed the momentum. Many businesses and millions of people suffered and died worldwide. Which was the intent of China, Inc. and their buddies in crime, the uniparty globalists. All of it was intentional and staged into play as the documented evidence clearly reveals. This is no secret, it is staring everybody right in the face with documentary evidence everywhere. All you have to do is remember the masks and the constant fear porn directed at you from every corner of the country.
Do not tell me that any of them actually gives a rats behind about the average human. We the People need to remember that when we think about giving them our money, time, children, the sweat of our brows, taking that needle into our arms, or swallowing those pills.
As it applies to the current Magnitude 7 situation, with COVID trashing the American and other major world economies along with the high operating costs associated with electricity and union labor; there was no way for the company to dig out without government assistance. However, there could be other reasons the ownership chose not to accept assistance that MO AG Bailey alluded to being available.
Owners of businesses in trouble have been known to have their companies finish taking a dive for the benefit of others in return for unusual and sometimes hidden forms of compensation, especially when the offering side controls enforcement of laws and regulations along with having a friendly judiciary. The uniparty controls enough of the federal system to provide that environment. Anybody having doubts the uniparty globalists along with China, Inc. would do so to keep the subject mill closed needs to rethink their position. Another possibility (probability) is the usual product dumping that occurs to drive less financially strong competitors from the market. This happens with impunity when similar federal enforcement and judiciary are in place.
New Madrid County’s residents will be hurting for a time, so the state legislature needs to do all it can to assist in the interim period. But the truth is the county’s total population is only about 16 K. County leaders and businesses need to be about recruiting and working on developing other business opportunities to create jobs. They have depended on this one employer to sustain things for over 50 years. They placed all their eggs in the one basket knowing full well it could permanently die at some point.
You can see this dependence in the forlorn statement of their State Senator in the provided link. He is a Republican from the little town of Holcomb, population 600 or so plus dogs, cats and watermelons. The later of which are the best tasting I have ever put in my mouth. Something about the soil there makes them a known delicacy in the area, at least they were BIMD. But I digress.
But Wait, There’s Even MOAR!
The real battle has very little to do with Magnitude 7 Metals and the closure of an underperforming aluminum smelting mill. This is not to trivialize the loss of many jobs in a rural area that can ill afford it, however, this company is just a pawn on the uniparty chess board and a political talking point. The county has a small population and leans GOP regardless of the mill being open or not. The mill had closed for 2.5 years after Noranda shut down before Magnitude 7 restarted it. Besides posturing about the loss of union jobs, these links reveal the real Dem game plan.
Relating to the first link, anybody with any common sense at all knows you could never operate an aluminum smelting mill with solar and wind generated power. The absurdity is off the charts. So what are they really aiming to accomplish other than propaganda for the brain dead? This is about what Cankles said during her failed POTUS election bid about coal that helped cement her loss along with her “deplorables” miscue. Oh yeah, I remember. “…we’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.” Which would mean coal fired power plants as well. That is still the game plan of the uniparty globalists; to shut down the American economic engine and destroy the American spirit.
Which leads to the second link from commie NPR. You will find discussion on Ameren’s Labadie power plant being one of the ten worst polluters in the Midwest. Which is an interesting way to make a point since Labadie has been in full compliance with stringent EPA regulations for decades. The EPA and political pressure to remove coal fired generation, however, is pushing electricity providers to close plants early that need large capital commitments for scrubbers and or conversions to natural gas. When that happens they still need to provide customers with power, so they contract for excess supply from other producers at higher rates than they can produce the electricity themselves. As an example Ameren is closing one coal fired plant earlier than planned this year, Rush Island. That means less internally generated power production. Rates will be going up and there is not much negotiation by the state that will help the subject mill, which has been an Ameren customer. If rates go up significantly in Missouri and the Midwest due to the abandonment of coal fired plants that are the core power providers while demand for electricity is strongly growing with their federally forced promotion of EV’s on manufacturers and other focuses; what do you think will happen to the overall economy of the region? Where are the replacements of nuclear and natural gas plants? Nowhere. With a strong downturn the uniparty will be out in full force selling lies that unfortunately usually leads to their return to power at the state level when We the People lose our minds and vote for them.
Then there is the third link which is pure lunacy.
It is the same old game plan already used in every blue state in America involving the Commiefornification of the country with the uniparty pulling the strings.
Under the guise of doing good for society by improving the environment the cabal is moving to undercut the economic lifelines of millions, which slowly destroys the unwitting who believe them. None will or can answer why they are personally owned by the biggest polluting country in the world that uses oppressed citizenry and slave labor who steal technology and governmental/business intel. They cannot respond to how they plan to wall off the polluted air and water produced in China and other economies from the rest of world.
This nation can run clean power plants on natural gas for centuries from its own resources. When you consider our known coal reserves we are nearing 1000 years of sufficient carbon based fuels within our nation’s current control for purposes other than transportation. Then add in the centuries of known oil reserves and the increasing technologies developing from other naturally existing elements and matter to serve the purpose for transportation needs. Over time technology has developed and would continue to develop at an even faster rate to clean up the coal burning process if funding was used for the purpose instead of forever war pig wars and regime changes. As an example, if readers chose to do so they could go back to a portion of my BIMD story about Coal Mining Heroes and see where B. Ray Thompson developed and used a nearly zero emissions coke (coal) oven for industrial purposes over a half century ago.
The gaslighting of the uniparty globalists and their EPA/university “research” brown shirts is incalculable. So, what gives with this devious assault? Quite simply, the evil globalist cabal’s membership wants the resources we have in America and they will kill us all off to get them. I really could care less about their motives. That they have evil intent and are opposed to God’s order for mankind is all I need to know.
For the historical, local effect relating to the mill in this story, we can reference back to the JER interview in BIMD: Scoundrels – Part 1 and what he says about New Madrid County back then. They played it straight and kept their governing clean. It was completely different than the corruption of Democrat, mob controlled Pemiscot County. As a result it had a large bloc of long term conservative GOP voters even after the plant employees unionized. In the current situation the Dems and RINO’s are attempting to seize some publicity by posturing about the loss of jobs by using their prostitute media as they continue to undermine the overall economy and jobs of the very people who are ignorant enough to vote for them and not stand in the gap for their fellow citizens.
This usual display of liberal (socialist) politics over substance will not work for the Dems in New Madrid County itself because of history, political attachments and the type people who live there. The people view the EPA as an enemy of the common man who have caused problems there for decades. They have values and common sense that Dems and RINOs are clueless about. They know how to make ends meet when times are tough. Many have planned for the contingency and have other jobs lined up.
Which is true for most Missourians as has been proven with the more MAGA elements of the GOP taking control of state government in recent times. But all politicians need to know, even the MAGA types, that the people are getting smarter. They are paying closer attention now.
It may be back to watermelon farming and such for a time for those who remain in New Madrid County. More equipment operators may be available for any corporate farms that bought out the family farms. Some workers have their CDL’s and will hit the roads in the trucking industry. Just make no mistake, what started as planned controlled implosion in the Dems quest to reassert itself in the region, state and nationwide politics; will likely…
Boomerang. It is just a matter of time in my opinion.
MAGA – Solutions
What the Uniparty and commies suspect, but do not yet want to accept is they no longer can fool over half of the American public. They miscalculated with the COVID hoax and jabs. Too many of We the People wised up to be easily misled anymore. Their institutions that have worked against average Americans for over a hundred years have been crumbling. People today know far more than any of us did even 20+ years ago. Citizen journalists have already replaced the prostitute fake news media for the majority of Americans. We the People have no time or inclination to listen or view the reports that are repeated over and over again in the fake news by propagandist mockingbirds. This is why viewership and traditional talk radio is tanking. It is why media outlets are failing and laying off employees in droves. All the swamp critters have to keep them in power is election cheating, which will eventually be destroyed.
PDT, patriots and supporters have orchestrated a massive awakening about the real world that took the demons around 200 years to construct in America.
What we frequently still miss in that understanding is that it was then and is now all in God’s timing. We have grown accustomed to instant gratification as a society, even as MAGA patriots.
Quick, easy fixes and trying to incite others into doing what we ourselves are not willing to expend the effort to do is not going to work. Ever. All that does is circumvent the process of actually fixing things. When people do that they call into question their motives.
Which is where we find ourselves today as Americans, facing that decision of continuing to try to do it our way or the Creator’s way.
I brought up vices, deviancies and cults in previous parts to this story because they are directly linked to personal slavery and the destruction of America. In this part of the story we see the environmentalists who are willing to destroy the well being of millions of people in pursuit of the tenets of their religion. That religion ignores God’s clear instructions in Chapter 1:28-31 of Genesis to tame the world for the benefit of His crown jewel – mankind.
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (NKJV)
The world was created for mankind, not the reverse. The Word states that. Being a good steward of His creation as well as His people that it benefits are not mutually exclusive realities. Those who fail to realize mankind’s value or take actions to harm them do not believe the Word of God. They self identify, they cannot hide. They also act in direct conflict with our nation’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution as well as the rule of law that is based upon them. Our founding fathers built the observance and dedication to God as well as the value of mankind into those founding documents. It is an inescapable truth.
God says in His Word that man was made in His image. If you are a Christian, you are not permitted to hate who God created. To do so reveals rebellion and/or disbelief in God. Guess what two American founding documents also reflect that truth? Those documents codify the unity of people and purpose in America.
None of that states that we are to ignore as well as not defend or seek justice when attacked. There is discipline for harming the lives of others.
Everything you need to know about sustaining life on this planet is contained in the quoted Genesis scripture in bold above. Some may say that was the Old Testament, what about Jesus and what he said and did? He confirmed the law and the prophets in Matthew 5:17-19. Genesis is in the Torah (Pentateuch for Christians), which contains the law. It is a liturgical blueprint that is believed to have been provided prior to the creation of the world according to the rabbinic Talmud related, Midrash. Christians know that Jesus was there in the beginning per the Gospel of John 1:14-18. It is all neatly tied together with a bow on top. Accept or do not accept – the personal results from the choice are yours to own.
Equally important to consider is what God does not say through His Word that some of mankind continuously adds to or reinterprets throughout history. The Bible also has something to say about all of that. Do Not. Old Testament – Deuteronomy 4:2. New Testament – Revelation 22:18-19. There are many admonitions against it in both testaments. A particular favorite of mine is Galatians 1:6-9 where Paul states:
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel, which is not just another account; but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! (NASB)
Even today sinful, contrary gospels have been openly promoted throughout our culture and preached in some of the pulpits. The Scoundrels use it and many other apostasies to add to their evil ranks. Just as the Scoundrels of BIMD chose doing evil against their fellow mankind.
For those caught in their web you will receive the equivalent of this worldly instruction, “All you got to do is trust what he tells you.”, as Jaybird instructed Green in Scoundrels, Part 1. Jaybird was soon murdered after that statement by the same people he told Green to trust. Green lived and died in a pathetic state of being some time later, trying in his own way to make things right and knowing people viewed him as a pariah. So much for doing the work of and trusting Scoundrels, right?
These deceivers, abusers and murderers are the real Scoundrels. Those who believe they can ridicule, manipulate, injure, murder and steal the rights, lives and souls of others with impunity; while acting like they are pure as the driven snow for the official narratives and records. They even treat it like it is a sport, a competition to see how well they can screw somebody else over. They are unworthy of the air they breathe, however, the Lord said to allow these tares to grow with the wheat in the parable in Matthew 13:24-30. He will handle what happens at the harvest, which is an excellent Bootheel agriculture related example in my opinion.
For Heaven’s and your own sakes, stop apologizing for living a life of principle and integrity. You owe no man or woman who works against God and His order for the world that accommodation. Set your hope on the horizon and expect good to win out.
By so doing we can use a phrase from yesterday and throw a monkey wrench into the machinery of their criminal system. This phrase appears to trace back to Democrats in America doing what Democrats in America seemingly always have done and still do today. Per wordorigins.com:
The context is the Boston mayoral election of 1884. From the Marion Daily Star of 9 October 1889:
M. J. Kiley, the Boston Democrat who was to print ballots for both sides in the election when O’Brien was first made mayor, but who dropped a monkey wrench into the press before the Republican ballots were run off may be there.”
wordorigins.com
That would be 140 years ago. It is the same old same old, generation after generation. Nothing has changed in terms of their goals and methods. The tools they use may be different, but nothing has changed. How many times must we be shown to identify those opposed to America fulfilling its promise? These people are not the friends of an America founded on Godly principles as stated in our founding documents.
If you have tendencies and dependencies with any vices, deviancies, and cults – now would be a really good time to stop giving personal plantation masters power over your person, your money, your families, your community and your nation. The more we can disengage from their control, the better off we will all be. Shun them, their desires and their representations. You know what you need to do, you do not need me or anybody else to tell you. Just know that MAGA and We the People are depending on you. We need each other, God designed it that way.
Conclusion
In Part 4 it is time to move to the positive side of the ledger and reveal some personal unsung heroes from BIMD. They made things better for many people whose lives they touched. They were lights who cared about their fellow mankind and took action. None indicated they had any idea they were doing anything unusual or special, yet, they did.
As always, I wish for you happiness and peace as provided in our national founding documents and the Holy Bible.
