Remembering Michael Ruppert

Michael Ruppert, a former LAPD detective, is a man i have a great deal of respect for. His integrity cannot be questioned, nor can some of the sobering predictions he has made regarding the future of our civilization should we continue along a self-destructive path driven by greed with nearly complete disregard for our planet, and ourselves.

Michael is the author of Crossing The Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil, a book which centers around how our continually growing civilization, nearly 8 billion in number as of this writing, is completely and utterly dependent upon a crucial and finite resource, the production of which has already reached its peak and is now in permanent decline.

Michael took his own life in 2014, but not before leaving us with a large and important body of work including his research into the CIA's involvement in drug trafficking, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks within the U.S., politics and what he proposed would be the inevitable collapse of industrialized civilization due to the peak oil phenomena.

While i have a deep respect for Ruppert, he is very wrong in thinking that oil is a finite resource formed by decaying organic matter, a subject which i addressed in my article, We've been lied to about everything else, oil too?. Nevertheless, the Collapse documentary which presents Ruppert's opinions on oil and other subjects is very much worth watching because his basic premise that continuing on our current path will result in our demise is accurate and perhaps unavoidably correct.

Video: Collapse - Michael Ruppert (Full Documentary)

Michael was interviewed after the completion of Collapse by Peter Joseph, the creator of the Zeitgeist film series and network.

Video: In Memory of Michael C Ruppert, Full Interview, Zeitgeist Moving Forward by Peter Joseph

Regarding his research into the CIA, also known as the Cocaine Import Agency, Ruppert was influenced by Gary Webb, a former Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist who exposed connections between the CIA, drug trafficking and the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles. Webb's work led to Michael publicly confronting John Deutch, a former director of the CIA, in a Los Angeles High School in 1996 where he accused the CIA of direct involvement in drug trafficking. Broadcast live on C-SPAN, Deutch, who rubbed his hands together nervously while replying to Ruppert's accusations, was eventually forced to relinquish his position as a result of this embarrassing confrontation.

Video: Michael Ruppert - Confronts CIA Director John Deutch on Drug Trafficking by the CIA on C-SPAN

Ruppert ran the website, From the Wilderness, where he published his research on a variety of topics with a focus on exposing criminality, primarily within the U.S. government and military. As he delved deeper into the sewer that is government, he began to realize that he wasn't going to be able to effect change on a broad scale and so he shifted his focus and formed the Collapse Network which focused upon helping those who would listen to survive the inevitable collapse of society he envisioned. Unfortunately the Collapse Network failed to become popular and so Ruppert resigned in 2010, though he continued to host The Lifeboat Hour, a weekly internet radio show.

Being professionally and personally attacked, shot at, and not being able to gain a larger voice, as well as financial troubles and his ongoing battle with depression, proved to be more than Michael was able to handle. His desire to simply his life led him on a spiritual quest and, for a short while, it seemed that he was recovering and finding peace within himself. Unfortunately his battle with depression would overwhelm him in the end.

Michael eventually reached out to Jack Martin, a friend who offered him a trailer on his property where Michael would live out his remaining weeks, alone, except for his beloved dog, Rags. From there Mike continued to host The Lifeboat Hour, his last episode airing on Sunday, April 13, 2014. Later that evening, and after having made extensive preparations, Michael Ruppert ended his life. Jack Martin provides a detailed account of what he found that evening after Mike had sent him an email requesting that he come to the trailer immediately:

Video: The Death Of Michael C. Ruppert - Narrated by Jack Martin

Many people were affected by Ruppert's death, including Abby Martin who recorded the following touching tribute during an episode of former her show, Breaking the Set, on Russia Today:

Video: Abby Martin's Personal Tribute to Investigative Journalist Michael C Ruppert

Gary Webb and Michael Ruppert both followed a path similar to that which many others have, one which i have experienced during my own research. First there is a realization that the world doesn't work the way you think it does, followed by the desire to educate others which often fails to meet ones expectations. Eventually depression and anger set in and, if one is unable to escape that, possibly an abrupt end.

G. Gordon Liddy had demonstrated his tolerance for pain by holding his hand over a candle until his flesh burned. The trick, he said, was "not minding it".