Something wicked

There's a war going on, with deadly serious consequences, and you are part of it.  You are either directly engaged, or you are a pawn being manipulated by those who are.  Humanity has recognized this conflict since its beginning, and powerful institutions, like religions and governments, have been created in humanity's defense.  But this war is being lost, because those institutions, our defenses, have been compromised and corrupted by the enemy.  What is this war?  It is the battle of good versus evil.  Why does it matter to you?  Because the quality of your life, and maybe even your life itself, and the lives of all the people you care about, hang in the balance.

So, which side are you on?

To answer this question, we must define the sides.  The dividing line between good and bad is the Golden Rule stated in its negative form -- "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you."  This simple maxim defines the floor for what is good and the ceiling for what is bad (think of the bad being down in the basement, and the good being on the main floor).  Evil is simply bad taken to an extreme (think of a putrid sub-basement pit).

The founding fathers of the government of the United States drew a line in the sand dividing bad from evil when they wrote the Declaration of Independence.  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  Evil may be defined then by doing to others that which denies them their lives, their liberty, their ability to pursue happiness, or any of their other unalienable rights.  Killing innocent people, like the United States is doing in Afghanistan and Iraq, is evil.  Imprisoning innocent people, like the United States is doing in Guantanamo Bay and in other off-shore secret prisons, is evil.  Forcing all Americans to labor many hours to finance these criminal activities, as the tax laws of the United States do, is evil.  How is it that our government, originally designed to support the common good, could become an instrument of evil?

The Bible tells us how.  "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." (1 Timothy 6: 7-10)  When a private organization controls the creation of money, evil will naturally congregate there, because money is the tool needed to convince good people to do evil things.  In the United States, that private organization is the Federal Reserve, and it is the bastion of evil that clandestinely steers the government into directing Americans to do evil.  Good American men and women serve as soldiers to defend our country, yet because they are trained to obey orders in the pursuit of their daily bread, they obediently invade sovereign countries and take innocent lives.  Good American men and women serve our justice system, yet because they are paid and need to earn a living, they torture those labeled as enemies and deny them access to real justice.  And good American men and women serve the IRS, yet because they are dependent on a paycheck, they consent to ruining the lives of others when commanded to do so.  But is money all it takes to make good people serve evil?

No.  Another ingredient is needed:  deception.  Just as a wolf in sheep's clothing gains the trust of its next victim, evil pretends to be as good and innocent as a country mom.  Pleasant, smiling faces explain in soothing terms why bailouts, deficits, surveillance, new rules, more prisons, and more wars are necessary, and why you must pay for these things with another portion of your unalienable rights.  The evil people must convince the good people that everyone is united in service to the common good.  The soldiers are told that they are fighting to defend the freedoms of their loved ones.  The police, jailers, and torturers are told that they are enforcing the laws necessary for civilization and harmony to exist.  The civil servants that participate in stealing from the poor to give to the rich are told that fairness demands their actions.  All are subjected to pervasive public propaganda designed to deceive and control.  And it is working.  Evil is winning.  Can it be stopped?

---

In the battle of good versus evil, evil appears to be on the verge of winning. If you have been paying attention, you can feel it, even if you can't see it.

"You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world.  You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." -- Morpheus, from "The Matrix"

"We are, right now, on the precipice.  We are teetering on the brink of one of these two realities.  On one side lies salvation, and on the other, oblivion, while in our hands lies the choice.  Look around you.  This battle has been raging for many, many years.  People are just kept distracted by design, so for the most part, they haven't yet noticed.  Free yourself of the distraction though, and it becomes very obvious and quite plain to see."

And so I asked, can evil be stopped?  I believe that if you understand the mechanism by which evil operates, and you stop the mechanism, evil will be stopped dead in its tracks.  This does not eliminate evil, however.  Evil always regroups, and like water seeking a crack to leak through, it will search for other mechanisms, other ways to gain strength and grow.  But a properly constructed glass holds water quite handily, and evil can be similarly contained.  We have learned that the current mechanism by which evil rules is through the creation of money by a private cartel, and through the control of information.  Access to an unlimited supply of money provides the mechanism of control, and the ability to disseminate lies and suppress truth (financed by all that free money) provides the mechanism of deception.  In a capitalistic world commanded by money, the heart of the beast is the central bank system where money is created out of thin air and used to purchase the cooperation of the masses.  Remove the heart, and the beast dies.  But for this to happen, more of us must know to recognize the beast, and know how it thrives.  The beast, of course, will fill our ears with lies, and cover our eyes to the truth, and do everything it can to deny us this knowledge.  Knowledge is power.  It is our power.  Uncover it, reclaim it, spread it, and wield it against evil!

"The truth will set you free.  My friends, stop complying with this system.  It's time to wake up."

Conspiracy theories debunked!

Conspiracies exist.  The false-flag terrorist attack on Phnom Penh airport concocted by the Nixon administration to pull Laos into the Vietnam war is a typical example.  Conspiracy theories also exist.  The deliberately false cover story for that operation, that North Vietnamese troops were responsible for the attack, is a typical example.  The media and the history books report the conspiracy theory as fact, while only criminal insiders know of the true conspiracy.

Government conspiracies still exist today.  The 9/11 false-flag terrorist attack concocted by the Bush administration to provide an excuse to invade Iraq and Afghanistan and grab power by eroding the Constitutional rights of all Americans is a typical example.  Government conspiracy theories also exist.  The deliberately false cover story for that operation, that Muslim terrorists were responsible for the attack, is a typical example.  The media and the history books report the conspiracy theory as fact, while only criminal insiders know of the true conspiracy.

Any serious research into the anomalies of 9/11 makes it perfectly clear that the U.S. government lied big-time to the American people.  Now why would they do that?  Every criminal lies to cover up his crime and divert the blame onto someone else.  The U.S. government is no different.  And like any scenario based on lies, the damage is carried forward into the future with unceasing momentum.

So it's no wonder that the irony of the crime of 9/11 just won't quit.  The latest news is that the U.S. government will be forcing property owners in Pennsylvania to sell their land so that the National Park Service can open a 2200 acre monument dedicated to the victims of United Flight 93.  That's right, the government will be confiscating land from private citizens to build a monument to the victims of a crime that it committed!

The government conspiracy theory is that Flight 93 crashed as passengers wrestled with Muslim terrorists for control of the hijacked plane.  The real conspiracy is known only to criminal insiders, but eyewitnesses reported no airplane wreckage or bodies at the crash site, and independent examination of the crash site has been severely restricted ever since 9/11!  A North Dakota Air National Guard pilot has claimed he fired the missile that exploded Flight 93 in mid-air, and he reportedly was honored for his actions at an award ceremony.  Bet you didn't see that on TV!

Another thing you won't see on TV is any report of a new Danish study analyzing dust samples collected from ground zero on 9/11.  Using standard scientific techniques, they found conclusive evidence that explosive thermite compounds were used in the destruction of the Twin Towers and Building 7.  In other words, there is solid proof that the buildings were brought down by pre-planted explosives, i.e. a conspiracy.  The American public will, of course, be kept in the dark on this.  The U.S. government can hardly afford to have its official conspiracy theory exposed as the elaborate criminal lie that it really is.

How much worse can it get?  I'm afraid the answer is -- a lot worse.  Think of the United States following in the footsteps of Nazi Germany, only this time with the benefit of the lessons of history behind it.

Note:  The "bodies" link above has been censored by MySpace.  Evidently, someone doesn't want you to see the information presented there.  Basically, Somerset County Coroner Wallace Miller, the first coroner at the crash site, said he was stunned at how small the crater was. "I stopped being coroner after about 20 minutes," Miller said, "because there were no bodies there."  The censored link is http://www.iamthewitness.com/Bollyn/Bollyn-TheHollywoodFantasyofFlight93.html.

On Having Faith

Again, they have sinned...

Listen, people.  This is no time to take comfort in your faith.  You may believe that by accepting Jesus as your savior, you can shed your earthly responsibilities and leave your fate in the hands of almighty God.  The problem is, your enemy is counting on you to do just that.  You see, your enemy uses comfort as a weapon.  He does everything possible to make sure you are comfortable by providing mindless entertainment, surprising distractions, consoling news, inexpensive and readily available "comfort" food, and most of all, soothing beliefs.  And when you are quite comfortable, despite the disturbing events raging around you, it is then that your enemy delivers the coup de grace.  Remember the Jews in Germany, how they left their homes, patiently boarded the trains, and walked quietly and orderly into the gas chambers?  They had great faith that their God would provide for them, when in fact evil men orchestrated their fate.

There are evil men today with the awesome power to create money out of nothing who use that money to manipulate judges, lawmakers, and leaders in the highest offices of the land.  These evil men have plans for you, either to enslave you and make you into a faithful servant, or to dispose of you if your loyalty cannot be turned to their selfish purposes.  And they know that the people with strong religious faith cannot be turned to do their bidding and will have to be exterminated.  Only now, the evil ones are much more sophisticated than the Nazis, so there will be no need to board trains to be transported to your death.  No, your death will be delivered to your door, perhaps in the very air you breathe, so that the comfort you find so soothing becomes the means to guarantee your quiet demise.

By focusing on Jesus and your personal salvation, you lose sight of the true evil in the world that is targeting you, the people you care for, and all the unborn descendants of such good people.  By turning your back on the world to concentrate on your personal salvation through "Jesus Christ, our Lord", you allow evil to sweep away the distracted forces of good like so much dust.  This must not be permitted.  The forces of good must not be allowed to wallow in their comfortable faith while evil cuts them down.  Many African tribesmen believed the white man's bullet could not harm them because powerful magic would protect them.  These warriors were cut down easily, and the families they were trying to protect were left defenseless.  The same will happen to the religious faithful who think accepting Jesus is the solution to all problems.  It's not.  It's a big part of the problem.  There is a crucial battle occurring between good and evil.  Take part!  "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

The problem with communication

I used to think that communicating with the written word would be easy.  After all, we share a common language and a common culture (please excuse my blatant ethnocentrism).  Likewise, writing allows revisions and adjustments that should encourage greater clarity.  However, extended "conversations" with others on MySpace have changed my mind (particularly debates I've had with Zephram Stark and Over Unity).  At first, I thought this difficulty with language was because we are all idiots.  I still have difficulties getting past this perspective.  However, I also recognize that I suffer from the human tendency to oversimplify things, which of course is aggravated by living in a universe of mind-boggling complexity.  Realigning myself to that complexity, I now believe that it's incredibly hard to communicate, perhaps because it appears so easy and we take for granted a common foundation that is partly illusion.  So I certainly understand Zephram's desire to clarify things by creating a new lexicon, but I don't believe it's going to be useful to do so.  Let me explain.

Because of the way we learn language, there are often subtle differences in the meanings that each of us assigns to words.  People learn language from actual usage, not from defined lexicon.  We analyze context and use pattern matching to acquire meaning.  As a result, the meanings we assemble vary from person to person.  We learn very few words from a dictionary, and even a dictionary is just an incomplete record of the confusion that language carries.  After all, a dictionary uses words to define other words, the very definition of circular reference.  It doesn't help that words often have multiple meanings that are hard to tie down.  For example, an intelligence agency hires people of higher intelligence to gather intelligence.  And now Zephram has suggested another meaning for "intelligence," supposedly to make things clearer.  And he wants to give it a meaning that is already assigned to some extent to another word or words, as Over Unity correctly points out.  No thanks - I must politely refuse the new lexicon.  But I understand that Zephram sees the same problem that I see, a problem that has caused all of us great consternation, not only on MySpace but in many other areas of life.  The problem is that we too often find ourselves using the same words but speaking different languages without even being aware of it.  Unfortunately, we are analog creatures that lack the precision of digital machines.  We use "fuzzy language" in much the same manner that we use "fuzzy logic", and both get us into a lot of trouble, but they allow us to explore ideas that digital thinking could never take us to.  Of course, the flip-side is that we waste a lot of time exploring ideas that digital thinking would quickly eliminate.  So as analog creatures, our journey towards knowledge is richer and much more entertaining, but painfully slow.

My father tells me that when I was a very young boy, I brought him my tricycle and asked him to fix the seat.  "Do you want to lower it?" he asked.  "No, I want to higher it," I replied confidently.  That should have been my first clue that language was going to chew me up and spit me out, but I simply couldn't fathom how rocky a road I was to travel.  As you can see, I'm still trying to figure it out.

Idiot

Imagine that you could line up all the idiots in the world in rank order, with the most idiotic at the head of the line and the least idiotic at the tail.  I submit to you that we would all be somewhere in that line.  Being closer to the tail end of the line is of little consolation, because after all, this is a line of idiots, and you are in it.  Some of you will refuse to believe that you belong in this line, but rest assured, there is a place reserved for you near the head of the line.  You might even be convinced that there is a line for smart people somewhere, and that you rightfully belong in that line instead.  There is such a line, but it's the same line you are standing in - you need only view it in reverse rank order.  But by viewing it in this way, you simply choose to aggrandize your self-importance, essentially choosing arrogance over humility.  Humans often do that, you know.  So if you disagree with something I write, think it over carefully and please take the time to enlighten me as to why you disagree.  Your feedback is actually one of the ways that I change my position in the line.  Amazingly enough, it's also one of the ways that you change your position in the line.  Note that I didn't say whether our rankings improve or worsen.  And if enlightening me is too much trouble, you can surely take comfort in pointing out that I must be an idiot.  Humans often do that, you know.

Saving America

What ails us...
(only we have a new vampire now)

America's economy is being destroyed.  We need a plan to save our country.  I'm not hearing anyone suggest any simple plans that are doable, so I'm about to suggest one.  I want you to tell me why you think this plan will or will not work.

1. When government is bankrupting itself and our country, we need a common sense solution.  Freeze all government spending, budgets, and salaries.  Stop all government borrowing and the creation of new money.  Stop the bleeding, and do it now.

2. The federal government is too big, too powerful, and too self-serving.  Starting one year after the freeze, for at least the next 25 years, all government spending, budgets, and salaries will be reduced by 1% each year, automatically, with no exceptions.

3. The common people are paying too much tax to support a corrupted government that feeds on them like a monster parasite.  Raise the personal (and business) tax exemption to $100,000 so that no federal taxes are owed on the first $100,000 earned.  Throw off the parasite and let the common people prosper again.

4. The rich people are paying too little tax to a government that they currently manipulate and profit from.  Raise the personal (and business) income tax rate for those earning more than one million dollars to 35%, over 10 million dollars to 65%, and over 100 million dollars to 90%.

Will that do it?  Is it that simple?  Can America be saved in four simple steps?

Socialist !

I've been accused of being a socialist.  At first, I didn't quite know what to make of it, as the definition of socialism appears to be so broad and vague that it is hard to pin down.  Generally these accusations come whenever I propose changes that would be beneficial to all of society, meaning all people.  An example might be the universal availability of low-cost health care.  One would think that it would be beneficial to both society and individuals to promote health and deal efficiently with debilitating injuries and disease.  And when I say "deal efficiently," I'm thinking along the lines of the Golden Rule, which I believe is universally recognized as the cornerstone of any cooperative social organization.  In my mind, universal health care would appear to be "socialist," if socialism is defined as organizing to provide desired benefits to all individuals of a society.  And yet the implied connotation when I've been called a socialist is that I have evil or vile intent.

Other minds have considered the question of how to best organize society without diminishing the individual.  One of those minds eerily predicted the economic and social crisis that we are faced with today in the United States (and in most other countries):

"Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones.  The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society.  This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature.  The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population.  Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education).  It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights."

I have long decried the overpowering economic control of the international central bankers, their control of the media, their outright purchasing of our government representatives and so-called public servants, the deliberate dumbing down of America, and the orchestrated mind control of the masses.  It appears someone agrees with me.  The above quotation was written 60 years ago by one of the most respected thinkers of the 20th century - Albert Einstein.  He was considering the problem humanity has struggled with for a very long time - overcoming what Thorstein Veblen called "the predatory phase" of human development.  How can we move beyond the dog-eat-dog world of competition to the more egalitarian world of cooperation?  Einstein clearly saw capitalism as a manifestation of unhealthy competition, and he argued that a socialist approach was the only cure:

"This crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism.  Our whole educational system suffers from this evil.  An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career.  I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals."

In order to ensure that social goals are pursued, a socialist economy will require an accurate feedback loop between individuals and the organization charged with guiding economic policy.  The details of this organization and the feedback loop are yet to be designed, but it is clear that the design must be inherently self-correcting in the same manner as the Golden Rule.  This is no easy task, as one need only look at the capitalist fable of the "invisible hand of the market" that was supposed to efficiently regulate excesses and likewise be self-correcting.  In actual practice, however, capitalists found it all too easy to manipulate markets, and this behavior was positively reinforced by their own self-interests with no mechanism to limit those self-interests, resulting in the very excesses "the invisible hand of the market" was meant to prevent.

Would it be more correct to define socialism as the means of organizing a society for maximum individual and social benefit?  If so, then I am hoping to become the best socialist I can be.