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And So, My Fellow Americans: Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You ………
And So, My Fellow Americans: Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You ………
For a few months now, I've been sensing a shifting vibration in the comment section of ZH and it’s something I wanted to talk about. There’s a growing undercurrent of inevitable defeat and resignation in the air and if nothing else, we need to be aware of and acknowledge it. I suspect some of it has to do with the very nature of Zero Hedge, which has a single minded focus; to expose the ugly underbelly of the beast and its various assorted minions, lackeys, stooges and front men. So the range of comments that are "on topic" will obviously be narrower (and a bit more negative) than a standard financial news blog or a general interest news site. This is to be expected. Tyler, Marla and the rest of the crew set the beat and we dance to the tune.
In addition, the invited contributors are guests of Zero Hedge and pretty much stay within the Zero Hedge theme, though poor Leo gets beat up for being realistic (some would say optimistic) in his assessment that the rocket fueled market rise isn’t over. I can't speak for the others but my sense of social grace demands that I not burden or embarrass my host by singing off key. After Tyler invited me to contribute and Marla showed me the house, my primary question was "What were the house rules"? Marla said that other than the obvious, meaning no loud parties, keep my feet of the coffee table and use a coaster under my glass, there really were no rules. The ultimate judge of whether an article is off base would be the reception it receives on ZH. She wouldn't need to run me out of town if I bombed or went off the reservation because the ZH community would do it for her. Fair enough. But this is a financial blog and I’ve often wondered where the line is between inbounds and out.
With that in mind and with sufficient rope in hand to hang myself, I’d like to start a new dialogue. There seems to be a growing survivor’s vibe on ZH that has ballooned as the stock market rise has continued in defiance of all known laws of gravity. There’s quite a bit of anticipation that the bubble’s going to blow soon and it's going to be ugly when it does. And while everyone doesn’t subscribe to this perspective, in my view we seem to be developing a herd mentality that is narrowing our focus and tolerance for contrary views. Considering this is a contrary blog, we’re becoming somewhat intolerant of contrary views. In my humble opinion these are warning signs, and this was the reason I decided to post my "How To Start A Populist Movement In Under Three Minutes" article. My intent was to break up the music mix and spin some new tunes. And as always, I wanted to spark discussion and debate.
The response was great, with many jumping in and providing intelligent and thoughtful feedback, proving once again that the real value and hidden treasure of ZH is in the comments section. In fact, there appears to be a movement growing already, with many discussing the idea of a one page synopsis of the top issues we're facing that can be quickly distributed to friends and community. This was an excellent example of proactive thinking rather than reactive, of positive instead of negative; a sign of healthy community discourse. In fact, there was an wonderful comment posted by "Bob" that I would like to (in part) repost because it deserves closer attention. He (assuming Bob is a he) brings up a valid point and something I was hoping to see. Bob said....
"I'm pleased to see this question addressed. My perception of the ZH commenter community's evolution from the beginning to now is that the herd here has developed ever more sophisticated rationales, analyses, arguments and proofs, excuses, etc., for fatalistic surrender to impotence in the face of the criminal mass clusterfuck by the banksters and their minions. This strikes me lately as the perfect soil for a non-movement . . . a potential crop that just never germinated. If I were a NSA psy-ops guy, I can see that clever passivity would be a great thing to cultivate as cool enlightenment. I would indeed like to see something different here, however."
Further down, in response to some back and forth commenting, Bob makes another valid point. He says……
“I do understand the math, B9K9, but I don't understand sitting back. That posture may be good for the individual, but the larger community (it seems to me) deserves more from the people who are most knowledgeable--meaning much of the ZH readership--than for us to circle our wagons and simply await the fireworks together. I understand the odds of it making any difference, but it strikes me as throwing in the towel. Do I have an active alternative to offer? Not in cyberspace, I'm afraid.”
The focus of my articles and comments, particularly since I was invited to be a contributor, has been to see the bigger picture, to look within the mind as well as over the hill, to see beyond the single minded perspective of “the one” and gain the perspective of the many. If we were to dogmatically follow a path of strict self interest in our thinking and actions, the community as a whole, whether in cyberspace or in earth space, would rapidly disintegrate into a narcissistic naval gazing self centered hell hole.
In my view, Bob quite eloquently challenged us to see not only that we need to move beyond the self, the ego, but that we must do so, that it is our obligation as members of this community to reach out to others and return far more than we consume. He’s talking about the selfless impulse of community service in whatever form it may take. Bob is challenging us to put our money where our mouth is and do something rather than just talk about it. His comments certainly hit home with me. While my message has been consistent, I’ve been timid and hesitant, reluctant to push any harder than to drop ideas and concepts here and there and see what germinates. As I said earlier, some of that has to do with my position as a guest. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t do more.
So are we just sitting around, waiting for Armageddon to arrive to prove us correct in our assessment? Are we endlessly discussing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin while congratulating each other on how refined our analysis is? I don't mean to be harsh or critical. ZH is by far the best blog I've ever seen, with an active community of dedicated contributors and posters of obvious high intelligence, open mindedness and tolerance for contrary views and opinions. The community is the icing on the cake Tyler, Marla and company serve up piping hot on a daily basis. Hands down, we have a great community.
But where are we going and what will our contribution be to the community outside of ZH if we’re correct and the world is headed for a very painful awakening? What if it doesn’t? We talk all the time about the sleepwalking masses. I published two articles titled "End of Empire" which obviously speaks to where I think things are headed, though I expect the unwinding to be agonizingly slow as the vampire powers extract every last ounce of blood from the body, eventually killing it’s energy source. But what am I doing about it? How am I preparing myself and my community for what I see coming? If you think this thing through, if the veins and arteries of this nation become clogged, not only will the nation as a whole suffer greatly but the communities where we live will be impacted as well.
I found myself thinking the other day that my America, the one I grew up with and took for granted, was missing in action, AWOL, gone and seemingly never to return. And I wondered what had happened. Why wasn’t someone doing something about this? Where were the responsible people? Where did “we” go wrong? How could we have let these bastards steal that which is most important to each and everyone one of us, our identity, our national soul, our presence. It feels like someone snuck in during the night and took the very essence of America. Then I realized that this essence isn’t static or stationary, that it can’t be formed into a box or tin can which is then placed on a shelf for easy retrieval when needed. It’s much more than that.
My body is not the same “body” I possessed a month ago. Most of my cells have been replaced or repaired and technically I’m not the same person I was. But obviously I am the same. This seamless transition occurs because my essence (some would say my soul) is passed from one cell to the next, with both old and new cells acting in concert to maintain and possibly improve the whole, the entity of which each cell is a part of. The continuity provided by my consciousness ensures that my essence isn’t lost as my component parts are repaired and replaced.
Thinking this through to its logical conclusion, a deep sadness fell over me as I recognized that at some point I had failed to pass on America’s essence to the next person, the next citizen, that I was in fact AWOL, not America. America is exactly what you would expect her to be after decades of neglect and disinterest, of constant use without renewal. I looked into the belly of the beast and that beast was me. If I had been upholding my end of the bargain, these bastards would not have been able to do as much damage as they’ve done. I’m not shouldering all of the blame, only my fair share of this mess. I’m not asking us to walk a self destructive path of endless guilt and despair, only that we do an honest self assessment of our own responsibilities and (in) action and then move the ball forward.
America isn’t a land mass located in the Northern Hemisphere between the Pacific and Atlantic. America isn’t 350 million people who live within its boundaries nor is it a government drifting dangerously close to a rocky shoal in uncharted waters. America is none of these things. America is an idea, a concept, a state of mind, the cumulative product of the collective consciousness of not only its inhabitants, but of the 6.6 billion humans who live outside its borders. Which means America can renew and rebuild as quickly as we wish, for the reality of this renewal can materialize as quickly as our imagination can create it. We can change everything in an instant if that is our wish.
For example, I can instantly decide I no longer wish to be angry with my son for some silliness he may be guilty of. It’s me, and me only, who can decide at this very moment that I would rather love and hold him tight than spend another minute angry about something of no consequence. This conscious decision, not anything my son did or didn’t do, is the spark that creates the change that then effortlessly materializes. No one “makes” me angry, sad, glad or frustrated. It’s always my choice, my decision, what my reaction or perspective will be, regardless of outside influences. I decide what state of mind I possess and what will be presented to the world from one moment to the next. To blame anything or anyone else for my state of mind is nothing more than blame shifting and the ultimate in self deception. The same applies to all of us; to that state of mind we call America. This is our center, our energy source, where our true power originates. It can never be taken from us, only given away because we’re either ignorant that we posses it or tricked into believing it doesn’t exist at all.
The American renewal could begin in an instant if only we make the conscious decision. When done, it would quickly be followed by the fleeing sorcerers and magicians. It’s so deceptively simple that it remains incomprehensible. The powers-that-be have tricked us to believe that only they possess the power to change what we see. So while fully armed but convinced we are defeated, we hand over our power and turn back to our bleating. The powers may appear to be supremely arrogant, but they’re also aware that the time bomb is ticking. They’re more frightened of us than we are of them and the evidence of this is in their preparations for the end.
While there are always a thousand and one reasons not to do something and sometimes just one or two in favor, the consensus roadblock to change is awareness and self-actualization, brought about through organization. Here is a brief excerpt from the book “Here Comes Everybody: The Power Of Organizing Without Organizations” by Clay Shirky.
“For most of modern life, our strong talents and desires for group effort have been filtered through relatively rigid institutional structures because of the complexity of managing groups. We haven’t had all the groups we’ve wanted, we’ve simply had the groups we could afford. The old limits of what unmanaged and unpaid groups can do are no longer in operation. The difficulties that keep self assembled groups from working together are shrinking, meaning that the number and kinds of things groups can get done without financial motivation or managerial oversight are growing. The current change in one sentence is this. Most of the barriers to group action have collapsed and without these barriers we are free to explore new ways of gathering together and getting things done.”
For thousands of years, each successive generation of the powerful have perfected the techniques and methods used to distract, deflect or destroy populist movements that have a dynamic leader. And the belief is that movements cannot exist without a leader. The failed populist movements of the past 50 years of American history are perfect examples of this. The labor, anti-war and minority movements of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s were subverted from within or by execution. The same can be said with the political assassinations by the state of JFK, RFK and MLK, to name just a few. To think that such overwhelming forces could be subverted by a leader of a nascent movement is pure folly. You do not attempt to meet head on any forces that are overwhelming. But, what keeps the powerful up at night is precisely the opposite, a leaderless movement that can’t be appeased, divided or decapitated. And since the mechanisms of communication for leaderless organizations are now a central part of the economies of the world, the tools we can use to create this movement can’t be taken from us without crippling the powerful as well. Power to the people now has a new and more powerful context in which to germinate and bloom.
A very famous line from John F Kennedy's Inaugural Address of January 20, 1061 has been rattling around in my head for weeks. Kennedy was attempting to tap into the soul and creative spirit of America with his signature speech, and he continued this theme during his tragically short presidency. JFK was not only trying to wake a sleeping giant, he was doing something far more dangerous to the entrenched powers-that-be. He was attempting to transfer power back to Americans by inspiring Americans. He was showing us that we can, that we should, that we are in fact obligated and responsible as citizens of this nation to give more than we receive. Most importantly, he was telling us with actions and words that by doing so; we grow stronger both individually and collectively. This is a concept we take for granted when dealing with our families, but we’ve forgotten it’s also our responsibility and reward as citizens of this nation and our community. We complain that we’re called consumers rather than citizens. Do we deserve to consider ourselves citizens? Do we honor the concept of citizenship with little more than our rhetoric?
So with apologies to Tyler and Marla if I'm breaking the house rules and in the spirit of the season of spring renewal, I’d like to ask the ZH community what we think each of us might do to move the ball forward. Short of moving into an underground bunker with a stash of dehydrated food and emergency supplies of Playboy magazine (or Playgirl for our female contingent) if or when the breakdown comes, we'll still be living in our community and thus we'll need to make do with what's in place at that time. What can we do on a local, regional or national level that will improve our lot in life as a community and as a nation, now or later? How can we organize without leaders? As far as I’m concerned, anything goes and no comment should be shouted down as silly because quite frankly, we really have no idea how this will play out.
As inspiration, below please find Kennedy's inaugural speech in its entirety. Ready.....Set......Go!
Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens, we observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning—signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.
The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge—and more.
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do—for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
To those new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom—and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required—not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge—to convert our good words into good deeds—in a new alliance for progress—to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.
To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support—to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective—to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak—and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.
Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.
But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course—both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.
So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms—and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.
Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah—to "undo the heavy burdens ... and to let the oppressed go free."
And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.
All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"—a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.
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Guilty as charged. Will change my ways. Stick around.
Yes, but: Freedom to be juvenile is part of this blog's specific energy. Perhaps it will evolve...and then you'll see posts on how we miss the 'good old Beavis & Butthead days on ZH'.
Where to begin? I read the whole piece, and truth in posting, I haven't read every signal post, but find myself most in agreement with Reducto Ad Absurdum. The United States of America, until recently (gradually over the last several decades and speeding up more recently), has never been a purely 'geographic' construct. It was a place where one dominant group and set of principals dominated the area over which that group controlled. As always, reality seems to be the critical 'third rail' of discourse in America (and the west in general) and now this blog, but it is critical to our situation and any hope of getting out of it.
In the extreme, if you took a group of Swedes and put them on a island and came back 200 years later you wouldn't be surprised to see something resembling an island version of Sweden; and if you took a group of Liberians and dropped them on an island and came back 200 years later you shouldn't be surprised to come back and see something approximating an overpopulated third world hellhole. On that theme, has anyone tracked the evolution of say Los Angeles over the last 50 years? Do you know why it voted overwhelming for Obama? Would the Los Angeles of 1950 have voted for him? Why? It's because a large piece of what ailes America today isn't a small disagreement on whether the 'healthacre reform' bill should have 'single payer' or double payer or fourteen flavors of tongue depressors, it's because a nation is its people and they ultimately decide who, what, and where. Therefore, having little or no immigration policy since the 1965 Immigration Act has had a huge and continuing negative impact on America driving it toward becoming more like a banana republic and away from the Founders' original vision. Why is that? Because not all people want the same things, and certain groups tend not to want the same things as other groups; and most importantly, the ability of some groups of humans to live and be productive in a western sense are not equal. We can wish otherwise, but that is reality (see, e.g., The Limits of Democratization). So please, don't go off all emotional on me for being a messenger. History and empirical observation would be helpful now for people, not what you may want to believe because it makes you all warm and fuzzy and your teacher told you so.
In addition, the "ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country" quote is not my cup of tea; and I still find, like Milton Friedman who first pointed this out in one of his books (I believe it was Freedom to Choose) that this quote neatly summarizes the difference between someone with socialistic tendencies from one with freedom leaning tendencies. I would strongly suggest that anyone that thinks they like that quote try reading some of Friedman's writings on freedom (not monetary policy). Furthermore, MLK was a socialist/Marxist and had little or no concept of what made the country great. For me, the JFK and MLK references make me cringe and do not support a path for exiting the fast approaching brick wall. In short, anyone leading a supposed country of freepeople shouldn't be asking what they can be doing for the government, the government is supposed to be delivering what they demand (e.g., freedom from taxation without representation, or not having Goldman Sachs rob them through some carbon tax scheme or bailout, etc.). For me, this type of socialist quote is symptamatic of the problem, not the solution.
Let me cut this short; my suggestions would begin with at least the following:
1) End all illegal immigration and stop legal immigration until full assimilation is proven.
2) Charge and convict all financial criminals that can be convicted on, for example, fraud.
3) Return to the Founders' original principals (i.e., common sense Constitutional principals), and simplify and eliminate al laws accordingly.
4) Allow the discussion of real topics without ad hominem attacks (i.e., true free speech, not politically correct topic areas and terminology).
Etc.
Without #1, you will likely never get to #3, and we will likely never get out of our tragectory toward third worldom. Also, without #4, even blogs don't matter (and, yes, that includes this one). Have a nice day.
"Return to the Founders' principles," huh?
Oh, VQL... via what device...???
Fact: Obama is POTUS.
Fact: Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House.
Fact: Harry Reid is Majority Leader of the Senate.
Fact: Four out of the nine Justices on the Supreme Court couldn't give a flying f--k what's written in the Constitution or what the words were meant to translate to in real life.
Fact: A fifth member of the U.S. Supreme Court is far more concerned about his place in history than in sticking to Original Intent.
Fact: Of the four "good guys" on the U.S. Supreme Court, only Justice Thomas (GOD BLESS HIM...!!!) has the attitude that "precedent be damned; it's what's in the Constitution that matters - period!"
(Yeah... you need to understand... even the Great Scalia gives far too much weight to precedent...) (*SHRUG*)
Fact: The federal bureacracy is largely controlled (in an administrative sense) by liberals and yes, even Leftists.
Fact: Even if Jim DeMint becomes "First Among Equals" within the GOP, that "organization" will still instinctively go down the wrong road at least 30% of the time.
Fact: RONALD FRIGG'N REAGAN couldn't "save" the country for long!
Fact: The Gingrich Revolution of '94 lasted for HOW MANY YEARS..??? (*SIGH*) Not many, right? We experienced what... maybe three fairly solid years of "progress" in standing against the forces destroying this nation from within... (*SHAKING MY HEAD IN PAIN*)
Again... I realize I keep on returning to the same theme here, but SERIOUSLY... besides a "Vince Flynn" scenario... what's gonna "work" in the sense that folks like us mean "work?"
Please! Enlighten me! Give me some viable scenarios!
BILL
It's also possible that Bernie Madoff's son, knowing all the details of the ponzi scheme, also thought that the future looked bright.
Did you actually read the article?
I think we are just too far down the hole to change the trajectory the country is on. It may take a total collapse for real change to sprout from the ashes. It seems Americans aren't all that different anymore from the rest of the world. Somewhere along the way we lost our way. Those born in the last 30 years might not even realize what has happened. It is sad, but true.
CD, I've always appreciated your commentary and perspectives in comments you've left in other posts. It is obvious when some individuals consistently rise above all the rest by presenting a sound argument while showing decency, respect, and I'm sure restraint at times with the rest of us clowns.
Thank you for your contributions and setting a good example.
Steve
C?P?Q?A - The Constitution and The American People.
CD, a great post. I meant to say "Thank you" before.
Here is another one.
http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2010/04/reich-levels-broadside-...
"This is why were you born here and now, to stand witness to the truth, as you can find it and value it above all else."
Thanks Jesse. And thanks ZH.
CD, your posts are always well written and thought out, I take the time to search them out and read them. With my early life background in cognitive and abnormal psychology and social work, your name and your writings have alwyas caught my interest. I haven't been posting much lately as I fall into the "it's FUBAR and what more can I say that would add anything useful to the dialog?" camp.
Or, as a poster above wrote: "I think folks here are just wishing for it to happen sooner rather than later so we can get on with rebuilding". Much my attitude a year or so ago when I got involved in the local politics with the campaign for liberty folks...one meeting at the local Repubs and I dropped out, and said, "Call me when it's time to rebuild, this can't be fixed until there is no choice but to rebuild from the smoking ruins".
Many here at ZH have developed their own methods of coping with the abusers; "starve the beast, opt-out, self-sufficency, PMs" etc, and I have learned quite a bit from the community here, as those are my methods of coping. I figure that if I dive enough dumpsters, get as much from thrift stores, barter, used, as possible, voluntarily simplify/reduce my lifestyle, refuse to earn more than necessary (and taxable) for a simple life with family, that eventually TPTB will lose interest in abusing me and my family...to live, not only physically, but economically, emotionally and cognitively in "fly-over country"...that we just won't matter and they won't be bothered anymore.
Not exactly the plan I had for my life... high IQ, very creative, have owned/operated businesses...but that plan ran into the wall of diminishing returns, so my family and I chose a "going Galt" idiom. It was the best, rational choice for us.
I never really thought my family could do the whole "solo survivalist" thing, and historically, humans have always "tribed" to make up for us being slow, small and weak compared to predators and nature. Charles Hugh Smith writes well on this theme over at oftwominds.com. Community/tribes/etc will be needed, for better or worse, hopefully not the latter, we humans DO learn occasionally, correct? He also has interesting thoughts on a parallel, opted-out, system to combat the abusers. \
With all of the intelligent people on ZH, could we actually take this out of cyberspace and create a real, parallel system of barter, PMs, local food/currencies, etc? This is how the people in the Soviet Union coped with their "communist" abusers for decades. My neighborhood has many Vietnam, GWI and GWII vets, Mormons (already have the prepping/canning/old school self-sufficiency thing down pat, though I don't subscribe to the religious beliefs, they do have some damn practical matters well thought out) and other "opt-outers".
I have started to try to talk about these things with them (I am an introvert, so is quite a challenge to force myself out of my shell), about economic/social collapse, what we might be able to do to get by, gardening, barter, self-defense and so forth. One GWII vet, who has seen much, shall we say, and has few illusions anymore, said "I moved my family here because here is out of the way, we do not matter".
I feel that is the only way, to not do business with the tyrants, to ignore them as much as possible...we both know how the socio/psychopathic/narcissistic personalities cannot abide one thing...being ignored. And it fits with my preference for non-coercion, non-violence.
I don't know if I can be of use to fight the current abusers/system, but I know I can be of use when its time to rebuild something better, and sometimes humans NEED PAIN to change and inspect premises. I have been through that pain, challenged my premises, and changed....the life I knew and expected to be able to achieve is gone, I am over it.
Just my thoughts...Thanks CD...ya brought me out of my shell again, for tonight at least...:)
"Just my thoughts...Thanks CD...ya brought me out of my shell again, for tonight at least...:)"
Then my ultimate goal of provoking thought and action (of any kind) has succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.
Well, you deserve it, you rather consistently provide very considered, consistent input that challenges, expands issues beyond just math, charts and bitching. Your psychological/emothional twist on these issues adds clarity and human-ness.
One clarification in my post:" I have been through that pain, challenged my premises, and changed....the life I knew and expected to be able to achieve is gone, I am over it.", is not a negative statement...in fact I am the happiest I have been, having let go of the attachments/traps of our current consumer/greed/achievement paradigm...its like a huge burden has been lifted and I am back to my core values (some I didnt even know I had)...as the pain and introspection burned away the false.
Damn, its good to be a dumpster diver again...:)
tomdub_1024
Troll on board junking any positive comments or CD, leaving no justification.
ooo...I got junked! Whoever junked me, care to share why? i learn faster with feedback...enlighten me. Thanks!
What is purposed fighting for in an idea. Freedom is as much a mental state as it is a physical state. However one cannot fight history. Like it or not we are a republic turned empire and now in decline. For better or worse we are Rome. And like Rome at the end we stand for little the original Republic did. What is important to note is the barbarians were actually liberators from the Roman regime it was so hellish and so bad was the monetary policy. Rot has set in and we need to address what we will do in our own lives.
Life will go on and we can focus on what we will do but one cannot stand against history. Some of us will leave, others will flee, some will fight, some will hide. In the end we will all die some of us will die for what we believe in or die doing what we see as our life's work. I'm no fighter, and I will not fight. I speak in my private life quite openly and loudly about what will happen. Some think I'm crazy, other's prophetic. I'm just doing what I would want other people to do if I was asleep. But people cannot grapple with what we are facing and they will be in denial until it collapses. Sadly human nature will be manipulated and used against us. We know that hte Gov will be able to target a group to scapegoat and loot. It's not that we are even stupid, but this is the nature of man. It happen over and over again in history. As you point out this has been refined time after time and yet the people learn nothing. Perhaps we can save ourselves, maybe on the small scale, but I see the police state snapping into place.
There is nothing new under the sun. This has happened before and it will happen again. We are still free to choose, but we should all be aware of the choice we make. I for one will speak out publicly, and then run with my tail between my legs in the face of stormtroopers and attack helicopters.
and it wont cost a thing! Ha!
you can even get the corps & the grubbies to donate to your paper costs by printing them on the backs of junk mail envelopes. imagine your neighbor picking up what he thinks to be another of the countless requests for information from the census dept. and discovering the screed on the back. priceless free branding methinks.
Oracle, thats why i have suggested we have a contest for the best summary of our dilemma. One page , preferably with a graph showing the decline of the dollar. Give that page and we will print it all over the country. It will be on every car and doors of houses.
I will carry them around my county.
How about this:
We pool money from the ZH community and publish a whole page ad in 2-3 newspapers were as the MSM would have no choice but report it.
We draft a letter which will list all the frauds and all the tricks perpetrated to hide the truth and create the false impression that all is well trying to lure people to re-enter the market and keep spending. (If you compile the best postings on the below subjects you would end up with a powerfull multifaceted letter that would have the potential to wake up the masses.)
Take it away.
(*SIGH*)
Sorry, OoK, but though it's a new day, I'm still in the same cynical mood I was in last night.
You speak of "waking up the masses."
(*SNORT*)
Ook. "The masses" are (for purposes of this discussion) brain dead. There's no "waking them up." They're deadweight... Sheeple... with half the population (by definition) below median intelligence, you're left with what, the top 2.5% of the 50% above median intelligence controlling in one fashion or another the levers of economic and political power in this nation?
Worse... (or at least more depressing when you think upon it)... of "the best and brightest" what percentage would feel they and their loved ones would benefit more personally from "reforming" the system than by continuing to leech off of it...???
Again... (*SIGH*)... sorry for being such a downer, but the Founding Fathers were a rare breed. (And even THEY were split between "federalists" and "anti-federalists" -- meaning they weren't alway all "on the same page.")
Hey... OoK... the info is out there! We're aware of what's going on! I don't know about you but I get 99.999% of my info from publicly available "open" sources. (Of course my education allows me to make sense of what I'm reading, to read between the lines, to lift the veil so to speak, but there are plenty of "dumbed down" primers on what's going on out there for "the masses."
Listen. Let's cut to the chase. What's necessary is a benevolent, competent, honorable dictator with a functional monopoly of civil and military power to clean out the rot at the heart of the system.
OoK. We're NOT going to get that benevolent dictatorship.
(*SHRUG*)
"The masses" aren't going to suddenly become... umm... wise.
Ook. In a sense the America of the Founders passed the point of no return in 1865.
(No... in case anyone is of a mind to take that statement the wrong way; I wasn't referring to the end of slavery or "inferring" that slavery was defensible; I was referring to the tipping point where the old "Union" of voluntary sovereign states became a "top down" federalist system where "Washington" was without doubt First amongst... er... unequals.
(Hey... for anyone nit-picking 1865... how'bout 1913... how'bout 1937... how'bout 1964...? You folks get my point, right; we've been losing our state liberties and individual liberties for a long, long, long time.)
Anyway... (*SIGH*)... I'm rambling at this point. To close, let me just reiterate:
It's not simply a question of "educating" the Sheeple; it's a question of turning the Sheeple into "We The People" again.
Unfortunately... that ship has long sailed.
BILL
I am British and have long believed that a two party political system is the root of the cancer that infects our leadership, and have come to believe the same for the USA.
These are my thoughts:
The government insists on making feeble attempts to do what it is incapable of (like "creating" jobs), but refuses to provide the thing that we need most from it - Justice. Without justice, it's only a matter of time until sociopaths sieze control and we've probably already crossed that line.
Sociopaths never reform. They will take until there is nothing left worth taking, unless someone stops them.
Maybe the best pressure point to push on now is the debt ceiling.
Thank you for your throught-provoking post, CD. I think you have earned the 'right' to freely express your opinions here, if that were ever needed...
Like many others here, and perhaps like the defeated and resigned air mentioned in your post, I am not sure the apathetic, overfed, overmedicated, overconsuming masses driven to (and endogenically seeking) ever more meaningless distractions from the burden of thinking for themselves can be roused. At least not without a catastrophe of epic proportions that shatters the bubble built for them (and by them). So if anything is done, it will have to be done by the ever-dwindling minority who are a) still thinking and b) not coopted by the very deeply engrained system of mis/disinformation and corruption.
This is not just some leech, parasite or tumor on the "body" of human society. The Matrix analogy is much more apt -- the humans in the system exist to maintain the power/wealth drain, rather than just being exploited as they go about their otherwise productive lives. That is a crucial distinction there, which poses an enourmous obstacle, yet perhaps also the possibility of a part of the solution.
http://nyjobsource.com/bankholding.html
Top 50 bank holding companies, with around $4.8T in deposits. Now, clearly, the majority of these are not individual citizens' deposits -- but remember fractional banking, and thus the leverage afforded to the average consumer. For each dollar withdrawn, the bank has to raise 10. With the networks of local, independent banks and credit unions (at least in the NE) offering identical or superior services, better (though still bad) interest rates, the #1 reason keeping consumers money with TBTF entities is simply -- inertia. If each registered ZH reader (for the sake of argument, let's say there are 1,000) closed their account with a BofA or Chase, withdrawing on average $1,000 means a $10M hole in balance sheets. Yes, pocket change (or lint, if you prefer).
But start multiplying (I estimate about 250-300K unique readers per month). Maybe on average at least 40% of them earn more than $100K per year, and have 2 or even 3K to withdraw. Perhaps they can convince a family member, friend, colleague to do the same. [How much would ramming velocity be? And wouldn't they just request a few more 0's from BB? Which would in turn debase those $'s withdrawn and put elsewhere? Damn all these tentacles...]
Another idea stems from some work I've been doing investigating the effects of links (URLs) in social media on the viewing of YouTube videos. For popular mass consumer products' short clips, the hit rate seems to be at or above 10K views PER link posted on message forums, blogs and similar surfaces. Now, I realize the content here is not likely to draw the same volume of people as say, videos of kittens playing with balls of yarn. But we all read other online publications (some with distaste, others for dark hilarity), and most allow comments. If pointing readers to the ZH version results in a conversion rate of only 1:100, it is still a low-cost, relatively high return endeavor that has a chance of reaching those who may be willing to explore and learn what the site and its readers have to teach.
And finally, it is often people's emotions, rather than reason, logic or calculation that ultimately impel action. What is possible now is a type of "passive resistance", of the nonviolent type espoused by Gandhi, in some respects MLK and the civil rights movement in the US, and an obscure, unknown (but in his own region respected) statesman named Deak. What must be recognized is that such action is a TOOL towards an end (the radical reform of existing societal structures); all too often appeasement and buyoff ensues instead -- 'victory' is declared with much yet undone. But Bastille Day has as a prerequisite an awful lot of starved and desperate people, and more than a few unintended consequences. In such circumstances, leaders ARE indispensible, existing shadow communication channels nationwide can prove useful, and the contributions of a small but dedicated and able core of citizens CAN have immediate effect. In the meantime, tend the home fire (and neighbors), sharpen ALL your tools, and try to awaken those who are ready.
Utube is a huge asset. Average joes like me learn a lot on utube and a lot of sharing goes on. 1mealperday is my handle. I am not remotely trying to hide my identity because we have passed a point of no return. So if i need to be arrested, spied upon or whatever, i could care less. Liberty is more important than security.
59 and of sound mind. ?lol
i have been slow to investigate utube outside of the music videos. really appreciate those who contribute. the bob dylan rolling thunder revue, thought i found GOD. but now they have been removed for violation? i don't understand, they were from 1976. why do you need a handle?
i am so reluctant to do ANY thing on this world wide web, that involves social networking. i don't trust any one or thing. my daughter stopped communicating with me cause i wouldn't join facebook.
I am posting this document for everyone's benefit. The author has made a fine attempt to distill the current state of play in financial reform. It is still to complicated to deploy at most dinner tables. But still very useful.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29434700/THE-CURRENT-STATE-OF-FINANCIAL-REFORM...
Williambanzai7 i took a peek. Way too long. Am looking for a good short summary to wake up J6P.
Try this:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100419/hayes
Cog D. my brother...
(Or or you my "sister...???")
Anyway, dude or dudette, here's where you go wrong:
"The American renewal could begin in an instant if only we make the conscious decision."
What's this "we" stuff...???
You mean "we" here on Zero Hedge?
You mean "we" who are not simply "educated," but also wise...???
Hmm... perhaps you mean "we" who are simply... er... right (as in correct) more often than not in terms of connecting the dots - analyzing various situations and proposing the proper course of action.
Hmm... but even there... then you must separate out those who are "pure of heart" - or in the real world those who can usually be counted upon to act with honor and integrity even apart from self-interest... even when doing so hurts - personally.
Seriously... who are the "we" you desire to pull America's collective bacon out of the fire?
Me...??? Hell... I don't expect a Tom Clancy (hmm... dating myself perhaps) scenario or even a Vince Flynn wet dream to become reality.
Nope. Fed up veterans ain't gonna start "taking out" the scum in Washington till "the survivors see the light."
Sorry... Ronald Reagan is gone and he ain't coming back.
Nope. Newt's ain't ever gonna be President and in any case... the Newt Gingrich of 2010 ain't the Newt Gingrich of 1994.
It's over, CD! Jeezus Christ... THAT'S WHY SO MANY OF US SOUND DEPRESSED! We can see the car speeding down the road straight for the cliff; to add a bit of gender diversity think Thelma and Louise.
Ahh... screw it. I'm 47. I could die tonight or make it to 100 - maybe better!
America - i.e. the USA - is 221 years old and if the shit doesn't REALLY start hitting the fan till 2025 or so I'll be amazed.
A USA that largely resembles Reagan's America (or even JFK's) existing in 2050... I don't see it.
Does anyone...???
BILL
Cognitive Dissonance, I truly enjoy reading your writings, and the responses they provoke. I have been on this site for a while, but only recently have assumed a nom de plume . I hope your Islamic studies have brought you bunches of white grapes ;)
On to this post.
I always hate to be the last person at the party, and the room is getting full but CD, what you seek already exists, as an amalgam of technologies. Several websites exist that allow the public to link together to address basic needs, without the governments involvement. without going into a lengthy diatribe on what those basic need and the role of govenrmrnt is I offer a small example. SeeClickFix.com is a great tool highlighting what public matters need to be addressed locally. Case in point. NE city's were strapped for cash in dealing with snow, many city neighborhoods, including mine had limited or no response after the 2nd of three blizzards. Residents complained on aforementioned website, after being directed there by the local paper. When nobody from the city responded, neighbors broke out the shovels and started digging. While this small in compared to the larger picture, I have offer policymap.com elsewhere on this blog as a starting point for some of the larger issues of a national scope.
Regards
When all the corruption, deceit and propaganda has gotten to me, I go get a bowl of ice cream and then go play my guitar. I get to leave the world for a little while with my music and it makes me fairly happy. Nothing like a little "Mr Crowley" by Ozzy to blow the blues away.
This could go on forever. I'm doing exactly what my old lady tells me.
Thats some funny shit NotSure, thank you.
Happy wife, happy life.
I think you are afraid. I think we are afraid.
"I" think what CD has to say is terrifying to "me."
If you ever find yourself willing to face the truth, then "you" will die; certainly..
I am America.
I am what's wrong with America and it's government.
If one looks, closely, one will find that one is the observer, pure conciousness.
Are you your body?
Are you emotion?
Are you time?
Are you your memories?
Who experiences? Who sees when you see? Who hears the thought in your head?
Who are you?
When one loses themselves, one finds GOD.
The way to the father is through the way and the life.
I am that I am.
I am who/what/where/when/why I am.
If "you" can't understand what I am talking about.
Then imagine an America full of citizens who treated each other the way they wanted to be treated. This is no less than what CD is proposing, no?
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
i actually deeply know and understand who and what i am.
I am the moment, a presence, spark of life or a unit of awareness. Some call me soul.
On earth i must act THE MAN to fit in and make my way. But when i pay Attention to my duties i become more human as i have to BE more with the body and mind.
Finally i am so absorbed being "the man" that i lose the balance of the 2 poles. Without personal self observation i would not have gotten this far.
BTW it works. my last 1o years have found me in harmonious conditions as they are now.
We got a lot to learn. Many want to learn only when materiality is involved.
The werner erhardts, the roshis with their Koans and the path that promises riches in the 70s and 80s failed to nurture the curiousity for truth.
Its not just financial and political truth we need but spiritual as well.
I would like to help but see that we each have the right to be as screwed up as we choose. Religions have failed absolutely.
CD, I enjoy your writing.
Not just recently, but throughout my life I have pondered the questions you pose. The one answer that continues to rear its ugly head, however, despite Ted Sorenson's beautiful words, is that what we like to think we are we never were, and what we would hope to become we can never be.
Is that resignation? Or is it an acceptance of reality?
For a variety of reasons I have been absent from the country of my birth for almost three decades. When I return to it on visits I do not know it or else I just see it more dispassionately. When I read many of the comments on this blog from people I assume to be resident in the country, I often do not want to know it anymore. Yes, the US has a lot of good people. I no longer know if they are the majority, at least in how I might define "good people". I do not know if there are enough good people to make the country what it could be and has always claimed it was.
Long before I was a Wall Street type (a life from which I was fortunate enough to escape), I served in another role. In that role, which some might define as patriotic, I was privy to a lot of secrets. While none of those secrets is anywhere near as Earth shattering as the typical conspiratorialist on this website would have us believe, the things I learned are even more disconcerting in another way. I learned about the banality of governance and the slow creep of entitlement that seems to take over the minds and actions of those who hold power. Maybe that is just another way of saying the old adage that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
You (CD) write a lot about denial. Surely that exists, whether it is in a soldier who calls himself a patriot and a warrior even though he laughs at human beings being ripped apart by some of our most heinous creations, or a bailed out Wall Street banker who thinks he is doing "god's work". I have come to believe that people so deep in denial can never be awakened. (Bush was a denying type, which he made abundantly clear when he said: "I'm against a policy where you destroy life in order to save it". Sadly, he was talking about Stem Cell Research and not Iraq. The religious wrong applauded him.)
Existing right along side denial, however, are those---I might call them psychopaths---who believe winning at all costs is the only way to live, and who are so convinced of their own right to do whatever they damn well please that nothing short of death can stop them. Wall Street has plenty of examples (I would say Jamie Dimon is this, while Blankfein is of the denying type). In government we now have Rahm Emmanuel. In the past we had Lee Atwater and Karl Rove. We had Dick Cheney. We had Doug Feith. We had Oliver North. In the religious sphere we have Pat Robertson and those of his ilk. Jerry Falwell is gone.
These psychopaths know how to manipulate the denying types. They know how to enlist their support so as to make them, in essence, one and the same.
Call it resignation, but I do not think you can fight this. Evil is stronger than good. It takes a million good people to destroy the influence of a single bad one. Hitler taught us that. So did Stalin. Mao is even on Chinese money still, so maybe it is not a million but more than 1.35 billion to destroy a single bad one.
I know what the US claims it is. I know it will never be that. The US can end up better than many, but it can never actually become what it usually claims it already is. And it will always fall back to what it is right now, which is an empty vessel believing nothing but its own hype.
Now I will go back to Ted Sorenson's beautiful words for a moment. I've always loved those words, both when I was an idealistic youth and later when I became a cynical but hopelessly romantic adult. I gave up on the follies of patriotism or believing in the "We're Number One" nationalistic spirit that drives nations, religions and ethnic groups.
I'm only me. I'm just one. And certainly I'm very far from being Number One. All I can do in this life is make that one person as good as he can possibly be. I can only hope to control myself, so for me Ted Sorenson's words have become personal. I don't give a shit anymore about anyone's country or culture or religion or ethnic group. I only care about that man or woman or child standing in front of me. He or she is my species. If I can help that person, I will, no matter whether he or she is "one of us" or not.
So it is a resignation without being a resignation. I cannot help America. I won't bother to try, though I'll fight like hell so as not to be taken advantage of. I will, however, never stop what I have set out to do with my fellow humans, one at a time, as many as I can afford, as foolishly idealistic as I probably know that is. That's the only answer I have.
Sorry for stealing your stage, but it seemed a good place to speak my peace.
Chindit13 here ya go... A rare twofer. peace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjiBL8Kq9mg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTtvZRPCaVc
Miles,
Thank you for gracing my article with your comments. I always enjoy exploring your links.
+ this provides one of our best opportunities to be junked. WhoT!
Chindit, I don't think you feel that way all the time, so you are temporarily excused.
Remember, all wars are winnable if you use the right tactics and fight to your strengths.
What are our strengths?
Laziness and greed. Mighty powerful. Just like gravity -a notionally weak force, but ultimately irresistible.
TPTB cannot operate without the people's effort and money; and they cannot prevail if we don't abide by their rules.
No. 1 -Withhold your taxes
No. 2 -Use all credit available, and spend it on what you need to get by.
No. 3 -Pull all the value out of your home property; re-mortgage to the max. and then don't pay no mortgage or state bills.
No. 4 -Vote against the system every chance you get.
No. 5 -Sit and wait. No need to protest or arm yourself.
At some point the mainstream media will realise it has to change sides, and fast.
The war will then be won.
peace
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. You did not steal the stage. You are the stage and exactly the type of response I was hoping for. A deep cleansing in public with nothing to fear. Bravo!
I understand fully that the barriers can seem overwhelming. To look into the heart of the insane is frightening. This is why I always go back to seeking the truth within. For if I don't know who I am and why I am, I have no chance of ever knowing those who wish to harm me, the truly insane. The more I learn who I am, the more I have faith that I will eventually know those who wish to harm me and this knowledge will disarm them.
The understanding that I will eventually understand is where I derive my strength. That keeps one foot moving in front of the other. I am beginning to see that what we are facing is within all of us. If we can face this truth, then "it" no longer has control over us. As silly as this sounds, we are rapidly approaching the point where we will be forced to look within. Some will turn away in horror when they see themselves and the madness will be expressed. Others will have the courage to look within and they will finally be free of their own demons.
It sounds like you're already half way to your freedom but you just don't know it.
CD - your post made me think of this passage by Paul Tillich:
"This picture of sin is a picture full of ugliness, suffering and shame, and, at the same time, drama and passion. It is the picture of us as the battleground of powers greater than we. It does not divide men into categories of black and white, or good and evil. It does not appear as the treatening finger of an authority urging us - do not sin! But it is the vision of something infinitely important, that happens on this small planet, in our bodies and minds. It raises mankind to a level in the universe where decisive things happen in every moment, decisive for the ultimate meaning of all existence. In each of us such decisions occur, in us, and through us.
This is our burden.
This is our despair.
This is our greatness."
The courage to be. Yes indeed.
By far this has to be THE MOST IMPORTANT thread yet on ZH... er most likely even the entire internet, what a great collection of thoughts, opinions and analysis unlike I have yet to come across, I tip my hat to all of you, and after reading this page, my feeling is that there is STILL YET HOPE FOR AMERICA , as well as all of mankind..
thankyou all of you here on ZH but always remember,
"A HIDDEN SWORD IS TWICE AS SHARP"
it's thrice sharp when it's hidden (or not so) in plain sight.
I think much of the smart money around here sees inevitable collapse just over the horizon...and at least some of the management, poised to exploit foreign citizenship, has set personal and asset escape coordinates for regions sublime and alpine.
For those of us more likely to be in media res if/when Rome actually burns there are a couple areas where we could direct efforts beyond simply bitching at each other:
1. Political capital formation - Still probably the best way to make shit happen in this country (see Obama, Barak). There are several obvious paths to take here but I think becoming a larger, innovative media presence will have more impact than than any kind of interest group, PAC, tea-party type thing would. As a baby step and fun experiment we could take a stab at expanding the ZH manifesto a bit with voted input from registered users just to identify some common ground.
2. Stick to our knitting - Form an L.P. and make the people of Cuba a tender offer: In exchange for a bill of rights and a host of benefits for native citizens we would effect a change of management and implement a constitution designed with the intent of welcoming capital and treating it well. Temptations to central planning should be shunned of course but there's no reason to ignore the low hanging fruit of an indigenous population high in levels of literacy and medical training...that just happens to be in close proximity to a peninsula of affluent and aged Americans who just had rug pulled out from under them.
Or maybe we should make the movie first as a dry run.
Re #2- Wow, just wow. Now that's bleeding edge thinking. It certainly would make a good movie. However I just don't see the Oligarchy letting anyone nick Cuba from them again.