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Guest Post: Bugging Out of the D.C. Burbs

Cognitive Dissonance's picture




 

Guest Post: Bugging Out of the D.C. Burbs

by

Mrs. Cog

 

(And now a few words from my better half on creating a lifestyle change we can live with. - Cognitive Dissonance)

 

If there is one thing I dramatically misjudged during the great looting of the past five years, it has been the depth of the bag of tricks the banksters and politicians could use to perpetuate the game. How many times have we said in the threads here at Zero Hedge "This is it. Cue the deer Tyler"? We fall for it again and again. The dungeon masters are so artful in their game to pit us against each other simply because it works. If we are focused on "them" we are not focused on "us." Whether it is them at the NSA or the perceived enemies of the state, the state itself, or the crooks at 33 Liberty, our angry energy is collected and dispelled in ranting threads which are largely unproductive at bringing about any real change. In the end, we can only change ourselves. I think self reliance is perhaps the most important act of revolutionary change available.

Whether change comes roaring into our lives express freight train style via collapse or as a crumbling away of the periphery of what we thought made our individual world stable, the leading edge of the storm is here. Change is here whether we like it or not. Options are still available, but it is getting harder and harder to maneuver. Cog and I have elected to completely change our lifestyle so that we can at least try to deflect or redirect the nature of the change rather than waiting for it to be forced upon us.

After spending many months choosing the criteria we would use to best position our family for the future, there were several discoveries. There is no shortage of cheaply priced homes for sale in very rural areas. Although it is not "the norm" yet, other city folks are bugging out (permanently) to live in the sticks. Within a week of putting our new home under contract there were two other contingent cash offers on it. We had considered waiting to buy because the prices would be dropping dramatically when that shadow inventory hits the market. But we don't really know that for certain.

If inflation has set in when the excess housing inventory becomes available then we could miss the opportunity to buy at today's prices. What if capital controls (something we cannot accurately time) prevent us from moving funds around to pay for the property? We actually liquidated some of our PMs so that we would have no mortgage, considering it the act of trading one precious tangible asset for another. What if it becomes illegal or a huge red flag to sell physical gold or silver? The truth is no one really knows just what future constraints the banking or political elite will impose upon us so we have chosen to err on the side of caution.

Conversations we’ve had with a wide variety of people were by far the most revealing aspect of our decision to move. While interviewing the first moving company representative we found that there was an unusual trend going on in the DC area. People were moving in and out in droves, a phenomenon we were told usually only occurs immediately after a presidential election brings a change in leadership to usher out the old and in with the new. Not only were people moving out of DC to all the usual places such as the West Coast, Texas, and Florida, but there was a large and peculiar exodus to strange out of the way locations such as Montana, Colorado and the Dakotas. She was at a loss to explain why.

Our neighbors, mostly employees of the Federal government or companies who support it, have had interesting reactions to our news about moving far away. When we get to the part where we somewhat tactfully say, "we don't think things will be improving anytime soon with the economy or other conditions in this country..." everyone nods vehemently in agreement. They know. They, like us, support the very system that is bringing about our social destruction, yet we are all bound to operate within it. Complete strangers who we strike up conversations with, like vendors who come to work on our current house and see our boxes ready to move, all understand why we would leave a nice, large condo and move to a house on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. I keep expecting someone to ask if we have lost our minds, but no one does. The cat appears to be out of the bag.

Of our numerous encounters with present and former government workers, the more "inside" their experience and knowledge (their naturally gained intel) the more adamant their agreement is that indeed something wicked this way comes. One former Special Forces and FBI employee, now a small businessman, practically said run. <Talk about confirmation endorphins clobbering you over the head.> Thank you sir, I am in scadaddling mode!

This whole self sufficiency thing isn't easy either. Having heirloom (non hybrid) seeds doesn't imply organic gardening knowledge, let alone the ability to preserve the food and the seeds for next season. I have spent more time in the past year reading about herbal, alternative and emergency medicine than reading charts or attempting to trade. Although I have no intention of deliberately living without electricity (the new place has DSL and central heat/air), I am trying to prepare to take us off grid if only to combat future soaring energy costs. Hand tools for the garden, manual systems to cut logs for the “water” wood stove, solar panels for certain necessities... I am still astounded as I learn how "not" self sufficient I have lived my entire life without ever realizing it.

Acquiring the tools and the knowledge to begin living this way has been an adventure unto itself. It turns out it is far less expensive to buy books than to use all the printer ink and paper to print and retain, then learn the new skills we’ll need. Although I will certainly use it as long as I can, I am not depending upon electricity to enable me to read my .pdf eBooks and articles because that would require me to rely on outside help, in this case the power company. It's now evident to me that I am going to need many books to understand how people lived before the age of modern convenience and specialization. I am discovering that the actual tools needed are not what I thought they would be.

One recent purchase was a grain mill that can be powered manually or electrically. The mill will enable me to make our own flour from alternative grains I can grow or purchase in bulk and then store. After all it would be silly to be making maple syrup from our trees if we didn't have pancakes to dribble the syrup on. We also have a gluten intolerant child and I am not going to gamble that specialty foods will always be available or affordable to feed her in the future. Turns out there are really only three decent brands of hand operated grain mills available and they vary dramatically in quality and price. Do you think there will be any available when the first hint of a real food crisis finally takes hold in the mainstream media? How about solar ovens, dehydrators, pressure canners and the like?

There’s also the matter of being able to acquire what you need. Over the last year we have learned that many home improvement items from the big box stores are defective, warped, substandard, you name it. This includes brand name products. Quality control is not what it used to be. Things are made out of cheaper materials than in the past. In addition, processing the transactions for various purchases seems to be glitching more often. Cog was none too happy when his check/debit card was double billed for a tractor just a few weeks ago. This was done by a major corporation who kicked him around to several different departments without solving the problem. Thank goodness he IS Cog and could finally resort to his mind control powers in order to get resolution lol.

Step by step we are accomplishing what we set out to do, but it has taken a great deal of patience. For everything we set in motion we expect it to go wrong at some point and it often does. Just getting our utilities turned on with the services we were assured were available became a major problem. We consciously steeled ourselves for these types of troubles when we made the decision to purchase a home at the end of a back road, off a back road, off the back road on a mountain. If we had not learned to anticipate these problems I am not sure how we would have mentally handled all the roadblocks. I cannot imagine trying to do what we have done in the past six months in a year or two from now.

After all the effort and work towards establishing a new lifestyle it turns out that where we are going WE are "them." We are the “city folk” who think they can make a go of it in the country. We are the ones who used to work for banks and play in the stock market and think we have answers. We are the new people at the farmer's market with a funny accent and strange ideas and clothes. We are the one's invading the bunny, turkey, deer and bear stomping grounds. It turns out "they" is a relative term. It is not lost upon us that we have our work cut out in order to begin to fit in to our new community and show our value as good neighbors.

Our new digs are not exactly Galt's Gulch, completely independent from a decaying society, but one step at a time we are withdrawing our consent from the system we were indoctrinated into from birth to rely upon. At some point, with someone somewhere, the simple act of withdrawing will be the snowflake in the avalanche that will be the end of the long con, at least this leg of it. I know that I can once again sleep peacefully at night, knowing that we are working towards depending only on ourselves going forward.

 

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Mon, 07/08/2013 - 07:55 | 3730251 Nobody
Nobody's picture

To the Cogs:
I wish you well.
From one who has lived on a farm his whole life, I say, "Come on in, the water's fine."
Get to know your neighbors, they will the first to eat you or come running to your defense depending on what they think of you. Church and the early morning coffee diner are the social institutions of local choice.
Do for others and they will do for you.
Keep your paranoia low and your enthusiasm for your new environment overflowing. Most country folks work too hard to give a shit about esoteric philosophy. Good folks though.
Oh, and remind Mrs. Cog that living down on the end of a country road means you can hear them coming a mile away. (It is a very comforting thought!)
Take care,
Nobody

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 07:38 | 3730225 deerhunter
deerhunter's picture

Reading a book on gardening does not enable you to feed your family with a garden any more than eating at McDonalds makes you a Big Mac.  I admire the desire to leave the city behind but most have no clue what it takes to make food appear in a grocery store.  Wait until people who have always looked at hunters as "murderers" are trying to take game to feed themselves. The "Circle of Life" does go around and around.  Forty below zero plus wind will take the pioneer spirit out of a lot of city folk.  We can't get people to work in the cities because we pay them not to work.  Wait until they get hungry.  If you give  a man a fish,,,, blah blah blah.  To the Cog's I wish you the best.  I have family in the DC Baltimore alternate universe.  The only area of the country with money changing hands,,,,, Living off the land does not mean pitching a tent,  growing a garden,  shooting squirrels.  It means everyday you versus nature.  Love your neighbor as yourselves Cogs,  learn,  listen,  share and be there for each other.  I am one generation removed from a log cabin NW of Edmonton Alta Canada and now live in Chicago.  I am going to step backwards soon as well.  The future??  Who knows??  But,,, there is an ill wind blowing,,,, we feel it,  we smell it,  we sense it,,, and no one knows that last straw.  Here in IL folks wonder when concealed carry will finally be legal per US Supreme Court order while we wait on the governor to exact taxes,  license fees,  counter laws and restrictions that will virtually make a concealed carry permit impossible to obtain/afford.  Just a spark is all it will take.  There is dry tinder all over the country just some spots dryer than others.  I wish you well in your new endeavors.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 10:46 | 3730672 aerojet
aerojet's picture

With any luck, the weather kills them and we can be done with this asinine bullshit.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 09:12 | 3730404 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Thanks for your thoughts. We have no illusion about living off the land pioneer style. Our new place has central air and heat and is modern in all aspects. But there is already a large and efficient alternative heat source (in this case a water wood stove) that came with the place (one of the requirements we looked for) and we are now working on alternative electricity sources beyond what is already in place.

Baby steps. How do you eat an elephant?

<One bite at a time.>

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 07:29 | 3730206 Motorboat
Motorboat's picture

Good luck with your new adventure, I think you'll truly enjoy the experience as much as we did when we "got rural" in 2009.  I would add that it still wasn't far enough from the BS, so after 3 years we left the US for good and while we've had a few inconveniences have not regretted the decision once.  Since you're already packing, you might consider putting a little more distance between yourselves and what are trying to leave behind.

PS.  Don't forget the chickens!  Besides providing eggs daily, they also keep the property free of pests like ticks.  Our experience was that Australorpes, Rhode Island Reds, and Aracaunas (greenish blue eggs and beautiful bird) were the best layers and stayed healthiest.  The white Leghorns, being bred to lay oversized eggs for their body size, were always the first to get sick or bound up.  

Glad to hear you're making the change.

 

 

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 06:49 | 3730187 nmewn
Mon, 07/08/2013 - 09:04 | 3730382 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Too funny.

Actually Mrs. Cog came up with some very specific physical location requirements that helped narrow down our search. Of primary importance was proximity to nuclear power plants. As in not near. Or near faults lines. Or the coast. Or near major highways and population centers.

You get the picture.

<I'm actually a little surprised we aren't living in Timbuktu.>  :)

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 18:48 | 3732230 nmewn
nmewn's picture

I think you guys will enjoy it.

Remember, we speak in minutes to a destination out here when talking to city folk, not miles...it freaks em out when you say 20 miles instead of 20 minutes ;-)

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 06:59 | 3730195 Mrs. Cog
Mrs. Cog's picture

Not that middle of nowhere. The other one. ;-)

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 05:34 | 3730147 Wakanda
Wakanda's picture

Big CoNGRaTS to the Cogs for embracing the "rustic elegance" lifestyle.  I live it, love it, and highly recommend it to anyone who will listen.

May you have much quality time full of love, peace, and joy in your new digs.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 05:22 | 3730142 Notarocketscientist
Notarocketscientist's picture

I have also recently purchased 20 acres of farmland with spring water in the remote mountains of British Columbia.

We have fucked up the world completely - peak oil - peak water - peak fucking stupidity.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 01:58 | 3730022 Ineverslice
Ineverslice's picture

 

Cheers :))

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 01:36 | 3729998 Jim in MN
Jim in MN's picture

Cogsters,

There's so much I could say to you two on this, many ironies and many well wishes.  But, it's late and I have too much to do in the morning.

It is wonderful what you're sharing.  And hey, it was wonderful before too.  Just a nice big shove on that old Karmic wheel.

Reading...read all the Gary Snyder you can get your hands on.  You'll see why.

Snyder, Seuss, Thompson, Zappa....take the time you've got and soak it all in.  Why the hell not? 

.gov................does know.   Some of them are just too ornery to share, many are uninterested in others' opinion, and many are afraid.  A lot of it is just compartmentalization which you have written about many many times.

The tipping points are RUSHING past.  It is dangerous to think anything about this situation is stable.  The sand pile can dissolve in an instant even if it's just one...more...little grain like all the rest.  That is just science.  The quantum leap, the snap of enlightenment, the wall that one day crumbles from a tap after all those futile rams......

We're losing something like a point of GDP per year to corruption and psychopathic greed.  It can only be ignored for so long.  I am arguing for its explicit inclusion in macroeconomic models, and I know some people....ha ha ha....they know I am right too.

So, grow it and can it and love it and see the stars.  All the blessings of the Universum be with you.  And until the Kill Switch is finally thrown....

Be Seeing You

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 01:16 | 3729979 phaedrus1952
phaedrus1952's picture

Off topic, I s'pose but Al Jazeera just said Snowden landed in Venezuala via Cuba

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 01:23 | 3729985 phaedrus1952
phaedrus1952's picture

Whoops, now saying might just be a hoax. 

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 01:14 | 3729975 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

Congratulations on escaping the Bubble Dome of Delusion of the Washington D.C. Suburbs.

I lived and worked there for 15 years.  Per capita the most educated yet clueless populace in the nation.

Either government apparatchiks, the entitlement crowd wanting to be closer to the teat, a trove of academics, and a literal swarm of parasitic organizations and their minions lobbying and petitioning the government for our money.

I was happy to leave.

Best of Luck!

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 01:01 | 3729961 Hulk
Hulk's picture

WAY TO GO COG AND EYCOG !!!!

Now, the most dangerous thing you will encounter is the tick. Having lots of Banty Hens around the place helps tremendously. A little Kerosene around  your socks and pantlegs prevents them little buggers from crawling up.

The second most dangerous thing is the damn ground wasps, they are why we gather wood after the second heavy frost.

Best of luck !!!

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 00:54 | 3729947 Mrs. Cog
Mrs. Cog's picture

I am most appreciative of all the well wishes and support here tonight. It is very inspiring. Thanks so much.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 11:20 | 3730798 falak pema
falak pema's picture

A cog in the wheel of fortune, can often be the lucky horse shoe. 

Don't drown in fresh water when you can ALSO sip chardonnay. In order to write well you cannot stay sober all the time!

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 06:44 | 3730184 BeetleBailey
BeetleBailey's picture

You rock Mrs. Cog!

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 00:41 | 3729933 Clever Name
Clever Name's picture

Had to get up outta bed to log on to comment. The story of yall meeting on ZH is a great one, wish you the best of luck!

I have been in the DC burbs basically all of my life. Father (now retired) a .gov employee, the girl will be retiring in a few years, sister also works for them. I hear lots of people (here and on other similar forums) saying that more people are waking up, but I just dont see it. Other than my immediate family, I dont have much interaction with .gov employees, except the girls coworkers when we hang with them at dinners. Not only does my girl (and dad and sis) think I'm the nutty one, so does almost everyone else it seems. While in passing someone may say "Yeah, things arent looking so good" that about it. Now maybe its just they dont want to get into it with me because I can get a little overzealous, maybe theyre thinking opsec, but I think its a matter of, well, CD. Too hard to deal with, so just live your life knowing something aint right, but hey its too much to deal with and after all the game is on!

The only thing I can point to that would support the idea of a grand 'wake up' is the worldwide protests, but I cant see that happening here. We have already rolled over for TPTB that its just way too late.

Anywhoo, its late and such.

I really just wanted to say I wish yall the best of luck. Within a few years we will be out in the sticks too and out of this ratrace hellhole, but the girl doesnt have the same ideas I do about the whole thing, but I'll make it work.

Great writing from the both of you!

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 00:35 | 3729923 q99x2
q99x2's picture

May all good things be to you, your family and Mr. C.Diss.

Movin movin movin Everybody's movin

To where flowers never stop bloomin

Head em up Move em out

Head em in Ride em out....

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 00:34 | 3729915 williambanzai7
williambanzai7's picture

I have to say, I don't think I have ever seen this kind of Honey Bunny and Bunny post anywhere. You are clearly onto something with this.

You can think of many instances where this went viral in popular entertainment.

Even Max and Stacy don't post on the same thread.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 00:53 | 3729943 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

While like all couples we do have our moments......most of the time Mrs. Cog and I laugh and banter around with each other just as we do here in the threads. While we are both type "A" personalities and in many ways very different people we share a common vision of continuous self improvement and life long spiritual growth. Or as Mrs. Cog likes to say "I want to glow better."

Both of us feel we got lucky when we found the other, which makes for a great relationship recipe.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 09:31 | 3730455 Shizzmoney
Shizzmoney's picture

There really is nothing better in America that seeing a happy, loving, couple who gets it.

 

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 08:07 | 3730266 One of these is...
One of these is not like the others..'s picture

Yer electricity. First get a metering device, so as you KNOW what you use.

Solar panels, (used are OK I believe if they aren't more than 4 years old) a few cheap wind generators (both can be found on ebay) for your primary summer (and possibly winter) supply. Ideally you want to harvest ten times as much power as you use in the summer, becuse then you should get useable power in the winter, and can enjoy air-con in the summer.

You'll probably need a backup generator in the winter, make sure it is water cooled, because you can leverage the thermal energy in the cooling sytem usefully in the winter. Fuels to run the generator can be: Bottled gas, petrol, parrafin, diesel & bio fuel. For the first two you need a petrol type engine, for the last two you need a diesel engine and parrafin, kerosene, or surplus jet fuel (when they empty out the tanks during maintenance (at least here in the UK) they aren't allowed to put it back in the plane....) can be used in either type with a bit of jiggery pokery. I considered "wood gas" but I live in the city, so it's not currently a good fuel for me. I also considered a steam engine, (Which can burn anything, of course) but they are few and far between, and very costly). 

In my emerging off grid system (cash limitations are making it a protracted affair for me) I'll be storing my surplus electric generated by solar wind or generator in large forklift truck type batteries, and using a surplus computer uninterruptible powwer supply plus a line conditioner as my main incoming electric supply, with a large switch (reasonably priced on ebay, when they come up) to switch between self powered and incoming mains power.

I use a set of remote control sockets (similar to the x10 system) to ensure that when I go to sleep or leave the house the press of one button turns off all non vital systems, which saves me money at the moment, and (I sometimes wonder IF I'll ever get it done) when I have the full electrical system in place the remote sockets etc will save me vital energy.

I have trialled the above system on my boat using surplus power from the motor to charge batteries or a suitcase type generator only, and it's eminently doable. The important thing is to not deep discharge your batteries, and if you do,  re-charge them STRAIGHTAWAY. Metering of your consumption on the high voltage (house power) side and charge/dscharge current on the batteries, together with voltages is teh key to sucess. Knowledge is power, in this case literally.

Nice to read a constructive post, I wish you well, and thank you for sharing. If there's any further informaton you think I may be able to supply feel free to contact me via this site. (Unless you work for teh NSA or GCHQ, in which case just send me an email, or phone me up! :c)

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 09:19 | 3730425 tip e. canoe
tip e. canoe's picture

awesome tips, thanks.

why do the panels need to be less than 4yrs old?   is it b/c the tech has improved so much or is the shelf life not good on these panels?

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 06:42 | 3730183 BeetleBailey
BeetleBailey's picture

Excellent piece Cog....kudos....+100

 

I too, have my own plan, and concur completely with your thoughts.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 00:30 | 3729909 Patriot Eke
Patriot Eke's picture

I'm thankful you two have made the move.  Any aware person who has not left an urban area by now is suffering major cognitive dissonance.  Our government has spent billions to relocate entire agencies.  What do they know that we do not?  You should not be waiting to find out in my opinion.  I've relocated my entire family and sleep much better at night knowing I have.  If you're on here, reading this thread, and still in an urban area, I implore you to move as soon as possible.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 00:19 | 3729892 WaterWings
WaterWings's picture

Wish you the best, Mr. and Mrs. Cog!

Here's something I enjoy that I hope you find interesting if you hadn't already come across it: http://www.amazon.com/Total-Resistance-H-Von-Dach/dp/1607963043

Gotta love the Swiss fighting spirit. :)

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 08:55 | 3730363 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Thanks. I have added it to my wish list. Nice to see you haunting the thread WW.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 13:16 | 3731161 WaterWings
WaterWings's picture

And to see your fighting spirit. Very happy for you.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 00:14 | 3729887 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

"In the end, we can only change ourselves." -- Mrs Cog

I try to be optimistic, only problem is, the more I read and learn the more I'm convinced that our system has become a riddle without a solution (save your option, 'get out of the way, a freight train's coming').

I chose the small town I grew up in (moved/retired from Seattle), planted a garden and fruit trees and thinkin' about some laying hens.

The Amish community are the masters of independent livelyhoods for ALL of its members (that was the pre-corporate, early America).

Best of Luck!

 

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 09:16 | 3730415 WillyGroper
WillyGroper's picture

If ur thinking about layers, there's an online mag called Scratch that touches all subjects being discussed here. I found it to be a great resource.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 02:05 | 3730029 Spanky
Spanky's picture

-1

Because you don't understand the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

...I'm convinced that our system has become a riddle without a solution... -- Ignatius

Sorry to disagree. But I do. Most emphatically. With both you and Ms. Cog on this point.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 09:07 | 3730361 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

"Don't tread on me"

And as soon as I get these tire tracks off my face I'm gonna do something about it.

What's to understand?

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 17:59 | 3732105 Spanky
Spanky's picture

Look up...

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 03:06 | 3730072 All Risk No Reward
All Risk No Reward's picture

Spanky, the Constitution and the Declaration have been right there every tip toe of this Tip Toe Totalitarianism agenda, so they obviously ARE NOT sufficient.

By definition.

The problem, as I gauge it, is that the general population is acting like they want to be enslaved and impoverished, but they don't possess the wherewithal to understand this is how they are acting.

And, frankly, they don't want to be given evidence this is how they are acting, on average.

There is no solution with a population that prefers to be uninformed.

None.

I'm working day and night to open minds - and I do.  I prove beyond all doubt the monetary system is a complete hoax and fraud.  I've done this to probably 10,000+ people through various means.

The reaction?  Crickets don't dare chirp.

Their faces and demeanors droop and then they have places to go and things to do.

I recommend you work diligently to gain more control over the necessities of life.

Setting up some Square Foot Gardens is a great way to get started in a very efficient manner.  Youtube the term and get the latest edition of the book if you want to learn more.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.[1] If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
~Thomas Jefferson

Come on, estimate how many of your fellow citizens take their responsibility to be informed seriously?  Much less than 1%?

Yeah.  Good luck with that Constitution and Declaration stuff.  The masses relate those two pieces of art as some kind of extremism now.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 05:24 | 3730122 Spanky
Spanky's picture

+1

Thanks for your frank and well considered reply. I do not necessarily disagree with you.

Except...

I no longer try to prove much of anything to anyone. I've researched, written and been published. I've quoted respectable, and mostly establishment, scholars til I'm blue in the face. Nothing beats the one-eyed-god.

Except maybe a virus.

Stop trying to prove it to them. Start trying to give them a choice. They understand choice. And they usually don't have one (esp. in elections)... and they know it. That's why they turn away.

Give them a choice that makes a difference. That's guaranteed to change things. Make them a promise that cannot be broken, unless by themselves. Real democracy is chaotic, messy and somewhat dangerous -- that is why the elite fear it so.

But it is much less dangerous (and destructive) than organized, institutionalized violence. And too many internet chickenhawks seem to be thinking with their trigger fingers, just like those in D.C. Silly rabbits. Politics is war by other means. All other means.

You want to move the slumbering masses?

Ask them this question: Do you consent to what the US government is doing?

Give them a way to use their choice to strike fear and confusion into the elite, because of it's raw exercise of democratic power. No Candidates, No Consent leads to a Constitutional Convention. A citizens' convention. Because only we can call it. Only we can control it.

But the key to success is calling it by discrediting the elite twin-party at the polls, and having viable candidates ready to stand for immediate election as delegates (in all Congressional districts). 

Tell them it's dangerous. Tell them the truth. Tell them the elite will try to use it against them (because they will). Tell them if they don't act decisively now, they'll have no choice later... Tell them anyone doesn't show up, gets left out.

Step back and let the fur fly...

But, some things require a bit of "engineering". Band of brothers, decentralized, local, autonomous engineering. Perhaps TPTB can keep things floating, economically and financially speaking, but with things so precariously balanced, might not there be some actions, legal and rational actions (like withdrawing all small deposits at a TBTF bank) in which we could engage that might tip that balance? Boycotts. Home gardens. Student debt repudiation...

Just in the meantime, to keep busy... before the elections.

Wed, 07/10/2013 - 00:50 | 3736514 All Risk No Reward
All Risk No Reward's picture

Spanky, of course you are right...  but society is wrong and mostly wants to be wrong.

What you and I realize is simply too scary to the general population to admit.

They will vote for bankster puppet #1 or bankster puppet #2 and mock anyone who "wastes their vote."

Thier minds can't conceive of a freedom beyond what the bankster financed establishment offers them.

I don't like it.  You don't like it.  But it is true.  It is observable.

I will work to open minds because it is the right thing to do.  However, I'm under no illusion that I will be successful by any large measure.

Perhaps that is a good thing and people who are very successful tend to meet up with CIA associated three named persons.

I gather from your other posts that you have a rural background that I lack.

I'm behind on the self sufficiency curve, but I'm not at stop.  I'm trying to learn the basics and I'm starting with Square Foot Gardening.

As a tip to anyone who will listen, if you are in these markets - even buying gold or silver - I *highly* recommend listening to Gary K from Investor's Edge a couple times a week.  His analysis is worth lthe time.

http://www.businesstalkradio.net/weekday_host/Archives/gk.shtml

Don't ever rely on one source, but do find good sources and consider what they have to say when making your own opinion.

Sun, 07/07/2013 - 23:54 | 3729847 phaedrus1952
phaedrus1952's picture

I salute the courage you guys are displaying, thank you both for sharing with the ZH community, and wish you all the warmest in the future.  I speak for many, I think, when I say that your input onto this blog is always insightful and thought-provoking, and look forward to many more years of contributions.

I am very touched by the classy, upbeat comments posted on this thread by one and all. 

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 08:32 | 3730316 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

"I salute the courage you guys are displaying....."

Mrs. Cog said this to me the other day, that we were doing something extraordinary by changing everything. I disagreed for several reasons, the primary being that while the decision itself might have been big, after that it is all just hard work and determination. Everyone has it within themselves to do this if they want to.

That was the wrong thing to tell my bride. Note to self. When the wife wants affirmation.....give it to her. :)

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 09:31 | 3730440 hedgeless_horseman
hedgeless_horseman's picture

 

 

When the wife wants affirmation.....give it to her. :)

Hard work + good food = good sex ;)

...and out of doors sleeping arrangements are not to be underestimated; the stars at night are big and bright...

 

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 09:33 | 3730460 fonzannoon
fonzannoon's picture

It's good to see you HH. This place was not the same without you.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 09:38 | 3730459 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

As we were driving away from the closing Mrs. Cog leaned over and whispered in my ear...."We're gonna have LOTS of sex."

I immediately realized purchasing this place was the smartest thing I've ever done in my life. :)

And yes, the night sky is amazing. People just have no idea what light pollution does to wash out the night sky. The stars are brilliant......and will be again once the monsoon season we seem to be stuck in ends.

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 21:14 | 3732697 Miffed Microbio...
Miffed Microbiologist's picture

I strongly recommend a hot tub for your new digs! Mr miffed and I are 50 miles east of San Diego on our small 10 acre gentleman farm. We couldn't be happier living with kind helpful neighbors. Far more community spirit you'd ever encounter in the city. We hot tub every night in the winter under a breathtaking display of stars... au natural of course. Privacy is never a problem. You'll never have better sex than in the country. Cities deflate more than one realizes! ;-)

Miffed;-)

Sun, 07/07/2013 - 23:39 | 3729800 williambanzai7
williambanzai7's picture

For the time being, I have taken a different course. I am living a minimalist life style in a global metropole. It is possible, but very different from what Mr and Mrs Cog are doing.

It is not total self sufficiency. You remain reliant on the community.  But knowing that one can assume greater control of various urban input and output parameters is empowering. For exampe, I just saved X kilowatts by doing my daily hand laundry and hanging it out the window. I can remember an earlier period of my life when there was a huge washer and dryer running all day. Another example, human thermostats. I decide when the AC runs and in which room. The list goes on...

Assuming an alternative life style (urban or rural) is one simple way of creating passive resistance to the beast. Do not live the moncultural life style of consumption they want you to live. Use what you need, but use it as you see fit. You don't have to change everything at once either. 

As an aside, with the inflow of Chinese real estate capital, I am now getting a first hand glimpse of how surplus capital erodes the community. Read this and you will understand what I am talking about:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/business/global/soaring-rents-in-hong-...

I can attest to this 100%  I don't live in one of those chic areas. But even in this old neighborhood, retail spaces are being gobbled up by investors and allowed to stand idle. Every Mom and Pop operation that is forced to close down represents a loss for the community.

Fuck you Ben Bernanke!!!

Sun, 07/07/2013 - 23:45 | 3729823 Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance's picture

Freedom and self sufficiency are just as much a state of mind as is the (debt) slave mentality. One does not have to live in the country or on a mountain in order to begin to withdraw. From my point of view "withdrawing" is not an all or nothing proposition, but a process and a matter of degree. Since the Ponzi requires more and more debt slaves on the margin, disrupting the margins is exactly where the Ponzi's end will begin.

Sun, 07/07/2013 - 23:43 | 3729819 Spanky
Spanky's picture

+1

Like your work.

It is not total self sufficiency. You remain reliant on the community. -- williambanzai7

Total self-sufficiency is very difficult to achieve. We all remain reliant on the community, to a greater or lesser degree.

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