Withdraw from the System

If you reflect on national politics something becomes obvious: YOU can not control ANYTHING. You are locked OUT of the political process. National policies are decided for the benefit of somebody, but not YOU.

Need examples?

You don't want the U.S. army in Iraq or Afghanistan, but the imperial stormtroopers are there and there's nothing you can do about it. We have even learned that the Iraq invasion was made on the basis of lies, but your current "representatives" didn't reverse policy, did they?

In 2008 Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives but their leader, Nancy Pelosi, slapped the new "representatives" in line when they wanted to prosecute George Bush. These periodic purges of "voting out the bums" has no practical effect. Again, they all represent Big Business and NOT you and me.

No one wants illegal aliens crossing our borders but there are many millions of them in this country now and over the decades amnesties have been granted to many millions more. The decision has obviously been made at the highest levels to flood the lowest stratum of the System with poor people to exploit for cheap labor. (This also undercuts the middle class, which is an apparent goal, but that's a big discussion for another time.)

Nobody wants taxpayer money to be paid to bankers and record numbers of people told their "representatives" not to do this, but TRILLIONS have been handed over to them anyway. We are told "they are too big to fail" which is a feeble rationale for crime.

The vast majority of Americans oppose gun control legislation, but our "representatives" vote it up anyway.

Who would possibly want to eat genetically modified foods? But the big corporations will not have informative labeling and they make sure their servants, our "elected representatives", will never approve such a thing.

You are disgusted by the atrocities committed against the Palestinians by Israel, but your "representatives" continue to send that vile country billions, even as you become poorer.

I could go on and on with this, but I think you get the idea. It doesn't take much pondering to realize that if the System is completely unresponsive to your demands, but you still are expected to support it with your taxes, then you exist merely to provide sustenance to it. Let me spell it out: you were born into a System that keeps you in place and extracts money and life energy from you. YOU ARE FARMED. YOU ARE A CROP!

I know that's depressing, so go ahead and be depressed. Depression is what you feel when you've lost something, and if this idea is new to you then you HAVE lost something. But what? How about the illusion of the American dream?

The question you should be asking is what do I do about this, and there are many, many things you can do. I'll present a list soon, but I would like you to do what I did: WITHDRAW from the System. Take yourself and your family outside of it and refuse to give it sustenance. If enough people fought back against the System by withdrawing their support from it, the System would have to surrender to the awesome power of the people. Massive, non-violent civil disobedience is the one thing to which the System can not respond.

Helping this to happen is the reason I do this blog.

Obama: Meet the New Boss

“I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views. As such, I am bound to disappoint some, if not all, of them.” --Barack Obama

Barack Obama first came to my attention when he spoke at the 2004 Democratic Convention. My SUPERVISOR--back when I was a HUMAN RESOURCE--mentioned how impressed she was with this guy. Back then I feigned interest in such mainstream topics, but in truth I never watched TV and regarded presidential politics as theater and orchestration.

The best thing about Barack Obama being elected is that it proves Americans can elect a dark-skinned man to be president. But is there more to be happy about? What justifies the misty-eyed giddiness I am witnessing about this guy? I had the misfortune of being in Ashland, Oregon on Obama's inauguration day. Everywhere I turned it seemed someone was waxing out loud about how great it was that Obama is the new president, but what is it about this guy that has everyone so impressed?

First off, can any serious person think it possible that a senator from the political cesspool of Chicago would be squeaky clean? Seriously! A quick look at Obama's voting record as a senator shows fairly consistent support for the war machine, and a spotty record on individual liberties. I see nothing there to justify the claims that this man is going to be a source of HOPE AND CHANGE, though.

And how could anyone listen to the presidential debates and take either candidate seriously? The one time I overheard the Obama/McCain debate it was "Al Qaeda this", and "Al Qaeda that" but give me a break! These men were parroting the official fairy tales. AL QAEDA DOES NOT EXIST, people. This "organization" is a concoction of the CIA to keep us all afraid and more easily controlled. (I realize that for some of you that statement will sound unbelievable, but it's time to wake from your slumber!)

I did not hear Obama bravely challenge the official account of 9-11 or the bogus reasons to wage war on Afghanistan and Iraq. Now THAT would be real change!

Obama lied
I paid close attention to the conflict between the countries of Georgia and South Ossetia when Georgia surprise attacked the other country (at the urging of the U.S.) and Russia responded by immediately halting the attack and kicking Georgia out. The U.S. claimed that Russia attacked first, a claim that was proven false by an international inquiry. When Obama was asked about this, he simply lied when he accused Russia of starting the conflict with Georgia. (Sarah Palin did the same thing, which bolsters a claim I will make that there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats.) This was a big moment for me in assessing Barack Obama's character.

Obama's appointments don't lie
His cabinet picks are where Obama's presidency moves from lofty rhetoric and starts taking shape, and what an ugly shape it is! He has chosen entrenched insiders who each have a history of suppressing the people and the truth. Where's the change?

Without going through each candidate, certain strong themes stand out from Obama's appointments.

• He leaves in place Bush's secretary of defense (!!) which tells us the war machine will go on as before. The imperial slaughter of dark-skinned peoples, including the Palestinians, will continue unabated.
• His economic team is much the same set of scoundrels that are systematically looting the country as we speak. The looting will continue.
• Obama's environmental picks signal a separation from policies that benefit Big Oil, and this actually gives me hope! Unfortunately, the premise behind this will be "The Climate Crisis" which is a huge fraud (and one that is steadily unraveling.) But watch for the carbon tax!
• Obama will promote global government. Most of Obama's picks are members of the Council on Foreign Relations, including Zbigniew Brzezinski, Obama's foreign policy advisor. The Council on Foreign Relations exists for only one purpose, to end national sovereignty and deliver us into a system of global governance.

Politics as dialectic
Here's what's really going on. From brainsturbator.com:

We find ourselves up against an entrenched power structure composed of a relatively very small group of wealthy elites. They seldom rule directly or even visibly, and maintain their power through building huge armed bureaucracies who enforce power for them.

In America, the two-party system is a fraud, which controls the people and forces them to choose among candidates that do NOT represent their interests. The people are bounced back and forth like a pinball between the hard-right and the soft right, but the underlying agenda keeps moving along. Each election cycle we are given--not the right to choose who our candidates will be--but to select from the men we are given, and if you pay attention you'll notice that the candidates from either party are basically saying the same things. From the Clinton velvet-glove we are swatted over to George W's iron fist and now we are given "hope and change" in the form of the friendly-looking, dark-skinned candidate Obama.

Here's what Carroll Quigley said about our system in his very important book, "Tragedy and Hope":

The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to the doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can "throw the rascals out" at any election without leading to any profound or extreme shifts in policy.

When Barack Obama repeals the Patriot Act, and the Military Commissions Act, and other heinous legislation from the Bush era, that's when you'll know he's worthy of your trust.

Gifts for the chillens

Relatives have been asking what our children need for Christmas, so this post is for them. But nobody get trampled, now!

Alexis
Guitar case, Alexis is playing a lot lately and needs a better case for her guitar.

Guitar capo, Another item for Alexis' guitar playing.

Strings, players always wear them out.

Diabolo, since Connor got his diabolo (and is getting rather good), Alexis decided she really wanted one too.

Feltmaking kit, Alexis loves crafts and discovered this recently. She's been asking for a kit like the one called FELTMAKING KIT: INTRODUCTION a little down the page.

Tumbling mat, Alexis has been doing circus classes and could use a mat to practice her moves!

Gypsy skirt, and another, Lexie is becoming interested in looking pretty and likes earthy styles.


Connor

Connor has picked up mandolin playing, and so needs accessories like strings, instruction books, DVDs, and a music stand.

He loves camping gear, such as a mess kit, a quality sleeping pad, a pro backpack, a tiny stove.

He built a bow and arrow and has become interested in hunting. A youth bow would be an ecstatically welcomed gift.

He rides his bike everywhere and has asked for one of those bike computers (also called 'cyclocomputers').

He likes juggling and eye-hand tricks: Juggling balls

Many thanks to you all for your kindness and generosity. Merry Christmas, wish you were here.

Your IRA belongs to Uncle Sam

I once read an article by Gary North on tax-deferred retirement plans like IRAs or 401Ks. He said:

Want to know what I really think will happen? The worst-case scenario? A demagogue gets into office and pushes an emergency order (which Congress will not override) which deposits all these funds into the Social Security system, for everyone who has a net worth (not counting home ownership) of [$__________]. Fill in the blank with whatever the tyrant thinks he can get away with. We could see an envy-grab of the retirement programs of the upper middle class.
...
The time to start thinking about a premature liquidation is when a new President is elected on a radical platform, probably with a shift in Presidential political parties, and with both houses of the new Congress belonging to his party.

Wow, pretty good call Gary!

The demagoguery of IRAs has begun in the person of Teresa Ghilarducci, a wacked out professor who recommended to Congress that retirement accounts should be confiscated and replaced with Treasury bonds, "to spread the wealth" (she actually said that). This kind of behavior is not at all uncommon among governments. The government of Argentina has stolen its people's money at least twice, most recently when it confiscated all pension funds, to protect their value of course.

Any president coming into office in the midst of this economic chaos is certain to look at all possible ways to raise money, and higher taxes are a certainty. But the Obama administration has foreshadowed a particular willingness to squeeze the cash out of the people. For instance, they will probably attempt to pass a global warming tax, a debate I'll particularly enjoy since global warming is such a grand hoax. I think confiscating retirement accounts and freezing bank accounts are very likely too, so be prepared. It's going to get even weirder.

I feel sorry for my friends at Intuit who will probably have little choice but to watch the government take their 401K money. To get their money out of harm's way they would have to quit their job, rollover the plan into an IRA, and then liquidate. At this point, there's probably no time left for all that, even if they wanted to do it. The government may also attempt to make a confiscation law retroactive to the first of the year, a trick Bill Clinton successfully used when he raised taxes in 1993.

These are times to be very wary of one's money, people. Don't be afraid to make bold moves. The politicians certainly aren't.

What was Biden talking about?

On October 19th at a fundraiser in Seattle, Joe Biden had some very interesting things to say. Go to the source article and see for yourself:

• In the first six months after Obama's victory there will be an international crisis.
  
• It will be a "generated" crisis.
  
• Obama's response will be very unpopular with the American public and his approval ratings will plummet.
  
• His response will be different than what Americans want, because they are too stupid to know the right thing to do anyway.
  
• He ended his comments by saying he had said too much.
  

One might interpret these statements as the musings of an experienced politician, except for a few things: Why would Biden say the crisis will be "generated". That's certainly a weird thing to say, don't you think? Second, how does he know that Obama's ratings are going to plummet?

Knowing this crowd, I would advise you to prepare for the worst.

The story of selling our house

We saw the financial chaos coming when we were living in Dallas, Texas. The housing bubble had already started to pop a year before, though gently at first and only for areas that had the most dramatic rises, but we knew it would make its way to Dallas (and everywhere) soon. One reason for our certainty came from the frequent walks I took around our neighborhood. I liked to walk to work off the frustrations from my wage slave job, and after walking down one block after another, seeing house after identical house helped convince me that the suburbs are doomed. What an unnatural way to live! We knew that these endless tracts of suburban houses would drop substantially in value, but we also anticipated other problems like wide-spread layoffs and even interruptions in the supply of food, and we began to feel like remaining in our suburban house was a trap of sorts. So, we decided to sell it.

We put our house on the market in early 2007, and--because we were in a race with time--each month that went by we lowered our price by $10,000! (This caused some big arguments in our household, I should add.) We didn't have many showings, but after two months we received an offer, although it was so low-ball we refused it. Apparently, these buyers thought we were desperate, but we weren't desperate--just determined. Eventually, this person came up to our (low) price and so bought our house.

We sold at the last possible moment because immediately afterwards the housing market began to fall in earnest. When the press gave the phenomenon a lot of attention house sales plummeted. At the time of our closing we felt we were cheating ourselves of profits, but when we walked away from it and we were completely out of debt for the first time in many years, it felt good. And it still feels good!

Debt-free is the correct posture to be in for the period of economic chaos we are entering. If you do have money it is a good idea to put it into REAL things like land that can support a big garden and skills and tools that will help you make a living during hard times. We are entering a period of chaos that will be unlike anything any of us has ever experienced. You should try to join or build a local community of friends and family who will hang together. That's certainly what we are doing.

Zoning is a problem for communities

One reason there are not more intentional communities are zoning laws (true grammarians won't like that sentence--sorry). These were set up to control how land is used and they have their place much of the time. Who wants to live next to a cement factory, for example?

But zoning laws make it illegal for groups of people to live together on a piece of land. This presumably “keeps property values high” and it ensures more tax money to the government. (Notice how the money system lies beneath every official rule.) Unfortunately, it means that friends and families who come together to form a community must do so illegally.

The above picture shows a typical situation where land is subdivided, and each parcel is owned by a different person. Each property must have a clearing within it for a house. Each property must have its own well drilled, its own driveway, and of course each property must be patrolled by a large, noisy carnivore to make sure no wild creatures come near (sorry you dog lovers). You probably couldn't dream up a more damaging system to the local ecology than this.

And on each property sits a single, solitary family.

They are called “homesteaders” and they are some of the busiest people around. This is because living out in the country is a ton of work. Nothing happens automatically like in a city, so hauling trash, chopping wood, clearing and patching roads, and endless trips to town are a basic fact of life. Then throw in all the things that people who move to the country want to do, like raising chickens and goats and horses, growing herbs and vegetables, raising honeybees, building outbuildings, etc., and you are occupied full time. To make matters worse, most homesteaders have to leave their property to earn money to support the whole affair. This means, basically, that the average homesteader is working two jobs: the money-earning one, and maintaining the homestead itself!

In a community, of course, these tasks would be shared among the members, which gives rise to the old saying, "Many hands make light work". The search to find a part of the country where zoning laws allow a community to form and grow unhindered led the Dancing Rabbit folks to move to the hinterlands of Missouri, which certainly wouldn't be my first choice of places to live.

We have found that sometimes homesteaders are agreeable to having cool people live on their land to help them with their property, providing work in exchange for rent. There are also farmers who need help with growing their crops, packing vegetables into boxes, and selling at markets. Sometimes a property owner needs help with a specific project, such as constructing a new building. Some of these situations are very short term, and sometimes long. I have to say that most of the people doing work trade are young, twenty-somethings, but often a family can be accommodated and sometimes a family is specifically advertised for. Here are some websites where such matches are made.

http://attrainternships.ncat.org/

http://www.wwoof.org/

http://www.organicvolunteers.com/

Zoning laws derive from a model of property ownership that was invented by the banking industry. Owning one's own land is a highly appealing idea, but this current system of one family per plot is an obstacle to a healthier way of living for humanity and the natural world. I see no hope that this system will change until industrial society slams into an ecological wall. I wish I saw a more hopeful path. In the meantime those of us who seek to form eco-communities will have to do so discretely in the hinterlands.