Maslow

Hobbies are important. They keep your mind sharp, your body active, and your spirit happy. Some people enjoy painting, some play a musical instrument, and some run or play a sport. Maslow's hobby was perfection.

This hobby started in high school, where he graduated first in his class with straight As. He was very proud of his record. Mrs. Bigelow who had seen his talent praised him for being her "perfect little student." It made him feel good. He decided, during the graduation ceremony, he would always get straight As wherever he went, whatever he did. He had discovered he was born with the gift of perfection, far be it from him to reject this gift.

Maslow continued his hobby in college. He chose to major in economics, believing it a science, and therefore, possible to accomplish with perfection, which he essentially did - save the professor who did not understand one of his brilliant arguments. But, he was able to appeal to the college and, with legal council, upgrade the paper from an A- to an A.

Half-way through his freshman year Maslow began to question his definition of perfection. He was troubled to find so many activities impossible to perfect. He quickly found that the other students, being so far from perfect, were difficult to integrate with his beloved hobby. Perfection seemed very far from their goals or aspirations - a horrific realization. They even questioned his ability to be perfect, despite his perfect explanations to the contrary - a paradox he found difficult to resolve. He pondered the scarcity of his very special gift, and subsequently, his uncharacteristically vital importance to the world.

Returning to his home town over spring break, Maslow visited Mrs. Bigelow's classroom. He stood in the back and reminisced about the bliss of high school algebra as she lectured. After class was dismissed Maslow approached her desk. She was pleased with his performance at college and congratulated him. She had always felt a connection with Maslow, being a self-proclaimed perfectionist herself.

"I hear your first semester was perfect Maslow. I'm very proud of you."
"Yes, Mrs. Bigelow, I did get straight As. But, I, well..."
"What is it Maslow? Is everything OK?"
"Well, it's the other students. They..."
"Remember what I told you. You must not listen to them. They are only jealous of your abilities."
"But how do you do it?" Maslow asked. "How do people like us co-exist with all this imperfection? I find it rather frustrating. Perfection is my life, my dreams, my only hobby."

Mrs. Bigelow turned and gently pushed a book case to the side, revealing a small opening. She walked in, and motioned for him to follow. They walked down a long, narrow staircase, with cold, damp rock walls and a low ceiling. The hall widened a bit and they entered a dark, open space. She struck a match, lit a small oil lamp, and turned to look at him, light from the flame flickering on her face from below.

She spoke quietly, as if to herself. "Maslow. My most brilliant pupil. My perfect student. You remind me so much of myself at your age. I know how you feel and I need to be honest with you. You will face the same challenges I have, and you must be prepared."

Maslow couldn't remember Mrs. Bigalow ever speaking like this. Her language had always been completely formulaic and beautifully logical.

"I regret it, but I loathe to listen to the petty frustrations of the droves that revolve through my classroom and into the world each year. I can only dent their lazy, hopeless minds. Let them wallow in hedonism like the rest of the world. But you, my shining star, you! I sculpted you into a being of perfection. You have been conditioned to be the most fierce defender of truth, a machine incapable of error, down to the crosses on your Ts. You followed my every instruction with flawless attention to detail. You knew you were perfect. I could tell. What happened Maslow?"

"The others. They distract me. They think I am capable of error."

"You are not. Their definition of perfection is useless. How dare you! You suddenly decide that there are models of perfection other than mine?! On what grounds? You know you can't accept or deny their estimations until they have been thoroughly examined. And, to do so is a waste of your time because of the obvious and overwhelming evidence to the contrary. You know better than this, Maslow."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Bigelow. I can't help it. I'm just not perfect. There is a possibility your estimations of me are not accurate..."

*****

Maslow's convulsing chest raised into the air, his back forming an arch as the waves of electricity pounded through his scull. Tears welled and then ran down Mrs. Bigelow's cheek as she held the lever firmly in the ON position. Shivering slightly, her eyes closed, shutting out the jagged, muffled screeching.

Resolutions

Alright, time to get a one day head start on some resolutions.

1. Don't drink any cheap champagne.
   
2. Listen to more music.
3. Escape the spiraling thought vacuum of politics.
   
4. Brew better beer.
   
5. Write down a good story or two, maybe a song.
6. Keep head out of sand; below clouds.
   

Kennedy

I'm convinced Kennedy would win in 2008 hands down. Check out this speech.

Although I still think anyone who goes into politics is slightly insane, even our most honorable examples.

Isabel Paterson

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 I was 12 years old. It was something so foreign and vague, off in a distant universe. To imagine a population shackled in chains was impossible from my perspective - and equally, I imagine, a free society from theirs.

Only later did I discover the significance. When the Soviet Union collapsed, a great experiment was concluded. In 1917-22 the people of Russia overthrew a monarchical tyranny as the Americans had in 1776.

I know this post is out of line. I just saw the video (link below) and couldn't help writing down some thoughts. Maybe one of you will bite one of these days and tell me why I'm completely off the mark. Until then, I will enjoy my stomping ground :) so, anyway...

In a society already enslaved, it was the ideology that promised the most that was the most popular. The short-sighted deception of the Bolsheviks was so persuasive it convinced an army of followers to engage in bloody domination of their own people - crushing all who disagreed with them. Then, according to the ideology, the people handed all power to state. This was the very opposite solution that was chosen by our American forefathers and mothers when they broke free from tyranny. Thus the beginning of the great experiment.

The rest is history. The Soviet people soon, once again, became subjects of tyrannical rule. Millions were slaughtered to preserve the state.

Now, in our country, we are handed the same choice. With the power of government in bed with corporations, our plutocracy is quickly devolving into a soft form of fascism mixed with a socialist-friendly welfare state that is being taken advantage of by generations.

Right now we need to ask ourselves if we are going to trust the state to take care of us like the Soviets? Are we going to listen to the minds of Lennin, Marx, and Trotsky, to repeat the side of the experiment that failed in 1989 - perpetuated by the growth of state power in recent years by Bush II? Or, are we going to follow the great minds on the winning side: Mises, Kennedy, Reagan, Freidman, Greenspan, Taft, Spooner, Isabel Paterson, and back as far as Bastiat, Mill, Jefferson, Locke, Smith, Condorset, Franklin and Washington. And, before that, Socrates and Aristotle.

The Soviets could have saved their country in the 1980s if there was a tradition of liberty among the population. They could have legally restored power to its rightful place had their people been able to believe in themselves and their neighbors. We have that tradition. We are the bearers of the flame of freedom. We have the history, the intelligence, and the will to succeed. It is our responsibility to hold the flame of high as an example, and not blow it out through sedentary acceptance of what the state gives us (and takes away). We are the proof that individuals are the masters of their destiny and all peaceful individuals who agree are free to join us.

Money on Trees

Okay, so while enjoying dinner and a few beers at a friend's place a discussion ensued regarding the destruction of our economy perpetuated by policies of the Federal Reserve. Somehow I'm always the only person in any given room with that interpretation.

As you can imagine, describing the complicated way our currency is manufactured and distributed, and illustrating the the dangerous cocktail of our fiat monetary system blended with public debt and fractional reserve lending is not a conquest for the faint of heart. Of course, it was designed that way. If we could all understand this stuff and could describe it over a couple beers it wouldn't have become a problem in the first place, or there would be massive outrage.

The first hurdle I was confronted with was a disappointing one as it demonstrated the long road ahead - the myth that our currency is coined/printed/created exclusively by the U.S. Treasury.

So, today's lesson, for my benefit as much as anyone's, is to describe how money is created, and how the system is designed to spiral into a bloated monstrosity and collapse catastrophically.

1. The Federal Government decides it needs some money to attack Canada. It prints a piece of paper with nifty designs and some words. They call it a "Treasury Bond" or "Treasury Note." These are IOUs to the Federal Reserve.
2. To convert these IOUs to bills, the Federal Government gives this bond or note to the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve classifies these IOUs as a "securities asset." To us (who fund the Federal Government completely), this Treasury Note is debt that we will have to pay back in the future. To the Federal Reserve, this is an asset, because it assumes we will pay it back with interest (with Income Tax).
   
3. Since this is an asset, it can be used to offset a liability, which the Federal Reserve does by printing a piece of paper with nifty designs and some words. This time they call it a "Federal Reserve Check." (Nothing backs this but the assumption that taxpayers will be fleeced of their earnings to pay it back).
   
4. The Federal Reserve Check is given to the Federal Government, who endorses it. Then, they deposit it in one of the 12 privately owned Federal Reserve Banks. It is a government deposit, and used to pay government expenses (businesses, entrepreneurs, etc.).
   
5. The Government Checks are deposited into commercial banks, where they are, again, treated as assets. 90% of this can be lent out, depending on the reserve ratio. This is called the "Fractional Reserve System," and is how all banks function - lending out the vast majority of their money. A loan is always considered an "asset" because it is earning interest. Banks want to make as many loans as possible to earn the greatest amount of profit.
   
6. The recipient of a loan deposits the loan proceeds into their bank account, where the process repeats itself, over, and over, and over, and over again. The fiat money created by this is 10 times the size of the original debt created by the federal government.
7. We attack Canada. Using money printed by the Federal Reserve cartel. It's counterfeit, and unconstitutional (only congress can coin and print currency) but congress likes unlimited wealth - it gets them power and votes - so they don't really mind.
   
8. Too many foreclosures cause a liquidity crisis.
   
9. More printing. More inflation. People are less able to pay back debt. The Fed needs to decide between financial collapse or rampant inflation. This really could get ugly.
   

Look on any bill and you will see "Federal Reserve Note." Yes, there is a signature of the Secretary of the Treasury, but in reality, a dollar is simply a promise by the American to pay back the Federal Reserve with interest, lining the pockets of the shareholders of the Federal Reserve (or funneled it through tax-free institutions such as the Ford Foundation - in which they avoid the income tax altogether...rrrr).

Throughout history, every single fiat currency, one not backed by a hard asset (usually gold), has devalued to the the paper or metal it is made from. I'm not saying the sky is falling, but I also can't say it isn't. Most disturbingly, something tells me when any of us regular folks get a clue it will be a moment too late.

(Here is a good site with diagrams and stuff)

Benazir

A sad day indeed. A reminder that the front lines of civilized society are vulnerable and perpetually under attack from the army of enslaved minds conditioned to trivialize life, especially their own.

All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident. -Arthur Schopenhauer

Darkness haunts and will pretend
That power trumps truth in the end.
Some will feed it even still,
From their souls, their broken will.

Dreams that starve it are of glass,
Fragile stems and blades of grass.
Hold them high they're sure to shatter.
Lock them up they cease to matter.

Bring them to a special place
To install reinforcing brace.
Tenacious care to make them swell,
To trounce the darkness, fears dispel.