Double-shot Thursday

[pyesetz]

In my life I have been unable to avoid making some acquaintances among the US intelligence community.  Recently the acquaintance with the highest security clearance in my circle sent me this ominous message:

Work continues to churn along. I may have had a hand in saving some lives this week. If there should arise some hitch with the Canucks, consider a stint with the xxxxx [<- topsecret code]. You could do some good and get paid for it.

I am unable to disprove the hypothesis that this acquaintance is capable of creating a "hitch with the Canucks" by adding my name to a secure database of "citizens of interest who might be willing to work for us if they can be convinced that emigration is just too difficult" (see Berlin Wall, increase in East German GNP after building of).  But I have been avoiding a US security clearance for 25 years now (December 1980, to be precise) and intend never to get one.  Canada can grant me a clearance if they wish, and share my results with the Yanks if they think it appropriate, but I shall not deal directly with The Beast.

When I was in high school, we were taught to hate the Soviet Union because of its gulag archipelago, its mafia-style politics (loyalty and litmus tests over intelligence and competance), its preference for message discipline over truth, and especially for its one-party rule and the endemic corruption that unavoidably follows.  So basically we were taught to hate... what the US has become.  We have met the enemy and he is: Emmanuel Goldstein (just an alias for Karl Rove).

It was September 20, 2001 when President W. enunciated the Bush Doctrine: Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.  This despicable announcement was then followed by a horrible, frightening silence, as nobody of any note dared to mention that this doctrine is Fascist and the Leader of the Free World should not be saying such things.  Silence gives consent; since then the Constitution has become just a piece of paper that W. uses to wipe his ass.  It's four years later and I am still here in the States.  This is not what I had expected.

A message from Ted Kennedy

Comments

[warrenwolfy.livejournal.com]

Although interesting, I also notice that those articles are introspective, predicting self-collapse. Yet the biggest issues I see are exernal ones. They're not as sexy, though, because they're many years away and thus not as much fun to shout from the rooftops. ;-)

The Chicago model of economics (ie. free-trade laissez-faire self-interest) has been the pillar of the US economy, and with good reason because it works. However, it's a system that can't be used to maintain 1st place if the rest of the world catches up in things like skilled labour, high-tech, and natural resources. That's what is happening, and in the long-term there's no indication that the U.S. will be able to avoid being passed by developing nations like China.

Not that it really matters overall, because it's not like the U.S. will suddenly go bankrupt, but they won't be #1 anymore. That will cause a shock to national self-identity.

If the U.S. loses its ability to self-justify its social system by saying, "Yeah, but we're the most powerful nation on the planet, so we must be doing things the right way!", then suddenly it will become apparant just how far behind they have fallen socially.

As far as the religious question goes, people believe that religion lowers crime and promotes morality. Yet the U.S. leads the western world in religion, crime, teen-pregnancy, divorce, violence, etc..., with the "red" states and Bible-belt leading the "blue" states. Although there's no evidence to show which is the cause and which is the effect (ie. does religion lead to immorality, or do people living in an immoral culture turn to religion?), from the external perspective of the rest of the world, the U.S. simply does not have any moral or religious authority.

But as long as their economy continues to be #1, the U.S. religious right doesn't need to deal with or admit this because they can always assume that God made them powerful because he wants them to lead.

Overall, I see things as this being the U.S. "golden age", much like the U.K. had theirs.