January 14, 2005
Tucson, Arizona, USA
8:20pm Beth and I had food poisoning the entire bus ride from Mazatlan to Tucson, which needless to say, sucked. Beth is back in San Francisco working the Yoga Journal conference. I've worked for two days straight getting these Mexico photos edited and online.
My goals now:
Making dragonflies and dragonfly kits for the Tucson Gem show at the end of the month.
Submitting the Action Hero Network fiscal sponsorship proposal, which I'd delayed to make
sure Roblito was on track.
Hooking up with Prescott College’s art therapy program to get a degree and find other students to go down to Roblito.
Returning to Roblito mid-march with friends and Kate Sorensen's Star School Students.
Patrick Combs and I just had a conversation about the difference between a democracy and a Republic, and so Patrick looked it up on the web and found: Republic? Democracy? What's the Difference?
by Alexander Marriott, published in Capitalism Magazine.
The article states: "...people actually begin to attribute and incorporate tenets of democracies into our republican structure. Things like referendums and ballot initiatives. These are not only irresponsible but entirely illogical. Why should we be making decisions we elect people to make? What legitimacy is gained from getting a majority of voters to pass anything? If 70% of voters vote to ban gay marriage, does that make it right? If 51% of voters vote to ban smoking, does that make it right? If 99.99% vote to redistribute property, does that make it right? The answer to all of these is "NO!" absolutely not. Truth isn't determined by how many adherents one can get to go along with you. This is why democracy should be fought off wherever it shows its ugly face, it can and will be used to justify anything a majority of voters wants. Theoretically, a majority could vote for selective free speech, or to have certain unpopular people thrown out of the country or killed. There is no law in a democracy except whatever the majority of people say is the law.
Why is it so popular then? Because idiots think they will benefit from having "more of a say in how things work." True, if you're in the majority that is. Advocates of democracy are either those who are really advocates of republics and are ignorant of the difference, or they are those who think they will be in the majority and will be able to vote themselves benefits. A quick example would be wealth. Those who admire people like Michael Moore and Ralph Nader would advocate a democracy because then they could steal the money of the rich and give it to themselves (Moore and Nader wouldn't support such a scheme, because then they would no longer be rich.)
In the long run though, a democracy will always become a tyranny, either by majority, or if the majority screw things up so badly and a tyrant seizes power from the ensuing chaos.
Are most people idiots, Mr. Marriott? Does Republican mean "the rich" or "wanna-be rich"?
"We are all wealthier when we share," Nick put it simply last week on Stone Island, when I told him about tool and instrument libraries that the entire community could benefit from. In the US, "Socialist", is used like a bad word. Is capitalism good for most people on this planet?
At Bioneers, I met a young film maker who asked many of the top political figures the difference between Democrats and Republicans. He was mostly told that Reds believe in small government and blues believe in big government. Does that translate into blue means strong social programs(health care, education, etc.) for many, and red means a few programs controled by a few?
Freedom is not free in the USA. People are slaves to bankers who control the value of the dollar.
Catherine Austin Fitts is one who understands the bigger picture. Catherine served as Assistant Secretary of Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner at HUD in the first Bush Administration and was the President and Founder of Hamilton Securities Group.
I listened to her speak at the Venice Community Council and had the privilege to meet with her afterward, and these are quotes from what she said:
Don't ask if there is a conspiracy. The world is in global financial warfare.
I fear it is much more evil than most people are able to face. We need to see our own complicity in it," she said of the federal government.
The USA is the world wide leader in laundering dirty money.
Vote with your money. Localize investment. Take money out of the corporate economy. We need to stop local government jobs from going to national corporations.
At the end of the great depression there were more than 3000 community currencies in the United States.
I would invest in precious metals. The prices of gold and silver have been suppressed since the mid-nineties, while being shipped out of federal holdings and privatized, or as I see it-- piratized.
Money is a tool, but it is being used to enslave and liquidate people. We cannot let money be our master.
People think money can keep you safe. Only community can make you safe.
Speaking about community she talked about the importence of being inclusive and not watching TV. "They don't get it because they have never felt it."
We have so much wealth, relatively, and we are not happy.
I never realized the power of the federal government. I underestimated how centralized things could be.
Evil is present at the top, middle and bottom.
You are going to have to go with the demonic model or the divine model.
The system is fundamentally illegitimate. We got to get off the Titanic.
I am a great believer in working in the system.
Speaking about her Solari Investor Circles, which will revolutionize local investment, she said they need to be "open source, viral, right, left, Republican, Democrat, North, South-- a unifying network. (her office has been ran-sacked and computers taken to keep this investment model from happening).
America has a very grand case of split personality disorder. The way people's money works is in contrast to stated values.
Justice: just-us
They keep people disempowered.
Buddhists say, "With your thoughts you invent your world."
Men in Black say to her, "never tell the mushrooms the truth; they want to live in the dark."
I care very much about the 911 truth movement. Can you tell why the Air Force stood down four times on 911?
I'd much rather live on a spiritually evolved planet.
Lori Sullivan just turned me on to SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business."
And I found Open Democracy - "free thinking for the world" ...that talks about citizen empowerment... not ruler control.
