Where Were You?

It seems as if multiple generations have asked this question numerous times where catastrophic events were concerned. Prior to the destruction of the World Trade Centre towers on September, 11th 2001 people often asked that question about the "Kennedy Assassination" or "the Moon Landing". Earlier generations no doubt asked about "Pearl Harbour", "The Lusitania", "The Titanic", "The Explosion of the Maine" or "Fort Sumter". Now, of course the question on peoples lips is "Where were you on 9/11?"

Like many people I, too have a 9/11 "story". Mine's just like thousands of others on that day, a reflection of the "normality" which occurs in the midst of any catastrophic event, regardless of anyone's wishes. Unlike many people across the country today I will not be mourning the loss 3000 people who were unknown to me. I will not engage in any ceremonies marking the event, in order to somehow feel better about myself as an American. I will not be allowing myself to be manipulated by the media or the state in order to maintain the fear and frenzy that was engendered that five years ago, today. "9/11" is much more personal to me and I will not allow it to be marred by the maudlin sentimentality inspired by the state and its spokesmen.

Where were you? I would be hearing that a lot today if I decided to watch the television or listen to talk radio for an endless period. I'm sure the internet will be filled to the brim with these, as well. You see, I know where I was and I know where the people I care about were. We were gathered together in an ICU waiting room waiting while my mother died and watching as another jet hit the remaining WTC tower. While the country gathered around water coolers, radios and televisions to watch the beginning of a bleak period in America, my family, and many hundreds more went about the normal business of watching our loved ones die of "normal" and quite undramatic causes on that day.

Sitting next to my father, a man who was career military and a member of the Diplomatic Corps my only remembered comment was, "Someone's going to die for this". Little did I know then that the someone I said was going to die was going to be thousands of American soldiers, innocent Iraqi's and others, as my wounded country lashed out in a frenzy. Little did I realise that the supposed mastermind behind the WTC tragedy was, 5 years later going to still be a free man with little or no prospects of ever seeing him captured. The only thing on my mind that day was the decision I would have to take with my father to remove my mother from life support, as she had long ago requested.

That's where I was and that's where my mind returns every September 11th. I don't spend this day listening to or answering the cries for vengeance from the talking heads and politicians who all want to lead me somewhere. I ignore the neo-conservatives, neo-libertarians and others who use tragedy and grief as soapboxes for their own warped agenda. This is my day. It's my family's day and that of thousands of others who lost loved ones in the course of "normality" on September 11th, 2001. Excuse us if we don't feel your nationalistic grief and rend our clothes to suit some societal expectations of what is and is not proper. This day belongs to us and to the people who truly lost someone on September 11th, 2001. Not to candle holders, preachers, media clowns or politicians all hoping to feel good about themselves or to make others feel saddened for a moment.

This is a large country and Death did not take a holiday due to terrorism. In the rush to promote "9/11" the normal folks of September 11th get lost and have to deal with the constant and painful reminders of their real losses. Give us a break, will ya? We know where we were...and we really don't care where you were.

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9/11, Politics, Libertarian

Ready, Set, Ask...Or Answer.

Some time ago, I wrote a piece concerning a "happening" called Dropping Knowledge. Well, it looks like they're off an running and have started their online kaffe klatsche of asking and having questions answered. Here's a good opportunity for Individualists, Libertarians, Agorists and others with freedom leanings to participate in something where we might have a chance to influence the thinking of a large number of people. It is obvious that Dropping Knowledge will be influenced heavily by the European Socialist mindset and we have a unique opportunity to inject a Liberty germ into the mix. Perhaps even place The Liberty Meme where it can do the most good.

The more people like us who become involved in this the greater chance we have to plant the seeds that could lead to greater freedom on a global scale. Yeah, I know...that's expecting a miracle, but miracles do occur once in a blue moon and the more people who embrace Individualism, Liberty and the desire to be free, the better off we will be.

There are so many areas containing questions and answers at Dropping Knowledge that it may well be another Sisyphean task, but someone has to attempt it. Politics, Health, Religion, Future, Information, Peace and many more subjects cover their "Table of Free Voices". The scale of this project is huge, clicking on "Politics & Governance", for instance opens related trees and each of them may open even more. The opportunities are endless.

They do require a registration, but it is painless and there are no checks on the info, so anonymity seekers are covered.

So, here's a chance, folks. We know our ideas can work, just look at Estonia for proof. A few people can work wonders in the right situation and we are being presented with an opportunity to speak to someone other than the choir. Whether you're an Individualist, a Political Libertarian, a member of the Libertarian Left, an Anarchist or what have you here's an opportunity to do some good. With few keystrokes someone may just start a fire.

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Dropping Knowledge, Libertarian, Movement of the Libertarian Left, Liberty
Politics

Gettin' Free 3

Getting free from the many masters who hold us in bondage is far from easy and may not even be possible for the majority. There are no abolitionists, no underground railroads and no armies or proclamations by tyrants set to "free the slaves" this go 'round. If it is to be done then you shall have to free you and yours on your own. Total freedom may not even be possible in today's world unless one is willing to adjourn to the farthest fringes of society and live amongst the trees in the wilderness, for it is certain that we have no North to run to.

Freeing yourself is no easy task given the reach of the tentacles of slavery in todays world. Some slave master or one of the myriad overseers touches or has touched virtually every facet of our lives. How free can we be? I'm not sure, given the reach of things. The best we may be able to hope for to get rid of the heaviest of our chains and try to work things out from there.

The first chain to dispose of is going to be the ones which tie us to our corporate masters. The ones which bind you to the desks, cubicles, assembly line or what have you, are the chains which need to go first. Many folks whom I know have commented upon this recently and it truly shows the need for a paradigm shift in how we choose to view and do our work. Too many people confuse jobs and work and herein lies the key to the corporate lock. Separating your work from your job is the key to freeing yourself from one master, the one who determines what you're worth on a day to day basis as an asset. Within every person lies an artisan or a craftsman just waiting to return to their pre-Corporate Revolution roots and become the masters of their own fates once again.

There are a great many chains to sever when fleeing the Corporate Master. There's the job itself, but there are also the smaller chains. Insurances, investments for retirement, regular income and all the myriad perks which may be concomitant with your current status. These are often the strongest links of the chains and can be the most difficult to release. They are a burden which you must shoulder as a free person, with no master to provide or subsidize them or you must do without them. What you do once you're free requires even more work. No-one will define you and your chosen work from the moment you choose to be free. If you've spent your time at a desk coding software you're going to have to find an outlet for that skill that keeps you free from corporate masters. If you were a company chef you're going to need to redefine how you use you skills. Perhaps you'll take up small batch production of a food and sell at farmers Markets or to local restaurants or start a small scale catering service. Regardless, you'll need to step outside the box if you wish to remain free. Think big!

Then there's the freedom and dread of freeing yourself from the theft by withholding which your previous "employer" was obligated to engage in for the Über Master of the State. You'll need to take a decision where this is concerned. Do you break this link to another master or continue paying gelt to make things easier. This is a tough choice and the decisions you take in this regard will be life changing, for good or ill.

Getting free from the Mastery of the State is nigh on impossible given the Brobdignagian reach of its tentacles. Eliminating their touch upon your life may require you to exit to the woods and live a quiet life, maintaining a small and obscure presence. Honestly, I have no tried and true answer to this one. You may choose to ignore the Powers That Be, but there is no assurance that it will choose to ignore you in turn. It could well be that they will make it a point to pursue you via their escaped slave hunters and make it a point to return you to the fold against your will. This has happened in the past to folks like the Weavers and the Branch Davidian's. There are no guarantees that you will make it to freedom or that you'll maintain it, even if you manage to achieve it, despite the numerous guidelines out there.

Escape it we must, tho. If those who desire freedom cannot come up with a solution of gettin' free then we, like Nat Turner shall be left with only one choice. A choice most of us have worked diligently to avoid. Breaking the chains of our corporate masters may well be the easiest way to attain a modicum of freedom and it is something we must all pursue in one way or another for ourselves and our descendants. Breaking free of the plantation, tho...that's going to take some work if we are to gain freedom without the spectre of burning down the plantation.

Let's Talk Food For A Minute

I don't care much for the FDA or the USDA or pretty much any DA, that should be readily apparent to most folks. These people supposedly do all sorts of things for our own good, like post warning labels on stuff and make feeble attempts to insure the wholesomeness of food. I've run into this a couple of times in the last few weeks and today the straw broke the camels back. While out doing some grocery gathering with my youngest we stopped by to get some cheese, (we're planning on chicken quesadilla's and refritos tonight). Now, I usually check labels on stuff in order to insure the absence of certain things like High Fructose Corn Syrup, (HFCS is one of the main reasons I now bake all my families bread). I don't think about checking to see if a certain food product has a strange chemical in it...like, say a fungicide. I especially don't expect to see a fungicide in cheese.

Well, lo and behold that's exactly what I found today. It seems that companies producing pre-shredded and even whole cheeses are adding a chemical called Natamycin to the cheese and/or the rind or wax. Some companies, like Whole Foods (there doesn't happen to be one around here) will only sell product that has it in the wax on cheese rinds, but other stores don't seem to care. I can get around this by buying bulk cheese instead of convenience cheese, but that's not the point here, really. Other than in the ingredients label there is nothing to let you know that there's a fungicide in these cheeses. If I go to buy a piece of salmon there is a part of the label that clearly and upfront states that a colouring agent has been introduced to the product. Farmed salmon chow contains an innocuous colouring agent that imparts the orange, salmony colour we all like to see in our fish.

The "law" requires this label. Apparently the same standard does not apply to fungicides in dairy products. Go figure. I think I'd much rather see that label on the cheese (many of which are articially coloured, too). Add this in to the FDA's recent announcements and I really have to wonder how safe our food is going to be in the future.

Folks really better start reading the labels on foods which they're eating. While I usually check for HFCS, it's not common for me to check for fungicides which are added solely for the purpose of maintaining an asthetically pleasing appearance. Let's face it, mold is natures way of letting us know the cheese is either off or French, take your pick. We really don't need one more thing which requires us to do more research on our diets. It's become hard enough as it is to ascertain whether a food is safe to eat without adding something else like fungicides into the already complex equation.

FDA, USDA and the other D's and A's need to go away. They're a clear and present danger to our health.

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Libertarian, Politics, FDA, Food