Whistleblowers: Fired, silenced . . . and killed By Peter Rost

Whistleblowers are traitors. There is no question that this is what most corporations and government entities think. It doesn’t matter if the target is a private corporation, such as Enron with whistleblower Sherron Watkins, a government entity such as the FDA with whistleblower David Graham or an entire country, such as President Putin’s Russia, which former Russian KGB agent and whistleblower Alexander Litvinenko harshly criticized.

All these entities react the same way: Shut down the whistleblower. Fire him, silence him, or kill him, whatever it takes.

It is no secret that former Enron CEO Ken Lay immediately contacted his lawyers and tried to come up with a way to fire Sherron Watkins after she wrote an e-mail warning him that “I am incredibly nervous that we will implode in a wave of accounting scandals.”

It is also no secret that the FDA brass tried to shut down David Graham. Dr. Graham said, “Prior to my Senate testimony in mid-November of 2004, there was an orchestrated campaign by senior level FDA managers to intimidate me so that I would not testify before Congress.”

Dr. Graham explained that this intimidation took several forms. The FDA tried to stop an article he wrote for the Lancet; they contacted Senator Grassley's office and attempted to prevent him from calling Dr. Graham as a witness and his superiors even posed as whistleblowers and contacted Dr. Graham’s attorney and attempted to convince him that he should not represent Dr. Graham.

And as far as the ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko goes, we all know by now that he was poisoned in the U.K. with deadly polonium-210, which is extremely hard to come by unless you own a nuclear reactor. In fact, Polonium 210 is highly radioactive and extremely toxic. By weight, it is 250 million times as toxic as cyanide. This means a particle smaller than a dust mote could be fatal if ingested or inhaled. Polonium 210 destroys the internal organs, and death is slow, painful and sure. There is no antidote. No one knows for sure if Russia did this, but most observers have concluded that another former spy, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin probably knows who did it.

And Putin certainly had the motive. Back in 1998 Litvinenko accused his security bosses of ordering the murder of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. The tycoon fled to Britain, where Litvinenko soon followed, supported by Berezovsky. It didn’t help Litvinenko that he continued to openly criticize Russia and started to investigate the death of Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist who also had been very critical of Putin. And it doesn’t help Russian President Putin that his critics appear to die like flies around him. Not that this means Mr. Putin did anything. He may just be a lucky guy, who happens to have short-lived critics.

Most noticeable, however, is the Russian media’s reaction. The Putin-controlled Russian television networks reported that Mr. Litvinenko did not die of poison, but of "intrigues" in the Russian exile community in London. Mr. Litvinenko was, according to Russian television, "a pawn in a game that he did not understand."

Reality is that most people never get into a situation such as the one Sherron Watkins, David Graham or Alexander Livinenko found themselves in. Most people silently agree to do whatever their company bosses, party bosses or government tells them to do, and look the other way when things get ugly. Commit a few illegal accounting tricks, fine. Let the public die because drugs are unsafe, no problem. Kill a big-mouth oligarch, hey if you’re in the KGB, that’s what you do, right? This is a great strategy for survival but it is certainly not a path to bravery.

In fact, Senator Grassley has repeatedly stated, “Whistleblowers are American heroes.” I’d only add that they are heroes wherever they appear. And especially today, with more and more rampant corruption we need more such heroes.

Because, as Edmund Burke said, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”


Peter Rost, M.D., is a former Vice President of Pfizer. He became well known in 2004 when he emerged as the first drug company executive to speak out in favor of reimportation of drugs. He is the author of “ The Whistleblower, Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman,” http://the-whistleblower-by-peter-rost.blogspot.com/. He also writes the daily " Dr. Peter Rost blog," http://peterrost.blogspot.com/.

RE: Corporate Responsibility Is Bunk By SB Kayser

No later than two weeks ago, an article released by the Wall Street Journal dedicated to Milton Friedman and his take on corporate responsibility retained my attention. Friedman couldn't see any good in corporate altruism which he calls an oxymoron. This said, I never was a fan of his monetary solutions which were very fiat money friendly.

According to true liberals such as Friedrich A. Hayek, we as human being cannot see beyond the scoop of our own survival concerns, we simply are incapable to sense what others truly need and thus end up putting ourselves in a state of perpetual servitude when trying to intervene in the others' lives. Hence the so many wonderful altruistic theories on papers that never translate into the real life.

Nonetheless enforcing altruism is the centerpiece of today global socialism and the flaws quickly become apparent as soon as one realizes that socialism needs capitalistic market forces to feed and sustain itself. This is mainly why that ideology has spent decades to fight its own shadows and demons.

Among so many examples illustrating that corporate responsibility is bunk, we have the case of Starbucks exposed by the documentary "Black Gold" and which talks of rampant poverty among the Ethiopian coffee growers. In the same vein, I strongly recommend to watch "The Corporation". Only a few bad appels? I think not!

Then we've got that of the former Pfizer VP, Peter Rost, who has joined the rank of the whistleblowers by revealing how corporations - and the big pharma more precisely - avoided paying taxes for decades, using loopholes provided by transfer price techniques and financial heavens. In this sense it shouldn't be really astonishing to find out that 2/3 of the corporations didn't pay any taxes during the Clinton-boom years whatsoever.

Sure any of this is particularly new. Corporations go where they have profits to make even if this means trading with the enemy or implies just plain looting as explained in "Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man". To give you an idea, today the West sells more weapons to developing countries than ever, but it will never fail to adjust the rescue packages in term of humanitarian aid.

As a matter of fact, TV Commercial always portray our corporation as entities militating for the betterment. Look at our TV anchors, they will rather criticize China while avoiding the pollution mega disaster that our own relocated corporations have done there, the mainland's pollution scourge costs the country roughly $200 billion a year the report says! Right, they were able to do so because of the deeply flaws found in the leftist ideology. Our corporations have embraced blatantly the opportunity to pillage this part of the planet for the sake of their "cheap-item greedy consumers" who took advantage by going on an unprecedented multi-decade long spending binge. Cynically that are the same consumers who want corporations to be responsible. Allo Houston, we have a problem!

By now it should be cristal clear as why asking others to be in charge comes down to shifting the risk at the expenses of many and the environment as well.

The other day as I was exchaning a few emails with someone from the banking department and whose name will remain anonymous, I told my correspondent that it was about time to bring the naiveté of the mass people to an end. That it was essential for them to see life without pink tinted glasses. That our society as a whole would gain much more by knowing what the human nature and honest money are truly about, it is the only way to give free trade a meaning and eradicate up to 65-70 percent of the violence overnight and worldwide.

There are only two choices: raising our IQ or... the road to Babeldom.

I’ve been thinking about shopping By Fred Cederholm

Nov 26th, 2006

I’ve been thinking about shopping. Actually I’ve been thinking about Christmas, “black Friday,” consumers, incentives, plastic money, January, and the Middle East. We have now entered the holiday shopping season of 2006 in earnest. While last week (particularly the Friday after Thanksgiving) has traditionally kicked off the selling of Christmas merchandise and gifts, the marketing of sales, discounts, and the full color newspaper inserts began much earlier this year.

You see, shopping is when we make a trip somewhere to get something we want (or maybe something we might really need). The marketing of Christmas decorations and gifts is a big deal for retailers and the entire US economy for that matter (on second thought, make that the World economy). Somewhere between 40% and 60% of THE YEAR’S sales are made during pre-Christmas, Christmas, and post-Christmas “sell-athons.” It is a make it (or break it) time for a lot of merchants/ manufacturers. If they don’t entice US/us consumers to buy now, it could impact their bottom line for the entire year.
This ritual truly began the day after Thanksgiving – which appropriately has been dubbed “Black Friday.” The use of the color “black” covers both potential outcomes. If sale’s numbers are great, the merchants should make lots of money, and their year-end financial statements will be in the black – as opposed to losses which would appear as red as Rudolph’s nose. If sale’s numbers are poor, the merchants will sink into the deep funk of mourning – hence the color black is appropriate as well.

While the numbers from the past weekend are not yet official, there is least the appearance that the 2006 shopping season is off to a robust start. One preliminary report states how the average shopper spent over $350 on Friday alone! The parking lots were overflowing, the shops – particularly the “big box” stores – were crammed with people, and the carts at the checkouts were filled to capacity. In many cases the lines began forming outside well before dawn, and the stores began the ritual of their “Black Friday” selling at the earliest opening hours ever. Two years ago the big incentive was to get a $30 CD player, last year the incentive was to get a $300 laptop, and this year the incentive was to get the current “state of the art” video game machine - at any price!

From the sellers’ side the volume of the sales is already being hyped, but it is the mark-up – the amount of actual profit- made from the units’ sales that puts the “black” in “Black Friday” (and the entire Christmas selling season for that matter). I can’t remember a recent year when I recalled more special sales of stuff this early in the season, or for the huge double-digit discounts being offered. The papers have been filled with ads and full color inserts to inform (and to tempt) shoppers. This is really a good thing because informed consumers make the best shoppers. While these sales are great for the buyers, how heavily will the deep-discount pricing impact the bottom lines of the merchants in the final analysis when the frenzy subsides? “So what?” The shoppers might think, “That’s not my problem!”

It is joking said that “when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.” While the Christmas season of 2006 is shaping up to be a bonanza for shoppers, there is a potential dark side lurking on the horizon for the shoppers/ consumers as well. Here the issue becomes how purchases are consummated at the registers. Were the goodies actually “bought,” or were they “financed?” Did the shoppers pay with dollars, checks, or plastic? This is a critical issue because in so many households the brightest joys of gift giving can transform into the darkest funk of January when credit card statements become due. My holiday warning (as Fred, the un-official forensic accountant “Grinch”) to all you Mall Rambos is: “Beware the Ides of January.” Keeping this in mind as you, the most zealous of shoppers, navigate these ever-so-tempting holiday sales could save a lot of grief and financial pain come the New Year.

It was noted above how “shopping is when we make a trip somewhere to get something we want (or maybe something we might really need).” Last week, Vice President Cheney made a “shopping trip” to Saudi Arabia. This week Pope Benedict will make a “shopping trip” to Turkey, James Baker will be making several “shopping trips,” and President Bush will make a “shopping trip” to the NATO Headquarters and to Jordan. They aren’t seeking a bargain CD player, a bargain laptop, or the current “state of the art” video game machine at any price. They are shopping for something far more precious. They are shopping for a resolution/end to the violence, to the killing, to the destruction, and to the underlying hatred dominant in the Middle East. That would be the ultimate gift to us all in the real spirit of Christmas, wouldn’t it? I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright 2005 Questions, Inc. All rights reserved.

I’ve been thinking about gratitude by Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after Nov. 19th, 2006

I’ve been thinking about gratitude. Actually I’ve been thinking about Thanksgiving, fellowship, our troops, Ward 57, deployments, spaces, and names. We should all be grateful for the many blessings bestowed upon us during this past year and give thanks for the individuals who love us, who help us, and who serve us. We should do this each and every day – unfortunately, that is probably not the case.

You see this year the Thanksgiving celebration began on Sunday evening when members of six local congregations (three Lutheran, two Methodist, and one Catholic) gathered together to give thanks in a special ecumenical service. It was a time of fellowship, of remembrance, and of gratitude. There was a lot to TH*NK about. The festivities culminate on Thursday as we gather together with families, friends, and neighbors for a bountiful meal, more fellowship, and yes, football.

Creston is a community of about 500 people and my home town congregation of St. Johns numbers about 100 souls. Every Sunday our prayer list in the service bulletin includes the names of those we know who are ill, who grieve, or who have special needs. Once a month, an insert includes the names of the service men and women who have ties to the members of little St. Johns Lutheran Church in Creston. The most recent edition of that list contains sixteen names of individuals in every branch of our military forces. Sixteen is a record number for us. I have no doubt that every congregation in this nation shares our links to (and concerns for) the young men and women who are part of their “families.”

Since the brouhaha of the media event on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003 when “Mission Accomplished” was the buzz byte of the day, the undeclared wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have dragged on longer than the entire Second World War! THAT threshold was crossed the first part of this November. Since May 1st, 2003, over 3,150 men and women in our armed forces have been killed (112 in October of 2006 and 48 more thus far in this November). Over 25,000 more have been seriously wounded in those conflicts. THOSE are at least the statistics which have been officially acknowledged.

Of the seriously injured, roughly 6% are amputees - or multiple amputees. Never before in any prior conflict(s) has this percentage been so high – such is the legacy of this “modern” war of terrorism. Ward 57 at the Walter Reed Military Hospital specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of amputees. As of October 30th, they alone have treated over 725 service men and women who have lost limbs while serving in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. 17 to 20% of them will return to some form of active duty. More want to return, but they can’t. The spirits are willing, but the bodies just aren’t able.

It has only been in recent weeks that these statistics and stories of heroism have even surfaced in the Media. Those statistics and stories needed to be told and the American Public had the right to hear about them. Such revelations more than likely surfaced only because of the elections on November 7th - which clearly became a nationwide referendum on the so-called “wars” and the policies behind pursuing them. While we know the results of the elections, do we really know the direction that will be taken to change course and “fix” things? Or… even how long any of the “fixes” will take/cost?

Talk is cheap. It is the coming actions that will speak louder than the forthcoming words and rhetoric of both spin and sound bytes. We have basically three options open to US/us. We can either “Go On, Go Big, or Go Home.” I know what I want to occur, but I fear my wishes (and those of so many others) will continue to go unheeded. Regardless of the choices made by the powers that be, on this Thanksgiving there will be over 150,000 households with spaces vacant around the tables because their loved ones – their sons, their daughters, their siblings, their friends – are far away from home and hearth. Those are the realities of this Thanksgiving of 2006.

Please take a moment to reflect on and give thanks to our service men and women who will be spending this holiday away from their families/ their loved ones. I specifically ask that you remember Brandon, Kristen, Robert, Matt, Nate, Chris, Andy, Bernt, Eric, Mitchel, Dan, Jami, Lynn, Kevin, Jason, and Richard. To that list, I ask that you add the names of those from your families, congregations, and communities. Every name reflects a person with family and friends who miss them this Thanksgiving. We owe them so very much. I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright Questions, Inc. 2006 all right reserved.

I’ve been thinking about realities by Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after Nov. 12th, 2006

I’ve been thinking about realities. Actually I’ve been thinking about the elections, lame ducks, changes, bi-partisanship, and beginnings. The 2006 mid-term elections are now behind US/us.Whether your candidate(s)/party was victorious - or lost, all Americans should take pride in a system of government where transitions of power are (dare I even suggest it) “peaceful, orderly, and civilized.”


You see we have survived the most costly, most negative, and most mud-slinging campaign in our nation’s history. Control of both the House and Senate has shifted from the Republicans to the Democrats. It’s true that some of the elections were close enough to mandate recounts; but for the most part, every one must acknowledge that the pendulum has swung from the party of the elephant to that of the donkey. The day after, President Bush and Vice President Cheney met with the presumed new House leadership for a photo op and a meeting. A day later, the presumed new Senate leadership did the same. Were the foundations/ ground rules for détente between the White House and coming 110th Congress established? (Hardly.) Were partisan slurs and slams of the campaigns just passed forgotten? (Shelved, or at least back-burnered - maybe.) What appears to be so unreal becomes our reality in the video clips.
Politics is the ultimate theatre --- especially when the cameras are running. Ya just gotta love it when you see true professionals (actors/ politicos) giving the performances of their careers. It’s all part of the job and is “done in the best interest of the country.” William Shakespeare wrote: “what’s past is (mere) prologue…” How true! The Democrats have not controlled both the House and the Senate since before Reagan’s election to the Presidency in 1980. While the Congressional branch is clearly going into lame duck mode until the new Congress takes office in January 2007, will the same be true for the White House? Time will tell… and the posturing during the next 60 days should prove most interesting.


While the “majorities” in both the House and the Senate have changed, the realities of the problems facing this nation have not! The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq will continue with no “face saving” end in sight. More service men and women will be activated, re-activated, re-re-activated, and shipped to the battle zones in the near term. Our national debt sets new record highs every second of every minute of every hour of every day not just because of the costs of a war run amok, but also because of a profligate and porcine Congress who never met a dollar they couldn’t spend – and more.
Our dependency on foreign energy sources will continue FAR into the horizon. Our trade deficits will continue - if for no other reason than the things America wants, needs, and buys are simply no longer made here. The metamorphosis of the US economy from a manufacturing one (with full benefits) to a service one (with its “you’re on your own, sweetheart” underpinnings) continues to expand those numbers in the work force without health insurance and livable pensions. The ticking of the time bomb of a Social Security implosion grows louder and louder every year. How long will it take to restore this country’s reputation as a responsible member with higher standards within the community of nations?
The aforementioned problems facing US/us didn’t happen overnight. Anyone familiar with my columns in print (or on-line) should know that while I believe there has been a clear escalation of the mistakes and deterioration behind our collective/ present situation(s) over these past six years, the origins of our problems/ policies go way back and embrace both of the major parties. Believe me when I say that there is plenty of blame to go around. The D.C. mantra of “Ubi est mihi?” (where is mine?) needs to become the “Mea Culpa” of “wherefore ‘we’ have sinned against you (the American people) by what ‘we’ have done and by what ‘we’ have left undone.” The problems facing this nation are so immense they will require a bi-partisan cooperation that has not been seen since the darkest days of the Great Depression and that of the Second World War. THAT is the reality we now face as a nation.


The electorate spoke loudly on November 7th. A change of course was needed because we were headed in the wrong directions for all the wrong reasons. The American people knew this and they voted accordingly. To those elected (or re-elected) never forget that what the electorate giveth (in 2006), they can taketh (in 2008). A Chinese proverb states: “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – start walking Congress! I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright Questions, Inc. 2006 all right reserved.

Nobel Pundits Find World Poor Bankable By SB Kayser

I am always eager to hear about the Nobel Organization, especially when it has to do with economics. Though when the Bengalee Muhammad Yunus won the prize for helping the poor, I almost choked. Until then I wasn't really familiar with "his" concept but since I know a great deal about fiat banking I also know that nothing will go in favor of the little people until a monetary reform is implemented. Being used to read a lot about the vortex of debt, I thus sensed that this was about another loan shark tale immediately. I couldn't help myself and started laughing out of derision. It is what I generally do when anger inside me is brewing.

In an article released on forbes.com no more than 2 weeks ago, we could read the side-effects of microcredit injection in India and Bangladesh. It was kinda astonishing to learn that any study had proven the worthiness of microcredit theories until today. You see, the pundits argue that it would be an impossible task, hence time consuming and too costly. Despite this, they claim that the approved empirical Nobel theory has bettered the lives of 25% of the borrowers - but remain quite silent regarding the other 75%.

Economic Noble Enforcers, along with Yunus, didn't find anything wrong with this. They proudly assure us that their borrowers are very serious about paying back their loans and have no problem to cope with the (outrageous) interests which actually can go up to 40%! Gains that many of the heavily criticized payday lenders here in America would envy. Reading further, the surface begon to show more cracks. The fact is that 75% - after their microcredit adventure - end up sinking futher into poverty. As for the famed 25% it is also appalling to see that they are left with the bare minimum to live. Sure, they are no longer starving but just like us (in the so-called rich west) go from paycheck to paycheck. Sure again, among the beautiful 25% there is a small number of full success stories but which involve borrowers with a higher educational background than the rest. As you can see, it would be a mistake to give these few bankers' fairy tales some credit. Laughable!

It is easy to grasp why globalists from the right and from the left praise Yunus so much. They have found an innovative way to collude, their creativity doesn't know any boundaries, the sky is the limit!

In economics alas interference with the market can be very costly. There is no free lunch. But who wouldn't be interested in easy money those days? And when it comes out of altruism, all the better: it sells even more. In the meantime let's bear in mind that $9 trillion of social programs didn't end poverty in America, emphasizes Cato Institute in 2004 - and of course all this at the expense of the taxpayers.

Considering the global economy built on a swamp of debts, it is rather blatant that the prestigious Nobel Organization helps blow bubbles into the respective economies, a fictuous wealth moving all the way long up to the stock market - as always under the guise of charity. Now they claim that this new approach is better than lending corrupt governments money. Not quite so at all. Who is going to pay when the bubble pops? Because they all do eventually.. who do you think?

How stupid do they think we are?

Now money no longer disappears in the pockets of unscrupulous politicians but it is directly dissiminated in the market, morphing the microcredit theory into another macrowelfare fallacy. This is brilliantly explained by Jeffrey Tucker who rightfully calls this neferous endeavor "collectivist regimentation".

Artificial Intelligence vs Money-Making-Perpetural War By James Jaeger

The question of whether all humans should be given a sort of base pay is a very interesting one and one I've wrestled with over the years. It's true, it could release much genius which otherwise has all its attention occupied with mere subsistence -- but I can see such a base pay allowing people to simply exist without doing anything for themselves or society, such as the addict.


This is fine with me, people should be allowed to waste their lives if they want, but I don't want to have to pay for their ill effects, such as the effects caused by alcohol and other drug consumption. I'm all for people being able to use any drug they want and even killing themselves with it, but I don't want any of my money paying for a) police to arrest them, b) jails to house them or c) doctors to make them better. I don't mind paying for an ongoing educational program for all people so they can learn all about the ill effects of alcohol and drugs -- but from there on out it's their responsibility to handle it.


If a base pay were to be instituted, all this would have to be ironed out before I would agree to it other wise it would end up costing us all more than what's fair. This is a Libertarian view.It's also true that money controls invention and technology -- and this of course is WHY the discussion of MONEY and POLITICS have some relevance to the main discussion at the Kurzeweil MIND-X, which is AI and technology.


My feeling is there is nothing inherently wrong with money as a medium of exchange, but when the creation of money falls into government or vested corporate hands, such as the current PRIVATE banks that now control money creation in the U.S. money is often used as chains of enslavement.


This is one of the reasons I have harped on the Federal Reserve System and fiat money for so long and in my recent film, FIAT EMPIRE at http://www.mecfilms.com/mid/movies/fiat3.wmv


Could we get rid of the invention of money all together?


Yes I believe it is possible. In a world where there was such abundance -- a post-Singularity era perhaps -- I believe using money to "keep score" will be seen as a quaint technology from a bygone era. Of course those who enslave using money -- what I call the MONEY-MENTALITY -- will fight as hard as possible to avoid such a future. Thus in many ways these people are your enemies if you want technology to fully manifest universal abundance. The MONEY-MENTALITY will actually inhibit and destroy technology so that super abundance will never be achieved.


One of the "purposes" of war, BTW, is to destroy as much stuff as possible so that abundance CAN'T be achieved. To the degree abundance is achieved, it eradicates societal stratification. If the poor have as much as the rich, then there ARE no rich. No riches over others = no control and domination over others.


Thus the rich will never allow the world to become rich. So the rich are actually enemies of humanity to that degree. And this is of course what the Democrats and the Republicans are all about.


Democrats = poor and newly rich and Republicans = rich. No matter what words or euphemisms are used to soften the issue, ALL politics are ALWAYS about the rich and the poor fighting over the pie.


A technological, post-Singularity world where strong AI makes superabundance possible will thus cause the very fabric of POLITICS to crumble. This, of course, is the inevitable future - unless people figure out a way of stopping technology cold -- and that will never happen because humans don't run the the most crutial aspects of managing the world's resources any longer.


AI does. No world banking or police work, for instance, could possibly happen if computer networks were shut down. And many of these machines already run on weak AI. When strong AI comes in, I doubt it will even allow the humans to be in the equation that much.


Unfortunately, about 1% of the population has a gene aberration that causes them to compulsively want to destroy or dominate. These people have no sense of fear thus they can be found in the ranks of serial murders and government officials - for both mass murder AND speaking before audiences require an absence of fear. This, of course, is one of the reasons we have had continuous wars in this world, because those that often rise to power are psychopaths with no natural ability to fear.


You have to be able to confront audiences to be in power and this takes an attenuation of fear. Thus money is this animal's primary tool of enslavement because with it they can hire a military and keep the population indoctrinated through mass media so they stay in power and so they keep society stratified through the inhibition of technology and the destruction of civilization through perpetual war.


Welcome to 2006, Planet Earth, James Jaeger

The West must leave Iraq By Joost van Steenis

Dear reader, this is the 79th Letter of an Autonomous Thinker

In the 16th century the Spanish Empire crumbled away. The former Spanish colonies and protectorates had to find their own way to the future because there was no super-power in Europe. After four hundred years, in which many wars were fought and many people were killed, there are some signs that a new kind of world is coming into existence. In this period some Western nations found the time to colonise the Rest of the World. In this part of the world independent development stopped because people had to listen to the European Powers and in the last fifty years to the United States. Now the Western superpowers tell the people in the Rest of the World that they have to become democratic, that they have to export their oil, that they have to respect the frontiers that were drawn by the European superpowers. Any independent development is disturbed by the dominating influence of the West that does not give the Rest of the World the possibility to find their own way.

Why should Iraqis, Iranians, North Koreans and all other people in the Rest of the World not have the right to develop themselves, why must they behave as Western leaders dictate, Western leaders that in the last century caused two devastating World Wars in which a tens of millions of people were slaughtered.
The Rest of the World should have the same right as we Europeans. Fight for a few hundred years, kill many people and then emerge from this misery in a new way with a renewed consciousness.

The West should leave Iraq, Afghanistan, the Congo and all those other places where so-called Western-controlled peace-troops prevent any development. I propose to let the Rest of the World alone for a few centuries and only then this part of the world can improve. Now the superpowers have a chilling effect, development is stagnating and the hatred between people is growing. (And by the way even under the patronage of the West millions of people are being killed by seemingly everlasting wars, illnesses and hunger). In the four hundred years Europeans has been fighting each other this hatred somewhat disappeared.

But these philosophical thoughts are worthless without a practical way to break through the present dilemma that a small part of the world reigns over the biggest part.

I propose that we Western masspeople attack the own leaders who want to continue to rule the Rest of the World, who are sending troops to these parts to discipline the people, who are extracting raw materials and using cheap labour that are crucial for our living standard. And all this under the disguise that only they can make the Rest of the World better. Colonial times have proved that improvement never can be achieved by foreign powers that more or less invade other countries.

When you realise that people and not systems block the development of the Rest of the World it is clear that a solution can only come forward when these elitepeople are pressurised. They impede the development to a free society on which also the people in the Third World have a right.

But only Western Masspeople can develop activities that will bring about that Western elitepeople cannot continue to live in their prosperous, secluded and safe eliteworld.

Your truly,


http://members.chello/nl/jsteenis
Ways to increase masspower

I’ve been thinking about Halloween by Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after Oct 29th, 2006

I’ve been thinking about Halloween. Actually I’ve been thinking about commercialization, demographics, candy, origins, pumpkins, and poems. Halloween has become highly commercialized and is second only to the Christmas holiday in terms of hoopla, products, decorations, and spending. The Halloween merchandise now hits shelves before Labor Day weekend. Halloween is really big business.

You see in 2006 36 plus MILLION 5 to 13 year olds will be going door to door in their quest for goodies and treats. The US Census Bureau cites that there are now over 108 MILLION occupied housing units across the nation – all potential stops for the “trick-or-treaters.” You don’t have to be in Transylvania County – North Carolina, Tombstone – Arizona, Pumpkin Center – North Carolina, Cape Fear – North Carolina, or Skull Creek – Nebraska to join in the fun. Halloween is observed everywhere.

There are over 500 US establishments which manufacture non-chocolate confectionery products. These employ over 22,200 people and ship over $7 BILLION of their goods a year. There are over 1,200 US establishments which manufacture chocolate and cocoa products. These employ over 43,300 people and ship over $12.5 BILLION of their goods a year. California leads the nation in producing these products with Pennsylvania following in second place. The average American consumes over 26 pounds of candy during the year and the typical kid gets the lion’s share of theirs around Halloween time. I’m sure doing my part because I’ll be ready with milk chocolate products from Hershey, Pennsylvania for all the ghosts and goblins who come to visit little MacIntosh and me in Creston.

The observance of Halloween type festivities date back hundreds – even thousands -of years to western cultures tracing their origins/histories to the Celts and the Druids. The term “Halloween” and its older spelling “Hallowe’en” traces its beginnings to All Hallows’ Evening - AKA All Saints’ Day. This was moved to November 1 by Pope Gregory III in the 8^th Century. The Druids also regarded November 1^st as New Year’s Day called Samhain – meaning the end of Summer and the conclusion of the harvests.

The Celts believed that this time of an ending/beginning was also one of transition where the laws of time and space were briefly suspended – in limbo, if you will. This allowed spirits – both good and evil, or saints and sinners – to roam the earth amongst the living for a brief time. Bonfires and candles were lit to appease these restless ones, to ward them off, and to illuminate their way back home.

A central icon of the Halloween events is the pumpkin. This vined orange gourd is both carved and decorated for Halloween, and/or eaten in pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Over 1.1 BILLION pounds of pumpkins are produced annually in the United States with almost half of that amount coming from Illinois alone. California, Ohio and Pennsylvania follow as in distance second, third, and fourth places - each producing in excess of 100 MILLION pounds of pumpkins a year. Pumpkin and pumpkin products generate over $105 MILLION in sales each year. Locally, we can see massive fall pumpkin displays every year at Rainwater’s near Rochelle, Jonamac’s near Malta, and the mother-load of all them all – the carved pumpkin exhibition/competition on the Court House lawn in Sycamore.

Carving a pumpkin is a rite of childhood – enjoyed by children of all ages. There is so much room for creativity, not to mention the fun of watching a little person up to their elbows in a gooey mess. Happy, sad, scary, or funny are all within the realm of possibilities. I must confess that in these later years, I’ve resorted mostly to those manufactured fiber/foam ones with the little electric lights inside to brighten up the windows of my house. I even have a line of plastic pumpkins on stakes with flickering tea-light candles inside (along the front and side of the house) to direct my “trick-or-treaters” to the side door. These are all cute, but they are not the same as the real, hand carved creations which only last for one season - kind of like the snowmen created which can only live on as a memory or a photograph.

As a child I learned the poem “Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate.” How many of you learned or remember that one? What did each of those five little pumpkins have to say? In early grade school, I actually wrote this little ditty: “Ghosts and goblins, witches, bats - bright orange pumpkins and black cats – Halloween is really neat – but the best is TRICK or TREAT. Boo!” Not too bad for a little guy, is it? I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright Questions, Inc. 2006 all right reserved.

To “audit” this column of to learn more about the subjects discussed, please check out:

Facts for Features: Halloween Oct 31, 2006

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/007465.html

I’ve been thinking about choices by Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after Nov. 5th, 2006

I’ve been thinking about choices. Actually I’ve been thinking about Americans, hypocrisy, responsibilities, delegations, fractions, fictions, and elections. Deciding between “A” and “B” is not a simple matter – things are not just black or white, or even various shades of gray. Do you make your own choices, or are “your” choices made for you? By not deciding, the choice IS made for you.

You see pretty much everything we do involves choices. We are fortunate to live in a free society where we have far more options open to us than most of the people on the planet. From the moment we rise in the morning until we finally retire to bed at night, we face one decision after another. Some involve seemingly mundane things - like what to wear, when to eat, what to eat, what to accomplish during the day, what routes to take to get us where we are going, what calls to take or make, and how to treat our fellow humans beings. Even our inactions are for the most part a matter of some choice. Will I do “whatever” now, or later – or even do it at all? How many people all over the globe truly enjoy these options of choice like US/us? Have you ever really stopped to TH*NK about THAT?

It is also true that there is a growing element of hypocrisy in the choices behind our actions (and our inactions). How often do we choose to do something because we feel we have to? How often do we choose not to act (or speak up) because of some “image” of our persona would not be best served or furthered by that action, or inaction? If we only do what is expected of us - because it is expected of us, are we really being honest and true to ourselves and maximizing OUR freedom of choices?

Our decisions frequently affect far more than us, or our immediate households. While we have responsibilities to our families, our friends, and our neighbors in the present; we owe where we are now in many instances to those who have gone before us. In like fashion, the choices “we” make today can have short (and long) term consequences for/on those who might follow us. We have been truly blessed as a people and a nation – we ARE the land of the free, because of the brave. And yes, we have a responsibility to leave this - our world - at least as good as we found it. We should leave it no worse!

Our system of government is one of a representative democracy. The Res Publica, rule of the people, is based upon a delegation of governance. Every two years we select from a body of candidates for various public offices and choose who will represent us (and our wishes) in setting the course for our future as a nation. This is a sacred mandate and one NOT taken lightly. The majority rules, or does it?

You see there is only the perception that the majority rules and sets the course for our ship of state. By inaction, or choosing not to participate, the cumulative rule of the 51’s comes into play. If only 51% of all the eligible citizens have registered to vote, and only 51% of those actually vote; the fraction of a fraction algorithm kicks in - creating a sub-population of 26%. Taking this example the final step on Election Day and presuming a very close outcome, 51% of that sub-population of 26% means that some 13% will be the real deciders of who will chart the course for our nation during the next two years. We should now know from past experiences that a lot of damage can happen in just two years.

In this worst case scenario of action by inaction, the fiction of majority rule becomes a miniscule fractional minority that ends up making their choice for all of us. Given all the negativity, muckraking, and out-and-out falsehoods broadcast during the campaigns in this election cycle which have been compounded by all the scandals - sexual and financial, there is a really strong temptation to say: “to Hell with it, I’m not voting at all because they’re all crooks and my vote doesn’t count anyway!” Been there, thought that – but such inaction is still a cop out. Making the effort to choose and to vote you are pro-active, not inactive - you truly become part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

There is a related legal fiction in western democracies that “silence gives consent.” By choosing not to vote, you are in effect deferring your right to decide to the will of those who take the time and make the effort to vote - thereby blessing THEIR decision. I can live with an election that clearly reflects the will of a majority of TH*NK*NG Americans; I’ll have to for at least two more years. Please don’t morph our system of majority rule into the rule of a minority (by proxy) because you chose not to vote for whatever reason! I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright Questions, Inc. 2006 all right reserved.