Reflections on ‘9/29’
Have you noticed that the media is quick to deliver information about the next scourge or menace that we should brace ourselves for, quick to offer hope for a possible solution, but slow to present real ones? The net result of this syndrome is that “bated” listeners, readers, and viewers are put “on alert”… and they stay there.
Did you know that the simple act of feeling nervous actually constricts the flow of blood, and therefore, oxygen to certain parts of your body? Did you know that the simple act of relaxing increases it? Where there is oxygen, there is energy. The immune system also increases its functional effectiveness and efficiency.
The act of breathing deeply increases the spread of oxygen to each cell of the body, which carries a very specific electrical charge when healthy, and a lower one when they are not. And if enough of our cells aren’t healthy, meaning that they are getting enough oxygen and therefore hold an appropriate electrical charge, then we won’t be.
I’ve become wary of those who seek to alarm us while refusing to look at all of our options, examining all available relevant knowledge, to help us discern our best course of action without fear. A course charted with fear is never the best course of action. There is always another way. This is not to say that the journey will be pleasant or fun, but it doesn’t have to traumatic or prolonged, and we don’t have to sacrifice our conscience, or integrity in order to pursue it.
The current decision as to whether to “bailout” or “rescue” Wall Street is a case-in-point. With the U.S. Senate’s passage of a second rescue measure last night by a wide margin, the House of Representatives is hoped to have been influenced enough to ignore the voice of The People, who continue to oppose the bailout, who know that they will have to bear the real brunt of the measure by the decreased value of their dollars, which are hard-earned, though paltry by comparison to those who let the sheer volume of the money that they control do their earning for them.
The pundits continue to talk about the loans that businesses won’t be able to make or receive, and the jobs that will be lost. This $700 billion bailout is no guarantee that such events won’t happen anyway.
The cost of the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq, has thus far is approaching $600 billion since late 2002. (Source http://zfacts.com/p/447.html) It’s interesting to note that their “official” estimate of the war in Iraq cost was $50-60 billion. That is, after White House economic advisor, Lawrence Lindsay, whose estimate of $100-$200 billion was rejected and deemed grounds to be let go.
An error factor on the order of 10x is not unreasonable, given their track record of making decisions like this under fearful duress. Therefore, the $700 billion pressure campaign could turn into a $7 trillion black hole, making the U.S. dollar about as valuable as international currency as the peso (with all due respect to Mexico).
Let’s face it: an adjustment is happening. It is inevitable and unavoidable. That is why this bailout is unwise.
If real estate prices need to come down, then let them do so naturally. If jobs dry up for awhile, so be it. It won’t stay that way. If some banks won’t lend, they’ll soon find that others will, and they’ll lose out. They’ll start lending again. None of the pundits say these things, but they’re true.
In the meantime, if people borrowed and leant money to each other, or exchanged goods for services, and services for goods, they’d achieve two things, (1) they wouldn’t be dependent on “credit” and (2) they’d build better relationships with each other, and stronger, more cohesive communities, which will make us a stronger, more cohesive nation. Right now, that’s not the case. Congress is doing all it can to keep these kinds of improvements from happening. It’s not conspiratorial, it’s just fear.
The People of the United States have been exploited so much and for so long, that it’s all they know. It’s like the man or woman who, only knowing incarceration is released and immediately commits a crime that places him back into a familiar community and environment.
We have been exploited to believe in scarcity; that drugs, money, guns, or government would be our protectors and saviors. None of these statements are true. There are far more effective ways to protect and heal ourselves that don’t involve attacking, poisoning, or gerrymandering the truth.
We profess a belief in God, but do not perceive or acknowledge a connection thereto, much less a presence within, because if God is within us, then “He” is also within those people we’re killing and dropping “smart bombs” on, as well as those we think should be part of the population reduction, and those who are aiming their missiles and angry intent at us. Yet, as long as we deny the presence within all, including ourselves, we’ll stay slave to fears from without. And even then, said fears are not really from outside us… they only appear to be.
Fear is not the only motivator, but it will be the only option suggested by those who are controlled by it. The American People appear to be less motivated by fears, and more in tuned with the truth than the pundits seem ready to acknowledge.
Love is also a motivator, as is passion, intelligence, and wisdom. Freedom is also a motivator, and Americans now realize that each time the government has come knocking lately with a bill deemed imperative to ratify, it came at the expense of precious freedoms.
Look at the first $700 billion measure that was struck down. It gave the Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson, carte blanche powers to use the funds at his discretion, with neither oversight nor recourse. That such a measure would even be suggested, much less written, mulled over, considered prudent, and presented to the American People, gives you an indication of how much your needs and sensitivities are actually being taken into consideration.
The people who are most fearful, are the ones that are the least affected by the problems they are reporting and voting on. They are not as affected by gas prices, not as impacted by real estate prices.
Maybe they’ll have to get rid of a home or two. Maybe they’ll go from five cars to three. Maybe their expense account will be trimmed down from $1,000 a week to $750. Such sacrifices that could indeed occur.
They’re concerned with propping up and maintaining their lifestyles, not yours or mine, while the America we know and love goes down the tube. Otherwise, they’d hear what you’re telling them, and at least look at what life might… will be like, in a post 9/29 world. I’m calling the 777 point stock market decline date September 29, 2008, “9/29” until it is superseded by a greater one.
To you fearful types, it’ll be okay. Okay? If you really want to protect this country, respect the voice and will of its citizens. Instead of telling us that we don’t know, listen, because our voice is clear and strong. I am confident in our ability to work through the fallout of this mess, and if you get over your fears, you might find that connecting to real people once again is a refreshing, rewarding experience.
