First thanks for the compliment, but you misinterpret me. Iraq was about Kings and Control. If you want the truth about Iraq & Iran please read the following passage. I'm sure you have seen those emails about not buying gas on a certain day in protest of the high prices. I usually reply to those emails with the following message:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Oil is simply a fungible (easily interchangeable) commodity, thus it makes little difference who it's purchased from. For example, if US oil companies buy less oil from the Middle East, they'll have to purchase more from another supplier who will then have less to sell to its current customers. These customers will then have to find other suppliers - and who would now have excess supplies - the Middle Eastern countries of course. This argument is also true for virtually any other good. For example, if Saudi Arabians stop purchasing American goods they'll have to buy them somewhere else which, as noted above, pushes out some of the current customers who then look for other suppliers such as Americans. I'm not saying boycotting never works but it's usually only effective over a sustained time period. If we're going to promote true freedom, at a minimum I suggest we start educating ourselves in free market economics so we don't get caught-up in crusades that have little or no chance of success since they're contrary to human nature. There is enough oil in Alaska to supply the US for 200 years at current consumption. For the next 200 years we could be energy independent. Why are we not using it? It is not the tree huggers, they are just the scapegoat. I believe it has more to do with Henry Kissinger in the 1950’s. He went to all the oil producing countries and got them to sign "contracts". All but 2 countries signed on to this, can you guess what 2 countries did not sign on to this? Iraq & Iran…. Are we seeing the bigger picture of why we are at war in the Middle East yet? If the political and corporate powers that be can demonize Iran just a little more the US and Brittan global elitists will be in control of the worlds oil or at least enough to decide what countries get to develop. Shortly after Iran threatened to dump lots of cheap oil onto the market the US started beating the Iran WAR drum. If Iran put a lot of cheap oil into the market it would upset the OPEC monopoly on the commodity. If America was the only consumer of oil this would have a better chance. But China, India, and the rest of the developing world are all vying for the commodity. What if the price of oil is really the same as it was 5 years ago and our dollar is just worth less? Please Watch: The Money Masters, I believe this is the true/main cause of rising gas prices. I absolutely love the idea of this boycott effort, but I feel it is in vein. Please tell me why I am wrong and I will gladly partake in this rebellion.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Please don't misinterpret me again, I do not condone the leadership of Iraq or Iran.
People seem to have this perception that the "presidency" is the top of the food chain. The presidency, as it is today, is little more than a puppet to entertain the masses/herds. The controlling forces within our governments will still be there in 4 years, not much is really going to change regardless of who gets in. Unless enough people can get their head out of their ass and actually take the time to learn what is really going on humanity is doomed to continuing wars/conflicts/racisms/false flag attacks/poverty/starvation. It appears that our corporate masters/kings/tyrants have their own multigenerational game book and you and I are not in it. Please turn off your social programming box and learn how you can tell the king/the mobsters they are not wearing any clothes. The king is fighting for you mind, I am struggling for freedom of humanity. Please Wake Up!

Food for Thought:
It is hard to do things that are good for the planet when your king forces you into "debt slavery".
Does anybody remember back in the 70's they said we were heading for an ice-age?

Your Friend in Freedom
Federal Farmer

 …the knowledge of the man who acts and thinks within the world of his daily life is not homogeneous; it is (1) incoherent, (2) only partially clear, and (3) not at all free from contradictions

corporate owners - George Carlin

How many ways can you say control?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism
'Terminator' and 'traitor' An often (See The Matrix: "often" How many times have you seen this word and then learned something "new") cited controversy is a hypothetical "Technology Protection" technology dubbed 'Terminator'[5]. This yet-to-be-commercialized technology would allow the production of first generation crops that would not generate seeds in the second generation because the plants yield sterile seeds. The patent for this so-called "terminator" gene technology is owned by Delta and Pine Land and the United States Department of Agriculture. Delta and Pine Land was bought by Monsanto in August 2006. Similarly, the hypothetical Trait-specific Genetic Use Restriction Technology, also known as 'Traitor' or 'T-gut', requires application of a chemical to genetically-modified crops to reactivate engineered traits[6][7]. This technology is intended both to limit the spread of genetically engineered plants, and to require farmers to pay yearly to reactivate the genetically engineered traits of their crops. Traitor is under development by companies including Monsanto and AstraZeneca. In addition to the commercial protection of proprietary technology in self-pollinating crops such as soybean (a generally contentious issue) another purpose of the terminator gene is to prevent the escape of genetically modified traits from crosspollinating crops into wild-type species by sterilizing any resultant hybrids. The terminator gene technology created a backlash amongst those who felt the technology would prevent re-use of seed by farmers growing such terminator varieties in the developing world and was ostensibly a means to exercise patent claims. Use of the terminator technology would also prevent "volunteers", or crops that grow from unharvested seed, a major concern that arose during the Starlink debacle. There are technologies evolving which contain the transgene by biological means and still can provide fertile seeds using fertility restorer functions. Such methods are being developed by several EU research programmes, among them Transcontainer and Co-Extra.

I found this article from a source I question and is continuing to grow.
(Please note all the misspellings above... it is as I copied it)

It is interesting that for years I was paid/subsidized to mow down my wheat fields, and now we have food shortages?
 

Your Friend in Freedom
Federal Farmer

You are ranting at the wrong thing.
Tax dollars build prisons.
Tax dollars pay police.
Tax dollars run prisons.
Tax dollars pay politicians to pass drug laws.
Private corporations benefit from slave labor.
(IE... You are competing against a 12 cent an hour worker)
Hmmmmmm
Oh Yea....
Tax dollars bring the coke/crack/drugs into the country.
AND...Tax dollars are used to eliminate the competition (DEA).
Economically this is a very prosperous opportunity for the right private businesses/corporations.
Oh Yea....
Private corporations run/control the government.
Who is building all the prisons?
Are these no bid contracts?
Can anybody say SCAM.
We are little more than sheep/cattle in the grand scheme of things.
Until we "wake up", our corporate masters will continue herding us.
The whole feminist thing is little more than a divide and conquer tactic, please stop playing their game.

Your Friend in Freedom
FF

Can you see the matrix?
USA - 5% world population 25% of world imprisonment total.
Coming to your neighborhood soon.
Please vote for your favorite corporate sponsored president so that we may continue to keep this great economic model running.
 

Quote of the day
The notion of primitive man possessing some inner peace which we civilized people have somehow lost, and need to regain, is a lot of nonsense. Your average New Guinea native lives not only in fear of his enemies, but in terror-struck dread of the unknown.
- Gordon Linsley

I challenge this notion...
Am I so different than everyone else?
I actually find the drudgery of daily life quite mundane.
If not for the unknown life would not be worth existing.
Do most people really fear the future, or is this just a societal assumption?

And the same is true of the contention that we need to return to medieval beliefs. - Remi
Medieval beliefs...."Clarity".... LOL
 

Some/Most of this may be beneath most readers here, but it is written towards the large mass of people who have not yet contemplated where society is "really" going. (aka future humanitarian members)

It is important to remember that the only outcome of any given situation is either good or bad.
This is a truth across humanity as we all intrinsically know right from wrong.

Globalization.....
Free trade and commerce among nations is good and beneficial on many levels.
The only problem with Globalization at this point is that it is being driven by the commerce sector, not the global citizen "YOU".
In step the Multinational Corporations, Global Elite and World Government.
There are many who believe that World Government can solve all our problems.
But what we want to believe and what is reality may not be the same.
Like it or not we have arrived at the global village and it will only continue to grow.
World Government/Federation/Unity is inevitable, there is a very large and powerful force pushing us to this planed destiny.
How we arrive at this destiny is up to humanity itself.

I have stumbled around in this arena a little and want to share my experiences and new found knowledge with others.
It is my aim to make this a beginners guide to living in a global society.
In order to do that successfully we must have a common frame of reference.
Firstly......
You have to look and think outside the box to grasp the bigger picture of what is really happening.
Please try and forget any preconceived notions of society you may have.
Only an open mind is going to survive the next fast moving transitional phase in humanity.
Now.......
Every so often mankind comes up with a new invention that revolutionizes humanity.
The Wheel - The Plow........ The Internet (aka The Information Revolution)
The collective hive mind of the net can be our next tool to a new world of prosperity and harmonious living never before seen,
or it can be the greatest weapon ever to suppress humanity. "There are only two outcomes to any situation".
The day any free speech or information is suppressed on the internet is the day humanity will begin a death spiral.
Google already blocks web content in China so sadly that day has passed, sorry if this is disappointing.
This is allowed because Google, a private corporation like the Federal Reserve, is making money/power.
This is bad because they are allowing an inhumane dictator to brainwash a population by withholding information.
Thus robbing a large portion of humanity from making well educated decisions.
If the internet was withheld from them all together would the people up rise for it?
If they did would it still be filtered?
The internet is making access to virtually limitless information a reality.
Main Stream Media (MSM) your television as it is today, will be obsolete very soon.
As we begin to ingest some of this new found information things we did not know/understand will become blatantly clear.

In the past and present Religious and Political leaders both use information to maintain their control.
You might think that Religion and Nationalism would be two of the biggest "stumbling blocks" to a global society.
You may also think that the religious differences between our cultures would prevent harmonious living.
Now Think Outside the Box.........
Religion and Nationalism are actually two sides of a controlled argument. (welcome to psych class 101)
In reality there is only one "stumbling block" disinformation, or withholding of information.
To a true patriot/humanitarian Religion, Nationalism, and Humanity are all the same.
If you look at different religions they all have more in common than they have in differences.
Honesty, Compassion, Peace... Sounds like good "building blocks".
Every day more and more light is being shed on how our global infrastructure is actually set up.
A lot of information in the coming revolution has been around for some time, but it has been suppressed.
The differences in the information you get from MSM and the internet are a bit overwhelming.
Your televisions will tell you that Global Government is something we are working towards.
The internet will tell you it has been around for a very long time, or at least a form of it has.

Mind-Blowing........
One of the first truths you will learn about the revolution is that information has and is being used by tyrants to maintain their control.
The next thing you will learn is that tyrants turn up in unexpected places, you are living in tyranny, most people on this planet are.
I don't mean to keep picking on China, but it does have the most widely known Communistic/Suppressive/Tyrannical form of Government. From their newspapers to their televisions to their internet information is controlled by their government.
Before reading further you need to watch & understand this documentary Outfoxed
If you did not or were not able to watch the documentary you should know that virtually all media from your television is controlled. It really does not matter where you live. USA or China you are getting filtered/censored/controlled information. The internet has overcome enough obstacles to truly become something truly God like. This can not be emphasized enough. If you follow the rabbit down the hole you will see the son of man on the horizon. But you will also see that the days of lies and crimes against humanity are numbered. We have within our grasp and within our intellectual capability of creating a global truth, a truth that will allow humanity far greater achievements than most people can comprehend at this time. A universal truth is coming and humanity is facing one of two outcomes. Global Peace or Global Control. You and I are living in one of the most exciting times in the evolution of mankind. The solutions to the worlds problems are at hand if you are willing to open your mind.

Welcome to The Real Matrix.......
The problems we have today and the problems we have had since the beginning of time are the same.
They are simply different manifestations of the same problem.
Why are things the way they are?
Throughout most of humanity a few have ruled the many, this is true today.
When tyrants want you to believe a certain way  they withhold or otherwise distort the truth/information.
No one is sure when it really happened but a turn for the worst in humanity occurred in the late 1800's.
Distorted truths were given to the public via newspapers and the MSM outlets of the time thus leaving humanity making decisions with less than truthful information. This incorrect information has become engrained as a social norm. In fact we have all been taught so much disinformation for so long we refuse to accept the truth when we see it because the greater implications appear to be far reaching.
Today with the internet a growing number of people are discovering the truths that could wipe tyranny from the planet.
There are mountains of information that the public has simply never been informed of.
As you begin to realize the bulk and scope of this hidden/suppressed/misrepresented information you will begin to see just how controlled our lives really are. Your natural need for order and control will cause you to want to disbelieve. But slowly you will come to realize the real problem Humanity has before it. "Tyranny / Elitism"

The Good The Bad The Ugly..........
"Many people of a Libertarian/Republican mindset have an automatic horror of the word government.
Government can indeed be most troublesome and the main source of many evils, but we should not blind ourselves to the necessary functions of government just because we have an acute sensitivity to the possible ways in which government can go wrong." This is a popular argument you will hear. It is correct in that a lot of people are going to resist world government. But organized social existence is necessary in a highly specialized society. What "Libertarians" actually fear are the people who wish to control it. Big government will be corrupt there is no escaping it, it borderlines a law of nature. Simply having the grid work/blueprint for a good governmental system is not enough. It takes people of the utmost character to run it. People of Truth, Honesty, Compassion, and Love. Think of a pyramid; a few at the top and many at the bottom... the many serve the few. Turn it upside down.... many at the top, few at the bottom.... the few serve the many. Do we have kings or do we have public servants? This line has been severely distorted by our information outlets.
The kings are loosing their monopoly on information, and the internet/information revolutionaries are hell bent to expose the hidden kings.

The Religious Aspect.......
Some will say our religious differences are a major "stumbling block", but it is actually one of humanities greatest strengths.
It is our intrinsic knowledge of right and wrong that will bind us in the end.
This may come as a shock, but 99% of the worlds population wants to get up in the morning and support their family just like you.
But the worlds basic desire for peaceful co-existence is in tumult by a very small 1% or less.
It is only the tyrants of the planet that exaggerate minor differences and use them against us.
As you learn more about the revolution you will see/learn that the whole religious argument is quite pointless.
It is only our leaders/tyrants that promote these ideas, you and I only regurgitate their rhetoric, please stop.
If you hear someone arguing the religion card it is only because they are still stuck in the matrix of lies or they want power over you.

Prevention of War.......(Outside the box on this one)
You are going to find that most of the information coming from the revolution is going to be against the grain of common thought or social norms. There are common threads between nearly every conflict on the planet. This also appears to be true throughout history. These threads are prolific and easy to trace. As humanity learns of these facts the tyrants will have no choice but to de-escalate their positions of dominance for fear of facing the mobs. The time of Elitism/Tyranny is nearing an end. All the world is a stage, the internet is an open book, and the genie is out of the bottle. Warring nations are actually starting to take a back seat to the next form of tyrannical population control/police state. It should be alarming that those most pushing for world government are in charge of all this. The robber barons of the past "elite" have perfected their craft so well they have robed us all of the truth and we never knew it.

How Humanity is Shaped......
Right now there is a core truth or a very well crafted controlled argument brewing and growing on the net.
Madison Avenue has perfected the craft of "selling" us, and our tyrants have nearly perfected the craft of manipulating us.
The wide spread indications of mind control become apparent after awhile. You will come to question all you know and you will continue to question the new reality you have found. Speaking from experience the human mind can redefine its entire perception of the world in a very short time. Though this will come with strife, the newfound understanding will be worth it.

We are on the doorstep of a revolution.
The end of artificial and meaningless barriers between people are at hand!
Will tyranny continue to rule Humanity as it has throughout history?
Or will Humanity wipe this social horror from the planet?
Only you and the information revolution can answer that question.

Your Friend in Freedom
Federal Farmer

…the knowledge of the man who acts and thinks within the world of his daily life is not homogeneous;
it is (1) incoherent, (2) only partially clear, and (3) not at all free from contradictions

a long time ago a conversation was started on the internet...............
What should we say?
I don't know
It should be a message of peace love and brotherly understanding.
I will second that.
Yea
Do we understand our places and where we need to be?

Global Population.....

Confusion is the Weapon......

World Government or World Federation?....... It is going to be World Something.

A Thought.....
With my new found knowledge I now know that for the most part our history has very little "what really happened" facts in it.
Example: Ron Paul early on kept making the comment "Those who say if we leave it will turn into a bloodbath are the same ones who said it was going to be a cakewalk going in" we was making significant political gain with this comment. Very shortly after was the "surge" and the media hyping how well/much progress we are doing. Shortly after that Ron Paul stopped using that in his speeches. (this was the death blow to his campaign in my opinion) How did Madison Ave sell us the "surge" again? Do you see the "Matrix" yet?

Did you know....
A large portion of the Mexican population is being taught that America stole their land from them? (or at least that is what a significant portion of the US population is being taught) That same US "portion" is being hyper-nationalized at the same time. Am I the only person who sees trouble brewing here? The same people own Mexican and American television stations. I was told by MSM the "march" was because "they just wanted their rights". They neglected to tell me about the previous fact. (control the information, control the population)

FF

Lectures are are easy.   unasked for advice is a waste of time for both the giver and the receiver ,with that in mind some advice from some   one who is and has been  where you are now and understands exactly your hopes and frustration, however imagine if you will that you are a grain of sand on a very large beach , a gifted, bright shining grain  of sand but a grain non the less, scattered along the beach are many similar grains of sand who know that the tide is coming and is going to rearrange the beach but the vast majority of the sand neither knows, cares or would understand if it were explained to them. What benefit is there in shouting an alarm and make everyone mad The tide will come and cover the beach in any case, you and them.

Read study believe anything you choose but play the game smile agree conform use the system to better your family and think to yourself and for your self you cannot stem the tide.

                Your favorite father in law
---------------    ----------------   ---------------
What if…….
That gifted grain of sand saw the world was good and evil and evil was winning?
For the very survival of that grain and all others he knows he must do something.
I feel I have been provided with knowledge that most are completely unaware of.
I fully understand your view, I really do.

But you may be falling victim to the generational gap.
You may be viewing the internet as a nice convenience
I am starting to see that there is more of a collective conscience forming.
Large groups of people are starting to figure out what is really going on.
In this environment of totally open and free exchange of ideas the better or more truther ones are sticking and floating to the top.
In a short time a global truth will begin, has already begun, to emerge.
The days of lies and crimes against humanity are numbered.
One of two outcomes are possible….
The tyrants that have ruled humanity since the dawn of time will somehow monopolize the world’s information.
…thus retaining their power and enslaving humanity to what the few think best….
OR
Enough people can expose the tyrants for who they are and prevent them from withholding information from humanity.
Information is truth and truth belongs to everyone.

I actually feel a bit of moral obligation to humanity to at least try and get the other grains of sand to see the bigger picture while there is still time.
There is a multigenerational game plan that is being played out, but I feel the advent of the internet has disrupted this plan.

The wheel… the plow…. all of mankind’s advances combined will pale in comparison to what is coming.
The information revolution is going to redefine humanity to the core.

I hope answering the second draft won't leave out anything important. (Should I maybe delete the first draft?) [Leave it in for history sake ;-] But let's start with your preliminary statement: Americas problem is the commerce sector runs the government. (In steps the multinational corporations/global elite/World Government) I strongly agree with the first sentence, noting only that America has many problems, but that certainly one of the biggest is as you say. I think one indication of this is the extent to which we are all subjected to a constant barrage of ads. Madison Avenue (I'm just using this phrase as a shorthand for the advertising industry) intrudes heavily into virtually all the television channels. I have developed a habit of muting the sound whenever a commercial comes on. It intrudes mercilessly on the Internet. Perhaps this exaggerated emphasis on selling goods and services is simply the result of a strong ideologically based acceptance of free market capitalism (I place Madison Ave. in the capitalism category. a "free market" will only work to improve efficiencies and inequalities.) as the end-all and be-all of the good life. I don't understand "In steps . . ." Do you mean that the three things you list step in? (If so, you meant to say "In step . . .") Or do you mean that the three things represent some kind of sequence of steps or stages moving toward some end state? (I meant "In step".... But I do like "in steps" it would need to be reordered to read... Global Elite, Multinational Corps., World Government)  Next you quote John Bates's essay in which he identifies nationalism and religion as the two principle obstacles to the desired end. (For the moment I'll leave that end undefined.) I'm not sure I understand what you meant by asking if religion and nationalism are "two sides of a controlled argument". Perhaps they are actually, in some sense, the same argument, (exactly... they are the same, it is a pointless argument, but one that happens again and again) since both religion and nationalism involve unquestioning acceptance of beliefs. I would add ideology which all too frequently does the same thing. The notion of "unquestioning acceptance" is only promoted by tyrants. It is human nature to question everything. If you go against nature it can not be good. On a larger note.... I have seen a lot of commercials for a church that promotes bi-racial marriage and gay attendance. (indicating they are all inclusive) If you view the world as I do you would see the perfect timing of this with one of the first explosions of the information revolution. The elite know what is happening to a degree or completely... (I'm not sure). I believe it is an attempt to shore up and maintain their information control over more of the population. Coincidently that population is in the same demographic as a person most likely to use the internet. MSM is becoming more like the net to compete.

Next you identify misinformation or secrecy as "the only" stumbling blocks. Certainly they are important. People who are dedicated to maintaining religious, national-historic, or ideological beliefs very frequently do engage in suppression of information and promulgation of false information.

Then you say, To a true patriot Religion, Nationalism, and Humanity are all the same. I take it that your concept of "a true patriot" is whatever it is we want to be and want all others to be. I can't agree that those three things are all the same. But I suspect that I can sympathize with your desire for people to have a positive attitude toward what the framers of the Constitution called "the general welfare". I actually struggled with the word "patriot" in that line, it is probably not a coincidence that you mention it. Originally I wrote "To a true Humanitarian, Religion Nat....." What is a person who is of the culmination of Religion, Nationalism, and Humanity?

An aside seems appropriate here. I watched Pope Benedict XVI on television and noticed that I was experiencing a positive emotional response to him and the associated pageantry. Thoughts leading to these positive feelings were something like, "Here is a thoroughly good man doing his utmost to promote world peace. Look at him! What a benign and inspiring example of a typical loving Italian father! How humble he is in spite of his situation as a representative of Jesus of Nazareth who so insightfully promoted peace and love!" I could go on, but I'll be merciful. Of course I later found out that he's German, not Italian, and that some of his statements vis-a-vis the policies of the Roman Catholic Church are impossible for me to approve or agree with. The reason I mention this little episode is that I am in hopes that FF will see in it a sort of emotional consonance with his remark about the "true patriot". (I am leaning towards Humanitarian being a better "word") Maybe he'll think I might be a candidate for that appellation! I feel quite sorry for John Bates if the ideas expressed above are his true thoughts. Does anyone have a clear definition of Love, or know exactly what it is? According to Mr. Bates Love as well as God does not exist. Well, according to 1 John 4:8 ". . . God is love." Again it seems to me that FF is ". . . feeling out of sight for the ends of Being and ideal Grace" (to quote E. B. Browning), and I sympathize with his need to do that. And in some sense this longing for benevolence must be nearly universal. He is right not to be sure he feels sorry for John Bates. It all depends on whether the ideas he expresses are his "true thoughts" as read by FF. This is somewhat reminiscent of my thoughts in seeing the Pope on TV. Well, all this simply emphasizes the real difficulty of grappling realistically and effectively with these enormous problems! And now DWA will ask for clarity. Lotsa luck! Am I misperceiving my environment?  I get the impression there is a significant number of people who do not believe in God, or maybe this has been part of my social programming. All the same it was my humble attempt to get a non believer to believe. I like the "intrinsically know right from wrong" (is a religion) comment better. The internet is going to be all inclusive (It and I really don't know if you are straight, gay, or a government agent, and we really don't care... bring good ideas and truth to the table and you will be welcomed) hence "MSM is becoming more like the net to compete" (The free market is good)

Then, Although I understand his distrust for organized religion, religion is only a part of society. Society as a whole is not completely defined by its religion. If you look at different religions they all have more in common than they have in differences. Honesty, compassion, peace... Sounds like good building blocks to me. Yes. The task is to refine religion, nationalism, and ideology so that the good parts come through and leave the bad parts behind. How can this be done? Is it possible? I make so bold as to say that I believe it is possible. It is not only possible it is essential. How to do it....... There seems to be a common enemy of all humanity, Tyranny. If what I am learning is true humanity will need to, and willingly,  put aside it's differences and unite against a common enemy. I can't help but wonder if this is not part of a bigger game plan as yet undiscovered.

At this point I'm going to have to suspend this post. I'll come back and discuss other parts of your very long but very welcome contribution to our discussions, Federal Farmer!  The length issue seems popular here. I find it odd everyone here wants world peace, but are unwilling to work/read/learn about it. Hypocrites! Please try and break out of your social programming of easy fixes. The real world requires a little more of you. (Sorry, I will probably never win any awards for political correctness) All the same my goal is to change the minds of highly controlled (quick fix type) people. If I am to be affective I need to be aware of this issue. Thanks to all for the feedback, good and bad we are all thinking.  :-) FF

A sad day for the Farmer.
If I can program my Darpa tractor to plow plant and harvest what is my role in society? LOL

Thanks....
The banner is actually synonymous with the Ron Paul R3VOLution.
Those who can see the matrix have kind of adapted it as their own.
If you can "see it" please feel free to use it and promote the freedom message.
I have witnessed quite possibly the most honest presidential candidate get totally shafted and ignored by MSM.
Actually hundreds of thousands witnessed it.
I believe the old guard/MSM/elite are a little thrown by how quickly the information revolution spread early on in the presidential primary elections. If the election were held with only well informed citizens RP would win by a 80% margin.
At least that is what he got on nearly every internet/call in poll.
When he started winning all the straw polls the media simply stopped reporting straw poll results.
The only people who got that information were internet users for the most part.
Out of site out of mind ... and now the well meaning public is about to elect another 4 years of corruption.
... but they are starting to loosing their death grip on the truth/information.

I really do think you need to add an economics branch in your headings.
Just to make people aware of it if nothing else.
I would be happy to write/plagiarize an Economics Statement for you.  LOL

Your Friend in Freedom
Federal Farmer

…the knowledge of the man who acts and thinks within the world of his daily life is not homogeneous;
it is (1) incoherent, (2) only partially clear, and (3) not at all free from contradictions

a long time ago a conversation was started on the internet...............
What should we say?
I don't know
It should be a message of peace love and brotherly understanding.
I will second that.
Yea
Do we understand our places and where we need to be?

Americas problem is the commerce sector runs the government. (In steps the multinational corporations/global elite/World Government)

Years ago, John Bates posted the following message to The Truth Tree's General Message Board. I have edited it somewhat and with his permission submit it as the first part of The Truth Tree's Position Statement on World Government.

Begin quote:
Some while ago, after watching on television the suffering of so many people throughout the world, I decided to try to write a book--one that would encourage people of all nations to work together in an effort to ease some of this suffering. Bringing about constructive changes in this direction will require a unified world effort which has never been possible in the past. Now, however, we have satellite instant world-wide television, pocket audible electronic language translators, and, best of all, the Internet.

Soon after the onset of my research into how this might be achieved it became obvious that the two biggest stumbling blocks were going to be religion and nationalism.  And the greater of these is undoubtedly religion. So it would seem that when it comes to helping people to help themselves the only possible way to achieve any beneficial results is, first, prove the harmfulness and absolute futility of religions and to render them all impotent. Expecting the religions to settle their differences is unrealistic.
Religion & Nationalism: 2 sides of a controlled argument?
There is only one "stumbling block" disinformation (or withholding of information)
To a true patriot Religion, Nationalism, and Humanity are all the same.
I feel quite sorry for John Bates if the ideas expressed above are his true thoughts.
Does anyone have a clear definition of Love, or know exactly what it is?
According to Mr. Bates Love as well as God does not exist.
Although I understand his distrust for organized religion, religion is only a part of society.
Society as a whole is not completely defined by it's religion.
If you look at different religions they all have more in common than they have in differences.
Honesty, compassion, peace... Sounds like good building blocks to me.

However, there is reason for optimism. Today, people the world over are more sensible than they have ever been in the past, and logically so. They now have at their disposal all the past knowledge that others before them never had. Religious and Political leaders both used to restrict access to knowledge that would undermine their power. This restriction is no longer possible now that the information revolution has provided almost instant access to almost any information anyone could want to obtain. This fact should make the task considerably less difficult.
Don't be fooled. digital information is as much if not more easily manipulated.

So, after weighing the feelings of the many religious individuals against the positive worldwide greater gain which could be realized by neutralizing religion (the mental debate for this decision took only seconds,) we come to the important business of attacking religion in a constructive but effective way. (attacking anything is not constructive) That so many apparently sane and sensible people all over the world can believe in any part of any religion is a miracle in itself. How can they? Religions are evil! They have caused and continue to cause more wars, more hatred, more fear and frustration than all the world's geological disasters put together.
I wholeheartedly agree Organized Religion is bad, but it is those that live without religion (honesty, compassion, and peace) that are causing all the problems. George Bush's ideas/thoughts have probably killed more people than Bin Laden's at this point. Is he really a religious person? (Bush is a patsy, the real power lays beyond him)

Religion defeats itself. How can it be that each of the hundreds of religions that exist around the world can be believed by so many when each of these hundreds of religions claims to be the "one true religion?" The only true religion is no religion at all! Religions are by far the greatest shackles Mankind has ever had to endure. To list the atrocities committed in the name of religions would require a thicker book than the Bible. The money and time wasted because of religion is truly phenomenal. Think of the cost! All the religious artifacts all over the World; Churches, Cathedrals, Mosques, Shrines, Paintings, Engravings, Carvings etc, etc. All the wages for more than 1500 years. Enough to make every starving child a millionaire. And time! In the time that people and parsons have stood singing, dancing, and praying they could have built the Universe. Oh! Praying! When the children are starving don't do anything practical to help them; just pray! To wait in hope for help from a god is not constructive, it is positively destructive! The mind blows and more children starve. These are some of the costs of retaining religions. But these costs become next to nothing when one considers the human cost. No, not just the time billions of people have wasted in the churches, not just the money these people paid that enabled the religions to make a profit even after all the above-mentioned expenditures, but consider the staggering human mental cost of these ridiculous useless belief systems. The lives wasted, the fear propagated, all the religious myths that caused so much hardship and suffering over so many years: People afraid to die for fear of burning in the religiously concocted "Hell fires." Even the great teacher known as "the prince of peace" mentioned the fires of Hell. The effects of this and other religious teachings have caused thousands of people to burn themselves and to torture others in order to prepare them for the agonies they expected to endure in purgatory. It is only 200 years since the last women and children were burned alive as so- called witches. Many believers lived in constant fear. The diaries of writers and poets over hundreds of years make horrendous reading. They describe the many tortures they inflicted on each other, the years they spent terrified, even though they had committed no crime whatsoever. "Hell" is such a stupid vile concept, devised by greedy evil people in order to control and exploit their fellow men and women. Religious sexual laws imposed many additional hardships upon families. Another sad aspect is the number of people who blame themselves after some tragic occurrence has taken place. They cry out, "What have I done wrong to offend my God so much that he would do this to me?" Many people are very badly affected by this even though they know that they have done nothing wrong. Why do people torture themselves and blame themselves? Why, oh why? It is because they have been taught the concept of "sin" by religious teachers who need for their followers to suffer so that they will seek solace in religion!
Most of this is just a rant of rhetoric.
I do believe the idea of sin was a creation of evil people as a form of control over their subjects.
"If you don't do what I tell you, you will have an eternity of less than desirable circumstances."
Have I made bad decisions, Yes... but that does not make me an evil person nor a "sinner"..
I was just a person who did not have all the information I needed to make a good decision.
(I am sure god will forgive me for not knowing something, the real question is can I forgive myself)
John Bates needs to redefine his idea of religion.
People intrinsically know the difference between right and wrong. (this in itself is a religion)
God does not force you to choose a good life so why do people of god force you to live by their interpretation of the rules?
(I thought this was world government not religion??)
To be a shift for the good be more encompassing to expect a religion less planet is unrealistic.
Humans are as much about religion as we are flesh and bone.
A good topic/project would be to blend all religions, we really do have more in common than we do in differences.
Evil, power, money, global elite exaggerate the differences against us.
If we fight amongst ourselves we will overlook the people doing it to us.
If we are missing pieces of information we will make bad decisions......
See how this works? it is so simple.......
Once you learn to see the "Matrix" you are actually sickened by it. Mainly because it is so easy to fix if people would just pay attention..
Just as many fail to see the Matrix at this time, many fail to see God. But yet they are both all around us.
(Ohh that is GOOD!)  LOL
At one time in my life I may have written something very similar to what Mstr. Bates has, but because I continue to have an open mind and "question" my own religion/beliefs/moral compass I have found greater truths.
There should never be an issue with questioning your religion.
Truth, Love, and God are all the same, and if "YOU" allow it they will all cause you pain and suffering.
Pain and suffering are not necessarily evil.... but it is a good indicator you or someone else is not living with Truth, Love, Compassion, God. Just for fun take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. At the top of the two columns write "good" and "bad". Now try to categorize everything you can think of into those two groups.
good             |    bad
God              |    Evil
love              |    hate
compassion   |   not caring
life                |
pain              |    pain
In my example you may have been inclined to put death opposite of life (for many years I did, but then I assimilated new information)
Also you may wonder how pain can be in both columns.
If you did not feel pain you would not know anything is wrong.
The knowledge of something being wrong is good.
Please question your reality, nothing can grow without change.

Only this week, the wife of a very poor man died. He had struggled desperately to look after her during a long period of illness. After her death it was discovered that she had money but that she had bequeathed it in her will to the church. One may say "But people need Religion." Yes, some do, but only because they have been purposely taught to need it by their particular religious group, be it any one of the 5OO or more all set to take your money and brainwash you and your children anew.
I can only hope he goes after crooked politicians as well as he does crooked religious figures.
I am starting to see all the similarities between Organized Religion and Organized Politics..

When many wonderful inspiring deeds and kindnesses are performed by religious people (and there are many) it is the people who deserve the credit, not the religion. (Amen Brother :-) The same well-meaning people would do the same without a religion. They would find a way of their own. There have been many non-religious philanthropists. What has any religion ever achieved? Apart from creating hatred, nothing!
Here is one of my favorite hypocrisies.
Because some aspects of religion have been corrupted we should eliminate all religions, therefore
because some aspects of government have been corrupted we should eliminate all governments.
ROFLMAO (one could replace the word government with religion thought this paper and it would still make sense)

When a religion uses a god, supposedly omnipotent omnipresent and omnibenevolent, the congregations are made to believe that that god created and controls the whole world. How can one reconcile this with the fact that there are other religions with their own myths using entirely different gods each believing that theirs is the only god. This means that really to believe your own religion is an insult to all the others!

Different religions have used fundamentally contradictory concepts for the world's creation. If God created the Universe twelve to fifteen billion years ago, wasn't he a bit old to have a son yesterday, so to speak? And if he created man in his own image, then he too must have been algae in the same primordial soup. Do religious people purposely have no interest in archaeology or geology? Could it be they are afraid of these subjects? How can they doubt the mountains of evidence these disciplines have provided? Today we should all know that evolution is fact. Indisputable fact. We should all know that mankind has inhabited the world for millions of years. It can be seen to be fact. Archaeologists and paleontologists are digging up the bones on a daily basis--everything from dinosaurs to prehistoric men and sabre toothed tigers. Yet some people still believe in ideas that were concocted and written as books which supposedly came from God or from "the gods." We have the Torah, the New Testament, the Vedas and Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Book of Mormon, the Koran and many many others. There are probably hundreds more religions kicking about out there each with its own holy book. How can any of it be true? It is just not possible!

But is it so surprising? When we have all been indoctrinated with some aspect of religion/political belief/social norms from birth, first by our mothers, then the school, then the legions of preachers and priests. And don't forget the soothsayers and witchdoctors!

No, it's not surprising. It's sad, especially when one can see it happening to tiny children. They, the most vulnerable of us, should certainly not be taught to believe lies that create hate. They should be taught to love their neighbours--not just those in their neighbourhoods but all their neighbours worldwide.

We don't need religions. We have enough disease. We need truth and trust. What can we do to bring Mankind together? The key is communication. Free, open, truthful communication will either cure or alleviate many of the world's insanities.
 Nota bene:
(1) We live in a chaotic, unplanned world. Alert people to this fact.

(2) Advertise worldwide that what is called "national sovereignty" is the equivalent of advocating street gangs on a worldwide scale.
He is assuming because our "leaders" want or were led to believe that we must war with one another that all of the nation wants the same thing. 70% of our military wants to leave Iraq, 80% of Americans want to leave Iraq... why are we still there?
Don't confuse corrupt leadership with National Sovereignty. If there were only 10 nations and one of them fell into a dictatorship, there would be nine others to help the one. If there were only one nation who would come to help if it fell into a dictatorship?
Evil people will always seek power this is a reality we need to teach more.
Not everyone seeking power is evil however.

(2) Learn how nations have been created and how groups of nations, states, or provinces have cooperated in the past to their mutual benefit. Then promote these ideas.

Nationalism may not be as difficult to break down as religion probably will be. Perhaps the best weapon against the idiotic chauvinism that despots can use to create war is to expose the deceptions and connivings that every existing country in the world has in its history. These ill deeds are typically covered up by various shenanigans of the press and the established authorities. (he does recognize an aspect of the matrix) We should endeavor to unmask these unsavory secrets (like the federal reserve) and publish them so that millions will be much harder to fool than they have been in the past. Revealing the (thousands of) hundred years secret lists will help. Some of the deeds perpetrated by Britain and America should help to remove their undeserved majesty and bring a breath of fresh air into the argument. Religions, as we have pointed out, may not be so easy. There are so few people who don't believe in god that they could almost be ignored. To cancel the effects of years of continual brain washing will take some time. However, so much truth about all those religions can now be sent worldwide via one or more of our miraculous cyber-tools. Many atrocities have been and are still being committed in the name of religion. Accurate portrayal of these sordid truths should help to counteract the religious propaganda. The existence of so many diverse cults with so many conflicting claims should not be allowed to remain secret. The salient features of these insane group hysterias should be shouted from the roof tops. Humanity will soon see reality. There are mountains of documented history in libraries and vaults, proving just who "bribed the scribes" in order to manipulate the masses. There are lists of documented deeds, invidious, horrendous, obnoxious deeds they have all committed. These should be placed on the Internet where people will find them. It can be done. With truthful education, common sense must prevail. The cost of retaining Religion and Nationalism is tremendous, but the gains that will accrue from working in unison are astronomical. Of the world's wealth, 95% is currently being controlled by one billion of the world's people. The remaining 5% is left for the other four billion. The world in a very large alien universe is a minute speck. One day people will convert to Worldism. But how soon?

I would like to hear your thoughts on the feasablity of the above. Post messages here on The Truth Tree.

End Quote. As Grouch has pointed out (in the message board) John's letter emphasizes religion as an obstacle to world government. There can be no doubt that religion is a significant problem, but The Truth Tree (Remi, that is) takes the position that whatever one may say about religion and its many irrational features, it is an important part of the social landscape of the human race and isn't going to go away just because of its irrationalities. An interesting test for any intellectual would be to prognosticate the future course of religion. In so doing he would reveal much about his world view. So while the Tree agrees with John's complaints about religion to a significant degree, it does not believe that abolishing religion would be either possible nor desirable. There are elements within the major religions which are just what is needed to increase feelings of brotherhood between different peoples and to stimulate the accurate perception of the need for some better way for nations to cooperate than what they have so far achieved. Perhaps the most salient reason for establishing some form of world government or federation is the prevention of war. You must realize that those most pushing for world government are also those instigating all the conflicts. Another is to provide a forum or deliberative body to assess the many supernational problems, such as world population and the preservation or management of the terrestrial environment, which if left to the individual nations would in all likelihood receive scant attention. (in steps the Internet) We already have in our history the needed guidelines. We have seen how wars between city states become irrelevant when they join small nations and how the enmities between small nations can be successfully mitigated when small nations join together in larger nations. The history of governments provides guidelines for the structural requirements of the needed world government including the necessary parts such as executive, legislative, and judicial as well as the principle of checks and balances.
The dangers of large nations (my own personal fear of world government) is that America in one manner is 50 little countries, we all have our own state constitutions, and there are supposed to be lines drawn between what our Federal government can fore a state to do. Unfortunately I see a huge corrupted federal bureaucracy ballooning out of control. I would hate to see the "United Nations" corrupted and ballooning out of control..... Oh wait IT IS..... Wake the fuck up people PLEASE.

Many people of a libertarian turn of mind (that is me :-) have an automatic horror of the word government. Government can indeed be most troublesome and the main source of many evils. Constructing a manageable government which will not run out of control is perhaps analogous to constructing a rocket that doesn't explode. We should not blind ourselves to the necessary functions of government just because we have an acute sensitivity to the possible ways in which government can go wrong.
Note:
If you look closely I believe you will find most of the religious corruption comes from the political arena.
I do agree though government (organized social existence) is necessary, Libertarians (at least me) actually fear the people who wish to control it. Big government will be corrupt there is no escaping it, it borderlines a law of nature almost.
Simply having the grid work/blueprint for a government is not enough.
It takes people of the utmost character to run it. People of Truth, Honesty, Compassion, Love and "what is it there is one more thing that belongs in this list of common variables.... Hmmmm  (-;
Think of a pyramid; a few at the top and many at the bottom... the many serve the few.
Turn it upside down.... many at the top, few at the bottom.... the few serve the many.
Do we have kings or do we have public servants?

Never before in the history of the world has it been possible for virtually any two people on the planet to converse with each other at will. Even the language barrier has been significantly reduced by services such as Systran. Using this service you can compose a message in your own native language and send it to the other person in his native language. Then he can reply to you by reversing the process. Try it! it works surprisingly well! The Truth Tree would like to invite speakers of languages other than English to participate. (I note that at this time the German translation is not as good as the French.)
Every once in a while technology or our "clever thinking" revolutionizes humanity in profound ways.
We are on the doorstep of the next revolution.
Will we have tyrants who have succeeded in dominating the planet?
Or will we have a humanity with new found compassion and intelligence we cant imagine?
Good and Evil are really the only two outcomes in any situation.
This is the reason evil has to control both sides of the argument, it can not argue with the truth.

Another Thought on Religion.....
Do we need to homogenize into one, or can the commonalities between them be enough?
I suspect once we weed out the corruption/evil that answer will present itself.

We (I do not, at this time,) support the creation of The European Union with the hope that other unions will take place upon the other continents, evolving into one day a world government.
The only global thing we need is HONEST INFORMATION.
9/11 is lie, where does it go from there?

Let there be an end to artificial and meaningless barriers between geographical regions people!
Amen Brother....
We are on the verge of redefining humanity in a very big way.
Redefine: to change the nature or scope of something to be understood differently.

Your Friend in Freedom
Federal Farmer

…the knowledge of the man who acts and thinks within the world of his daily life is not homogeneous;
it is (1) incoherent, (2) only partially clear, and (3) not at all free from contradictions

a long time ago a conversation was started on the internet...............
What should we say?
I don't know
It should be a message of peace love and brotherly understanding.
I will second that.
Yea
Do we understand our places and where we need to be?

Reply: You fail to understand me............

Look at it this way...
The monetary system of the US is designed to consolidate all of this countries wealth to a very few people.
This is a cold hard fact!!!! - Please research fractional reserve lending.
The Federal Reserve came to existence under questionable circumstances.
The root of all evil is money, or rather the power that comes with the possession of it.
In essence the American people as well as other countries were lied to about their economic system.
In order to correct this wrong we need to educate others about it.

The Tricky Part....
Most people think of conspiracies as UFO's and tin foil hats. (not by accident either)
But this really is not the conspiracy MSM wants you to believe it is.
"But your saying everyone in television is evil"
NO, I am saying the few people who get to decide what information we get from our televisions are questionable.
Then when you see there are pretty direct connections between the people who control what we see and the people who control our money and the only people we get to choose from for president  you really have to start asking questions.
Unless you can disprove all of the information provided here you now need to decide what kind of person you are.

For the Sake of Humanity........
Are you somebody who wants to stick their head in the sand and pretend this does not exist?
(I will not feel bad for not feeding you if you let things get that bad)
Are you somebody who cares enough about your fellow man and wants to learn more and tell others?
Or are you somebody who believes somebody like me threatens your survival/power?
Time is short and you need to decide where you stand.
If you see the world as good and evil 2 of the above answers will put you in the evil category.
The worlds beacon of freedom is being replaced with a police state.
The controllers of this police state will then have a prison planet of debt slaves.

Mans Greatest Tool Ever..... The Internet
The collective hive mind of the net can be our tool to a new world of prosperity never before seen,
or it can be the greatest weapon ever to suppress humanity.
The day they get to sensor free speech on the internet is the day humanity will begin a death spiral.
Google already blocks web content in China.
It is allowed because Google (a private corporation like the Fed Reserve) is making money/power.
I personally feel this is bad because they are allowing an inhumane dictator to brainwash a population by withholding information.
Thus robbing a large portion of humanity from  making educated decisions.
If the internet was withheld from them all together would the people up rise for it?
If they did would it still be filtered?

Liberty is a very hard thing to achieve and once you do someone is always going to be after that power.
Americans support their entire family on less than they give their king that works to enslave them.
(if your mind is to shallow to understand the above comment please don't comment)

A War Unlike Any Other......
How do you have a war of ideas?
The game plan for victory would be to always control both sides of the argument.
Lets look at this closer......
Are you a....
Republican or Democrat : 2 factions of essentially 1 group (Pro world government types)
(remember Americans are only allowed to chose from pre chosen candidates)
Who is in control the......
American Government or The Money Masters : sometimes the other half of the argument is missing (please re-read the "withholding information" part above)
Sometimes the arguments have merit, but fail to address bigger problems......
Do blacks have rights, can women vote, do gays have rights....ect
I believe all living creatures have god given rights, with that perspective the above arguments become quite pointless.
The net seems to have evolved into two basic political arguments.....
We are going to kill the planet or Our rulers are becoming tyrannical.
Notice the stakes get greater when information can be easily scrutinized.

As the net will eventually evolve into the mainstream media the battle for control over ideas will only escalate.
I could also argue that the Money Masters are 1/2 of all the above arguments.

People become so wrapped up in their daily life they fail to grasp the bigger picture that is all around them.
It is not really entirely their fault though evil is elusive, but the truth is there for all to see.

Your Friend in Freedom
Federal Farmer

…the knowledge of the man who acts and thinks within the world of his daily life is not homogeneous;
it is (1) incoherent, (2) only partially clear, and (3) not at all free from contradictions

Once again:
"The roots of terrorism are in evil men who wish to dominate threw the use of fear mongering."
When fear mongering is thrown, where does it usually land?
Perhaps this was a Freudian error.
It made me ponder when fear mongering is used who does it land on or rather effect?
Do those inducing the fear have those same fears?
If not, are these not evil men?
If they are evil men how do they manage to fool everyone into voting for them?

Your rhetoric would be made more credible by the use of correct language.
Otherwise, you could be perceived by some, as a semi literate illiterate.
Excuse the laughter....But, it does draw a chuckle!

I feel I speak truth not rhetoric.
Rhetoric is repeating something without really understanding what you are saying.
Homer repeats a lot of what you hear on television or your typical stereotype generalizations.
Sadly I feel him to be quite shallow, in his defense he has probably drank a lot of fluoridated water.

I agree credibility goes a long way.
Sadly grammatical errors do get perceived as intelligence.
At high risk of exposing myself here, I would like to add I can master polynomials, but do not know my multiplication tables. Kind of funny the way our brains work Huh. Then again I heard Einstein could not remember a phone number either, so maybe I am in good company…. LOL

Sorry I am not the wordsmith the rest of you are, but the fact you understand the idea(s) I am attempting to communicate is good enough. Please keep making the corrections. If no one tells me I am doing something wrong will I not continue making the same mistake? Hmmmm If no one tells the general population they are doing something wrong will they not continue to make the same mistakes? Nothing can grow without change, and nothing will change unless we educate others. I applaud Silver for wanting to make me a more literate person. Thus I am left the impression that he agrees with the subject of my post since the grammatical errors are his only concern.

Your Friend in Freedom
Federal Farmer

…the knowledge of the man who acts and thinks within the world of his daily life is not homogeneous; it is (1) incoherent, (2) only partially clear, and (3) not at all free from contradictions

Let's hope that Law Enforcement will continue sweeping up the human refuse that live in mushy rooms and numb their brains with the bitch of marijuana matriarchy.
I somewhat expected this kind of rhetoric from our local war monger.
The roots of terrorism are in the psycho degenerate minds of human trash - counter cultural nose ring tatooed degenerates.
The roots of terrorism are in evil men who wish to dominate thru the use of fear mongering.
The terrorists themselves and their groups are only patsies to the true rulers of the world.
In a twisted manner drug money supports terrorism is somewhat correct.
Drug money supports CIA operations and CIA operations support terrorism.
(MSM neglects to mention the middle man in that rhetoric)
Kind of funny in a sick sort of way.

Please open your eyes Homer we are all being lied to, to defend these lies is morally reprehensible.
If people are mentally so weak that they succumb to drug addiction they deserve their Darwin Award.
Major wars are no longer profitable enough to justify them, and it is my belief that the elite feel they have sufficient control over nations. (time to move to a new phase aka Prison Planet) BUT building prisons/slave camps and the controlling networks that go with them is quite lucrative at this time and they will only continue to grow unless people like you begin to wake up. Sadly Homer and millions like him think our governments are only as smart as they are. For the most part the population is only as smart as our governments want us to be. Homer is either part of (or inadvertently helping) the system. These ideas and ways of life are disappearing. Can Homer adapt to a new reality? or is his mind hopelessly stuck in his government created matrix of lies.

I do not condone the use of any drug, but making them illegal is just a form of control.
You should ask yourself who wants this control?
One tip on answering this question is that it is not about your safety.

NOTE: Revolutionist in distress
Celerino Castillo featured in the documentary "American Drug War" is currently being prosecuted.
You can make a donation to his legal fund here

Your Friend in Freedom
Federal Farmer

…the knowledge of the man who acts and thinks within the world of his daily life is not homogeneous; it is (1) incoherent, (2) only partially clear, and (3) not at all free from contradictions
 

During this past month, my wife, my daughter, and I spent eight days in the Dominican Republic (D.R.). This large Caribbean island was the site of Columbus' third voyage landing. Many monuments and other structures have been erected to memorialize Columbus. The largest, El Faro de Colon, or The Columbus Lighthouse, was constructed for the 1992 celebration of the 500th anniversary of Columbus' landing in 1492. It is interesting that inscribed on the face of this monument are several Old Testament scriptures and several other quotes of Plato, Aristotle, and Seneca, all referring to some great distant land or people or culture to be discovered yet in the future.

We were privileged to visit many people in many different situations. Some lived in the most humble of circumstances, with nothing but a tin or rotting wood roof over their heads. Others had better living conditions but still not approaching what most enjoy in the U.S.

During some of the discussions with those few who could speak a little English, I was anxious to discuss the political and economic situation in the D.R. To no surprise, I heard from some a great desire to go to the United States. Of course, the only way to legally get to the United States is to have an immediate family member already in the U.S. or to have a work contract with a U.S. company. Most have neither of these and so are left with trying to get here in ways we consider illegal. Dominicans who do try usually attempt to get to Puerto Rico, a U.S. possession just east of the D.R. A few others try to get to Venezuela and then make their way up through Mexico and attempt to cross the border in to the U.S.

With several of these Dominicans, my conversation went like this: "You seem to have freedom in your country. You seem to buy and sell what you want and travel and live where you