The political situation in the USA right now -- a marxist in the bully pulpit -- gets very depressing sometimes. Being a native-born American, I understand the pressures of being free, like having to get my own living, budget my funds, develop my own social support network. No matter what happens, what kind of disaster, as long as I'm free to make my own decisions based on my personal situation, I know I'll get by somehow. Death and starvation are pretty strong incentives.
I have no idea how to survive under marxist totalitarianism. I suppose a bunch of government-funded busybodies would descend upon me like ducks on a junebug, full of gentle prodding "suggestions" -- at first -- about how I should be running my life, and then bringing out the thumbscrews if I'm not "in compliance."
To me, the very threat of this constitutes terrorism. I'd rather be dead. Seriously.
Anyway, I've been writing a couple of articles for business. And I love these guys! Go to these corporate websites looking for background, and they're all working so hard to develop ways to survive and get rich. They may grouse about "Where's my stimulus?" but then they just turn their attention to how to get more shoppers in the store, what kind of loyalty program they can devise to retain existing customers, how they can cut costs without losing any quality in their products and services. And what new things can they come up with to sell? How can they serve you better?
They're so confident and engaged, so optimistic and assured that they can create a better future. Such a positive scenario. So different from politics.
Same with TV. The networks pretty much suck in terms of programming. Not just news, but their so-called "entertainment." So after watching the same batch of "Law & Order" reruns until I can recite the dialog, channel surfing turned up things like "Ice Road Truckers." I love that show. Its season is over now, but I wouldn't miss an episode and often watched the reruns in anticipation of seeing the moose running alongside the road again. Or clutching the remote with white knuckles, hoping the truck can make it across that iced-up bridge without spinning out and going over the side.
What's to love? The last season featured truckers on the Dalton Highway in Alaska. The highway is frozen tundra and most of it, I think, is within the Arctic Circle. You might think going through the mountains on an ice road would be the greatest challenge, but sometimes driving across the flats, with 60 mph winds blowing a blizzard and creating white-out conditions can be worse. The highway had one section that always tied my stomach in knots -- where the road crests a hill then plunges what looks like straight down. Try doing that hauling 30 tons of pipe or four SUVs. Or a tank car of liquid explosives.
And the truckers? The show documents how people get these kinds of jobs. You have the veteran drivers who ride along with the newbies for a couple trips. When the newbies get their own trucks, they still have to drive behind a trainer for most of the season.
So in one episode, both the lead (veteran) driver and his newbie got stuck in the mountains. I don't recall if it was a breakdown of one of their trucks, or just some kind of blockage on the road due to the weather, breakdown of another truck, or whatever. Anyway, so these guys are stuck in about -50 degrees, and about 150 miles from any human habitation, and they take out salmon steaks and barbecue them on the truck engine while they wait to get back on the road again.
Gotta love it! I mean, who would you rather hang with? These folks, or punks who don black hoods and smash windows in Pittsburgh?
And regarding the so-called anarchists... One question: How do you have both anarchy and socialism simultaneously? If you have socialism, you need a really, really powerful central government authority to divvy up the spoils and to crack the whip to make sure people keep on working, even when they're not rewarded for it.
You've got to think these things all the way through, dummies, or else you just look like stupid adolescents, rebelling against the human condition -- the inescapable need to take care of your own damn self.
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