It’s been at the back of my mind for ages that maybe Iraq was invaded deliberately to collapse the dollar… but my reasoning beyond that point has always been shaky.

We should explore this theory and figure out the degree of truthfulness and usefulness behind it.

Hm. What does the word ‘greenback’ mean to you guys?

This:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Greenback_Party

The Greenback Party (also known as the Independent Party, the National Party, and the Greenback-Labor Party) was an American political party that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or “greenbacks,” that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward. The party opposed the shift from paper money back to a specie-based monetary system because it believed that privately owned banks and corporations would then reacquire the power to define the value of products and labor. Conversely, they believed that government control of the monetary system would allow it to keep more currency in circulation, as it had in the war. This would better foster business and assist farmers by raising prices and making debts easier to pay.

Time for a vision-quest?

No, time for an action-quest! The future is for visions. The present is for actions.

Hm. What does the word ‘greenback’ mean to you guys?

> I think we have as much room in the future as we have vision.

Nice! Time for a vision-quest?

A mentor of mine used to always quote Blake, “I must create my own system or be enslaved by another man’s.”

A mentor of mine used to say that too. “Dominate it or it will dominate you.” That applies to people, systems, habits, technologies, everything.

wicked, brilliant thread here.

there were millions and millions of people who did not have the courage to live their lives the way they truly wanted.

Very true! When you begin living the life you want, you become a controversial figure regardless of how you’re doing it, never mind if you intentionally play it up!

some sort of check and balance upon the ability of any villain to exact such harm upon the world.

Exactly perfect: the only check against powerful men is other powerful men.

Thing is, when you lack the courage to live the life of your dreams, you end up simply being used and made over to play whatever roles other, stronger people want you to.

A mentor of mine used to always quote Blake, “I must create my own system or be enslaved by another man’s.”

As more and more people live their dreams, you get a win-win…people have roles to play in each others dreams through mutually aiding and valuing each other.

Excellently put and this is really the cornerstone of my new site and my new lease on life.

I feel flip at 1am!

Good insights.

You can admire the chutzpah and strategic skill of certain groups and individuals without necessarily needing to worship what they *do* with their skill and chutzpah.

There’s some line in the Magus where Conchis (the Mage) says something along the lines of people shouldn’t blame Hitler for having had the balls to play the villain. That’s a shocking line, but the underlying point is his playing that role could only have such terrible consequences/results for the fact that there were millions and millions of people who did not have the courage to live their lives the way they truly wanted. If that had been the case, there would have been some sort of check and balance upon the ability of any villain to exact such harm upon the world. Thing is, when you lack the courage to live the life of your dreams, you end up simply being used and made over to play whatever roles other, stronger people want you to. There’s a win-lose thing. As more and more people live their dreams, you get a win-win…people have roles to play in each others dreams through mutually aiding and valuing each other.
…just some thoughts.

Ted, I actually think that’s the best way to think…Just visualize the world you want and try to work it in with the present. I for one am sick of worrying, and I find it much funner to think like that! At least it lets see the possibilities…

Julia, hell yeah! Its kinda scary brilliant actually…I just love the way the face for it in America is this “salt of the earth” president you could “have a beer with” that seems unable to articulate complex ideas, let alone come up with them. It cracks me up.

reduce national identity, aquiring mass debt with China to bind the dollar to their production, and strategically losing a war in Iraq

Yea! Good stuff. It’s a strategy. “You can disrupt my economy but I’m taking you off the cliff with me.” “You can kick me out of the Gulf but I’m the only who can deal with the mess. But, it’s all yours if you want it.”

Then the global capitalists can exist in these networks jet setting around the world moving at light speed.

There could be these little hubs where the two worlds connect and trade.