Book - Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

I have been completely absorbed by something very disturbing. I've been reading a book called, "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins. Here's the Prologue. I belong to a weekly Bookgroup composed of myself, my best friend, a retired pastor and two MFCCs (I forget who's the ...ologist and who's the ...iatrist, sorry guys). At Paul's request, we are reading this book. Now Paul and I differ in political tendencies, so at first I thought I was gonna have to have one of them give me a prescription of lithium just to get through this book. But it turns out (as it often does) that that would have dulled my instinct to solve problems. I have been poring and obsessing over two projects since starting this book.

• I emailed Dinesh D'Souza who's research and writing on economics I have respected and enjoyed and in a fit of pathetic confusion and sense of betrayal, wondered in print if he was an EHM and if not, what he was gonna do about this.
  
• I have nearly completed my design and Call for the formation of a local Christian Community that will concentrate on sustainable, productive living so as to bless the local community and beyond to the World.

Mr. D'Souza has been very gracious to accept my request that he look into this guy's story, but will have to put it off until he gets through some research that he's currently in the middle of. I will have to keep myself busy with other things while I wait so as not to panic and bug him even more. The sense of urgency I feel is overwhelming.

I'll write some stuff in my profile later about the Community thing, as it's quite lengthy and I want it to always be easily accessible. I really cannot stand the idea of American-Dreaming my life away while victims of our secret economic policies are starving and dying. I've told my daughter about my intention and asked for her thoughts. She's teasing me about starting a cult. Poor thing. It's hard being my daughter.

I'm thinking of trying some other things too but I'll have to think them through very carefully.

I'm anticipating some polemic wars about this, so let me be up front. I am politically Conservative. This book has not changed my mind about political loyalties because the problem transcends party politics. This problem transcends everything we normally think of as politics, period. In fact this is one of the biggest Principalities and Powers (see the "Connection to Faith" section in my review for "The Incredibles") I've ever seen. It is very much like one of those visual aids that Daniel was shown about Empires and Kingdoms. You know, the ones that made him so sick that he went to bed and ate nothing for days! Horrifying! The Monster is huge and gobbles up the right and the left and everyone in between. No one is immune. The stated goals for the Republican Party as condensed in "The Oath" are good ones and I agree with them. But they are only stated goals; and they, along with any other statements coming from any organization with it's fingers in the pie, are becoming empty and pointless. I am afraid for my Country and for the World and for my friends and for those who think they hate me because I'm an American. We're all being played in this deadly game.

Last Saturday, I attended my best friend's son's Eagle Scout Award ceremony. As I sat there and watched these men and boys talk about the ideals of The Boy Scouts and my friend's beautiful proclamation of how much they have blessed her throughout her life by being kind and respectful towards her as a girl, I messed up my mascara crying in agony over the incongruity of it all. Here's the list of what a Scout is:

Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent

And, of course, the Oath is something that everyone has heard and heard mocked:

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

The reason I've neglected posting about this until now is my raw state of anguish and concern that people will be put off if I sound like a freak about it. A month ago, I would have been put off if I was reading this. If I sound like a cliché, I'm so sorry. All I can do is hope you trust me when I say that I am no cliché, and never have been. Nor will I ever be.

Now I must attend to family concerns which have been rudely put aside...