Last week something weird happened once when I shut down my computer. I did the usual shut down computer action, and then my computer started shutting down, then this alert box pops up saying there are 1 users connected to your computer, do you want to disconnect or something to that effect.
For goodness sakes! 1 user! That's more then the zero users that should ever be connected to my computer. So I don't shut it down and instead I run netstat and I see that somebody is actually connected to my computer. As it turns out someone had actually hacked into my computer and started a file sharing session. This is no good. I thought the Americans killed Saddam Hussien, so why is my computer being hacked? Who else could be behind this attack? Maybe the Al Quida?
Being hacked set into motion a series of events. I decided that my current firewall program called black ice was less reliable than a chinese wristwatch so I made the switch to norton's firewall program.
All firewall programs will trace and locate the person who is attacking your computer. Its pretty easy since every computer connected to the internet has what it called an IP address, which is a number specific to that computers modem or dsl. The firewall traces that number to see who their internet service provider is and even what city they are located in.
Believe it or not these attacks didn't come from Iraq, or even Syria. Of course they all came from the U.S. and a few from Canada. The war on terrorism has come home to roost my friends. We are our own worst enema.
What did I do to deserve this? I guess I made myself vulnerable by having a computer and an internet connection. For that I have brought some random guys totally impersonal wrath upon me. These are the pastimes of the free world. And I couldn't be more excited. If you want a sign that our civilization might just self destruct, that's one of them. That's okay though since I'm not sure our hilarious wreck wouldn't be for the best. It might not be so bad to toast marshmallows over the coals of a culture that chose to take its guidance from its entertainment industry.
Americans are burning Dixie Chicks CD's because the Dixie Chicks said they were embarrassed about being from the same state as George Bush. Burning CD's? Is that really necessary? I know that stupid people think that censoring ideas somehow makes them cease to exist. They believe if they can erase the Dixie Chicks from history then the ideas they voiced will also magically disappear. But burning CD's of course doesn't erase the Dixie Chicks. I suppose it is also meant as a strong gesture of disagreement with them. I don't suppose I need to mention that burning things that contain ideas you disagree with is a trademark of fascism.
I realize that people emulate their heroes and these girls are role models to a lot of people. Their political views will influence many peoples opinions. I realize that there are people who like both the Dixie Chicks and George Bush so they feel torn between them. How sad to be torn between 2 of the crappiest things from Texas.
It isn't really censorship since it was regular people burning them, not the government or the police. I suppose people have as much right to burn CD's as the Dixie Chicks have to suck. What worries me is that a lot of the American public seem to be unwilling to tolerate anything other than expressions of total obedience to their fearless leaders. I suspect it's because they have so much repressed doubt about the foundations of their position that they are afraid of arguments they can't win.
I guess my point is that it sort of looks like the American Empire is rolling out across the world, and just like every other empire in history it is showing the stretch marks of hormone induced growth. While the troops file across foreign mountains to plunder for riches to send home, the Imperial capital becomes a snake pit and the general public become bloated self indulgent brats who ignore everything that makes them feel bad. Thinking falls in with any other kind of exercise. They start to nod their heads to statements like freedom of speech has its limits. Dissent is a virus, just sing the national anthem and shut up.
Before it fell the people of Rome had a saying, "let's roll". It didn't help them in the end. Rome had things called vomitoriums. Rooms where people would go after eating huge meals where they would throw them up. They craved the pleasures of eating but noticed they were all getting too plumpy. In the end their civilization decayed in opulence it had in the beginning grown so strong to obtain. Also they used lead pipes for their plumbing. The romans were pretty smart, they spread their knowledge of engineering and social engineering across Europe, but they didn't know lead was toxic.
In the end they probably knew, but it was too late, victims of their own genius they were unable to hold it together. A republic addled with lead poisoning and generations of inept plutocrats was incapable of controlling conquered populations 1000 miles away, so the empire crumbled like an old pizza crust.
I'm not suggesting we currently live in an American empire, or that we will ever see one. What we see are the wobbly steps of the worlds most powerful nation as it tries to act like it is and will always be the mightiest. But it knows something about its future that you might not. The rest of the world is gonna catch up. The US is on top, but their position isn't permanent and they know it.
You see the reason why America is on top is numbers and philosophy. America and Europe went through the industrial revolution together and the US had lots of land and resources and an immigrating population willing to work. Industrialization and a free market system harshly encouraged prosperity in the US and Europe. But the Europeans were colonials, they spread out across Asia and Africa while Americans invented the light bulb and assembly line. The Americans had no colonies. The Europeans eventually surrendered their colonies. There were 2 wars and I'm glossing over a lot of history.
So with lots of resources, land and people the US built itself into the world's strongest economic force. It was no accident but thanks in part to good timing and mother nature in conjunction with capitalism. I'm not sure but I think the US is still the world's largest exporter of goods. 300 years ago it was a collection of rebelling colonies. Now its the richest and toughest nation around.
But nothing lasts forever. America is aging and now the free market rules everywhere. Their population is growing older and so is their work force.
I work with a girl from India. She moved to Canada 9 months ago. She speaks perfect english. In India she was middle class and she graduated from an engineering program at a technical school there. As it happens she also took some computer classes and is a certified Oracle sorcerer.
There is really no difference between a graduate from a technical school in India and a graduate from a technical school here, except that there are 300 million more of them. Try to imagine what the productive capacity of a modern industrial nation with over a billion people is. That is a lot of engineers, programmers, labourers, scientists.
It is inevitable that we will be outproduced, undercut, and outsold by nations like India and China, and we will be the power no more. They've got numerical superiority. So if you're worried about becoming a conquered subject of the American empire don't be. But if you're worried about the future of our great western civilization, you have good reason. The population we have to depend on are a growing number of frustrated brats who would rather hack my computer than do something useful. The rest are nervous sheep who just want to be cozy and not have to deal with the unpleasant sound of freedom of speech. The leaders that guide us are blundering goons or sycophantic yo-yo's. Worst of all it seems as if the civilization we might not even try to save is getting too dumb to be worth saving. It is worth saving, but sometimes it hardly seems that way.