I've said all this before, but I think *I* need to hear it again:
These are exciting times we live in.
If you keep up with the real news, it's easy to get bogged down in a fearful, uneasy, angry mindset. There are at least 20 things that scare me absolutely to death, every morning when I wake up.
But you know what? These are times that people of future generations will look back on, read about, and wish they could have been part of, like Civil War and Revolutionary buffs and reenactors do nowadays.
Win or lose, the Second American Revolution is upon us. We are in the midst of making history.

My Part in the Financial Crisis

by Ric Snead

I am absolutely fascinated with the tale of intrigue, suspense, murder, looting and pillage that is the high finance world. Such characters~Paul 'the Vulture' Singer, George 'Puppet Master' Soros' the killer Koch brothers, and all their minions, especially the teleprompter reading stooge in the Oval Office, whomever he may be.

Oddly enough, I was a part of the Grand Scam near the beginning. In 2003, I was just-separated from the Countess, flat broke, living in a rat-infested dump. One day, taking a break from combing the place for enough change to get a pack of smokes, I went to the mailbox, and found a letter from GE Financial~which didn't really exist yet. Officially, they were created in 2004, but I digress. First words on the page were "YOU ARE PRE-APPROVED".

After a little dickering with the girl on the phone, it was agreed that I was pre-approved for $10,000. I of course asked no questions regarding why or how I was pre-approved for such a princely sum. I played it off with perfect aplomb. I actually did (and do) intend to open a business. 

I didn't even have a bank account. She told me to go open one, and call her back. I borrowed a few bucks from somewhere and did so. She apologized for the inconvenience of having to make out two checks. Max they could transfer in a day was $5000. This was all totally unsecured, but of course my pre-approved status was due to the fact that I still had my name (and still do) on a mortgage. This eventually came back to bite the Countess in the ass, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I went off to the wilds of Indiana to open a meadery~a winery devoted to making mead. And limped back precisely two years later, flat broke, tail between my legs, but with 30 gal of excellent mead onboard. Fast forward two years. I had the poor form to have a heart attack. Double bypass by one of the finest~thank you, Dr. Reames...I had insurance of all things. I worked for Compass Group, and was signed up with Cobra. Only as it turned out, they have some pretty persnickety rules. They sent me a form, that I had to deliver to the doctor/clinic to be filled in and sent back *within two weeks* by gods. Not 15 days. So I delivered their missive (this involved a bus trip) and pleaded with them to get it back on time. Guess what? They didn't. For awhile, I think the laughing kept me alive whenever I'd open a bill from the hospital for $498,000 and change.

Then...of course...I got another letter. "YOU ARE PRE-APPROVED". From Citi. (Hi guys. Long time no hear from...)This time, I only took $8000~they offered me $10k, but I *really* intended to do the thing, open the meadery and actually *pay it back*. More fool me. Wish I had that 2 grand now. Time and trouble~I'd been fired from my chef job after I had the heart attack (thanks guys! Love ya!) so I was out of work, broke, etcetcetc. Then I had the ill grace to almost die again. I almost died of a broken heart~now it was a bleeding ulcer. Lotta stress in the world of high finance. This trip was on the cuff~indigent insurance plan. But I was not in any shape to get a job, or build a winery, so the remainder of my finance capitol got spent on rent, beer and cigarettes.

We finally got a divorce that year~they were going to boot me out of the sliding scale clinic I was going to. Still, the matter of the house was never dealt with. I told her over and over that we needed to get my name off that piece of paper. I didn't know yet that it, along with about a million other dinky mortgages had been rolled up into a derivative shit sandwich and sold off at 40:1, but I had a bad feeling about it. 

Sad to say, 5 years after the divorce, 9 years after the fiscal crimes were comitted, they're all off scot-free, and herSelf is on the hook for a $10 k lien on the house I left her and young Ms. Spawn.

Nowadays I can't even open a bank account without paying them $10 a month for the privelege. But I was there at the beginning, and it was one helluva ride.

Charging my batteries in the final quarter of a challenging moon, watching Have Gun Will Travel and playing mostly bad poker. Venus square Saturn is always a drag.
The old cowboy shows are more illuminating of the culture of the 1950's and 60's when they were made, than the 1800's they depict, unless I miss my guess. 60 years ago, things like truth, justice and honor still meant something. Self-reliance, independence were held high, with many a down and out character refusing to accept 'charity', no matter the circumstances. If you called a man a liar, he would knock your teeth down your throat.
But withal, there's a sense that people are basically *good*. There are a few rotten apples, and they have to be dealt with, but always within the Law. The 'authority figures' who transgress~the crooked bankers, ranchers, oil, railroad men, and even the occasional sheriff who defy the Law are either shot or off to the pen by the 4th reel. The people, the townies and country folk alike respect the Law. They obey the law for the same reason you help an old lady across the street~it is simply the thing to do. Without fear of punishment, or hope of gain.
Nowadays, we have lost all respect for the Law and its administrators. They say a fish rots from the head. This system is rotten clear to the tail. Washington is obviously corrupt~Obama has assumed powers never dared by Hitler, Stalin or Mao. By Law, he can order the detention and/or assassination of US citizens here and abroad. Local and state 'good cops' are being increasingly forced out by new recruits with the proper thug, 'brownshirt' attitude.
What is really tragic is that in the process, we have not only lost faith in our leaders, but with ourselves. We are taught to be mistrustful and suspicious of our neighbors, and to report anything that looks 'suspicious'. This might be carrying a rifle from the car into the house after a hunting trip, or allowing the kids to play in the yard without an adult watching every move. Competitive sports are frowned upon, as being the 'loser' might damage some child's self esteem. Everybody gets a medal.

It's a soul sickness. From thinking we were an American version of the Noble Savage, we have been reduced to thinking ourselves the most miserable beasts incapable of Noble anything...just a nightstick away from rape, murder, and larceny.
Before we can fix the system, we must fix our Selves, restore our shattered American Dream and take back our towns and country.

The Killing Joke

by Ric Snead

Once there was a kingdom as peaceful and happy as could be. Their king was kind and just, and only collected such taxes as were needed to maintain the roads and bridges, with a little left over to help the poor. The people worked hard, but they laughed and sang, told jokes and made merry on every occasion.

Then one day, the Good King died, and his son took the throne. The new king was a humorless, miserly brute who cared nothing for the people~he loved only gold. He taxed the people into starvation, then took their farms and houses when they could pay no more.

The Master of the Jester's Guild hit on a solution. He conscripted all the joke writers in the kingdom and set them to a task: to write a joke that was so funny that whoever heard it would die laughing. This proved difficult~while some epically funny jokes were written that season, no one actually died laughing. 

Then one night, the gag writer of all gag writers, universally acknowledged as the funniest man in the kingdom wrote a joke that was so devastatingly funny that, no sooner had he written it down, than he died laughing. Next morning, when his wife found his body, she burst into tears. Then, upon reading the joke, she promptly fell down and died laughing.

The Master Jester was sent for. When he saw the bodies, and the parchment on the table, he realized the old gag writer had been successful. He had written the Killing Joke~weaponized humor had come to the land. He took all precautions: first the parchment was cut in half. The setup was given to one messenger, the punchline to another. They were sent to the king, equipped with wax earplugs so neither would hear the other's part when it came time to tell the joke to him. It was truly ironic~the surliest, most humorless bastard in all the kingdom was to die laughing.

In due course, they made their way to Court, and were admitted to the Royal Presence. Ears safely plugged, the messengers duly recited their parts. And the king's courtiers and councillors, everyone with earshot, commenced falling to the floor, and laughed themselves to death.

The bewildered messengers faced a puzzled king, who shrugged and said only, "I don't get it."

Greetings!
For those of you just joining us, I am of course Aluric Gonzontru Snead.
Trust no one. Believe Nothing. But in me you can put Perfect Faith.
Odin, the gods, the Universe really have nothing against you. They really don't give a shit either way if you, individually live or die. They're busy.
You can help if you like~they appreciate that.
But get in the way and you'll get run over.
That's my view of the Universe in short form: Lead, Follow, or Get the Hel Outta the Way!

Moved

Hail Odin, god of travelers.
I have escaped from Scorpio City.
In the nick of time I think, with the Democratic National Circus coming to town. http://charlotte.news14.com/content/dnc_2012/660911/cmpd-gets-more-than--5-million-to-cover-the-dnc
Some (very few) predict violent protest. I think there will be nothing of the sort. Charlotte prides itself on its politeness. I think there will be very mannerly protests, in designated areas, probably with police stooges in the leadership, as we have already seen with the Occupy movement. The homeless (anybody with a backpack) will be either rounded up or shooed off. Expect to see TSA on the train, the buses and trolleys.

I predict they'll create a 'security zone' bounded by 10th (with the soup kitchen right outside the perimeter) and Stonewall, Graham and McDowell. The directors of all this will have a virtual ringside seat. Charlotte's 'uptown' is wired for sound and lights. http://www.earthcam.com/usa/northcarolina/charlotte/
That is just one of many. "You won't know if you're being watched or not," chortled a local DHS officer in an interview on Fox.
They are also pushing for citizens to spy on each other: https://axiomamuse.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/department-of-homeland-security-announces-if-you-see-something-say-something-partnership-with-the-city-of-charlotte/
I expect there will be TSA/VIPR checkpoints in place on all the major roads leading into and out of Charlotte by September. https://gaspeegazette.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/national-guard-flying-military-helicopters-over-lake-norman-homeland-security-checking-ids-in-charlotte/

All in all, I am very glad to be outta there. Moving nearly killed me, but I am recovering nicely in my new garret.