We’ll discuss the rest shortly.

Best to you.

Energy consumption isn’t very relevant on the individual level. The world will either be saved or not saved on the level of high capital, or more likely through a political revolution to democratically distribute control of capital. The world will merely be extended by a few years by individuals without much political power being “energy conscious”.

There are a vast array of issues regarding “material comfort” and control of resources. Being poor AND being rich (rich clearly includes the “middle class” in Western countries) are both Faustian bargains – being poor allows for personal morality at the mere cost of virtually any ability to implement that morality in the world (both for structural and personal reasons). Being rich on the other hand ensures a dark identity of arrogance, greed, deceit, and tremendous violence. (Poor Americans are part of the global middle class).

One of the prime questions for me is how one can simultaneously pursue power AND pursue morality. This marriage is perhaps the only thing that can save the world. Certain individuals have arguably achieved some degree of this, but that individual achievement has stopped there – no powerful institution in the world is moral.

I’ll talk to you privately shortly, though Colombia would be a strange and dangerous place for me, perhaps my last choice on the continent. Colombian paramilitaries make bloody ends of anything decent in the country. Terms like “morality”, “decency”, and “humanity”, at least when used honestly, are dirty words with respect to the power contingent in that country. The whole point of the Colombian state, as far as I can tell, is to remain in power by any means necessary and to do whatever actions it takes to maximize the flow of “foreign aid” from the American state to themselves.

since the impetus of our communications, I have wondered what the connection is…no longer is that the case.

If only you, and even myself, could fully appreciate the reasons for why things are and why things happen. I’ve recognized how you wield the English language like that of very few others I encounter in life since our first debate several moons back; and your admittance to being a philosopher is no surprise based on the discourse which you and I have directed. That talent with the language which you possess can be put to use for the benefit of others, and for yours as well, I can see to that easily if that interests you.

If you would, please contact me at moc.liamgnull@ognirgtapxe so that you and I are able to continue this desire of yours to “learn about the world”, as you expressed. The best way to learn about it, is to immerse yourself in it.

As you give, so do I. A bit of a bio for you in order to effectively persuade your willingness to take a risk…not that you haven’t already taken a number of them already in your life which I wouldn’t presume.

At 36, with only a backpack, less than $1,500 in a checking account, a round-trip ticket to Bogota, Colombia, language skills, and 2+ decades of accumulated thirst to not just travel, but LIVE in the world that captivated me, I jumped off the edge of the abyss with no job lined up, no place to live, and no personal contacts, with the commitment of 1-2 years. In short, I just passed 3 years in Nov and while always being pulled back to the Heartland, my new cultural identification can’t be abandoned so easily.

Friendly advice regarding material comforts: quit beating yourself over the head. If you can’t, then what can you do to do something about it? You’re an intelligent being, what are the resources needed to go beyond it? You can go beyond self-limited to empowered in helping the world, without giving up comforts, and yet minimizing energy consumption. I can arrange that if you’re interested, and you have the capacity to teach the language in which you are obviously quite proficient.

I’m pleased to see your response, I’ll leave the rest up to you.

The best to you, Brian.

Institutions shape the people who are in them, who must act in a certain way in order to remain in the institution, much less thrive in it. To analyze an institution analyze the output and ultimately analyze the effect that output has on the world. What is Dissident Voice, exactly?

A logical analysis, according to me, is that Western institutions won’t be the ones to save the world. I don’t believe the role of the Western left is to help the world, but serve the imperial interests of the West – to serve as the “face of compassion” to the world. The use of “pacifism” as an excuse to not fight against imperial domination is just one example of the charade.

The problem for me personally, is that I’m in on the charade. I enjoy my material comforts, and am self-limited in helping the world because I don’t want to risk losing those comforts. I would rather eat well than have some people in the world eat at all.

So if Western institutions, however high-minded, are corrupt, what then? Shouldn’t I move somewhere that I believe *can* save the world? Many of us on the left, myself included, consider South America to be one such possibility.

I’m 34 years old. I’m a philosopher. I was apolitical prior to 2002, and politics didn’t become my primary focus until 2006. I know very little Spanish. I know little about South America. I know a lot about the English language however, and I know the United States pretty well. So what should I do? I’m poor (by American standards), so a move to South America would probably be my last. Would I be more beneficial somewhere in South America?

While many Americans consider the possibility of an economic collapse in America a terrible thing, I believe it’s a good thing, since it will accompany the end of the American Empire. America can either transition into a regular member of the imperial West, like Britain following the collapse of it’s empire, or it can fall from the West entirely. In either case, that gives leftists in the US hope that American society will finally become decent. As imperialism corrupts, the end of imperialism cleanses.

With that hope along with the possible rise of anarchism in America, these “dark” times actually are the first times in my lifetime that I feel good about the future. The Bush Administration was terrible for the American Empire and *therefore* great for the American left – maybe the greatest executive office in American history. The Neoconservatives are right about one thing – they are truly misunderstood. Nixon marked the beginning of the downfall of the American Empire – the Neocons continued in that spirit. There’s a term for the Bush Administration that is never used by the corrupt Western left – “self-destructive”. Self-destruction is a desire for the self to not exist. This is a noble course of action for the corrupt.

So it seems as if the right move is for me to remain in the United States, fight against my own corruption, join in any anarchist movement I can, continue to learn about the world, live this crazy thing called life, and hope that in the final analysis I’m something better than a monster.

your analogy of Palestine/N.Amer indigenous people couldn’t have been made any more effectively.

I just explained it in more or less the same way with the father of one of my Swiss students who asked me what I think about the ni**er president. I told him first of all that the derogatory statement was out of line, and that the Palestinians are justifiably defending their land, people and democratically elected govt against the irrational invaders who stand on the same principles as did the European invaders with the Indians. We failed to make headway on the issue.

You have many rational proposals which you post on your site and discussion board here, why aren’t you submitting articles here on DV? They would be welcome. Something to think about.

Thanks for your analysis and contribution.

Best to you.

That was neat and eloquently put!
I agree, the ‘Left’ is just too ‘polite’ to raise their voices against such psychopathic killers… as if politeness will make them see reason, but instead just encourages them to be even more brutal…

My personal opinion is that any Israeli who fully understands what the Zionazi State amounts to will vote with his/her feet ASAP, get the hell out & sever all connection.

Here in the USA, we have the “progressive Democrats”, a few of whom are likely sincere. But the more sincere they are, and the better the political positions they advocate, the better they serve the purpose of the overall Demock-rat strategy, by providing cover for the out & out fascists like Obama, Clinton et al. Such figures as D Kucinich blur the lines between the world of antiwar activism and the world of Obamism — you did see Dennis right there on the platform at the Coronation, near enough to Obama to reach out & touch, grinning like a fool?
If Dennis K wasn’t consciously Part of the Scam himself no way he’d have allowed himself to be televised with that sycophant grin on his face congratulating the worst political disaster to befall the planet since Napoleon. (Bertram Gross’ “Friendly Fascism” has been superseded by Cool Fascism).
But I disgress. The point is that people need to make it clear where they stand. “Israel” is a phenomenon that must be made to vanish, dismantled root and branch. It’s not just the institutional structures, but a collective pathology that must be eradicated. So by staying there, and participating in their well-meant “peacenik” activities, even the most progressive “Israelis” wind up enhancing the illusion that “Israel” is a country like other countries, when in reality it’s an abomination in the same class as the Third Reich and the Confederate States of America.
“Israel Delendi Est”. And take your puppet “Democratic Party” with you.

War is a method of controlling future reality. Native Americans not only lost their society, their people, and their culture, they lost future existence. For example, how many more leftists care about the Palestinian/Israeli issue than the Native American situation? The argument for such a judgment is that the Palestinian/Israeli issue is “active”, it’s something which we can have effect on, while the Native American situation is “history”.

But everything becomes history – so if the Zionists have their way the Palestinians will simply become the Native Americans – caged, controlled, a zoological exhibit, a museum artifact. And the leftists will move on to other “active” issues.

Let us not forget that so many leftists are pacifists. So what can they say in the face of the extermination of the Native Americans? They surely can’t say that *punishment* should be forced upon the usurpers. Surely they can’t say that *revenge* should be taken. Even now the left speaks of mere “reparations”, as if reparations can possibly make up for what has been done!

What does a Palestinian think, in his examination of his role in the world relative to the Native Americans? Does he think that one day maybe he too can plead for reparations on behalf of his destroyed community?

The left is so pacifistic indeed that they condemn the rockets sent by Hamas into Israel – rockets fired against “civilians” – nevermind that these “civilians” overwhelmingly support the extermination or driving out of the native population. Remember, the left are the “good guys”. With friends like this, who needs enemies?

What if I came to your house, killed your family, destroyed your possessions, and then after a long struggle in which I fervently resisted cut you a check as “reparations”. What do you think of that?

And why, why, why, when you would obviously call for MY HEAD ON A PLATE if I did such a thing, do you DARE to condemn the rockets sent by Hamas into Israel?

There are only two good outcomes for horrific criminals such as the Zionist state and all who support them – imprisonment or death. Everyone who achieves either imprisonment or death for them is a hero. Everyone who believes that not firing rockets against Israel will make them feel secure and get them to stop their genocide against Palestinians is an utter fool.

Do we condemn any concentration camp Jew for violence committed against the Nazis while in the concentration camp? Of course not! Why is there so much Anti-Palestinian sentiment on the left?

How impressive! How about some Purple Stars wrapped up in killed Iraqis’ shoes and shoved up their arses?
This coming administration should seriously consider instituting such a ceremony in future….

only a small number of serbs have accepted islam. some serb and croat nobles have accepted islam, but it did not take 500 years. it seems it took less than a 100 years for about 50% of the bosnian pop to take up islam .

Serbs never drove out anybody, Turks included.
After 500 years of Muslim rule would you not expect that some people accept religion of rulers? If Turks (Muslims) were ruling occupied territories in a way Europeans ruled North and South America there would not be any Serbs, Croats, Greeks, Bulgarians, Spaniards …. left.
This might be reason why European Governments are supporting Israel, it is following their lead.

after tito’s death, serbia unilaterally abrogates kosovo autonomy in ?’87.
they were accused of wanting independence; which is not a crime in my eyes.
oppression and repression intensified after that. in addition, when one abrogates another people’s autonomy, it in my mind, represents casus belli.
kosovars have in ’99 fled fearing possible/probable massacres; similar to what happened to croats of croatia and bosnia and bosniaks, the muslims.
a better word to use for kosovar exodus wld be fleeing for life or being expelled by some serb terrorists groups such as white eagles and other gangs similar to ashkenazic gangs in expalestine.thnx