27 May 2006

Not a conspiracy theory, by any means... just saying...

Ok, a bit more background than you will *ever* want to know about me, but it is important.

I am that rare species known as a 'Gamer'.

This is *not* GAMBLING and to hell with that industry for taking a fine term used in other areas to describe their activities! I heap much scorn upon that industry for taking this fine term and twisting it to their ends to make gambling seem innocuous. To a Gamer gambling games of *skill* are still varied at a high rate by random chance and the decision qualities necessary to actually win are often overwhelmed by it. Although it is possible to 'game' the gambling system, and that is a skill in and of itself and I do *not* mean CHEATING. Those folks are reprehensible and an anathema to both the Gamers and the gamblers. No, such things as Blackjack (or 21) and roulette are amenable to statistical mathematics to give the gambler an edge. Once one understands that it is, actually, possible to make a low-level gambling life so long as one does not come to the attention of security and their brethren. That is, truthfully, an honest life at applied mathematics.

No the Gaming I am talking about is the age-old set of games to replicate warfare, combat, societies, resources, infrastructure and various other things that go into making real-world decisions. As an example my first game that truly introduced me to this was 'Richtofen's War', which was a rather primitive game for simulating 3D aerial combat during WWI using flat 2D board and pieces with a recording sheet for current speed and altitude. It took a bit of math to calculate speed, direction, firing range and effectiveness, mission objectives and actually doing the damn calculations by hand to figure out how far you *really* were from an opponent.

I loved it!

After that was a steady and incremental increase to 'PanzerBlitz', 'PanzerLeader', 'Third Reich', 'Outreach', 'Dune', 'Kingmaker', 'StarFleet Battles', 'Federation and Empire', and on, and on... The I migrated into the Role Playing Game areas in which individuals were portrayed either on a board or in a well described verbal setting. Such things as personal statistics, encumbrance, weapons efficiency and use, armor, magical capabilities, one-time useful items, multi-time useful items, maintenance, upkeep, social setting, influence of actions on a wider sphere of activities, intrigue, cabals, factions, Nations... and that brought me *right* back to the board wargaming skills which I had deployed throughout this entire spectrum and enhanced, over time, with repetition. Finally I migrated into computer games such as 'Civilization', 'Populace', 'SimCity', 'Warcraft II', 'Diablo', 'The Sims', 'Age of Empires', various Dungeons and Dragons titles, and on, and on...

So, my Gaming skills encompass the complete breadth of what it takes to create, design, make, run, adjudicate games. While not a 'Rules Expert', I saw what the underlying world model was that the rules were adhering to and determined outcomes based on how the rule system enacted them. In a game that had a multivolume ruleset to cover everything that could ever happen, as an example 'StarFleet Battles', the '15 second rule' limited anyone in a rules dispute to either find the exact rule or compromise with the players for an agreed-upon outcome that would then be used in the rest of that game session. And since I understood the replication and the activities and how they were seen by the *designers*, I was able to figure out the logic for a given situation. I was and am extremely fair, even when it would be to my detriment to do otherwise, because a single unfairly earned victory would be remembered by the other Gamers I associated with. So I began serving as the 'Rules Touchstone' and giving the outcome and reasoning, and that soon became the norm no matter *what game* was being played.

One of my most favorite areas of gaming is that of Factions. It is a step just down from Grand Strategic, although getting some elements from that, and just above Grand Tactical with units coalescing into forces. Factions each have their own goals and victory conditions and yet all play in a common environment. 'Kingmaker' replicates the War of the Roses in England and factions wax and wane over time as events shift them and royalty gets killed or ransomed, and parliaments come forth to make life difficult as they are swayed by Faction attendance. 'Dune' is the replication of Frank Herbert's original book by the same name, and each faction has common victory conditions and special victory conditions, so when deploying forces and stratagems one must ensure that while stopping a faction from gaining one type of victory, that another type is not being enabled.

That transported into the Role Playing worlds that I set up and I started running Factions/Cabals/Political groups/etc. from the inside. Most players only scratch the surface of what is really going on in the worlds that I ran and the conflicts ran deep both in their instantiation and over time. And the player's activities adjusted what was going on with each faction which may only have scanty knowledge of what the OTHER factions are doing. It was always a delight in Faction based games when we were missing a player and I was asked to take a second faction on to get the minimum required for the game. I ran each in a separate mental space and adjusted each to their own outlook and what they could reasonably infer from the activities of the other. When Factions under my control underwent strife, I stepped folks through the reasoning behind it, showed the force deployment and openly explained why each faction was making the decisions it did. Usually I had my heart in one Faction and went through the motions of simulating a half-way decent player for the other. But there were times when that half-way decent player saw an opportunity in my planning and took it. More than once did I get stunned looks as my main faction suddenly got eviscerated by the other in a workmanlike way... and the other players realized that the exact *same* opportunity was available to them if they had *thought about it*.

For some reason this *frightened* a few of them.

So, when I look at modern day events as they unfold and have only scanty information on motives or intent, but firm grasp of actual events and their ordering, I put that into what is left of my Gamers mind and start to think. Most of it is no longer conscious and out of my control, and the part that informs the conscious self often takes its time to do so as it can no longer exfiltrate ideas and idea structures as a complete form in my mind.

I am not a conspiracy theorist.

I have run multiple ongoing conspiracies in Game worlds that adhere strictly to their setting world, which often replicates the 'real world' in most fashions personal and social. Most conspiracy theorists do *not* have that background and have no idea of even the beginnings of what it takes to make a successful conspiracy. They often want to have the 'complete puzzle' and force pieces to fit that have no real adjoining properties. Most people do this because of their limitation in experience and capability in handling large amounts of conflicting data and making sense of it.

I ran WORLDS.

Not just a town, or a few villages, or even just a Nation. Complete world constructs from basic physics to universe setup to actual world formation to how the changes impact that world design to populating that world to giving it a history and then figuring out how every part and parcel of the social, economic, religious, magical, and other human and non-human actors played their part. When one played in my Worlds they had a *rich* environment that left many, many, many options. There were very few *set* game paths and I allowed people to find their own way and created the detailed necessities as I went along, using my deep understanding of the world itself. And like the 'real world' one had to figure out all the little extraneous bits of information and find out which were important and which weren't..... and hope you made the right decision.

So that is how I look at recent events.

I am *not* amused.

Lets take a look at a quick listing of some events long and short term:

1) Illegal alien labor force used as slave labor. Started during WWII with a 'guest worker' program as every poor farm boy got swept up into the military. And when those men came back they sought out education and a better life and achieved it, thus restructuring society. But the manual work needs be done and the end of the 'guest worker' program forced industry to either pay a higher labor cost or use illegal labor. They chose the latter. To those of you not looking, that ACT is illegal in and of itself and is without legal justification. The penalties for such should be harsh as it is a clear violation of Amendment XIII. But society was lax in the post-war boom, and even with the ups and downs it was never critical until there became a general feeling that labor could be *displaced* by this.

2) De Facto 'wink and nod' by both Parties to this. The Democrats to try and solidify a crumbling power base and Republicans to keep their industrial friends *happy* and in the fold. Note: both of these activities *encourage* illegal behavior. Both Political Parties decided that the Rule of Law didn't have to apply. In that doing, they started to abrade the National Security for their OWN Partisan reasons. They have BOTH WEAKENED THE UNION. Both are to blame going back at least until the 1960's on this. There is tarnish enough to spread around so the entire Two Party system is put at peril by this.

3) Enabling factors via the segmentation of the People as a whole. At one time in the Nation's history segmentation of the People was done via region. Northeast, Central Atlantic, Old South, Midwest, Gulf Coast, Southwest, Agricultural Middle, Rockies and Pacific Coastal with Alaska and Hawaii separated by sheer distance. These regional differences built up as the Nation expanded and different sorts of people went to different regions. The Civil Rights movement correctly pointed out that Blacks were not getting their full Citizenship rights and started tearing down barriers so that we could become a more perfect Union. But then the idea of using those same bricks taken down from that unjust structure to create a *new* set of barriers arose. And folks started making new bricks to wall off and segment population sectors based on religion, ethnicity, cultural background, personal wealth, and other such things. To the great detriment of the Union the same Civil Rights individuals who tore down one wall, started building ANOTHER and thus brought disunity to the Union.

4) The Political Parties reacted to this and started to address segments of We the People in order to craft majorities. The Democrats coasted on their Civil Rights work and encouraged more and more divisions so that this racial faction could be played against that racial faction. The Republicans started to do the same with religion and then with industry. Today the Union is a house divided with no commonality between floors to hold up the roof. It is a damn rickety structure for all the fact the Nation looked at collectively is the sole remaining Superpower in all realms.

5) In the last 20 years of so the grasping of Federal Political Power has become a hard and acid fought affair. One of the prime concerns about the use of Federal power is its *abuse* and use against population segments. Thanks for making those possible, guys! Now, that said, one of the important things to listen to during any accusations of the mis-use of power is those doing the actual accusing... but, not in the way they want you to hear them. No matter how bad the other guy is, listen to the structure of why they think these actions are being done. Then, ask yourself: if that is how they view that power, then are they *trustworthy* enough to wield it by not doing that? Are they, indeed, stating their attitudes towards that power and *wishing* they had it to use like that? This goes for BOTH Political Parties. No ONE PARTY gets off scot-free on this. There is no Party of Purity here, in these United States.

And now to the recent activities and how they can fit together. This is *not* fun.

Let us say you had the objective of putting a Royal Class into place using the Two Party System. How would you do it? Let us posit that the two Parties have similar goals and methods, just different means to achieve it. But the commonality of the goal is there.

Any good Factional player would want to set up a way to start eroding rights within the population and alienating parts of the population from each other. The best way would be to play up trivial differences in skin color, religious background and wealth so as to start separating the People into smaller segments and convincing them to do so by giving rewards to some and not others.

And the effects of laws to give disproportionate employment to minorities on an unlimited basis?

And the effects of giving out projects and programs which only address one political power base and not the others and does not help out the People as a whole?

And the effects of making debate into an either/or proposition and ANYONE taking ANY middle ground is vehemently attacked from both 'sides'? No matter if the sides have been making the same damn argument for decades and only increase their vitriol from their 'committed base' not only against the 'other side' but add that poison to the lifeblood of We the People as a Whole.

I received a phone call from one side of the 'abortion' question. It could have been from either side, really, they both take the same approach. I was asked if I was pro- on either side. I said 'no'. Then you're in the middle... 'No, I am not'.... then you're undecided... 'No I am not. I stand in a place where both sides are right and wrong that neither wants to see as it is *not* between them.' Silence.... Continued Silence.... then.... There isn't a place for that on the form.

Correct.

I have heard this strange notion that a thesis and anti-thesis can be reconciled into a synthesis. Fine in logic, but not so good with human emotions and outlook. The Political Parties stole that grand idea for politics from... the Marxists! You know, the folks set up to want to make class struggle and division possible? What a grand idea for the United States.

So, in this scenario both Parties have worked assiduously to remove common ground between debates and harden all such into either/or and NO COMPROMISE BY STANDING ELSEWHERE AND SEEING THINGS DIFFERENTLY. By encouraging this, debate is restricted, controlled and disunity made to flow into the lifeblood of the American discourse. This has now come back to bite We the People hard, as of late, with both Political Parties using illegal aliens as a club to restrict debate and force destruction of National Sovereignty upon the Nation.

When we look at the recent furor over the simple FBI investigation into a House of Representative's office with a Warrant signed off on by the appropriate member of the Judicial branch, all the actual balances and checks have been gone through. However, the Congress is demanding an expansion of their Privileges so as to make this not possible and be held unaccountable in activities emanating from their offices.

Now lets look at another thing going on to make an Aristocracy possible: Land and continuity of line.

In 1911 Congress set its own size in the House via Public Law. The rationale was that by some point in the 1930's there would be over 600 Representatives! Heaven forefend! So the size of the House was set and only budged a smidgen with new States, but then budged right back a few years later. Over time the population grew... and grew... and grew... and continues to do so.

And each Representative now has to represent more and more and more people. Now, luckily, the States get to draw those lines. Unluckily Both Parties have decided to draw districts with slight or major unevenness so that each Party gets to keep its seats. This is a Sinecure to allow Parties to remain representative without having to adjust their stances due to population shifts over time. Once a decade is a minor shake-up due to the Census. But the fluctuation of We the People is CONSTANT. By a two-year election cycle the House was made to reflect these changes. Instead, it has calcified to the point where only the Census shakes things up a little and demographic changes need be mighty to shift even scanty majorities in a large population base.

The effect of this action? Perpetuity of Line. The same names in similar districts start to show up again and again and again. Familial heritage of Power. And this is then locked into place via the unofficial 'earmarks' within the budgetary process to REWARD those voters that keep one in office.

But this still requires some accountability to the People, even as it corrodes the entire political system and Federal appropriations cycle to personal ends.

Now lets say you wanted to change this so that a basis of Perpetual Power could be made. How would the Parties do this?

Well you need a large group of people to suddenly shift the demographics of the Nation. How many millions of illegal aliens are there?

Second, you will need to let this group KNOW that they are *granted* rights by those in power, no matter *what* the Constitution says otherwise. And what is this 'path to Citizenship'?

Third, you must have positive enticements to ensure that these people will feel beholden unto those that bring them in. Hmmm... lets see... minor fine, then all earnings while here illegally for the Social Security systems ALLOWED, only having to account for three out of every five years of income tax, then 'guest workers' given worker union payscale and rights to make them nearly impossible to fire... oh, yes, there is a goodies list. And it is disgusting in part and in whole.

Fourth, by bringing these people in via this system they can be TRACKED as a group. One of the interesting things about Mexico is that even if you become a Citizen there after being born elsewhere, you are still disallowed from most jobs in the Government sector AND you can still be deported. Even as a Citizen! Now if the Parties took that grand idea... they could then say to the newcomers: do as I say, or else!

Fifth, the Executive must start to learn that the Congressional Privileges must be given. Anyone for a freezing of investigation and 'cooling off period'? What part of: hide or destroy evidence and possibly skip the country does the Executive NOT understand here? Bowing to a non-existent Privilege?

Sixth, the Legislature can begin to control Foreign Policy by enacting Laws. This sole domain of the Executive is now being threatened by the Senate Immigration Bill that, by using language that is forceful and does not allow those under it to say 'NO', infringes heavily upon the Executive Powers. And once a single President caves into such a thing, others will be hard pressed to win it back.

If I had to run a conspiracy over decades to achieve that goal, that is how I would do it. Slowly, carefully, ensuring that so much political heat is put out that NO ONE could see the actual design taking formation until it actually got close to fruition. And then, by sowing so much distrust into the People as a whole, there could be NO WAY for the People to have a voice in affairs.

And how close are we to a Landed Aristocracy unaccountable to the People and the Law and having its own underclass to overwhelm the People in the parts so as to change the Nation to their Perpetual liking?

I judge things by their actions and outcomes.

I do not like the course of events as of late because the outcomes spell large amounts of trouble for We the People.

No matter WHAT the damn *intent* was.

This is, most likely, just a confluence of events. Unfortunately the outcome of their enaction is the same as if it had been *designed*.

Either way I stand with the Constitution and the Republic and believe in that compact of a Free People joining together to remain free.

Now if only a few others would do so, We the People might be reminded of this.

2 comments:

Chip Anderson said...

Sid Mier's Alpha Centauri
EA StarCraft
Sierra HomeWorld

Of course, my favorite of the last few years has been Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004.


Chip

A Jacksonian said...

Chip - My thanks for visiting... starting having thinking problems soon after some of those titles came out... and was having less time for much of anything... now my concentration is pretty much shot for gaming.

Giving all of my gaming material to an old friend who can make use of some of it and just have good memories with the rest.

I wish you well!