OUR Solution to the $cientology Problem, Inter Alia
Making Light of Black PR, Part 4, OUR Solution.
OUR Solution to the $cientology Problem, Inter Alia
This is OUR planet, ha, ha.
I am posting this to alt.religion.scientology because the ideas
herein, although not originally connected to $cientology, can now be
seen as a workable solution to the $cientology problem, and because
many of the ars participants know me, and I don't know just about
anybody else.
China threatening Taiwan, and me and everyone, with neutron bombs
(as if being threatened with some other kind of bombs is a better deal)
and the likelihood that for any other reason I might be offed
prematurely (as if there's an unpremature time for even the off
season) I figured I'd post this today.
I suppose, ironically, $cientology has rendered my otherwise off topic
communicable idea about money on topic by their own black PR use of
the idea including in posts to ars. The attacks generally quote a
November 11, 1992 article from the Marin (CA) Independent Journal
and many iclude a copy of the IJ's classically classic photo of me in
Zappadmasana with a big globe in my lotus lap. The $cientology cult
additionally sent one of their buddies in the IRS, with whom they're
on a first name basis, a letter, which I'll try to dig up and post,
black PRing my monetary ideas.
I've also written about this subject and related events in my life, in
several declarations which have been filed in $cientology litigations,
and produced most of the documents which follow here in discovery
to the organization. But today it's because it's about time. I hope it
helps all of us, and I hope anyone else who also thinks there's a
hope, gets that with me and he or she, there's more than a hope.
Let me be perfectly clear, I'm not asking for your money, and I don't
want you to do anything, or anything any different from the what
you're doing. I'm not running for political office; although when I do
my campaign slogan will be, "Vote for me is all you got to do." (R)
Obviously for this to work in a reasonable amount of time I need help.
Ha, ha, ha.
In 1989 I wrote the following short essay and sent it to, I think, the
Oakland (CA) Tribune:
[Quote]
A CRASH COURSE IN SPECULATION
The crash of '87 demonstrated at least one fact: money has no value.
In a breath of history a trillion dollars disappeared, and nothing
changed.
Some say the crash is back, and some say it's a matter of time. Some
fear a crash will lead to panic, and some that panic will lead to a
crash. In truth there isn't even fear to be feared.
But if the crash comes, or even if there's a panic, I have a solution:
give money its real value, nothing. Have nothing to do with money.
Accept no wages and pay no bills. Neither give nor receive money, for
it has no value.
I am not urging a cashless, credit-based economy, for credit, based on
money, is as worthless as cash. Nor am I arguing that money is the
root of all evil, because evil is, like money, in reality, nothing. I
am, however, suggesting that if our society is looked at closely and
with hope in mind and heart it just might be observable that the
elimination of money need not have a downside; i.e., it does nothing.
And the ideal time for such a shift in perception to occur is when
money can seem to be all important, at the point of greatest financial
crash and panic.
I am not the first philosopher to note money's illusory nature nor to
propose its elimination. In earlier times, however, money appeared to
make more sense, society seemed to need it, and those who had
accumulated lots of it were somehow successful in convincing those who
had less that they were poorer, less secure, and should do what those
with the lots wanted in order to get more. Now there is computerization,
robotization and instant communication. Now money can go and not be
missed.
It can still be collected, because collectors will, if they wish,
continue to collect. Car makers can make cars, builders can build,
truck drivers can drive, and farmers can farm, because that's what
they do. Police can still bring law and order and PG & E can still
provide power. Even the government can still govern. Mark and Jose can
bash baseballs and each other and Rickey can still steal bases. (n1)
On the other hand thieves might not want to steal if there isn't any
money in it. The war on poverty can be declared won as everyone's
real wealth will become obvious. The war on drugs would go the same
way as there would be no one to sell to or buy from. Who would backhaul
deadly chemicals in food containers if the illusion of economic
advantage was removed? Traffic problems disappear and environmental
issues can be resolved. The homeless can have the banks, brokerages
and insurance companies; in fact the whole financial district.
Brokers, bankers, investors and insurance agents can do whatever they
want. No more deficit, no more taxes, no more stock market, no more
crashes.
I am not advocating anarchy, but believe it can easily be avoided if,
when the urge to panic arises, we do nothing; including and especially
doing nothing with money. Nor am I promoting any political idea akin
to communism. The communists have not shown the courage or risibility
needed to relinquish their rubles. I am suggesting non-mutual
exclusivity as a better idea. Something does not mean something else.
No one need feel threatened by any idea herein. Ownership and
occupancy of property is not an unsolvable problem. Equitable
distribution of goods is not necessarily less easy than the current
inequitable system.
It is becoming clear that we are entering the Age of Wisdom, because
we can now understand what it is. No one has ever been able to write
on the Face of God that in money we trust, but someone in his wisdom
got it right the other way around.
[End Quote]
(n1) At this date Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco still bash their share
of long balls, but rarely if ever each other, having left the A's and
gone to separate teams and leagues. Rickey also moved on, but what, is
he back with the A's? where one would hope he would end his
Cooperstown career in crime.
In 1990 the Iraq-US War happened, and in 1991 I was back involved
with $cientology litigation as full time as full time could be, and
sometime during this period the thought came to me that it might be
possible to get enough people to see wisdom in the idea that the
economic system by general agreement could be changed beneficially,
to actually make beneficial change possible. Something could be
organized.
In 1992, while working for anti-cult attorney Ford Greene, I wrote a
few more short essays on the subject and put together a package of my
writings which I sent to several people, including those on the
recipients list which follows here.
[Quote]
October 23, 1992
Dear :
Greetings. I am the founder of the Organization of United Renunciants
(OUR), which the accompanying papers concern, and The Gerald Armstrong
Corporation,(n1) which owns some of the rights to some of my works. I
am by profession an artist, writer and philosopher.
I believe that these papers contain a worthy idea and I ask that you
take them seriously.
I have had, even to me, startling success in getting signatures to OUR
Pledge, and I do expect that in the not too distant future we will
reach OUR critical number. I urge the recipients of these materials,
therefore, to do what is in their heart and power to ensure the
peaceful transition of the country's values.
I do not believe that I have the system and nothing but the system. I
have thought about this subject a great deal more than I have written
about it, and my writing on the subject is neither complete nor
polished. I, therefore welcome your questions and suggestions.
I am enclosing a list of references for your ease of investigation.
God's blessing to all.
Gerald Armstrong
for the Organization of United Renunciants
P.O. Box 2711 (n2)
San Anselmo, CA 94979
(415) 456-8450
[End Quote]
(n1) The Gerald Armstrong Corporation, or TGAC, pronounced TeeGeeAck
(R) is not operating in any form or location.
(n2) Address and numbers are no longer valid.
*****
Recipients of OUR October 23, 1992 letter and document package:
President George Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Bill Clinton
Clinton for President
P.O. Box 615
Little Rock, AR 77203
Ross Perot
6606 L.B.J. Freeway, No. 150
Dallas, TX 75240
Republican National Committee
310 1st Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
Rep. Barbara Boxer
3301 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael, CA 94901
Sen. John Seymour
Republican Headquarters
4340 Redwood Highway, Suite F219
San Rafael, CA 94903
Perot for President
P.O. Box 6869
San Rafael, CA 94903
Gov. Pete Wilson
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Norma Sosa
Legal Editor
New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Richard Behar
Time Magazine
Time & Life Building
Rockefeller Center
New York, NY 10020-1393
Robert Welkos
Los Angeles Times
145 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
San Francisco Chronicle
901 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-2988
Marin Independent Journal
150 Alameda del Prado
Novato, CA 94949
Mary Ellen Butler
Oakland Tribune
P.O. Box 24424
Oakland, CA 94623
Pacific Sun
P.O. Box 5553
Mill Valley, CA 94942
Six people named on reference list
[Quote]
Gerald Armstrong references:
Michael Douglas
108 Oak Drive
San Rafael, CA 94901
Michael J. Flynn, Esquire
Flynn, Sheridan & Tabb
1 Boston Place, 26th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
Ford Greene, Esquire
711 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Thomas McPherson, Esquire
Rankin, Mersereau & Shannon
1600 Benjamin Franklin Plaza
One S.W. Columbia Street
Portland, OR 97258
Michael L. Walton, Esquire
P.O. Box 751
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Joseph A. Yanny, Esquire
1925 Century Park East
Suite 1260
Los Angeles, CA 90067
[End Quote]
[Quote]
OUR DEADLINE
The resolution of all planetary economic problems, except those
generated by unnecessary resistance to the resolution, is now with us.
It arrived as a godsend.
Its implementation will be peaceful, kind, fair and safe. It will not
cost anything. It is so simple a child would understand it.
Implementation is possible immediately except for two obstacles:
not enough people know of the plan; and significant anticipated
unnecessary resistance. This document will bring to people word of
the plan. The setting of OUR deadline, November 11, 1992 (n1), will
confront all resistance.
The plan calls for a single act of courage on that date by somewhere
between one and eleven percent of the national population. (n2)
Because it will be done on that specific day by courageous souls
linked in purpose and faith, its effect will be heroic and
irreversible.
There is sufficient time before November 11 for somewhere between
one and eleven percent of the population to forge the needed link. The
Organization of United Renunciants is dedicated to linking people for
this plan, providing information and understanding to all who ask, and
protecting OUR participants.
I am the founder of the Organization and responsible for its writings
and decisions. (n3) I welcome communications and accept help. I have
no designs on the U.S. Presidency, which will never be available to me
because I was not born a citizen. I am, however, eligible for the
Prime Ministership, a job I have also not sought, of Canada, an even
bigger country. Regardless, I am as American as Mahatma Gandhi.
My plan is based on the fact that money has no value. I wrote about
this in 1989 in an essay I called "A Crash Course In Speculation."
Between then (n4) and now various events and realizations occurred
which led to the plan and made it timely. And everything has continued
to convince me that money indeed has no value.
George Bush's deadly deadline to Saddam Hussein gave me the idea
of issuing our deadline. The fact that it was OUR deadline resulted in
the Organization of United Renunciants. Organizing renunciants made
sense because I had, in August 1990, as a result of understanding the
Persian Gulf crisis, and accepting the idea of renunciation as guidance,
given away all my money, real estate, paper holdings and personal
effects and forgiven all debts owed me.
November 11, 1992, since it is a week after national elections, since
things don't take as long as they took, and since it is to this country's
leaders that the deadline is issued, is the perfect day. And the ultimatum
to the leaders is simply this: come up with a better plan or we will,
starting November 11, have nothing to do with money.
If by November 11 we do not have enough renunciants to effectuate
OUR ultimatum we will set a new deadline; April 15, 1993, for example.
(n5) We will not call for OUR members to have nothing to do with money
on any deadline date unless we are certain that we have the number
necessary to achieve OUR goal: the peaceful transformation of the
system of management of the affairs of government and people.
The Organization of United Renunciants asks for no money. Neither
does it refuse money. All money received will be used, until it is no
longer currency, to inform and maintain communication between OUR
members. Neither I, nor any other of OUR members, will receive any
monetary remuneration for OUR work. (n6) If the resources necessary
to do the work are not provided, it merely will not be done. Since
resources are as far as the eye can see, there's really not much space
for failure.
[End Quote]
(n1) At this time, OUR Latest Deadline ("OLD") is November
11, 2000.
(n2) I have been told by someone who swore that studies indicate
that information diffusion in a human set occurs when in the neighbor-
hood of fifteen percent of the set have been exposed to the information.
(n3) I meant by this that I was solely to blame for the idea and the
writing. I did not mean I held or sought any control over anyone, or
even over whatever flowed from any of this. I am actually praying that
the good computer folks will put their heads together on this, and
take it completely off my hands. Then I can put my hands to what
they're great for, picking up trash.
(n4) The first statement of OUR plan, along with OUR Pledge and
related writings, was mailed to fifteen political people or organizations
and newspapers on October 23, 1992. These documents have been given
to a number of other people since then. Consider yourself one of OUR
friends if you're getting this now.
(n5) Any future date, e.g., April 15, 2000, works fine. OUR idea had
been to stick to the eleven- eleven date, because it's a remembrance
of armistice, a perfect day with every good reason to do nothing, but
there are plenty of days to go around.
(n6) I've changed my mind about this. I don't think it makes any
difference if the good folks who might do this get paid, and if they
want to be paid to do it, then happily pay them as much as
it takes.
[Quote]
OUR PLEDGE
We, the Organization of United Renunciants ("OUR"), being
of sound mind and good intentions, and out of a love of our fellows, our
world and country, do hereby Pledge:
1. In recognition of its valuelessness, and unless someone comes up
with a better plan before November 11, 2000 ("OUR Day") we
will, from that date forward, have nothing to do with money.
2. On November 11, 2000 we will forgive all debts owed to us.
3. From November 11, 2000 forward we will pay no taxes, buy no
insurance, deal with no banks and keep no financial records.
4. From November 11, 2000 forward we will work as called for
the peace and prosperity of all; but we will not work for money.
5. From now on we will peacefully resist tyranny.
(Sign; Date; Print Name, Address and Phone Number)
[End Quote]
Revised & Reissued (R&R) 1998, 2000
[Quote]
WISDOM HAS NO DOWNSIDE
The resolution of problems is neither easy nor hard.
Government's primary function is to feed people. Because this is so
simple and takes so little time, and in fact people as a rule want to
feed themselves, government can do all sorts of other things.
Elections in large part are the action of deciding which of vying
political groups can do in the best way the best set of other things.
If a political group does not even have the determination to feed
people it should not be considered as a potential government. If a
government can't feed people it not only has no business being a
government it isn't one. Since every country, state, city or planetary
space is owed a legitimate government, a group, acting as a government
but not feeding its people, is standing in the way of the legitimate
government. All the illegitimate governments of the world fall into
this category.
The only answer to the national debt is to cancel it. At the same
time cancel all debts owed to this country. It's too bad, perhaps, that
the U.S. didn't cancel the debt owed to it back when it was a global
creditor, but it's no less timely now. Maybe a little more
embarrassing. I submit, however, that the nation (n1) can argue that
not only did it not understand before now that money had no value, but
there also wasn't the computer to zero things out.
We have ourselves to thank for the deficit, and we can thank God He
didn't create it. Therefore it is unarguably in our hands to take care
of it. The deficit's wonderful lesson is that the more gargantuan and
ghastly it became the easier it was to see it really didn't exist and
would disappear with the stroke of a pen. While we're at it we should
disappear all debt of any kind anywhere. God, Who created us in His
Image, is indebted to no one.
Some rich soul may argue that as a debtor nation we must honor the
international commitments our debts imply. Thank God this country
really is a superpower; who's going to argue with us? Of course it
would become instantly clear to our global neighbors that to survive
in a sane world they would want to cancel their debts as quickly as
possible as well.
A better answer to the homeless problem is private ownership. Right
now we're headed, in the name of capitalism, on a break neck tear
toward total socialism. A few more recessionary squeezes and all
property everywhere will be owned by the state and a few other
faceless corporate fictions. It makes ever so much more sense for
everyone to own where they are. Once that's taken care of, see who's
out in the cold, and where the empty homes are. A perfect task for a
computer. Landlords and ladies would be happy because they wouldn't
be responsible for all the homes they don't live in.
There is no evidence that the employed eat more than the unemployed;
in fact there is some evidence that the more employed someone is the
less he or she eats. It is the indolent who have more time and space
for eating. In any event, there is no reason for people to not be
employed. In fact, it is impossible that anyone could be unemployed.
Someone might not do his job, and might not show up where he was
needed, but he would never be out of work.
The assignment of resources is local according to a distribution
program passed by elected legislators. "The program is the platform."
Fortunately, by eliminating money the nation's consumption of fuel
will be manifestly reduced. So there won't be much of a need for oil
drilling or coal mining for a while. And by that time there could be a
prodigality of applicants for drilling or mining adventures.
There are lots of incentives in the world, the most valueless of which
is money. But if money must be replaced with other incentives, its
best replacements so far thought of are fame and vacations. Clean up
your mess, see Paris in the springtime. Because business class, and
the poor salesmen's economy class, will disappear, commercial airlines
can retool to handle the burgeoning holiday-bound.
Since money has no value, more is no greater than less. The reason
player salaries are embarrassing is that they render fatuous otherwise
perfectly fine athletes. Ask Joe Montana. (n2) He threw way more
touchdowns when he was getting way less money.
Because so many people can't find work right now so many things
don't get done.
Paint the house that needs painting. First.
[End Quote]
(n1) I am posting this from Canada, of course.
(n1) Joe has now retired, and his TD passing days are over, but the
same principle continues. Tripling Shaq's salary will not mean one
more bucket next season.
[Quote]
PRESENT CURRENCY
It goes without saying that it has been said that money is a means
of exchange. It has been that for a long time. It has at least that
purpose in every country of every political coloration and to every
reasonably rational individual including those who have none and
those who have renounced it.
Until recently money was arguably as good as any other conceivable
means of exchange and so it remained the predominant currency; and
in fact is defined almost universally as currency. And currency is
defined as a means of exchange. Now, unlike before, there is the
computer. It is a far better, and much cheaper, means of exchange.
Even now money and the computer perform the same function: they
direct the movement of things. Money directs wheat into flour, tomatoes
into bottles, olives into oil and pizza into ovens; cars into showrooms
and thence up driveways; bodies into bikinis and onto operating tables;
cable into TVs; phone calls along wires; gas into tanks; presidents
into white houses. Money directs much of what gets done all day and
all night everywhere. It just does a terrible job of it.
The computer directs planes onto flight decks; missiles into targets,
ink to printers. And it directs many of the things that money too
directs: cars into showrooms, calls along wires, even grain into
flour. The computer does, except for one glitch, a great job.
Poetically, replacing money with the computer as currency repairs the
glitch.
The glitch is a programming error, immediately correctable, which
arises from the assignment of value to money in computations. Money
has no value, and assigning it value, or the inclusion of it at all in any
computation skews the result. The computer will always produce a
wrong answer, just as man in his pre-computer wisdom has, when money
of any assigned value other than zero, is entered into his computations.
Remove money from any computation, and, all other data being
reasonably accurate, the answer will be reasonably right.
There are meter maids and men who drive around our city streets
in little gas vehicles chalking the tires of larger gas vehicles parked
in these streets for no other reason than to make money. The men and
maids grow nothing, feed no one, heal not a wound. Nor do they even
bend over to pick up one scrap of the national tonnage of trash they
drive by and wade through on their daily rounds. Their products are
chalk dust, deadly gases, sebaceous glutei, wasted paper, wasted fuel
and wasted lives.
Every day, using computers, a few men and women who have never missed
a meal, buy zillions of tons of corn, beans and chickens, for no other
reason than to make money. The same few sell the same commodities for
the same reason - to make money. The commodities didn't move from
their warehouses and the brokers didn't move from their glutei. While
millions of men, women and children, who spend a lifetime missing
meals, can't buy an ear of corn, a handful of beans or a chicken
because they have no money.
Every day countless millions of people drive to work and spend untold
unhappy hours doing it for what is completely valueless - to make
money. We clog our highways, pollute our planet, squander our
resources, lie, cheat and steal for the same valueless purpose. We say
we need jobs to make money to buy corn and chickens lest we starve.
But all the money in the world, no matter how well watered and
fertilized, can't grow a stalk of corn, and chickens won't eat the
stuff. God grows all life and makes all things. Man can direct where
some of the lifeforms and things go; the computer can be a better
currency in that task.
Take doctors for example. They know that having more money thrust
at them to perform better operations is stupid. They'd have to take off
their gloves, lift their gown, pocket the cash, or even a check, wash
their hands of lucre's filth, and call for a new pair of gloves. The
patient expires. The doctor has to get more money to pay his
escalating malpractice insurance. Money's only function in medicine is
to slow productivity, and guarantee malpractice.
Eliminate money as currency and with it go malpractice awards and
any need for an insurance industry. Doctors would still regulate their
industry, and in a kinder, gentler fashion than its present
governance. But the operations that got done would be those that are
needed. And stupidities in the name of insurance would be not only
not de rigueur but absurd.
There is the undeniable risk that perhaps unhappily for some the
elimination of money might annihilate the advertising industry. After
all, who would advertise if there wasn't money to be made in it? It is
true that sectors of the ad industry would disappear. Who in his right
mind, for example, would run an ad to sell a table, even his second
one, when he could just give it to somebody who didn't have one? And
would somebody who had just one table, if he were in his right mind,
advertise to sell it because he didn't have enough money?
Truly, however, the ad industry can become the education industry;
Madison Avenue populated by ed men. "The best message wins." (R) They
can have real clients for a change, doing "real things for real
reasons." (R) "Each word can be memorable in its own right." (R)
And the ed men can stay at home more, lie less, live longer, love a lot,
and stop sucking up to Phillip Morris.
Law is a worthy subject. Right now there are lawsuits being filed for
no other reason than they make "economic sense." Good people are not
defended because they can't pay, and bad people are because they can.
Remove money from judgments and legal consideration and American
jurisprudence becomes rational and fair. Include money in justice's
deliberations and its decisions will always be skewed and therefore
unjust.
There is the question, of course, if people don't take money in
payment, who will do the work. The immediate answer is, the same
person who has been doing it. Bankers, brokers, insurance blokes and
bookies obviously wouldn't have to show up. They can get real jobs of
any kind they want and have all the time in the world to learn a
useful trade. There will be lots of people to take care of all the
needed work. Bridges still need painting, but they don't need toll
booths nor people to occupy them.
Anyone can figure out what jobs really need to be covered and what
ones should be eliminated. For the most part people will be able to do
ergonomically what they want to do; which is a bunch better than the
way it is now with most people doing what they don't want to do
because they need money, and unable to do what they're called to do
or love to do because no one will pay them to do it.
The general rule regarding priorities is that they don't matter. Rules
are always qualified by safety, courtesy and wisdom. Stupidity has no
effect so it's silly to engage in it. Time is here as far as the eye
can see, so don't be concerned about losing it. Except in matters of
safety, courtesy and wisdom, where there's no time to be lost.
[End Quote]
The only journalist to follow up on OUR first mailing was Richard
Polito at the Marin IJ. The paper had done a story on my $cientology
litigation earlier that year and Polito talked about me to the
reporters involved with that story before we met. During our meeting
he asked some good questions, which I answered, and then followed
up with this letter.
[Quote]
November 3, 1992
Rick Polito
Marin Independent Journal
150 Alameda del Prado
Novato, CA 94949
By Telecopier (415)382-0549
Re: OUR PROGRAM
Dear Rick:
I've given some more thought to your questions regarding who would do
the work, who would clean the sewers, who would bother to show up and
so forth if what needed to be done was not done for money.
Initially it is predicted that everyone would experience both some
relief and some enthusiasm. To not only not have to worry about money
while working in the sewer but to not have to work in the sewer at all
could not help but be a relief to any sewer worker who enjoyed neither
the worrying nor the work. If someone did not enjoy the worrying but
enjoyed the work he too would experience relief. In that no one
hereafter need worry any longer it might turn out that sewer work
could be as enjoyable as any other profession. If someone enjoyed
worrying about money, then whether he enjoyed working in the sewer or
not, clearly, as Ross Perot might say, money's elimination is not for
him.
Initially as well, working for something different from money would
be such a departure from the way things were that the present pervasive
job boredom would have to give way to excitement. Since the
elimination of money would occur on one day across the country, the
population would be educated in advance of that day in the reasoning
behind the elimination, and what to expect and how to function on
their non-money-motivated jobs and in a moneyless society. The
education process can itself produce a new enthusiasm for our jobs and
lives.
If sewer work really was so distasteful or dangerous, the men and
women who perform it should be the most adulated of our servants. If
they are not paid money for what they do they will be seen for the
heroes they are. Hence give them great vacations and make their faces
household words.
It is far more important to give whomever is asked to do the job the
materials with which to do it than to pay him or her money. That's the
task of management, who can still manage without money, and
undoubtedly more efficiently, and hence sanely, than present
management, which pays homage to the false god, Bottomline.
Finally, regarding the American people's morality, and therefor
ability to work for a higher reason, I remain convinced that in truth
the real work done even now is done for that higher reason. And I
remain convinced that we are moving into the Age of Wisdom when
nationally and globally that higher reason will be understood, and
will be strived for far more passionately than money ever was.
Please feel free to call at any time if you have any questions, or for
any reason.
Yours sincerely,
Gerry Armstrong
Organization of United Renunciants
address
telephone
[End Quote]
And the only politician to respond to OUR mailing was President
Clinton who sent me this very cool handwritten card.
[Quote]
BILL CLINTON
P.O. Box 615
Little Rock, AR 72203
Gerald Armstrong
The Organization of United Renuciants (sic)
P.O. Box 2711
San Anselmo, CA 94979
Paid for by the Clinton/Gore '92
[End Quote]
And then there's a little printer's bug which I can't read, and on the
action side the President writes:
[Quote]
Thanks so much for your letter. I welcome your ideas. They will
be carefully considered. I'm grateful you took the time to write.
Bill
[End Quote]
I haven't again heard directly from Mr. Clinton, so I don't know the
result of his careful consideration, but there's still plenty of time
to hear from him before he leaves office. I was thinking he'd try to
hire me as an easily underpaid economic advisor on one of his many
teams.
Every morning when I read the paper, every night when I watch TV,
and in between every time I look anywhere on the internet, I see big
problems that I also see as resolvable if money is not thought of as
the solution. Just think what the world might be like if the silliness
that the economy has become during money's reign could be replaced,
and peacefully, with something smarter, better and cheaper by money's
disappearance.
On the $cientology problem, no court or government anywhere would
let them get away with what they're getting away with if the money
they use to get away with it was recognized as being worthless. Without
money, courts and governments would be much harder to buy. All the
money in the world has only bought global injustice.
For quite a while I worried that gamblers would raise the devil if
there wasn't money to be gambled away. But now I believe that even
this can be remedied in many ways. The non-gamblers, for example,
could simply give the gamblers all the money. They can gamble all they
want until one just gambler with all the money is left. That guy is
the most unlucky, since he spent the most time winning all that stuff
of no value. The luckiest gamblers are those who lose all their money
the quickest.
The real poetry in the plan is that until there are sufficient
renunciants to make renunciation effortless and overwhelmingly safe,
you don't have to renounce or do anything. You can make as much money
as you can as fast as you can afford to, and you should. You should
make truckloads of the stuff, so that when OUR Day comes you'll have
plenty worth renouncing.
OUR idea will certainly take care of the money-based copyright law
stupidities we've all endured these past few years. But even before
OUR Day dawns, feel free to copy any or all of this and pass it on,
post it or publish it wherever you want.
© 1989, 1992, 1999, 2000 Gerald Armstrong
46109 Princess Avenue
Chilliwack, B.C., V2P 2A6
Canada
Copyright © Gerry Armstrong - All Rights Reserved.