|
|
|
Beyond Paranoia
Sam Aurelius Milam III The names of institutions can be interesting. Consider the CDC. It was founded in 1946, a successor to some previous agencies, as the Communicable Disease Center. In 1967, it became the National Communicable Disease Center. In 1970, it was renamed the Center for Disease Control. In 1980, an "s" was added, making it (them?) the Centers for Disease Control. It wasn't until 1992 that the words and Prevention were added to the name. So, prior to 1970, the purpose of the CDC was, presumably, to study communicable diseases. After 1970, it was renamed not as a center for studying diseases, but as a center for controlling them. It wasn't the Center for Disease Prevention, or Treatment, or even Cures, which would have preserved the acronym. It was the Center for Disease Control. Not until more than 20 years later did somebody, probably a spin doctor, think to add the words and prevention. Even then, by congressional mandate, it remained the CDC, not the CDCP. As I observed in Milam's Notes, in 1994, the only reliable test for ownership is possession or control. So, if the CDC controls a disease, then maybe the CDC owns the disease. In Animal Gestapo Houston (November 2008), and elsewhere, I commented that ownership of a thing means that the owner of the thing can possess it, use it, dispose of it, and so forth, as he wishes. So, if the CDC owns a disease, then the CDC can decide how it's used, by whom, and for what purpose. Maybe the CDC is entirely above reproach in this regard but, after all, it is a federal agency. In the X-Files episode Unusual Suspects, the administrators of a federal weapons facility were planning to test an aerosolized gas on unwitting civilians in Baltimore. In that episode, Susanne Modeski commented, regarding such behavior by government officials, "No matter how paranoid you are, you're not paranoid enough." Although the names of institutions are interesting, they might not always be entirely informative. I doubt if the Department of Defense is entirely occupied with defensive plans and strategies. The Department of the Interior probably isn't much concerned with the insides of buildings. Orwell treated such misnomers in an interesting way in his novel 1984. The Ministry of Peace was concerned with war. The Ministry of Truth perpetuated lies. The Ministry of Love tortured people. I believe that the September 11, 2001 attacks were perpetrated by a federal agency but I don't know its name. In my writing on the subject, I referred to it as the Unnamed Agency. So, maybe the CDC isn't trying to control the use of diseases for nefarious purposes. Maybe it is. I don't know. That's kind of the point. That brings me back to Susanne Modeski's comment. I believe that she had the right idea but used the wrong terminology. Properly speaking, paranoia is an irrational or unjustified fear. I believe that her fear was entirely justified in the fictional world of The X-Files. Thus, she wasn't paranoid. She was well informed. I believe that the same fear is entirely justified in the real world. So, I'm not paranoid. Since most of the relevant information is hidden from us, I'm also not well informed. That leaves me with only skepticism and cynicism with which to evaluate federal agencies. So, I'll rephrase Susanne Modeski's comment regarding the nature and purposes of federal agencies. No matter how skeptical and cynical you are, you're not paranoid, and you're not skeptical and cynical enough. Thoughts About Busybodies Forwarded by SantaClara Bob. Attributed to C.S. Lewis. Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be "cured" against one's will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals. But to be punished, however severely, because we have deserved it, because we "ought to have known better", is to be treated as a human person made in God's image.
|
Letters to the Editor
Dear Mr. Milam, Thank you for rescuing Civilized Society from your trash basket and giving it dignity in March's Frontiersman. Unfortunately, experience has proven most prisoner generated mail doesn't make it past the trash basket. As you wrote in your prelude to Civilized Society, "The article tells us that things haven't improved. Yesterday's article is still reporting today's news." How true! People in our "civilized society" still scratch their heads, saying "Why don't things change?" There are none so blind than those who will not see. Thank you for shining Frontiersman's beacon of enlightenment into the social abyss of stupidity. In admiration and appreciation, Robert H. Outman, Prisoner P-79939
Hello Sam: Received the latest Frontiersman.... I'm happy & sad at the same time, today. My immediate neighbor, whom I've known for seven years, starting from a different prison, went home several hours ago. He was doing a life sentence and had 27 years down. He went to board a few months ago and was found "suitable" for release. A transition program came to pick him up. I'm happy for him, ecstatic, actually, but feel a bit of emptiness that my friend is gone. I hope to see him again, but not in here. I've learned that even though Prop 57 has passed, Calif. prisons will not implement anything until October of '17. Sounds to me like they didn't expect it to pass and didn't make plans. Once things are "implemented", I have 11 weeks worth of credit that will count toward my credit; more when I finish these two college classes. I will count on nothing and be surprised if it happens rather than expect it and be let down if it doesn't.... Take care my friend, Sticky
Hi Sam, I've been trying to write you for weeks & weeks, every day, & the pileup gets in the way, worse daily. I have been getting I believe all of the Frontiersman & I thank you for those. Each time I had set out to write you in response to some articles in those, & that effort every time has also failed as I fall asleep each nite (next morn) with piles of letters fallen all over me on bed that I had set out to respond to & fell asleep finally instead. The Frontiersman each time has had some excellent articles.... a prisoner
Scientists Find New Element Original Source Unknown. Forwarded by Warren, of Pocatello, Idaho. A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science, Governmentium. Governmentium (Gv) has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium lacks electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected, because it impedes reactions with which it comes into contact. A small amount of Governmentium recently caused one reaction to take over four days to complete, instead of the normal reaction time of less than a second. Governmentium has a normal half-life of 4 years, but it doesn't decay. Instead, it undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. Governmentium's mass actually increases over time, since each reorganization causes more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a certain concentration, referred to as Critical Morass. When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, [However, see New Element Discovered in the January 1996 issue.] which radiates as much energy as Governmentium, having half as many peons, but twice as many morons. Hubble Telescope
Reveals New Details
|
Acknowledgments My thanks to the following: SantaClara Bob; Betty; Robert, of San Diego, California; Eric, of Ione, California; and FL, of Soledad, California. editor
Websites http://frontiersman.org.uk/ http://moonlight-flea-market.com/ http://pharos.org.uk/ http://sam-aurelius-milam-iii.org.uk/ http://sovereign-library.org.uk/ Blonde Jokes
Test Results
Frontiersman Availability Assuming the availability of sufficient funds, subscriptions to this newsletter in print, copies of past issues in print, and copies of the website on CDs are available upon request. Funding for this newsletter is from sources over which I don't have any control, so it might become necessary for me to terminate these offers or to cancel one or more subscriptions at any time, without notice. All past issues are presently available at the address shown below. Contributions are welcome. Cancellations If you don't want to keep receiving printed copies of this newsletter, then return your copy unopened. When I receive it, I'll terminate your subscription. Reprint Policy Permission is hereby given to reproduce this newsletter in its entirety or to reproduce material from it, provided that the reproduction is accurate and that proper credit is given. I do not have the authority to give permission to reprint material that I have reprinted from other sources. For that permission, you must apply to the original source. I would appreciate receiving a courtesy copy of any document or publication in which you reprint my material. Submissions I consider letters, articles, and cartoons for the newsletter, but I don't pay for them. Short items are more likely to be printed. I suggest that letters and articles be shorter than 500 words but that's flexible depending on space available and the content of the piece. Payment This newsletter isn't for sale. If you want to make a voluntary contribution, then I prefer cash or U.S. postage stamps. For checks or money orders, please inquire. For PayPal payments, use editor@frontiersman.org.uk. In case anybody's curious, I also accept gold, silver, platinum, etc. I don't accept anything that requires me to provide ID to receive it. Sam Aurelius Milam III, editor
|
|
|