Great article. I've been reading a ton of books on Rome lately and the comparisons to where we are now is truly astonishing. Rome fell due to a combination of an overextended military, ruinous taxation of the middle class, and beyond corrupt governance, along with an upper class that fell to extreme levels of moral degradation. How is this any different than what those of us in the American empire are experiencing? We have military bases around the globe but can't seem to beat anyone in war anymore, like when Emperor Valentine tried taking on the King of Kings in the late 4th century and ended up as the only emperor to have been captured by the enemy during a campaign. Due to endless military buildups, bailing out corrupt corporations, and a bloated bureaucracy the citizens of the American Empire are taxed more and more, or have the worth of their money devalued thanks to inflation. This is reminiscent of Roman emperors deciding to add less and less gold/silver to the coins they minted thus causing rampant inflation along with eroding the trust of Roman citizens.
I've come to realize that those in power view us as nothing but the common rabble, toss us some free bread and air some reality tv and that will appease the masses. Prior to Julius Caesar's update of the calendar Roman citizens viewed time as something that was cyclical so it was expected that history/events would repeat themselves, think that we are witnesses to the verification of this ancient belief.
"or something honorable like sucking cock on a street corner for chimichangas" I LOL'd
Your main problem is the right hemisphere of your brain seems to have taken control before you hit retirement. That ability to get lost down little technical rabbit holes unconcerned about the big picture? Classic left hemisphere brain dominance. That is relentlessly selected for at all levels entering into the professional/credentialed/managerial class.
You're focusing on the fact that your career didn't accomplish anything in the way that you had told yourself, or let yourself believe. That will make you depressed AF, don't do that. With government spending taking an ever increasing share of the pie and regulations and nudge units funded and supported by government picking winners and losers in the market (generally shifting high paying jobs and opportunities towards large, multinational corporations, especially for those who have sunk cost into obtaining credentials and relevant work experience), a huge proportion of Americans is in exactly the same boat. What you can focus on instead, is the fact that you have developed real skills and a deep understanding of the perils/intractable problems associated with bureaucracy. That experience and credibility as an insider was hard won, and it will be incredibly useful going forward if you still care to help America slip the rapidly tightening noose of tyranny.
Set a posting schedule and stick to it. You might not think you have anything insightful to say, I assure you that this is merely a product of cognitive bias. Sharing your perspective on things given what you have been through and the skills you have developed will be of interest to many, and yours will be an important voice towards finding a political path back to a socially cohesive and principled America.
Don't focus on trying to outline TTPs in a way that will keep you out of trouble, that will be incredibly stressful, and at the end of the day, I don't think it matters that much. The fact is they're doing it, that is the problem, and knowing how they do it specifically probably won't be as helpful as you turning your focus towards finding a way ahead. Lots of writers on substack are trying to figure this out and working towards this goal. My favorite framings of the issue come from my boy John Carter https://barsoom.substack.com/p/the-great-convergence-i-pennywise
Just get into the conversation and the way ahead will become ever clearer. You don't have to bear this burden alone, there are many thousands of us that recognize all the same things and have the same regrets. If there is to be a silver lining to all that perhaps misdirected effort it will require purposeful action on your part now. You'll get feedback and discussion and you will quickly internalize that you are not alone (which I'm sure you realize is one of the reasons censorship is so effective, it produces this sensation of isolation).
Great article. I've been reading a ton of books on Rome lately and the comparisons to where we are now is truly astonishing. Rome fell due to a combination of an overextended military, ruinous taxation of the middle class, and beyond corrupt governance, along with an upper class that fell to extreme levels of moral degradation. How is this any different than what those of us in the American empire are experiencing? We have military bases around the globe but can't seem to beat anyone in war anymore, like when Emperor Valentine tried taking on the King of Kings in the late 4th century and ended up as the only emperor to have been captured by the enemy during a campaign. Due to endless military buildups, bailing out corrupt corporations, and a bloated bureaucracy the citizens of the American Empire are taxed more and more, or have the worth of their money devalued thanks to inflation. This is reminiscent of Roman emperors deciding to add less and less gold/silver to the coins they minted thus causing rampant inflation along with eroding the trust of Roman citizens.
I've come to realize that those in power view us as nothing but the common rabble, toss us some free bread and air some reality tv and that will appease the masses. Prior to Julius Caesar's update of the calendar Roman citizens viewed time as something that was cyclical so it was expected that history/events would repeat themselves, think that we are witnesses to the verification of this ancient belief.
"or something honorable like sucking cock on a street corner for chimichangas" I LOL'd
Your main problem is the right hemisphere of your brain seems to have taken control before you hit retirement. That ability to get lost down little technical rabbit holes unconcerned about the big picture? Classic left hemisphere brain dominance. That is relentlessly selected for at all levels entering into the professional/credentialed/managerial class.
You're focusing on the fact that your career didn't accomplish anything in the way that you had told yourself, or let yourself believe. That will make you depressed AF, don't do that. With government spending taking an ever increasing share of the pie and regulations and nudge units funded and supported by government picking winners and losers in the market (generally shifting high paying jobs and opportunities towards large, multinational corporations, especially for those who have sunk cost into obtaining credentials and relevant work experience), a huge proportion of Americans is in exactly the same boat. What you can focus on instead, is the fact that you have developed real skills and a deep understanding of the perils/intractable problems associated with bureaucracy. That experience and credibility as an insider was hard won, and it will be incredibly useful going forward if you still care to help America slip the rapidly tightening noose of tyranny.
Set a posting schedule and stick to it. You might not think you have anything insightful to say, I assure you that this is merely a product of cognitive bias. Sharing your perspective on things given what you have been through and the skills you have developed will be of interest to many, and yours will be an important voice towards finding a political path back to a socially cohesive and principled America.
Don't focus on trying to outline TTPs in a way that will keep you out of trouble, that will be incredibly stressful, and at the end of the day, I don't think it matters that much. The fact is they're doing it, that is the problem, and knowing how they do it specifically probably won't be as helpful as you turning your focus towards finding a way ahead. Lots of writers on substack are trying to figure this out and working towards this goal. My favorite framings of the issue come from my boy John Carter https://barsoom.substack.com/p/the-great-convergence-i-pennywise
Just get into the conversation and the way ahead will become ever clearer. You don't have to bear this burden alone, there are many thousands of us that recognize all the same things and have the same regrets. If there is to be a silver lining to all that perhaps misdirected effort it will require purposeful action on your part now. You'll get feedback and discussion and you will quickly internalize that you are not alone (which I'm sure you realize is one of the reasons censorship is so effective, it produces this sensation of isolation).
It is my belief that the average farmer of the 1800's was better informed than we are today. At least everything he was hearing wasn't disinfo.