Empires throughout time have utilized identical tactics for gaining power, centralizing resources, and subduing the population. If we use the story of ancient Israel in the time of the Prophet Samuel as an illustration of this imperial blueprint, we are forced to conclude that self-governance under a local, relational baseline is a moral and existential requirement. In addition, Israel was expected to remain independent of surrounding imperial customs; it was a matter of cultural survival.
Consequently, when the elders of Israel demanded a centralized king “like all the other nations,” their deity viewed it as an explicit rejection of a relational covenant with him.… Read the rest
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The Imperial Blueprint (Part 1)
Reading Time: 9 minutes -
The Financial Machinery of Civilization
Reading Time: 2 minutesThis is the first in a series of articles about the financial machinery of civilization. The series begins with a pared-down historical outline.
I. Introduction: The Core Thesis of Extraction
- The Transformed Operating System: Changing mechanisms of power throughout history.
- The Permanent Architecture: Consistent reliance on top-down extraction and wealth concentration.
- The Evolution of Coercion: Transition from physical force to administrative law and financial debt.
II. The Ancient World: Macro-Management and Structural Evolution
- Ancient Egypt: The Centralized Barter State
- Dependence on royal granaries and resource redistribution.
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The American Paradox
Reading Time: 4 minutesThere is a distinct spiritual vertigo that comes when a society realizes its foundations are fracturing. As we look out at a landscape shifting under multi-directional threats—hyper-polarization, macroeconomic instability, and geopolitical chaos—the world suddenly feels like a barren, trackless wilderness.
On paper, America rejected the idealism of French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau believed a state could force its citizens to conform to a singular, collective “General Will.” Instead, the American Founders built a mechanical fortress designed to prevent tyranny.… Read the rest
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The Blameless Center Line
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe morning after a devastating political defeat, the silence can feel heavier than the loudest campaign noise. You watch the maps change, feeling a suffocating mixture of disappointment and deep, exhausting discouragement. It feels as though a massive, impersonal machine has rolled over everything you value. You did the work, you held the line—and the system failed you anyway.
If you are standing in that quiet, anxious modern wilderness today, I want to take you out of our current media echo chamber and place you onto a marshy moor in Scotland on April 16, 1746.… Read the rest
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The Wilderness Crucible
Reading Time: 7 minutesI wrote Justice of the Rupture after our attempt to elect Bernie Sanders to the presidency. Shortly afterward, Nina Turner, the national co-chair of Sanders’ 2020 campaign, identified the nature of our grief when she said “Progressives are in the wilderness“. Nina was raised in the church. She was talking about the wilderness that Jesus experienced after his baptism. Sadly, the entire country is here with us today. The important thing at this time is to recognize it for what it is.… Read the rest
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Patriarchy in Modern Society: Historical Roots and Future Implications
Reading Time: 11 minutesHistorical Origins of Patriarchy
We know the approximate origin of patriarchy in modern society. It appeared in the West approximately 1200 BCE. But the credit goes to Homer (750-700 B.C.) who sang of the struggles of distant heroes. He was the first to describe a patriarchal system. Homer’s poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, told of men who gave law to their children and wives. Next, we have the influence of Solon (630-550 B.C.). Solon’s actions may have advanced patriarchy in a more concrete way than Homer’s poems.… Read the rest
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Desperados
Reading Time: 2 minutesA desperado is a desperate or reckless person, especially a bold criminal or outlaw. The term is most commonly associated with dangerous characters from the American Old West who were pushed by desperation to commit violent acts. That word now describes the government and political system of the United States of America. In this and subsequent articles I will address the desperados directly.
Rational Versus Irrational Empires
If responsible leaders of an empire want to protect the well-being of citizens, it is to their credit.… Read the rest
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A Message From the Iron Age
Reading Time: 2 minutesThis is completely off the subject of what we’ve been talking about here but I’m in a hurry to tell you about it. What I’m going to say is more pleasant to think about than the madness going on all around us. This is a message from the Iron Age.
The Ancient Egyptians and Picts Had Something in Common
I would like to share with you something the Picts and the ancient Egyptians had in common. I believe I’m the first person to figure it out.… Read the rest
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Something I Said
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhat if we are giving the Zionists too much credit? What if they believe war with Iran is their last stand, and what if it was something I said?
Was it something I said? I have a new theory. It’s possible that at least some of the craziness is a reaction to, well…me, and what I’ve been saying in my blog. I know this sounds self-important, but if I really thought I was important I would have come to this conclusion much sooner.… Read the rest