Zach LarkinsTHINK ABOUT IT
Okay, so here's the deal. You find yourself in charge of a rather large country and don't really know how to go about taking care of business.
This country has been around for a while and has built a pretty good reputation based on civilization, innovation, inventions and some pretty solid science. However, by the time you arrive on the scene, things have changed somewhat.
You have more people than you know how to educate or feed so you look around to see what's at your disposal to help you out of your dilemma. Well the first thing you can do is impose some draconian laws to make the people you rule jump everytime you tell them to. This may violate some civil and human rights, but at this point you don't really care. Got a problem with loudmouthed pesky protesters? No sweat. Run 'em over with a tank and that should shut them the hell up.
Got a problem with an engineer who blew his big chance to build a bridge that won't fall down? Convince him to commit suicide before you take matters into your own hands. Simple. Too many females being born? Piece of cake. Legislate one child per household and enact a law that says that kid better be a boy. Wow, you could really have fun running this country. Anyone who disagrees with you can be thrown in prison where they become fodder for the human organ donation plan. And you don't have to build a lot of prisons either. Every once in a while just purge the inmate population by putting a couple of grains of lead behind their ears. You might have a bit of a problem with cemetaries, but don't lose any sleep over it. These types of problems usually sort themselves out in the long run.
But one day you come out of your coma and see things aren't running as tickety-boo as you'd like them to. Seems the world in general has sort of left you behind and moved into the 21st century, while you wallow in the 17th. What to do, what to do?
Send some of your best minds out and about so they can take pictures of just about everything on the planet and bring them back so you can build it smaller and cheaper. Then you flog your goods to the rest of the world. You can even get away with making defective toys for the kiddies and no one is going to come after you. Oh sure, there will be some bitching and you'll make a show of wringing your hands and swear to solve the problems, but you know it will never happen.
Hell, you got the rest of the world to sign up for Kyoto while you go around building another 500 coal fired generating stations that won't contribute anything to the overall polution problem. You even got the IOC to give you the 2008 Olympic Games. How sweet is that? You get to thumb your nose at the world, ignore basic human rights and people are going to be pounding on your doorstep, eager to pump money into your economy so you can carry on doing what you've been doing for generations.
Remember the Moscow Olympics? They were boycotted and contrary to popular belief, didn't bring in the bucks the Soviets said they would. Well, then again, it seems any Olympics are a money losing propostition. Don't take my word for it. Ask the brainiacs in Montreal how they made out.
Is it just me, or should these next games also be boycotted? I can't understand what the IOC was thinking when they awarded the Games to China, but something seems wrong here. I'm sure China would be a fabulous place to visit, but not until they start giving their citizens some rights and freedoms. The USA and Canada are both guilty of playing politics here and ignoring their own words when they rail against the crimes against humanity perpetrated by dictaorships. It just seems wrong to me.
This country has been around for a while and has built a pretty good reputation based on civilization, innovation, inventions and some pretty solid science. However, by the time you arrive on the scene, things have changed somewhat.
You have more people than you know how to educate or feed so you look around to see what's at your disposal to help you out of your dilemma. Well the first thing you can do is impose some draconian laws to make the people you rule jump everytime you tell them to. This may violate some civil and human rights, but at this point you don't really care. Got a problem with loudmouthed pesky protesters? No sweat. Run 'em over with a tank and that should shut them the hell up.
Got a problem with an engineer who blew his big chance to build a bridge that won't fall down? Convince him to commit suicide before you take matters into your own hands. Simple. Too many females being born? Piece of cake. Legislate one child per household and enact a law that says that kid better be a boy. Wow, you could really have fun running this country. Anyone who disagrees with you can be thrown in prison where they become fodder for the human organ donation plan. And you don't have to build a lot of prisons either. Every once in a while just purge the inmate population by putting a couple of grains of lead behind their ears. You might have a bit of a problem with cemetaries, but don't lose any sleep over it. These types of problems usually sort themselves out in the long run.
But one day you come out of your coma and see things aren't running as tickety-boo as you'd like them to. Seems the world in general has sort of left you behind and moved into the 21st century, while you wallow in the 17th. What to do, what to do?
Send some of your best minds out and about so they can take pictures of just about everything on the planet and bring them back so you can build it smaller and cheaper. Then you flog your goods to the rest of the world. You can even get away with making defective toys for the kiddies and no one is going to come after you. Oh sure, there will be some bitching and you'll make a show of wringing your hands and swear to solve the problems, but you know it will never happen.
Hell, you got the rest of the world to sign up for Kyoto while you go around building another 500 coal fired generating stations that won't contribute anything to the overall polution problem. You even got the IOC to give you the 2008 Olympic Games. How sweet is that? You get to thumb your nose at the world, ignore basic human rights and people are going to be pounding on your doorstep, eager to pump money into your economy so you can carry on doing what you've been doing for generations.
Remember the Moscow Olympics? They were boycotted and contrary to popular belief, didn't bring in the bucks the Soviets said they would. Well, then again, it seems any Olympics are a money losing propostition. Don't take my word for it. Ask the brainiacs in Montreal how they made out.
Is it just me, or should these next games also be boycotted? I can't understand what the IOC was thinking when they awarded the Games to China, but something seems wrong here. I'm sure China would be a fabulous place to visit, but not until they start giving their citizens some rights and freedoms. The USA and Canada are both guilty of playing politics here and ignoring their own words when they rail against the crimes against humanity perpetrated by dictaorships. It just seems wrong to me.
what a great subject! I totally agree...Government officials do not have a finger on the pulse of the common people...
And therefore, I do not trust any of them!
LOL
Our leaders have no idea how to govern a country or even how to act properly at a sporting event...
Sometimes I think if their country doesn't win, they're just gonna mow the other team down with machine guns and tanks!
*Shakes head*
I'm sure they'll be a boycott at The Olymics...What would expect from people who have no idea how to play fairly?
Great post!
Take care buddy,
Nick
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Be good.
there's only one problem with that buddy, no one wants to hear the truth!
They'd rather just stick their heads in the sand and piss and whine and moan about it rather than to stand up, acknowledge it and do something to change it...
Tell ya what, I'll buy a front row ticket for a seat next to ya and we'll wave our flags till our arms fall off...
Sounds good to me...
Take care,
Nick
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Opinions
opinionatedranter
Tales From The Green Lantern