The New Pharaohs, or Unnatural Selection
Tags: Galapagos, Travel, Natural Selection, Bitcoin, Economics

Galapagos Islands

Yesterday, I was face to face with a penguin. I was snorkeling off of Isla Isabel, and popped up next to one of like 10 little pinguinos huddled on some not-yet-submerged volcanic outcroppings in the wide wide ocean. With oceans rising because of global warming up to 3 feet a century, I calculate about 30 more years before they will no longer have these little ocean havens safe from the predations of the hunter species, the killer whales, sharks, and Donald Trump Junior’s.

The Galapagos, rather than being a model for the ideas of Darwin, are a kind of the opposite of his life’s work, an Un-Natural Selection — if you will. Instead of letting Nature take its course, human intervention is continuously applied to try to retain the islands unique aspects that existed during Darwin’s times.

For example, the Giant tortoises are bred in captivity to be released to the wild, ladybugs are imported to attack a species of furry insect that is killing their trees. Cats, goats, and other “foreign” species are eradicated to allow the endemic species to better thrive.

en·dem·ic

enˈdemik (of a plant or animal) native or restricted to a certain country or area.

All for dollares de tourista, and preserve for all time their idea of perfection. A museum of what they believe Darwin saw at the time he saw them.

When most people think of Darwin, the phrase “Survival of the fittest” comes to mind. But what is forgotten is the other half of the equation: Sexual Selection. What species find sexy. Because things like Peacock’s unnecessarily long tail feathers do not a fittest species make.

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

Which brings to mind the Weinstein’s, and other people in high positions of power. ALL of the corporate presidents I ever worked for had a lot of rumors of “sleeping”on the job, if you will.

Taking Darwin’s ideas to extremes: Men aspire to powerful positions in order to be more attractive to females. Maybe this is not in the forefront of their brains — more likely in their reptilian hindbrains. To put bread on the table is the front, once successful it’s putting Barbara on the table.

And then, it goes to the dark side.

In middle managers it’s bad enough, but when you are at the pinnacle of your respective power — it is rife. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely — right? Men are assertive because it’s attractive — in general. The dark side is when it is taken to extremes — sexual abuse, harassment — and rape.

This is not to gift them with cover for their actions, aka: I strove for a position of power because it’s my biological prerogative in order to spread my genes. There are plenty of decent men who spread their genes with willing participants. I see these serial harassers more as sad shadows of humans who acted this way despite their respectable positions and reputations.

I mean, who wakes up and says I want to grow up to be a CEO?

Assholes, that’s who.

Look at Trump, and that once considered congressman and serial pedophile Roy Moore who seem to think it’s not at all a problem. In fact, I think current laws and mores are an inconvenience to their behaviors, because ‘…when you are are a star, they let you do it…grab them by the pussy,’ said our so-called Commander and Chief.

We should have never left the trees

I look towards the so-called “primitive” cultures for guidance. The aborigines, the natives, and headhunters. Modern world vs “primitive” world. Unlike the modern world, the “primitive” world seems on the surface more in balance — either grow their own food, or hunt only what they need. If there is a pecking order, the guidance seems to be directed to sustainability of the tribe, which also only affects their immediate environment, and not countries halfway across the world.

Enlightened Savages

Then, I think back to my time visiting the Ouros Reed Islanders of Lake Titicaca, the ones willing to be on display, to wear their native “costumes” and greet the tourists with songs starting in their native tongues, segueing to English, German and Japanese for their visitor’s amusement. When I saw the Ouros leader pull out his fat stack to give change, I understood why.

The other reed islands, the ones who decided to not go along with this ridiculousness had signs of normality — some trash, sloppy huts and irregularly shaped reed islands. The “tourist” reed islands were pictures of Disney perfection, clean, orderly, symmetrical even. Hut interiors in museum quality settings.

Totally in balance, right? Well, if you’re not part of one of those uncontacted indians in the Amazon — then you are affected by the modern world.

The Ouros on display reminded me of the carefully preserved ecology of the Galapagos. Manicured reed islands and huts, “natives” adorned from a time long lost, yet dealing in dollars, yen and pesos.

Paradise Lost?

A quick look back at history, and one view is that Farming destroyed the balance, led to king’s and taxation and ownership — of land, of slaves. Then the creation of money, then usury and now we have Central Banks, and Modern Pharaohs deciding which third world country would be amenable to some economic meddling. Because it’s not the Koch brothers that determine the fate of countries, but the Rothschild’s, the US and the House of Saud.

Venezuelan Diaspora

In my 7 months of travel through Chile, then Peru and Ecuador, I seemed to run into many Venezuelans. The reason for this is because of their economic disaster of a situation that is driving the inhabitants to other, “better” countries. But, not so long ago, Venezuela was a powerhouse of a South American country, much like Chile was pre-Pinochet.

I can’t help but draw parallels between the two countries. When Chile defied President Nixon, Nixon vowed to “make the economy scream.” And scream they did, an entire country gone insane, incarcerating, torturing and killing their citizens — all with the help of the Economic Hitmen: the CIA.

While most “reasonable” people say that the reasons for Venezuela’s economic failure is Chavez’s fault for not diversifying their oil based economy, I see this more like an opportunity for the Bush’s to talk to the House of Saud to lower their crude prices to the screaming point, destroy Venezuela’s economy, and make their citizens go to war against each other. Because, they can. Because, when you defy the US you defy the crazy motherfuckers that can destroy your entire country.

I think of the schoolyard joke, ‘I’m gonna hit you so hard it will knock out your entire family!’ Heh.

I admit, this view is unsubstantiated. What is substantiated is that Venezuela was offered the equivalent of 3 Marshall Plans in backbreaking loans just prior to the tanking of worldwide oil prices.

“Between 2001 and 2013 Venezuela receives the equivalent of three Marshall Plans in inflation adjusted dollars — that’s for one country of thirty million people,” said Harold Trinkunas, deputy director for the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. “That stopped after 2013, with the decline of the price of oil.” ~PBS

Coincidence? I think not.

Yet as long as we have oil and dollar based economies, then these sorts of economic destruction of countries will continue. Which brings me to:

The Hope of Bitcoin

The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet, the used-to-be-richest-person in the world declared “You can’t value bitcoin because it’s not a value-producing asset…real bubble in that sort of thing.” He also famously didn’t get Amazon either. And now who’s the richest man now, Warren?

Dipshit says what?

Oracles should remain Oracles — tourist destinations to view oddities, the ancient, where the gullible go to hear the babblings of drugged old-people (like Warren) to justify their already made decisions.

McAfee (sort of) gets it. He said if Bitcoin didn’t get to $500,000 in 2 years he’d eat his dick. Lately he raised this to 1 million. (Me, I’m rooting for $999,999 in 2 years ;)). Here’s what McAfee gets: set expectations high. Shoot for the moon, because there’s a lot of profit to be had between the mud and the moon, and maaybee you’ll land on top of the bitcoin mountain.

It’s not the size of the dog, it’s the size of the fight in the dog

Bitcoin is kind of the digital version of Darwin’s “Survival of the fittest.” Bitcoin attacked constantly by the best hackers on the planet. It becomes the fittest, hardiest stray dog walking the streets. Not backed by anything, no sovereign “owner”. No Central Authority to manipulate or inflate it — distributed, democratic. The ne plus ultra of cash, the Alma Ata of money. It’s digital lucre, the closest thing to money as an idea.

Quoth Warren: “Bitcoin is not a value producing asset” — Like that’s an argument. Earth to Warren: neither is the US Dollar. Or any dollar, for that matter. For the first time in history we only have money that’s infinitely inflatable.

Except for Bitcoin.

Bitcoin only has, and will only ever have 21 million in existence. The US Dollar is a joke excuse for money. Because one of the defining rules of money is relative scarcity. You can’t use shells as money when you live on a beach, for example.

Yet the USD is as abundant as shells on the beach. And every other countries currency is the same.

The only reason US dollars are stable is because they are the lingua franca of Oil. In a way, the US dollar is backed by oil. Other countries must keep stacks of US dollars in order to purchase oil. Which keeps the US economy humming, and brings us back full circle to the House of Saud, the Bush’s and the economic disaster of Venezuela.

The New Pharaohs

By the way our so-called leaders, Donald Trump and McConnell, were supporting Roy Moore, they’d be okay with a serial child molester in Congress — as long as he’s not a Democrat. They’re also okay with a Tax plan that destroys the middle class, creates a pool of servants (poor), and solidifies the haves, the Trumps and Pharoahs — iz’all good.

’Cause what kind of model country would they desire? Maybe modeled on Saudi Arabia — close to zero crime because of unspeakably harsh punishments. The lucky ones of the House of Saud treated like the Pharaohs of old, every whim catered to by the poor — which is everyone else.

Modern slavery, and if their poor subjects steal they will cut off your hands. You can prey on the pretty servant women — because, why not? They won’t complain — well, to anyone that would matter. Women wear the veil, and can’t drive, can’t abort — or even vote for that matter.

Perfection to the Trumps of the world.

And for that thief with no hands? He deserved it, right? Well, maybe he was one of the unlucky ones, one of those not lucky enough to be born in the House of Saud, and had to steal for a living. He deserved to have his hands cut, right? So what that he wasn’t born into the right family? Or was unlucky enough to be born during a time when the Congress destroyed its middle class — because who needs a class of people who might have just a smidgeon of enough power to have their complaints heard?

I think Trump wants to be a modern Pharoah, and with the new tax legislation, he’ll be one step closer. And who really cares for the middle class? Bernie Sanders? Harharhar.

As long as Trump has lower class servants he can step on their backs in order to reach his palace — why should he care? Abuse of power only abuses the weak — not the one in power — so again: why should he care? And if the last waiter didn’t show you enough courtesy? Well there’s a hundred other starving people to take his place.

And who needs equals when you have a harem? Sexual harassment only occurs to the victim, not to the Pharoahs of the world. They just get to become president! Or the owner of the Miss Universe pageant.

Unnatural Selection

Which leads me back to the Galapagos, and Unnatural Selection. What kind kind of world is being manufactured for us? A world of the haves, and the have nots? Because if you don’t “have” something that benefits from inflation, like a house, or gold, or a series of apartment buildings around the world, or oil — then you’re of the to-be-fucked-with class. And even if you do have something, like oil, if you piss off the wrong people you’re fucked again twice over.

Or maybe, just maybe, you opt out. You own a bitcoin or two. Something that is not up to the whims of governments, and powerful House of Saud connections. Something that is unnaturally deflationary. That went from nothing to something. Cultivated as carefully as a Galapagos tortoise egg.

And despite the Oracles you buy and hodl, because it’s the new thin blue line separating civilization from chaos. Just ask the Venezuelans. 100,000 of them reportedly mine Bitcoin.

Because nothing defines money than what you are able to purchase with it, and right now the Venezuelan dollar amounts to a bunch of nothing. Like Zimbabwe, Greece, the US dollar, etcetera.

To tour without impact

What of the nomadic life I’ve been living? Traveling with just a backpack, homeless in way. We backpackers think we make little impact, but then I see the towns and cities transformed by tourism, and not all I see is good.

What then? To live the life idyllic, to harvest your own food, recycle your own shit — has it’s negatives too. I’m modern man, and I like cities. I like that I can fly into NYC, and order my favorite pirogues at Veselka.

Can the Pharaohs not enslave everything in order to do so?

Can we not eat every fish in the ocean, or warm the planet to boil away the islands the penguins count on? Islands to escape from the sharks and killer whales and Donald Junior’s & Senior’s of the world?

Can we not respect and accept the equality and rights of women?

Can we not inflate our savings destroying dollars in order to go to war?

Can we not conserve the “endemic” species we have, like marine iguanas, giant tortoises, and humans?

Is that too much to ask?