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Our society is on the decline. What can I do?

Just reading the paper and browsing the web tells us that this government couldn’t run a small stall in a town market. The Labour party itself ran out of funds and millions had been given to it by dickheads for titles and paper all of which were free to produce. Normally an excellent business model but they managed to screw that up. In addition they have said that they are going to hold on to the bitter end screwing everything up instead of putting us out of their misery.

Not being able to balance the books and do simple mathematics such as addition and subtraction seems to be a standard in this country with the next useless lot being unable to do anything either. Either they are lying, I know, it’s unusual for them to tell the truth so they must be lying, but they say they can fix it which is clearly a lie as well. Nobody in the major parties seems willing to grasp the nettle because they know that the general public are too thick to be able to understand the maths either and expect them to fix it without any pain to them. An impossible task.

Solving the problem can be done but it will be painful to everyone. It needs to be done. Our time with socialism is at an end, for this cycle anyway, and we really should put in place a feeling of revulsion for socialism that equals our revulsion for fascists. Personally, I don’t see it being done by the next lot of wimps either but the lot after than will do something as the UK collapses. Of course then it will be a much harder task and in the meantime many public bodies will be looking at consolidating their positions in an attempt to ensure they survive the inevitable cuts relatively intact. This will lead to strikes sooner rather than later.

Because I believe our gutless politicians are more interested in their short term careers and their requirements than the long term future of the UK I think that it’s time we did what we could ourselves.

I’m not suggesting we storm parliament and string them up, although that does make a very appealing plan, as they have very effectively emasculated the core of the UK. The patriots and the law abiding majority are not ready to take that step and they have no means to do so anyway. We can come back to that later if necessary.

I’m actually suggesting that you simply prepare for the eventuality, no matter how remote you think it is, that the infrastructure and food supply will be disrupted in this country and things start to go wrong. I think the first thing that will happen is that in the dying throes of our Socialist masters there will be strikes and disruption of services. People are starting to look ahead already and so should you.

Looking to the future has been what this site is all about and not just the up cycle where technology gives us robots to clean our houses but the down cycle where we can’t buy what we want at the local stores.

Not so much a Max Max scenario but more of a going back in time a bit. Pretty much what the whingy whiney greenies want us to choose to do with all that it entails. Rationing of certain products will be in place and we will all feel the pinch and life will not be so easy. Those that missed the dying throes of our last Socialist experiment will have missed the electrickery blackouts, the binmen on strike and bodies not being buried.

So what I am suggesting is that you just take a little time and prepare. Not 50 acres out in the middle of nowhere, unless that’s what you want, but stay where you are and just make a few modifications to what you do now. It may not be required but it won’t be wasted anyway it all comes in handy. Now some of the things I am going to suggest are likely to be illegal in an oppressive country. Some are illegal in the US already for example. I’m not even sure of the laws in the UK anymore. You need to be a lawyer nowadays and even then they are not sure what it means but one thing I am sure about almost everybody in the UK is breaking one law or another nowadays. Who cares though. Fuck them.

Being prepared does not make you a nutter. It’s just common sense and risk management. Twenty years ago people were concerned about issues and prepared then. Now things are looking a lot worse and you should too.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), The Missouri Militia Report and Virginia’s Homegrown Terrorism Report have unleashed an attack designed to demonize and dehumanize opponents of tyranny. The unclassified lists of those viewed as potential threats and terrorists includes opponents of abortion, groups opposed to illegal immigration, third-party political supporters, supporters of the Second Amendment, those stockpiling food, water, and ammunition, constitutionalists, veterans, critics of the United Nations and One World Government, and anyone fitting the “Right-Wing Extremist” profile.

Read the full story here.   Note how stockpiling food, water, critics of the UN and OWG, immigration, third party political supporters (that means libertarians btw), those who support the constitution, soldiers and 2A supporters make you a terrorist. That must be 90% of those in the US even dozy democrats fit into these categories.

So to put it simply.  You should to get prepared.  The downside is you spending slightly more than you want to.  The upside is if you lose your job or there is an issue with strikes for example you will have something put aside.   Just put aside a little of what you use daily in a safe place. By putting aside a few critical items you can keep your family fed and watered when supplies run out. If supplies don’t run out then you simply have a small pantry there with stores in. I am suggesting here that you get sufficient in for at least a month. That’s it just enough so you can eat for a month. In the US that is called hoarding and it classes you as a terrorist so watch out. It is probably the same here or will be.

That covers the most likely scenario which is a return to strikes and shortages of food and supplies. I think that will be the extent of the damage the dying throes of our socialist masters will do.

Basic suggestion for this are;

Food
Some items such as rice last for decades, pasta, grains for a few years, canned vegetables, meat etc a few years as well. Just get what you normally get in tins and get tins of what veg, meat you normally get fresh. It may not be what you want to eat day in and day out but it’ll get you over the hump till the supplies come back.

Water
You can’t survive long without water and although it is plentiful in the UK it’s not really ready to drink. Fine for an emergency but not ideal. Most firms sell large bottles of water make sure you get sufficient in for your needs. Each person needs several pints a day just drinking. Use the bottled water for drinking and cooking and the rain barrel water for washing and cleaning. Put the waste water on the garden. Use the taps when water is available and only flush the toilet when you have to.

Cooking
Well if the gas and electrickery go you are back to what you have available. Many have barbecues fuelled by bottled gas. Simply make sure you have a full bottle rather than an empty one when you are finished and get a spare. Much better to get a little camping stove and gas refills at this stage to cover when the power goes. You really want warm food as it will save your energy.

Heating
Well we are in the UK. It may get cold but not too bad and it’s unlikely you will freeze to death if you are in a room in a house and fed. Just cuddle up together and use the spare blankets etc. you have.

Medicines
Well this is where you are screwed. Besides the basics aspirin, ibuprofen and others you can buy OTC (over the counter) you can’t get any real medicines. Nanny state you see. You should at least try and approach your doctor if you have a requirement for medicines to live and try and get him/her to provide at least six months worth which you can store at home. Explain what it is for and when you get it store as directed, use the oldest first and replace as you go along. Then if the supplies stop you have some to keep you going while you await resupply. If they won’t then you are reliant on the state for your medicines. Keep on top of it and make sure you replenish your stock before you use the last one.

Weapons
There are two uses of weapons here. One is to hunt and supplement your food stores, plenty of fat pigeons, squirrels and rabbits around in the UK and the other is to defend you and yours from others who want to take it from you.
The first one isn’t too much of a problem. Get a decent air rifle and a good supply of pellets. Although pellets are expensive nowadays. I would suggest that you don’t get an air rifle with an air bottle but one that can be pumped up. There are two main sizes in the UK .177 and .22. Either will do and will be OK for getting pigeons and rabbits in the garden or field. I have a .177 myself and even with its restricted output, Yes, in the UK air rifles are restricted, it’s fine for short distances.  The main issue here is actually being able to convert the body to something to eat.  A skill in decline atm.
The second one is more of a problem. You see defending yourself in the UK is a big No No. It’s now you wish you were more than a slave and had some rights. In saying that though it’s unlikely in this scenario that it would get really violent. The law would still be in place and working, well filling forms anyway.

Equipment
Well you probably don’t need that much here. Just make sure you have candles, rechargeable or wind up lights, some games to keep you busy and a wind up or battery radio.

Car
Make sure you fill your car up when you can. Keep a couple of spare containers with fuel in and when the fuel runs out just put the cans in the car and keep it for emergencies. You may need to take someone to the hospital and you don’t want to be filling the car in the dark from cans during an emergency.

In general you will just need to get organised and fit your washing, cooking etc. in with the electrickery supply and make sure you are ready for when the power goes. It’ll be down to the planning.

One key point. Don’t tell anyone about your stash. When they get hungry they will come round to take a share and it will get ugly. You are likely to find someone from the government on your door looking to collect it, fine you for hoarding and take it away to make sure it’s shared equally.

I hope it doesn’t get to this but if it does then those that are not ready for it are in for an uncomfortable time. If it doesn’t then you have a nice buffer for the future and you never know what the future would bring. Katrina should have shown us that being a first world power, well at the moment anyway, doesn’t mean everything is going to run smoothly.

Simple preparations ahead of time can save hardship.

Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

Teaching robots

This article talks about teaching robots the rules of war.   Sounds good but it takes a massive leap of technology which we just don’t have.

You see when he talks about teaching a robot to not fire if the enemy is in a cemetery he is doing no such thing.   He is programming the robot to check the targets location with maps and if they are located in a cemetery then it won’t fire.     To me teaching means it shows cemeteries and indicates they are not to be fired in and so it learns.    We just don’t have that level of sophistication yet.  In fact we are miles away from it.

So you are clear if someone builds a new cemetary and a group of enemy soldiers are in it then it’s tough luck.  This robot will blow them away and it will keep doing it until someone updates the maps in the system.   Same with hospitals, schools etc.

Saying you are teaching something gives a very different picture to what they are doing here.  It’s not learning but being programmed.

I hope there is still a human on the button for this robot.   They are going to need it.

Ruled by force not law

Well it seems that with the loss to Sir Fred Goodwin of his enhanced pension that our governments promise has been kept.  It must be the first one I know of so I’m making a note.  Pity it has to be one based on spite and envy.   It seems to me though that this is the start down a slippery slope such as has taken place in Russia and Bolivia and is being attempted in the US.  Unsurprisingly all socialist states and now having difficulty with investors now that their rule of law, or mob mentality, allows them to steal, because that is what it is, from what are seen as the rich and given to the poor via the benevolent state.

I’m only mentioning this because wary investors don’t invest in medium to long term projects where the outlook is unstable and we need investment now to work our way forward.    Politicians really are scum.

Smells like revolution

One big change I have noticed in the US is all the talk about revolution.   We do it in the UK as well but we are pretty toothless so it doesn’t matter as much at the moment.

People are quite open about it as we can see from this ordinary taxpayer and her statement ‘We the people are coming‘.    Another comment was ‘Invoking the soapbox is appropriate for this stage of the game‘ which is supporting and saying nobody ever gives back power willingly while implying that there are further stages still to go.

In the meantime we have serving soldiers saying they are with the American people and remember that in the US soldiers pledge allegiance to the constitution not the president.   The eight minute video made it clear of his support for the constitution and who’s side he, and many like him, would be on.

In the meantime we have states representatives making statements that they will withdraw from the Union if certain actions are taken by Obama.  I’m not an expert but my understanding is Texas can do it now with existing legislation while up to 20 other states are passing motions through the state legislature to enable them to do the same thing.    It must be the first stage of some concerted action.

If the government has it’s way all these would be classed treasonous.

Now only a year ago everyone was telling us how bad George W Bush was and he was the worst president ever yet nowhere did I hear talk about revolution or seceding from the Union.   Obama has been in for a few short months and look where are are.     Seems like the US are a bit more aware than we are, well some anyway.    Luckily for them they have a lot more guns and the belief in their republic which they clearly want to keep now that their eyes have been opened.

Let’s see what is going to happen though.  It’s interesting and well worth keeping an eye on.    We might even get some ideas.

Choices have consequences

Unless of course you are in the UK.  You can then ignore the down sides of your choices.

You see I want to live out in the middle of North Wales.   Except for Plod who set roadside cameras on every straight bit of road it’s very nice and relaxing.   No big city bustle and no loud mouthed kids to spoil your day.   Only problem is that it’s always a bit far to go when you run out of milk, emergency services are a bit far away and there is no real broadband access.   So I decided I had to live somewhere else.   I made my choices.

Now it appears that once again those that made the wrong choices are being subsidised by those that made more sensible choices.   It appears that I am now going to pay for broadband to be installed in areas where it is not economically viable for a company to do it.    What a great country we live in where the government takes money off you to install some infrastructure for free so a private company can charge others to use and paid for by those that don’t need it.

How long before we have a toilet tax because those not connected to mains water and sewage pipe can have indoor plumbing and they have a right to water in this country.    Next thing you know Spar and the like will be subsidised to build a store every few miles so no one is more than 5 minutes from a local store and we can’t forget KFC or McDonalds.   What about the NHS and the Fire Brigade?    It’s my right to have the same levels of service there as well.    Makes you wonder why the are still privatising the Post Office.   It seems they can’t get anything right.

So looking like a good time to move out of civilisation.   I can do what the Yanks do.   Move out of California because they don’t like the rules and taxes and then insist on the same services as they had then.

Defining priorities with realism not wishful thinking

It seems that the international Fusion reactor planned to be built in France is being scaled back due to cost and technical issues.   The estimates for the project have increased due to changes in costs for raw materials and there are still some technical issues that need resolution.   The cost/benefit analysis is causing concerns as the costs rise.

Interestingly enough though there seems to be no such cost/benefit analysis performed when we look at green technology such as solar, wind and little mouse driven wheels.     They show that the costs will be paid back within 150 years or so, they will never deliver the power we need and it’s only government subsidies that make them viable to anyone with any sense.   Government subsidies of course that we pay for through increased costs on more viable projects.

If only we could wait a few years before we make decisions that will last for decades.    Governments are the only ones pushing this green agenda now.  More and more Joe Public are seeing it as the scam it is and questioning these decisions.   Soon even our dozy politicians will realise that the tide has turned and that this easy way of raising taxes is coming to an end.

We need to spend this money in solving these technical issues.   It’s one of the few real ways we have of powering our civilisation and human ingenuity will undoubtedly find a way.

Hope the most powerful yet wasteful emotion we have

After watching the last 12 years of the disaster that is Socialism in the UK and the election in the US of yet another Socialist used car salesman I have come to the conclusion that hope is the main reason why people act the way they do.

They hope that it will get better
They hope that someone will come along and fix things
They hope that someone will look after them
They hope that someone will bring peace to the world
They hope that they all live happily ever after
They hope that they all live cuddled together with fluffy animals all nice and warm

Hope the most powerful yet wasteful emotion we have. We spend so much time hoping when we could actively be doing something with the time instead and ensuring our hopes become reality.

Of course, no-one has any intention of doing anything themselves to expedite those changes. It will all be looked after by that undefined someone, someone else. Who will fix it while also making sure that nothing scary interferes with their lives as they have all been brought up living in this utopia where the fairy tales with bad endings have been rewritten and everyone lives happily ever after.

Real life of course is not like that. Bad guys stalk the streets and in some cases they wear the uniforms of those who used to protect you. There is no such thing as a free lunch and those you are trusting in your vain hopes are screwing with your future by enslaving you and your children to decades of paying back what they have wasted in their futile attempt to set up a fair society. There is no such thing as a fair society. We are not motivated or driven that way and to force it upon us leads to disaster and war.

It does seem that the only way people appreciate anything is when they work for it. They fight for it, they bleed for it and they die for it. So we will soon have the opportunity to do just that as it seems that we are, yet again, living through one of the down cycles of our civilisation. It will take people fighting and dying before we again start on the up cycle leading to true progress for our civilisation and the recovery of the freedoms we have lost.

Or to put it another way. Because we sat back and hoped someone would make our world a utopia, our sons and daughters will have to fight and die to correct our mistakes. They will have to fight for our lost freedoms and die for them as well.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. – Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)

Looks like it’s coming time to pay the piper again for our total apathy and lack of intelligence.  Let’s hope that the soldier’s standing in front of the tyrants consider themselves closer to us than them.

A decline in standards in our society

After posting on the concept of declining morals I thought it led quite nicely into this post on the decline of our society.

You see although I don’t think our morals are declining I think what is happening is society is declining with so many people having different morals to what we had not that long ago. When I was a lad, many many moons ago, you didn’t have people who contributed nothing demanding to be kept by others. Nor was divorce so easy and most people, barring accidents, had both mothers and fathers, one of each sex. Now the world is being changed and people are being sold the illusion that they can do what they want and someone else will pick up the slack and give them what they are missing. Don’t want to work? Don’t worry we will take money from those that do and give it to you. Don’t want to put up with a man? Don’t worry we will give you all the benefits you had with him but without you having to put up with him. And as more and more people get pulled down into the whirlpool of not being able to make ends meet then we will include you in as well providing of course you meet our eligibility criteria. So more and more people come to expect something for nothing and those working find the bills increasing to compensate. Our society is being deliberately ripped apart.

It makes you want to leave. But where to? I used to think the US or Canada were good candidates but keeping an eye on the Messiah shows that the US is just as bad as the UK and Canada is not far behind. Hell, I think they may be catching up fast with the proposal that the Truth can’t be used as your defense in a PC crime. There is nowhere on this planet to go so we may as well stick here and anyway, why should you leave your home and your culture because of a bunch of politicians who are manipulating the weak and mindless among us. So what can we do?

Well, not a lot actually. There doesn’t seem to be any politicians with morals there any more. The pitifully few there are, and No, I’m not talking about Cameron’s useless lot, are unlikely to get voted for by the masses dependant on handouts from the government and those who wouldn’t be dependant if it wasn’t for government tax policy are too thick to see that or too scared to take the chance because of the climate of fear surrounding this. It’s surprising the amount of people that agree that their children need to learn the value of money and need to live within their means but think it doesn’t apply to them or the government when it applies to all, governments, corporations, clubs, households, people and the kids. It’s a kind of mental block that applies to politicians as well because I remember the old saying ‘The government cannot tie the hands of the next government’. Well it seems to me that by signing the Lisbon treaty without a referendum and racking up so much debt it will take more than a decade to recover is tying the hands of the next lot well and truly. All they can do is repair the damage done by this lot and when it is all fixed, in about 15 years, we shall forget all of this and look on this lot again thinking ‘We have had quite a few lean years. Maybe it’s time to give this lot a go.’ I really despair at how thick we are as a society. The phrase ‘Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. – George Santayana (1863 – 1952)’ makes more sense now than when I first heard it.

So what else can we do? Let’s think outside the box. How about we push for legislation so we can storm parliament and hang the lot of them. (Don’t want to suggest anything illegal of course) For starters Gordo clearly did not have permission to give away our sovereignty to the EU. Anyone who voted for it should be put in the queue for the gallows at Tyburn (Soon to become a major tourist attraction) as well as those who voted for the systematic dismantling of our rights such as trial by jury, the right to a fair trial etc. Not only would that give our country a much needed bit of good news in these bad times but it would make a point to those looking to replace them that we have certain expectations of them. Coupled with the pensions we would save we would all be that little bit happier for a bit.

Of course the part that has the clock ticking is the Lisbon Treaty. If Gordo holds on, which he will, and the Irish ratify the treaty we will be tied in to it. Now, if we have a case that Gordo signed away powers he does not have then we should be making legal moves now. The only alternative I see is forcing an election by basically wiping out parliament. Remind me again if Guy Fawkes was a traitor or a patriot and while we are at it what exactly is a traitor? I see Gordo being a traitor for what he has done and smirking while he does so. Cameron is not far behind. He doesn’t want a referendum either but sees promising one as one of his, pitifully few, selling points for the next election as a way to sway non EU support to his side. Unfortunately for him he will be forced to be clear about his policies long before then and his pitiful margin over Gordo will be of naught.

The government likes to play the tag card because it works. You do something against the government you are either a traitor or a terrorist. I love my country and would never betray it but I don’t see Gordo being my country no matter how much he likes to make the equation. He has no mandate to do the things he does. He has broken our society, our country and even worse after being told to fuck off in the only way we can do so he continues to hold on to ensure the Lisbon Treaty is ratified and keep his snout in the trough for as long as he can. He cares naught for what is best for this country and nobody has ever managed to damage our country as much as he has. No traitor in the history of our country has managed to do as much harm as he has.

If I speak out about treason in the government that makes me a patriot not a traitor.
If I speak out against corruption in the government that makes me a patriot not a traitor
If I speak out about the government destroying our way of life without as much as a referendum or a mandate then I am a patriot not a traitor.
If I rise against a corrupt government that makes me a patriot not a traitor.
 
I wonder what George Washington and the rest of the revolutionaries thought of themselves?

It seems to me that they actually had less of a reason to start a revolution than we do now. However, we won’t, we have lost our resolve, our morals are not important and we are all too selfish. As a society we no longer believe in what is right and wrong and none of us is willing to take a stand for what is right. We no longer see an afterlife beyond this one with clear certainty and why risk what we have now?  God, because he promised an afterlife justified a cause that was worth fighting for, just ask our muslim friends. We don’t see our country worth fighting for any more. And I see this being the same for the US, Canada etc. We will ride out what our politicians do and wait and see.

On a more positive note. As our society crumbles things will get so bad that we will start to suffer. People will be turned back to basics, morals will return as well as harsh punishments and we will cry ‘It must be better than this’ as we will turn back to religion. Then of course we will be willing to die for a just cause. Let’s hope it doesn’t get to far down that path.

But I do believe in being prepared. It’s one of the topics I’ll be visiting on this site. I can’t prepare for too much atm because Gordo keeps me skint and changes to rules all the time. Now he is tied up with expenses and is trying to deflect us with an enquiry into the Iraqi War. One held in private of course. It’s OK blaming Blair but some of the evidence will have Gordos prints on it as well. In his deluded mind he still thinks he has a chance next year if the recession picks up by then. But I can prepare for a partial collapse by having a stock of food and the means to grow more whilst the government gets it’s gulags up and running for those who will be waiting for the government to look after them.

I’m now regretting feeding so much into my pension for Gordo to steal and not putting more into ensuring that I was more self sufficient. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Declining Morals

James brings upon of the greyer areas in life. What are the differences between a snitch and a whistleblower?

It’s another moral dilemma situation as far as I am concerned. You see in reality there is no real difference between a snitch and a whistleblower. Both are highlighting activity that is illegal or immoral to someone.

However in our morally ambiguous world there is a massive difference and one that makes all the difference.

I see a whisletblower as someone who exposes someone’s activities to the harsh light of public scrutiny to benefit society by highlighting an issue and it can come at great cost to the whistleblower himself.

A snitch on the other hand exposes someone to the authorities at no risk to the snitch and of no real benefit to society and, in some cases, could gain the snitch a reward.

To give a more practical example. I like the Jews in the attic test by Joe Huffman.  It allows us to take one of our worst times in history and shows there was light even in the darkness. A whistleblower is one that raised the issue of what was happening and made the world aware by shining light on a dirty deed. Although the scale was such that few believed. We have difficulty believing that anyone could be that evil. A snitch informed on the people keeping the Jews hidden and made some money or satisfaction for an inherently dirty deed.

So to simplify. A whistleblower is a snitch who snitches on bad people and a snitch is a whistleblower who snitches on good people. Makes perfect sense.

To bring up to date we can see snitches being recruited everywhere by the government. They advertise for snitches in the media and encourage people to turn on their own. Divide and conquer. They call them PCSOs, traffic wardens, litter wardens etc. all doing a job which brings nothing but misery to the general public. Sure, it’s legal and a few whingy whiny people are pleased. The government is pleased with the revenue and the population is put in its place. A group of ordinarily powerless people are given power to get their own back on a society that laughed at them since they were in school and boy are they enjoying it. Currently, at little risk to themselves, they get their petty revenge. Enforcing the law of a socialist government. As you can see we find ourselves looking at laws and applying our own morals to them and deciding if we want to live by them. Maybe in public we agree to follow the law but in our own mind things are not black and white. The more the government and plod are mistrusted the more likely it is you won’t follow the law and although you may still follow the serious laws you end up ignoring all the rest, including those there for a good reason, but be carefully. There are more snitches in the UK than you could imagine. It’s a socialist pastime. Snitches are bad. There are a lot more snitches than whistleblowers by a massive factor.

So is it really just down to our morals or is it deeper than that? I always thought that true morals meant turning your children in to plod if they had done wrong. Maybe it is but I would have difficulty turning one of mine in to plod if they had broken the law. Maybe 20 years ago turning them in for something trivial would have resulted in a night in the cells and a frightener. Now it’s off to jail and a serious record for life for having a swiss army knife in their pocket. I see myself as a moral person but couldn’t do it. I’d even tell plod it was untrue if they came up about a neighbour’s kid with a knife. Toys I used myself when I was a kid all without killing or maiming that many people. I bet there are quite a few who would do the same. Does that mean our morals have declined?

I think our morals have not declined. I think that we just differentiate between what is important and what is not. This lack of conformance with the law is seen as a sign our society is becoming immoral. However, I think it’s a reflection on our contempt for the law and the lawmakers. Their problem of course is if they make that contempt so total that we do ignore more important laws. The pleasure or financial reward that the snitch and our lawmakers get will not be much good them.

Why do governments think they are the only one with databases and lists?

Assumptions

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken woman swigging her drink, as she sat alone at a nearby table.
My wife asked, ‘Do you know her?’
‘Yes,’ I sighed. ‘She’s my old girlfriend. I understand she started drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn’t been sober since.’
‘My God!’ said my wife. ‘Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?’

There are always different ways of looking at things and your bias can point you a different way including down paths some would never think of.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been talking to a group or an individual about a situation going on in work or in the world and then all of a sudden I realize that they are actually thinking the opposite of what I was thinking. We are saying things like ‘Look at that. It’s a disgrace.’ They are agreeing but we are actually looking at it from two different angles based on our experience and bias and disagree down at the grass roots level. A good example is the Israeli response to rocket attacks from Gaza. We see the same clip and yet our disgust and support is aimed at different people. We then say generic statements like ‘It’s a disgrace’ ‘Something should be done’ ‘They should face retribution for this’ ‘We should do something’ etc. and we think they are agreeing with us.

It’s one of the reasons I’ve always felt that you need to be more specific when you are talking. It’s fine being general with people you don’t now especially if you are trying to impress. I’d never go to a girlfriend’s house and talk politics for example with her father. Keep it general but when you are talking with the view to do something about it you need to be specific and clear on your objectives so there is no misunderstanding as it’s so easy for us to make assumptions especially when it’s an unpalatable subject you are discussions. You want to keep discussions to a minimum and yet you want them to be clear what is wanted. The two are mutually exclusive. You need to say enough so that you are both clear on where you are and what your position is and where you want to go.

It’s why businesses keep minutes. They are sent around after the meeting so people can see what was said and the actions to be taken. Sometimes when you read the minutes you wonder if you were actually there because some the minutes don’t reflect what you remember. It’s the main reason I like my people to keep the minutes and I get to read them before they are distributed.

It’s also why politicians get away with so much. They don’t say what they are going to do. We say ‘Do something.’ they do what they always wanted to and then turn to you and say ‘It’s what you wanted’ and we don’t really have a reason to complain because we were unclear.

So next time you are in discussions with someone make it clear what you are saying ‘I’m surprised the Israeli’s don’t just blow Palestine to hell.’ instead of ‘We should do something’ and find your social club has sent a cheque off in your name for the Palestinians to buy more weapons. That way everyone knows where you stand and it can save your sanity.

Remember Don’t Assume, It makes an Ass of u and me.

And right now a bunch of politicians all over the UK and the EU are working on assumptions.  Assumptions that I and many others are hoping is going to make asses out of them all.