Sunday, February 28, 2010


© Eso Antons Benjamins, aka Jaņdžs
THE NOT-UNTHINKABLE  
86 Gridlocked in Latvia (5)

This blog removed on 2013-01-27.

 

Saturday, February 27, 2010

A MESSAGE, PRE-BLOG 86
http://esoschronicles.blogspot.com/ 
Election speeches are beginning in earnest.

In the next blog (86) I will respond to S. Elertes speech in the USA.
Here is a picture of a young Latvian mother and her child.

I am using the picture with her permission, but a request
to respect her anonymity. A quick fact: Young woman and child
presently have to make do on Ls 38 = $ 76 (state support)
+ 7 kilos dry macaroni, 7 kilos flour, a few other items allotted by the municipality
+ plus home made conserves of tomatoes, and a few other items.
I have made a contribution that may help increase her monthly income
by Ls 45 ~ $ 90, i.e., total of Ls 83 or $ 166.
Now please go to Blog 85.

Friday, February 26, 2010

© Eso Antons Benjamins, aka Jaņdžs
THE NOT-UNTHINKABLE  
85 Gridlocked in Latvia (4)

I have observed the aforementioned virtual family (see Blog 84) for many years. I find similar cases to family X everywhere I look.

This is because, unfortunately, over the last twenty years the economic situation in Latvia has not improved. I do not consider a new refrigerator necessarily an improvement in quality of life, though it is undeniably a material acquisition not possible in Soviet times. A difference between then and now is that while twelve years ago when I first met some of X family members, the children where by that much younger and by that much more hopeful. Today four of family X’s six children have left Latvia to seek greener pastures (jobs) in other countries and whatever hope existed in the first ten or so years of Latvia’s renewed independence has been replaced by merciless cynicism about government and despair over the negative turns (lack of a job, minimal income, poverty) in one’s personal life.

Family Y, of who I will write about next, describes the vale of tears of a number of virtual people. In other words, what follows is a conglomerate.
A virtual neighbor of mine just told me that he has been waiting for a year and a half for the authorities to register five of his cows so he can take them to the market, but no word yet from the agency responsible for the registration. When Y calls Riga and asks what the hold up is, the answer he receives is that “everything is okay, just wait for our letter”. Meanwhile, the man cannot sell his cow or cows to the market and he is broke. A kilo of cow brings in 40 santimi, thus a 500 kilos of cow or bull x 40 = Ls 200 – ~Ls 20 (in taxes) = Ls 180 (~$360). However, the cash from the slaughter house does not arrive right away, because the law permits three month before payment. Assuming that my virtual neighbor sold all of his five cows, he would earn approximately Ls 900 (~$1800). Divide $1800 by 24 months waiting time for the papers (never mind the time and expense it took to raise the cattle) = ~ Ls 75 per month / 30 = Ls 2.5 ($5) per day. I am no mathematician, but…. Is this worth getting up at 4 a.m. and go to the barn and take care of the animals?
There are several answers to those who cannot for one reason or other emigrate: 1) a bottle of “krutka” to forget the troubles; 2) find a rope to go hang; 3) bite your tongue when daughter becomes a prostitute or runs off to Pakistan; 4) think becoming violent; 5) you add your version to the aforementioned. Interestingly, the grandfather of virtual farmer Y in K. Ulmanis era (1934-1940) owned a profitable horse and stud farm in Abrene. The Soviets sent grandfather and father to Siberia, where neighbor Y was born. After Stalin died (1953), neighbor Y’s father was allowed to relocate to Latvia.

When said virtual neighbor’s wife (from who he is long separated, but not divorced) went to the village administration to request government aid (she worked for years as a cook at a local school—until it was closed last year), she was refused aid. The reason given was that, well, your husband has five cows and some pigs, so you are not destitute yet.
How do these “virtual” people get by? I frankly do not know. When my virtual neighbor’s sow (a very important animal, because she can bear piglets) got sick, and my neighbor broke out in cold sweat because he could not afford to call the vet, we extended our barter agreement, and he now shovels my yard and driveway when I am snowed in.

Not long ago in a village—not too far from where I live—an A-frame house caught fire. It was probably due to an overheated stove. Yes, there were days here when the temperatures dropped to -30C. The village administration could afford no more than Ls 150 (~$300) to give the woman who owns the house. Ostensibly the money was for rebuilding the roof of the house.
Yet another virtual neighbor, a man who is in his prime has not left off alcohol for years. This is what happens when you work to get out of the hole, but as soon as you reach the rim of the crater, you—like Sisyphus—fall back, and are forced to dig yourself repeatedly out of the hole all over again. It should surprise no one if the day comes when the man lights a candle for himself (as one virtual man I knew did) and…good bye. Indeed, Latvia has no mountains to climb, but has plenty of craters. When recently a fictitious meteor “dug” a crater not too far from where I live, I suspect that it was not dug to advertise a mobile telephone company as the media insisted. I would argue that while the phone company did pay some men to do the dig, they dug the ridiculous crater as a work of love, because the crater projects a meteoric "rise" of despair that has visited their community.
During our conversation my virtual neighbor also mentioned that on television news, he saw the minister of education being interviewed on television upon her return from the Olympic games in Canada, but could not name the Latvian athletes who had won medals at the games there. We both had a laugh, but we did not laugh over the news that the Latvian Prime Minister was to attend the games later in the week, too.

Last, but not least, as economists know, one cannot invest money into new projects or realize plans if one is forced to become a slave to debt. Instead, debt slavery produces anxiety and anger, both public and private. If there is no money to pay for the minimum necessities and if one finds one’s self in a hole already, the resulting anxiety will not help improve the situation. One will—like a plant sown in a season of too much rain—rot. So will a nation. That is presently the case with Latvia. And though our neighbors see this (not in my unkind words), our own haughty http://www.apollo.lv/portal/news/articles/195326 government pretends not to see, which is one good reason for letting it go.

Asterisk & Notes of Interest:
TO THE LATVIAN VOTER: While a “not-vote” is not a cure all, it is 1) a step toward choosing and then setting up a program for achieving a realistic future; 2) it helps exit the simplistic mechanics of a dysfunctional community so reduced by politics as usual; 3) it refuses to keep the current “death spiral” (political, economic, demographic, you name it) under wraps and presents it as an emergency it is; 4) it reintroduces charisma as an essential element for the survival of Latvia. Come October 2, 2010, cast a NOT-VOTE. No amount of votes cast for any of the parties now campaigning will result in improvements in the peoples lives whatsoever. Indeed, it will make things worse, because the government’s dysfunction is endemic. Yes, we know the argument that the Latvian constitution provides that even if no more than a thousand people vote in the elections, the government may declare itself legitimate. However, if the majority of the 700,000 eligible voters cast a “not-vote”, everyone will know that the government has no other options than either resign or declare itself a dictatorship. There is no other way to a viable future than through a not-vote; or as the French writer Genet put it: [Else] nous ne sortirons jamais de ce bordel..  
It is obvious that the mindset among the Latvian political elite at this time is not only gridlocked, but has turned to stone. These blogs are, for one, an attempt to loosen the rusted in screws with some naval jelly. Click here  to discover the meaning of the Overton Window, and here to see what purpose it serves.
On material depravation in Latvia.
On the theme of “more-equal-than-others” see George Orwell's "Animal Farm"
A recommended read: “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein (A book within a book from George Orwell's "1984").  
Of great interest to me is this and like articles. It presents some of my reasons for supporting the growing of Johns Grass in Latvia.
These blogs tend to be a continuum of an idea or thought, which is why—if you are interested in what you read—you are encouraged to consider reading the previous blog and the blog hereafter.
Partial entries of my blogs may be found at  LatviansOnline + Forum Home + Open Forum –ONLATVIANPOPULISM vs LATVIJASLABEJIE. If you copy this blog for your files, or copy to forward, or otherwise mention its content, please credit the author and http://esoschronicles.blogspot.com/  

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

© Eso Antons Benjamins, aka Jaņdžs

THE NOT-UNTHINKABLE
84 Gridlocked In Latvia (3)

The following excerpts from post by Igors Suvajevs, philosopher and sociologist. The full post at Apollo.com.

“….Those who suffer from poverty are found also among the wealthy.... Among the impoverished are not only the poor [but also] the rich. In our days the dominant factor is a consumer society, which is not characterized by careful utilization [of resources], but encourages spendthrift expenditures, which create impoverished individuals—as much diminished by poverty as by wealth.

“…A third-world nation is forming almost in the centre of Europe. The nation is called Latvia…. We are told that more than a half of the people living in Latvia can be classified as poor. More than two thirds of the inhabitants live in poverty, that is, in circumstances where there is a shortage of money to meet even minimum needs. The salaries for more than a half of those employed meet only their minimum needs…. The level of inequality [in Latvia] is simply colossal. The inequality coefficient stands at 20%. In effect this means that the poor become ever poorer, while the wealthy become ever wealthier….”

Suvajevs describes the situation in Latvia in abstract terms. Here is what this blogger knows about the situation from personal observation. The story of family X describes a situation that is not unusual in the countryside.

Family X is a kaleidoscope of virtual family originating in rural Latvia. I ( emphasize the word rural. Family Y and Z (to be presented in future blogs) will be virtual single mothers also from rural areas. Their cases will be presented in future blogs.

Virtual family #1 has six children. The father does manual work for a local farmer, but has bouts with alcohol that sometimes last for months on end. While father has visited the detoxification clinic often, his employer refuses to cover the expenses, because the procedure does not result in a permanent cure. The mother of the family, also suffering from bouts with alcohol, left her husband some years ago and has been living off and on with other men as housekeeper. Both parents are about fifty years old.

Son #1 is nearing thirty. He has an elementary school education. After sowing his seed wildly and irresponsibly and living with several women in various regions of Latvia, he eventually abandoned them. He is presently living and working in England. He is likely to be working (judging from earlier work history) as a construction worker.
Son #2 is in his mid-twenties. He attended trade school and studied to be a car mechanic. He has a wife and one child. Most recent employment was as a car mechanic. However, because of the financial and economic crisis, his monthly wage has been cut to 120 lats (about $240) or 30 lats ($60) per week. He is soon on his way to England. A friend (so he claims) has arranged a job for him.

Son #3 is in his mid-teens. The teenager is bright, but has a terrible and incomplete elementary school record. He is suspect by his neighbors of petty thievery. Like many young boys, he loves motorcycles.
Daughter #1 has four young children. Her husband works as a farm laborer. The family is best described as poor and barely scraping by. For lack of money daughter #1 often requests brother #3 to absent himself from school to watch her children while she goes to market or visits with friends.

Daughter #2 has not completed her elementary school. She was briefly married and has two children from the marriage. She divorced her husband and children and traveled around Europe as companion to several truck drivers and became pregnant again. She abandoned her last child, and then moved to England where she worked as a waitress and took up with immigrants from Pakistan. She has now married a Pakistani man and moved to Pakistan.
Daughter #3 is in her early twenties; has not completed her elementary school education. She was married and has two children, but then divorced (perhaps influenced by sister, re #2), abandoned her children, and now lives in England. She, too, very likely lives with a Pakistani man. Her former husband has moved with their two young children to England, where he works in a factory. On occasion the young woman comes from London to visit her children.
Blogger’s comments: The virtual family illustrates the supercilious and neglectful attitude of the Latvian government toward rescuing Latvia from demographic collapse. Twenty years after regaining its independence from the Soviet Union, Latvia’s independence can be described as a people’s tragedy. The political leadership of Latvia has done little to set its priorities on “survival” or better. We know why: children do not vote, but when they are grown old enough, they will be “dumbed down” and vote for which ever political party spends most money on campaign advertising.
To the extent that this writer is familiar with the above and like situations, the chief causes of the problems—aside from neglect by government—are poverty, alcoholism by parents, and lack of understanding of the value of education by many who live in the countryside. The failure to value education runs throughout society, and may be traced to “guaranteed” jobs and wages during Soviet times, as well as education presented in a rote and uninspiring manner, i.e., without a vision of how education may help lift the students out of life at subsistence level. [University students are of course excluded and count as an exception to the norms.] All members of the virtual family are, so to speak, normal people, at least to the extent that their dysfunctional and anxiety filled lives allow them to be such.

Let us not forget that it is the state (originating in princely violence and land grab), aided by a bought off religion, which destroyed the traditional way of life of the community. As a consequence the family lost its clan and ceased to be a saime (a household; a form of the extended family particular to the Balts) and was made directly dependent on the state.

Asterisk & Notes of Interest
TO THE LATVIAN VOTER: While a “not-vote” is not a cure all, it is 1) a step toward choosing and then setting up a program for achieving a realistic future; 2) it helps exit the simplistic mechanics of a dysfunctional community reduced to such by politics as usual; 3) it refuses to keep the current “death spiral” (political, economic, demographic, you name it) under wraps and presents it as an emergency it is; 4) it reintroduces charisma as an essential element for the survival of Latvia. Come October 2, 2010, cast a NOT-VOTE. No amount of votes cast for any of the parties now campaigning will result in improvements in the peoples lives whatsoever. Indeed, it will make things worse, because the government’s dysfunction is endemic. Yes, we know the argument that the Latvian constitution provides that even if no more than a thousand people vote in the elections, the government may declare itself legitimate. However, if the majority of the 700,000 eligible voters cast a “not-vote”, everyone will know that the government has no other options than either resign or declare itself a dictatorship. There is no other way to a viable future than through a not-vote; or as the French writer Genet put it: [Else] nous ne sortirons jamais de ce bordel.  
It is obvious that the mindset among the Latvian political elite at this time is not only gridlocked, but has turned to tacky marble. These blogs are, for one, an attempt to loosen the rusted screws with some naval jelly. Click  here  to discover the meaning of the Overton Window, and here to see what purpose it serves.
On material depravation in Latvia.
On the theme of “more-equal-than-others” George Orwell's "Animal Farm".  
A recommended read: “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein (A book within a book from George Orwell's "1984".)  
Of great interest to me is this and like articles. It presents some of my reasons for supporting the growing of Johns Grass in Latvia.
These blogs tend to be a continuum of an idea or thought, which is why—if you are interested in what you read—you are encouraged to consider reading the previous blog and the blog hereafter.
Partial entries of my blogs may be found at LatviansOnline  + Forum Home + Open Forum –ONLATVIANPOPULISM vs LATVIJASLABEJIE. If you copy this blog for your files, or copy to forward, or otherwise mention its content, please credit the author and http://esoschroniclnes.blogspot.com/

Saturday, February 20, 2010

© Eso Antons Benjamins, aka Jaņdžs

THE NOT-UNTHINKABLE
83 Gridlocked In Latvia (2)

Pictures: Two young persons leaving Latvia for England.

It is very unlikely that the existence of Latvia is at risk as far as the territory of Latvia as an administrative center of the EU is concerned—as long as the EU exists. As time moves on, the EU (if successful) is likely to shift eastward and include Russia. However, before the latter can occur, two major policy shifts have to occur in the West and Central Europe. If these shifts do not occur, the EU faces collapse or will remain dependent on this or that “other” power.

First, the EU has to develop its own foreign policy vision out of which it will evolve its own defense straategy, and, yes, it must let NATO atrophy. As long as Europe remains part of NATO, an organization with obviously aggressive tendencies toward Russia (re the undercutting of Russia’s belly from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean under the guise of fighting “terrorism”), Europe not only delays its own internal political development, but threatens the economic future of its people.

The age of the rule of Paris—the major sponsor of neo-Christianity and the crusades—is over. This in spite of whatever the current prime ministers of France and England may think. Of course, the EU needs energy resources, but the road to their access does not lie through Washington, which would like to see the EU remain permanently fragmented. A fragmented EU virtually guarantees that Washington will not have to discipline its oligarchic democracy, but simply shut Europe out when the Near East comes under its control. Nevertheless, it appears that at present time London, Paris (a la Brussels), and Berlin naively buy into a policy of support for NATO incursions into energy rich zones of the Near East and beyond.
Assuming (but don’t hold your breath) that Europe will do the right thing for itself, a major transformation has to occur in all parts of Europe, East, West, and Center, but with Central Europe leading the way.

It is evident that the future of a European Federation lies through Central Europe toward the East. Central Europe itself is divided into roughly three paths. First, there are the roads in the south that go by way of the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf and beyond; in the central part there is Poland, Hungary, Romania, and others; while in the north the roads go by way of the Baltic Sea. In the latter part, the Baltic countries, carved out of former Livonia, have a special role to play, because of their proximity to Petersburg and Moscow. However, the lynchpin role of the Livonian outgrowths, Latvia and Estonia, depends on the ability of these countries to evaluate our times with foresight, and then take the risk necessary to implement a new future. One of the necessary risks is to exit NATO membership and assume a neutral role vis a vis the East, i.e., Russia.
The Baltic countries need to distance themselves from NATO asap. The present financial and economic crisis is an opportune moment. As mentioned above, Latvia’s existence is not threatened as an administrative area in the European Union, but its participation in NATO threatens its existence from many directions: economic, political, and cultural. Culturally Latvia is not a Western country as some insist (see below). While Latvia was and remains exposed to various influences from the West—starting with the occupation of their territories by the Teutonic Knights—the origin of the Balts lies closer to the Volga than the Rhine. In fact, this is true for all Central European countries. This is why they have such an important role to play in a unified European Union, East and West including, be it takes a hundred years to accomplish.
At this time, however, the Germanic (perhaps one should say Habsburgian) mindset, taking advantage of the traumas visited on Central Europe by the Soviet Union, insists on its regressive preeminence. The evidence is in the continued German policy to use Central Europe as a buffer between itself and Russia. The planned gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea and Polish paranoia and love of NATO rockets is proof of it. Still, the work on the pipeline has not yet begun and the rockets are not yet in place. Since the present economic crisis is also a systems crisis, this is an opportune time for all parties to rethink their option.

In Latvia such reconsideration must begin by rejecting the strident voices arguing on behalf of the separation of Europe into two halves. Because Latvia faces elections this fall (2010), the time to reject the blocks put in the way of reanalysis by advocates of fear is now. Moreover, the advocates of the separation of Europe have suffered a yet unacknowledged loss in Latvia through the near bankruptcy (it was avoided through a sale to another party) of the preeminent advocate of the West sans East, re: the newspaper “Diena”. Interestingly, an important factor in the newspaper’s collapse was its rejectionist editorial stance with regard of the East and anti-populism.
Even so, the diehard separationists are attempting a come back. The following post from Apollo (my free translation from Latvian) here:

“Elerte sees great energy among the citizens [of Latvia]. BNS, Saturday, 13th of February, 13:48. The former editor-in-chief of the newspaper ‘Diena’, Sarmite Elerte, claimed in a speech at a meeting of the New Times (JL) Party that she feels a great flow of energy coming from the [Latvian] citizenry. ‘The citizens are more active than ever before, because the people feel that Latvia is in danger. I wish this energy to inspire the Unity Party [see Blog 82 for more details] and give it direction.’ The editor emphasized that there are many people in Latvia who will do everything not to allow Latvia to orient toward the East. ‘To choose the West is an important foundation, something that I see as an important goal and a good reason to unify over. The highest goal is Latvia—a European [Latvia], a nation able to compete [in the market place], one that has educated people. This choice [of direction] has not been put to the vote yet….’”
What does Ms Elerte mean by “…many people in Latvians will do everything (my emphasis) not to allow Latvia to orient toward the East?” Does Ms Elerte believe that Latvians are ready to shoot themselves in the foot to stop their natural inclinations? One may say that the former editor of “Diena” has been struck with what some economists call “neoliberal madness”. For a description of the latter see article “Latvia’s Neoliberal Madness", authored by economists Michael Hudson and Jeff Sommers. [Click on link, scroll to Articles.]

Indeed, Ms Elerte’s position has not been put to the test. As I am suggesting throughout my blogs, the way to test it is with a “not-vote”, that is, voting by abstaining from a vote. Though a “not-vote” is not a cure all, it is a necessary step for the citizenry of Latvia to break the stranglehold on the region of Central Europe by those who wish to keep Europe permanently separated into two halves; and, not least, to keep the citizens of Latvia permanently indentured as slaves to the banks of the West. The road to a better future lies through the hearts and minds of 700,000 not-voters.
Asterisk & Notes of Interest:
It is obvious that the mindset among the Latvian political elite at this time is not only gridlocked, but has turned to stone. These blogs are, for one, an attempt to loosen the rusted in screws with some naval jelly. Click here to discover the meaning of the Overton Window, and here to see what purpose it serves.
On material depravation in Latvia. 
On the theme of “more-equal-than-others” George Orwell's "Animal Farm".
A recommended read: “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein (A book within a book from George Orwell's "1984"
Of great interest to me is this and like articles. It presents some of my reasons for supporting the growing of Johns Grass in Latvia.
These blogs tend to be a continuum of an idea or thought, which is why—if you are interested in what you read—you are encouraged to consider reading the previous blog and the blog hereafter.
Partial entries of my blogs may be found at LatviansOnline + Forum Home + Open Forum –ONLATVIANPOPULISM vs LATVIJASLABEJIE. If you copy this blog for your files, or copy to forward, or otherwise mention its content, please credit the author and http://esoschroniclnes.blogspot.com/  

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

© Eso Antons Benjamins, aka. Jaņdžs

THE NOT-UNTHINKABLE
82 Gridlocked In Latvia (1)
[This begins a new theme series (see above) and ends one called “NOT-VIOLENT TERROR”. While the previous series took a look (with the aid of a hologramatic perspective) into a heretofore unheard of Latvian social and anthropological past, the present series will attempt to take a closer-to-home look of things. As the reader may know, this blogger believes that during the elections on October 2 of this year (2010) the voters should give the government a NOT-VOTE. A not-vote is a vote that begins to count when it reaches numbers that give the not-voters authority over and above that of the government. While the government may claim that such a result is unthinkable, a majority not-vote gives the not-voters an opportunity to reassert their sovereignty over the government, which must resign, leaving a caretaker government to administer the state until a new Constitution is written. With but a total of 700,000 voters in Latvia, a not-vote is possible. What constitutes a quorum is a question for academics and legal experts. With regard to what Latvians may wish to accomplish with the not-vote (in one man’s opinion) and other proposals see Blog 81 and preceding.]

One may reasonably argue that the Soviet Union unintentionally conserved Latvia and its germanic cultural tilt (also known as a tilt to “the West”) of the Latvian capital of Riga and the related proto-urban landscape of the small regional cities as a result of a too slow a pace of assimilation of Latvians into the Soviet Man. Perhaps the slowness was due to Bolshevik overconfidence and brutality, and because they failed to consult with social anthropologists.

However it happened, the Soviet Union did not last long enough to cause the Latvians to lose their identity entirely. Many Latvians to this day resent profoundly the liquidations, deportations, and destructions practiced during the Soviet rule. Just as the resentment of the Jews against Hitler’s holocaust is parahistorical, that is to say, is a history never to be forgot, so the remembrance of the Central Europeans of Stalin’s atrocities are parahistorical too—certainly for Latvians.
Be that as it may, a parahistorical memory does not need to become Zionist or zionationalistic, but may transcend history and the shortness of human memory by calling for the institution of self-sacrifice on the part of high government officials not only of their own nation, but as a form of government self-control and citizen control of government the world over. This may be (and likely will be) accomplished by nullifying the separation of state and religion one of these days soon.
Parahistorical memory is not new. It was practiced in prehistorical times, when the self-sacrificial individual was known as the “Sacred King”. One of the last sacred kings was John-Jesus (in this blogger’s terminology). The cause or source that created the Sacred King in ancient times—just as in our own—is the potential of material and spiritual corruption among the rulers (in early times the elders) of the community. When a corrupt cabal of rulers (most likely those of the Byzantine Empire) had grown strong enough, they took away the “John” that was a part of Jesus’ name, and sent Jesus to Heaven. Once in heaven, Jesus could but sit on his hands. As the Latvians know, “John” was then turned by the secularists into the King of Beer. The secularists live happily to this day. The state they control continues to preach separation of state and religion, while the Balts (and the Slavs) get drunk on Johns Day, re Midsummer Eve.
Post-Soviet Latvia is, as one government official described it recently, “is not just some small nation, but we are now part of NATO”. [Director of State Chancellery (Valsts kancelejas, VK) Gunta Veismane in an interview on LTV1 program “100. Pants” on February 15, 2010.] The statement was made in an effort to justify said official’s intent to call for the Latvian State Security Police (DP) to investigate a journalist’s source of information. [The call did not go through because of the scandal that the official’s actions elicited in the media.] My reason for quoting it is that it implies an attempt by the official to justify interference with the flow of free information on the basis of Latvia being a participant in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). In other words, an official of the Latvian government is willing to compromise a journalist’s right to investigate by referring to NATO as a reason for compromising freedom of information. This also puts into question freedom of speech in Latvia.
Also, there is a much larger political context that the official’s statements may be put. Here is a paragraph from Blog 80: “This past week several Latvian “political” parties made yet another step toward apolitical politics when the Citizens Party (PS) declared its readiness to form a coalition with the New Times Party (JL) and Party for Different Politics (SCP). Said coalition is to be called "Unity Party", and according to Girts Kristovskis, chairperson of the Citizens Party, it will oppose parties of the oligarchs and pro-Russian parties.”
Let there not be doubt that this government’s “drang nach Westen” would not be possible without Latvia being a member of NATO, a military axis of the U.S. and the EU nations. As the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said with regard to [NATO] stationing interceptor missile components on Bulgarian soil: “My opinion is that we have to show solidarity. When you are a member of NATO, you have to work for the collective security.” Compare this to Ms Veismane’s “[Latvia] is not just some small nation, but we are now part of NATO”. It is beginning to sound as if the member nations of NATO are getting ready—in the name of “collective security”—to curtail freedom of information by intimidating journalists.

(More on Latvia’s tilt toward militarism and “the West” in upcoming Blog 83.)

Asterisk & Notes of Interest:
On the theme of “more-equal-than-others” George Orwell's "Animal Farm". A recommended read: “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein (A book within a book from George Orwell's "1984".)  
Of great interest to me is this and like articles. It presents some of my reasons for supporting the growing of Johns Grass in Latvia.
These blogs tend to be a continuum of an idea or thought, which is why—if you are interested in what you read—you are encouraged to consider reading the previous blog and the blog hereafter.
Partial entries of my blogs may be found at LatviansOnline + Forum Home + Open Forum –ONLATVIANPOPULISM vs LATVIJASLABEJIE. If you copy this blog for your files, or copy to forward, or otherwise mention its content, please credit the author and http://esoschroniclnes.blogspot.com/  


Saturday, February 13, 2010

© Eso Antons Benjamins, aka Jaņdžs

NOT-VIOLENT TERROR
81 Climbing Mt. Citheron (XIV)

When a systems change occurs—something we learn when all the buttons that worked previously no longer work and a catastrophe becomes imminent—there is much confusion. Ships the sizes of supertankers suddenly find themselves at the world’s edge and fall over even though everyone knows that the world is not flat and there is no edge to fall over. Alas, the catastrophe occurs not because there is something wrong with the shape of the world, but the size of the ships.

The trouble with super sized ships is that they cannot turn as fast as an emergency situation demands. A crew well trained to deal with orthodox problems (whatever these may be), turns out not to know what to do when a systems change becomes reality. The crew cannot rebuild the ship that had a faulty or overambitious design, and throwing people overboard will never lighten the ship enough for it to stay afloat. Indeed, those thrown overboard may survive, whereas those on board may go down.

Tomislav Sunic’s comment (see Blog 80) on how liberal democracy has fostered the growth of apolitics (Laclau and Mouffe are likely among his influences) has its reflection in the failed or, to be kind, seemingly failed democratic Latvia. Its positivist government has been sailing in an imaginary sea for twenty years, while its stranded and wrecked ship  of state has not only not improved, but with its partidocratic and zionationalist crew is perfectly happy to sit on the rusty deck, smile, and do nothing.
With Latvia on the Baltic and Greece on the Aegean seas, the ebbing tide of time has laid across central part Europe the carcass of a rusty old shipwreck that no one seems to be either willing or able to dismantle. And the age of the Tethys Sea is unlikely to soon return to float it.

Will the political and economic wreck of Central Europe—with Latvia as its bow—divide West and East Europe and keep the halves from merging for ever?
Answer 1: As long as Latvia remains part of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), and the West of Europe (England, Germany and France especially) continue to envisage the conquest of the East of Europe (Russia) by taking advantage of NATO (essentially under U.S. control) and join in the violent undercutting of the under-belly (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India) of Russia, Latvia will remain in a state of apolitical rigor mortis and economically destitute.

Answer 2: As long as Latvia remains a member of NATO, Latvia’s internal politics—until and unless its people replace the partidocratic apolitical system with a government of Enlightened Authoritarianism—will remain apolitical and its economy will remain at the subsistence level of mushroom picking and a diminishing mushroom crop due to implosive deforestation. The existing partidocratic zionationalist apolitical system will never abandon its oligarchal tilt (the latter already committed to accepting continual bailouts by the NATO nations)—because oligarchs poisoned by monarchal ambitions are virtual big ships in a sea of corruption. Everyone who there betrays the hegemony engineered by the military machine gets the bullet sooner or later.
Answer 3: Think enlightened authoritarianism. What is it? Rather than take several blogs explaining it, the following is a brave attempt by blogger William Hooper to argue on its behalf. My own ideas about authoritarianism are likely to emerge in the process of writing. Indeed, the idea of self-sacrifice as an essential ingredient of government has been made in past blogs. A number of Latvian jurists would of course make their contributions and help write a new Constitution and work out the details of transition from unsustainable consumerism sponsored by partidocratic apoliticians to a long-lasting and prosperous community.

Answer 4: Unseat the present government of Latvia through a successful “not-vote” populist campaign, followed up by a new Constitution and all the steps that are necessary to set the stage for a government of Enlightened Authoritarianism democratically arrived at and sustained by.
Answer 5: With new parameters thought out and with the countries to the East and the West of Latvia discussed and signed treaties with, Latvia would shift its geopolitical orientation from “West” to “neutral”. Of course, the EU and Russia may be shocked. What are we to think? However, the country has its own plans. It wishes that the future political centre of Europe is in the middle of Europe, in Riga (the Jerusalem that bishop Albert dreamt of). This time Riga will come to its druthers by way of “problem solving methods”, not violent methods of persuasion as Bishop Albert used and taught.

Answer 6: Because poverty and fears of economic destitution today are based on a misconception of the future (facilitated through oligarch owned media and by the advertising industry), Latvia will reorient its interests. Because the country has a firm base in the pharmaceutical industry, and because healing is as old an art in Latvia as its “dziednieki” (healers), Latvia will reorient its economy and concentrate on

a) research in the field of stem cells and give human cloning  a high priority status;
b) sociological-anthropological research in the formation and creation of a family of the future. Many Latvian farms retained the old household system of living in “saimes”. These are likely to have been an inheritance of arch-Christian times and may have prevailed during the proto-Latvian Jersika culture. “Saimes”, perhaps pale remembrances of their former self, but nevertheless functional, were still in existence in 1944;
c) with Riga as a major centre of activity for medical science and indeed DNA implanting, the countryside may be let rest, restore, and reforest itself. No doubt, “interspaces” in the forest may be designated as areas for communities of “saimes” to establish their multi-generational estates.
Answer 7: The current apolitical at the same time radically individualized and infantinelized societies must be educated through life-long education programs following high school; this part of a voluntary, but encouraged college level program. An Enlightened Authoritarian Democracy oversees these programs and makes the necessary adjustments that are needed to move toward the goal smoothly.

Answer 8: Make the name of Latvia read Jersika. Redesign the Latvian flag by replacing the color of crusted blood with a green landscape.

Answer 9: After the above and other changes have been realized, only the climb up Mt. Citheron remains.
If the hologramatic view—an all inclusive view—of the Universe (“Visums” in Latvian) helps the extreme individual reorient his-her life toward the community, then the climb up Mt. Citheron will be less stressed by the death of one’s current self. Because a replacement to one’s self (perhaps with one’s current self being its parent for the first twelve years) is perhaps growing up as one’s child, one may no longer be stressed by death. After several generations of individuals cloning themselves successively, chances are that self-sacrifice will have created a not-violent world. Under these circumstances not-violent terror may still be a matter of concern to the individual, but society will be not-violent and free.

In other words, the future will anchor Riga in Jersika, with both the city and the country having become the geopolitical centre of Europe.

Recently a group of Dutch citizens have begun to collect signatures for a bill that would allow all citizens over the age of 70 to request professionally assisten euthanasia. Last, but not least, if you are wedded to the present system, have a nice ride’; click here.

Asterisk & Notes of Interest:
On the theme of “more-equal-than-others” George Orwell's "Animal Farm".
A recommended read: “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein (A book within a book from George Orwell's "1984").
Of great interest to me is this and like articles. It presents some of my reasons for supporting the growing of Johns Grass in Latvia.
These blogs tend to be a continuum of an idea or thought, which is why—if you are interested in what you read—you are encouraged to consider reading the previous blog and the blog hereafter.
Partial entries of my blogs may be found at  LatviansOnline + Forum Home + Open Forum –ONLATVIANPOPULISM vs LATVIJASLABEJIE. If you copy this blog for your files, or copy to forward, or otherwise mention its content, please credit the author and http://esoschroniclnes.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

© Eso Antons Benjamins, a.k.a. Jaņdžs

NOT-VIOLENT TERROR
80 Climbing Mt. Citheron (XIII)

Tomislav Sunic, a Croatian political scientist, in a paper called “Liberalism and Democracy?  Carl Schmitt and Apolitical Democracy” writes that “…if one assumes that a new type of homogeneity can develop, e.g., homogeneity caused by technological progress, then one cannot dispute the functionality of a liberal democracy in which the homogenized citizen remains thoroughly apolitical: hypothetically speaking, political issues in the decades to come may no longer be ethnicity, religions, nation-states, economics, or even technology, but other issues that could ‘homogenize’ citizens. Whether democracy in the twenty-first century will be based on apolitical consensus, remains to be seen. Schmitt sincerely feared that the apoliticism of ‘global liberal democracy’ under the aegis of the United States could become a dangerous predicament for all, leading not to global peace but to global servitude.”

The above illustrates the thunder clouds approaching. Far in the background one may also hear thunder. Below is a scene of the way it is happening in Latvia with a sketch of the political background of it.

This past week several Latvian “political” parties made yet another step toward apolitical politics when the Citizens Party (PS) declared its readiness to form a coalition with the New Times Party (JL) and Party for Different Politics (SCP). Said coalition is to be called “Unity Party” http://www.uic.edu/orgs/unity/UnityMonthJPEG.jpg , and according to Girts Kristovskis, chairperson of the Citizens Party, it will oppose parties of the oligarchs and pro-Russian parties. The talk among the Unity Party members is to concentrate on “doma” (to think thoughts) of economics. (Source: DELFI.lv, 6.2.10.)
What is Unity Party? Let us start with the definition of “unity”, which at this link is best expressed as (6): “one of the principles by which a uniform tenor of story and propriety of representation are preserved; conformity in a composition to these; in oratory, discourse, etc., the due subordination and reference of every part to the development of the leading idea or the establishment of the main proposition.” In other words, the Unity Party (when officially announced) may present to the public a definite program.

We already know from the news that Unity will be anti pro-Russian and oligarchs. In other words, the political “enemy” is established; however, the economic program is yet at its muz muz stage. The lack of an economic program at this stage indicates that it will likely remain at the muz muz stage even after the founding, which means the Unity Party will remain as apolitical as the activity of muz-muzing usually is. To be any other way, Unity has to choose an authority figure that the rest may join as advisors, but who in all cases will respect the authority figure.
The Karlis Ulmanis regime (1934-1940) of Latvia was a regime that started its life (by way of a coup) on May 15, 1934, but soon became a “soft” dictatorship. K. Ulmanis  main support came from the Farmers Party (Zemnieku partija), the military circles, and, not least, from the inability of the radical and the “we-agree-to-disagree-in-almost-every-case” parties to be unified enough to move along the country’s economic development. In a sense, K. Ulmanis came to power as a result of an ad hoc Unity Party that soon became known as “Ulmanis regime”.

Ulmanis was the authority who spoke to Latvians and spoke on behalf of them. He was the guide in all future projects and, like it or not, he enabled many Latvians to become market savvy. The “market” in its modern guise was a concept that was new to Latvians, especially the bookkeeping part and the discipline to run a business successfully. He used his college education (agronomy and farming) at the University of Nebraska, to raise the level of education for Latvians, most of who were still of peasant stock. Ulmanis returned to Latvia from the U.S. (1913) with a broadened perspective, ready to help develop Latvia with—of course—other Latvians as his helpmates.
However, a year after his return from the U.S., WW1 broke out. The war devastated Europe economically. The new nation of Latvia, which Ulmanis helped found (1918), would need to act with an especial foresight to rebuilt its economy and educate its people. Ulmanis was ready for the task, but its execution, due to many political fractures, was to lag behind. On May 15, 1934, Karlis Ulmanis staged a coup and seized the reigns of the Latvian state.
My grandfather and father, the first the founder and both editors-in-chief of the newspaper "Jaunākās Ziņas"  (since 1911) at the time, saw the political picture with a neutral eye. They appeased social disagreement, such as existed, by printing jokes about the clumsiness of “vadonis” (leader), but never disapproved of him. Apparently, the judgment of the political and economic situation by the editorial staff and publisher, authoritarianism was acceptable for the benefits it brought to the majority of Latvians, and, not least, kept the newspaper from getting shut down as the authorities reminded the staff of such a possibility often enough. A certain antagonism that existed among the newspaper’s publisher, its editorial board, and the Ulmanis regime came from both competing for the populist vote. Ulmanis needed the populists because he needed majority support to stay in power (without going to military rule), while “Jaunākās Ziņas” desired to increase the number of its subscribers and had to keep peace—a tight balancing act sometimes—among newspaper’s editorial staff and a publisher of differing minds.
So, Karlis Ulmanis became an authoritarian leader. He took advantage of the anti-nazi mood in the country by supporting the out-migration of Baltic Germans (many believed to be nazi sympathizers) and appeasing those among the public that were unhappy by making them happy through an increased sense of public pride in being a Latvian. The latter were to be thought of in terms of ethnicity. If one was a citizen of Latvia, one was of Latvia’s first (or second, etc.) generation and thus one of its sovereign owners. Under K. Ulmanis, Latvia was a majority democracy with the majority facilitating its rule through an authoritarian president.

Unfortunately, on Latvia’s eastern border was communist Soviet Union with a definition of cosmopolitanism that identified cosmopolitanism with liberal consumerism. Having encouraged the departure of the Baltic Germans, Ulmanis set up the conditions that would enable the Baltic Germans to be replaced by the Baltic Slavs who arrived into the country with the Soviet times. Are the parties who today represent the Slavs to be the enemies of the Unity Party of Latvia? Does the Unity Party plan to encourage Latvia to continue to be an ethno zionationalist state?
Lest it be the same rhetorical bluff that has guided the ship of the Latvian state since 1991, who in the “Unity Party-to-be” is going to be “the authority”? Who and what is to be the sacrifice?

The climb up Mt. Cytheron has not yet begun, certainly not in the context of our times. As Oedipus of ancient times found out, his story stands for the way of all too human endeavors, and one has to take issue with such “naked” dirty politics that the Unity Party leads one to anticipate. An anti Baltic Slav campaign will lead to the plague that puts the future of all Latvia-born children in hawk.
Asterisk & Notes of Interest:
 On the theme of “more-equal-than-others” see George Orwell's "Animal Farm" .
A recommended read: “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein (A book within a book from George Orwell's "1984")  
Of great interest to me is this and like articles. It presents some of my reasons for supporting the growing of Johns Grass in Latvia.
These blogs tend to be a continuum of an idea or thought, which is why—if you are interested in what you read—you are encouraged to consider reading the previous blog and the blog hereafter.
Partial entries of my blogs may be found at LatviansOnline + Forum Home + Open Forum –ONLATVIANPOPULISM vs LATVIJASLABEJIE. If you copy this blog for your files, or copy to forward, or otherwise mention its content, please credit the author and http://esoschroniclnes.blogspot.com/  

Saturday, February 6, 2010

© Eso Antons Benjamins, a.k.a. Jaņdžs

NOT-VIOLENT TERROR
79 Climbing Mt. Citheron (XII)

Given the rapid breakdown of the community and community oriented hegemonies and the exponential rise of atomized individuals cultured into being by consumerist broths, society is footloose and free to do as it may. With money in the pocket, anyone may dance his or her way to almost anyplace they wish. Those without money also may go their way and many do, but the process of numbing one’s self with alcohol enough not to feel no pain of death in the cold, is a process that may take years. It’s a strange world, Mr. Jack.

A long time ago “freedom” meant having the opportunity to live away from princely courts and find refuge in a subsistence economy. Last time this was tried in the U.S. was when the hippies moved to the states of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in Canada in the 1960s. Some of them survive to this day by growing Johns Grass. In the rest of the world subsistence living—free but subject to finding food at the garbage dump, young women earning a living through prostitution, men growing and selling Johns Grass, and people dying as if they never were—is still the experience of the majority of humankind. Consumers may watch this world by taking "slum tours" as part of their consumption of vacation time. They may be preparing themselves for the rising tide of poverty that may force them to be discarded by the failed brain of our age of technology. On the other hand, there is also something to be said for wanting to live at the level of our forebears. Many would be happy to join them if using a horse and no car would free them from having to pay the government taxes.
It is a paradox of our civilization that it has not only rejected but also forgotten how the first human beings came into existence in conditions that offered them a comfortable subsistence living. In our own day, we are witnesses to how the advantage that an Earth full of fruit and life offered our ancestors has been squandered by using up ever more “lebensraum” (living space) in pursuit of consumption. Though Hitler failed in his attempt to carve out more living space for the German people by means of war (a nationalist activity often going by the name of fascism), a worldwide increase in poverty is only now beginning to see in consumerism a form of fascist dictatorship. Of course, I am speaking of a “soft” fascist dictatorship. For many Latvians going back to the ways of their forebears (if the world of the forebears could be recreated) would be an improvement over a country created with such foresight that 150,000 have left it, a no lesser number would like to, and the remainder wondering what fate had in mind when it put them ashore in Latvia
In the world as a whole, “Lebensraum” (living space) comes in many different sizes and shapes. There is concern over enough space for a growing population [risen from 2 billion inhabitants in 1950 to 6.5 billion by 2010, sixty years later, and expected to rise to 9 billion by 2040], but along with the growth of human population, the size of the ruling class has increased as well. It is, therefore, something like two billion Earth inhabitants stealing a living from the 4.5 billion others. Unfortunately, while the steal is successful, it is a steal that fails, because the theft helps increase the size of the middle classes on a planet of diminishing resources, certainly of such as are relatively cheap. Meanwhile, that part of humankind that was persuaded to abandon the ways of antiquity, yet never have had the opportunity to rise above the poverty level, continues to bring to life more people like itself than ever.
The majority of consumers live in cities, and it is around the cities that the human nakeds fill the slums. What once was a land for the original human subsistence dwellers, has become the private property of monster farms (probably bank owned) and the “bonus receivers” among bank employees, who invest and use retirement money of the middle classes for their own and the bank’s benefit. One may say that the natural order at the time when the first human beings appeared on Earth has been completely reversed: the haves then are the have-nots of today while the rulers-pretend-not-to-be are the Socialist Oligarch Party, SOP, of today.

More “growth” is obviously not a solution, but a problem to all areas that live as much on borrowed money as on borrowed time for lack analysis of the sustainability level of society and how to implement it. Sometimes a culture overgrown by a myth no longer either useful or principled may hinder the development or survivability of society as a whole.
While Latvia is a small nation, and one may think that it should escape notice of how it falls apart with all attention directed to the “biggies”, Latvia may play a big role in other ways. The current government is a perfect afterimage of what happens to those suffering from delayed gratification. The zeitgeist of consumer fascism shines bright in the eyes of almost everyone who knew the torture it was to stand in the long lines at stores during Soviet rule, yet was privy to television soaps from abroad. Such subjectivities obviously filled the heads of those who served Latvia’s bureaucracy and those who came to office as ministers and politicians. If consumer fascism is often well camouflaged in the West, it shows up in clear relief in post-Soviet Latvian morality.

Rather blatant presumption of hegemony among consumers translates itself best in images of television advertisements. The hegemony of images in advertising are unmistakeable. However, the modeling of the image began at the top, at top business and government level. There were no speed limits or blocks against running off the tracks. The examples of behavior in Latvia were set at the top and devolved down toward the valley where the people lived.
 The dazzling brightness of economic wisdom in the halls of Latvia’s “refounders” made plans to built "A Castle of Light"  to house a library that would put the Library of Congress in Washington to shame, but cost a mere ~140 million lats (~$300 mil.). It built the world’s most expensive bridge (~ Ls 600 million, with the lats almost twice as costly as the dollar, i.e., $ 1.2 billion) before its need was proven, and 27 million lats have simply gone missing. These and other objects reflect the high expectations of elected and unelected officials with no direct responsibilities to the voters—from 1991 on until the present 2010 election campaign. What an ironic spectacle of not only a lack of vision, but of the post-Soviet mindset revealed in all its dullness and primitiveness in the circles of the post-Soviet apparatchiki of Latvia.
The run for the sill began immediately after Latvia was retrieved—with help from the U.S.—from Soviet grasp. With America’s support, and soon part of NATO, the Latvian government felt safe. Latvian men went boar hunting and ate boar’s balls to prove the men they are. They could care less about Putin in Moscow waving red handkerchiefs and sending unkind messages, for we have in Latvia a partidocratic and zionationalist consumer nation on wheels already. Of course, consumer fascism does not smell but of coconut oil and olive skin. Latvia had one of the fastest growing economies in Europe a few years ago.

In any event, naked greed, sometimes robbery (but through an escape hatch in the ceiling always out of reach of prosecution) took the high chair of setting the public an example of correct behavior, and though there was talk of honor and honesty, the money did not go into education or its promotion. Today the founding institutions of Latvian consciousness, the village choirs and the Festival of Choirs that meets every five years to train their voices together, goes without state support. The ad hoc organizers and interested parties are left on their own, in effect homeless. If on some other occasion hard times are an opportunity for innovations, the government of Latvia is now saying in so many words that there is no mandate from the people for the choirs to stay among the living. Ligo Latvia! (Viva Latvia!)

I have already suggested using a “not-vote” as the occasion for choirs to meet near polling places and invite everyone to a not-vote sing-along.

Asterisk & Notes of Interest:
On the theme of “more-equal-than-others” see George Orwell's "Animal Farm"
A recommended read: “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein (A book within a book from George Orwell's "1984" ). 
Of great interest to me is this and like articles . It presents some of my reasons for supporting the growing of Johns Grass in Latvia.
These blogs tend to be a continuum of an idea or thought, which is why—if you are interested in what you read—you are encouraged to consider reading the previous blog and the blog hereafter.
Partial entries of my blogs may be found at LatviansOnline + Forum Home + Open Forum –ONLATVIANPOPULISM vs LATVIJASLABEJIE. If you copy this blog for your files, or copy to forward, or otherwise mention its content, please credit the author and http://esoschroniclnes.blogspot.com/