I Knuckled My Forelock
by
Jeff Berwick Previously by Jeff Berwick: The Hobbit
Hello from.... Acapulco, sigh, Oh, the irony. One of the top providers of passports in the world, myself (TDV Passports), has been having trouble getting a passport for his own daughter! As you may recall, two weeks ago, I spoke of all my troubles at the slave processing center (passport office) trying to get permission from criminals to allow my 6-year-old daughter to travel. Then, last week I told you that by this time this week I'll be writing to you from Europe. We were originally set to leave on Wednesday, but by Wednesday morning we still had not received a passport for my daughter. I'll tell you more about what happened after that, but first let me tell you what happened that day. BACKING
DOWN FROM THE STATE
You never really know who you are until faced with adversity. Forrest Griffin, a phenomenal UFC fighter – and, strangely enough, a good author who wrote a book that sounds like it makes sense to us vigilantes, "Be Ready When the Sh*t Goes Down: A Survival Guide to the Apocalypse" – once said, "Never trust a man who has never been punched in the face." That always stuck with me since I can guarantee you tjat people like Dick Cheney and Barack Obama have never been punched in the face. Shot other people in the face, that's a different story. I have been punched in the face. It happened when I was about 13... that changed everything about me. I don't recall if my father put me into boxing, karate and kung fu after that or if I asked for it... but the end result was the same, I feel I can protect myself in most situations now... and that makes a world of difference. So imagine how hard it was for me to look in the mirror this week after I had cowtowed to an agent of the state. A statist person who likes to control people had repeatedly denied us of her slave card and I reached my breaking point two hours before our flight was designated to leave. My wife, teary eyed, told me that no matter how many lawyers and agents we hired that we just were not going to get her slave card in time. For months I had told my daughter countless stories of what snow looks like... being born and raised in Acapulco it is a very foreign concept and her beautiful brown eyes always open wide as I told her about it. Figuring perhaps speaking to them on a human level would work, I thought, as a last attempt. I swallowed my pride and raced down on my scooter to beg forgiveness and ask that they put all problems aside and... I actually teared up... as I tried to tell the woman there that all I wanted to do was take my family to another place for Navidad and how I would bite all my words and apologize if they would allow us to go. Seeing the tears in my daughters eyes – and, she was actually the least emotional of either me or my wife (who is incredibly strong) a few moments earlier had driven me to submit. I sat in the office of head boss there at the passport office and nodded my head to whatever she said. "I love my job," she said. "I take it very seriously." I bit my tongue again to not tell her that she is not much different than any Nazi or Stalin gulag train driver. I sat, head down, and nodded. I told her she is right. I submitted. I still feel sick to my stomach telling you this. But I tell you this, I am quite certain in my heart that if all that was on the line was only MY freedom I would have sat stone-faced and proud. But this was all about my daughter. This is the worst I've felt in some time. It makes me wonder if/when I am kidnapped and taken to Guantanamo Bay how quickly I will buckle. My first water boarding will likely have me doing and saying whatever they want. Or not. Again, this was solely about my daughter, not me... and I didn't want to do or say anything that would deprive her of the ability to travel semi-freely. I guess my next test comes when they come for me and me only. As I look in the mirror today I am not sure who I see. I am passionate about freedom... but how passionate? I have doubts now about my ability to fight the collectivist/statist whole. I am almost literally speechless right now. Who am I? What am I? My anarchist wife is sick as well. Have I broken everything I say I am about? THE HOBBIT If there was one small brightside to my week was that I was still in Acapulco for the grand opening of The Hobbit. My two favorite movie theaters on Earth are, #1, the VIP cinema at the Siam Paragon cineplex (There at one of the most upscale malls on Earth they have chandeliers, bars, discotheques and more all inside the theater complex) and the 2nd best theater I've been to is here in Acapulco at La Galerias Diana VIP. For an entry cost of $8 you have leather lazyboy reclining chairs, a bar, and a 10-page menu with waiters and waitresses attending to you at your seat. Adding to the enjoyment was that, quite unknown to me, almost every TDV staff member and many TDV readers and subscribers all chose the same time and place to see The Hobbit. We took up most of the theater of about 30 seats. It was like an exclusive TDV screening... and you couldn't pick a better movie than The Hobbit, by anarchist-leaning J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm sure you don't come to TDV for movie reviews, so I'll keep this short. The movie was beautifully done. It was not on par with The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) but only because the underlying story on which the movie was based is also not on par with LOTR in terms of depth and scope. But, considering what he had to work with, Peter Jackson did another great job in bringing the book to life (plus adding a lot to it that never existed). And somehow turning it into what will be a total of 8+ hours of cinematics... from a book about 1/10th the size of LOTR. UNTIL NEXT WEEK... IF THERE IS A NEXT WEEK Hopefully, by next week I'll be reporting in from somewhere in Southeast Europe... and hopefully my daughter will be with me. That is, if there is a next week. After all, it is just a few days until all the Mayans die. Some people say the world is "going to end" on December 21st. But, if read more closely, the Mayans stated that the world would change dramatically on December 21st. If that is the case, they are generally right. The world has been and will change dramatically over the coming years. The End Of The Monetary System As We Know It (TEOTMSAWKI), a system based on debt, theft and extortion will be going to the wayside. The transition could get chaotic... but if we can get through to the other side we could have a much, much freer and more peaceful world without large states, state-backed central banks, taxation and all the other violence done by the state... which has created a total of more than 250 million deaths in the 20th century at the hand of government. So if you believe the world is going to end in a few days, you should be partying like it's 1999 and enjoy your final days. If the world doesn't end but changes dramatically in the coming years, as we believe here, then you should be preparing now. Once more people catch on to the situation, either governments themselves will crack down further on capital and personal flight... or there will be so many people running for the exits at the same time that you may find it nearly impossible to do. Better a year early than a day too late they say. December 17, 2012 Jeff Berwick [send him mail] is an anarcho-capitalist freedom fighter and Chief Editor of the libertarian, Austrian economics grounded newsletter, The Dollar Vigilante. The Dollar Vigilante focuses on strategies, investments and expatriation opportunities to survive & prosper during and after the US dollar collapse. Copyright © 2012 The Dollar Vigilante
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